Maaris: Maandumine öises Delhi lennujaamas, sõit Delhi raudteejaama ja rongile asumine – meie esimesed sammud olid täpselt samasugused kui Indrek Jäätsilgi (2006). Erinevalt temast, oli 2010.aasta detsembriks, kui meie India teekond algas, valminud uus Indira Gandhi nimeline lennujaam. Esmamulje sellest oli ülimalt soodne: ilus, avar, puhas, loogiline, soe (maas kollakat tooni vaibad), indiapärane (passikontrolli ruumi seintest tulid välja hiiglaslikud käed, mis kujutasid erinevaid mudrasid), seal oli palju rohelust (elusad palmipuud). Pildi peal näeb lennujaamas asuvaid elevandikujusid.Terjet ja Varunit oodates vaatlesin uutmoodi inimesi: turbanites mehi, sarides naisi, kes jaheda ilma kohaselt kandsid sari peal kampsikuid, vanu naisi, kes vene babuskate sarnaselt olid juuksed krunni sättinud ja kandsid peas rätikut, intelligentse olekuga prillidega mehi, sall kaelas nagu prantslastel.
Erinevalt Indrek Jäätsist sattusime kohe kohalike inimeste hoole alla: meile olid vastu tulnud Parul ja Deepak - Bhanu noored sugulased, kes elavad Delhis ja abiellusid just aasta tagasi. Nad aitasid tõsta meie kohvrid takso katusele, pidasid läbirääkimisi autojuhiga ning eskortisid meid raudteejaama. See tähendab, et meie (peigmees Varun, Maaris ja Terje) olime taksos ning Parul ja Deepak sõitsid oma autoga takso sabas.
Raudteejaam pakkus kohe esimese kontrasti: võrreldes valgusküllase ja turvalise lennujaamaga oli see pime, kõle, ohtlik, võõras. Seltskond oli hoopis teistsugune - perroonil magasid tekkidesse mässitud inimesed, teemüüja käis ringi alumiiniumist teekannuga, meid vaadati umbuskliku pilguga. Mööda sõitsid rongid, kus üldvagunid olid trellitatud ja inimesed kõõlusid ustel – kohe tulid meelde Lonely Planeti hoiatused rongisõidu ohtlikkuse kohta Indias. Üksi ja omapead ei oleks tahtnud siin jaamas, eriti öösel küll olla. Probleeme oleks olnud nii kottide tassimise, õige perrooni ja vaguni leidmisega. Aitäh Parulile ja Deepakile, kes meid juhatasid ja lõid turvatunde.
Raudteejaamas tabas mind ka esimene India vapustus: kulid. Vanaldane, ent lihaseline turbanis kuli tõstis minu 20 kg kaaluva hiiglasliku kohvri endale pea peale, ja selle peale tõsteti veel üks kohver! Ja siis ta kõndis, kohvrid pea peal, meie perrooni poole, vahepeal tõustes pikka treppi pidi üles ja tulles teiselt poolt alla. Ja ta jäi ellu! Ja meie kohvrid olid toodud täpselt õige perrooni peale! Kogu see jõu ja tasakaalu ime läks maksma 100 rs (umbes 25 krooni).
Väikese pildi peal on punase turbaniga kulid Ajmeri rongijaamas.
Et rong pidi väljuma alles kella 6 paiku hommikul, tuli perroonil oodata umbes 2 tundi. Öö oli külm, müts ja kindad olid täiesti omal kohal. Terje, Varun, Deepak ja Parul olid märksa õhemalt riides, olin nende pärast mures. Olime veidi mures ka sellepärast, kas leiame piisavalt kiiresti üles oma vaguni. Kella 6 paiku sõitis ette meie rong, olime täpselt oma vaguniga kohakuti, Deepak ja Varun tõstsid kohvrid vagunisse ja sõit võis alata.
Terje: Mul pole muud lisada, kui et vapustused raudteejaamas olid meil Markaga ühesugused – kulid ja kohvrid. Ning muretsemiseks polnud põhjust: Varun ja mina olime tegelikult päris soojalt riides ega külmetanud...eriti.
THE FIRST STEPS
Maaris: Landing at the New Delhi airport in the middle of the night and driving to the railway station – these were our first exciting steps in India. By December 2010 the construction of the new Indira Gandhi airport had been completed and our first impressions were lovely: the airport is beautiful, spacious, clean, logical, warm (thanks to yellow carpets on the floor) and very Indian. At passport control enormous mudras (gigantic palms with symbolic gestures) erected from the walls and there were palm trees and other green plants everywhere. While waiting for Terje and Varun, I was watching ‘new’ people: men in turbans; elderly women wearing sweaters over their traditional Indian clothes; old women who, like our Russian babushkas, had hair wrapped into buns and a scarf over it. There were intelligent looking men in glasses, wearing scarves almost as elegantly as Frenchmen, and lots of other things to look at.
Once Terje and Varun arrived through London from Texas, we met with Bhanu’s local relatives who took care of us. We were met by Parul ja Deepak – Bhanu’s young relatives who got married just a year ago. They helped to take our luggage into a cab, actually, to the roof of the cab, and then escorted our cab in their own car to the railway station. Cab ride in early morning (it was about 3 am) Delhi was refreshing: despite the early hour, the traffic had many surprises for us.
The first sharp contrast ‘welcomed’ us at the railway station. Compared to the warm, light, clean and spacious airport, the railway station was cold, dark, dirty and crowded. It looked strange and dangerous. Homeless people were sleeping on the platforms, tea seller walked around with a dirty-looking metal teapot; we were looked at with suspicion and curiosity. Trains passed by and the windows of third class carts had iron bars like in prison. It was not a place one wished to spend a night or even a day alone. Thanks to our guides and guardians, Parul and Deepak, our luggage and us were taken safely to the right platform – the platform to Ajmer.
The railway station was also the place where I got the first shock in India. The name of the shock was KULI or a luggage carrier. This was a skinny but muscular old man who, without efforts, lifted my 20 kg suitcase on his head….and another one on top of it. With two enormous suitcases on his head, he went up and down long stairs and landed safely and alive on our platform. This way, our luggage and all of it reached the right platform. This miracle of strength and balance cost about 2.5 dollars.
Since the train to Ajmer was at 6 am, we spent almost 2 hours on the platform. It was cold enough for woolen cap and gloves. I was well prepared but Terje, Varun, Deepak ja Parul were much lighter dressed and I was worried, particularly about Varun because he was the groom. Another worry was whether we were on the right platform and whether we will find out cart. The train arrived in time and we were standing right in front of our cart. Perfect positioning! Deepak and Varun lifted our luggage in and our trip in India started.
Terje: My first shocks were the same – kulis and suitcases. And Maaris certainly over-worried – Varun and I were well dressed and did not freeze while waiting – at least not too much. Though, indeed, it was a cold night, somewhere around zero Celcius. Overall, our first impressions in Delhi were so overwhelming that we forgot to take pictures.
No comments:
Post a Comment