Yesterday didnt get a good rest, the Donar Lodge we were staying at even though clean and nice with tv but outside is bad bad bad... Dogs kept barking thru the night and kept us awake. Even we close the windows we still can hear the dogs barking so loud and clear.. My goodness..
Got up finally about 0540hrs to have a hot shower, packed up and went downstairs to take the jeep taxi to Siliguri border to Kakarvitta, Nepal border. As usual we have to cramped with 2 other people on the 6hrs ride to Siliguri.. Ram at the door, myself, a old man and a young Indian lady. This old man beside me was so damn irritating... Kept fidgeting dont know for what reason... His arms keep nudging me and when the jeep take any turns or go over any humps he will be trying to grab on to the hand rail above the Indian ladies head or grabbing on the seats infront.. Everyone else was calm and collected, maneuvering with the driver.. I was so damn irritated after the first 2 hrs. But still have to endure as I think this is common for them.. We as foreigners just could only swallow since we are the odd one out... All thru the way he did the same and it got worst when he fell asleep... I just pity the Indian Lady whom is beside him.. having to smell his armpits when he tried to grip the handle bar above her head... Yucks!!!
Along the way we saw monkeys sitting at the side of the road watching vehicles passing by... Cleaning each other up at whatever part of the body you could think of... Their monkeys are slightly different, their legs are very short and stout.. Making them look very strong.. they have light brown eyes that matches their fur.. Pale pink faces just minding their own business even the vehicles are all honking along the way.. Other than the monkeys and the workers at work trying to construct better roads.. it was an uneventful journey.
After about 1hr 30 mins the jeep pulled up and the Rangpo customs check point and asked us to proceed to the checkpoint to report our exit.. Phew luckily he knows otherwise we might just get out like how we got in the last time... Wahahah walked to the customs sat down and await the officer to check and fill in our data MANUALLY in the log books.. Than a Chinese lady with a Monk walked into the office to have their exit be known. This lady was holding a lot of passports and we are curious where she is from. Than when she flipped her passports, we saw RED!! Alamak Singapore la... Me and Ramli saw and act blur.. Didnt want to talk or ask anything and awaited the officer to finish and get out... Kekekek as usual "Proud" Singaporeans... But I guess that is what most of us would do as you leave the country not wanting to see your country folks and if you meet them outside you will be sure to ignore... Wahahahah thats us... Of course with exception if they are friends or family..
Continued our ride back into India India, Siliguri... Before I saw any signs to indicate that we are back in India India , I could honestly smell it... It is not so bad bad , but i think am still not accustomed to that peculiar smell yet.. But even the sight will also give you hints of where you are... Then my head start to throb!! No back here again... Help me!!!! Screaming within....
When we turned into a small lane with many shops, people and rickshaws we were asked to get down to the immigration office.. We got out all blur cause we were taking a nap before that... When we wanted to head towards the immigration office the driver called us and pass us our bag packs from on top of the jeep and kept pointing to the office and drove off... ERmmm with our bags on the floor at a totally unfamiliar surrounding we felt lost and abandoned for the first time..
We looked left and right and up and down feeling super lost, we unpacked our bags from the cargo bag... When we got ready to walk to the office, I grab my bag and felt there was some slimy substance on my fingers. I looked and felt disgusted immediately and wanted to puke!! My bag was lying on someones spit!!! Yucks!!!!! its so sticky and when I fling my hands it doesn't come off... !! I turn around and saw the police wooden shack i didn't care and had to clean it off and have that digusting sticky spit be stuck there and rather on my fingers!! Yucks!!!
Got to the office, fill up the exit form and awaited the officer to take down our details. And again its all MANUAL!! So efficient... There was a Swiss bag packer sitting outside and Ramli chatted with him. He just got here from Nepal after 1 mth and 30 days of working at a Hospital.. Now heading to India but with no Visa... Oh Noo~!! When we were done he asked the officer again if he could get his visa there... No, you have to go back to Kathmandu and apply for your visa blah blah blah.. Oh no... We bade him farewell and good luck and got on our way while he try to sort his visa issue with the unfriendly officer...
We walked and again felt lost.. Cause we couldnt see any signs in English saying where is the Nepal Immigration office... While we were heading to a MANUAL gantry the Indian officer just shouted HELLLO and gestured for us to walk pass.. We continued and was curious why many Indians or Nepali are like crossing a bridge which is the crossing to Kakarvitta without having to check their passports or identification... Some can even take the trishaw across... Hmmmm We made out this should be the crossing to the border so continued...
After about 10 mins finally we saw something in English, welcome to Kakarvitta, Nepal border... So now time to look for the immigration office again... Some good "samaritans" came to our rescue and showed us the way while harassing us to get the bus ticket from them... Went in again a MANUAL customs office, waited about 5 mins got our "stamps" for Nepal and went out looking to get the tickets for our bus ride into Kathmandu.
Met a guy just outside the office who was trying to sell air tickets to us but too bad we only wanted to take the bus... So he give us instructions how to go to the public bus ticket counter and told us not to listen to anyone else even the police just walk straight to the bus station. Do not even turn right... we felt we could trust him so follow accordingly.. True enough peopled are asking us to turn right to their travel office to buy the tickets. We just ignored the chaos and continued and finally reach the office after getting help from a middle age chinese looking man we followed us from the office... What a good man !!
Got our tickets for Indian Rp470/tickets for the 16 hrs bus ride which will leave at 1530hrs. After that we went to look for lunch and settled for Vegetarian Dhalbat at a Assam Hotel just near the bus station. The bus station was dirty with rubbish everywhere, man spitting everywhere and all of them... Buses honking and honking with the conductors "forcing" people to get in their bus even one of them just wanted to get to the other corner... Seow and Madness!!!
Finally time to get in the squeezy and dusty bus... Ramli will have a good time cause the space is so limited for his extreme long legs... Prayed for a safe journey and the rest was history...
The bus ride wasnt bumpy but it stop at almost every invisible bus stop trying to get in more people all thru the night even though the bus was already packed... the sweating bodies the smell.. My goodness thank goodness I was sitting at the window.. Kesian Ramli have to put up with the bag and body slamming at his face and arms and shoulders..
I just continue praying that Allah will help me get thru this night a.s.a.p.
