India...
Well I have to tell you that all those warnings must have seeped into my subconscious because as I arrived in Amritsar I found myself completely at the mercy of something more powerful than I could imagine - fear. I had no idea where anything was or how to get anywhere. So instinctually I grabbed a rickshaw to the bus station to find out where I could catch a bus to Chandigarh. That lead me in some circles so I decided I would set out to go see the Golden Temple and leave that night.
I jumped in an autorickshaw (pictures you'll be able to see) and ventured out to get a SIMM card for my phone so that I could have an Indian phone number. In my journey to find that I also found out that the bus leaves for Chandigarh at 2:45pm and it is the last one of the day. These are private run companies with solid deluxe buses, so my trip to the Golden Temple were 86'd. I was then taken on a joy ride by the autorickshaw driver to make it seem like the distance was oh-so-far but in reality just blocks away. He took me down the narrowest of streets that had construction on it (killed 25 minutes) and I asked him how long the contruction had been going on and his response was two days. At which point I told him that he knew about it and he was taking me for a joy ride and that I was "on to him". ;)
I finally got angry with him and he got out of the market area and back on to the main road ways. This is where those fear-instilling horror stories came into play. We were in some back alley and he stops the auto rickshaw. I notice him look up and one guy dressed in beige and he gives a nod, then to another across the street and finally one more as he told me to follow him. I thought this was his game... round up a foreigner, round up his troops, throw me into a dark alley way, work me over and leave me with the shirt on my back. My adrenaline kicked in - I just grabbed my stuff and started to walk away from him to the street at which point he was also going that way. As I made it to the street and in between the blistering traffic I saw a sign that read Libra Travel (Delhi, Chandigarh & Kullu). Thank you, that's all I could say. The driver came through for me, I thought he was about to rob me but he came through. Solid. Then he asked me for money ;) He thought by taking up an hour or so that he deserved a big fee. Now the bargaining and arguing begins. I told him that he took me for a joyride and the travel agency was 4 blocks away so I gave him what he deserved. A small victory for me in the bargaining rights of my brethren - I won this battle but the war will surely come.
I arrived in Chandigarh safe and sound. I have gone to all the sights and scenes. The Nek Chand Rock Garden was the most amazing thing I've seen so far. I have uploaded the pictures to the flickr.com site so please feel free to go for a free tour of the rock gardens.
Till then...
I am off to trek the Himalayas /\/^\/\
I jumped in an autorickshaw (pictures you'll be able to see) and ventured out to get a SIMM card for my phone so that I could have an Indian phone number. In my journey to find that I also found out that the bus leaves for Chandigarh at 2:45pm and it is the last one of the day. These are private run companies with solid deluxe buses, so my trip to the Golden Temple were 86'd. I was then taken on a joy ride by the autorickshaw driver to make it seem like the distance was oh-so-far but in reality just blocks away. He took me down the narrowest of streets that had construction on it (killed 25 minutes) and I asked him how long the contruction had been going on and his response was two days. At which point I told him that he knew about it and he was taking me for a joy ride and that I was "on to him". ;)I finally got angry with him and he got out of the market area and back on to the main road ways. This is where those fear-instilling horror stories came into play. We were in some back alley and he stops the auto rickshaw. I notice him look up and one guy dressed in beige and he gives a nod, then to another across the street and finally one more as he told me to follow him. I thought this was his game... round up a foreigner, round up his troops, throw me into a dark alley way, work me over and leave me with the shirt on my back. My adrenaline kicked in - I just grabbed my stuff and started to walk away from him to the street at which point he was also going that way. As I made it to the street and in between the blistering traffic I saw a sign that read Libra Travel (Delhi, Chandigarh & Kullu). Thank you, that's all I could say. The driver came through for me, I thought he was about to rob me but he came through. Solid. Then he asked me for money ;) He thought by taking up an hour or so that he deserved a big fee. Now the bargaining and arguing begins. I told him that he took me for a joyride and the travel agency was 4 blocks away so I gave him what he deserved. A small victory for me in the bargaining rights of my brethren - I won this battle but the war will surely come.
I arrived in Chandigarh safe and sound. I have gone to all the sights and scenes. The Nek Chand Rock Garden was the most amazing thing I've seen so far. I have uploaded the pictures to the flickr.com site so please feel free to go for a free tour of the rock gardens.
Till then...
I am off to trek the Himalayas /\/^\/\
Posts
K.....you're scaring the crap out of me, my prayers are with you. I miss and feel you with me always
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Don't worry... it's all an adventure and I have good people on my side that watch my back.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, it was the fear that manifested the incident.
I am alive and well and will update the blog of my whatabouts and whereabouts... it's only just begun ;)