Train Experiences

I hate travelling in a bus. The stink of the metal, and many other things never failed to make me puke. Until recently, i could never get through one without emptying! Trains, I love. The actuals goofs used to happen once i land at the destination. Though, i was sufficiently warned about the conning capabilities of the people at train stations, confronting with the situation head-on is the same difference as theory and practice.

So, once instead of going to Hyd directly from Chennai (after my sem ended), i decided to take a detour.Vijaywada and then to Hyd. I got down at the railway station. Taking my couple of bags, i strode outside. Assault from all sides, these guys are professionals, like a pack of raptors on a prey, they were on me in a flash. I tried to get away from them. A few followed me and finally one guy persisted long enough. I thought this should be easy. He had a rickshaw ( three wheeler), i told him to take me the nearest hotel. I guess many people have this feeling in an unknown land. You have a kind of perpetual dejavu, until you realise that this guy is taking you round and round the same roads.Finally, after sometime we reached this hotel and asked me for 50 bucks. After a bit of haggling, i had to give in. In the evening, i came out for a stroll. At the corner, there was tea shop. I went there and Lo, Behold there was the Railway station!!.

I had never visited Delhi before. I was to take a flight from Delhi to Austria for a paper presentation. Con Levels in Delhi are much more than vijaywada, apart from Vijaywada being my mother tongue land.Not as bad as mumbai, i hear. I reached Delhi at around 5:30 in the morning. Different place, similar thing. Somehow this guy extracted from me that i was going to the Youth Hostel to stay. He persuaded me to the nearest phone booth and punched the youth hostel number. He asked me to talk to the Youth Hostel guy. I asked him if there was any accomodation available.He told me they did not have any rooms left. Dejected i let this guy take me to some gujrathi hotel. It is not that they charge you more or anything, but it is just that they get you there no matter what. After my head cleared, i realized that this guy did not call the youth hostel number. He had called his friend, i gave up against such inhumane brutality.

Then again, i was going to Hyd. This guy was selling tea. I took one cup and give me a 50 note. He told me he didnt have change and will be back to give me the rest.I nodded. By the time, i finished nodding, i knew what an ass i had been!