And one of the most distinct memories I have of India are of the auto-rickshaws. In every city, there is a different etiquette: Mumbai and Pune (I believe) is by the meter, Hampi it's half as much to Hampi than it is from Hampi because the driver gets another 100 rs. from the guest house owner. If the owner doesn't pay up, then according to the driver the guest house is 'out of business'. What a racket! 'Okay please horn" "Okay please sound" painted on the back, the yellows and greens, and painted flowers. And of course the crazy driving that makes so much sense.
What I realized while in India is that if a foreigner ever attempted to drive, they'd probably cause a 50 auto-rickshaw pile up; there are local traffic laws that they just don't teach you in driving school. For instance: when faced with oncoming traffic at night, stick one arm out of the auto-rickshaw on the side the car is passing. This is because these little putt-putts only have one headlight, like motobikes, but are a lot wider. One becomes appreciative of these little rules, and how surprisingly well they work, after riding around India this way...
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