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Who Cancels A Train?
Posted by
jyoti
,
01 July 2008
·
23 views
Thursday, I was supposed to be leaving for a quick trip to the Northeast and to Nepal, tagging along with several friends who were headed the same direction. Thursday night, I caught an auto (rickshaw) at 9:00, meaning I would arrive at the station a full two hours early. Generally I wouldn't be so early, but I preferred being at the station rather than sitting at the side of the road at 10:30 at night.
The good thing about being so early was that I was one of the first to know that the train was cancelled. Ummm... .what? CANCELLED the guy sitting at the plexiglass window said into the microphone, his voice coming through the speakers so that everyone in the station would be aware what we were discussing even though he was sitting less than two feet in front of me. WHAT? Who cancels a train? Even the porter didn't really know what to do.
So I headed home... "I'll take you for meter and a half. Only 150!" An auto wallah said outside.
"Meter and a half is 120," I said.
"No, madame. 150."
"No, really," I said, trying not to roll my eyes. "I just got here 20 minutes ago. It was 120 for meter and a half..." He did a double take.
"You're not getting off a train? ... You just got here?"
"Cancelled."
So, I headed home, eating Kurkure (similar to Cheetos with curry powder instead of cheese) and saltine crackers for dinner--the snacks I'd gotten for the train. Then began the flurry to reroute the whole plan... except this time my friends had made other emergency plans, and I would be traveling on my own.
I am feeling a little wary of doing this trip on my own. The last time I traveled so far, I had people to meet me at the stations. And yet, I was disappointed to not be on the train! I really was looking forward to a few days with no internet, no power to run the computer, and the bag full of books I had set aside to read on the way.... I love the moment of a trip when the car pulls out of the driveway, the train pulls out of a station, the plane doors close and there is no turning back. Only, this time, I just got sent home!
Well, here goes... and I take the plunge again, buying new train tickets to try again in two weeks. I'll let ya' know how it turns out.
The good thing about being so early was that I was one of the first to know that the train was cancelled. Ummm... .what? CANCELLED the guy sitting at the plexiglass window said into the microphone, his voice coming through the speakers so that everyone in the station would be aware what we were discussing even though he was sitting less than two feet in front of me. WHAT? Who cancels a train? Even the porter didn't really know what to do.
So I headed home... "I'll take you for meter and a half. Only 150!" An auto wallah said outside.
"Meter and a half is 120," I said.
"No, madame. 150."
"No, really," I said, trying not to roll my eyes. "I just got here 20 minutes ago. It was 120 for meter and a half..." He did a double take.
"You're not getting off a train? ... You just got here?"
"Cancelled."
So, I headed home, eating Kurkure (similar to Cheetos with curry powder instead of cheese) and saltine crackers for dinner--the snacks I'd gotten for the train. Then began the flurry to reroute the whole plan... except this time my friends had made other emergency plans, and I would be traveling on my own.
I am feeling a little wary of doing this trip on my own. The last time I traveled so far, I had people to meet me at the stations. And yet, I was disappointed to not be on the train! I really was looking forward to a few days with no internet, no power to run the computer, and the bag full of books I had set aside to read on the way.... I love the moment of a trip when the car pulls out of the driveway, the train pulls out of a station, the plane doors close and there is no turning back. Only, this time, I just got sent home!
Well, here goes... and I take the plunge again, buying new train tickets to try again in two weeks. I'll let ya' know how it turns out.
