Time to live and travel time. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Hi, South India! Travel begins

Before landing, it remained about half an hour and I looked out with interest in the porthole. I wanted to see India from the air before, I wanted to install the first air contact, but as I tried I could not see anything in the pitch darkness. Let and it was night, but I was hoping at least for night lights of cities, which are usually visible at the tailoring, but at the bottom there was a complete dark.

I am alerted and caught a thought that echoed in the temples. And what if there is absolutely so wilderness that there are no lights, nor civilization? Everything that I knew about South India was to conclusted that she was significantly inferior to the north of the country, but at that moment in the plane I thought that there was an endless abyss between them.

In the course of my trip, I will not be faced with a lack of lighting in small cities, in the villages and onóin the country of India, but nevertheless it was not very scary, no one was trying to rob me, but when in the light of one lantern on the nearest kilometers of 10 no one, except me and the pairs of hundreds of Hindu, then it scares a little. So it was only at the beginning, and then I was not completely afraid of the lack of infrastructure or lighting, because here in India we are not for it, but for other more important reasons. In search of yourself and truth.

And about the lack of civilization, as it seemed to me from the aircraft, I, nevertheless, became mistake. True, it will become clear much later.

Now it was not visible from above, no lights, no civilization, was also not distinguished not to distinguish highways, no residential neighborhoods. Very dark. And even when the plane has already gone to the landing of the lights was not on the landing strip. Only a pair of spotlights shone at its edges, the lines of which were enough for a couple of meters.

I do a breath and mentally talking to myself that in vain I listen to my fears. Let them be squeezed too unnoticed, as they came out once from the subconscious. I have to be open new and does not matter whether there is a light there at this particular time or not. I have to become this light and then I will be light everywhere, and even let me not only me, but also those who will be next to me.

So, the first lesson received. Take everything and be open to any events and circumstances.

Started in the cabin. Very many Indians hurried by affairs: who is home, and who is at work, who for rest and treatment under the Ayurveda Program. Oxidized the interior with a look, I wanted to find someone distantly similar to me, but did not see anyone.

The state of Kerala is generally a peculiar place and here people directly fly only with one goal — This is Ayurveda, but it was not my case.

I initially, following the logic incomprehensible to me, I decided that I would fly to the south of India and I would be planned to move to the north. I did not know what to expect, although a couple of years ago here, in Trivandrum, was my friend and was treated according to the program of Ayurveda, but she also had only a three-week course, where every day was filled with different procedures and time to go into the city was practically not.

This night, after landing, I went off the plane to the unknown in the literal sense of the word. In the equation were only me and a dozen unknown and his decision at this moment it seemed impossible to me.

Sowing from the ladder, we were sent to the terminal where, as I thought I would quickly pass control, I will get things, I will exchange money and go to the city for the night.

The entrance to the airport on the side of the takeoff field was for some reason immediately to the second floor, and when everyone who arrived, they needed to go down, then for some reason I immediately felt something wrong.

From the stairs I saw these queues. People stretched tightly rows and completely filled themselves the first floor. Immediately after the stairs, I buried in Indian and remained standing behind him, because there was absolutely no difference where to stand — All turns were equally infinite.

I have never seen such a number of Indians in life, so I was a rare spectacle for them, a foreigner’s arrival was always accompanied by numerous attention. So I thought to see for myself hundreds of curious looks, I believed to make hundreds of handshake, but nothing happened to me. That night we were all very whole, we just expected our turn. Those who expect their chance to break out out of the airport. In the time being the night and was not going to end.

Time stretched like a sticky gum on your panta, who was still continuing to connect them with a bench. It is impossible to say that I successfully sat down, but also it seems unbashed that now pants for emissions.

We moved very slowly and I began to estimate that I still need to have time to do for today. I stand and understand that I can’t take such a course of my life and the next reminder is this cork from human bodies, the explanation, which is not.

It is impossible to take a course of life without directing it.

But not everything depends on me in this life, I do that I can and even the selected direction does not guarantee that the result will be successful. Attempt to try.

This queue at the airport serves to me today, selected in accordance with some internal logic. I will follow him, and there will be seen where it will bring me.

I would like this cold tiled floor, if it were not for the fact that my turn finally came up and here the officer is already asking for my passport. Control passed after just 3 hours of languid expectation. The path is now open to me.

Quickly pick up my backpack from the granting tape, drunk it to tired shoulders. One more thing and then I finished. I change money and on the exit.

In Trivandrum there was a deep night when I went to sticky and hot waiting room. Even night here do not extend.

In my hands I had a request of a prepaid taxi service and a neighbor of the address, where I booked myself overnight. But it turned out this taxi problem, since it was later time and they (drivers), apparently, somewhere quietly slept. My Savior became another driver of Rickshaw or simply Tuk-Tuka named Shiva. I thought that for the first night this is what you need. Yes, the driver turned out to be a good helper, that’s just trouble, he did not know where to carry me. We decided that we would go, and in the course it would be clear what to do.

My phone helped me, where I quickly threw offline card. GPS managed to find our location, and then the work of the technology, and so I stand before, previously well booked, Guesthouse. Here I will spend the first 5 days in India.

Inside the building was dark, the door is closed from the inside, I thought that I was no longer waiting for me. Stuffed. One, twice. I hear some sounds and distinguish that someone woke up inside. Yes, this is me, the very novel you were waiting. I’m here. Hooray! Everything!

Only bed and sleep.

While I was preparing for sleep, scrolled the situation in my head, which occurred an hour earlier at the airport when I changed money. There at the airport I became the owner of a nonienary debit card of the local bank. It could happen only in India. The country had a tough denomination of the old currency, a lot of bills were withdrawn from circulation, ATMs did not work and had a real problem with cash. I almost didn’t find this situation and a day when I changed my honestly earned dollars on rupees, it turned out that I could not give up the whole amount to my hands, since I cannot explain more because of bad English.

In short, I stood before the problem or go out on the night to an unknown city at all without money, or knock out a couple of hundreds of rupees, and the rest on this strange card.

I was not so much afraid that they would forget to transfer my money to the course, but the fact that I could not take this dubious card in the city. Still, I changed money immediately for the whole trip and the amount was large for India, which in your pockets do not fall, and exchange it is completely unreal.

As a result, I take a little bit, I take a debit card and make myself let go all this, do not worry. In addition, it’s time for me a long time to sleep, and next morning I must be sure to go to the station and buy in advance the train tickets. This thing is that requires patience and effort. You can imagine how many Indians will be at the station and which queues they have, this topic is constantly being discussed in all blogs and guidebooks. Number of people and infinity queues.

Station in India Place a crowded, stuffy and noisy. Someone just sleeps here, someone here is just to intercept your dinner, and someone lives here and works. It is difficult to submit such a station where there were no people. What, and for India it is a permanent value. Railway station — these are people and only then train or road.

I am here today here to buy a ticket for my first Indian train. This is wavy. How many legend goes about indian trains.

The process of acquiring a ticket to the train station is a bit archaic, if you do it in place itself, and not through the agency, for example, or via the Internet. He looks like this:

First, you need to find the form of the questionnaire. It can be either on one of the cash desks, either in a separate building in front of the station, as in Delhi, or on guard.

Secondly, you fill out this form, which, by the way, is compiled in two English and Hindi languages. The one who first sees the form will not be able to fill it out without helping and without Internet access.

I ran into only the second problem. I needed to know the number of my train, which failed to find at the station. Several Hindus helped me cope with my task, politely shared access to the network, somewhere prompted, where and what better to write and, in general, were dulls and did not even ask for money in return. As compensation for their work, I just had to tell about myself, to answer their questions, but I did it with great pleasure, then we shook hands and ran away in our queues.

Thirdly, to get a ticket you need to defend a crowded queue, but here it may be a story and you will meet in an hour or other, otherwise get ready for long waiting in a stuffy and crowded room where it will be very noisy.

In general, the system purchase tickets for trains is a bit confused. There are special tickets for tickets for tourists who can be purchased at the last moment in front of the train itself, even if it breaks through the CleartRip application, you see that there are no tickets for a week, then you can hope for this quota or just climb into a shared car and pray that The controller will decide on this day to stay at home and take a bath with a foam, most often they do, as practice shows.

There are still separate wishlists, the so-called waiting sheets, where you will be brought at the checkout, and before sending the train it will be possible to know whether you are lucky to get into the final list or not.

AI has the opportunity to buy tickets directly in applications, or through the official website of the Railways of India, but there is a complex registration system that requires a local phone number if there is no number, you can write a letter by email to the support service with the words that You are a tourist and ask them to register you only through e-mail. In this case, you need to pay patience. I tried to achieve an answer from them about them, as a result, when I registered, I did not have to buy tickets, since everything was already issued at the box office. In the our Internet you can find a detailed description of the registration process, so that he is to help you, and I will buy in the old manner.

I know many travelers are joking that in India the most trains in the world, and their class system can please anyone, even if there is empty or vice versa thick. And about the stations in India say that the station — This is a separate state where they live, sleep, eat, give birth, die, marry, bred, find their distant relatives, have friends for the rest of his life. Each station for India — This is a large universe with a billion galaxies inside. In one of these galaxies I got. I liked it here, here calmly, cozy and mentally.

By the way, the bus stations, something like railway, but everything is simpler: and tickets to buy easier, just through the cashier, and the people there are smaller. I was there, and there, on the bus even more often, I had it so that buses were steel for me the main type of transport in India. With the trains I did not have a little, but this is a separate story.

On this second day of my trip, I was still at the trivandrum station among many locals, who at this early hour needed train tickets as well as I.

After a couple of hours in line, when I was already exhausted, I had an interesting dialogue with a man who was very similar to the Prime Minister of India:

— Never more than my legs will be in Indian trains!

— This is why, sir? — I ask politely and immediately catch myself thinking, and maybe I’m better noted there, if you have to suffer with tickets.

— Yes you are the first time? Trains India — This place is not for rest, it’s for sure. I just spent a day in one of them with my wife, and now she got sick.

— I’m sorry, sir. Actually, you are right, this is my first time and I think that the baptism of these trains must pass.

«You were not in India, if you didn’t go to local trains!» — will tell you any traveler. Nevertheless, I fought with my doubt, but continued the dialogue and listened to the story of my new acquaintance:

— Understand. I generally live in Sri Lanka, and now we travel in India, but we are so tired of constant hassle on the road, as we move ordinary trains that I decided to pass the ticket and we will return to Mumbai tomorrow, and from there home.

At that moment, there was a frisky Hindu in the queue in front of us and my new comrade decided to report it to Hindi and English mixtures. I will not give this dialogue here, as he was mostly obscene, but justice tried and lost to us.

I took my ticket and wishing good luck with a new friend, with a smile ran out on fresh air to continue my journey.

Ticket to Canyakumari was in hand, and now you can look around, enter the rhythm of India, so to speak.

But that day I limited me only a pair of places, because I understood that after a sleepless night, the day before, from the minus of February frosts in Moscow in a very big plus here, where the summer is all year round, I will cover me for a few days. It was the right decision. It is always important to rest after a long road, because India is full of surprises and you need to have enough energy to react correctly. This will help proper acclimatization.

Before departure, I read a lot about India, about her climate, about food, city, attractions, but especially about her dark side. At some point, I have to take emotions to me and, I had to put on a fictional safe to protect myself at first on this «Red planet» called India. But I quickly made sure that this is superfluous and that the air in India is beautiful and «planet» harmless to my existence. The skateman was no longer needed. I go into the outside world, getting acquainted with him.

It turns out that the city trivandrum is very cool for local standards and even some awards of the best city of India repeatedly, after all, the capital of the state of Kerala. And not in vain. The city seemed friendly, modern and almost everywhere clean.

As you know, India has a long and rich history. With conquests, surrenders, with a change of power and a drop in century-old empires, which served as a source for a variety of and saturated spiritual life.

By the way, India on Hindi is called Bharat, which is translated as light of wisdom, and people are called bharai, which means immersed in the light of wisdom. Wisdom, copied centuries and millennia. Part of this wisdom in one form or another is stored in millions of temples throughout India.

Almost all the temples that I saw were in our essence incredibly majestic and ancient. By the way, quite recently, a funny story happened in one of them. By chance of coincidence or on the contrary, this temple was just in trivandrum. Speech O «Golden temple», which is often called the richest temple in the world and that there are causes.

It was in 2011 in 2011 in the most famous local Hindu temple, Vishnu Padmanabhasvami, where one of the largest treasures in human history was discovered, estimated at 22 billion. $. In five of the six, the treasury opened in the temple, there were several tons of diamonds, gold and statues from precious metals. It is believed that treasures for thousands of years stored in the temple many generations of state rulers.

Already 6 years have passed, and the temple is still covered with forests: work on restoration and search for new treas. There is not so easy to get. Only the men who are destroyed in a white towel, which need to wrap the lower body, and torso leave naked and nothing more.

Around the temple constantly runs guard. According to the latest news, the treasure of this temple is carried out a serious struggle between the state, the descendants of the ancient Maharaj, the chorers of the temple and also unknown who. Everyone wants to get their.

Someone says that since the opening of 5 out of 6 caches, part of the treasure was either stolen, or sold, but the rest is still waiting for his fate, like the 6th room, which is not yet possible to open.

The metal carved door is hidden something that apparently has inhuman value. The door is a large piece of iron, which hermetically adjacent to the walls of the temple, whose facade is decorated with two big cobra. Find either loops, no locks, no wells managed and go legends that this door is closed through sound waves.

It is said that only a secret spell can be opened like a similar door, which should read a high-ranking clergyman. Spell or special ritual called «Garuda Mantra» Nowadays, none of the living ministers to read or simply does not want to not harm themselves and those people who dare to enter the inside of this 6th secret room. Earlier, the dungeon where there are secret rooms, a cherry and scorpions, which clearly hints into a hidden warning and that this treasure is under the protection of the highest and secret forces.

The temple itself is impressive by the external decoration, its unusual for European eye by carving and form. It is said that the temple is completely covered with gold. He is height in several floors, built as a card house, christmas tree. From the morning, the turn of pilgrims lined up in the ranks to get into the temple. True, they are not allowed there all, but only Hindus who pass certain preparations are carried out special ablutions and only then go inside.

I, unfortunately, I could not get inside — A lot of prohibitions are imposed on the temple visit: to shoot near it is prohibited, it is forbidden to sit on the steps and walk in the territory in the shoes. It’s all about the armed guard, which is here for the first time found treasure. Circle Camera. Yes, and on the Hindu I do not look like, so I did not let me in, but also around the perimeter of the temple, I did not give a chamber.

The road to the temple passes through a series of small bench, where you can have breakfast or buy a souvenir, which can please even the most sophisticated connoisseur of Asian culture.

— Hey, guy, do not want to buy a new belt?

— No, thank you, I already have. — I show my belt.

— Well, then can a new wallet? From the snake or crocodile?

— Thanks to. I’m already 10 years old, as I do not wear a wallet.

— Guy, confident? If you take a belt and wallet, I will give a discount!

To cool down a little from this February heat of India, to which I was not ready, since in our areas there was no such a good way, and even in February. I go to the cafe next to the temple where many local pilgrims. It turned out very good place. I order a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice Fresh with a flesh and an ice crumb. Mmm…

On the way back I try to buy a local SIM card, which turns out to be a long and useless quest.

To buy a map to the tourist, you need to come to the interior several times on the design of documents, and the seller needs to go to the operator’s central office to register the paper. Not all sellers want to fool because of the next tourist. Apparently in the south of India, they do not practice this at all. By the way, in the north of India in Delhi, for example, it would definitely not be a problem, there, besides, sell already divided SIM cards registered for someone from local.

As a result, bytes a couple of dozens of communication salons, I gave up, but, as it turned out, it did not become a problem with further movement. Always worn either the presence of free Waifa in cafes and guesthouses, or local residents helped.

The next day I decided to leave the main street and deepen in the streets of the Old Town. There you can meet old European-style buildings, as well as see the simple life of local Indians.

There you can know the Indian art of sleep in any position and on any surface that with further movement in India can be very by the way, you never know the way where you have to sleep. For example, if the train is late for, then go to bed at the station on the floor, if the car is full, then go to any piece of free space in a shrimp position and sleep, if there are no seating sites, then we sleep standing.

Still on old streets trivandrum quietly, calm, purely. Such a feeling that I get into the past years at 100 minimum.

On the way there are colonial-style buildings that are either a public library, or one of the buildings of the local university.

I went to one such body and felt like me as if I was about to come in Oxford now because of the corner will come Harry Potter. The atmosphere of old England or Portugal felt there.

Mosques are also found. Basically in one of the areas of the city.

I was struck by the presence of several stadiums, and thousands of 30—40. Zoo. Dozens of shopping centers. In a word if, then trivandrum — This is a big megalopolis. True, not yet real India.

Real India will cover me in Delhi. But before that there will be many more days. In the meantime, I got used to and tried to fill my life with something excellent, unusual. I ate fruit every day, saw juices Fresh. Woke up early and left the zone of his comfort.

South India differs from Northern. I tried to spend parallels from Southeast Asia (with Thailand and Indonesia, for example) and it seemed to me that the city of Ananda, Trivandruum, very similar to Bali or something, but not at Delhi or Jaipur.

Mahatma Gandhi called the trivandrum evergreen city of India, and the state of Kerala is rightfully called «God’s edge» For wealth and abundance of flora and fauna, which are here in comfortable and habitual conditions under the generous sun and abundant warm rains.

And only I managed to talk a little here, as it was time to move on south. On the southernmost point of India, where the three seas agreed. In place, revered by pilgrims. I left the hotel and put forward trivandrum railway station in advance to find your train. But what awaited me ahead, I did not suspect.

I remember this day, he gave me to understand what you need to be alert and listen to my heart. A few days ago at the station, when I bought train tickets, I flashed the idea that the time to travel by train was not yet that I needed something else. So it came out, I didn’t get on this day.

Then my first attempt was unsuccessful: 5 hours of waiting at the station and in the end either a train nor in him.

After my patience burst, I went to search for the disappearance, but it did nothing. All the scoreboard was reported that the train went out, in the information point they said that, perhaps, left, but they do not know exactly.

But I know that on the promised path at the appointed time it was not at the station.

«I traveled for many years in India, and I had to wait for the train on the platform. Once for the first time in my life, the train came on time.

In India, this is a sensation. This simply does not happen. I was so surprised and felt such a gratitude to the driver that went to him and said:

— For the first time in my life, the train came on time. Probably you are the best engineer in India.

— Do not confuse me, — Asked the driver.

— What’s wrong with that? — I did not understand.

— It is yesterday, — Explained the driver. — He was late for twenty-four hours.

When I heard about such a monstrous delay, then threw and shouted. Nearby stood head station.

— I regularly drive around the country for twenty years, — I said to him. — If the trains are so nightmarly late, then why publish schedules?

— Do you really can’t understand? — He responded to the head. — Without a schedule, we will not be able to determine how late the train.

— And then right, — I agreed. — I did not occur in my head.

— Then everything is confused, — Asked me the head. — The schedule is published so that people know how long the train is.

Once I waited for the train, and the reproducer was constantly announced:

«The train is late for an hour… two hours», etc. I did not believe my ears. The fact is that at first he was late for an hour, then for two hours, then for four hours.

— I can’t understand this train comes close to us or removes us? — I wondered. — If he was late for an hour, then why now he is late for four hours?

I went to the head of the station and asked him:

— In which direction the train moves?

— Do not be angry, — He asked. — For reasons of personal safety, we cannot declare that the train is late for forty-eight hours, because then passengers will kill us. So we decided to open the truth in parts. Then people will be calm, because the train is late for only an hour or two hours. So segments we will cover all forty eight hours.

— I appreciate your great compassion, — I said. — Otherwise, passengers would have heart attacks. You entered the right thing.

Sometimes the trains were late and sixty hours. I was sitting at the station and listened as the reproducer announces: «The train is late for an hour… for two hours». So it can only be in India in which people learn to live slowly. No one is in a hurry. People believe that the delay of the train is predetermined by fate that it is impossible to fix anything».

I, of course, is not Osho and reacted otherwise. I almost immediately covered light pan, what to do next, because in the evening I had to be 100 km from Trivandrum, where I was expelled specifically, and on the clock it was 15 h. day. There was no more trains on this day on schedule, which means I needed to look for an alternative way to get to Canyacumari. To do this, I will have to leave the station and return to the city.

The first thing that has occurred to this taxi, but I immediately dropped this option, he was too expensive for me, instead, I decided to try my happiness and asked the Taxi drivers and they said that it was better for me to find anything and showed Where is the stop.

The first bus that fell on my way was the one that I was and needed. Departure time now, travel time 3 hours and price about 200 rupees. Ideally! So my puzzle.

I needed to go by bus initially, so this trip passed just great — I’m thrown all 3 hours. Sun, Fresh Air, Local Coloring Around, Friendly Indians.

Sometimes fate prepares our best than we choose ourselves, guided, usually small.

The salon was still half empty, but he sat down near the last seat. I sat there because there was a comfortable place for a backpack at the bottom, and why did it have been a mystery to me. But not for long.

At first he began to ask me how most of the locals do at the sight of a white foreigner:

— Which Country? — he asked.

— I’M from Russia — Paved me.

— Where Are you going? — He did not lose.

— I’M GOING TO KANYAKUMARI, — Despite fatigue, I continued to answer, I was not against the conversation, it was even better, because it was a stress from waiting at the station and all this story with the train.

— You’Re Very Pretty, — here he went to battle and together with this phrase he put my hand on his leg and started moving her above.

— Man, What Are You Doing? Stop IT! — I got angry and removed his hand. I am not Indian and me these hugs and other signs of men’s «Friendship» alien. The famous fact that in India it is quite normal, like this to hug with a friend. But he began to allow himself too much and I realized that he was just dominant.

— NO PROBLEM. Do You Have A Girlfriend? — continues on.

— Yes, i do and i’M Happy ABOUT THAT. — In these of my words, he again put his hand on me, just not on the thigh, but below, where the causal place. It became clear one — He is gay.

— Back Off, Dude! Leave Me Alone, I’M NOT GAY. — I sent him and he realized that he got a refusal and then he shines nothing wrong.

Morality This story is such that sometimes a dirty attempt can be hidden behind the usual friendliness and inclinations to obscenities.

India Multifier society. You will definitely shock something, but do not forget to keep your face and not to exist excessive aggression, so as not to spoil your karma. Indians People are hot and for them frames in communication are a little wider than we are accustomed. They calmly take your personal space and do not blunt the eye if you have been closely from their presence. Or maybe