h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That afternoon we had a pleasant driving tour through Bombay, looking at various major temples and wandering through the Gandhi Museum. Later we strolled through Sanjay Gandhi Park on the outskirts of the town. Salil tried to get me interested in entering the caves ["On a hot day like this, you'd feel cooler there"], but I was worried about getting discombobulated like some characters in the caves in Forester's "Passage to India." I pretended to have claustrophobia. Salil merely sighed. The last two days had been hard on him.

Then it was off to a restaurant for more unique Bombay food and a recommendation from Salil that we turn in early in view of the early departure for Hong Kong the following day

There was unexpected tension when we reached the airport the next morning. As soon as Scribbles spied Miss Seng (our guide for the Hong Kong trip), he glared at her. She glared right back, then realized what this must look like to the rest of us, and smilingly pulled Scribbles aside for a private chat.

"What are we facing now?" I wondered aloud to Salil.

"I have an inking that this concerns Miss Seng's father, who was the last rickshaw man in Hong Kong until his retirement last Tuesday," Salil said. "Your 'transportation' in Hong Kong consists of riding in a rickshaw. If Mr. Seng doesn't come out of retirement or find a replacement, there will be a situation."

"There are seven million people in Hong Kong, and they can't persuade even one of them to pull me in a rickshaw?" I exclaimed.

"Hong Kong is not like Bombay," Salil said with a shrug, "nor even Kolkata, where finding a rickshaw is easier."

There was a worried look on Scribbles' face as he came forward to introduce me to Miss Seng and bid adieu to Salil. "Mr. Seng, who was to pull your rickshaw today, is indisposed," Scribbles told me. "Don't worry, we will find someone else to do it."

"I'm not particularly heavy," I said, hoping a few extra pounds wouldn't matter too much. "Even you could do it."

"How would I videotape your day, then?" Scribbles asked.

We both turned to Miss Seng, who said, "Don't look at me. It's not in my contract, and I have too much to do anyway."

It took a bit over five hours to fly to Bombay, but they seemed much longer. Scribbles and Miss Seng were like two glaciers.

"No new rickshaw licenses have been issued since 1975," Scribbles explained to me as the plane approached Hong Kong's airport. Miss Seng's father had the last one. He still has the license, but if he's unable to utilize it........"

"Then let him ride with me and let someone else pull it," I offered. "It's only for a little distance, isn't it?"

"Perhaps you could carry my father and pull the rickshaw at the same time," said Miss Seng, coming out of her glacial funk.

"And I could run the video camera," I said.

In the end, that's what we did. I even got out of the rickshaw and took a picture of Mr. Seng riding while Scribbles pushed. The rickshaw wasn't in motion, so no laws were actually broken. This solved the problem, but Scribbles now sent his displeasure in my direction.

After that, the day got better. We enjoyed the view from the top of Mount Victoria, did some leisurely shopping in Kowloon, and even took a dip in a very large pool across the Causeway from the Sheradhilt Hotel.

The evening's festivities took place in a floating restaurant, complete with tourist photo opportunities and souvenir chopsticks to take home as mementos.

I've been tweaking the mode sof transportation for the last half of November to bring them morei n oine with reality. There's no way to ride on motorized fsroller skates from Charleston, South Carolina to Richmond, Virginia, for instance. The speed is 12 mph, which takes you 120 miles in ten hours, with 300 miles yet to go, which would have to be covered some other way, like a ride in a car or truck.

I had a ride in a wheelbarrow, but I'm dropping that in favor of the monorail ride between different parts of JFK Airport in new York City. The only monorail I've ever been on was the one at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, which is too far out of the route I want, plus November being the wrong time of year for an outdoor ride....

I have a sensational mode of transportation lined up for November 30. I can't divulge it here, but it will usher in the Christmas Season perfectly.

[Amy P]

In London I think they have rickshaws pulled by bikes. Great story journal will look forward to the rest of the journey.

We have those in Copenhagen as well, Rosa, but I think only in the summer (which was a Wednesday this year, if memory serves...)

Contrary to common belief this mode of transportation was not invented by Rick Shaw
But it is nevertheless interesting that three Americans and three Japanese are named as its inventor.
Probably the most colourful story is that of American blacksmith Albert Tolman, who is said to have invented the rickshaw, or "man drawn lorry", in 1846 in Worcester, Massachusetts, for a South American bound missionary

Don't miss the search for 'roos today, mate!

Tomorrow's installment will be a terrifying episode of hang-gliding from the top of Mount Haleakala in Maui.

Don't worry, paulh, I am hard on your heels

And you just reminded me it's been a while since i had Roo goulash

Our hero has the option of going snorkeling instead of hang-gliding, but he [like me] has bad memories of being dashed against the beach the last time he tried that.

Landing in the middle of the protected state forest and being prosecuted for bringing in nonindigenous microbes on the soles of his feet are the biggest potential problem -- that, and having a gust of wind sweep him far out to sea .

Pierce, I remember in July that there was a dispute between Rickshaw works and Boris Johnson and Rickshaw workers:

They have tours so it seems that there customers are mainly tourists.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33650180

That's a different kind of rickshaw. It's a pedicab, which means that the driver sits on a bicycle seat and moves the vehicle with pedals, while the passengers sit in back. It's a rather large tricycle.

The original rickshaws, which are no longer available in Hong Kong but still exist in Kolkata, are operated by a man who runs while holding onto poles on either side, which are attached to the seat where the passengers are.

If I were operating one, I would rather sit and work the bicycle pedals.