People EVERYWHERE, narrow streets, unmarked intersections, stray dogs and livestock roaming around, horns honking constantly... and that was in the first five minutes!
And that's the tamest street of all, I didn't get a picture of the really wild ones (I was too busy holding my life in my hands!). I had to keep repeating to myself which side of the street I was on- "Now I am running WITH traffic" or "Now I am running AGAINST traffic". Although that doesn't help much, since the people basically just drive wherever there's room. Lane lines, if they even exist, are a mere suggestion. I figured out that whoever is in front is who has the right of way, whether you're another vehicle or a pedestrian- if you manage to get in front, they'll let you go, but if they nose ahead, you better get out of the way!
To prove I really did it, here's me starting out (I'm on the right side with a white t-shirt):
And a big shout out to my Bahraini running buddy. After I'd been running almost ten minutes, I saw another guy on my side of the street who was running too. He had sneakers and shorts on, so I figured he was probably running for exercise rather than just trying to get somewhere. We got stopped by traffic at the same point, so I asked him, "are you running too?" He replied, "Arabic, you know?" to which of course I said no, sorry. We started back up running, and came back together again a few corners down. I called to him and asked him, "Can I run with you?" and made gestures towards me and then him, while scissoring my fingers to look like running legs. I think he pretty much got it and he nodded, and then we were off. He helped me fend off traffic, showed me where to turn, and really helped me get my confidence up to handle the streets. We couldn't talk much, but I managed to figure out that he was from Bahrain and he was here because of the hospital (whether working or as a patient or family member, I don't know, but I asked him if he was OK and he said yes). I told him I was American and I was here because my brother was getting married. I'm not sure if he understood the wedding part, but he knew "American". After another ten minutes or so, I got the impression that he was done but I had about 20 still to go. I told him I had to get back to the Taj, and he ran me back there and we said goodbye. At that point, I was much more comfortable navigating the streets on my own, even though I did manage to almost get lost (luckily I ran into a Mumbai police officer who kindly gave me directions). So I don't even know his name, but THANK YOU, my friend from Bahrain, it was so nice to meet you and run together!
1 comment:
Yikes! Totally insane!
Post a Comment