After a week in India- Lenin’s point of view and other reflections.

Editor's Pick Award

Our Editors awarded this travel blog entry for providing relevant information that may be useful and inspiring for other travelers.

January 31^st, 2006 10:00 p.m. On the bus to Bikaner.

I left Jaisalmer for the famous Karni Mata temple in Deshnok. Since I had already traveled by train, rickshaw, and a camel, it was time to try an overnight bus. India has overnight buses where the overhead compartments have been converted into sleeping berths - just like on the train... or so I thought. Well…it’s not really like the train at all. The sleeping compartments are claustrophobic glass coffins. Once inside with the glass door shut, you can’t help but think that you have the same view as Lenin’s corpse. The feeling is all the more real that when traveling on the night bus with the locals, you are a greater attraction to fellow passengers than the ongoing cricket match between India and Pakistan. People stand outside your little coffin with their faces pressed against the glass and stare at you. They touch the glass and talk about you in a greatly animated way. All the while, you are lying there and wishing you really were Lenin because you’d be dead and the situation would be much less awkward.

As the bus started rolling, I thought that after a week in India it is time to pass some wisdom on to fellow travelers. I decided that whatever transpires during the bus travel to Deshnok will provide inspiration for this chapter, which brings me to my first point: Don’t have any expectations about India based on your home. Indian people are respectful, but their idea of respect and personal space is different than yours. Showing their curiosity with “in-your-face” proximity is normal for them. I guess if I grew up in India, I would measure personal space in inches instead of meters as well.

February 1^st. 2006 5:00 a.m. Transfer to another bus at Bikaner.

I get off the bus and have to go across town to another bus station. It’s very cold. I need to warm up before getting into a rickshaw. It’s time for chai… which brings me to my second point: Chai is the omnipresent drink in India. Get used to it. Yes, chai is like a handshake. It is used as a welcome and a goodbye. It is drank everywhere, always with plenty of milk and sugar already mixed in. If you can’t drink your tea with milk and sugar, I suggest you visit China instead. It’s that simple. :)

5:15 a.m. Still warming with chai.

First rickshaw driver:

-My friend, you can’t go Deshnok today. You have to stay Bikaner. Next bus tomorrow. Come, I take you to my brother’s hotel. Very nice.

Second rickshaw driver:

-My friend, if you want to go Deshnok you have to take taxi. Only 400 rupees. Come, I take you there. I have a taxi waiting.

Third rickshaw driver:

-My friend, there are buses to Deshnok. I take you to the bus station for 100 rupees only. Come.

Fourth rickshaw driver:

My friend, don’t believe those people. I take you to the bus stop for 10 rupees. The next bus to Deshnok is in half an hour.

Yep, it’s like that everywhere in India. Be prepared for rip-offs. Lonely Planet is priceless in this country. I also quickly learned to ask at the hotel where I am staying how much I should pay for rickshaws and other things. After a week in India, I am starting to pay like the locals - to the dismay of many unscrupulous merchants and rickshaw drivers.

5:20 a.m. Still sipping chai. The four rickshaw drivers are by now my best buddies, sitting with me and chatting as if all the scams from five minutes ago did not happen.

-My friend, you married?

-No.

-Girlfriend?

-No, not really.

-My friend, a lot of [Rikshaw driver grinning while bluntly gesturing in "international" sign language.]

­-Ohh, you want to know if I masturbate a lot?

-Yes, yes my friend.

Be ready for awkward situations and take India and its people with a sense of humor. You don’t have to answer all the questions. When bothered, be polite but firm. In the end, taking things with a grain of salt will save you a lot of frustration.

5:45 a.m. At the second bus station in Bikaner.

Feeling a little hungry, I buy some samosas at the food stall. The vendor clearly hasn’t seen inside a shower in a long time. As he wraps my food in an old newspaper, I see a rat running between his cooking utensils. Taking a bite, I point to the rat and we both smile amused at the rat’s playfulness… which brings me to the next point: Western sanitary standards - don’t even think about them.

5:50 a.m.

Finishing my food and thinking it is unusually spicy, I buy some Indian chewing gum to fight the burning sensation. Oh man, what do you know - they put pepper and chilies in their chewing gum as well. Yes, the food is very spicy. You’ll get used to it.

6:30 a.m. On the bus to Deshnok.

It’s still dark outside. The bus is full of farmers going to the market. A man sitting behind me starts a conversation. He is translating into Hindi for the rest of the bus passengers. The entire bus gathers around my seat, hanging on every word I say. Their eyes are wide open, their faces lit up with smiles. They start recommending visits to local village festivals. There is sincerity and happiness in the conversation. Moments like this are priceless, which brings me to the last point: Be patient with India. Have an open mind and humility, and you will be rewarded in most unexpected ways.

6:45 a.m. I arrive in Deshnok.