Grey Hound

So this might seem to have nothing to do with India, but for the uncanny sense I had all the way from Atlanta to Chicago that contrary to popular belief, the US has pockets very much part of the 3rd world continuum that stretches from Houstan Texas, via pockets of London, all the way to Patna. Take one look at the folks bundling ill-packaged air-conditioners, vcr-s, hi-fi systems, waiting in ridiculously long lines, 40 minutes after the scheduled departure time, when the power goes out, and it rains outside in 110F, with 102.3% humidity, and no one wearing a uniform seems to speak your language, and you will know what I mean.

There was also the occassional bus which played movies at such high decibels (at 1:00 in the morning) that you could not comprehend a single line. After the movie, the dvd menu played for an hour and fifteen minutes. As loud. And a young man beside me must have texted at least a novel to someone with as little chance of getting laid as this young man seemed to have. He did not stop texting for 4 hours and some minutes. Four hours. And his phone beeped every minute.

Every fucking minute.

There was also the bus driver who begged the passengers not to remove their shoes, because, he said, he might not want to offend any customs, but he knew how his feet smelled, and his feet being feet, the same as ours, he expected that multi-culturalism aside, there were some things to which one simply had to say no, so he begged us to recall our socks, and not mind the AC being so cold, becuase you know, where there are people, there are germs, and germs being what they are, they like feet, but not the cold, hence the ac on full blast, so despite the fact that the ac seemed to make one's feet cold, and the fact that the socks were wet, because we had been kept waiting in the rain for so many minutes, (and so sorry about the wait, you know), but still, feet being feet, and germs being germs, please don't take your socks or shoes off.

And please turn the phones down. And the headphones. Yes the man in the back listening to techno. Please turn it down. But feel free to text.

AAAAAAA!

I don't hold much truck with nostalgia, but I recommend the Greyhound for a taste of India. (excepting the multi-culti, that is).