Honky Honk

April 18, 2009 — honk, horn, India, Mumbai, New Delhi

My ear drums are still recovering from over a thousand honks that bounced off them while I was in Mumbai.

In such city and New Delhi (which I visited last year), the horn is mightier than the brake. Otherwise, poor car… it will be blemished with dents. Not kidding at all.

I actually thought my driving skills (developed, tried and tested through the very chaotic Manila traffic) would make me survive any traffic situation in Asia. I was terribly wrong. It was traffic almost everywhere and pedestrians pop out of nowhere. Perfect combo for a potential disaster.

I have this thing called “I will love a city/country on my 3rd visit” and this very much applies to India (1x New Delhi, 2x Mumbai) as it did to Australia and the UK.

I now have a better appreciation of India (I realised that in some aspects, Mumbai is fairly similar to most of Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines). In Mumbai’s case, the coastal area that stretches a considerable distance is very much appealing and adds to its beauty.

I have to admit though that I still get paranoid about safety, cleanliness, and poverty. Believe it or not, there was this young girl who was tapping my lower arm begging for alms for around 10 minutes while I was walking around.  I wanted to do the same to her so she knows how annoying it feels haha. I ended up not giving any loose change as I was told these kids are part of a syndicate.

I was also pleased with my impulse purchase — a Skagen watch with white leather strap which I have not seen in Singapore during my shopping rounds. Photo to be posted soon.

It’s good to be back in Singapore after 3 days in “Big India”. When I miss Indian food, I’ll definitely make a trip to “Little India” where I am guaranteed of minimal honking in the background during the journey.