Mezze Moments

Riotous Roads as observed by a hapless foreigner.
Yes it is a sea of motorbikes, pedal bikes and autorickshaws interspersed with colourful carrier trucks, sedate sedans and mad man-eating taxis.We counted one spewing out 20. No one is unscratched or unscathed in this seething mass of moving machinery. Order I hear you say order ?
Well not exactly, more like an up and down mad terrain course in a dug up city where no road has been left untouched in the frantic preparations to complete the Delhi Metro in time for the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Ant and I have a bet on it.....
A lot of safety helmets are worn as hats with the chin bit up around the forehead but Sikhs and girls, the first turbaned and protected the second carefully groomed and slightly more dispensable, seem to be exempt.The more the merrier on a motorbike. Still cant reconcile the sleeping toddler and the motorbike driver I saw. SIZE MATTERS and we have come to call Delhi Corp Buses, Killer buses as they loom up behind you with frightening speed,screetching tyres with no doors or windows and exploding with humanity. If you think that being a diplomat or a big cheese exempts you from the fun think again. Even official drivers drive the wrong way up a two lane motorway to avoid having to follow flows and traffic rules.The face does not flinch, the speed only mildly alters as the oncoming traffic approaches and you are the only one travelling in the wrong direction. If you run out of road because all of a sudden a two way street is occupied by one lane traffic just use the pavements, if there are any. If in doubt about anything and anyone HONK - NO HONK anyway even without doubts.
Junctions and traffic lights are simply for lifting the foot off the accelarator but not real slowing down or stopping, merely go with the flow and hope that no one comes to hit you.If on the other hand you are tired of the days travails, pull over and sleep where convenient.If horror of horrors you come within a hair's breath of a crash or a scrape, say nothing, look blank, shake head from left to right with enigmatic half smile and carry on.