Bussing it in Rajasthan
I make a Google search for ‘bussing’ before making up the title, just to check if such a word exists. Whether it is a valid English word or not, I get to see plenty of results on the web. I decided to go ahead and use it.
I did not have any choice but to use buses when I decided to make a Rajasthan trip. I could neither afford a ticket on Palace on Wheels, nor a taxi. Trains would be nice, but for someone who doesn’t like to plan his journeys, trains are not the best option. I would almost never know my departing date when I arrive somewhere. I could leave a place the very next day if I am done with it or linger for many days if I take liking. Besides not willing to book in advance, I am too lazy to do some homework with train timings and reservations. Instead, I would rather just get to a bus stop, hop in a waiting bus and move on.
“It is easy to travel around in Rajasthan,” a friend told me, “connectivity is good and so are the roads. You can move around comfortably and swiftly.” I discovered he was right, the moment I left Delhi for Jaipur. There were many buses waiting at RTDC’s(Rajasthan Tourism) Bikaner house near India Gate, and all I had to do was to get my ticket and get on board a bus that was leaving in thirty minutes. The bus was good and comfortable, but what came as a surprise for me was the mid-way restaurant where the bus pulled over for snacks. All over the country, I was used to buses stopping for a tea break at dingy chai shops smelling of urine. We had an exception here. The mid-way restaurant(as they are called in these parts), was a clean and well maintained place owned by RTDC. It was not just a restaurant but a small hotel complex housing everything a traveller would need - room’s to stay, ATMs, restaurant, bar and even a beauty parlour! But what applies to a Delhi-Jaipur deluxe bus did not apply everywhere - I once found my bus stopping at a small grimy place on the way from Jaipur to Ajmer. In fact the RTDC mid-way hotels are pricey enough that all the ordinary buses would not be able to stop there.
