Now living in India and splitting my time between Bangalore and Goa, travelling between the two can be a real pain. Originally I would take the bus or car to the airport and then a quick hop on the plane followed by another bus or car. However, what was taking just a couple of hours a few years back is now taking longer and longer and costing more and more.
Considering the possible 2 hours it takes to get to the airport; the delays; the ‘final call’ announcements….usually for my wife who is shopping; the flight itself; baggage reclaim and the transfer to South Goa: the travel time from door to door is actually more than 6 hours. Given that the flight timings are usually early to mid afternoon, the day is lost! If you are only going for a weekend, what a waste of your valuable R & R.
But what are the options: self drive, train or bus. Mmmmmmmm………..Give me time to think about that one……………
Do I really want to drive for 12 hours and then find that because I have a car I become the designated driver, tour guide, taxi, ‘drop off at the shops wallah’, hero when some total stranger needs a chemist or handy alternative for getting the landlord’s old and smelly cat to the vet? I don’t think so! Also add to the fact that by the time you have got back to Bangalore you will have so much Goan sand in the foot wells of the car that you could be accused of causing major beach erosion…. Ok, so is ‘self drive’ viable? No, not unless you are an insomniac who has a penchant for cleaning sand out of your car and being the ‘Good Samaritan’.
So that brings us to the ‘train’, lots of plus points, it’s cheaper, it travels overnight and so feasibly you can sleep and there is a toilet! Hoorah for trains! Hip hip hoorah! This probably gets the vote by most women but I really feel uncomfortable sitting in a carriage with the windows painted black, you might as well be in a submarine, so if you are claustrophobic I would not recommend this option, unless you don’t mind sitting on the floor between the carriages next to the toilet…..lovely.
Bus travel is currently my favourite. Now a seasoned ‘bus jockey’, I find it convenient, it travels overnight, I get dropped off just 2 kms from my home in Goa and its cheap! My last ticket, Bangalore to Goa on a non a/sleeper bus was just 500 rupees! Yes 500 rupees!!!! Ok, I admit there are disadvantages:
· the bus has broken down twice, the first instance it was 6 hours into the journey and I had to travel the rest of the way by local bus. In the second instance, the bus would not start after a ‘comfort stop’, very interesting…. 15 people jump starting a bus by pushing it uphill! I might add I did not assist, because of my bad back, it’s always useful to have a bad back, but I did not feel guilty at all because the other 20 passengers just sat on the bus!
· Having ‘Bob Marley live in Concert’ for 6 hours could also be seen as a problem.
· Smelly feet, other people’s, I may add, could be an issue but there is no need to worry about snoring, the roar of the engines and the frequent squeal of brakes drowns out any usual ‘night noises’. Less said the better….
· Toilet stops are an obvious problem, particularly for the ladies, but I am yet to experience anything too unpleasant from my fellow travelers.
So what tips can I give to a ‘bus virgin’? Well:
· always take a sleeper not a semi sleeper
· always be friendly to the driver, just in case of emergency stops!
· don’t expect 5 star toilets, just don’t have expectations then you will be fine, just be happy it’s a toilet!
· always take a top bunk……too many shoes in the aisle! Phew!!!
· don’t be shocked if you think the fellow passenger next to you has passed away, some people sleep very soundly……ref: .Seabird Bangalore to Goa 26th march
· think of your journey as an adventure….it will be
· don’t argue with anyone sitting down, you don’t know how big they are till they stand up and fill the aisle
· make sure you book the type of ticket you want, don’t presume that when you walk into the agency on your own they will automatically give you a single bunk! You might end up sharing with someone you think may have died, who has smelly feet and is the size of buffalo, and has trance music blaring away on a very poor quality ghetto blaster! Yes they still have ghetto blasters here…
· finally, don’t worry about herpes. I heard someone caught herpes in one of the buses, I am not sure what they were doing but I have never seen a single herp!
Hope this helps, I now travel practically weekly by bus and although I would not recommend it to everyone…..names supplied on request, it really is a great way to get around India, especially if you are on a budget or a tight schedule and use overnight travel as cost effective and good use of time.
….and do I arrive feeling bright and breezy? Well to be honest no, but a quick shower a bite to eat and a quick check of the luggage for any stray herps and you are ready to hit the beach, the bar, the shops or your travel agent for booking that double berth!
FYI I always use SEABIRD TOURISTIC
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