Rick ShawDec 2, 2006
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Feeding Time
Still Waiting
Eagle in the City
| A city of rick-shaws: thousands of motor and cycle rick-shaws swarm the city. And we are their prey. It's rush hour all the time in Jaipur. Everyone seems to be going somewhere all day long in all directions. The handy thing about so many rick-shaws is that it's really easy to get places, and it's really easy to haggle. Mary has mastered the technique. She goes out into the middle of the road. Immediately four rick-shaws surround her. She says, "Barista Coffee Shop, ten rupees." They all stare at her for a while, then someone tries to haggle for 20 rupees, 30 rupees. She says, "nope, ten rupees. who's gonna take me?" Inevitably, one of them says, "get in", and we're off. Mary has found her bartering shell again. She's hard core, and the Indian men respond with fear and respect. It wasn't until Mary saw the cycle rick-shaw drivers sleeping under their rick-shaws on the street that she began to lose her edge a little. OK, fifteen ... |
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