Travelling is one of those things I enjoy doing from the bottom of my heart. It is pure pleasure for me to go somewhere I've never been- see if I can survive there (without getting nabbed or molested), and just enjoy the beauty of being in a place where no one knows you. there is no need for pretense of any kind, no need to keep up an image, conform to norms. There's no one to judge you, point fingers or question. You are as free as you can be. I am as free.
It is just exhilarating.
Despite my obvious love for travelling, I don't get to travel much. Firstly, I'm a lowly student surviving on what my parents send and secondly, I get motion sick. Yes, for a traveller, its a curse.
But then this October, I discovered the amazing thing that is "train travel"- a prone-to-motion-sickness traveller's ultimate dream.
Well aside from all of that( I get distracted when i start writing and it gets difficult for me to get back to what I was originally trying to say), the trip I made this October was novel in a hundred ways. I'm sure it was one of those "experience of a lifetime" that people talk about. For one, I sure as hell had never experienced anything of the sort in my few years on planet earth.
Indecisive as I am, it was difficult for me to decide if I should or should not go to Calcutta after the exams. I still hadn't booked my tickets on the last day of exams (Saturday). But then my travelling partner decided for me by booking the tickets for Sunday.
The ticket was a joy to look at. We'd gotten it for Rs. 550 each. Our tickets said w/l 299 and w/l 300. We were no 299 and 300 on the waiting list. On reaching the platform at quarter to two on Sunday morning, my travelling companion attempted albeit futilely to get the tickets confirmed by the ticket-master. He very nicely told her that we could have the empty seats till 7 in the morning after which rightful owners would claim it.
At around 7:30 the next morning, we were nudged awake by said rightful owners. So we began to move. collected our bags(which were not small) and searched for refuge.
Earlier that morning when passengers were waiting for the train to arrive at the platform, my companion had gone "people hunting". People hunting is a situation where you look for sympathetic looking people who will kindly share their seats with you and let you sleep on their bunks. Sadly for us, we found none so accommodating. However, we did find a lady and her son who were willing to keep our bags with them while we traversed the length of the train looking for a place to rest our behinds.
So at about eight on Sunday morning, leaving our stuff with the lady and her son, we began our search. After moving across maybe 15 coaches, we still hadn't found a place. So deciding to be optimistic, we headed towards the AC coaches. Well, right when we were about to open the door to the first ac coach, an official looking man comes and ask us if we've got our tickets, to which we tell him we're just passing through. and then... we're very politely told(not) that we can't do that and we have to head back.
So we are going back to the mother and son and we have to pass the pantry car on the way. After crossing the pantry, we see an empty bunk, peek and then decide someone must obviously be here. So we decide to pass it up. Right when we're about to leave, a man pops his head out of the next bunk and asks us if we want to sit there and we say yes we need a place to rest our poor weary bodies.
By the grace of the Almighty, this man turns out to be the pantry manager and the bunk we peeped into turns out to be his. And he tells us that we can have it all to ourselves. We say our thanks and promptly jump onto the bunk. Ah! after hours of walking about in a moving train, it was bliss.
Well our good luck did not end there. Since we were considered guests of the manager, we were given special treatment by the pantry staff and provided with tea and toast made only for us. Can you believe that?? We also got our own custom made meals. Whatever we asked for we got. Who get's so lucky on their first train journey?
The experience made me realize that there are still good people in the world and that we don't have to be wary all the time. I am eternally grateful to the people who made my maiden train journey such an experience- one that I shall always remember.
After 24 hours more of the amazing hospitality, we reached Calcutta.
It is just exhilarating.
Despite my obvious love for travelling, I don't get to travel much. Firstly, I'm a lowly student surviving on what my parents send and secondly, I get motion sick. Yes, for a traveller, its a curse.
But then this October, I discovered the amazing thing that is "train travel"- a prone-to-motion-sickness traveller's ultimate dream.
Well aside from all of that( I get distracted when i start writing and it gets difficult for me to get back to what I was originally trying to say), the trip I made this October was novel in a hundred ways. I'm sure it was one of those "experience of a lifetime" that people talk about. For one, I sure as hell had never experienced anything of the sort in my few years on planet earth.
Indecisive as I am, it was difficult for me to decide if I should or should not go to Calcutta after the exams. I still hadn't booked my tickets on the last day of exams (Saturday). But then my travelling partner decided for me by booking the tickets for Sunday.
The ticket was a joy to look at. We'd gotten it for Rs. 550 each. Our tickets said w/l 299 and w/l 300. We were no 299 and 300 on the waiting list. On reaching the platform at quarter to two on Sunday morning, my travelling companion attempted albeit futilely to get the tickets confirmed by the ticket-master. He very nicely told her that we could have the empty seats till 7 in the morning after which rightful owners would claim it.
At around 7:30 the next morning, we were nudged awake by said rightful owners. So we began to move. collected our bags(which were not small) and searched for refuge.
Earlier that morning when passengers were waiting for the train to arrive at the platform, my companion had gone "people hunting". People hunting is a situation where you look for sympathetic looking people who will kindly share their seats with you and let you sleep on their bunks. Sadly for us, we found none so accommodating. However, we did find a lady and her son who were willing to keep our bags with them while we traversed the length of the train looking for a place to rest our behinds.
So at about eight on Sunday morning, leaving our stuff with the lady and her son, we began our search. After moving across maybe 15 coaches, we still hadn't found a place. So deciding to be optimistic, we headed towards the AC coaches. Well, right when we were about to open the door to the first ac coach, an official looking man comes and ask us if we've got our tickets, to which we tell him we're just passing through. and then... we're very politely told(not) that we can't do that and we have to head back.
So we are going back to the mother and son and we have to pass the pantry car on the way. After crossing the pantry, we see an empty bunk, peek and then decide someone must obviously be here. So we decide to pass it up. Right when we're about to leave, a man pops his head out of the next bunk and asks us if we want to sit there and we say yes we need a place to rest our poor weary bodies.
By the grace of the Almighty, this man turns out to be the pantry manager and the bunk we peeped into turns out to be his. And he tells us that we can have it all to ourselves. We say our thanks and promptly jump onto the bunk. Ah! after hours of walking about in a moving train, it was bliss.
Well our good luck did not end there. Since we were considered guests of the manager, we were given special treatment by the pantry staff and provided with tea and toast made only for us. Can you believe that?? We also got our own custom made meals. Whatever we asked for we got. Who get's so lucky on their first train journey?
The experience made me realize that there are still good people in the world and that we don't have to be wary all the time. I am eternally grateful to the people who made my maiden train journey such an experience- one that I shall always remember.
After 24 hours more of the amazing hospitality, we reached Calcutta.
No comments:
Post a Comment