Back to Kolkata

Depart de Dhanbad a 5hr du matin!!!!

Pourquoi partir sitot? Nous avions ete informe qu'une greve de 72hrs etait prevu dans le District de Jharkand et qu'elle devait debute a 9am. Le mot d'ordre etait que toutes les roues devaient cesser de rouler! cad les trains, les cars, les autos, les auto rickshaws et meme les bicyclettes.... La veille au soir des voies de chemins de fer avaient ete endomages afin d'empecher certains trains de circuler! Nous avions donc decider de quitter Jharkand avant 9hr et de traverser au plus vite la frontiere du West Bengal. Nous avons reussi.

Early morning 5am, the coach picked all the visitors and we left for Kolkata. Why so early? A 72 hour state strike was announced in the Jharkand district, two days ago and from information obtained, the strike is enforced from 9am and all wheels had to stop; that is, trains, buses cars, auto rickshaws, bicycles, etc…..the previous night some rail tracks were damaged so that trains would not run…..So we had to leave the Jharkand border and reach the West Bengal border before 9am. So we did.

Etonnamment tout etait devenu vert sur la route. Les rizieres etaient remplies d'eau et tout avait germe et verdi. / We were all suprised to notice that all the land were green. The rice had grew in a few days.

President Jean Yves profita de la longue route pour montrer quelques photos de Maurice a nos amis d'Amerique et les inviter a venir visiter notre magnifique ile qu'ils avaient quelques difficultes a placer sur la carte du monde. Une petite lecon de geographie a aide a passer le temps. / On the way back, President Jean Yves showed some pictures of Mauriuius to our fellow rotarians from USA and invited them to come and visit our island. They were quite interested with the "tuition in geography" as some of them still had some difficulties to situate Mauritius properly.

Le trajet du retour fut mouvemente! Pour une raison propre au chauffeur nous nous sommes retrouver a un moment, sur une 4-voies rapide, a toute vitesse ... en sens inverse .. ! La frayeur de notre vie! On arriva a Kalkuta sain et sauf.

The journey back, though on good roads, was as “risky”, due to the road code ethics of truck drivers and other vehicles on the road…..Have you ever witnessed on a four-lane motor way(two in each direction), one truck coming at full speed in opposite direction one the second lane of your side of the motor way? Our driver fortunately avoided a head on collision…..We reached Kolkata safely.

Le groupe se dispersa; Les americains prirent un vol pour Delhi avant de s'envolver pour les USA; 5 des Mauriciens partirent pour Mumbai, 4 resterent a Kalkota encore quelques jours. Nous sommes tous rentre change, enrichi et desirant partager avec le plus grand nombre de personnes possible cette experience riche et inoubliable!

The groups parted on different destinations, most Americans were travelling to Delhi for their onward journey. The Mauritians, 5 left for Mumbai and 4 stayed back for few days. We all came back to our country with the desire to share with others this richful and unforgetful experience!