Sõidud - Trips & Vehicles

Pruukisime mitmeid mootoriga ja ilma mootorita sõiduvahendeid: rongi, liinibussi, autot, traktorit, mootorpaati, sõudepaati, motoriksat, veloriksat, kaamelit kaarikuga ja ilma.

RONGISÕIDUD: Neid oli kaks: Delhist Ajmeri ja tagasi
Rongisõit Delhist Ajmeri kestab umbes 6 tundi. Läbisime selle tee kaks korda: sinna ja tagasi. Sõitsime vist 2. klassi vagunis. Üldmulje väga sarnane kunagise Tsaika vagunitega: pehmed istmed, suitsetajad tamburis, samasuguse puhtuseastmega kemps.
Erinevusi oli ka: lakkamatu toidu ja joogi pakkumine, toodi ka värsked ajalehed, vagunisaatja oli pidevas aktsioonis. Erinevalt Tsaikast olid vagunisaatjad kõik mehed ning nii toit kui ajalehed olid piletihinna sees. Ja hind kuuetunnise sõidu eest oli nina peale umbes 130 EEKi. Tee tuuakse väikese plastmassist termosega, soe toit kandikul nagu lennukis. Tagasiteel Delhisse pakuti meile 1) teed topsiga , 2) teed teekannuga ning kuiva sööki - naturaalne jogurt (Dahi), küpsised jne. 3) soe söök, 4) jäätis topsis koos puupulgaga. Erinevalt Tsaikast ei kõlanud vagunis muusika, sõit oli ootamatult vaikne. Vagunis oli ka wifi.

Pildil: Terje, Renu, Maaris rongis.



Tagasiteel oli meie seltskonnal (7 inimest) kokku 14 suurt kohvrit, Bhanu kontrollis lakkamatult, kas kõik on alles. Oli küll.

Pildid: kohvrite laadimine rongi Ajmeri jaamas.








Vaguniaknast nagime Rajastani maastkku – poolkõrbe, mägesid, põlde. Nii Rajastan kui ka Delhi ümbrus on täis pikitud mobiilimaste...ning tänu sellele on enam-vähem igal indialasel telefon näpus ja tööhoos. Lisaks nägime piirkondi, mis olid täis kõrgeid korstnaid (ühekorraga võis kokku lugeda üle 30) mis tähistasid tellisepõletamisahjude asukohti. Raudtee ääred olid täis kuhjadesse laotud põletamata telliseid.



BUSSISÕIDUD: Neid oli kolm ja kõik kolm eri klassi bussidega;

1. 
   
   
   
   Ajmerist Jaipuri sõitsime kõige lihtsama bussiloksuga, milles oli palju tavalisi kõvasid istmeid (neli ühel ja kaks teisel pool vahekäiku) ning kus tõenäoliselt on suvel võrdlemisi palav. Talvisel ajal aga oli selle bussiga mõnus loksuda – nägi maad ja inimesi. Odav ka - umbes 40 EEKi 200 km ja neljatunnise lõbu eest.



2. Jaipurist Jodhpuri sõitsime kõige luksuslikuma bussiga. Neid kutsutake Volvo bussideks ning Volvod nad tegelikult ongi. Aimasin kuulvat uhkusenooti meie Jaipuri võõrustaja, Manju, hääles, kui ta teatas, et on meile piletid Volvo-bussile kinni pannud. Ja buss oli igati vääriline. Õhukonditsioneere me talvel ei vajanud, kuid olemas nad olid. Istmed olid pehmed,mugavad ja kahekaupa. Vaatamata sellele, et tagakumm kohe Jaipuri lähistel katki laks ning ratta vahetamine ligi tund aega võttis, oli sõit mõnus. Midagi muud suurt meelde ei jaanud, sest väljas läks pimedaks ja uni tuli peale. Siiski, siiski, tunnike enne Jodhpuri jõudmist peatus buss lausa 20 minutit kohas, kus oli restoran, suveniiripood ning PUHAS WC. Volvo-bussile pole tõesti võrdset!



3. Ning kolmas bussisõit oli Jodhpurist tagasi Ajmeri. See buss oli hinnalt ja kvaliteedilt midagi esimese ja Volvo-bussi vahepealset ning tegi oma tööd korralikult. Kumm katki ei läinud ning muud huvitavat ei juhtunud. Ajmeri jõudsime küll segaste teeolude tõttu tunnike hiljem, kuid vahejuhtumiteta.

AUTODEGA sõitsime ringi enam-vähem kõikjal. Autod on nagu autod ikka – Toyotad, Suzukid, kohalikud Mahindra dziibid. Peamiseks tõmbenumbriks Indias on ikkagi liiklus ise. Ükski Disneyland voi Tsehhi lunapark sellega võistelda ei suuda. Liiklusest lähemalt allpool.

TRAKTORIGA sõitsime Madhya Pradeshis Harda lahedal külakeses. Tegime seda eelkõige võõrustajate ja külarahva meeleheaks. Traktor oli Ameerika päritolu John Deere ning liikus kaunilt ja roheliselt. Omanikud olid rahul ja uhked.

MOOTORPAADIGA sõitsime mööda Narmada jõge. Hoidsime käsi üle paadi serva vees ning saime kõigist pattudest pühas vees puhtaks. Mis veel külge jäi, selle pesime maha pärast jalgupidi pühas jões kõndides. Lühikeseks hetkeks olime puhtad kui vastsündinud.

SÕUDEPAADIGA sõudsime Bhopali alamjärve keskel olevale saarele. Seal asus hindu tempel ja kasvasid iidsed banjanipuud. Tempel oli remondis, banjane imetlesime ja patsutasime. Seejärel sõudis paadimees meid tagasi kaldale.




MOTORIKSAT oli au kasutada mitu korda. Bhanul oli oma naabrist taksofirma omanikuga kokkulepe tõenaoliselt kogu meie sealoleku ajaks – kui keegi seltskonnast vajas sõiduvahendit, siis see ka anti. Ühel päeval sõidutas firmaomanik meid isiklikult oma motoriksaga. Tegime ekskursiooni Ajmeris, kaisime Bhanu keskoolis (katoliiklik püha Anselmi kool), kuulsas Mayo kolledzis, suures moshees, turul, ja muuseumides. Päike paistis ning motoriksaga oli monus soita. Tuuleke puhus ning kõik lõhnad ja hääled olid meiega. Teise sõidu tegime motoriksaga iseseisvalt. Võtsime takso otse Bhanu kodutänava väravast ning sõitsime kesklinna shoppama. Tagasi tulime ka ise. Olime oma saavutuse üle uhked. Kolmanda ja viimase motoriksasoidu tegime Jodhpuri kindlusest kuningate hauakambrite juurde ja tagasi kindlusse. Motoriksa on üks mõnus sõiduriist, eriti palaval päeval. Tehniliselt on see kolmerattaline suure istumiskastiga motoroller. Käima tõmmatakse riksa mootor mingist kangist. Sõiduriist on väga paindlik ja hea indiapärasteks pisut kaelamurdvateks manöövriteks tänavatel.

VELORIKSAT me vältisime teadlikult, sest tundsime, et kahe priske parimas eas valge naise sõidutamine ühe kõhna india vanamehe poolt ei ole ilus. Piinlik oli, minul vähemalt. Aga inimene on ju nõrk ja maias ning lõpuks sõitsime ka veloriksaga. Olime teel Krishna sünnipaiga templisse (kuskil Agra ja Dehli vahel) ning Bhanu ütles, et veloriksat kasutades toetame me kohalikke vaeseid. Me siis toetasime. Bhanu küll ütles, et andku me kümme ruupiat (umbes 2 EEKI), andsin 30 ja ikka oli piinlik.

KAAMELIKAARIKUS, õigemini kaameli poolt veetavas pikas vankris sõitsime Agras - parkimisplatsilt Taj Mahali väravasse. Kaamel on aeglane, kuid kindel sõiduvahend. Saba all rippus tal elegantne kakakotike.





KAAMELi sadulasse sattusime Jodhpuri lähistel liivaluidetel. Polnud meil vaja kuskile kõrbesse rännata, lõbutsesime niisama. Kaamelil oli korraga kaks sadulat ja ta võttis kanda meid mõlemaid. Jorises küll, kuid tegi töö ära. Kas siin oleks pidanud piinlik olema, kuid kui ka oli, siis palju vähem kui veloriksa puhul. Tegelikult oli väga vahva, eriti mõnus tunne oli, kui kaamel püsti tõusis ja siis jälle lõpus maha laskus. Vahepealne osa õõtsutas nagu merel, nii et naised kiljusid. Vast seepärast kaameleid kõrbelaevadeks hüütaksegi.




Ei sõitnud ei ELEVANDI ega hobusega. Elevandisõitu küll lubati Jaipuri kindluse juures, kus elevandid turiste mäejalamilt üles lossi sõidutavad. Ilm aga oli ootamatult vihmane ning elevandid läksid ära koju. Nägime neid läbi vihma lonkimas. Hobused aga, keda tänaval vankrite ees nägime, olid välimuselt kõhnemad ja viletsamad kui veloriksajuhid, ning ei tahtnud neid tülitada. Mõnda küll patsutasin.

Jaipuri elevantidega sõitis Voldemar Panso, kes on kirjutanud: „Elevant võtab reisijaid peale niisama palju kui Moskvits – neli sõitjat, juht peale selle, ainult et ta on Moskvitsist tunduvalt kallim, vastupidavam küll ka. See, kelle selga Tallinna mehed sattusid, oli veel vähe sõitnud, kõigest 70 aastat, teised olid 150-aastase tööstaaziga. Lõplikult amortiseerub elevant 250 aastaselt ning läheb siis elevantide kalmistule surema. Elevandil on kaks 2-meeetrilist ning 50-kilost kihva, millest tehakse väikesi elevante ja müüakse turistidele 2 kuni 20 ruupiat tükk, olenevalt ärimehe inimesetundmisest ja inimese äritundmisest.“


Trips & Vehicles

During our trips, we used a variety of motorized and unmotorized vehicles: train, bus, car, tractor, motorboat, rowing boat, motoriksa, veloriksa, camel cart, and camel without a cart.

TRAIN: From Delhi to Ajmer and back.

It takes about 6 hours by train to reach from Delhi to Ajmer. We were in a second class cart which very much resembled Tshaika - a train that in soviet times connected Tallinn with Belorussian capital Minsk, and which we used as students to get from Tallinn to our university city Tartu. The seats were soft and comfortable, areas between the carts were occupied by smokers and the sanitary conditions of the toilets were comparable. Though, there were differences too. In Indian trains, the ticket price included almost non-stop serving of food and chai, and fresh newspapers. The cart attendants were exclusively male (in soviet Tshaika they were exclusively females). Chai was served in small plastic thermobottles, the food included natural yoghurt (very typical to India), biscuits, Indian style warm food, and ice cream. Differently from Tshaika, there was no music, the cart was quiet. But there was wifi, thus many passengers spent their time in internet...or on cell phones. It seems that every Indian has at least one cell phone. And the price for this 6 hour pleasant trip was just 130 EEK or $13. While traveling from Delhi to Ajmer there were three of us: Varun, Maaris and me. On the way back we had seven people and at least 14 pieces of large size luggage plus many small bags. Bhanu was checking non-stop whether the luggage is in place. It was and we did not lose a piece.
During the trip, we were looking at the Rajastan landscape which is semidesert, hills, mountains and fields. Rajastan and areas around Delhi are densely packed with mobile phone towers. That’s why almost everyone in the train was talking to a cell phone. In addition, the landscape was full of chimneys (at some places we could count over 30 at a time). These belonged to small brick factories which were marked by piles of raw bricks stacked into high piles on the sides of the railway.

BUS TRIPS: we used busses three times and every time a different one

1. The most exotic bus trip (special treat from Bhanu) was from Ajmer to Jaipur. We used the simplest and cheapest bus with hard seats (two on one side and four on another) and no air conditioner. These might be really hot in summer! However, in winter it was a pleasant slow ride giving us plenty of time to enjoy the landscape, towns, villages and people. The price for 4 hours and 200 km was about 40 EEK or $4.
2. From Jaipur to Jodhpur we took the most luxurious bus – the Volvo. This is how they are called and they actually are made by Volvo. We heard pride in Manju’s (Bhanu’s cousin who took care of us in Jaipur) voice when she announced that she had booked our tickets on Volvo-bus. And indeed, the bus is good. Though we did not need air conditioning, the system was there. The seats were soft, comfortable and by two and two on either side. Despite the fact that we had flat tire immediately after leaving Jaipur, and that it took almost an hour to fix it, it was a very pleasant trip. There was not much to see outside because it got dark soon and we were sleeping. It is noteworthy that the last stop, about an hour before reaching Jodhpur, was over 20 minutes and in a place with a clean toilet, small restaurant and a souvenir shop. This was a real treat and there is, indeed, nothing compared to the Volvo-bus! The price was about $13.
3. The last bus trip was from Jodhpur back to our headquarters in Ajmer. The bus quality and price was somewhere between the hard-seat and the Volvo-bus and everything functioned perfect. No flat tires, no other excitements. It was just that due to heavy traffic, we reached Ajmer an hour later.

CARS. We used cars almost everywhere. The longest trips were from Ajmer to Bhopal and back (12 hours one way). There was nothing extraordinary about the cars we used – they were ordinary and confortable Toyotas, Suzukis and local Mahindra jeeps. We did not have a chance to sit in retro-looking Ambassador. The main catch for us was certainly the traffic which is 100 times better and exciting than any Disneyland can ever be.

TRACTOR. Our single tractor ride took place in the village near Harda, mainly to please our hosts and appreciate their nice green John Deere. The owners were proud to see Terje and Divya riding their favourite.



A MOTORBOAT took us to a small island in the middle of the holy Narmada River. We kept our hands in the water over the board, thus cleaning ourselves from all sins. Whatever sins were left, were washed away later while walking barefoot in the holy waters. For a moment we were clean as newborns. On the photo: Sonu, Bhanu and Varun.




We hired a ROWING BOAT with a boatman to get to an island in the middle of the Upper Lake in Bhopal. The target of our interest was a small Hindu temple on the island. Unfortunately, the temple was closed for renovation, so all we did was patting and admiring old banyan trees around it. Thereafter, the boat took us back to the shore.


MOTORIKSA served us several times. Bhanu had a contract with a neighboring taxi company owner, so whenever any of us needed a ride, the company sent us a taxi or a riksa. We had a one-day motoriksa trip to Mayo College, to Anselm’s Catholic School (Bhanu’s school), the Mosque, the bazaar and museums. The driver was the owner himself and we were taken good care of. It was a nice and warm day. The motoriksa is open, the breeze was blowing, and all smells and sounds of the streets were with us. The second motoriksa ride started from the entrance of Bhanu’s home street and took us to the center for shopping and sightseeing. We were just the two of us, no guides, no familiar drivers. We managed well and got safely back in another motoriksa. The third trip was in Jodhpur, from the Fort to royal cementery and back. Again, we were all alone and managed well. All in all, motoriksa is nice and probably very good on a hot summer day. I think that technically, it is just a large scooter. The engine is started with a pedal and not by turning a key. The vehicle is very flexible, can fit into narrow streets and can perform all the acrobatics necessary for successful survival in Indian traffic.


We very consciously avoided using VELORIKSA because we felt that letting a skinny and usually eldery riksaman to pedal around with two healthy white ladies, is not nice. However, ultimately we used veloriksa too. This happened at krishna’s birthplace near Agra. Bhanu said that we will do a big favour to locals if we use one. So, we used. Bhanu told to pay the riksaman ten ruupies (about 20 US cents). We gave 30 and still felt uneasy and guilty.

In Agra we used CAMEL CART to get from the parking lot to Taj Mahal. Camel is a slow but reliable ride. It took quite some time to cover that short distance but it was pleasant and peaceful. The camel had an elegant little collection bag hanging below his tail. On the photo: Divya, Bhanu, Renu and Terje.



Our true CAMEL RIDE happened in sand dunes near Jodhpur. We were taken there by Renu’s brother Mahinder. One camel saddle has two seats and could accommodate both Maaris and me. The animal was obviously not too happy to have the two of us. He made some low complaining noise but then got up and moving. We should have felt sorry for the camel. Instead, we were very excited and happy because the ride was like floating in a boat on a stormy sea. Girls (Divya and Mahinder’s daughter Isha) on the neighboring camel were expressing their feelings through screaming. The moments when the camel got up and later, got down, were most exciting. No surprise that camels are known as ‘boats of the desert’.

On the photo: Harshita and Varun, Divya and Esha.




We did not ride ELEPHANTS or HORSES. We planned an elephant ride in Jaipur, from the foot of a hill to the Jaipur Fort at the top of it. Unfortunately, it was raining and we saw elephants going home early that day. As to horses, there were horse carts anywhere. But all the horses we saw were pathetic and skinnier than veloriksa drivers. We felt sorry for the horses and did not use their services. Just patted a few of them.