Our boat was late docking in India and after we all went through immigration, we ended up getting off two hours late. It was stressful for many people who had trips and flights but luckily my homestay trip did not leave until night time.
As we exited the ship, there were about fifteen men playing traditional Indian drums, and women with the traditional gold paint to put on our foreheads. We then went into Kochi in our first Rickshaw ride. The Rickshaw is three wheeled and motorized that functions as a taxi. It is thrilling because it is so open and it makes it easier to take in the surroundings.
The taxis in India function differently than one would expect. They collect commission when they bring tourists to shops. But most of these shops are designed for tourists and are very expensive. We did not understand what the cabbie was doing for awhile and we started getting annoyed because he was not bringing us where we wanted to go.
We went to a store to buy saris and they wrapped them around and then pleated it. It seems relatively simple to pick up but I am challenged at such things so I will require help. We then stopped at two more touristy hand crafted shops.
Also, we wanted fast food for lunch and the cabbie would bring us to the most expensive restaurants. It was very frustrating. The cabbie also brought us to a spice market with piles and bags of the local spices. It was a phenomenal to see.
Ev had an FDP (trip) and he was leaving to arrange travel plans for the week so I did not get a chance to see him before we left the ship. But by some chance, I saw Everett and Chelsea in a Rickshaw on the opposite side of the road. I had our driver do a U turn and go after them. We caught up with them so we shook hands goodbye because PDA (Personal Display of Affection) is illegal in India.
Cassie on Bike from Home Stay dad's house.
A word about the infamous traffic in India. There are no lanes and everyone drives where they can fit. So essentially, it is motorcycles and Rickshaws fighting for room with the buses and cars. There are a large amount of people on motorcycles (they call them bikes) because they are easier to navigate in traffic. We would see women in saris on motorcycles and there were women behind men with a kid between them. Some of the older women sat sideways on the motorcycle and had children on their lap.
They use honking as more as a warning that their car is behind you or trying to pass. They honk constantly. There is some honking rule when to do it but I could not figure it out. Although I did not see any accidents (there were some close calls), but apparently they are really common. Being in a vehicle on the Indian roads was an experience on its own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIpvHV3vfLU&feature=player_embedded
Check out this You Tube video to see how bad the traffic is.
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