"STOP THE BUS!": (Jaiselmer, India)

Trains and buses stop an awful lot in India…that, or not enough when you're trying to get off if you're sick or you've missed your stop. And people stare a lot, not out of rudeness, just fascination. A brief bus stop from Jaiselmer to Jodphur allowed me to nip to the loo and then fetch some fruit. I got onto the bus with hoards of others and the bus resumed its journey. My darling American wife, unaware meanwhile that I was back on the bus, part of the mass of people jostling their way up the aisle, was screaming blue murder and asking random amused co-travellers who understood no English, to stop the bus. Whilst I attempted to shout assurances back in her direction, her own hysteria and the increasing amusement of the people in nearby seats prevented her hearing me and she was on the point of tears / attacking someone / climbing out the window, by the time I reached her. I like to think she was upset on account of my being left behind, but I think it was more likely the prospect of being left alone on a bus full of spectators. Being stared at can be amusing when paired up, but quite an ordeal when on your own, and female.