Remember the streets in Chennai

Soon I’ll be again in the crazy Chennai. Right now I'm sitting at home and remembering the traffic in Chennai.

Seeing this Picture, I feel like sitting in the auto rickshaw, right there in the middle of the road, surrounded by Motorbikes, cars and bicycles.

The roads from Chennai are wild and dusty. As a pedestrian you can get easily lost. So much is happening on these roads. It's not like that you don’t know how to move on a road and cross the streets. Since childhood we learned how to use the accessible walkways and cross the streets. Thus we are safe and the cars won’t drive us to the ground. And you learn, if there is no sidewalk, walk on the street so that you can see the oncoming cars. But in India, in India you can not apply these principles. Here it just means: Eyes open and go through. Quick, without making a long pause. Always be vigilant. You have to keep everything around you in your sight. Once you go down the road a little, you better don’t use the sidewalk. The sidewalks are utilized by several other people with and for their businesses.

Do you need someone to ironing your clothes? You'll find it on the sidewalk. He or she will have placed there a cart. Under or next to it, he will have a pile of coal, ready to put in his iron. And a iron, which you can see in my hometown only in the museum and sure not on the streets in full use. He will not ironing the clothes. He will press the clothes so hard that you will get back you shirt free of wrinkles. 

Do you fancy a drink? Then you'll see the same fresh fruits and fresh coconuts. Is the sidewalk once free, I would watch out for the downed power lines or the families that has developed its sleeping places here. So the only place left for your walk is the road itself. And here you need all the eyes you can only have that you will not get hit by a vehicle. 

Ok, the drivers are fair. They always warn you before they pass you with a nice honk. 

So all in all, it will be  like a little adventure in which your heart will stop from time to time a bit.

I’m so ready for this adventure again. Driving on the road, while sitting on the bike and seeing the life in the streets and the sidewalks. 

Ailena