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Published: November 8th 2007
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Well, I'm writing this after three years of my trip to India...so I guess some experiences have matured and I can write them with the taste of the time.
After coming back to Delhi from Bodhgaya, wich I did by train (Mahabodhi Express, good choice), I had to wait two days because the reservation I thought I made from Bodhgaya for a bus to Dharamsala was never registered...so I had to wait.
Once again at the Ajanta Hotel, where I could experience its people's kindness. Almost all of them remembered where I went and so they asked me about the trip and about Bodhgaya.
Those days while I waited for my bus to Dharamsala I enjoyed walking around by myself. I highly recommend to go to Connaught Place with time enough to see the shops and nice places there. Wonderful cafes, restaurants, music stores and everything else.
Indian people is really nice and friendly. Everywhere.
In Connaught Place you can try Nirula's Restaurant where you can eat some pizza if you like, or else Domino's Pizza.
TRIP TO DHARAMSALA
The hotel took my reservation and then I checked out early so I could be ready. I waited the time
in the Ajanta Hotel Restaurant, drinking some coffee.
But I didn't see any bus and I didn't think a bus could fit the narrow street we were located...so I asked the hotel manager...and suddenly he asked me: "so you want to go to Dharamsala?" (He was the man I paid for my ticket!). So he went out, he called a rickshaw and then he came inside and looked for two English women. Then he put us in the rickshaw and asked the driver to take us to some place...
About fifteen minutes later we arrived to a place which was in fact an avenue, we paid the driver and that was all.
There I could see some people, most of them tourists, waiting to get in a bus.
But it wasn't my bus.
They asked us to wait a little more.
Meanwhile I started to chat to a nice woman, Berry, from the UK. We became friends quickly as we both were alone. She told me she has been to my country some years ago so we had some affinity.
Later our bus came and after put our bags in the end of the bus (a box I don't know
how you name it in English), we jumped to the bus.
There, a man asked for our tickets...which we wont see again...yes, they keep the tickets and you don't know if some seat was assigned to you or not...and the truth is that they don't give a numbered seat, but rather they locate you ramdonly.
I sat in the back of the bus, by the window. It wasn't an AC bus, so all the windows could be open if you wanted to. Then two men came to me and they told me: "excuse me, this is my seat..." so I changed (please never do that!) to the central seat, in a row of five seats.
The bus started to move and soon these two men started to light a joint (grass cigarette) after another...amazing!
We crossed all Delhi through crowded streets and avenues, while the sun was setting down. Later on we arrived to the Tibetan area, in Old Delhi. There the bus filled its seats.
So I realized they over-sell seats and then you have to deal with people who says that your seat is theirs...funny but disturbing.
This trip takes about 12 hours. Yes, 12 hours to cover
about 500 kilometers...
In some place not far from Delhi the bus almost crashed and my backpack went to me middle of the bus.
A few hours later the bus stopped so we could go to the bathroom or have dinner. I met Berry outside and we shared some chai and chapatis.
After that, the trip was quieter as the roads started to be less crowded.
I guess that this trip would be better if you choose the daytime to make it, because it goes by mountain roads and the view must be really nice. But may be daytime would be too hot in a bus without AC.
We arrived to Dharamsala after two breaks for chai on the road. It was early morning and I joined Berry and two couples, one from Australia and the other one from Israel, heading to Bhagsu which is a wonderful village near MacLeod Ganj.
There we had breakfast in a hotel and then Berry and me went to find a place where we would stay.
We found a nice guest house in the middle of the mountain, a family guest house, so we could share with local people in a friendly and nice
environment. This includes cows, goats and children...
Continues...
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