Day 125 (Thurs 9 Nov) - Sunderbans/ Kolkata
Up at 6.30am and went to the food area hoping for breakfast. No breakfast was provided, only cups of tea and coffee that we had to repeatedly ask for.
At 7.15am we set off on the boat back to Kolkata. At about 9am Subayesh, who had totally ignored us at this point, appeared and asked us to write on two blank sheets of paper our positive and negative aspects regarding the tour.
We informed him that we had no intention of writing such a statement and would instead send a detailed statement direct to Indian Moments. Subayesh repeatedly asked us to write this document. We refused. We asked him however where our written explanation was concerning the delays and mishaps endured so far on this tour; he admitted he had not written it.
We asked Subayesh to explain verbally what the delays were so that we could write it down. We started writing down what Subayesh said, who then became very aggressive and agitated. He demanded that we hand the pieces of paper on which we had been writing back and to write what he had asked. We refused. At one point this confrontation seemed to promise a bit of fisticuffs. We told him in no uncertain terms to bugger off to the back of the boat, where he'd been for most of the trip, as he was spoiling what was left of our trip.
Subayesh duly disappeared and we did not speak to him again until we reached Canning at 12.20pm. Subayesh told us to stay on the boat as he went on land. After about 20 mins Subayesh reappeared and asked Sarb to get off the boat so that he could speak by phone to the North East Indian representative for Indian Moments. Sarb spoke to this person and said that we would not be completing a hand written statement and would instead be sending an email to the head office of Indian Moments. The man at the end of the line became quite aggressive demanding that we complete a hand written statement. Sarb refused.
We then had to wait for another 40 minutes whilst we waited for the hapless Subayesh to organise a taxi ( [1], [2] ). This duly arrived and we set off for Kolkata at what can only be described at a rally car pace. How we managed to kill only one chicken on the way to Kolkata will remain a mystery to us; we must have come close to bagging a half dozen people, a few dogs and most worryingly almost got taken out by a lorry.
We got to Sealdah train station in Kolkata at about 3.30pm. Left Subayesh (thankfully) and dropped our main bags at the train station left luggage office.
We really needed a drink and so went off to the ICT Hilton hotel by autorickshaw.
Once there we all had a load of drinks and discussed the debacle of the Sunderbans tour. It kept us well amused. We reckon that Indian Moments had basically 'sold' us to another firm in Kolkata who then (badly) ran the tour. Hence why the 'NE Indian representative' desperately wanted our feedback to go to him so that he could cover his butt. We also felt that Subayesh was so incompetent that he was basically standing in for the 'real' guide who was probably doing a job someplace else. The three of us engaged in a highly entertaining crime solving conversation. In a nutshell, we reckoned that the NE Indian representative did it, with a mobile phone, in the pantry.
Had some grub at the bar and then got a taxi back to Sealdah train station. Got our bags and boarded our train.
We are in a 2 tier non AC class. Pretty basic. We all had a fairly uncomfortable nights sleep.
At 7.15am we set off on the boat back to Kolkata. At about 9am Subayesh, who had totally ignored us at this point, appeared and asked us to write on two blank sheets of paper our positive and negative aspects regarding the tour.
We informed him that we had no intention of writing such a statement and would instead send a detailed statement direct to Indian Moments. Subayesh repeatedly asked us to write this document. We refused. We asked him however where our written explanation was concerning the delays and mishaps endured so far on this tour; he admitted he had not written it.
We asked Subayesh to explain verbally what the delays were so that we could write it down. We started writing down what Subayesh said, who then became very aggressive and agitated. He demanded that we hand the pieces of paper on which we had been writing back and to write what he had asked. We refused. At one point this confrontation seemed to promise a bit of fisticuffs. We told him in no uncertain terms to bugger off to the back of the boat, where he'd been for most of the trip, as he was spoiling what was left of our trip.
Subayesh duly disappeared and we did not speak to him again until we reached Canning at 12.20pm. Subayesh told us to stay on the boat as he went on land. After about 20 mins Subayesh reappeared and asked Sarb to get off the boat so that he could speak by phone to the North East Indian representative for Indian Moments. Sarb spoke to this person and said that we would not be completing a hand written statement and would instead be sending an email to the head office of Indian Moments. The man at the end of the line became quite aggressive demanding that we complete a hand written statement. Sarb refused.
We then had to wait for another 40 minutes whilst we waited for the hapless Subayesh to organise a taxi ( [1], [2] ). This duly arrived and we set off for Kolkata at what can only be described at a rally car pace. How we managed to kill only one chicken on the way to Kolkata will remain a mystery to us; we must have come close to bagging a half dozen people, a few dogs and most worryingly almost got taken out by a lorry.
We got to Sealdah train station in Kolkata at about 3.30pm. Left Subayesh (thankfully) and dropped our main bags at the train station left luggage office.
We really needed a drink and so went off to the ICT Hilton hotel by autorickshaw.
Once there we all had a load of drinks and discussed the debacle of the Sunderbans tour. It kept us well amused. We reckon that Indian Moments had basically 'sold' us to another firm in Kolkata who then (badly) ran the tour. Hence why the 'NE Indian representative' desperately wanted our feedback to go to him so that he could cover his butt. We also felt that Subayesh was so incompetent that he was basically standing in for the 'real' guide who was probably doing a job someplace else. The three of us engaged in a highly entertaining crime solving conversation. In a nutshell, we reckoned that the NE Indian representative did it, with a mobile phone, in the pantry.
Had some grub at the bar and then got a taxi back to Sealdah train station. Got our bags and boarded our train.
We are in a 2 tier non AC class. Pretty basic. We all had a fairly uncomfortable nights sleep.
posted by Jo and Sarb at
11/09/2006 06:20:00 am
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