Category Archives: Uncategorized

Reflections on the road

Posted on by

Is the transport in india a cross between Vietnam and Kenya?  What a ridiculous question to ask, but sometimes I think these things.  Sometimes I am amongst the various wheeled objects on the road and I feel like I could be anywhere.  People are pushing forward in one way or another, there is noise, vehicles, movement and bitumen.  But maybe this is just me trying to reduce the beauty and culture of the road to something I don’t have to think about, because to be honest there is just too much to think about.  Subtle difference are everywhere but some of them are so hard to explain and that’s why I’m going to have to try and show you in a film instead (and then perhaps you can explain them to me after) :P.

IMG_6097

Beyond the physical appearance of the people, the vehicles and the streets, it is what is going on in people’s head that seems so diverse.  In India I found a place where people seem to be in touch with how they are feeling and relating to their environment and community.  This consciousness which I had only had glimpses of in other countries, was both beautiful and a little intense.  While I did see some people have little realisations while I was asking them about how they felt on transport, for many it seemed to flow from them naturally, like it was something they had already thought about.

IMG_6203

People would be considering the whole transport system as well.  This happened both at a strategic level and a street level.  Interviewees were keen to describe Pune’s transport, the changes that have happened and potential ideas for the future.  The people of Pune were also willing to help others get out of ridiculous intersections, which were like a computer game that involved reversing multiple vehicles, putting steering wheels into full lock and directing traffic to come within a millimetre of others.  People literally got out of their vehicles to solve the puzzle and get the traffic moving again.  So people do think about other people on the road from time to time.  It is not all a self-centred race to wherever they need to get to.  In Hanoi and Qingdao I feel like these considerations of other people also happen but at a less conscious level.

IMG_6357

But in every city I have visited there is definitely a lot of reflection that takes place on transport.  When I asked what people think about while traveling around their city, people would often describe thoughts that go beyond the mundane.  While in transit people have time and space to think and their environment, the dynamics and the community gives them inspiration to bring back memories, solve problems and perhaps dream or plan their future.  Seeing people of different walks of life were reminders to think about family and friends that you might not give the time to.  One girl told me that sometimes when she would see an old woman on the bus it would remind her to talk to her grandma more often.  A motor bike rider in India said he preyed when he passed temples, while another told me she thought about the environment as she passed beautiful nature on her bike.

IMG_6338                   IMG_6449

There is also the opportunity to clear the mind while traveling.  The speed and intensity of riding a motor bike has allowed people to ‘breath’ after a stressful day at work.  I guess the bus feels like a cocoon to others as they just let the world pass while they are protected and passive to it.  I guess I am having the most distracted and distorted mind of everyone as I travel trying to understand and capture the experience of transport.  However, I have to admit that I too feel my mind becoming free while I glide through traffic in one form or another.

IMG_6447

Get on ya bike – it’s the monsoon!!!

Posted on by

For some strange reason I thought the monsoon might discourage people from getting on the motor bikes or at least make it a little miserable.  But not in Pune!!!!  I keep hearing praise for the sensation of riding through the rain and the smiles of glee that accompany these statements.  The freshness and the feel of drops splashing on your body has always been something that I have liked while riding my bicycle but I though this sentiment was only reserved for the most quirky of us.  But in Pune, it seems to be mainstream.

IMG_5887

I am in Pune in the monsoon season.  This season of unpredictable rain and streets which turn into ponds is a delight to most people  in Pune that I have met.  And while the rain intensifies the traffic congestion and leads to you hopping between the less wet parts of the road or footpath, people tend to be more thanok with this.  I think this shows the way rain brings out the child in us.  We are allowed to play, to feel wet, like we are on an adventure, and to look around and feel that there is a community of people all experiencing the rain with you.  I guess that is the difference between me and people in Pune.  While I feel like I’m enjoying the rain alone as I look around to see everyone cooped up in their cars, in Pune there are lots of people on bicycles and motorbikes, so you can see other people enjoying the rain with you.

IMG_5948

I went for a bicycle ride in the rain and it was pleasant enough.  There is an excitement and a fear that accompanies riding through a puddle of unknown depth with a bottom that could be anything from smooth bitumen to cow paddies and mud.  I am yet to be drenched but I still have a week to go!  Well, I hope you are enjoying riding around, and if it’s a fine day, don’t worry, I’m sure it will rain soon and you can look forward to that 🙂

IMG_5970

Pune streets

Posted on by

So I’ve arrived at Pune, after two planes, an overpriced taxi, a very crowded bus, a rickshaw, a leaking bus with Bollywood films being screened and finally two more rickshaws (with rickshaw drivers who tried to avoid using the meter).  But it’s worth it.  It is a beautiful lush city where I still don’t feel like I’ve seen the stress or sterile streets that one usually finds somewhere in a city.  I will keep looking, but for now it just feels like Pune is one large town.

IMG_5903

There are old buildings and tree lined streets.  Sidewalks are filled with trees, vendors and people from all walks of life.  The streets in general are full but they seem manageable.  They certainly keep your senses on the move as most vehicles are open to the smell of food, animals and whatever else is meandering down the street in one form or another.  You can also feel and hear sound everywhere.  In a rickshaw you feel like you are encased in the sound and vibration of the engine as it feels like they are ricocheting of every flimsy surface (it’s not surprising to see roofs taped together) the rickshaw has to offer.  But to your sides you won’t find any walls, only the motorbike rider who feels closer to you than a passenger would be to a driver in a car.  You can see the movement of the road below you and the interesting landscapes of the road, with ponds forming with the monsoon rains.

IMG_5892

The state of the roads in Pune is highly variable.  While some roads are pothole laden and could be used as mountain bike course, other roads are very smooth and there are even some dedicated cycle lanes.  Pedestrians are given a high gutter to separate them from any keen motor bikes that might want to escape the traffic for higher ground.  But then sometimes there are no footpaths at all.  Then there are intersections – those amazing places where traffic literally has to find it’s way to where it wants to go.  Sometimes this doesn’t just involve the co-operation that I think is such a lovely part of the transport wherever it happens, it also involves strategy and a tactical discussion between drivers, riders, pedestrians and maybe a local guy who decides to come along and help the traffic clear through his neighbourhood.  I was happy when I was riding my bicycle the other day and a guy on a motorbike commended me for stopping the traffic to let a car through, which was blocking up the whole intersection.  It’s nice to know that there is encouragement for good behaviour on the roads (and good behaviour doesn’t just mean stopping at red lights).

IMG_5981

Snippets in Transit

Posted on by

Just some images I’ve thrown together from my stopovers in singapore, bangkok and shanghai. I just put them together to a song by Pnau – it is not really a taste of what my documentary is going to be like, but it does show you some transport in different cities

The secret joys of catching the bus

Posted on by

Listening to music, looking at cute guys, maybe starting a conversation or just watching the world go past. So far it seems like an overwhelming number of people I’ve interviewed have enjoyed elements of catching the bus. They tell me about the different things they do, or how it gives them time to reflect on life, or even helps them solve problems. I guess catching a bus is a time when you are doing something – you are getting somewhere – but you don’t have any responsibilities. You can chat with friends or just enjoy the time that you have to yourself. Some people have told me that they catch the bus further than they need to from time to time. This has occurred when they have got caught up in an interesting conversation or have just wanted time to think through things. One girl exclaimed that she feels free when she is on the bus (maybe like the kites in the picture – but then there are always strings attached).

IMG_4430

Lots of people say they love to watch other people on the bus or look out the window at the streets. I guess this is people’s chance to observe daily life. It is a chance to take in the community around them – not just the people they work with, study with or socialise with – but everyone who catches the bus. Some people who I have interviewed explained how seeing kind acts on the bus makes them appreciate and feel proud of the people in their city. On that note, so far both Vietnamese and Chinese people have explained to me that it is their tradition for young people to give up their seat for older people. I like that they think it is special for their country but I thought this was a worldwide fact (although my travels may prove me wrong). The joy of seeing a baby (a non-crying baby) on the bus is also something people noticed and that it would start a little community as people would play with the baby or talk to the parents.

IMG_3663

Of course the buses can be crowded and people have told me, almost with pride, that I must catch a crowded bus. I have caught some buses on my trip which have involved my arm becoming numb as I reach through the sea of people to an unclaimed space on the bar above my head. Some bus trips have involved body contact, the smell of everyone around me and the battle to squeeze through non-existent spaces between people to get to the door. On my last ride my friend told me I was brutal as I managed to barge through and practically kick the door open just as it was about to close on us. I guess catching a bus can bring out the inner beast within :P.

IMG_4768

Qingdao – where did all the motorbikes go?

Posted on by

From a city where your motorbike was like a part of your clothing to a city that had banned motorbikes, I was in Qingdao, China. After 40 hours on a train I was looking through the train window and I was suddenly worried about the lack of people to see on the streets. My limited photography skills had been excited by all the moving organic shapes that were scattered throughout the streets of Hanoi on their two wheels. Now I feared that unless I could work out a way to look through tinted windscreens, there was going to be little else to see other than the shape and colour of four wheeled boxes. But I realised it was more than the potential for images that I was missing. I missed being on a motorbike and all the feelings and memories I associated with it…

IMG_3407

I had also heard rumours that Qingdao had forbidden riding bicycles along some of it’s streets so I was a little bit wary of the mentality behind the traffic planning here. However, the next morning I walked down the road and after a few minutes on the street I noticed all sorts of vehicles being driven along the paths and roads. The predominant vehicles were enclosed and had at least four wheels but there were remnants of Asia’s love of carrying all sorts of cargo on two wheels. It was cool to see a dirty old bike (illegally) sharing the road with overpriced Bentleys.

IMG_3424

There were still lots of people to see on the streets. They were in the form of people walking along footpaths that one could only dream of in Hanoi or waiting for buses at modern looking shelters. The footpaths were separated from the road with hedges and trees and were a few metres wide. I actually think the landscaping was overdone and you would always see workers out, putting in new plants or ripping up pavements to repave them. At traffic lights they have put up umbrellas for pedestrians to wait under. This was a cute touch but I think the wind will get the better of them.

IMG_3498

The bus shelters were large and large communities would gather around them. In fact bus shelters provided a hub of activity. In order to get my fix of people watching I just had to hang out near a bus shelter. There were people running for buses that weren’t in sight yet. People checking bus route signs that I couldn’t understand, looking at their mobile phones, chatting, or just looking around. As I zoomed in on bus shelters, I felt kind of snoopy but I also felt happy, especially after spotting a daughter telling an animated story to her mum. There is life in the streets of Qingdao!

IMG_4100

I was wary to film in China, so I had my little handheld camera working overtime as I pretended to be a snap happy tourist, so the quality of the shots might not be amazing.

Oi troi oi (pronounced oi zoi yoi)

Posted on by

I’m coming to the end of my stay in Hanoi and I’m starting to get all reflective on it.  Both on the transport experiences I have had and talked to others about as well as my whole project and what does it mean to live in different cities for a couple of weeks and then move on.

I don’t think the streets and roads of Hanoi are paradise.  I don’t think they are filled with smiling happy people who wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  However, there is definitely something special about the people on the street and how they are as a community.  There are definitely some smiles, and some people having animated conversation with each other (both between bikes and on the same bike).  There are also looks of peace and some enjoying the thrill or feeling rather cool.  There are also those who seem frustrated, some seem bored and others are deep in contemplation.  I guess that’s life, but for me the interesting thing is you can see it.  You can see what other people are doing and feeling.  There is no hiding on the streets of Hanoi.

It’s noisy and smelly at times but maybe that heightens your other senses as you see and feel so much.  The wind on your face, the seat between your legs (warning don’t park your bike in the sun on a hot day), the building, the people, the bikes, the movement, the trees and the sky are around you.  I loved looking at what people were carrying on their bikes, firstly it was in amazement, then I became curious about how they physically managed the balance and control, and finally it was realising that this was part of life without a car – you had to move things (big, small, fragile, awkward, living, dead) by bicycle and it was possible.

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve started refering to motor bikes as bikes.  I guess that’s because it’s the norm with bicycles becoming less common for middle class residents in Hanoi.  I have come to Hanoi in Summer and so I can appreciate that people don’t want to sweat it out here in the heat.  There are lots of electric bicycles starting to hit the streets of Hanoi and I think this is a great way to try and clear up the air a little.  The buses are probably the worst culprit for pollution though although there are some newer ones.

Two weeks will never be long enough to know what it really feels like to be a local traveling through their city, but I think I have had an interesting glimpse.  I have been through the little motor bike sized petrol stations, to a drive in ice cream shop, I have parked my bicycle in a massive shed filled with thousands of bikes, I have cruised for 70km on my bicycle on day stopping along the way for mia da (sugar cane juice).  I have also taken transport in all sorts of moods – happy, silly, excited, bored, frustrated, sleepy, hot and sometimes a little nervous.  Now I feel so comfortable riding on the back of the motor bike I will happily close my eyes, look up at the moon, at the buildings or anywhere other than the road ahead.  I’ve come to trust my friends to drive safely and I’ve come to trust the system which tends to allow everyone to get where they want with no major collisions.

I am nervous for the rest of my trip because it feels like no city can compare to Hanoi.  And if it does I am going to be leaving each city with a tear in my eye wondering if I’ll ever come back to meet the people and see the life on the streets that I have come to love.  I have even come to love how people in Hanoi never go a direct way to where they need to be.  I feel like I have had many scenic tours of Hanoi as we have taken interesting paths.  I love the lakes, the nights with people on the street (roller blading is all the rage at night in Hanoi), I love getting around with friends together on bicycle and I may have even learnt to love karaoke.  I have eaten amazing food too – fresh fruit, smoothies, sticky rice. so much fish and all sorts of other goodies.  I have had lots of fun!  Goodbye Hanoi, I hope my little film and blog can do justice to your beautiful city x

Xe om (going with a hug)

Posted on by

IMG_1271

Going along with a hug or just the touch of another is one part of Hanoi’s transport that has ‘touched’ me.  As I looked around at the people I have been sharing the road with, I saw people sharing motor bikes giving each other a hug, resting their hand on the shoulder of the next, their body pressed against the back of another or their head rested on their shoulder.  It was sweet to see such signs of affection and I wondered if these simple touches had an impact on the relationships between people.  In cars and buses and even bicycles ridden alone don’t allow for the same level of incidental touch.  This was not limited to young couples.  Whole families were hugging in the traffic.  Friends were in touch and it was just part of a normal friendship.

IMG_1302

The locals of Hanoi probably don’t think anything of this and that makes it all the more beautiful.  In a world where touching other people is limited to greetings, dancing and purposeful moments of affection I love that people can be in contact with each other for an hour and not think anything of it.  It’s just part of life.

IMG_1307

It’s also nice that it takes place in public, and I hope, as it does for me, that it gives other people a positive feeling to see all these hugs on the road.

Where is the stop for the number 8 bus?

Posted on by

Determined to use the public transportation of Hanoi, I left my friend with a space on the back of her motorbikes and headed off for a walk in the city before I took the number 8 bus home.  In my pocket my worried vietnamese friends had written down what I was to ask the guy who checks/gives out tickets so that he could tell me when to get off the bus.  I felt a little over prepared.  So, I wandered through the park to where the bus stop was meant to be.  Then I made a big mistake.  I asked for directions.  A guy started speaking to me in very poor french and told me to go 200 m to the right towards the theatre.  As I headed off down the street I realised that it had turned into a one way road and any bus going that way wouldn’t be going where I wanted to go.  So like somone who has invested badly but hopes they can make it up through more investment, I would just find myself getting further away from where I wanted to be and getting tempted to catch a xe om (but no I didn’t succumb).

IMG_1803

I finally spotted the number 8 bus and got so excited I actually exclaimed aloud ‘it’s the number 8 bus’.  A few people looked around and I tried to imagine what I would think if someone in Australia enthusiastically announced in another language the existance of a bus.  So I followed where it had come from and it took me back to the bus stop 20 m from where I had first asked the man for directions.  While I was waiting for the bus school kids flocked out of their school and onto bicycles or their parent’s scooters.  The routine of the school pick up with two wheels instead of 4WDs.

Nervously I hopped on the bus and took a seat.  It costs 5000 Dong (about 25c) to go anywhere in Hanoi.  I handed over the piece of paper to the guy who collects the money and divvies out the tickets.  He just smiled that smile of someone who is looking at someone naive and nervous.  I soon settled in though and I put a camera on my head to record my experience.  This caused a few interesting reactions.  The lady next to me apparently was worried about being filmed because she was carrying an oversized bucket that was too big for the bus baggage requirements (the bus is the only mode of transport with restrictions on what load you can carry :P).  The ticket guy was intrigued and wondered if I was filming him because I thought he was beautiful.  This was all happening through a spontaneous translator standing near the door who chimed in as she saw that I wasn’t understanding what was going on.  For the rest of the journey I just sat and looked around.  The air conditioning was working and it was quite pleasant even when the bus filled up a little.  The voice of the lady who announces the stops í quite elegant and musical in someway.

IMG_2245

Traveling on the bus meant I got to see different areas of Hanoi that I normally wouldn’t ride past.  We went past a number of schools and I saw the communities of school children and how they would talk, play and start their trip home.  I didn’t need the driver to tell me when to get off as I recognised the home stretch and someone had already pressed the stopping button.  I jumped off with three students.  One was also crossing the road so we crossed together.  I have since caught the bus a number of times and once you know where it is and how much it costs, you can sit back and daydream while you watch the hot (both in temperature and looks)  motor bike riders outside.

Sorry I haven’t taken any pictures in the bus – but I have lots of footage 🙂