Mujali

I left the hotel at about 8:30. The manager gave me his number in case I had any troubles. Everyone here in Assam seems to be so friendly to visitors. They all want to help me find things and get around without any hassle. It's really nice to have that happen and not have people wanting things (actually money) from you in return.

And then I ran into someone who did want something in return. I was walking along the road to the transportation area so I could find a minivan or something of that sort to the ferry jetty to go to Majuli, possibly the world's largest river island. It was a long way and I wanted one of the public taxis, but I went across to what was a private one. He asked me where I wanted to go and I told him I was going to Majuli and I wanted to get to the public transport area. He said I wouldn't get a taxi from there and that he could take me. I tried telling him that that would cost too much and that the old bus terminal would be fine. He took me there and then asked for 50 rupees. Now I have no idea if that is the price that anyone would have paid for such a short journey, but if I had been a public taxi it would have cost no more than 10 and probably 5 rupees. And I found the price of 50 to be outrageous and told him so. I called him a thief, but I don't know if he understood that or not. And if it is the price anyone would have paid then I would feel bad, but I don't think it was. I think he ripped me off because I had committed the cardinal sin of not establishing the price before I got in.

I asked people where the public taxis to Nimatighat could be found and was told they were down the way a little bit. It didn't take long to find them and then, for the 45 or so minute journey to the ferry wharf, I paid 20 rupees.

Once at the ferry wharf, it was almost an hour before the next ferry was going to be leaving. So I looked about and amused myself while I was waiting. I saw the ferry fare table. Many of the things on the list were somewhat predictable: a bicycle, a motorcycle, oxcarts (empty), oxcarts (full), a basket of chickens, a pig, etc. Other things were somewhat more surprising. For instance I guess it is an often enough occurrence that people take an elephant on board that there is a fare for an elephant (which is rather steep at 907 rupees). And I really wonder how often someone brings a wild animal like a lion or a tiger on board.

And then I noticed that even on this fairly sparse shoreline...

...people still take care of mundane tasks like getting their hair cut.

In due time the ferry from the island arrived, carrying a guy I met when I was at Sonam's a week and a half earlier. He told me the island was really nice and people were friendly. Then he added that they were even too friendly. I wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that. He told me the place to try to find to stay and then he went on to his next stop. It was good to see him again.

Our ferry loaded up and off we went. I noticed that the river Brahmaputra is a very fast moving one indeed. Coupled with the surrounding landforms, which are really soft and sandy, the entire area must be very active geologically. While we were passing by parts of the island of Majuli, I witnessed bits or the soft shoreline breaking off and falling into the river. If Majuli really is the largest river island in the world, I don't think it will remain so. It is eroding way too quickly. I'm not even sure how it has lasted as a habitable entity for the 150 years or so the British have known of it. And the actual history of the island with tribes that have been there is actually a lot longer than that. Perhaps it was much, much larger in the past.

Once on the island at the ferry wharf, I was wondering how to go about getting to the town of Kamalabari. A guy approached me and asked where I was going and he told he could take me there. I asked how much it would cost and he told me 200 rupees. What? How far was it? 4 kilometers. I just laughed at him and walked to the waiting bus, which was headed in the same direction. It cost me 10 rupees. It gets annoying to have to deal with people who have been conditioned by the rich tourist who comes with money as no particular object and will pay for private transportation and that sort of special treatment. It gives the impression that we are all like that. And, of course, we aren't.

Once in town, I started asking around for the Natun Kamalabari Satra. I was told which direction to start walking. But I had not asked Matai (the guy I knew from Sonam's) how far it was to get there, or how to recognize it once I found it. I started walking anyway, hoping it would leap out at me. I got to a fork in the road and asked again and was told to bear right. I walked for a while and then asked again of an old man who was coming out of a laneway. He told me was in the wrong area, I needed to be on the other side of the river. I would have to go back to the fork in the road and cross the bridge that was there. I don't know exactly why I listened to him, but I did. I walked back most of a kilometer and crossed the bridge. There a guy on a motorcycle had seen me and was wanting to talk to me. He and I chatted for a few minutes and then I asked him how far it was to the Satra. He told me that it was across the river and in the direction which I had just turned back from. Argh!! I should learn. So I recrossed the bridge and went to the police station that was just there. I figured that just trying to wander around asking for this place was not a workable way to go about it any longer. I would need some kind of explicit directions and possibly a map. Police always know their areas well and so I felt they might be able to help me. And they were sooooo helpful. The captain sat me down and told me how to get there and drew me a nice map. He told me things that I didn't really understand, like I would be going along the road and I would see a house shaped gate. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I didn't want to insult him by asking over and over and over what that meant. I just hoped it would make sense when I saw it. He then offered me some tea, pretty much the standard way of greeting anyone in this country, or so I have found so far. We chatted for a while about where he lived and where I came from and what life was like for him here. He was very nice and it was a great sort of introduction to the island. And then off I went to find the Natun Kamalabari Satra. The map and the directions turned out to be very good.

And indeed the reference to the house-shaped gate did make sense when I saw it. :)

As it turned out, I didn't need to completely find the place. Just as I was walking up to the turnoff that I finally recognized, a minivan pulled out and stopped beside me. The driver asked where I was headed. He was the kid in charge of the guest house and had me get in and took me to the guest house and got me checked in and settled.

Then I set out for a reconnoitre of the area. I didn't actually see much, but it was good just to see daily life sorts of things happening.

I walked about for a couple of hours. I found the Assam Tourism lodge here, and it looks quite elaborate.

I then met another young man from the area named Papu. He chatted with me for a while and then said he wanted to meet me again. Everyone here just seemed to be so friendly.

On my way back to the guest house, I passed this office. I heard someone calling, but I didn't think they were calling me. Suddenly this boy on a bicycle rode up behind me and told me that a friend of mine had seen me walking by and wanted me to come. I wasn't sure what he meant, until he told me her name was Gili. This was a woman that had also been at Sonam's. She was doing some work and research for her university on the island. I knew that, and that she was staying at the same guest house, but I didn't think I would see her when I was out and about. Actually she is the one who saw me. I went back and spoke with her and her colleagues for a few minutes. She told me how to find some food for dinner, which was going to help because I couldn't find anywhere that served food, and I hadn't eaten in a while.

Then I headed back to the guest house. And on the way, I headed towards the afterglow of the sun after it had set.