Ok, I am 10 days into my new obsession… traveling by scooter in India is the only way to go. I feel very liberated, not having to wait for the driver (God bless him, he is a great kid), not having to worry about the car being available to Joyce and Jules and the baby.

Our first ride, as you have already read last week, was in Goa. That is a very leisurely activity, with no traffic to talk about. Hyderabad is a bit more hectic, but you just have to drive with one thing in mind "Everyone on the road is crazy, they are all trying to kill you, be defensive be defensive, blow the horn, be defensive, blow the horn". I will continue to explore and stay within my limits, and the limits of my faith in other drivers.

For anyone that cares about the particulars of ‘new’ chariot: It is a 13 year old Honda Kinetic. It has been the loyal servant of one of my coworkers, Jagdish, since it was new. It has a 80cc 2 stroke motor that will carry my 110 kgs to about 50 kilometers per hours (for you back home that means “big Clay can go about 35 miles per hour”. Which is plenty of speed for all but the quietest stretches of Hyderabad's roads. It has an electric start, turn signals, and a horn that even turns heads in Hyderabad.

I did a search or two of the other blogs here on blogspot, just looking for people with good motorcycle and scooter experiences. I came across one of the nicest pages I have ever seen on any subject at http://vespalx150.blogspot.com/ . His name is Steve Williams and he is an excellent writer that is really enjoying the freedom and flexibility that his daily scooter commute provides him. He takes really nice photos of his ‘little Vespa’ in the beautiful PA countryside around his home.

I am not going to model my weekly journals on Mr. Williams, I cannot even begin to write or take photos in his league. But I recommend that everyone go and check out is writings, or at least thumb through the archives and see some of his photos.