public bus

Today I had my first experience of trying to board a public bus. After 5 hours, 1 auto-rickshaw journey and a bladder on the point of bursting, I finally arrived at the Ajmer bus stand, from where I was supposed to catch the 9 rupee public bus to Pushkar. At first, I stood in line to buy a ticket like all the other good little foreigners, but after a tip from a helpful local, I realised that getting on that bus was going to be a fight for your life.

As soon as the bus arrived, a sea of small Indian bodies emerged out of no-where, and started pushing their way onto the bus without waiting for the passengers onboard to descend. A few simian-like men even managed to squirm their way in through the windows, almost 2 metres off the ground. Women, men, children, old people, young people - there was no mercy. I decided to stand my ground and pushed my way into the crowd, looking for an opportunity to catch hold of the bus frame.

Suddenly I was sucked into the bus, lifted off my feet by this merciless vortex of bodies, and without really actually stepping UP onto the bus, I found myself at the very front, trying to find a place where to place my backpack. A little window opened from where the driver was shielded by the pleb by a sturdy wall, and once again strong hands pulled me through a small opening, placing me on the VIP seats next to the driver.


Outside I saw the confused faces of the other foreigners, who had all failed to board the bus. I couldn't help but feeling a flash of pride and victory. To finish it all off, I got to descend the bus by jumping 2 metres onto the hard concrete from the driver's window, getting a cheer from the locals.

Next time I think I'll just pay for the bloody taxi.