Sunday, October 27, 2013

Arrived in India! // Feb 22, 1990

At last, the day of my flight to India had come.
I went to Hualamphong Station by tukutuku, or auto rickshaw, and then took a public bus to the Don Mueng Airport.
Riding in the various vehicles here was an adventure.
At the airport in Calcutta, I met a group of four Japanese girls.
They were from Osaka, and hadn't yet decided upon a hostel in which to stay the night.
Night had already fallen, so I made up my mind to stay at the same hostel as the girls.

We took just a step out of the airport and were immediately approached by many people trying to direct us to their taxis. It was a little scary, and I felt relieved that I was not alone.
The scenes I saw on the way downtown were just like something from a movie. I felt like I had fallen into a completely different world.

インドに到着!

ついにインドに飛び立つ日が来ました。
ファランポーン駅までは、トゥクトゥク(オートリキシャ)で、その後はバスでドンムアン空港へ。
いろんな乗り物に乗るのも、ここでは冒険です。
コルカタ(カルカッタ)の空港で、日本人4人組の女性のグループに会いました。
彼女達は大阪から来ており、まだ今夜の宿を決めていないとのこと。
外は既に真っ暗だったので、私も彼女達と同じ宿に一晩宿泊することに。

空港を一歩出ると客引きのタクシーがワラワラと寄ってきて、ちょっと怖かった。一人じゃなくて本当によかったと思いました。
町までの道で見た光景は、まるで映画のようで、全くの別世界に来てしまったような感覚に陥りました。

ファランポーン駅


Sudder Street

We planned to stay at one of the guest houses on Sudder Street (a famous area for backpackers in Calcutta).

We picked out a couple hostels from our guide book, but unfortunately, they were all booked out.
While we spoke about where we were going to stay, one Indian man approached us.
He told us that his friend ran a hotel, and that we could stay there if we wanted.
Normally, it's too risky to get involved in such a story, but one Japanese man was with him, and told us about how he was a good man, so we didn't need to worry about it.
He said he had also stayed at that hotel.
We had to stay somewhere, so we decided to stay there, provided that all five of us were staying in the same room.

サダルストリート

私達はサダルストリート(有名なカルカッタの安宿が集まる場所)のゲストハウスに宿泊しようと思って、ガイドブックからいくつか目星をつけていましたが、残念なことにどこも満室。
どこに泊まろうか相談していると、一人のインド人が近づいてきました。

彼の友人がホテルを経営しているので、そこに泊まらないかと言ってきたのです。
普通に考えて、そういう話は非常に危険なのですが、彼と一緒にいた日本人男性が、彼はいい人だから大丈夫というし、彼もそのホテルに泊まっているとのこと。

とにかく寝る場所を確保しなければならなかったので、5人一緒の部屋に泊まることを条件に、そこでの宿泊を決めました。

◆◇ Reference ◇◆

・Sudder Street(kolkata on wheels)

No comments:

Post a Comment