One night in a ‘Badiya’ bus!

Good Friday. Holiday. Long week end!

I have been meaning to go to Bikaner for a photo shoot for quite some time now. So I decided to make use of this long week end and go to Bikaner. No reservations. Nothing! But I desperately wanted to go! Luckily I have a Rajasthani friend who is quite resourceful. I contacted him and he assured me that he would arrange everything for me so that I can be in Bikaner on Good Friday. I was immensely happy because I would be seeing Junagarh Fort, Havelis and of course camels!

My friend called up and told me on Wednesday, that he had booked my hotel at Bikaner and my ticket to Bikaner by a ‘Volvo’ bus, which takes 8 hours to reach Bikaner starting at Delhi at 10 PM. So my being in Bikaner on Good Friday was confirmed!

Thursday 7:30 PM - I took a taxi from Gurgaon and went to Delhi to board the ‘Volvo’ bus there. On the way I checked with my cab driver regarding the bus to Bikaner. He told me that it was a’ Badiya bus, fikar mat karo sab! So I was reassured again about the bus. My friend had also described it as a ‘Badiya bus’.

My friend joined me on the way to guide me to board the right bus. We reached the boarding point which was near ‘Lal kila’. I saw many buses parked there but my ‘Volvo’ was not in sight. My friend , after checking at one of the many counters there told me that the bus parked right in front of us was THE bus. But it was not a ‘Volvo’ and I was shocked! When I checked with my friend he showed  me the front of the bus where ‘Volvo’ was written! So according to my Rajasthani friend that was a ‘Volvo’ bus. God bless Ramesh!

So no going back now, as I was desperate to go to Bikaner. I boarded the bus and my friend located seat number 7 for me and I settled. Then I said bye to my friend and he left. I wanted to keep my overnighter above my seat. I had another shock, it was closed with a sliding door. The conductor of the bus told me it was a berth for people who had booked sleeper berth!!!!! In this part of India these buses are popularly called  1+2+sleeper!
 

What is 1+2+sleeper? Left side of the bus has a row of single seats while the right side has a row of double seats. Nothing out of the world, we can understand! But sleeper? Above the left side row of seats there are berths which accommodate a single person and on the right side, the berths are for two people! Unbelievable but true!

So the bus started on the dot (something that I should really appreciate!) As the cool breeze started to blow on my face I immediately slept off. After probably two or three hours the bus stopped for a break. As I opened my eyes I was shocked to see two legs hanging!!! Took me few seconds to realise that the upper berth guy was trying to climb down! The bus had stopped in a petrol bunk called Check & Fill. I do not know what he checked and what he filled.

After the break the bus started again and made too much noise all the way. Since nothing can disturb me while sleeping, I slept in spite of the loud noise all around. At last at 7 AM we reached Bikaner and I got off the bus and went straight to the hotel where I was booked. While I was getting down the bus I noticed the name of my bus! Can you guess? It is ‘Bad boy!’

 

 

After I checked in and entered the room I felt pin drop silence in the room.( Luckily Ramesh had not goofed up with the hotel like he did with the ‘Badiya bus’!) Then I realised that I had spent a whole night in a bus in which the only part which did not make any noise was the horn!

1+2+sleeper. Never again!!!!