What Happens In Andhra Pradesh Stays In Andhra Pradesh.
After a week or so of muggy but relatively dry days, a surprise Sunday drenching.
But before all that, some of the more macroscopic objects found in the Hyderabad landscape:
Three things you see a lot of alongside the roads of interindustrialized India: homemade shanties constructed from all manner of discarded material, the country's celebrated rocks choked with lush flora, and skeletons of buildings halted in the process of being either raised or razed, usually wreathed in tattered blue tarps.
We've seen the backs of these motorized rickshaws before, but some of the detailing merits closer inspection. Like the iconic hack cabs seen in movies set in an idealized New York City, it's indicated that they're "OK TO HIRE;" but the telling difference is that instead of a signal that can be illuminated and doused at the end of a shift, this slogan is painted on. This suggests that the cabbies in India never go off duty, which is more or less true.
Also painted on the cab above the left taillight is the admonition "STOP." Even in a country that drives on the other side of the road, passing on the left is discouraged, and to the credit of most of the other drivers encountered on the roads, this rule is more or less adhered to. This practice of a visual reminder is paralleled to a certain degree in more denser cities, particularly New York City, where the "STOP" is usually swapped out with "NO," and an accompanying "YES" is emblazoned on the right-hand side.
Finally, the license plate number; all of them in Hyderabad start with AP, which stands for Andhra Pradesh, the name of the state.
Despite the rampant tendency for motorists to ignore their warnings, traffic signs are just as prominent in Hyderabad as they are in the West. (what there is a noticeable dearth of are traffic lights) You see a lot of these "blank" circle-and-bar signs that usually have a pictogram in the middle in the U.S.; they don't mean that blue has been outlawed, rather this is a no parking sign. Why the "P" isn't used, I don't know; it's not a prudish thing because there are signs in private parking lots that use it.
More exotic traffic signs here.
The speed limit in the center may look a bit off, but remember that the rest of the world uses the metric system, so that's a limit of 30 kilometers per hour. (about 20 MPH) These signs never fail to elicit a bitter laugh from me whenever I pass one while being taxied about town at an un-Ganesha-ly speed.
And a larger chalk charm located just past the portraits of Krishna and Ganesha.
Only a few more books left.
⎋
But before all that, some of the more macroscopic objects found in the Hyderabad landscape:
Three things you see a lot of alongside the roads of interindustrialized India: homemade shanties constructed from all manner of discarded material, the country's celebrated rocks choked with lush flora, and skeletons of buildings halted in the process of being either raised or razed, usually wreathed in tattered blue tarps.
We've seen the backs of these motorized rickshaws before, but some of the detailing merits closer inspection. Like the iconic hack cabs seen in movies set in an idealized New York City, it's indicated that they're "OK TO HIRE;" but the telling difference is that instead of a signal that can be illuminated and doused at the end of a shift, this slogan is painted on. This suggests that the cabbies in India never go off duty, which is more or less true.
Also painted on the cab above the left taillight is the admonition "STOP." Even in a country that drives on the other side of the road, passing on the left is discouraged, and to the credit of most of the other drivers encountered on the roads, this rule is more or less adhered to. This practice of a visual reminder is paralleled to a certain degree in more denser cities, particularly New York City, where the "STOP" is usually swapped out with "NO," and an accompanying "YES" is emblazoned on the right-hand side.
Finally, the license plate number; all of them in Hyderabad start with AP, which stands for Andhra Pradesh, the name of the state.
Despite the rampant tendency for motorists to ignore their warnings, traffic signs are just as prominent in Hyderabad as they are in the West. (what there is a noticeable dearth of are traffic lights) You see a lot of these "blank" circle-and-bar signs that usually have a pictogram in the middle in the U.S.; they don't mean that blue has been outlawed, rather this is a no parking sign. Why the "P" isn't used, I don't know; it's not a prudish thing because there are signs in private parking lots that use it.
More exotic traffic signs here.
The speed limit in the center may look a bit off, but remember that the rest of the world uses the metric system, so that's a limit of 30 kilometers per hour. (about 20 MPH) These signs never fail to elicit a bitter laugh from me whenever I pass one while being taxied about town at an un-Ganesha-ly speed.
And a larger chalk charm located just past the portraits of Krishna and Ganesha.
Only a few more books left.
⎋