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02 January 2017 • Travel time: with 17 November 2016 on 06 December 2016
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MIRACLE: Cultural Heritage of South India, November 17 - December 5.2016. Travel notes.

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Fate ordered them to be put together already as part of a group. A long, thin, evil husband - and the very kindness of a wife. The two friends seem to have been traveling together for a long time. One is silent. The second is a balabolka. Chattered incessantly without a break for lunch like a magpie - white-sided, just did not bounce. (Although once he did jump, for which the whole group was grateful to him. But more on that later). For two days of incessant chirping, he must have worn out, and in the cabin of the car for hundreds of kilometers of daily run, a blissful half-sleep could have been established, if not for the many speed bumps. To keep the driver awake? I think the reason is different. Even quite decent tracks are laid right through shopping centers, in the middle of numerous villages and cities, where maneuvering and catching between the mass of passers-by, bicycles, motorcycles, rickshaws and completely independent goats, pigs, especially eternally chewing, thoughtful sacred cows is almost unthinkable. However, people get used to everything. Indian drivers are also accustomed to even heavy trucks. True, a message came along the way, on the way to an ancient fortress in the mountains, a child got under the wheels. I had to drive past, because the local natives allegedly even burned the bus and almost lynched the driver. But where is he here? I saw with my own eyes, a careless dad under the nose of our bus resolutely crossed the road, leaving his son on the other side. Naturally, the child rushed for daddy. Our instantly hit the brakes. Managed. The little man didn't even scratch himself. God saved us all, especially the boy. But the stupid father should have torn off the balls.

And finally, the third contrast. For the first time in my practice, none of the women hinted at stopping by a flea market. This is the time when women became junk addicts. Our brothers stoically listened to the end, like twin brothers, stories about endless churches. Exactly endless. Apparently, tour operators both sending and receiving Russian clients have long refused to offer anything else (for example, ecotourism), if they offered it at all. And why, if Russia is not Europe, nature is at the very heap. Almost everyone has a dacha next to a forest, river or lake. In the city, if a park, then it is also almost a forest. And you will go beyond the outskirts, such a windbreak, where it is quite possible to get lost. Or a field where the ear of the ear does not hear the human voice. Of course, in distant countries, both flora and fauna are completely different. But the Russians have their own pride, we look down on the bourgeois. We are patriots. As the poet said, the stove pot is dearer to him, he cooks his own food in it. Whether business monasteries. At us they were taken under the bark. And around the world they stand like steadfast tin soldiers, safe and sound. And what would we do without them, would we not go abroad at all? But in India, both animals and flora are wonderful. For more than two weeks, we were shown only a scorched desert.

A few words about the guide Vishal, our Uncle Chernomor, although still quite a young man. The hereditary intellectual is so kind that no one has ever dared to play a joke on him, as sometimes happens. Knows Russian well. But in order to continue to improve in it, he specially flew to us from Delhi. It seems to be mandatory. Although... I asked him to exchange a few paper rupees for coins somewhere (a friend collects). It is much more difficult for me to do this even without knowing English. I promised and - I forgot, although I reminded him.


“Have you forgotten to tell about yourself, your beloved? ” - "Our guy" will be sarcastic. No, I remember. Moreover, it is also a contrast. More precisely, a corner into which he has driven himself with his principles. The fact is that I have long made it a rule not to change the currency on trips in order to quickly gain money for the next one. In India, he fell like chickens in a pluck. We approach the first church, the Hindu shows, you need to take off your shoes. And at the exit it requires five rupees, for ours less than tens - a trifle. But I don't have rupees. Somehow turned away. Before the second one, I refuse to go inside under the pretext that they are not allowed to take pictures (some kind of stupidity). Like, what's the difference, it's still the same, but without photos it will be forgotten very soon. And only before the third it finally dawned on me like a giraffe. Of course, going to the bank to change one dollar is ridiculous. But you can exchange with the guide. Enough for the rest of Indian life, even left.

“It’s ridiculous not to say anything about the route itself, ” the same “boyfriend” grumbles again. Perhaps. But after all, he said everything. About churches and monasteries. Although - there is one "besides". India is hard at work building roads to keep up with China. But it's futile. China in terms of road construction (and not only highways, but even faster railways) has rushed forward so much that no one in the world will ever catch up with it. In general, we will all soon become Chinese, who will survive. If Russia and the United States throw atoms at each other. No need to yell that I'll croak. Not at all. There are more than enough brainless Goldwaters in the US. And we are in a desperate situation. One can only hope that they will find sober heads who will be able to curb the madmen. This is first. Secondly, follow the advice of the wise: do what you must, and then come what may.

LEFT, RIGHT WHERE SIDE


The topic of tour operators, perhaps, should be considered separately. Let's start with the fact that in the middle of the route we were driven into the so-called white sands of Goa for four days. The sands are really white as flour, not only in color, but also in consistency. The foot is almost buried in flour and immediately turns white. In my opinion, no favors. In any case, one cannot even dream of any light tingling and useful massage like on real sand. And one hundred percent lack of infrastructure compared to Turkey and Egypt. Firstly, our hotel was on the third line after the coastal ones, which did not let us through their territories. It was necessary to bypass them for a kilometer along a narrow crack between high fences. Secondly, the coastal did not let strangers on their sunbeds. Which, moreover, without awnings, burn alive in the hot sun. The only option left is to take a dip in the ocean. But there all the time the wave overflows both in the nose and in the mouth, you will not relax. Whether it's the sea, which breathes calmly and lulls you like a woman on her chest. Not to mention the fact that in Egypt in the same winter months you can get all the pleasures even under palm trees three times cheaper.

But this is all a saying. The fairy tale began from the last day in Goa. In the morning, according to the program, a tour of Old Goa - East Rome. However, the local representative of the Indian host company Orange Travel only arrived at lunchtime to take me to the airport. Like, he doesn’t have any excursions in the program. But we have something written in the contract in black and white. Naturally, everyone became unanimously indignant. But if only we knew what lies ahead.

On arrival in Pune, the local guide did not meet us, only the driver. It happens. Just something and business, transfer to the hotel. However, we leave the territory of the airport - the driver stopped tightly. It turns out that he is from another city and does not know Pune at all. (I got to the port - I followed someone in the tail). We spent an hour and a half in the sun until Vishal got through to the local office of Orange. The young man who arrived immediately took us to the hotel, it turned out to be very close.


Be that as it may, we settled in at four o'clock in the afternoon. We decided to unload tomorrow's busy day and visit the museum today instead of tomorrow. According to the map very close, about ten minutes by bus. However, they wandered the streets for more than an hour and reached a given point only on foot. We rushed through the halls at a gallop through Europe, although there was interest for about two hours. But you need to leave at least half an hour of daylight to get to the hotel. However, both daylight hours and two dark hours have passed, and we are all circling around the city. It was then that our talkative one jumped like a magpie: “Gentlemen, we are passing the same intersection for the third time, I noticed. From it begins the street, at the end of which our hotel. Let's go on foot, otherwise he will take us somewhere again. Apparently, Vishal did the relevant work. The next morning they sent us another carrier. Who started by being two and a half hours late. All our time savings went to waste.

To finally appease the group, the owner of the "Orange" even left a bus for us along with a guide for Monday, which was listed in the program as a free day. Moreover, the hotel extended the check-out until 17:00 instead of 12:00. But four people had already left at night. Your obedient servant refused to take advantage of the generous gift. So go - whether (according to rumors, the markets and shops) only three. In the bus. Together with a guide. Absolutely meaningless additional, and, presumably, considerable costs of Orange. After all, the trinity could go to shops and markets at their own expense. Things would calmly lie down until the transfer in the hotel pantry. But these additional costs to Orange could have been avoided if they had fulfilled their obligations as expected "without a hint. "

By the way, such cases are not isolated, during the trips I came across many. Apparently they want to save money. And don't care about tourists. Indeed, what will they do? Well, some cockerel will crow, forty - white-sided, will write a complaint. Letter. To the grandfather's village. But God is high, and oh so far to the host travel company. Any complaint for them is less than an elephant's mosquito bite. Another thing is an article in the Russian press (Internet), which can be read by any potential tourist, especially the sending tour operators. Both of them will think hard before getting involved with unscrupulous partners. At the beginning of the current year, your correspondent was greatly annoyed by the Japanese host company Banzai. The article turned out to be sharp, which caused a lot of responses. To the credit of the sending company, the Miracle tour operator, he immediately abandoned the services of Banzai, finding another partner.


But you can't get enough of each tourist group of journalists. That is why tourists were and, it seems, will be held hostage by tour operators, even domestic ones, not to mention foreign ones, for a long time to come. For ten years of tourism, I have not heard a single example of at least one travel company being punished for dishonest performance of its duties. Although it should. Four years ago, at Astravel LLC, four months in advance, I bought a ticket to Canada - Alaska. The time of departure is approaching - but there is no Canadian visa. “We are not responsible for visas, your money has burned down, buy a ticket again, ” - without hesitation, they shrugged their hands in Astravel. I'm starting to figure it out. It turns out that Canada issued a visa three days before departure. But Astravel did not bother to receive it in a timely manner. Why? Apparently, they wanted money again. Say you can sue. But imagine many months, or even years, walking through our courts, the most just courts in the world. In addition, professionals work on the "other" side. The same Astravel can easily hide behind a line in the middle of a multi-page contract with a client, where it really says that they are not responsible for the visa. (Even if the visa was not obtained through the fault of Astravel, as in this case? Some kind of absurdity! Why then do you take money if you ruin the trip yourself? ). Our tourist is not a German, he will not subtract every letter. We trust specialists, we sign the contract almost without reading it. Unscrupulous entrepreneurs take advantage of our gullibility.

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I want to make a reservation right away: this chapter is not to condemn the Indians. Each Masha has her own manners and each has her own. By the way, it often echoes among any peoples. For example, theft. Of the seven (the eighth joined at the end), three were robbed in the first two hotels. One had euros pulled out of a suitcase when they were on the route during the day. Two more had dollars cleaned out of their pockets even at night, when the owners were sleeping. Of course, this also comes from poverty. A stonemason who hollows out handicrafts for tourists earns an average of three dollars a day. But in the same Madagascar, a woman selling tea - coffee and snacks from a stall gets 20 dollars. Per month! However, for the same two weeks of the route, not a single theft in hotels. Moreover, when at the end of the journey they returned to spend the night - to spend the night in the first hotel, one of our tourists was returned the scarf she had forgotten. True, they “forgot” to return my expensive sandals. But here it’s his own fault, he seduced someone, and they punished me.

Indian hotels are not far behind. For example, products from the so-called mini-bar, which are ten times more expensive than in the store, are mixed with already paid tea - coffee - sugar in the rooms. The tourist thinks that the additions are from the bounty of the hotel (this happens in the case of some kind of her anniversary). And only at check-out, he is bitterly disappointed that he believed in the "kindness" of the hotel. For the sake of truth, it must be said that such a "rationalization", apparently, is still not an Indian invention. I first encountered her about two years ago in China. And now it has already spread all over the world.


Another curious moment. Before entering a temple, in India it is customary to take off your shoes. To enter inside with clean feet. But often we take off our shoes in one place, and then, barefoot or in socks, we stomp to the temple along the same road along which goats, pigs, cows stomp with us and all types of transport travel. With what feet, then, do we enter the temple? Or is it important to keep the tradition?

By the way, about traditions. Here is a special song. Hindus have perhaps the greatest piety in the world. To get into one of the temples, one had to defend (naturally, barefoot) a multi-kilometer queue as to Lenin's mausoleum on the day of his funeral. And after all, they stand with families, together with children, often babies. (We only had enough for an hour, after which we voluntarily dropped out of the cage. ) But most importantly, for what? It turns out that in order to approach a television monitor, which is broadcasting a worship service to the holy wonderworker somewhere far away in another place. In front of this screen, the Hindus stack the obligatory bouquets of flowers (a good help for their dealers), at this monitor, and ask the saint for mercy, forgiveness of sins and deliverance from illnesses. All this in all seriousness. Well, just like in the still silent movie (starring Igor Ilyinsky) "The Feast of St. George".

History is far from purely Hindu. In Portugal, a few centuries ago, a shepherd fell asleep at his post and his wolves slaughtered several sheep. The guy, frightened, rushed into the village, shouting that the Holy Virgin (I think Mary) appeared to him in a dream, who promised a lot of good deeds to the locals. They immediately forgot about the sheep and, having dreamed of a miracle, they first set up a chapel, then a church. Since then, the cult of the "sleepy" saint has spread so much throughout the country that many temples have been built in her honor throughout Portugal. The most powerful of them is at the site of the first shepherd's dream. I watched the huge crowds of pilgrims to him with my own eyes. However, if you search, you can also find many similar examples in Russia.


And more about hotels. The further south you go, the more there are, because there are more temples and pilgrims. And the worse the infrastructure in them. It got to the point that the sheets in the rooms were already in some kind of stains, and for breakfast they began to offer us tea and boiled vegetables. Under a mournful, repetitive, hypnotizing melody of two notes recorded on tape, a prayer calling for the renunciation of everything earthly. So after all, the pilgrim does not need anything else. They can sleep on bare ground and eat meditation instead of food.

And lastly, for a snack. From the first hotel I asked at the reception if they had a sauna. They didn't even know what it was. The further south, the more hopeless were my inquiries. (Yes, and it’s understandable why there is a sauna in the tropics, if they already bathe for days on end). Therefore, in Goa he did not even hint about his own. And suddenly on the second day on the doors of the utility room I read in black and white: "SAUNA". It is in the Russian sound, because in the English spelling it looks a little different. Apparently, the hotel specializes in Russian tourists, for whom rest without a sauna is the same as a song without an accordion. I do not believe my eyes, I look: indeed, she is dear. So the remaining two days he stayed like a king at a name day. During the day I tanned the skin under the hot sun (next to the pool and awning). And in the evening I went to the sauna to squeeze out the accumulated toxins from the inside. Again next to the pool. In a word, bounty-rice is a delight. Or a holiday of the soul - a name day of the heart. Vladimir Antonov

Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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