TRAVEL THE WORLD - SOMEWHERE IN GUJARAT, INDIA

Bullock carts like the one in the photo are seen all over India, particularly in rural areas, but also on fast-travelled congested highways. These animals have been used as beasts of burden for many centuries in India. This one was photographed in 2007 in Gujarat.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - GUJARAT, INDIA

There are two things to take note of about this small vehicle photographed somewhere in Gujarat in 2007. One is the fact that it has only three wheels. There are many such vehicles in India. Secondly is its colourful decoration. We saw trucks everywhere, many of them very large, that were attractively decorated in this way. When you cross a state boundary, all commercial vehicles must stop while the driver goes to a government office at the side of the road to pay a tax. It's really something to see maybe a hundred large trucks stopped by the highway for this purpose, most of them colourfully decorated.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - MAHESHWAR, INDIA

This photo of an auto-rickshaw was taken in Maheshwar, Madyha Pradesh, a small historic town on the Narmada river. Everywhere in India, these are the most popular mode of transport. Many are powered by electric motors, thus helping to reduce air pollution. You would be surprised by how much these small vehicles can hold. We once saw one that held thirteen people crowded together mostly standing. Together with the trains and the occasional long- and short-distance taxis, auto-rickshaws provided our transportation while visiting the country. They are inexpensive and there are so many of them that it is always easy to find one that is free. Only in Jaipur and Delhi did we see the traditional bicycle rickshaws.

INDIA VACATION 2007

INDIAN MODES OF TRANSPORT

Highways in India can be very crowded, yet traffic flows reasonably well, if chaotically. On the verge and in the right-hand lane you will find pedestrians, cows, bicycles and even elephants. Next, towards the centre of the highway, you will see auto-rickshaws, camels, bullock carts; then come cars, then, in the centre, buses and trucks. There is constant movement back and forth as vehicles enter and exit the highway at considerable speed and with little room to spare. But somehow, there is order in chaos!

From top to bottom, the photos show: an auto-rickshaw and driver in Diu, a Rajasthan camel, a colourfully-decorated three-wheeled truck such as are seen all over India, and a bullock cart in Gujarat.