Getting the ticket (or not)
Today I travel by bus from Kohima to Imphal. This had been a concern because there was rumour of road blocks by insurgents.
With the bus departing at 0730, I had been told to get the tickets around 0600 to 0630. It seemed like an overkill to be there 1h30 prior to departure but having woken up at 0500, this wasn’t a big deal. However, as I was putting my shoes on to leave the homestay, the maid knocked and offered me a tea and banana.
I got down to the station and joined the queue around 0610 with about five people ahead of me in the men’s queue and there were a few people in the ladies’ queue (leading to two little holes which would be staffed by the same person when it opened).
Ticket sales started at 0630 and within five minutes, all seats were gone! Two French ladies walked up to the ladies window (where the queue had cleared) and got the least seats! (They were blissfully unaware of this when we chatted later on and they complained about how uncomfortable it was in the last row … so I told them!)
The ticket seller wrote down the plate number of the bus and said I should get on and pay the conductor regardless. I shared the information with the man behind me with whom I had be chatting and stuck to him so I knew what to do.
The bus arrived a little before 0730. I was told it usually arrives around 0700 to facilitate loading and boarding. I waited by the road leading to the bus station and hopped on as it approached the station, climbing over bench seats into the driver’s room or cockpit. A few people beat me to it but I managed to get a seat together with the man who showed me the ropes for this process.
Getting moving
We departed at 0745 with 8 people squashed on the bench seats in the cockpit, in addition to the driver. It was a 7h journey with my legs close together between the driver’s seat and the gear compartment. Some others had it more difficult with no back support due to an partition with the glass missing, and having their legs outstretched.
I didn’t care about the discomfort. After the scare of not being able to travel today due to road blocks and tickets selling out, I was happy to be on the way to Imphal so I can get home via Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne.
The journey time included a brief stop to weld the driver’s seat, a meal break at Mao Gate, a short breakdown due to a gear issue and a rest break just outside Imphal. All were welcome breaks for me cooped up in the cockpit.
There was supposed to be a check on foreigners at Mao Gate. The bus passed through without stopping but a plainclothed man ran up to the driver and said he had foreigners at the back (the two French women). They disembarked. I quietly offered to do the same but the driver and the other passengers stopped me. I looked local so I could get away with it. It took about half an hour before the French returned. They had their passports and visas checked and had to complete a form.
I noticed along the way that there were points on the road (back in Nagaland and also in Manipur) where excise duties were levied on goods passing through. Some places had signs detailing the applicable rates. That’s something that I’m just not used to having lived in quite a free economy.
The landscaped changed from windy to flat as we approached Imphal. It was very dusty in places, like many roads in India’s north-east. With ample flat area, Imphal was decidedly organised unlike the previous towns where buildings were scattered on hillslopes obstructing each other from natural light.
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- Eight people plus the driver were in the driver’s cab or cockpit.
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- My legroom was between the driver’s seat and the gear compartment.
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- Breakdown on the way.
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- The road was spectacularly dusty in parts.
Finally, my cocoon of comfort
It was only a few minutes walk from the bus station to The Classic Hotel where I had a room for NZD24 per night; very cheap as it wasn’t a touristy place and there is no festival … and the included breakfast in the morning turned out to be rather lavish!
I was in my room around 1500, feeling very grateful to have a nice comfortable bed in a relatively nice hotel. What a great way to end my stay in India! Naturally, after that horrendous bus ride, I didn’t leave the hotel and ate in their restaurant … they made up for the cheap room by having meals that were even dearer than in Kolkata. Ah well …