Bihar Sharif with a staff person from NNM
I needed to find a place to get some pictures developed. Whenever I have needed most anything, everyone has always said I could find it in Bihar Sharif. Unfortunately, no one has taken me shopping in Bihar Sharif. People usually go and get what I need, which defeats the purpose of me learning how to shop in Bihar Sharif. Bihar Sharif is a big city as compared to the rural village I live in. It has been described to me as being very dirty, which typically big cities worldwide can be dirty.
I attempted to ride my bicycle to Bihar Sharif one morning, but upon arriving at the crossroads, I had decided that the traffic was too much to navigate around. I knew the bus and train went to Bihar Sharif, but I didn’t know how much that would cost. My friend with a motorcycle said he’d take me next time he went, but I didn’t know when that would be.
So, today a staff person told me he’d be visiting his wife in the hospital in Bihar Sharif. He has always been good at teaching me Hindi and telling me about things here in Nalanda, so I asked how he was going to Bihar Sharif and when. He told me he was going by bus after lunch. I figured that I’d have enough time between lunch and my 4pm class to go to Bihar Sharif, so I jumped at this opportunity.
We rode our bicycles into Nalanda and then caught the bus to Bihar Sharif. He told me that a one-way fare was cheh rupiya (6 rupees). At the crossroads, he pointed out the Pawapuri bus going in another direction. I made a note to make sure I got on the Nalanda bus when I returned. (It was my intent to wander around Bihar Sharif by myself for awhile, but that was not to be the case.)
We got off the bus near the bus station and immediately got into a three-wheeled taxi cart along with five other people. The city was crowded with people and vehicles and shop after shop after shop. I saw lots of new bicycles, like one I had wanted to buy when I first arrived but never did. Near the hospital, we got out and I paid the driver 6 rupees.
Then we visited his wife in the hospital. I’ll post that experience in another blog.
To return to Nalanda, we got in another go-cart taxi. The staff person was accompanying me to the bus station and then he’d go back to his wife at the hospital. While we were driving past the shops, I asked him if he knew where I could get pictures developed, and so, we got out of the taxi and started walking around the shops. A monk from NNM greeted us and started to help us. He took me to two electronics/photo/mobile shops. As we were walking along the street, trying to avoid vehicles, bicycles, and people, someone bumped into the back of me. I quickly turned and laughed at the big, black, water buffalo that had bumped into me! Good thing it’s horns are curled inward!
Neither of the places that we visited could make pictures from my camera’s memory card, so the monk said that he’d get them developed in Rajgir for me. He also said that he had a car and would take me back to Nalanda.
While we were waiting for his friend to come join us before going back to Nalanda, the monk gave me his card. I found out that runs a tour company here for the Buddhist circuit and other tourist destinations, Dhammahansa Tours andTravel Company. He also visits Bangkok, Thailand. So not only was this my good fortune to have help with the pictures and ride back to Nalanda, but now I know of a travel company I can travel with and also another contact in Thailand!
Shortly thereafter, his friend arrived at the car. We bid the staff person, who had been waiting to make sure that I got safely back to Nalanda, goodbye and then we drove back to Nalanda.
I needed to find a place to get some pictures developed. Whenever I have needed most anything, everyone has always said I could find it in Bihar Sharif. Unfortunately, no one has taken me shopping in Bihar Sharif. People usually go and get what I need, which defeats the purpose of me learning how to shop in Bihar Sharif. Bihar Sharif is a big city as compared to the rural village I live in. It has been described to me as being very dirty, which typically big cities worldwide can be dirty.
I attempted to ride my bicycle to Bihar Sharif one morning, but upon arriving at the crossroads, I had decided that the traffic was too much to navigate around. I knew the bus and train went to Bihar Sharif, but I didn’t know how much that would cost. My friend with a motorcycle said he’d take me next time he went, but I didn’t know when that would be.
So, today a staff person told me he’d be visiting his wife in the hospital in Bihar Sharif. He has always been good at teaching me Hindi and telling me about things here in Nalanda, so I asked how he was going to Bihar Sharif and when. He told me he was going by bus after lunch. I figured that I’d have enough time between lunch and my 4pm class to go to Bihar Sharif, so I jumped at this opportunity.
We rode our bicycles into Nalanda and then caught the bus to Bihar Sharif. He told me that a one-way fare was cheh rupiya (6 rupees). At the crossroads, he pointed out the Pawapuri bus going in another direction. I made a note to make sure I got on the Nalanda bus when I returned. (It was my intent to wander around Bihar Sharif by myself for awhile, but that was not to be the case.)
We got off the bus near the bus station and immediately got into a three-wheeled taxi cart along with five other people. The city was crowded with people and vehicles and shop after shop after shop. I saw lots of new bicycles, like one I had wanted to buy when I first arrived but never did. Near the hospital, we got out and I paid the driver 6 rupees.
Then we visited his wife in the hospital. I’ll post that experience in another blog.
To return to Nalanda, we got in another go-cart taxi. The staff person was accompanying me to the bus station and then he’d go back to his wife at the hospital. While we were driving past the shops, I asked him if he knew where I could get pictures developed, and so, we got out of the taxi and started walking around the shops. A monk from NNM greeted us and started to help us. He took me to two electronics/photo/mobile shops. As we were walking along the street, trying to avoid vehicles, bicycles, and people, someone bumped into the back of me. I quickly turned and laughed at the big, black, water buffalo that had bumped into me! Good thing it’s horns are curled inward!
Neither of the places that we visited could make pictures from my camera’s memory card, so the monk said that he’d get them developed in Rajgir for me. He also said that he had a car and would take me back to Nalanda.
While we were waiting for his friend to come join us before going back to Nalanda, the monk gave me his card. I found out that runs a tour company here for the Buddhist circuit and other tourist destinations, Dhammahansa Tours andTravel Company. He also visits Bangkok, Thailand. So not only was this my good fortune to have help with the pictures and ride back to Nalanda, but now I know of a travel company I can travel with and also another contact in Thailand!
Shortly thereafter, his friend arrived at the car. We bid the staff person, who had been waiting to make sure that I got safely back to Nalanda, goodbye and then we drove back to Nalanda.
Next blog….The Hospital Visit
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