Saturday, October 23, 2010

To Hell With Indian Buses

I thought the bus from the border to Varanasi was bad, but apparently not as bad as it can get. The night bus from Delhi to Dharamsala was shit, plain and simple. First of all, I booked the bus the same day with my hotel, the guy I booked with (who had been pretty trustworthy so far) said I didn't need a ticket, a guy would come to the hotel and make sure I get on the bus ok. The first part happened, but after I got on the bus an argument with the bus staff (I'll call them my captors) ensued. Apparently me not having a ticket meant I had to ride in the cab with my captors. I argued up and down, got a tour company official involved (who promised me I would change buses at the next stop and get a seat, didn't happen) but to no avail. I was stuck in the cab. FML. Luckily for me they overestimated the number of passengers and I was able to get a seat in the back row.

All and well? NO. I learned the back of the bus is still the bounciest part (no matter what kind of bus it is) and the most susceptible to G forces. This became more apparent on the windy mountain roads that start four hours before Dharamsala. I must have been pulling about 9 G's around those bends. Mark this as the first time ever Kyle has got motion sickness. Thankfully I kept it together and held it down until the bus stopped.

On the more positive note, I'm not free of the noise and pollution of Delhi, in a small, quiet community 2km outside of McLeod Ganj. For some background info, McLeod Ganj is the current residence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government In Exile, so there is more of a Tibetan feel here. Tomorrow I'll head down to McLeod Ganj and explore some of the Tibetan Gompas. Oh, and they have momo's here!

4 comments:

  1. Well at least you can a momo.
    Say hello to the Dali Lama for me.

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  2. oh my,and you still have a lot of India to see by some means of transportation. Hope your stay is more than worth the ride. And like your dad said, say hello to the Dali Lama for me too!!

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  3. Grandma & Grandpa said that the Dali Lama is actually in Canada right now. We will say hello to him here for you.

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