Transportation

“While waiting for a third bus in Sikar, I am bothered by beggars, shoe-shiners, and snot-nosed kids. The queue in front of the ticket office is unusually long, but luckily the conductor from the previous bus spots me and drags me in front of the queue.

This act is indeed very nice of him, but, alas, of very little use, because when our bus finally arrives, it’s already packed with passengers. This fact doesn’t seem to subdue anyone – they push and shove and shout, and when the bus leaves the station, there must be about 150 passengers, inside, on the roof, and in every other place a person can possibly cling to.

Inside the bus, an obese man offers me his seat, my protests being to no avail. That’s Indians for you! The most paradoxical people in the world. For two hours, I am seated in a most inconvenient position, before the crowds thin out a bit.”

Excerpt from my diary during a trip to India, see more on the page Travel episodes – India 1979: Hunting blackbuck with camera.

Buses

Buses, loaded to their bursting point, are a very common sight in India and Nepal.

An overloaded bus makes its way along a winding gravel road between Chisopani and Lodia, Ilam, eastern Nepal. The woman in the foreground is carrying a huge load of fodder, which she has collected in the forest. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Instead of spending many hours herding his goats along the road to the market, this man is stuffing them into the luggage compartment of a bus, near Baunepat, central Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

‘Waiting room’ at a bus stop in the village of Karanao, near Laki, Crete. A road altar has been erected next to it, in case you might want to worship while waiting for the bus. Other pictures, depicting road altars, are shown on the page Religion: Christianity. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The ’waiting room’ at this bus stop in the town of Kurseong, West Bengal, India, is not as fancy as the one in the picture above. A small boy has climbed onto the roof of the shed. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Scooters and motorcycles

These are very common means of transportation in many Asian countries. Every morning and late afternoon, millions of people go to work, driving on these vehicles. Mopeds, which are so common in the West, is a rare sight in the Far East.

This golden retriever, in the town of Fangliao, western Taiwan, is too old (and too overweight) to run behind his master’s scooter, so he gets a lift in this way. Note that the tail is dragging along the ground. – The long relationship between the dog and Man is described on the page Animals: Animals as servants of Man. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The following two pictures, from the village of Dalinpo, near Kaohsiung, show two attitudes when it comes to transporting children on scooters.

Cars

These cars, which are supposed to resemble train engines, bring tourists around in the megalith area near Carnac (top), and in the city of Dinan, both Brittany. Carnac is described in depth on the page Culture: Megaliths. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The following pictures show veteran cars, participating in a ‘race’, Carcassonne, France.

During a car trip across Africa, we experienced several punctures. In this picture, my companions Steffen Madsen and Johnny Kristensen are pumping up a mended tube, Rwanda. The first half of our journey is related on the page Travel episodes – Africa 1980-1981: An arduous journey across Africa. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Taxis

Passengers on a pick-up-taxi, Santa Catarina Palomo, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala. Women in this area are known for their blue huipil, a blouse made from cloth woven by themselves. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

A heavy monsoon shower has flooded this street in Delhi, India, and a taxi driver and his customer must push the vehicle through the water. They seem to bear their mishap good-naturedly. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In the old days, transportation of people in Asian cities mainly took place in so-called rickshaws, drawn by running men, in India called rickshaw wallahs. Later, their role was taken over by three-wheeled taxi-vehicles: bicycles, scooters (in India called tempo), and motorcycles (in Cambodia called tuk-tuk).

Sikhs, who may easily be identified by their immaculately bound turbans, are often employed as motor rickshaws drivers, like this one in Delhi, India. Sikhism is described on the page Religion: Sikhism. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Trucks

Trucks, or lorries, are large cars, constructed for transportation of huge or heavy loads.

Tractors

Boats and ships

Boats and ships are dealt with in depth on the page Culture: Boats and ships.

Trains

Trains are dealt with in depth on the page Culture: Railways.

Aeroplanes

Twin Otters are small aeroplanes with two engines, propellers, and the wings above the doors. They are used all over the world, as they are known for their reliability and short take-off and landing performance.

In Lukla, eastern Nepal, the weather is highly unpredictable, and as the Twin Otters can only land in fair weather, people must often wait for days for the planes to arrive. Once the weather permits, the planes fly back and forth between Lukla and Kathmandu, until all passengers have been served. (Photo John Burke, copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This Twin Otter is racing down the short and steep air strip in Lukla to get sufficient speed to take off, before levitating over an abyss. A rather hair-raising experience, I can tell you! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Condensation trails (often shortened to contrails), or vapour trails, are long, narrow, white clouds, produced by airplane engine exhaust, which contains water vapour as well as soot and dust particles from the turbines. The trails are only formed at very low temperatures (around -40°C), where the water vapour turns into tiny ice crystals, which, together with the soot and dust particles, form condensation nuclei. These nuclei make it possible for the water vapour to concentrate, hereby forming the cloud.

Bicycles

This woman in Hanoi, Vietnam, has placed branches with kumquat fruits (Citrus) on a children’s seat on her bicycle luggage rack. This fruit is described on the page In praise of the colour orange. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

A pig, two chickens, and palm leaves, all being transported on one bicycle, western Zaire. The domestication of pig and chicken is described on the page Animals: Animals as servants of Man. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Trolleys and pushcarts

These are very common means of transportation in many Asian countries.

Porters

Porters, in India called coolies, are hard-working people, carrying huge loads on their back in areas without roads. They are a very common sight in the Himalaya, where you occasionally also come across female porters.

This salesman, whom I met near the village of Junbesi, Solu, eastern Nepal, was hiking from one village to another, his huge basket filled to the brim with all sorts of goods. I asked him, if he knew the weight of his basket, and he thought it would be around 90 kilos! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Struggling under a heavy load of planks, this porter is hiking up the Gokyo Valley, Khumbu, eastern Nepal. The mountains in the background are Kangtega (6685 m, left) and Thamserku (6608 m). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This street, leading through the village of Marpha, Kali Gandaki Valley, central Nepal, is so narrow, that this porter, carrying a load of planks, must walk sideways. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Villagers in the Himalaya utilize materials from the surrounding landscape on a large scale.

The following three pictures show women with a perfect sense of balance.

Animals as means of transportation

Taming of the various animals is described on the page Animals: Animals as servants of Man.

Horse and donkey

As close acolytes of Man, the horse and the donkey have been introduced to almost every corner of the world. At a very early stage, Man began riding horses and donkeys. Today, the total population of the horse is about 58 million, whereas that of the donkey is c. 40 million, with the majority in the developing countries. The highest number, about 11 million, used to be in Chinese territories, followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Mexico. However, the number in China has dropped significantly in later years.

A mule is a crossbreed between a horse and a donkey. In areas without roads in the Himalaya, and elsewhere, most transportation of goods still take place on mules. The total number of mules is not known.

Horse-drawn carriages and donkey carts are still common means of transportation around the world. Some are called droshky, a word of Russian origin.

The annual Tibetan Yartung Festival, celebrated in the Jhong River Valley, Mustang, central Nepal, includes horse racing, in which also monks participate. The monk in the lower picture is wearing a kata, a scarf, which has been presented to him as a sign of respect. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This donkey is grazing at the edge of the road near Shigatse. The cart is loaded with fodder, consisting of leaf mustard (Brassica juncea). A field with this plant is seen in the background. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Cattle and water buffalo

Archaeological evidence indicates that cattle were first domesticated from the aurochs in south-eastern Turkey and western Iran about 8,500 B.C., whereas domestication of the eastern subspecies of the aurochs took place about 6,000 B.C. in the Indus Valley. The eastern animals evolved into today’s zebu, with its characteristic hump.

Ox carts are still a very common means of transportation in various Asian countries, and in Madagascar.

At high altitudes in the Himalaya, yaks, burdened with bulky loads, are a very common sight. The Latin name of these beasts, Bos grunniens (‘the grunting ox’), is very descriptive, as they grunt incessantly. The females, called nak, yield excellent milk.

Wild buffalos were domesticated about 5,000 years ago, and through selective breeding they have become the docile beasts that we today see working in the paddy fields, or pulling heavily loaded carts.

Camels

Both species of camel, the dromedary, or one-humped camel, and the Bactrian, or two-humped camel, are still utilized as riding and pack animals several places in Asia and Africa. My adventures during a camel safari are related on the page Travel episodes – India 2003: Camel safari in the Thar Desert.

Elephants

In some Asian national parks, elephants are still a common means of transporting tourists around. In this way, the tourists may get close to wild animals without disturbing them, as most animals are not afraid of the elephants. In some popular tourist areas, elephant rides are also available.

The sad fate of the elephants is described on the page Animals – Mammals: Rise and fall of the mighty elephants.

Other means of transportation

In 2011, I spent 3 weeks in Chukotka, eastern Siberia, together with Jens Gregersen and Max Nitschke. Transportation in the area took place in an old army caterpillar, driven by a Russian, Sasha. This interesting trip is described on the page Travel episodes – Siberia 2011: Caterpillar trip in Chukotka.

A few places in Ladakh, northern India, and elsewhere, transportation across rivers takes place in cable chairs.

In many Asian countries, bamboo poles are often used to transport heavy loads, divided into bundles of equal weight and tied to the tips of the pole.

Means of transportation during the Mazu festival

In Taiwan, the major part of the population practice a religion, which is a peculiar blend of Buddhism and Daoism, described on the page Religion: Daoism in Taiwan.

The most important Daoist deity is the Mother Goddess Mazu. During the annual Mazu festival, which is usually celebrated 8 days in April, thousands of pilgrims walk along a route, many kilometres long, from temple to temple. The route is determined by the goddess herself, i.e. by priests ‘throwing the sticks’ in front of her image – two small concave wooden items that must land in a special way to determine the outcome of the question.

During this long hike, all sorts of transport means are used, from trucks to baby carriges. The following pictures were taken during several hikes that Judy, her brother Horng-wen, her niece Guo-chin, and I undertook during Mazu festivals and other Daoist festivals.

Recycling

Taiwan is at a very high level, as far as recycling is concerned. Everywhere you notice various means of transportation, carrying huge loads of recycling materials, including small pick-up trucks, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, and trolleys. These pictures are from the city of Taichung. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

(Uploaded August 2017)

(Latest update August 2024)

Kaj Halberg - writer & photographer

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Transportation