The Ubiquitous Auto-Rickshaw

Next to motorcycles (and walking), auto-rickshaws are the most common mode of transportation in India. These diminutive vehicles are sort of a cross between a motorcycle and a golf cart. The basic design is the same all over the country, though the colors will vary (this is my fave, yellow with a black vinyl top). The rickshaw drivers like to customize their rides, with paint, decals, and the ever-popular Ganesh statue on the dash. If you don't mind the noise and exhaust fumes, it's a serviceable way to get around town. The fares, however, can be problematic. Rickshaw drivers keep their meters switched off and covered, preferring to set prices on a case-by-case basis. Bad news for me, a white guy, who tends to get charged at a rate 2 to 3 times higher than the locals. The rickshaws that frequent the big hotels and tourist areas are most likely to over-charge. On the other hand, on the occasions when I've flagged a rick in a quiet residential area, I've found the drivers to be quite fair and the prices reasonable. Experience has taught me it's best to agree upon a fare before climbing in.

The Amazing Ritchie Street

Our quest for obscure computer and video components led us to Ritchie Street here in Chennai. Ritchie Street is actually several streets, an entire district devoted to electronics. Prakash and Baran were my guides. Our quarry: a spare battery for our digital camera. A photograph really can't convey the sheer density of this place. Just crossing the street from one shop to the next is a challenge in itself. Add to that the heavy rains we received this morning, making big aromatic puddles everywhere, and you've got yourself quite a shopping experience. That said, Ritchie Street has just about any electronics or electrical component you could ask for. The range of merchandise isn't obvious at first. You have to get in there and tell the shopkeepers what you're looking for. Sooner or later someone will reach into a dark corner and pull it out for you. Or else they'll send their boy out to retrieve it from another shop down the way. A little patience is richly rewarded. We got our battery. Now we just need a voltage stabilizer.