Traffic Rules: There Are None!

Granted, I've never driven a car here, but riding a bike is hard enough. Things you have to dodge:
- cows, goats, dogs, ducks
- men carrying/selling vegetables and other items
- cars
- rickshaws
- autorickshaws
- men pulling 2-wheeled push carts
- horses pulling 2-wheeled push carts
- pedestrians (sidewalks are horrible, if there are any)
- carrier trucks
- buses
- bike riders
- elephants (only occasionally)
- protesting groups marching down the middle of the street
- construction workers

In our city of 2 million people, there is one sole traffic light, and no stop signs. If we're lucky, at some 3-way points there might be a police-man directing traffic. If we need to make a turn (or cross the street), we're pretty much on our own to squeeze our way in whenever there is a 2-foot space between cars. Honking is very important here (or on a bicycle ringing the bell). If you are riding down the road and there is anything within 6 inches of the vehicle/bike, you must honk to let them know you are coming and to get out of the way. In other words, honking is a continuous ordeal here, not just when someone's driving is annoying you. There are no lines on the road, and it wouldn't matter if there are. They can easily make a 4-lane road an 8-lane road. So, every time I get on my bike, I say a little prayer - "Lord get me there alive!"

The Guest

Throughout this country, a guest is to be treated as if they were a god. As soon as the guest arrives the host insists they sit down. A guest is always expected to sit down. Even if the guest would prefer to stand, they will insist you sit. To have a hungry guest is utterly shameful. Any time you go to a house, you can expect hot tea and some kind of sweets, either biscuits (cookie) or local sweets bought from a local sweet shop (or if you're in the village it might have been handmade). Often they will present you with an entire plate full of sweets, just for you! If the host knows you are coming, and it is a first or second visit, they will almost always prepare full meal, no matter what time of the day it is, and no matter how hungry you are at the moment. They will serve you a mountain-size plate of rice, daal, and fried vegetables to make sure you are full. (The experience of eating at someone's house requires a separate post.) And even if they serve you a full meal, you will have tea before the meal and possibly after the meal. Hosts want to make you as comfortable as possible. During the summer, on particularly hot days, they might even fan you with their hand fans made out of bamboo. If the host needs to tend to something, like making the tea, they will often leave you sitting by yourself for a period of time until they return. When the host leaves the room they will tell you again to sit (even if you are already sitting) and then tell you they are coming (even though they are leaving the room). After you get to know someone well, you might be able to get away with turning down tea and just coming for a chat without all the formalities. When you are leaving a house, you always say you will come back and you will meet again (even if you know you won't). If you are the host, you must ask the person to come again. I'm sure I've left out several things, but this is a brief description of guest formalities.