One thing Karla and I have quickly learned traveling here in India - thoughts become things at exponential rates. Here's an example:
We're heading onward from our magical beach location on a night bus. It's supposed to arrive at 11pm at a random hotel. We met a guy from Austria to hang with us while we wait. The man at the restaurant is so proud of his food that he comes out to watch us take the first bite. He's so happy we're happy! As we wait, every time a new bus comes up - he has some hot chai to sell to the people on the buses. Everytime a bus comes and goes - he gives the left over chai to us (the people that liked his food). Many busses come and go... we wait, we drink more chai, wait, drink chai with every passing bus. At midnight he takes our heavily refilled metal chai cups back, closes up shop, and locks the bathrooms. It's ok - we have our Austrian friend who's been to India 5 times and is cool as a cucumber about the delay. At 1:00am the bus finally comes. We take care of business (as you do before a long trip) and hop on the bus.
Within about an hour the following conversation unfolds:
Karla: Jana! I don't know how I'm going to make it! Too many chai's! I'm going to pee my pants.
Jana: There's got to be a bathroom on here. (Thinking there may be a hole in the ground of the bus to pee out of).
We poke our heads out of the curtain of our sleeper space. No toilet.
Karla: Jana! I don't know what I'm going to do - there's no way I'm going to make it.
Jana: I hear sometimes people hang their butt out the window to pee here in India. How adventurous are you feeling?
Karla: No Way! I'll pee in a bag or a bottle before I'll do that!
Jana: Wha? Are you sure? (Again, I poke my head out the curtain and assess the situation. Definitely no toilet.) The bus has to stop sometime, Karla. It's a 8 hour ride... it's got to stop. (When I look back into the sleeper space, Karla's literally cleaning out a ziplock bag.) ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?! (What if she spills? I have to spend the next 7 hours in this tiny space!) Are you sure you don't want to hang your butt out the window?
Karla: Yes! I don't know what else to do! (making an 'Oh My I have to PEE face!!') (she tells me later she would have, but was afraid that she'd actually fall out the window as the roads were right ragged).
Jana: The bus has to stop. The bus just has to stop!
Just then, the bus stops! Seriously! The driver doesn't come around to open the door, so I try to get out. It seems as though we're locked in from the outside. I think 'No way this is happening! Now I have to pee from the chai's!' I try again to open the door. Finally, a smoker comes and helps me out. We run out of the bus to pee. I run around the where the driver is to tell him we're getting off for a minute so he doesn't leave us behind. He's cleaning a HUGE splat of dead something off the windshield! 'Did we do that?'
Karla and I are so excited that we get to pee that we literally run into each other! After all the curfluffle ends, we lay back down in our sleep space and laugh for a good 15 minutes. Phew!
That's just one example... there are many many more. The adventure continues. Hampi is fresh out of a scene from the Flintstones. Time to go explore.
<3
We're heading onward from our magical beach location on a night bus. It's supposed to arrive at 11pm at a random hotel. We met a guy from Austria to hang with us while we wait. The man at the restaurant is so proud of his food that he comes out to watch us take the first bite. He's so happy we're happy! As we wait, every time a new bus comes up - he has some hot chai to sell to the people on the buses. Everytime a bus comes and goes - he gives the left over chai to us (the people that liked his food). Many busses come and go... we wait, we drink more chai, wait, drink chai with every passing bus. At midnight he takes our heavily refilled metal chai cups back, closes up shop, and locks the bathrooms. It's ok - we have our Austrian friend who's been to India 5 times and is cool as a cucumber about the delay. At 1:00am the bus finally comes. We take care of business (as you do before a long trip) and hop on the bus.
Within about an hour the following conversation unfolds:
Karla: Jana! I don't know how I'm going to make it! Too many chai's! I'm going to pee my pants.
Jana: There's got to be a bathroom on here. (Thinking there may be a hole in the ground of the bus to pee out of).
We poke our heads out of the curtain of our sleeper space. No toilet.
Karla: Jana! I don't know what I'm going to do - there's no way I'm going to make it.
Jana: I hear sometimes people hang their butt out the window to pee here in India. How adventurous are you feeling?
Karla: No Way! I'll pee in a bag or a bottle before I'll do that!
Jana: Wha? Are you sure? (Again, I poke my head out the curtain and assess the situation. Definitely no toilet.) The bus has to stop sometime, Karla. It's a 8 hour ride... it's got to stop. (When I look back into the sleeper space, Karla's literally cleaning out a ziplock bag.) ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?! (What if she spills? I have to spend the next 7 hours in this tiny space!) Are you sure you don't want to hang your butt out the window?
Karla: Yes! I don't know what else to do! (making an 'Oh My I have to PEE face!!') (she tells me later she would have, but was afraid that she'd actually fall out the window as the roads were right ragged).
Jana: The bus has to stop. The bus just has to stop!
Just then, the bus stops! Seriously! The driver doesn't come around to open the door, so I try to get out. It seems as though we're locked in from the outside. I think 'No way this is happening! Now I have to pee from the chai's!' I try again to open the door. Finally, a smoker comes and helps me out. We run out of the bus to pee. I run around the where the driver is to tell him we're getting off for a minute so he doesn't leave us behind. He's cleaning a HUGE splat of dead something off the windshield! 'Did we do that?'
Karla and I are so excited that we get to pee that we literally run into each other! After all the curfluffle ends, we lay back down in our sleep space and laugh for a good 15 minutes. Phew!
That's just one example... there are many many more. The adventure continues. Hampi is fresh out of a scene from the Flintstones. Time to go explore.
<3
Halarious!!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you two are off to an amazing start!
Big love
Stormie