The bus station at the Chandigarh was really busy and I decided to just wait there until it was light. If you get to a hotel before it is light they charge you for 2 nights. I didn't want to do that again, especally because I knew that the hotels here were expensive.
After a couple of hours I got a tuk tuk to my hotel of choice. The guard wouldn't let me up to reception until 8am. I sat there for an hour just to find out that they were full. In fact, all the cheapest places were full. I got a cyclo driver to take me to another place but it was way too expensive and just gross. At this point I had tried about 6 hotels. I felt that the best way to deal with this would be to just get on a bus to Delhi. I told the driver to take me to the bus station. He just wouldn't do it. He kept taking me to over priced hotel after over priced hotel. I just couldn't justify paying 3 times what I had been paying in this country for much less than I was accustomed to.
Furious I got out of the cyclo with my things and threw them on the ground. I then laid on top of them until he went away. This took about 30 minutes. I walked for a while and checked out a few more hotels. All too gross and expensive. A tuk tuk driver offered to take me to another place. Well, it wasn't the tuk tuk driver, it was just a tout who paid for the tuk tuk. On the way he was really handsy, but other than pushing him away I decided to not say anything. His offer of 500 rupees was the best I had had so far. He took me to a place I had already been and raised the price up to 600. I said no way and that I was leaving Chandigarh. I even yelled about how handsy he was in the tuk tuk. Suddenly the price went back down and I moved in. The price was high and the place was gross, but it did beat just heading back to Delhi. I also got a free ride to the city center from the hotel owner.
At this point I was famished and was ecstatic to find a Subway. Western food, American food, always cheers me up when I have had a bad day. I then headed to the Fantasy Rock Garden, my reason for stopping here in the first place. On the way I met a guy who claimed to be half Canadian. He then asked me what was all over my face. Seriously, that's how he worded it. I thought that I might have some of my sub on my face but said that its hot, that I get red when its hot. He said no, all the dots, are they all over your body? He meant my freckles. I tried to explain that I had a lot as a kid but they went away as I got older but seem to have resurfaced with all the sun I had been getting. What kind of rude question was that?!?! Freckles happen to be very cute and I am attached to mine and prefer it when they can be seen. What an asshole!
I then grabbed a tuk tuk to take me the rest of the way to the Rock Garden.
Shortly after entering I met a guy from Germany in India for his year of social service. We were starred at constantly and a few kids asked to pose for pictures with us. I thought it was creepy when some guys came up and wanted pictures with just me. I said no.
As Lonely Planet had said it was a bit like falling into the rabbit hole. Tree roots were tangles and there was an occasional waterfall. I liked the sculptures the best. There were animals and rows of tiny people. Everything was made out of rocks, broken plates and other reused items. It was really quite amazing, I guess that it was worth stopping here.
After seeing the rock garden I got a tuk tuk back to my hotel. The guy who owned the place and had given me a ride earlier was really on the creepy side. He knocked on my door and asked if he could come in. He wanted me to go out with him that night. I'm really glad that I was able to double lock my door from the inside. I'm getting really tired of India.
I spent the eventing watching movies on my ipod. I called it an early night though. I was exhausted from not sleeping the night before.
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