Written
while hiding in a hotel lobby on December 24, 2013
I didn’t
plan on writing in detail about Khajuraho but crazy events warrant crazy long
entries.
Action, Drama
and Suspense at the Khajuraho Train Station
Coles notes:
I was caught in the middle of several angry men at the train station and things
were turning violent. I went ice cold and super smooth like Maverick from Top
Gun and successfully piloted my way through the situation. Still, things could
have gone south and I could have ended up in a police station or something.
What
happened yesterday morning en route to Khajuraho was just insane. With some
help at the Orchha station from a local who was also en-route to Khajuraho (Train
Guy), I boarded the correct train to our shared destination. Train Guy actually
worked in the tourism industry. He was a pretty cool dude and we chatted a bit
during the 6 hour journey.
Side note: I
was watching some James Bond on the train and every time a sexy love-making
scene came on, my neighbour would call everyone else over to crowd around my
laptop. It was pretty hilarious.
I was
expecting a hotel driver with my name written on a piece of paper to receive me
at the station. Upon getting off the train, I met the driver from the Surya
Hotel (Mr. Surya) on the train platform and we proceeded to exit the station.
That’s when another guy with a sign saying “Henry, Hotel Casa Di William” (CDW
1) came running up to me. Apparently, I booked a room at his hotel as well and
he was also supposed to take me into town.
The problem
was that while I did talk to both hotels while researching accommodations, I did
not remember which hotel I booked and I definitely did not reserve rooms at two
different hotels. I usually make a habit of writing down my accommodation
details before bouncing to another city but I forgot this time around (rookie
mistake). So there I was at the train station trying to figure out which driver
I was supposed to go back with. I was completely confused and taken off guard.
Mr. Surya
and CDW1 both asserted that I booked at their hotel. Before you know it, things
really escalated and the guys were almost getting physically violent with each
other. That’s when another representative from Hotel Casa Di William (CDW2)
joined the mix and, of course, he sided with CDW1. These guys were fighting
real hard for my business. Another five or six locals saw the commotion and
crowded in to watch the action. Seconds later Train Guy saw the mess and came
over to offer bringing me into town so I can figure things out from there.
Everyone was
shouting angrily to the point where they were physically pushing and grabbing each
other. It was almost like one of those immature high school fights except these
were adult Indian men. Things were getting seriously heated and I was right in
the center of it all. I was sure punches were about to be thrown. Khajuraho is
famous for its ancient erotic Kama Sutra carvings but being surrounded by ten
angry men at its train station was not the gangbang experience I was hoping
for. I knew I had to figure things out quickly otherwise I was in deep shit. If
I chose the wrong driver to follow, I could have dishonoured a reservation
commitment if not end up at some shady place to get mugged. However, if I
didn’t choose quickly, things would have escalated out of control.
Where it all
went down (I took this photo upon returning to the station the next night for
an outbound train ride)
Thankfully,
I can keep my cool under pressure. I recognized I was
ultimately the customer and was in charge of the situation. I shouted in a
commanding and dominating voice “EVERYBODY, BACK OFF RIGHT NOW AND CALM DOWN.” Everyone
literally took a step back in fear and cooled off a bit. I thanked Train Guy
for his help and assured him I had the situation under control so that he could
go back home to his family. Now to get to business, Sherlock Holmes style.
The only
hint I had to go on was the last number I dialled from my phone, which was
presumably for the hotel I booked. I called and there was no answer. The number
was 271144. CDW2 showed me his business card noting the number for his hotel as
271244. One digit off. Maybe I booked with his hotel after all, but I wanted to
be sure and started testing Mr. Surya. I told Mr. Surya to call his hotel and
he dialled a different number in his phone. The CDW’s got really aggressive
here “SEE! He’s not with the Surya Hotel. He’s a scammer. Do NOT trust him!!”
The shouting and shoving resumed.
Again, I
asserted myself and brought the temperature back down. I pulled out my laptop
to check my PDF Lonely Planet guide. Yes, in the center of a circle of 10 angry
men I was calmly booting up my laptop and perusing through a 1000 page PDF
file. Ice cool baby. It was like 2 minutes of extremely awkward silence. According
to the guidebook, 271144 belonged none other than the Surya Hotel.
So at this
point I was sure I had a reservation at the Surya hotel but I had to validate
that Mr. Surya was actually going to take me there and not somewhere to get
mugged. I was so sceptical of everything at this point. I called 271144 again
and nobody responded, so I had Mr. Surya call his hotel. I had to logical test
the shit out of the guy on the other end of the phone to make sure I was
talking to the same person who I booked my room with.
“What time
did I call you when I made the reservation?”
“What types
of questions did I ask you?”
“Which
restaurant is across the street from your hotel?”
Everything
checked out. I was going with Mr. Surya.
CDW1 and
CDW2 got outright aggressive at this point. They tightly grabbed my body and my
backpack to prevent me from leaving. “You’re wasting our time! Why did you book
our hotel as well. Give me rupees or else we will report this to the police!” They
were extremely angry and completely in my face. I had to forcefully make my way
to Mr. Surya’s rickshaw and get out of that situation. I did have a size
advantage over the guys and in the worst case scenario I was ready to drop them
if they got violent with me first.
It was a
pretty nerve racking ride to the hotel. I kept my cool in the heat of the
situation but my nerves unwound afterwards and I was thinking crazy thoughts
like “what if they catch up to me in another rickshaw and jump into mine with a
knife?” I mean, I did just watch Octopussy the other day where that exact thing
happened. My headspace was in the shits. Mr. Surya told me he was pretty much
ready to start throwing punches.
Upon
arriving at the hotel, I explained what happened to the hotel manager. It
turned out some hotels in town don’t have much business and they will send
drivers to the station regardless of having a reservation in the hopes of seducing
tourists to their hotel. That explains why they sent two people to pick me up.
Things seem more believable when there is a corroborator, not to mention if
things got violent they had brute force on their side. It also explains why the
hotel kept asking me detailed questions about my arrival time when I called for
information.
I cannot
believe they tried forcefully coercing me to their hotel like that. I am
tempted to leave a bad review online but I am holding off in the event there
was an honest misunderstanding. If indeed that was a scam, it was the most
aggressive one I’ve seen between the 20 countries I’ve backpacked through.
Thankfully everything turned out okay in the end.
Lesson
learned: don’t give any of my information to hotels I’m talking to while
researching accommodations unless absolutely necessary.
How (Not) to
Build an Ecosystem for Tourism
Given it’s a
more touristy place, the touts in Khajuraho are outright aggressive. I can’t
walk 3 minutes around in this town without someone badgering me to buy
something from them. They’ll start off trying to make friendly talk like “where
are you from? Do you like India?” before making their intentions clear. Pretty
much every single local is telling me not to trust the other locals. I actually
love interacting with people and find it very uncomforting not being able to
trust anyone as I talk to them. They aren’t allowed past the gates of the
tourist sights so I find myself just making a straight dash to the “safety
zone” anytime someone starts bothering me. It’s really unfortunate how things came
to this.
Travellers
flock to places like Laos in Southeast Asia because of how amazing and friendly
its people are. There are no epic monuments or natural scenery to speak of in
Laos. In contrast, people avoid India because of this aggression.
I walked by
restaurant in Orchha where the shopkeeper asked if I wanted breakfast. I kindly
refused and he responded with “Ok, you’re welcome. Have a nice day!” I went
back to his restaurant later that day and was happy to give him my business (he
also gave me the mouldy 10 rupee note mentioned in my last blog entry... that bastard.)
Good service
is good for business. If tourism sector staff in Khajuraho worked
collaboratively to give good service rather than aggressively mowing each other
down on a daily basis for business, this place would be booming with tourists
ready to spend and there would be wealth for all to enjoy. Not to mention much
less stress for the touts as they try to screw each other over.
Some of the
more interesting interactions:
- · One tout followed me for 15 minutes in trying to get me to visit his shop. I went to a barber shop for a haircut and he was literally sitting there waiting for me to finish. I politely declined him many times before pulling my special last-resort move: “Look, I am Chinese and I do not have money to spend. You are wasting your time with me. Go outside and find someone with a white face. You can earn more money from them.” He left shortly after.
- · A rickshaw driver offered me a ride for 50 rupees to the train station where all other drivers were offering 150. I originally accepted but texted him later to turn him down because it seemed too good to be true. He showed up at the hotel anyways to pick me up and I had to hide in the lobby (as I wrote this blog entry) to prevent him from coming in aggressively. I saw him later at the train station. He had to go there anyways so that’s why he offered a good price. I turned down an honest deal because of all the other scams in town.
- · I had probably forty people try to sell me something over the last 2 days. It’s too intense and I honestly feel like a shallow walking ATM in this part of the country. I literally felt anxious every time I stepped outside of my hotel.
A Heart
Warming Realization
During my
first day in Khujaraho, Mr. Surya (his name is JP) took me around to some of
the more distant temples for a reasonable price and then invited me to his home
for dinner. He has a beautiful family and also takes care of his
nieces/nephews, so overall he is responsible for 4 children. After spending an
entire day with me, he earned about $10 worth of business from me which is
actually a good day for him. From there, he has to pay for gas and dinner. It
is hard to believe he is able to support such a large family on so little
money.
JP’s
daughter, niece and nephew by the campfire in the background
JP making
dinner
I had a
great time spending time with his family. I worked on my Michael Jackson dance
moves with his nephew and watched some Bollywood music videos with the rest of
the kids. I enjoyed the delicious dinner him and his wife prepared in the wide
open courtyard of his home. This was the first time I got an “inside look” at
the life of someone who works in the tourism industry in a developing country.
Yes, some of
these folks can be annoying if not aggressive, but I get it now. I still don’t
feel bad for the times I’ve been rude to touts, but I do carry a greater level
of understanding because of this experience. They’re just trying to get by like
the rest of us. If anything, their stakes are higher because they don’t have
big savings accounts like some of us.
The Rewards
of a Painful Experience in Khajuraho
I have been
blessed with the opportunity to lay eyes on some of the finest temples in the
world in Khajuraho. The seamless combination of architecture and artistry into
a feast for the eyes is just awe-inspiring.
Sunset behind an eastern temple
Amazing Vishnu statue
Just incredibly artistic and detailed carvings
Men getting friendly with a horse
Doing my best solo Kama Sutra pose
Hank the Travelling Domo getting in the action
Just beautiful
An Update on
the Sticky Situation
45 minutes
of scrubbing later I managed to get 80% of the mysterious sticky substance off
my bag. I have never dealt with anything like this before, it’s like perma-sticky
super glue. It took a combination of soap and pulling individual sticky bits
off to clean it out. I think I need hot water to melt the rest off. Something
like this happens during every trip. Backpacking is full of surprises.
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