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How many times did we hear that?
One occasion that springs to my mind took place in Amritsar. Frank Lewis and a couple of others were held at the border from Pakistan into India to do with the coach, something about the carne was not right. I had moved on to Amritsar with the punters. After staying overnight at the hotel and no sign of the coach next day it was time to take action and move the passengers onto Srinagar.
The hotel manager (Bopi) recommended I go to the nearby train station to hire a local bus for the trip. Dressed in my best stubbie shorts, not ironed, a fashionable T shirt and my newest thongs I headed off to the main office within the train station. The head man was all dressed in his army type uniform complete with medals and ribbons while I organised a bus to pick us up. Several glasses of chai and the money paid he said the bus would be at the hotel ‘just now.’
Back at the hotel I had rounded up the passengers and asked that they assemble at the front of the hotel with their suit cases ready to go. Everyone obliged and within half an hour we are good.
About an hour passed so I went in to call the train station, with the help of our hotel manager. He said that there was no need to panic or ring as the bus was coming ‘just now.’ You would think I would know the Indian ways by now.
You guessed it after another half hour I am back to the reception desk to strangle someone. The passengers are still waiting at the front and are getting restless.
All up it took something like 2 & ½ hours for the bus to show that was always coming ‘just now.’
Since it was now late into the afternoon the trip up to Srinagar was going to be a slow, long one with the driver nodding off to sleep while I prodded him to keep him awake.
As an adjunct to this story I had reason to deal with a few Indians here in Adelaide to manufacture some tools for my business. They too failed to reach any deadline and got offended when, at one time I said, will that time frame be by an Australian clock or an Indian one? And he said don’t worry they are coming .......... ‘just now.’
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