I had my bumpiest bus-ride yet, on unmade road (the other carriageway was under construction to S... Raja, passed a religious procession. No-one speaks English or Hindi here. Then shared landrover to Lonar village, then on back of motorbike to top of crater. (The driver wouldn't let me hold him, for fear of ridicule so this was very hairy!)
Wow, I hope the photos of Lonar do it justice. Met a local guy called Ramesh. He's a farmer, tour-guide and singer. (He demonstrated the latter and has a lovely voice.) He took me around the crater to all the temples, explaining a bit about the different gods/aspects that have been worshipped there for many centuries. He also took me to a lovely spring where we washed our feet, hair and bodies and I refiled my water-bottle.
He then took me by bus (it was so crowded that we had to sit in the cab - I was on the engine) to his family farm. He grows wheat, chillis, onions and mangoes. He also took me to his family home where his mum made me a glass of black chai and many of his family arrived to meet the stranger.
If you're looking for a guide to Lonar crater, contact Ramesh Saviram Rathole, Taluka Lonar, District Bulphama 07260 21608 or 221113.
We bussed back to Lonar village, ariving just before 6pm. There was no bus back to Jalna until after 7pm, so we jumped into a shared landrover to Sultanpur, from where there should have been regular busses to Jalna. Sipping mango lassi in the evening sun with a new friend was just perfect. There weren't any buses to Jalna, so after dark (7.30), Ramesh got me a lift on a lorry. Cue 3 hours of bouncing, Indian road madness and fear. There was a tollbooth just before the worst stretch of raod. At least we avoided the morning's completely unmade roads but around a third of the journey was on the wrong side fo the road to avoid potholes. For this journey I paid Rs50 (plus another Rs20 for an autorickshaw to Jalna's bus station so I could find my hotel). I gave Ramesh Rs500 so am now down to Rs150. Morals of the story: don't have expensive massages and don't travel without all your kit - there was a bus from Sultanpur to Aurangabad so I could have got to an ATM and food!
Back in Jalna, there were fires in the streets and much pinkness - it's Holi!!
© (except the blatantly ripped-off bits) Random Bozo 2006