The store Anokhi was recommended for more fitted Indian clothing and bedding. So Lorene callled Nana, our English speaking rickshaw driver, to take us over to that side of town. The traffic going over was thick and slow on this bright sunny afternoon.
We stopped at Happy Heart to drop off Lorene’s bracelet and tow ring so they could make adjustments, and then we headed over to Anokhi. It was a bust so we headed back to Happy Heart to pick up her items and it started to rain. Really rain. Like middle of the summer lightening and thunder torrential downpour kind of rain.
We braved the raindrops to stop in at the store but Nana called us back. He wanted to get going. Auto rickshaws are open on the sides. Nana’s has a roll down tarp on one side. Even so, water was coming in when a car would pass us and splash. He struggled to maintain control. There was a lot of water, the rickshaws are not exactly a powerful engine and I suspect the tires are not that great. The tiny windshield has an even tinier wiper but no “defrost” and the windshield was really foggy.
All the two wheeler drivers, the smart ones anyway, had pulled over. So many people soaked to the skin. Everyone crowded under bus stops, tarps, and awnings. Big splashes of water coming in the rickshaw. When we turned onto the street our flat is on, the water was up and over the curb, running onto the sidewalk. Rain was coming in on the seat, so much so that my butt was wet. My new purple skirt is not color fast and my underwear is now slightly a purple tie dye.
