The Things They Carried

Since arriving in India, I have been on over 2 dozen different bus and train trips. It is fascinating to see what locals bring with them on to public transportation. In the U.S. you can hide all of your strange items in a moving truck or the trunk of a car, but in India, it is all out in the open.




Some of my favorites thus far are:

Open Containers of Gasoline:
A guy brought two huge metal containers on the 6 hour bus trip from Leh to the Nubra Valley. He sat on them in the isle, as he did not have a seat and just paid the bus driver under the table to get on the bus. After awhile the bus started reeking of gasoline. We were afraid the bus was having mechanical problems, but it turns out the guys metal containers were full of gasoline.


Eveline wearing her scarf on her face to muffle the smell.




Bloody Goat Head:
On the local bus around the Nubra Valley a guy got on the bus with what appeared to be a bloody goat head. I was not close enough to confirm it was a goat, but it was definitely a bloody animal head.


Stove:
On a local bus around Leh a guy brought on a full stove. I guess the guys who sell food on the street have to get home somehow.


Giant Ball of Clothing:
This one is my favorite. In the Mumbai train terminal a family had a gigantic ball of clothing, approximately 5 feet in diameter. It looked as if they had started with a small ball, and wrapped all the clothing they owned around it until it become gigantic. I have no idea why they would do this. I am sure they could not pick it up, which means they had to roll this giant ball of clothing on the filthy streets and train station floors of Mumbai.