Sid and I look at the rickety bus, then at each other, and then around us- there were other tempo trax jeeps waiting for passengers to fill in- but we seemed to be in a hurry to get going- so we hopped on and grabbed two seats- Sid with his half butt out and our trademark green haversack on his lap (I forgot to say 'heavy' lol), one camera bag, a small backpack, and me- all in one seat. "Sarka! Sarka!" yelled the driver- cramming up as many local people as he could, with me muttering under my breath,"Ab aur kitna bharoge, unclee!!" It reminded me of my heroic days in the local train in Mumbai. Finally, our maroon coloured bus, which had an advertisement of an 'akhaada' (a local gym) with a phone number, and a First Aid Box with a lock (and nothing inside) adorning it.
Initially, I found it amusing. I love travelling by local transport, because you get to observe people from that place. But after some time, it wasn't funny. After halting with screechy brakes every fifteen minutes for two hours, we got off at a sign that read 'Eco Anshi Nature Camp', muttering that this better be worth it! I tried to take a picture of this classic R.K. Travels bus when I got off, but its engine coughed up again and it rattled its way ahead before I could press the trigger (the camera, not the gun! lol).
Here's a substitute doodle instead
