Transport within India

Getting around India has been interesting to say the least. Not only do you have the traffic to deal with, you also have animals, people and all sorts of obstacles in your way. As crazy as it is, it is also what makes India so amazing and so full of life. Getting from different areas in India is also an interesting experience and you should at least try a few different types of transport while you are here. These are some of the types of transport we used and our experience with them.

Taxi and drivers
Taxi’s are always available in the larger cities and from every major airport you can organise a prepaid taxi. This stops you from being ripped off the minute you arrive and you know you will get to your hotel straight away, rather than being taken to a different hotel, or a shopping area before you reach your destination. Most taxi drivers will put their metre on during the day (in the larger cities, the smaller ones will just make a deal with you before you go) but at night they like to choose a price. In Bombay we did have a few taxi drivers refuse to take us because we wanted the metre on. Bombay is probably the place you will use taxi’s the most, we did as there is so much to see and do and they aren’t close. I feel that most people in India feel that driving is a thrill and they love chasing it. They try to get to the place as fast as they can, swerving in and out of traffic as much as they can. The best advise I can give is don’t look out the front window to watch where you are going, its better not to look. Everyone seems to know what they are doing even when they are overtaking a truck with oncoming traffic in clear view.

Rickshaw
The only bicycle rickshaws we saw in India were in Delhi (old Delhi) Jaipur and Agra. These are great if you don’t have far to go or don’t mind the ride. In Old Delhi this is really the only way to experience the small bazaars. We hired a rickshaw for an hour and he took us through all the bazaars and markets in this time. Rickshaw drivers love yelling at everyone on the road and I understand why, when you finally pick up speed you will also be annoyed when someone cuts in front of you and makes you stop or slow down. These guys are pretty fit. Our Rickshaw driver in Old Delhi was a delight, he loved getting involved in everyones business and enjoyed yelling at everyone he passed.

Auto-rickshaw (or Tuk Tuks if you have been to Thailand)
These are the best and cheapest way to get around. They are readily available in most areas and are a great way to see the city. They do ask for crazy prices sometimes so you will need to barter with them but that is a way of life in India. We were able to fit 5 of us, plus all our backpacks in a auto-rickshaw so don’t be worried about space, they will always fit you in. I think the driver even had 2 guys sitting in front with him. In each area the rickshaws are all a little different, some have seats behind the driver and then facing the back, the ones here in Goa have doors on them and sometimes you will see brand new ones or really really old ones. In Delhi we had a rickshaw break down on us in the middle of a massive intersection, the driver tried to get it started again but it just kept breaking down. Again these guys will request more to get you somewhere and you will need to barter with them (especially in the North, around Goa there was no bartering the price down, they were pretty set).

Bus
We had to take a bus from Jodhpur to Udaipur and while we were first told that it was going to be air conditioned, when we picked up our tickets they said that they only have no a/c buses to Udaipur. From this I kind of knew that the trip wasn’t going to be the best, but was willing to give it a go. We decided to take the seat behind the driver and as I mentioned in a previous post – DO NOT do this to yourself. We had a complete view of the roads and all the crazy traffic that you wouldn’t normally see further back. The roads from Jodhpur to Udaipur go through little winding roads in the country side with ditches on either side so when the driver wanted to overtake trucks and other cars it did get a little confronting but he seemed to know what he was doing and we made it to Udaipur just fine.

We didn’t know at the time but the buses do also have sleeper seats in them, which means you can lay down and rest during your trip. I would recommend this as you can still sit up if you like. On our bus most families ordered a couple of sleepers and 2 or more would be setting in them. They each had a little curtain as well so you did get some privacy.

Boat
From Bombay we took a boat over to Elephanta Island, approximately an hour away. You have two options when you purchase the tickets – regular and luxury, and I have to say I don’t know what they mean by luxury. Tourist don’t have the option of buying the regular tickets and can only get the luxury ones. This boat is simply an old wooden rickety boat that doesn’t go too fast.There are two levels, however you need to pay extra on the boat to sit upstairs.

Train
Trains have been great to get around India, and no you cant sit on top of the trains anymore. I have no idea how they would even get up there. The sleeper carriages are great for overnight trips and while we never tried the first class (it was always booked out) the second and third class sleepers were great. We had heard many different stories about the trains, some were always late and some left an hour earlier than they were suppose to, so we always made sure we were early for our trains. This allowed us time to find the platforms and if they were early we wouldn’t miss them. The second class sleepers have 4 people to a room and the third class sleepers have 6 people to a room. The best advice I can give anyone going on an overnight sleeper is to take ear plugs. On one trip, a man on the carriage somewhere – not in our room, was snoring so badly I couldn’t sleep even with my headphones in, I had to crawl down and get my earplugs to I could drown out the snoring. They also always have people walking through the carriages selling food and drinks so the earplugs are handy for that as well. For the shorter rides they also have A/C seating carriages and non A/C seating. We did the A/C seating for our trip from Jaipur to Pushkar and it was quite nice.

We also took the train in Mumbai up to the Dhavli Slum and that was also interesting. Walking along the train there are different carriages for different people as well. There was carriages for the elderly, only women travelling and then different classes. We only had a standard ticket so we were with everyone else in the standard section. Our guide for the slum was telling is that the train only stops in the station for 15 seconds so you need to get off quickly. There is a double door but you have to fight the people on the train, the people getting off and also the people getting on so it can get a little crazy. Lucky for us we had the guide with us and he said if someone didn’t get off, they would just go to the next stop (with him) and get a taxi back.

Flying
Getting from Udaipur to Mumbai was our first flying experience within India and while I thought it was going to be just like home, I was wrong. Our flight was at 7.15 am in the morning and we thought an hour would be long enough for us to get through check in and security. We did make the flight, they didn’t make it easy. First they check your flights before you enter the airport, and again before you scan your bags through (this is all before check in) then once we made it to check it things were moving very slowly, it’s just the Indian way of life. It took us around 40 mins in line and then it was on to the security checks – men and women have to go through separate checks, as the women go into a small room to be searched by a women. My line moved pretty quickly but Troy had to wait a little while, during this time the security guys kept saying ‘don’t worry you have plenty of time’ as he could see me stressing out. We finally made it on to the plane at 7.15am just in time for take off. My advice to flying within India is leave yourself enough time to slowly make your way through the airport and to chill out, otherwise it can be a stressful time. The next flight we have I will make sure we have at least 2 hours for domestic and 3 hours for an international flight.