Today I feel great. Finally, I finish putting my thoughts into words. As I dig deep into my memory to see if I have left out anything important or interesting, the following spring to my mind:-
Toilet with no door
On the way to Dharamsala, I asked the driver for a toilet stop. He stopped at the first petrol station we came across. Tek went down to enquire if there was one. He signalled to us that there was. Off we went, and when we reached the place, we found that there were no doors to the toilets. From the look of it, the toilets must have just been completed because everything looked brand new. Someone was kind enough to place a big wooden plank across the entrance to the lady toilet.
When you have to do it, you have to do it, door or no door.
You don’t like our service?
This took place at the restaurant near Pathankot where we had our lunch. We asked for the bill after we had finished our lunch. When the man came back with the change, I took the receipt together with the change. The man stood there and refused to move; he looked at me and asked, ‘You don’t like our service?’ I got the message, I gave him the coins which he had just given me. He took it but still refused to leave and gave me another look – and another message? I gave him another – neither look nor message, but – coin. He walked off.
My first encounter with woolly rabbit
Near the Hidimba Devi Temple, I saw an elderly man with a woolly rabbit. Since it was the first time I came across a woolly rabbit, I asked him if I could take a photo of him with the rabbit. Before I knew it, the rabbit was in my hands.
Boxes? Only in Europe
At one of the shops in Manali, Chin bought a bowl made of papier-mâché, while I bought a wood carving lamp stand, among other things. Since the bowl and the lamp stand were gifts for friends, we thought that if we could put them in boxes, it would be more presentable; so we asked the shop owner if he had any.
‘Boxes? Only in Europe. For the price you pay, you want boxes? Sorry, no box.’
We left, a few hundred rupees poorer, and without boxes.
Our duty to show, and free for you to see
For most of the shops we visited, the staff and owners are generally very warm, friendly and welcoming. They would show you almost everything they have in the shop despite you having say ‘no, it’s all right, thank you’ for no less then ten times. Here is a typical scenario at a shop selling myriads of shawls.
‘How about this one? No? Too expensive? Tell me, what is your budget? We have a wide range of quality and price range.’ ‘Then how about this one, you like? No, you don’t like the colour? What colour you like?’ He would rattle on. We would say, ‘It’s ok, thank you. We are just looking around, no need to take out anymore.’ ‘Don’t worry. It is our duty to show, and free for you to see, how about...’ As he continued talking, he took out more. Soon the counter was overflowed with beautiful shawls of different shades and sizes.
‘Our duty to show and free for you to see’, a nice slogan indeed, I like that.
You don’t like my shop?
At one shop within a shopping arcade in Manali, Chin and I were admiring at the beautiful shawls and clothes from outside. As we did not intend to buy anything, we decided not to go in as we did not want to bother the man, knowing very well that he would be more than happy to show us whatever he has. The man beckoned us to go inside. We smiled and said, ‘It’s ok, thank you.’ He then asked, ‘You don’t like my shop?’
Will it turn black?
At one roadside stall in Manali, Chin asked the vendor about a pair of earrings, ‘Is this silver?’ ‘Yes, yes,’ came the reply. ‘Will it turn black?’ ‘Yes, yes,’ came another. You would have guessed it right, we left.
All hotels are for tourists
The hotel we stayed in Manali is called Tourist Hotel.
One day, we were at this one shop selling nuts. The gentleman was very friendly and asked us a lot of questions like, ‘Where are you from?’, ‘Why are you here and for how long?’ etc. He then asked us which hotel we were staying in. We answered, ‘Tourist Hotel.’ He didn’t look too pleased and said indignantly, ‘All hotels here are for tourists. What is the name of the hotel?’!!!
He drove me nuts, almost!
My age?
On the way back from Rohtang Pass, we stopped at Marhi for lunch. At the restaurant, a man (a local) with a little boy and his family approached us. He wanted to take a photo of us with his little boy. To strike a conversation, I asked him, pointing to the boy, ‘How old is he?’ He could not understand me, so I said, ‘Age, what is his age?’ He still couldn’t understand. Someone translated, and he finally understood. Pointing at himself, he asked, ‘My age?’ Arh, well!
Separate pillows..., but twin sharing room not possible
At the hotel in Shimla, we were given a double-bed room. We requested for a twin sharing. The attendant said, ‘We can give you separate pillows, separate bed sheets and blankets and you can sleep separately; but twin sharing room, not possible, sorry.’ He left and minutes later, two young men came to the room, with much efficiency, the bed sheet and blanket for double bed were replaced by two single bed sheets and blankets. The pillows? – already separate! Now, is it a ‘twin-double’ bed, or ‘double-twin’ bed?
Sorry, this place is for two only
The compartment of the toy train (which we travelled from Shimla to Kethlighat) has two rows of seats, with one row for two people and another for four. Chin, Tek and I were on the four-seater. Opposite on the two-seater were two young men. Just before the train departed, a young couple with a young child came to our compartment. The woman and the girl sat on our side while the man tried to get a seat opposite us. One of the young men pointed the seat number above his head, indicating that the place is meant for two only. The man walked off.
Seconds later, one middle age lady walked in. She asked the same young man to move aside. The young man pointed to the seat number again. The woman said something in Hindi, the man shook his head and mumbled something. She tried to persuade him but to no avail. We could not offer her as our row was already packed with five people. So she opened the window and sit on the sill.
At the next stop, an officer shouted at her from the platform asking her to move away. Somehow, the young man had a change of heart. He moved closer to his friend and offered her the space. The woman refused. She pursed her lip, turned to him and gave him a sharp cutting look; she then turned towards us and gave us a triumphant smile.
A woman with great dignity, I salute her.
Toilet with no door
On the way to Dharamsala, I asked the driver for a toilet stop. He stopped at the first petrol station we came across. Tek went down to enquire if there was one. He signalled to us that there was. Off we went, and when we reached the place, we found that there were no doors to the toilets. From the look of it, the toilets must have just been completed because everything looked brand new. Someone was kind enough to place a big wooden plank across the entrance to the lady toilet.
When you have to do it, you have to do it, door or no door.
You don’t like our service?
This took place at the restaurant near Pathankot where we had our lunch. We asked for the bill after we had finished our lunch. When the man came back with the change, I took the receipt together with the change. The man stood there and refused to move; he looked at me and asked, ‘You don’t like our service?’ I got the message, I gave him the coins which he had just given me. He took it but still refused to leave and gave me another look – and another message? I gave him another – neither look nor message, but – coin. He walked off.
My first encounter with woolly rabbit
Near the Hidimba Devi Temple, I saw an elderly man with a woolly rabbit. Since it was the first time I came across a woolly rabbit, I asked him if I could take a photo of him with the rabbit. Before I knew it, the rabbit was in my hands.
Boxes? Only in Europe
At one of the shops in Manali, Chin bought a bowl made of papier-mâché, while I bought a wood carving lamp stand, among other things. Since the bowl and the lamp stand were gifts for friends, we thought that if we could put them in boxes, it would be more presentable; so we asked the shop owner if he had any.
‘Boxes? Only in Europe. For the price you pay, you want boxes? Sorry, no box.’
We left, a few hundred rupees poorer, and without boxes.
Our duty to show, and free for you to see
For most of the shops we visited, the staff and owners are generally very warm, friendly and welcoming. They would show you almost everything they have in the shop despite you having say ‘no, it’s all right, thank you’ for no less then ten times. Here is a typical scenario at a shop selling myriads of shawls.
‘How about this one? No? Too expensive? Tell me, what is your budget? We have a wide range of quality and price range.’ ‘Then how about this one, you like? No, you don’t like the colour? What colour you like?’ He would rattle on. We would say, ‘It’s ok, thank you. We are just looking around, no need to take out anymore.’ ‘Don’t worry. It is our duty to show, and free for you to see, how about...’ As he continued talking, he took out more. Soon the counter was overflowed with beautiful shawls of different shades and sizes.
‘Our duty to show and free for you to see’, a nice slogan indeed, I like that.
You don’t like my shop?
At one shop within a shopping arcade in Manali, Chin and I were admiring at the beautiful shawls and clothes from outside. As we did not intend to buy anything, we decided not to go in as we did not want to bother the man, knowing very well that he would be more than happy to show us whatever he has. The man beckoned us to go inside. We smiled and said, ‘It’s ok, thank you.’ He then asked, ‘You don’t like my shop?’
Will it turn black?
At one roadside stall in Manali, Chin asked the vendor about a pair of earrings, ‘Is this silver?’ ‘Yes, yes,’ came the reply. ‘Will it turn black?’ ‘Yes, yes,’ came another. You would have guessed it right, we left.
All hotels are for tourists
The hotel we stayed in Manali is called Tourist Hotel.
One day, we were at this one shop selling nuts. The gentleman was very friendly and asked us a lot of questions like, ‘Where are you from?’, ‘Why are you here and for how long?’ etc. He then asked us which hotel we were staying in. We answered, ‘Tourist Hotel.’ He didn’t look too pleased and said indignantly, ‘All hotels here are for tourists. What is the name of the hotel?’!!!
He drove me nuts, almost!
My age?
On the way back from Rohtang Pass, we stopped at Marhi for lunch. At the restaurant, a man (a local) with a little boy and his family approached us. He wanted to take a photo of us with his little boy. To strike a conversation, I asked him, pointing to the boy, ‘How old is he?’ He could not understand me, so I said, ‘Age, what is his age?’ He still couldn’t understand. Someone translated, and he finally understood. Pointing at himself, he asked, ‘My age?’ Arh, well!
Separate pillows..., but twin sharing room not possible
At the hotel in Shimla, we were given a double-bed room. We requested for a twin sharing. The attendant said, ‘We can give you separate pillows, separate bed sheets and blankets and you can sleep separately; but twin sharing room, not possible, sorry.’ He left and minutes later, two young men came to the room, with much efficiency, the bed sheet and blanket for double bed were replaced by two single bed sheets and blankets. The pillows? – already separate! Now, is it a ‘twin-double’ bed, or ‘double-twin’ bed?
Sorry, this place is for two only
The compartment of the toy train (which we travelled from Shimla to Kethlighat) has two rows of seats, with one row for two people and another for four. Chin, Tek and I were on the four-seater. Opposite on the two-seater were two young men. Just before the train departed, a young couple with a young child came to our compartment. The woman and the girl sat on our side while the man tried to get a seat opposite us. One of the young men pointed the seat number above his head, indicating that the place is meant for two only. The man walked off.
Seconds later, one middle age lady walked in. She asked the same young man to move aside. The young man pointed to the seat number again. The woman said something in Hindi, the man shook his head and mumbled something. She tried to persuade him but to no avail. We could not offer her as our row was already packed with five people. So she opened the window and sit on the sill.
At the next stop, an officer shouted at her from the platform asking her to move away. Somehow, the young man had a change of heart. He moved closer to his friend and offered her the space. The woman refused. She pursed her lip, turned to him and gave him a sharp cutting look; she then turned towards us and gave us a triumphant smile.
A woman with great dignity, I salute her.
................................................
Sometimes misunderstanding or funny and amusing incidents come about because of the differences in cultures, customs and the languages. But it is these funny and at times awkward situations that often add colour and spice to the trip and makes the trip more interesting and memorable.
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