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| My Bangladesh angels |
After spending the day waiting for the bus, it was finally departure time. As we were driving though, there were strange noises and so they kept stopping the bus to check the tyres and at one point even took the two back tyres off on the one side to check them. This means that we were running late, so our scheduled arrival time of 5.30am was not going to be. After many annoying pee breaks that were only suitable to the men on the bus, we were stopped at 6am as a murder had just taken place along the roadside, and we had to now wait for the police, ambulance etc. This took two and a half hours and during that time we lost most of the passengers on the bus, as they took alternative transport and headed back the way we came to go another way. I decided to stay on the bus with some other people who were soon destined to become my guardian angels. So once there police had arrived and sorted things out, we left two and a half hours later – only to be stopped 20mins down the road in a strike (bandh). There were people blocking the road, and after about half an hour of waiting i decided to go chat with the police to see how long this was going to take as i was needing the toilet. He was very friendly and accommodating and allowed my buss to pass through the throng of people. At this point i thought it was so cool, that being a tourist we were allowed through, but my glee was soon squashed when the bus stopped at a nearby shop – this was when i learned that we had only got through that crowd so that i could go to the toilet, and that we were not going to go further until the other vehicles were allowed through. So when the other trucks came passed, we quickly joined them, only to be stopped 10 minutes down the road in another road block. This carried on all day. Lots of waiting and a bit of driving inbetween. It was only at the last road block that fear arose. Until then the demonstrators had been pretty calm, but now there were a lot of young boys – ranging in age from 8 to 16 who were enjoying taking up the opportunity to be destructive and aggressive. I tried relating to the kids who i saw along the way, by greeting them and trying to chat with them – so there was some humanity in the space – but mostly their responses were condescending with an aggressive undertone. I realised that i would make a lousy photojournalist, as i stayed well clear of the protestors (except the point where i asked the police to go to the toilet), as i did not want to provide them with an audience, which might encourage them to act out even more.
The last road block with the young kids (there were some adult men, but they were really just allowing the kids to get all hot under the collar and not doing much themselves), they were putting big cement blocks in the road so that vehicles couldn’t pass, and as more people started joining the party, the mob mentality was gaining momentum, and i watched as one young lad went to pick up some rocks and started hitting a vehicle with them who was trying to get through. I saw one kid trying to push a car over – luckily no one joined him on that occasion. By now our driver had locked us inside the bus, and when i did manage to unlock it to go to the toilet, i just didn’t feel comfortable enough to go around the back of the buildings to pee, so i got back on board the bus. The police were pretty ineffectual with this lot, so it was here where i started asking for some rain. And it came – torrential amounts – thus causing all these protestors to run for shelter... YAY!! For me and all the other people trying to get through. So my bus driver put foot on the pedal and we drove all the way to our destination and arrived there 24hours after our departure time – that’s a whole extra 12 hours on the bus. During all the time of waiting, we did not stop for meals, but managed to find a shop where we could stock up on water and biscuits – so it was biscuits for breakfast lunch and dinner!!! Lemon Maaza, Monaco’s (salty bix) and chocolate bourbons. Arriving in Patna, I was presented with a huge array of buses and potential destinations. Thankfully one of the guys from the bus said he was going to Ghaya, so i decided to follow him and his group. I thought we were going to catch a bus, but no, we arrived at the train station. I immediately got into the queue to buy a ticket, not knowing when the next train was, and then we all headed to the wrong platform. I was getting used to their chaotic way of existence, and trying not to get caught up in it. After a few hours wait on the platform – now 7pm, the train approached, as did many little Oliver Twists. There were a group of kids who just were around me the whole time and i was very aware of them, so when one started trying to unzip my moonbag I shouted at him to stop. He did not go away though, and kept walking past me - even as i was getting on the train. I realised that they use the chaos to their advantage. While waiting for the train, i had many people stop and ask me where i was from and where i was going, and offers to sit next to them – sometimes quite persistent offers – but i decided to stick with my group of friends from the bus. There were 10 of them in total, all from Bangladesh and all Hare Krishna.
It was really interesting that when they first got on the bus in Siliguri, and they were doing their chaotic thing of trying to decide who sits where, i notice my mind make assumptions and have prejudices. But after our ordeal of the 24hour bus journey, and them taking me under their wing for the journey to Bodhgaya, that changed. I realised this group of 10 people were actually my guardian angels – and when we arrived at Gaya at 11pm, and i then discovered that Bodhgaya was some way away and that there is a possibility that every place would be closed by the time i got there – they picked me up as i was walking, and i went with them to where they were staying.
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| ...follow the white rabbit... |
This was a most interesting place. It was a really old building with a Hindu family living there with their parents and 4 young children. They had no running water and the wash area was a room that was used for spitting, washing dishes, bathing – you name it, it gets done there! The toilet consisted of an open area within the confines of the building – possibly 10m by 10m. No lights, no hole in the ground – just the back yard... After a long while of the chaos of where everyone was going to sleep, i found myself a spot on the ground, and made myself as comfy as possible. I had noticed before i went to bed the mosquitos and the big black ants, but i just went to sleep anyway and woke up 5 hours later, to see a white rabbit was also in residence.
My friends appeared later all shaven and with their Hare Krishna gear on – to the point that i didn’t recognise them, so i didn’t really get a chance to say good bye properly – although i had said good bye and thank you a couple of times the night before.
My leaving was a little more tricky as i was left there with this family, who seemed to not want to let me go for some or other reason. I was taken on a tour of the Vishnu temple, and was offered some ceremony for my ancestors who had passed. After much declining on my part, i was finally able to leave, and took an auto rickshaw to Bodhgaya, arriving 48 hours after having left Darjeeling...
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| a bodhi leaf from the bodhi tree |
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