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デリーの空港を出て市内へ向かうバスに乗る所までは雑踏は見かけなかったが、バスを降りてからはカメラを持っている事さえ忘れてしまう位に神経を使う時間の連続、それで空港からのバスの写真を最後にオートリキシャの中からの動画以外は、この日はホテルに着くまで文章による説明に終わることをお許し願いたい。
空港からのバスの車掌に「ニューデリーの駅で降ろしてくれ、俺は初めてだから」と言っておいたので鉄道のガードをくぐった処でバスは止まった。「ここがニューデリー駅だ、降りろ」とバスを降りたが駅らしき建物はどこにも見つからないので「駅はどこだ」と聞いたら「この道を真っ直ぐ行け」とだけ言ってバスは行ってしまった。
仕方なく荷物を背負って歩くが、１０ｍ程の幅の道路両側は平屋の貧民街、道路にはオンボロタクシー、リクシャ（三輪自転車の乗り物、人力車が語源らしい）、オートリクシャ（軽三輪自動車タクシー）、体を洗った事が無いと思えるような男たち、埃だらけの裸足の子供、道路に放し飼いにしてある牛やヤギ、糞尿の匂い、腐った食べ物の匂いや雰囲気景色が私を緊張させる。
スリが多いと聞いていたから誰かが近づいてくる気配が無いかを注意し、現在地を把握し、するべき事の為に何処に行くべきか、どうするかを思案しつつ、ポケットを押さえて歩く。
この時点でするべき事は「今日の宿を探し、ムンバイまでの、ネットで満席と表示された列車の手配、アグラへのバスの手配とアグラのホテル、ムンバイのホテル等」、考える事や気を付ける事で頭いっぱいである。 I didn't see any crowds until I got on the bus heading for the city after leaving Delhi airport, but after getting off the bus, I was so stressed out that I almost forgot I had my camera with me, so I'll end this post with just text until I got to the hotel, except for a photo of the bus from the airport and a video from inside the autorickshaw.
I told the conductor on the bus from the airport, "Please drop me off at New Delhi station, it's my first time here," so the bus stopped just after we passed under the railway guardrail.
I got off the bus, told "This is New Delhi station, get off," but I couldn't find any building that looked like a station anywhere, so I asked, "Where is the station?" and the bus just said, "Go straight down this road," and drove off.
I had no choice but to walk with my luggage on my back, but both sides of the 10m wide road were lined with slums with single-storeyed houses, and on the road were old-fashioned taxis, rickshaws (three-wheeled bicycle vehicles, the word seems to come from jinrikisha), auto-rickshaws (light three-wheeled automobile taxis), men who looked like they had never washed, children with bare feet covered in dust, cows and goats roaming the road, the smell of feces and urine, the smell of rotten food, and the atmosphere and scenery made me nervous.
I had heard that there were a lot of pickpockets, so I kept an eye out for signs of someone approaching me, figured out where I was, and walked with my hands in my pockets, thinking about where I should go and what I should do to get to where I needed to go.
At this point, all I had to do was "find a place to stay for the night, book a train to Mumbai that was shown to be full on the internet, book a bus to Agra and a hotel in Agra, a hotel in Mumbai, etc." My head was full of things to think about and be careful of. This area is full of people who look like homeless people in Japan.
この地域は日本で言う浮浪者に近い姿の人がいっぱい。
インド人の名誉の為に言うとこの駅のこの地域が特別にそうであって、インドの貧しい人が全て浮浪者でないのはデリーから郊外に出て行くと判る。
飛行機と言う名のタイムカプセルで、現代日本から時代や環境の全く別の異次元の世界に出てきたように感じた。
何人もの同じ方向に歩いてる駅に向かってると思える中のマシな格好の人に聞いたら「こちらだ」と誘導してくれる、英語が判る人も変に親切な人には俺は騙されんぞと思いながら、200ｍ程で駅が見えた所で誘導を無視して歩いた。
駅前は広範囲に工事していて、私は地図で見た駅の北側に居ると判断して南側に行く陸橋を渡ろうとした。
陸橋はそのままホームにつながっていて、改札など無いが荷物検査をしていた駅員が「どこに行く？」と聞いたので「列車の予約をしたいがどこだ」と、「予約オフィスは工事中で閉鎖してるからコンノートプレイスにあるオフィスに行け」との事、思わず「ホントカ？」と聞いたから「着いて来い見せてやる」と工事中の「Tourist
office」と書かれた看板の前に連れて行かれて納得。（実は予約係は南側の駅舎にあったのだ）
仕方なく私は地図を出してコンノートプレイス（デリー中心部のオフィス街呼称）の場所を確認、その中にDTTDCと書いた場所があったので「そうだ、ここに行け」と駅員が言うし日本から持って行った地図にも政府観光局とあったので信用してしまった。
私を案内している間にも何回か携帯電話を掛けて忙しい人が案内してくれて申し訳ない気持ちになっていたが、更に目的地に行く地下鉄に乗る入り口まで案内してくれた。
地下鉄はトークンを買って乗るのだが、改札の通り方が判らないでいると通りかかったおじさんが教えてくれて、行き先を地図で示すとDTTDCなら私の会社の近くだと私をDTTDCのドアの前まで連れてってくれた。この人も駅で携帯電話で話していたが、私を誘導していたかは判らない。
This area is full of people who look similar to what we call homeless people in Japan.
To the credit of Indians, this area around the station is particularly like that, and it's clear that not all poor people in India are homeless when they leave Delhi for the suburbs.
I felt like I had emerged from modern Japan in a time capsule called an airplane into a completely different dimension of time and environment.
There were many people walking in the same direction as me, all heading towards the station, and when I asked a better-dressed person, he guided me, saying "This way." I wasn't going to be fooled by people who spoke English and were strangely kind, so I ignored the directions and walked on after about 200m when I saw the station.
There was extensive construction work going on in front of the station, and I decided that I was on the north side of the station as seen on the map, so I tried to cross the overpass to the south side.
The overpass was directly connected to the platform, and there was no ticket gate, but the station staff who was inspecting my luggage asked me, "Where are you going?" and I said, "I want to make a reservation for a train, but where?" and he said, "The reservation office is closed due to construction, so go to the office in Connaught Place." I couldn't help but ask, "Really?" and he said, "Follow me, I'll show you," and took me to a sign that said "Tourist office" under construction, and I understood. (Actually, the reservation office was in the station building on the south side.) I had no choice but to take out my map and check the location of Connaught Place (the name of the office district in the center of Delhi), and there was a place with DTTDC written on it, so the station staff said, "Yes, go here," and the map I brought from Japan also had the government tourist office, so I trusted him.
While he was guiding me, he made several cell phone calls, and I felt sorry that he was a busy person guiding me, but he also guided me to the entrance to the subway to get on to my destination.
To ride the subway, you buy a token, but when I didn't know how to get through the ticket gate, an old man who passed by told me, and when I showed him my destination on a map, he told me that the DTTDC was close to my company and took me to the front door of the DTTDC. This man was also talking on his cell phone at the station, but I don't know if he was guiding me.DTTDCに入ると「よく来てくれた、茶でも一杯どうだ」から始まり「必要な事を何でも言ってくれ、何でも出切る」と元気良い対応。
私はデリーで宿泊するホテル、アグラまでのバス、アグラのホテル、アグラからムンバイまでの列車の予約が必要な事を告げた。
ネットで列車の予約を調べると私が調べたのと同じ満席状態、隣のマトゥラ駅からならあると調べてくれ、残り３席「見つけた、やったぁ」と握手を求め私を調子に乗せる。
「ホテルはこれで行け、残るは何だ？」
ところで幾らと聞くと全部で百何ドルとなぜかドル表示、個別に価格をと言ったのにルピーならと総額表示、渋々単価を示したが日本でネットで調べて該当列車が３千円である事は判っているので一万円は高いし、デリーにゴマンとあるホテルのパンフレットが一つしか出てこない、何かおかしいと感じた。
駅で親切に話しかけ、ヒンドゥ語で携帯で話しながら私に行き先を指定した目的が読めた。
彼の言うとおりにしない事が判ると「何でも出切る」から「俺にはこれが全てだ」と替わり「ムンバイまでの予約が取れなければ帰れないぞ、残りは３席なのに」と、私が困る条件を押し付けて今までの笑顔は渋い顔に。
椅子を蹴って出て行きたかったが他に見つからなければ戻ってくるしかないと思って名刺をくれないかと言ったが拒否、疲れた体で荷物を背負いなおし力を振り絞って外に出た。
とりあえずアグラからムンバイは列車の席は満杯だが隣のマトゥラからならを残り少ない席がある情報を得た事だけでもここに来た成果はあったと思って次の手を考えることにして町を歩く。
アグラの隣にマトゥラという駅がある事もムンバイまでの路線がそうなっていることもこの時初めて知った。
寄ってくるやつは危ないから私から探そうと空車で走ってるオートリキシャを見つけて飛び乗った。流しで走ってて乗せてくれるのが偶然なら英語が話せるオートリキシャ運転手も偶然である事が後で判るが。旅に偶然が重なる事はあるものだ、今回は良い事が重なったのだが悪い事が重なるのもある話。
デリーの街は交差点はロータリーが多くて信号が少ないが十字の交差点のいくつかは信号がある。
ところが青から赤になっても後続が途切れないので青になった側は仕方なく出てくるがそれでも前に続く車が途切れない車、お互いに青の時間の半分しか通れない。
運転手にホテルを探せと告げ、リキシャ代を交渉、２０ルピーと言ったからＯＫして暫く走ったがデリーの地理は頭に入ってる運転手も英語表示の地図上で現在地が示せない。
同じ事は何人もの人がそうであり、ホテルのフロントの人でさえ、出かける前に聞いてみたが現在地は示せなかった。
結局バハルガンジー地域の７００ルピーの水シャワーのKUMAR PLACEクマールプレースホテルに泊まった。
When I entered the DTTDC, they greeted me cheerfully, starting with "Welcome, how about a cup of tea?" and saying "Just tell me anything you need, I'll do anything."
I told them that I needed to make reservations for a hotel to stay in Delhi, a bus to Agra, a hotel in Agra, and a train from Agra to Mumbai.
When I checked the train reservation online, it was full, just like when I checked, but they found that there was one from the neighboring Mathura station, and they said "I found it, yay!" and asked me for a handshake, getting me in high spirits.
"This will get you to the hotel, what's left?" When I asked how much it would cost, they said a hundred dollars in total for some reason, and even though I asked for individual prices, they showed me the total price in rupees. I reluctantly showed them the unit price, but I knew that the train was 3,000 yen from looking it up online in Japan, so 10,000 yen was too much, and there was only one pamphlet for a thousand hotels in Delhi, so I felt something was wrong. They spoke to me kindly at the station, and while we were talking on the cell phone in Hindi, I was able to read the purpose of the destination I specified.
When he realized that I wasn't going to do as he said, he went from "I can do anything" to "This is everything to me" and said "You can't go home unless you get a reservation to Mumbai, even though there are only three seats left", forcing me to accept the condition that I found difficult, and his smile turned sour.
I wanted to kick the chair and leave, but I thought I'd have to come back if I couldn't find anything else, so I asked if he could give me his business card, but he refused. I was tired, so I put my luggage back on my back and mustered all my strength to go out.
Anyway, I thought that just getting the information that the trains from Agra to Mumbai were full, but there were a few seats left from the neighboring Mathura, was enough to make my visit worthwhile, so I walked around the city thinking about my next move.
It was only then that I learned that there was a station called Mathura next to Agra, and that the line to Mumbai was like that.
It was dangerous for people to approach me, so I decided to look for one myself, and when I found an empty autorickshaw driving by, I jumped on. I later found out that if it was a coincidence that the autorickshaw driver was driving around and giving me a ride, it was also a coincidence that he spoke English. Sometimes coincidences happen on a trip. This time, good things happened, but sometimes bad things happen.
Delhi has many roundabouts at intersections and few traffic lights, but some crossroads have traffic lights.
However, when the light goes from green to red, the cars behind don't stop, so the car behind has no choice but to move forward, but there is still a continuous line of cars in front of them, so each side can only pass for half the time when the light is green.
I told the driver to find a hotel, negotiated the fare for the rickshaw, and he said 20 rupees, so I agreed and drove for a while, but even though the driver has the geography of Delhi memorized, he couldn't tell me where we were on the map displayed in English.
The same thing happened to many people, and even the hotel front desk staff couldn't tell me where we were, despite me asking them before I left.
In the end, I stayed at the Kumar Place Hotel in the Baharganj area, which cost 700 rupees and had a cold shower.
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宿に荷物を置いてチケットを買うべく旅行会社を探しに街に出た。
店先に旅行案内を置いていた所があったので入ったロイアルホリデーツアー。
I left my luggage at the inn and went out to look for a travel agency to buy tickets. I found a place with travel guides in front of the store so I went in with Royal Holiday Tours.
ホテルクマールの案内 シニルの名刺と彼のホテルの案内
 
宿泊したHOTEL KUMARと寝台列車の切符を頼んだロイアルホリデーツァー、オーナーはAmaxInnなるホテルも持っているとか、KUMARとは歩いて３分程の近くだ。それで彼のホテルに夕方飲みに行くことになった。
観光開発公団DTTDCとか州政府観光局などの表記は公認なだけで、その旅行社がボッタクリしない保障ではない。
私は街ににあった飛び込みで入ったロイアルホリデイツアーにマトゥラ−ムンバイ間のラジダニエキスプレス３等エアコン寝台を1500ルピーの所を3000ルピー払って頼んだ。
デリーアグラ間のバスも安いはずだが、総額5000ルピー払うことに、逃げられたら困るから全額払わずに2000ルピー払って予約金とした。
更に次の日の朝にホテルまで迎えに来てくれるタクシー観光案内が750ルピーと言うので頼むことにした。
ロイアルホリディツアーのオーナーと称するシニルSYNILと携帯電話の番号を確認し夜には彼の所有するホテルにてタダでビール１本と付き出しを出してくれたから、４千円ほどの彼の手数料は高いと思ったが良しとしよう。
後でビールを飲む約束をして街に出たが１時間歩いて方向も判らなくなり、タクシーやオートリクシャの空車を止めてニューデリーステーションと言うがヒンドゥ語で話して発車しない。
無理に乗り込んでも意地を張って判らないふりをして１０台以上に聞いたがダメ、流しは乗せてくれないのだ。商売気のない人達ばかりである
街は暗くなって心細くなり片言の英語を話す若者が寄ってきたので頼んだが、安いタクシーを紹介すると旅行会社に連れて行き、100ルピーと言うので彼を無視することに。いずれにせよルピー/￥2-を頭に入れておかないと判断がつかない。
Royal Holiday Tours, who booked tickets for the Hotel Kumar and the sleeper train, told me that the owner also owns a hotel called Amax Inn, which is about a 3-minute walk from Kumar. So we decided to go to his hotel for drinks in the evening.
The names DTTDC and state government tourism boards are just official, but they do not guarantee that the travel agency will not rip you off.
I booked a 3rd class air-conditioned sleeper on the Rajdhani Express from Mathura to Mumbai for 3000 rupees, instead of 1500 rupees, with Royal Holiday Tours, who I found on a whim in town.
The bus from Delhi to Agra should also be cheap, but I paid 5000 rupees in total, and I paid 2000 rupees as a deposit, instead of the full amount, because I didn't want to be scammed.
I also booked a taxi tour guide to pick me up at the hotel the next morning, which cost 750 rupees, so I decided to use it.
I confirmed my mobile number with SYNIL, who claims to be the owner of Royal Holiday Tours, and in the evening he gave me a free bottle of beer and appetizers at his hotel, so I thought his fee of about 4,000 yen was high, but I'll accept it.
We made a promise to drink beer later and went out to the city, but after walking for an hour I got lost and stopped an empty taxi and auto rickshaw, and they told me it was New Delhi Station, but I spoke to them in Hindi and the car didn't leave.
I forced my way in, but I was stubborn and pretended not to understand, and asked more than 10 cars, but it was no use, they wouldn't give me a ride on the street. They were all people with no business intentions.
It was getting dark and I was feeling lonely, so a young man who spoke broken English approached me, so I asked him for a ride, but he said he would introduce me to a cheap taxi, took me to a travel agency, and said it was 100 rupees, so I decided to ignore him. In any case, you can't make a good decision unless you keep in mind the rate of 2 rupees per ￥.
結局は初めのオートリキシャ乗場で２０ルピーの距離を７０ルピーと言い張る運転手に従うしかなかった。
インド政府が決める観光施設の入場料は外人用と現地人用の価格があり１０倍の差がある。
従って鉄道バス等の公共交通機関以外はタクシーでもリキシャでも当然のように外人用とインド人用の価格があり１０倍程の差がある。
レストランや商店、土産物屋どこでも私には外人用の価格しか出してくれない。
デリーとニューデリーがあるが、町の中心の一部分をニューデリーと称して呼んでいる。
東京の新宿を「新東京」と呼ぶような感じだ。デリー市と別の場所にニューデリー市があるわけでない。
デリー駅より数キロ離れた街の中心に近いところにニューデリー駅がある。
区別をハッキリするためにデリー駅はオールドデリー駅と呼ぶ。
宿に帰ってシャワーを終わるとロイアルホリディツアーのシニルから電話があり私のホテルまで迎えに来てくれて、彼の所有のホテルに行ってビールを飲むことになった。
空いている部屋で２人でＴＶを見ながら、白い味の無いチーズをつまみにしてビールを飲むが、余りに味気ないチーズは塩をつけて食べと教えてくれた。
ビールを２本ほど飲んで私は帰ったが、考えてみるとチーズや塩に睡眠薬が入っていてそのまま寝込んで貴重品を取られても判らない状況である。
一緒に飲んだシニルはホテルや旅行会社の所有者と言っても今日初めて逢ったばかりだし、疑ったり心配すると切が無いが旅にはいろいろ有る。
タクシーを捜していた時に寄ってきた若者はオウビエムと声を掛けてきたからアヘンを私に売ろうとしていたようだ。
In the end, I had no choice but to follow the auto rickshaw driver who insisted on paying 70 rupees for a distance that was 20 rupees at the first stop.
The entrance fees for tourist facilities set by the Indian government are for foreigners and locals, with a difference of 10 times.
Therefore, apart from public transportation such as trains and buses, taxis and rickshaws also have different prices for foreigners and Indians, with a difference of about 10 times.
Restaurants, shops, and souvenir shops all only gave me the foreigner price.
There is Delhi and New Delhi, but only a part of the city center is called New Delhi.
It's like calling Shinjuku in Tokyo "New Tokyo." New Delhi is not located in a different place from Delhi.
New Delhi Station is located a few kilometers away from Delhi Station, near the center of the city.
To make the difference clear, Delhi Station is called Old Delhi Station.
After returning to the hotel and taking a shower, I received a call from Shinil of Royal Holiday Tours, who came to pick me up at my hotel, and we went to his hotel for a beer.
The two of us watched TV in an empty room and drank beer with tasteless white cheese as a snack, and he told me that cheese that is too bland should be eaten with salt.
I drank about two beers and then went home, but thinking about it, if the cheese or salt had been laced with sleeping pills, I would have fallen asleep and had my valuables stolen, and I wouldn't know it.
Although Sinil, who I drank with, said he was the owner of the hotel and travel agency today, I had only just met him for the first time, and it would be pointless to be suspicious or worried, but many things happen on a journey.
A young man approached me while I was looking for a taxi and called out "Ou Biem," so it seemed he was trying to sell me opium.
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