Change in Travel Plans – Again
Day 59 – Friday, May 2
On Thursday night around 9:30p, we got
the news we least expected, and probably most dreaded. Our trip,
scheduled to depart Friday morning at 10a to the villages north of
Uttarakashi was canceled. Thirty days ago, the tickets for the train
had been applied for and as of 9:30p last night they were still not
confirmed. That being that, this entire portion of our trip was just
canceled. Amazing, but, then again, this is India – expect the
unexpected.
In the area we were going, the annual
pilgrimage is underway; trains to Hardiwar from just about anywhere
are completely booked. This was not unexpected and was the original
reason for applying for the tickets a complete month ahead of time.
Everyone is going up to the temples along the way from Hardiwar to
Rishkesh, Uttarakoshi to Gongorti and ritualistic trek on to the
glacier that supplies the waters to the holiest of holiest of rivers
to the Hindi, the Ganga.
Now the only issue is what to do just a few days before our scheduled departure date. This week and a half that was going to be paid for by Manav Sadhna will suddenly become an additional week and a half out of pocket. Finding a place to go isn't the issue. There are many – so many - options when considering a trip in India. Leh, Jammu and Kashmir sitting high on top of the world in the farthest northeast, straddling the rim of both the Chinese and Pakistani borders; Khajuraho, a large temple complex situated a little south of Agra with its towering stupas devoted to detailed sensual carvings intended to display the power and might of then gods; Tala Village, a relatively short distance from Khajuraho, is the site of the Bandhavgarh Tiger reserve, small but one of the greatest accumulations of Bengal tigers and other assorted animals living in the wilds of India; and of course Hardiwar, Rishikesh, Uttarkashi and Gangotri remain an option, though not for the purpose of working.
Train travel to the north can be
difficult this time of year. Indians that can afford it, make the
trip north to escape the sweltering heat of May that arrive the month
before the beginning of the monsoons that start sometime in June
depending on where you are. As I mentioned previously, this is also
the time for religious pilgrimages to a variety of places in the
north. The “general” class trains are packed with financially
strapped people as they cram themselves into the bowels of the non-AC
cars; men, women, and children of all ages. When the seats are
taken, they people consume any remaining bit of space including the
floors for what can be days of constant travel. There are no
reservations in “general” class, no allotment of space. But it is
done, day in and day out, through the land in India.
All I know at this point, is that I
have to fill up 10 days. No plans, no tickets and perhaps three days
to rectify this situation if I want to leave by Monday. Jose and
Romi are discussing Leh, I am seriously considering both Uttarkashi
and Khajuraho. And it has to be convenient enough to be able to
still make my original flight out of Dehradun on the 19th
without having to change it and incur quite a hefty modification
charge.
Looks like I am in for a busy next
couple of days.
