I clench my breasts firmly with one arm and hand as the other hand holds tightly to the rough riding rickshaw. Maybe, if only for the sake of this 10 minutes this would have been a good day to have worn my sports bra.
I think maybe it is an inappropriate action (holding my breasts), but what does it matter? I am leaving town and nobody here will see me again.
I arrive at the bus station. My ticket, for seat no.8 is promptly taken one direction while I am directed to go to the back of my bus to stow my backpack. When my ticket is returned to me the 8 has been crossed out and replaced with 17 and I am instructed that is my seat. I rebuke this. I requested a front seat: I like them better and I get motion sick in the back.
Nobody seams to speak English other than to tell me seat 17, and to request 10 rupees for the impatient man who wrestled my luggage from me. I tell them i'll be sick in the back of the bus. They smile. I mime vomiting to every bodies amusement, but they are still smiling and waggling their heads. I give the 10 rupees (although I don't want too, but fear my pack will be removed if I don't and its less than 20 cents. The Indians stowing luggage are not asked to pay anything), and get on the bus. I sit in seat 8.
Eventually a man comes and tells me it is his seat. I say it was mine, but it was changed and I will not sit up the back, as I will be sick. (I can't actually guarantee this, but I'd prefer not to test the theory).
A young Indian man who speaks English comes to my rescue. Where do you want to sit he asks. "Any place I won't be sick". He offers I can sit beside him, and goes to fix things with the company. I am very grateful.
This is just one of the reasons why traveling in India is so horrible and exhausting. I mean, there are wonderful things to see, but independently this is a tough country.
Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Monday, 25 February 2013
Transport strike
Aye aye aye aye...
It is 20 Feb and I am in a town called Bijapur, and there is a bus strike. I saw it on the news last night but since I had been at the bus station at 6pm making enquiries and the news report was only referencing it to the cities I figured my intended bus would still be running.
So I got ready early, got to the bus station and found nothing happening. Just a lot of staff hanging around. One was kind enough to tell me that it was about fuel prices and so the trains would still be running. So I have come to the train station.
My destination is Mumbai. I need to be there tomorrow to meet Louise, so although I had thought of stopping on the way, with the transport strike I have decided to go the whole way.
The direct train was sold out. So now I will change 3 times to get there. But at least I have a solution.
I have a 2 hour wait for the first train... But at least the train is quicker than the bus. So I leave 2.5 hrs later and arrive just 1 hour later.
Btw, Bijapur is well worth stopping in, people are really pleasant and the main sight Gul Gumbaz is awesome, particular if you can get there before the noisy Indians (it opens 6am, I got there at 8, and with just me, a man singing, and another man the whispering gallery sounds were splendid. Then a crowd of noisy Indians arrived.)
It is 20 Feb and I am in a town called Bijapur, and there is a bus strike. I saw it on the news last night but since I had been at the bus station at 6pm making enquiries and the news report was only referencing it to the cities I figured my intended bus would still be running.
So I got ready early, got to the bus station and found nothing happening. Just a lot of staff hanging around. One was kind enough to tell me that it was about fuel prices and so the trains would still be running. So I have come to the train station.
My destination is Mumbai. I need to be there tomorrow to meet Louise, so although I had thought of stopping on the way, with the transport strike I have decided to go the whole way.
The direct train was sold out. So now I will change 3 times to get there. But at least I have a solution.
I have a 2 hour wait for the first train... But at least the train is quicker than the bus. So I leave 2.5 hrs later and arrive just 1 hour later.
Btw, Bijapur is well worth stopping in, people are really pleasant and the main sight Gul Gumbaz is awesome, particular if you can get there before the noisy Indians (it opens 6am, I got there at 8, and with just me, a man singing, and another man the whispering gallery sounds were splendid. Then a crowd of noisy Indians arrived.)
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
The best of Crass
We spent a whole week in Mysore. It didn't need that much time but Louise didn't want to be in Bangalore before Feb 1, and so we hung out there.
On one of the days we took a day tour. For me it was a lesson in Indian Stretchable time (IST) and Indian lies. IST because at the very first stop we were told to return in "20 minutes or 30 minutes, be here at 10.30". It was 9.30am, so 10.30 meant an hour.
At each stop we were given a variable deadline, and at each stop the Indian tourists (everybody else) took more than the maximum given time. It was driving me insane. And then this is where a lie was delivered.
I guess with full expansion of the IST we ran out of time because we didn't visit Tipu Sultans summer palace as of the itinerary (it was one of the attractions we were looking forward to). When we asked we were told that it was closed for the day so that was why we weren't visiting it. We had doubts about this, but went along with it.
Two days later when I was in the tourist office the man there asked me if I had seen this palace, I said no, we went on the tour on Tuesday but it was closed for a holiday. No, he said, that's not true, there have been no holidays this week.
The day actually started out with some mild corruption. We had been told by the KSRTC office (govt run buses, including tourist services) not to pre-book but turn up on the day to book the tour. On the day we were told that the KSRTC didn't have enough people on the tour but we could do another tour, same itinerary, for Rs150 each and Rs50 each to the driver. ( this actually was slightly cheaper than KSRTC). Then the KSRTC man asked us to pay Rs150 direct to him. He promptly put this in his top pocket. I asked for a receipt, he said he couldn't. I insisted and got the 150 back to pay directly to the next place. In the end we got a tour but no receipts. Other people had the KSRTC brochure too, so I guess that the govt tour doesn't run because the office guy pockets money this way. Hopefully someone reads this!
But now, you might be wondering about the crass?? Well, although we missed that palace I don't care because we got to go in the evening to the Brindavan gardens to see a fountain (of about 4 x 4m) lit up under changing coloured lights and dancing to the sound of Bollywood tunes. This was so crass it was wonderful! ... Made all the better by the couple of thousand Indians who cheered and applauded its dynamic (I'm exaggerating) moves. Louise was speechless (this is rare), I did showed my enthusiasm with a seated dance (much to the amusement if those around).
Aside from that, the only other part of the day that really got my attention was a broken coconut area outside a temple. Hindus would break a coconut here as offering to a god. But one young man had a big bag of coconuts and was rapidly breaking them, one by one, with all his might. We figured he must've been naughty and this was the Hindu equivalent of the Catholic hail Mary's.
Finally, the most wonderful thing about Mysore is its palace. It is magnificent, and the audio tour is particularly good. Put it on your list with the dancing fountain!
Notes:
Mysore: 25 Jan - 1 Feb, 5 nights Mannars lodge Rs650 twin share, 2 nights Youth Hotel HI, dorm Rs100 (I went without Louise). Bus Bangalore to Mysore Rs110 3hours. Bus Vellore to Bangalore Rs144 5hours.
On one of the days we took a day tour. For me it was a lesson in Indian Stretchable time (IST) and Indian lies. IST because at the very first stop we were told to return in "20 minutes or 30 minutes, be here at 10.30". It was 9.30am, so 10.30 meant an hour.
At each stop we were given a variable deadline, and at each stop the Indian tourists (everybody else) took more than the maximum given time. It was driving me insane. And then this is where a lie was delivered.
I guess with full expansion of the IST we ran out of time because we didn't visit Tipu Sultans summer palace as of the itinerary (it was one of the attractions we were looking forward to). When we asked we were told that it was closed for the day so that was why we weren't visiting it. We had doubts about this, but went along with it.
Two days later when I was in the tourist office the man there asked me if I had seen this palace, I said no, we went on the tour on Tuesday but it was closed for a holiday. No, he said, that's not true, there have been no holidays this week.
The day actually started out with some mild corruption. We had been told by the KSRTC office (govt run buses, including tourist services) not to pre-book but turn up on the day to book the tour. On the day we were told that the KSRTC didn't have enough people on the tour but we could do another tour, same itinerary, for Rs150 each and Rs50 each to the driver. ( this actually was slightly cheaper than KSRTC). Then the KSRTC man asked us to pay Rs150 direct to him. He promptly put this in his top pocket. I asked for a receipt, he said he couldn't. I insisted and got the 150 back to pay directly to the next place. In the end we got a tour but no receipts. Other people had the KSRTC brochure too, so I guess that the govt tour doesn't run because the office guy pockets money this way. Hopefully someone reads this!
But now, you might be wondering about the crass?? Well, although we missed that palace I don't care because we got to go in the evening to the Brindavan gardens to see a fountain (of about 4 x 4m) lit up under changing coloured lights and dancing to the sound of Bollywood tunes. This was so crass it was wonderful! ... Made all the better by the couple of thousand Indians who cheered and applauded its dynamic (I'm exaggerating) moves. Louise was speechless (this is rare), I did showed my enthusiasm with a seated dance (much to the amusement if those around).
Aside from that, the only other part of the day that really got my attention was a broken coconut area outside a temple. Hindus would break a coconut here as offering to a god. But one young man had a big bag of coconuts and was rapidly breaking them, one by one, with all his might. We figured he must've been naughty and this was the Hindu equivalent of the Catholic hail Mary's.
Finally, the most wonderful thing about Mysore is its palace. It is magnificent, and the audio tour is particularly good. Put it on your list with the dancing fountain!
Notes:
Mysore: 25 Jan - 1 Feb, 5 nights Mannars lodge Rs650 twin share, 2 nights Youth Hotel HI, dorm Rs100 (I went without Louise). Bus Bangalore to Mysore Rs110 3hours. Bus Vellore to Bangalore Rs144 5hours.
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