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Catching the bus to Jodhpur
Our Mr Singh had pointed out where we needed to wait for the bus when we arrived at the Ranakpur temple complex. The bus station was little more than a few trees, a small roadside café and a shop with a few tables and chairs.
"Don't worry, you catch 1530 bus to Jodhpur there. Wait there"
"Ok, we will go after we have seen the complex. Thanks."
Come the appointed time, or shortly before it, a lot more people seemed to materialize from the surrounding forest. All the time we had been waiting, there were numerous other local buses thundering by in each direction. They all seemed packed to the rafters, especially those that were headed north. Any that did stop where we were waiting had passengers hanging out the windows staring us up and down. They do get nervous, shy or coy and embarrassed when you make a point of staring straight back at them! What goes around, comes around!
You knew that the bus was coming when the nearby village's rickshaws descended like vultures at a carcass. Around the corner it thundered and the crowd gathered their gear and made ready to get on. Getting closer you noticed how full it seemed.
"There must be more space towards the back. Surely."
Closer still and you can make out the driver grinning like a madman.
"Nope. Ok, 5hrs of standing is doable. Seats will come available as people come and go. No problem."
Whoosh and the doors open and a few people push their way through the crowd standing in the isle and the stairwell to get off. Meanwhile at the same time, all of the waiting crowd try to push themselves right on and the only spaces made where only air could fit. The two Spanish girls waiting with us seem to get sucked up into the crowd. The last we saw of them was of wide eyes and their reaching hands….and then they were gone.
"This should be interesting. Getting to Jodhpur should be a breeze!"
You knew that the bus driver didn't really give a damn and wanted to get going. I think that the Indians knew too. That was when the shouting started. I bet it had something to do with actually moving right down inside the carriage…..opps….bus so that other people could get on. But like London, the alighted busers could not be bothered to help the alighting busees. Some things are the same the world over then!
The bus took off in a whirlwind of black diesel exhaust fumes and some of the now alighted busers hanging on to anything in the stairwell with the ever increasing slip stream trying to pluck them off the side of the bus! And then they were gone. And we hadn't moved a muscle except watch in fascination of local bus etiquette was played out!
We could do nothing but laugh and sit on our bags. No sooner had we done so, than one of the locals started chatting to us. Our experience so far has been that any attempted to initiate a conversation is an attempt to sell you something. So we viewed any approach with suspicion. He actually turned out to be one of the Jain Temple priests and was very candid and honest about how they were paid (the money offered to the gods was their salaries) and what sort of life they lived, where he was from and the state and size of his family and all other manner of topics. I think that he enjoyed speaking some conversational English. Whereas most Indian males tend to just talk at you, rather than with you, this was refreshing. It was like a little insight into rural Indian village life!
Where there are people in India, there are usually troupes of monkeys too. From what I could gather, the communities seemed to coincide quite peacefully. The monkeys were quite habituated to having people around. While we were talking to the priest, the troupe seemed to walk between us, casually observing us before jumping into the tree next to the road under who's shade we were sitting or standing.
But I wonder how long that will last. It is as clear as daylight to see that these monkeys associate humans with food. We saw one white western female get out of her taxi and start handing out bananas to the monkeys. Naturally, it started a feeding surge with much hissing and grabbing by the monkeys. She eventually retreated to the safety of the car which had a large monkey firmly attached to the food. Yes, very funny and there must have been some great photos to take and show the folks back home! And every a bus came in, the occupants would throw food to the troupe. These were well fed monkeys. And when our bus finally decided that it would arrive, some monkeys decided that they would actually get into the bus and see what they could get! Oh yes, it is very funny.
It only stays funny until you refuse to give the monkey something and he comes looking for it and decided to attack you and snatch it from your hand! Bites and scratches from an aggressive monkey is a pleasant experience to endure! Not long after, they will have to be destroyed! Stupid monkey. Did it not know that that banana was mine! How dare it think it could grab it!
More like stupid human……..
But just before we got on the next bus at 1815, and dodged the food grabbing monkeys, we were invited to his daughter's wedding festivities in 2010! Another one to add to the list!
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