Lahore’s rickshaw ride… رکشا

To begin, you will find an unkempt, unshaven and morose looking person at the wheel. As soon as you climb the tight canopy behind him and before you settle on the slippery seat, the driver jerks you back with his flying start. From now on, you are his property as he flies the rickshaw at terrifying speeds on the narrow, bumpy and dusty roads. You hardly get time to orientate as you are thrown up and down violently. Gush of polluted, dusty air pepper your face. Your only lifeline in the seat is the metal bar in front, which you must clutch hard. If you want him to slow down, you must yell at high pitch in midst of ear shattering noise of rickshaw silencer/blast furnace (it is tampered to gain extra mileage). Rickshaw drivers are agile path finders. They know all shortcuts in the city. If there is rush on the roads, they will squeeze through the narrowest opening available. If a turn is required, they perform the 180˚ & 360˚ u-turns which leave you in comma momentarily. These sudden, un-announced, non-signaled turns also earn un-printable remarks of the car drivers coming from other side. When, finally, you emerge out of canopy at the end of journey, there is a sense of relief that you survived it. As you adjust your hair, body joints and gasp for fresh air, the poker faced driver takes his fare and flies away leaving a puff of smoke for you as gift.