Tomamos un tren de Jaiselmer a Bikaner a las 6:00am. El bus es una combinacion de sillas y
camas… ademas mucho espacio para personas paradas. Compramos tiquetes en sillas porque en las camas es imposible
que respeten el espacio cuando tanta gente se sube al bus.
Despues de media hora el bus ya estaba lleno, las camas
tenian entre 4 o 5 personas por cama sencilla (nos imaginamos que ellos no
pagan el precio que nosotros pagariamos por una cama, pero tampoco pagan por
compartir con tantos). Todos
buscan donde sentarse y pelean por un riconcito de silla o cama. Ya tambien hay muchas personas paradas.
Despues de 7 horas de camino llegamos a Bikaner. Despues de la experiencia de Jaisalmer
no estamos dispuestos a que nos enreden con otro cuento en la estacion del bus.
Me baje del bus listo para peliar
y a todo el que me tocaba o ofrecia algo le dije que no. Todos nos ofrecian lugares para dormir,
pero nosotros ya habiamos contactado a alguien por couch surfing que tenia un
hotel pequeno y que nos habia guardado una pieza.
Despues de recoger las mochilas y encontrarme con Marcela
puse a todos los conductores de Tuk Tuk al frente y les dije que no queria oir
nada de otros hoteles ni nada mas, que el que estuviera dispuesto a llevarnos
al lugar donde habiamos reservado nos llevara y le pagabamos la carrera;
solamente hubo uno que acepto a llevarnos… parece que los intimide a
todos. El conductor nos llevo al
lugar que le dijimos y aqui es donde la historia se pone interesante. El señor insistio en entrarnos al
hotel, no entendemos todavia porque pues nosotros teniamos una reservacion y no
le va a tocar comision. Bilal, el
dueño, se habia ido por un rato pero la señora lo llamo y hable con el… dijo
que regresaba en 5 minutos. El
conductor del Tuk Tuk le pidio a la señora que lo llamara otra vez para hablar
con el y decirle que el nos habia llevado a su hotel, pero el dueño le dijo que
nosotros teniamos reservacion y que no le podia dar ninguna comision. Bilal regreso y nos mostro las piezas y
seleccionamos la mejor… el conductor todavia estaba esperando afuera, lo
pudimos ver desde la ventana del segundo piso. Estabamos conversando con Bilal en el comedor y conductor
tuvo las pelotas de entrar al hotel y pedirle a Bilal la comision… no lo puedo
creer. Bilal le explico que nosotros
habiamos hablado con el por varios dias y que no le iba a dar ninguna comision…
ahi alegaron en el idioma de ellos por unos minutos y despues nos ofrecio sus
servicios. Nos ofrecio llevarnos por
la ciudad a conocer unos sitios de interes… escribimos el numero de telefono
pero nunca lo llamamos, sabiamos que se iba a desquitar.
En la tarde estuvimos visitando el Fuerte Junagarh, un lugar
donde todavia se conservan piezas decoradas con diseños originales de la
epoca. Los patios tienen unos
labrados en piedra muy bonitos.
Cuando salimos del fuerte cogimos un Tuk Tuk que nos ofrecio
llevarnos a conocer otros lugares en la ciudad, estuvimos visitando el Templo
Jain Bhanda Shaha, un hospital para vacas y el centro de la cuidad donde
visitamos unos Havelis.
En la noche comimos en el hotel y conocimos una pareja de
Holandeses que lleva 4 años viajando por el mundo. Ellos andan en un carro de policia convertido en carro
casa. Estuvimos conversando con
ellos y oyendoles las historias, tienen bastanticas para contar… que mas se
puede esperar despues de 4 años de viaje y 120.000Km manejados.
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At 6:00am we took a bus from Jaisalmer to Bikaner. The bus is a combination of sleeper and
seats bus… well, not to mention the standing people that will eventually get
on. We bought a couple of seats
because it is the only way that they respect your place… on the sleeper section
there is a guarantee that you will be sharing your bed with lots more people…
this is Incredible India, remember!
After a few minutes into the journey the bus was
overcrowded, the sleeper section had at least 4 or 5 men per bed (I do not
think they get charged the same amount they charge tourists for a sleeper
ticket but still). Some of them
just find a tiny place to sit or they argue for several minutes before getting
a place. Lots of people are now
standing too and the attendant has to pass through to collect everybody’s fare.
After almost 7 hours on the bus we arrived in Bikaner. After our experience in Jaisalmer I was
determined not to go through another Indian scam again. I got of the bus just to be grabbed by
a few of them. I shaked my arms
violently and screamed at them not to touched me or grabbed me… they wanted to
get my backpacks off the bus but I told them to leave them alone. All of them were offering to take us to
their preferred guest house, however we had already found a place to stay, it
was through couch surfing; and eventhough it was a guest house where we had to
pay we had already talked to the owner and he was waiting for us.
After collecting our backpacks and having Marcela close by I
told the Tuk Tuk drivers that I wanted to go to the guest house where we had a
reservation, I also told them to cut the bullshit about mentioning another
guest house and I did not want to hear anything about it. I asked if anybody could do that and
there was only one that volunteer to take us… I guess I intimidated them after
all. The driver took us to the
place and here is where the story gets more interesting. He insisted to take us inside the guest
house, I still do not know why because we already had a reservation and he was
not going to get any commission. Bilal,
the owner, had stepped out for a little bit but they called him and I talked to
him… he said he was going to come back in 5 minutes. The Tuk Tuk driver had the nerves to ask the lady to call
him again to tell him that he had brought us to his guest house, to which the
owner responded that we had a reservation already. Bilal came back and showed us the rooms and we selected the
best one… the Tuk Tuk driver was still outside, we could see him through the
window. When we were talking to Bilal
in the dinning room the driver showed up and demanded his commission… I could
not believe he had the nerves to do so… Bilal told him that we had been talking
to him for a few days and had a reservation, that he had not done anything for
us to be at this guest house and therefore deserved no commission… they argued in
their own language for a while and then he offered us his services. He told us that he could takes us
around the city or even to the bus station or train station when we were
leaving… we wrote down his number but never called him, he was going to get us
back badly, I am sure!
In the afternoon we went to the Junagarh Fort, a beautiful
place with rooms still decorated in their original styles. The courtyards have a very nice stone
carving work.
Leaving the fort we took a Tuk Tuk that offered to take us
around town. We went to Bhanda
Shaha Jain Temple, a cow hospital and the city centre to see some Havelis.
In the evening we had dinner at the guest house and met a
couple from Netherland that have been traveling for 4 years. They drive a nice converted police riot
truck with a motorcycle at the back.
They have great stories to tell… what to expect after 4 years of traveling
and more than 120,000Km driven.
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| Bus de Jaisalmer to Bikaner, Bikaner, India Bus from Jaisalmer to Bikaner, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Gente de India, Bikaner, India Indian people, Bikaner, India |
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| Gente de India, Bikaner, India Indian people, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Fuerte Junagarh, Bikaner, India Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, India |
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| Templo Jain Bhanda Shaha, Bikaner, India Bhanda Shaha Jain Temple, Bikaner, India |
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| Templo Jain Bhanda Shaha, Bikaner, India Bhanda Shaha Jain Temple, Bikaner, India |
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| Templo Jain Bhanda Shaha, Bikaner, India Bhanda Shaha Jain Temple, Bikaner, India |
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| Templo Jain Bhanda Shaha, Bikaner, India Bhanda Shaha Jain Temple, Bikaner, India |
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| Templo Jain Bhanda Shaha, Bikaner, India Bhanda Shaha Jain Temple, Bikaner, India |
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| Templo Jain Bhanda Shaha, Bikaner, India Bhanda Shaha Jain Temple, Bikaner, India |
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| Templo Jain Bhanda Shaha, Bikaner, India Bhanda Shaha Jain Temple, Bikaner, India |
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| Hospital de vacas, Bikaner, India Cow hospital, Bikaner, India |
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| Centro de Bikaner, Bikaner, India Bikaner City Centre, Bikaner, India |
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| Havelis, Bikaner, India |
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| Havelis, Bikaner, India |
The rooms from this fort look really impressive. In regards to the details you give when describing what you have to go through in India make a delight to read your blog.
ReplyDeleteUY!! que asinamiento en ese bus, que gentio, que calor, que sofoco.... pero bueno al menos llegaron al destino.
ReplyDeleteEl fuerte si es una hermosura y Carlos sigue tomando fotos espectaculares y las vaquitas que enfermedades tienen?' y hay veterinarios?
La mama
Definitivamente la arquitectura es espectacular, los disenos, los colores, etc, pero la pobreza o el estilo de vida en las calle, si no es pobreza lo que se ve, es bien deprimente y como feito! Es pobreza???
ReplyDeleteHi Marcelo and Carlos
ReplyDeleteHow come u have stopped updating ur blogs? Hope all is well
Ajit