Apr 22 11:09 am

Riding an Auto-rickshaw in Delhi on Flickr

Auto-rickshaw is a good way to get around Delhi. It’s cheap (120 rupees, or US$3, for the 1 hour trip we took) and it’s small and sounds like a motorcycle so you feel a little bit adventurous riding one. As of a few years ago, all auto-rickshaws and taxis in Delhi run on CNG (compressed natural gas) and are non-polluting.

On the downside, traffic in Delhi is really bad. What takes 5 minutes by the (new, supermodern, superclean) subway takes an hour by car. But the subway isn’t that extensive yet and Delhi is sprawling.

Also, autos are open-air, and Delhi has some of the worst air quality in the world (2nd only to Mexico City.). When I was working for the W.H.O. in Delhi 4-5 years back, I read that the air particulate count in Delhi was something like 10 times what’s considered dangerous by the W.H.O.

If you’re outside a lot, your throat hurts, your eyes sting, and your boogers are jet black by the end of the day.

(I used a gorillapod to attach my camera to the roof of the auto to get this shot.)