So okay, yah, I've made it... But WHERE exactly did I make it TO? I could see the station and the pile of buses across the street, I was definitely in the right place... deep breath!!
It took me roughly 5 minutes to cross the street, first to the meridian and there to wait until there was a break in the 3 lanes of traffic on each side at the same time so I could frogger my way across. I can hear my mom in the back of my head (I tell you no lies!) every time I run across the streets here, lol, and I can hear that sharp intake of breath she takes (the one that goes along with her setting her fingernails deep into the dashboard when I slow down too quickly and she’s in the passenger seat) for every lane of traffic I cross with cars zipping by fore and aft.
Finally I hopped clear of traffic and found myself at Mohakhali bus terminal (not that I'd have known from any signs, because there wasn't ONE! I walked myself into the covered part of the station so I could collect myself (the 70-hundred or so men that suddenly were on all sides of me staring at me kinda unnerved me and I needed to hit the reset button).
I looked around inside, and there were NO ticket counters. Awesome. I have no idea where to buy tickets.
Well, what else is a girl to do but to ask someone, right?! I picked up my bags again and hauled my butt back outside. The horde of people (99% of them of the male variety) was there waiting for me, and I just plowed on through again with my sunglasses on. I wish I’d have taken a picture, but I’ll make sure I do next time I’m at the station if I take another trip.
Surveying the lot, tiny old wooden booths with chipped, peeling paint and mesh wire across the fronts with tiny holes to pass money through... all I could think was Awww $%#$@$! - everything is in Bangala, and I mean Everything.
About every 15 feet there was a new little caged booth with 2-5 guys behind it and one or two hanging out in front of it. Between those was little stands selling tea and snacks, including freshly cut and peeled carrots and cucumbers.
When I met someone’s eyes that didn’t freak me out I asked him where to find a bus to Birisiri. One game of charades and hand-sign jeopardy told me that I needed to go to the end of the aisle and turn left. Down the left was a very skinny dirty little aisle that eventually widened out to be just like the first, lined with ticket booths, snack booths, and hordes of curious men.
A jumpy, happy, and excited little moustachioed man came running up to me grabbing my arm, smiling and saying, “go! go! Where go?” and no matter how often I tried to wave him off and say 'No thankyou" his sparkly eyes and crooked grin stayed right there beside me.
I asked at another booth about a bus to Birisiri and the little moustache man (really, he was like, 4½ feet tall!) said “Oooh! Yes! Birisiri! Birisiri! Oohooh!” and then rapidfire Bangala to the ticket man who waved at me to go along with Mr Excitable.
I literally laughed out loud as I followed behind him and he dragged me between first one set and then another of ticket counters excitedly pointing up to the Bangala in the window “Yaaaah! Birisiri! Birisiri!!” He was like a puppy, hahaha, seriously like a puppy who just figured out how to fetch, it was very cute and I couldn’t help but smile, thank him, and pay the man the money.
As he handed me the ticket, he pointed at me, pointed at the ticket, thumped his open palms on his chest and said “no!” doing the same as he pointed to 3 of the other men around the window with a "no! no! no!". Me, quietly standing there and looking at him with a very puzzled expression: wtf is this guy trying to tell me? Don't talk to crazy men at the bus station??
Next he pointed to a grandma that was standing near me and said “ok! Ok! Yes, YES!” giving me a wide smile, big eyes and two thumbs up; he then frowned dramtically, shook his head, thumped his chest and pointed at himself and his friends again shaking his finger in my face saying “no-no-no!”
Lightbulb went on... translation? You - sit with woman. You - NO sit with man. Hahahaha, this is gonna be quite a ride, I can feel it already.
It took me roughly 5 minutes to cross the street, first to the meridian and there to wait until there was a break in the 3 lanes of traffic on each side at the same time so I could frogger my way across. I can hear my mom in the back of my head (I tell you no lies!) every time I run across the streets here, lol, and I can hear that sharp intake of breath she takes (the one that goes along with her setting her fingernails deep into the dashboard when I slow down too quickly and she’s in the passenger seat) for every lane of traffic I cross with cars zipping by fore and aft.
Finally I hopped clear of traffic and found myself at Mohakhali bus terminal (not that I'd have known from any signs, because there wasn't ONE! I walked myself into the covered part of the station so I could collect myself (the 70-hundred or so men that suddenly were on all sides of me staring at me kinda unnerved me and I needed to hit the reset button).
I looked around inside, and there were NO ticket counters. Awesome. I have no idea where to buy tickets.
Well, what else is a girl to do but to ask someone, right?! I picked up my bags again and hauled my butt back outside. The horde of people (99% of them of the male variety) was there waiting for me, and I just plowed on through again with my sunglasses on. I wish I’d have taken a picture, but I’ll make sure I do next time I’m at the station if I take another trip.
Surveying the lot, tiny old wooden booths with chipped, peeling paint and mesh wire across the fronts with tiny holes to pass money through... all I could think was Awww $%#$@$! - everything is in Bangala, and I mean Everything.
About every 15 feet there was a new little caged booth with 2-5 guys behind it and one or two hanging out in front of it. Between those was little stands selling tea and snacks, including freshly cut and peeled carrots and cucumbers.
When I met someone’s eyes that didn’t freak me out I asked him where to find a bus to Birisiri. One game of charades and hand-sign jeopardy told me that I needed to go to the end of the aisle and turn left. Down the left was a very skinny dirty little aisle that eventually widened out to be just like the first, lined with ticket booths, snack booths, and hordes of curious men.
A jumpy, happy, and excited little moustachioed man came running up to me grabbing my arm, smiling and saying, “go! go! Where go?” and no matter how often I tried to wave him off and say 'No thankyou" his sparkly eyes and crooked grin stayed right there beside me.
I asked at another booth about a bus to Birisiri and the little moustache man (really, he was like, 4½ feet tall!) said “Oooh! Yes! Birisiri! Birisiri! Oohooh!” and then rapidfire Bangala to the ticket man who waved at me to go along with Mr Excitable.
I literally laughed out loud as I followed behind him and he dragged me between first one set and then another of ticket counters excitedly pointing up to the Bangala in the window “Yaaaah! Birisiri! Birisiri!!” He was like a puppy, hahaha, seriously like a puppy who just figured out how to fetch, it was very cute and I couldn’t help but smile, thank him, and pay the man the money.
As he handed me the ticket, he pointed at me, pointed at the ticket, thumped his open palms on his chest and said “no!” doing the same as he pointed to 3 of the other men around the window with a "no! no! no!". Me, quietly standing there and looking at him with a very puzzled expression: wtf is this guy trying to tell me? Don't talk to crazy men at the bus station??
Next he pointed to a grandma that was standing near me and said “ok! Ok! Yes, YES!” giving me a wide smile, big eyes and two thumbs up; he then frowned dramtically, shook his head, thumped his chest and pointed at himself and his friends again shaking his finger in my face saying “no-no-no!”
Lightbulb went on... translation? You - sit with woman. You - NO sit with man. Hahahaha, this is gonna be quite a ride, I can feel it already.
HAHAHA! Charades AND Jeopardy! Oh girl, you reminded me of the time I had to take a taxi from one hotel to another hotel, as the hotel I needed to go to had a shuttle bus that ran from Gaundong to Shenzhen border with Hong Kong. I'll email the story.
ReplyDeleteI actually laughed out loud when I read this one. If I hadn't seen you early this morning looking so pretty and healthy I may have been a bit concerned. By the by, your brother and I had a recent conversation about the breath intake and dashboard grabbing of which you speak. You can imagine how that went :) All the traffic begs the question - Where is everybody going?? Love you Sweetie x0x0
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