On the streets of Mumbai, “Ok Honk Please” is inscribed on the back of most trucks carrying goods. The traffic here is mad. There are no lane markings on many major roads—travelling 5 cars abreast? If there’s space, why not? Where space allows, U-turns are made; trying to make a turn but you’re on the wrong lane? Just stop the car in the middle of the road and wait for the turn opportunity to arise. If the street’s jammed up, why not drive on the free lane that’s meant for cars coming in the opposite direction?

The amazing thing to observe on Mumbai roads is the order within the very chaotic chaos. No one gets mad, everyone knows exactly what the other drivers are doing. Predictability and quick reflexes govern the situation. The incessant honking is in fact a friendly message to other drivers—I’m coming right by you on the left now, don’t change lanes now buddy. The honk and the sound-distance relations help drivers communicate in ways that indicator lights or a quick flash of headlights cannot.

Above is a shot which I really like. The lunch delivery man was on his way to an office block to deliver some meals. Our friendly and terrific driver Sanjay managed to catch up with him for us to snap this shot.

Edit: Another photo casualty from my theme tranposition. The previous central image was the awesomest picture of a lunch delivery man with 20 tiffins speeding through the Mumbai lunch traffic on his trusty bicycle. In its place, I give you evidence that goods trucks truly have special messages for those behind them.

Do you make your parking decisions based on the ins or the outs? In Japan, much like in Singapore, parking lots are designed for “butt in” and most drivers do park “butt in”. The desire for safety when one leaves a spot (as opposed to the convenience of “head in,” which most American drivers seem to prefer) seems to be the common reason among these “butt in” parkers. Here in this parking lot, the “head in” parkers seem to have gone against the regulated traffic direction.