Two-wheelers: Not just for family. For extended family.
What do you mean, officer, teddy bears aren't people?!
Being pulled over for trying to sneak into the minimum-of-five-per-motorcycle car pool lane....
Coming up next: A rare sighting of the elusive motorcycle six-pack...
This is part 3 in a 5-part series:
Part 1: Tykes on Bikes
Part 2: Who Needs An SUV?
Part 3: Always Room For One More
Part 4: The Two-Wheeler Six-Pack
Part 5: Bicycle Built For Four
Part 4.... Basia joins a family to go for a bike ride to the country for a picnic.
Posted by: shannon clubb | Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 02:14 PM
Whoa! You actually got a six pack?!?
Posted by: Benjamin | Friday, June 23, 2006 at 08:57 AM
Ben: Yup, I sure did! Two of them...
Shannon: LOL, no, not quite. But that would make a great shot. Maybe I could be the #7 on the lap of the six-pack?
Posted by: Basia | Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 10:07 AM
Hi,
Love your site...especially the pics. Just outta curiosity-When you travel to different parts of the continent, where do you upload your pics onto in order to save it to the blog? I would assume you carry a laptop.
Posted by: mango | Wednesday, June 28, 2006 at 12:20 AM
Hi Mango,
Actually, I rarely take my laptop with me when I travel. I have enough memory cards to hold about 1000 pictures, so I just keep them on the memory cards and upload to my computer when I get home. My trips within India have been generally short -- 2 to 4 days. Even the longer ones, like the Himalayas, were only two weeks, and I ended up with about 800 pictures on that trip.
When I blog while I travel, it's usually just text. Trying to upload photographs at internet cafes can be frustrating - they are either quite slow, or very expensive. I do separate posts for the photographs after I get home.
Posted by: Basia | Wednesday, June 28, 2006 at 11:08 PM
Basia,
I grew up in India and as a kid and young adult I don't remember ever, even once wondering about things like safety, comfort etc whenever I came across scenes similar to the ones you have posted above. It is so funny and refreshing to read your comments about things you notice in India. Having spent three quarters of the last 2 decades in the US I must admit how comfort conscious or safety conscious I have become whenever I return to India. I used to travel everyday by train to college in bombay dangling from a crowded train during peak hours with nothing but just the strength in my index finger holding the entire weight of body and kept me from falling off the train and getting squished like a insect against a windshield.
I am bit ashamed to admit that I cannot do it anymore whenever I return to India.
While it can be considered as moving up in standards I sometimes think of it as becoming a gutless softie.
Its like I have lost my "third world survival gene" and gained a "buckle up and always check brakes,air bag and insurance card " gene.
I am curious to know if you have thought about all this deeply, ever wonder if indians riding like this are really "fatalists" or "Optimists" ?
Posted by: suresh | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 03:10 PM
Hi Suresh - well I guess I would consider Indians dangling from a crowded train or bus "pragmatists" - in many cases, it doesn't seem like they have much of a choice. The public transport system is what it is. I think the U.S. and India are at the two extremes of this - American completely safety conscious to the point of paranoia, Indians not really being aware of the danger. Seems like somewhere in between would be a good place to be-
Posted by: Basia | Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 12:53 PM