I swear I’m not trying to romanticize the east.
Migrant writers have often been accused of giving into the western hegemony of perceptions and in presenting the East (and all that’s in it) as mystical, exciting and exotic.
But I need to pay homage to this humble mode of transport. The Tuk Tuk :the three wheeled monster that can take on any dirt road challenge.
Adrenalin junkies pay heed.
Migrant writers have often been accused of giving into the western hegemony of perceptions and in presenting the East (and all that’s in it) as mystical, exciting and exotic.
But I need to pay homage to this humble mode of transport. The Tuk Tuk :the three wheeled monster that can take on any dirt road challenge.
Adrenalin junkies pay heed.
The humble tuk tuk, often draped in a bewildering array of plastic leaves, grapes and flowers adorn this three wheeled vehicle . Take a seat and you may feel that you are transported to a better world of sunshine and lollipops. Pictures of babies contently sucking on their toes frame the insides of the tuk tuk – and sometimes if you’re lucky, you might come across the occasional tuk tuk decorated with fairy lights, poetic verses praising one’s mother as the one true love and sometimes even incense sticks.
Don’t let the deco fool you. Step inside these mechanic marvels and prepare for the ride of your life.
As tuk tuk drivers whizz past, sometimes even climbing on the side foot path to reach the destination.
It’s really a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. You have a choice of either whizzing past at break neck speed to flee from the traffic OR be stuck in it – valiantly inhaling the fumes of buses and foul diesel emitting vans. Good times.
I have had the good fortune of being wheeled around like a princess in Bangkok’s elegant tuk tuks, as well as being crammed like sardines in Sri Lanka’s miniscule mode of transport (when parking is a nightmare and all you want is a quick ride to your destination).In India, the tuk tuk driver removed his side mirrors – as he said drivers whizz past so close that they could damage the side mirror.
A joy ride indeed.
As tuk tuk drivers whizz past, sometimes even climbing on the side foot path to reach the destination.
It’s really a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. You have a choice of either whizzing past at break neck speed to flee from the traffic OR be stuck in it – valiantly inhaling the fumes of buses and foul diesel emitting vans. Good times.
I have had the good fortune of being wheeled around like a princess in Bangkok’s elegant tuk tuks, as well as being crammed like sardines in Sri Lanka’s miniscule mode of transport (when parking is a nightmare and all you want is a quick ride to your destination).In India, the tuk tuk driver removed his side mirrors – as he said drivers whizz past so close that they could damage the side mirror.
No comments:
Post a Comment