Bas Hotel Booking: Fill & Download for Free

I arrived from disorganised Bangkok and immediately felt at home as traffic was relatively light in Kuala Lumpur in 1983. KL was a quaint and charming little city in those days. Only four shopping malls - Sungai Wang/BB Plaza in Jalan Sultan Ismail ( it’s still there), Wisma Central (still there) and Ampang Park (recently demolished). There was a fourth where the Intermark now stands -Yow Chuan Plaza/City Square but it was demolished years ago.Nearly everyone spoke English, tallest building in what was to become the KLCC area was the Holiday Inn On The Park (now the Impiana).Everyone went to Treetops Bar at the Hotel Concorde (became the Hard Rock Cafe) and the Tin Mine Disco in the Hilton (now long gone).The major city airport was at Subang (still there) having moved from Sungai Besi which then catered only to the military and light private planes.There was no Monorail, LRT or MRT. Everyone used the pink coloured Bas Mini.It was a charming laid back hassle-free place with many of its institutions dating back to colonial days. The Padang (town field) still hosted cricket matches overlooked by the Law Courts and Royal Selangor Club (both still there).I also visited Penang on that trip but made the mistake of booking the Lone Pine Hotel at Batu Ferringhi (still there). Nothing wrong with the hotel but Batu Ferringhi is a long way out of Georgetown, without much except a pasar malam and the beach so didn’t have much chance to visit the town properly. It wasn’t a “city” in those days.But I met a lot of local folks everywhere I went who were unfailingly charming, friendly and straightforward. It felt so old-style British in those days. (Sorry Malaysians). It was love at first sight for me. Shocking - I know.

When I visited Delhi for the first time, I was conned by a travel agent.Disclaimer: A long, real story ahead.Well, it was august 13, 2014. I stepped down the train at the Old Delhi Railway Station at around 5 am.It was the last date for reporting in my college, and I was supposed to reach before 5 PM at my college in Jalandhar.The next train was to leave past 9 and scheduled to reach Jalandhar at around 4′ O clock.Having a poor faith in the trains, I was worried that I might not reach on the time because even after reaching Jalandhar, our college was far from the railway station.And when I checked on the internet, it showed that you can reach Jalandhar from Delhi in just 6 hours by bus. So I thought—it would be better to take a bus.I got out of the station and reached a travel agent's office just before the station, and I told him about the emergency.He assured me that he would get me a bus that would reach me Jalandhar at 2′O clock and showed me a picture of the luxury AC bus.As soon as I paid him the ticket, he disappeared from the office, telling me that he would be back in a few minutes.Well, the guy did come back until hours. I kept nagging the office boy who had no authority to ask his boss about his whereabouts. When I pressured him, he made an excuse that he forgot the diary at home in which he had got the phone number of his boss.Well, the agent showed up at 9′o clock, with a rickshaw-puller.I snapped at him which he totally ignored. And since I had no contacts in Delhi, and I was in an emergency, I found it unwise to retaliate. He told me that the rickshaw puller will take to the bus.It has been an hour, and the rickshaw puller was giving me a city tour, taking me round and round into unknown streets. When I would ask anything, he would say—”Bas pahunchne wale hain saheb.” (we are about to reach, sir)Well now that I know the city, I am telling you that he took 1 hour to take me to the Kashmiri Gate bus stand from Chandni Chowk, which is hardly a 10-minute commute.Anyways, I paid him the fare, and he pointed me towards an antique-looking bus.Until then, I had understood one thing that I have been conned. Still, having no other choice, I reached the bus-driver and explained to him the situation.“Just tell me when will we reach. I have an emergency (And I explained to him the emergency). I would book a taxi if you can’t take me on time.”He assured me that he would reach me Jalandhar at 3′o clock.The bus started at 11′o clock.It was 3′o clock and I was so anxious. My elder brother was calling me again and again, asking about my whereabouts and location. He had talked to the college authority who completely refused to entertain our request to extend the time of reporting for me.The admission coordinator had explicitly told my brother—”You think it is some kind of a joke. It is an NIT; we have rules here. If he can’t reach there by 5′o clock, he would be disqualified to take admission.”The bus stopped at a restaurant for snacks. I asked a boy, who was working, about how far we were from Jalandhar. He told me that it would take at least 3 hours to reach Jalandhar.My heart just sank. Still, I tried to deal with patience. I got on the highway and looked for a taxi.Since it was on the outskirts of Ambala, a taxi stopped after 10 minutes of gesturing. I bluntly asked him how fast he could take me to Jalandhar. He said 3:30 hours.I promised him to pay him extra money if he could reach me Jalandhar before 5′o clock by taking short-cuts.He said—” Sir, this is the GT road, the shortest path. Even if drive at my full capacity, it would at least take 2:30 hours.”So, all my hope was shattered. I returned to the restaurant, brought some snacks, and sat down on the bus.My brother was calling me, again and again. I just switched my phone off and sat by the window and tried to accept the situation that nothing could be done now.The bus started, and I was staring out of the window all the time, looking at the setting sun. The sunset seemed so bleak, and the wind coming on the face from the window wasn’t seeming pleasant, anymore.I convinced myself that I wouldn’t go back home if I don’t get the admission. I had already taken a double-drop after my 12th, and wasted time in “fun.”I had around 25–30k in my account. And I decided that I would do anything—giving tuition or whatever—but wouldn’t go back home.And it was funny that the bus wasn’t even going directly to Jalandhar. The conductor asked me to sit on another bus at a turn in Ludhiana. It was 6 PM.I was sad now, but indifferent. Anyways, I reached at Jalandhar at 8′o clock.I got out of the station, looked for a hotel nearby, and booked a room.Although those days I would spend nights on railway/ bus stations or roaming around, I booked a room that day because I needed a peaceful night to clear my head so that I could be ready for whatever comes the next day.After relaxing a little bit, I took a shower, went out, and took a stroll down the street.And while returning, I stopped by a wine shop and purchased two cans of beer. Then, I stopped by a restaurant and bought a delicious meal and returned to the hotel by 10′0 clock.I played music on the phone, drank beer, and chilled for some time. Then, after a break, I ate dinner.Then I talked to one of my closest friends, and I wished her a happy birthday and slept.I woke up fresh the next morning. Maybe because of the curd in the meal and cooling of the room that had made me sleep well.Then, I took a shower and got ready. Then, I check out of the room, took a taxi and reached the college.As I entered into the lobby of a big building, where the admission was, I saw the guard sitting on the reception chamber. He was an elderly man, probably in his 60’s, wearing a Sikh-turban.I went to him and explained the dilemma. He went inside the office and talked to the admission coordinator while I watched them from the glass doors.The coordinator called me inside the office and dialed a number and said—“Hello, Director Sir, Good morning. So, this guy came here for the admission to us yesterday. But, we had just closed down the office.“He was late because of some emergency. Should we entertain his request and enroll him?”I was surprised that he just had lied to help me.He hanged up the phone and turned to a subordinate sitting next to him, and asked her to give me the admission form.Because of a travel-agent, I couldn’t reach Delhi to Jalandhar in 12 hours, which is a 6 hours journey. If the admission coordinator wasn’t so nice, it would have cost me an NIT degree.The unsaid rule about Delhi—”Never trust a stranger here in Delhi—especially a bus-booking agent.”

In my two decades of experience in India, from North to South and in between, here’s my list of the top 10 things everyone should know before going there for the first time.Begging culture. From orphans to homeless to mafia-controlled syndicates to wandering mendicants seeking alms. Go in with your eyes open. Be prepared to give a little, or not. Consider that 25 cents US is equivalent to about 18 rupees. That will buy 2–3 samosa for the orphan or the homeless, 5 cups of chai for the mendicant. The syndicated beggars are harder to spot, and once you give to one, a crowd may gather around you for more. Consider bringing a bag of pencils or something else that the children may use in school. The giving of such a donation will find gratitude in the needing and be scoffed at by the rest; but they will not generally press the issue when they learn you are all about health and education and not just passing out free money. As well, sometimes it’s better to take one or three of those begging children, homeless or mendicants directly to a food stall or dhaba and buy them a meal directly as some may just be saving their coin for the next bottle of alcohol they can afford.Food. South style spicy. Northern not so much. Read up a little on the 6 tastes according to Ayurveda, the traditional Indian science of life and learn a bit about how they use their spices and seasonings. ・　In the west you may find chefs often reluctant to part with their recipes; not so much in India I’ve found and have always been greeted by the kindest cooperation when inquiring into how to prepare a dish. ・　Bottled water should be top of your list of priorities for health and hygiene, and make sure you check the plastic seals around the caps at purchase time; sometimes, not often, but sometimes they may be tampered with.Medicine. If you fall ill, local pharmacies sell antibiotics in low volume over the counter. ・　Hospitals and even clinics found in major train stations are top-notch. ・　Ayurvedic remedies work quickly and effectively on some things like stomach ailments or piles. ・　Every salon offering itself up as an ‘Ayurvedic healing spot’ is not, and you might want to inquire whether there is a doctor interned there if you are looking for traditional remedies, rejuvenation therapies like pancha karma or other. ・　Major producers of Ayurvedic medicines have ceased to use heavy metals; some of the minors have not. Get the straight skinny on the ingredients before using.・　In a pinch, if you come down with dysentery-like symptoms and there’s no pharmacy or clinic around, get yourself to a local sweets shop and order a couple plates of gulab jamun. Make sure the sweet syrup is amply applied. Drink a small glass full of the syrup - wacky remedy that seems for some reason to kill some bugs!・　Finally, if you happen to wind up sick whilst among the hill tribes, seek out a tiny bit of opium. Stick it under your tongue and let it dissolve. Sleep it off for a couple days.Money. Don’t pay for goods or services in advance if you can avoid it. The Indian work ethic is quite often different from what we may be used to in the west, or even the east. Very often, this difference may manifest itself as a disregard for punctuality. What is promised soon might not come for a week - unless payment is pending and then you may just get exactly what you wanted when you wanted it.・　Tipping is very similar to western practices. Give what you can afford depending on the service level you received.・　Black market rates for money exchange are rather excellent, a good several points above the bank rate. Keep your ears open for the street hustle. You’ll more likely than not be approached for whatever street needs you need. Otherwise ask directly around town. Somebody should be able to point you in the right direction. Black market operations are the best worst keep secret in town.Hotels. Expensive doesn’t necessarily equal good. Opulent might find winter rooms spacious but drafty. First class hotels don’t always serve better food than the local dhaba. Sometimes they do, but it’s not always a sure bet. Expensive hotels guarantee that you will spend a lot of money, but don’t always guarantee the best service. Budget hotels, airport hotels, city business hotels will see hot room service delivered to your room in good time and all your needs catered to just fine - usually - including international call service, money changing, taxi service, etc.Spirituality. Yoga ashrams are a dime a dozen these days. Gurus even more so. If looking for a body-mind oriented experience, try Rishikesh, where the abundance of ashrams and proliferation of teachings is such that the locals are tending to keep each other honest while competing for your business.・　Street pundits, fortune tellers, gypsy babas and self-styled teachers abound, often advertising their wares and services. A word of caution. Enlightenment doesn’t come canned. Shakti delivery services are unreliable. Kundalini is rarely activated by glance or touch and to expect differently is asking to be conned.・　Sit or wander with the sadhu. Various sects and personality exist; check them out. Many speak a bit of English. Many don’t. Some speak quite eloquently, at least on God and enlightenment topics. Be prudent. Some are wild. Some are quiescent. Some are awake. Some are totally lost. Some will take you for a fool and treat you the same. Some may take you all the way.・　Think outside your box. I once was approached by a group of wandering warrior Sikhs. Their leader and I struck up a conversation and wound up exchanging my rudraksha for his dagger.Books. Plentiful and cheap! Not only are the newer publications at least half price of what you’d pay in most other civilized countries, but new/used paperbacks are so abundant you’d swear you were in Europe. In the big cities that is. But even the smaller towns may have a good used book store where the tourists are known to gather. Not only on all topics Indian, religious and spiritual, but global pop-culture is readily availableCrime. Take the usual precautions you would in any developed nation. An Indian city may host no more or less than a Detroit or Berlin. ・　In Indonesia it’s commonly accepted practice to bribe the police if caught out for lesser offenses. Not so in India and you may want to be careful if you plan to overstay a a tourist visa, smuggle a brick of something, get rowdy in the street or other. Sometimes the grease goes and sometimes the works get all stuck up. I’d think hard about the risks. An Indian jail is not really where you want to spend time.Transportation. Cessna and light twin-props fly into the Himalayas for a couple hundred bucks. Well worth it! Buses make the journey between Delhi and Shimla/Manali in about 12 hours with a couple good rest stops for food and chai in between.. Tickets are generally about 20 bucks. Seats are plush and recline and a decent Hindi movie can be enjoyed for a few hours mid-journey.・　Auto-rickshaws will take you someplace for a tenth of the price of a taxi and are equally if not more reliable. Long distance taxi hires on the other hand are great for a several-days journey someplace. Make sure the driver is licensed for out of state travel. Might want to get someone at the hotel to help you out with this. You’ll be asked for toll, tax and petrol money up front. Offer to pay it as you go and get the receipts at each stop to avoid being scammed. A driver may take advantage of you, but will also quickly understand when he’s dealing with a more savvy passenger as well. But, safest bet will be Ola or Uber, assuming you will have a smartphone with plenty of data and data is cheap in India; consider buying a sim/data plan with least amount of hassle while exiting the airport when you arrive in India.Acha & thik hai (teekay). The latter approximates best to ‘okay’ or ‘fine’ while the former while similarly meaning ‘good’ is so versatile in its use as a question or distinguishing exclamation that one who is well versed in their appropriate use might just be mistaken for a native. Definitely recommend learning these two and having fun using them. Oh, and ‘bas’ (no more) for when the servers just wont stop piling rice on your plate. Also another versatile expression though.have a great trip!