The Commute

Every morning I take a cold shower and rinse off; even though the A/C and a fan are left on in the bedroom throughout the night, I still wake up sweaty from the stale, recycled air. But its better than outside. Opening the front door and walking out into the street requires silent coaxing and a strong will. It feels like that scene in Backdraft:

Not that one...

This one:

                                                          

And so the commute begins.

First, we walk from our apartment to the closest major road where we flag down an auto (tuk-tuk). Once a price is agreed upon by all parties we hop in and brace for our lives. We weave around pedestrians, potholes, buses and bicycles by swerving into oncoming traffic.

Next we take the Metro from Govind Puri to Jasola Apollo. The train is air-conditioned and clean, a nice reprieve from the auto and the following rickshaw. Once we descend the steps from the metro we approach a swarm of rickshaws calling out for business from a blonde and her Chinese friend. We are partial to a young boy who takes us the quick way and doesn't overcharge. He usually waves to us with a genuine smile.

The ride starts on the edge of Jasola where big business has set-up shop. This part of town has a liquor store, a handful of highrises and paved roads. Within 10 minutes we are riding through thick clouds of flies, sewage and children walking around barefoot. We have arrived at our destination.

At the end of the day we get into a rickshaw and head towards the Metro. By now I am starving for my next cold shower - but now I feel covered in sweat, dust, and the grim that only comes from getting stuck behind a diesel bus in a tuk-tuk.