A journey to remember !

I've a very bad habit of never to book return tickets from back home. This irritates my mummy papa a lot as the holidays come to an end, we've to rush to travel agents for tatkal bookings, look for options on net, discuss which routes to take in case direct ones are not available....and thus waste lots of precious relaxation time ! Special thanks to Air India to launch direct flights from pune-Gwl. We would be highly obliged and thankful if you could reduce some fat money from the exorbitant amount(8000 INR) charged for a single trip !!!! Please bring it down to some payable level !!!!

Anyways, so this isn't about the rates discussion of newly added flights of air India. I want to write about the last experience I'd of my train journey. As usual, I was running on last minute bookings for return to pune. The agent very confidently said " Yes Madam ! i'll book you a confirm ticket in 3 AC Goa express in tatkal"..."Are you sure?? Please tell me before hand if there's any possibility otherwise"....."Arrre no no madam! we are the leading travel booking agency in Gwl...haven't u heard ! 3 AC goa it is ...confirmed ! just send me the advance"......pheww relieved I was ...I could finally get some agent in Gwl who boasted and performed his duties well....My mother now jumps into picture and very confidently went to the agency and paid advance with a word of advice for him " you said Goa so only goa ...no jhelum" (Frequent rail travelers would understand I'm talking here about trains!)

Forgotten about the bookings I was involved with my household chores. But finally when the tickets came the idiot (sorrry but I'm really angry on him) got me booking for sleeper class !!! Oh I was so furious....My mother convinced me that it wasn't all that bad as I thought.....I cud survive 22 hrs there plus I didn't have any other option.....

Ok so here my train journey commences....I track down my compartment.....hmnn not far from the door....mummy papa already did find it and stood at the window near the platform.. There were 4 labour class worker type of ppl (sorry again...but this is what looked from the appearance),a middle aged man not so interested in anyone around, a south indian uncle at the side lower and one not so newly married couple at my seat having their dinner. I asked them if it was their seat. They ignored and continued having puri- bhaji. Only after their meal was finished did the guy answered it wasn't. The other 4 guys were sitting opposite were looking at me constantly. I looked at my mother through the window and conveyed her telepathically "See!! where u got me now??...Its too hot to bear for 22 hrs...plus uncomfortable".....before my mother could reply with her eyes...the train started blowing signals...and it was time to leave !!! I bid farewell ! and started to lock my suitcase and sat near the window. I committed the blunder of wearing jeans. It was deadly hot......and I was literally twitching with sweat !

The train was overfull.....ppl were lying down on the floor even to rest.....I was almost awake whole cursing my luck for the lower seat coz right beside me on the floor laid 2 junkies one of them who was constantly trying to figure out different ways to touch...uffff.....the opposite side were 2 other idiots who were staring as if they had just beeen given eyes.....

The next day of the journey was a little more enjoyable coz the motley crowd was joined by an old lady....she was wearing a torn untidy suit which was stitched up in patches, had her hair short and was speaking in English !!! She asked everybody from where they boarded, whats their destination, what do they do and all sort bio data stufff....and claimed she was a social worker herself and preached some important things of life like conserving water, helping the poor, she even scolded one poor guy for talking on phone for loong...lol

One other guy later told us humorously that she even asked him for his address and promised she would visit sooon....lol.....hmnn that guy was even more irritating....He tried cracking jokes mostly to the whole compartment which was empty by then except me and one more old person that "the aunty" told him that she was visiting a friend in Goa...and tried to make us SEE THE POINT !! He blabbered constantly about how he didn't pay TT extra amount for a seat and survived the night sleeping here and there...and also irritated all the water bottles sellers by stopping them by, asking for the price and showed genuine surprise when they said 15....."10 me doge kya?"...."kya saab aap bhi naa"....everybody left...finally he got a water bottle at 12 INR from a station and stopped every bottle seller and showed his newly acquired cheap bottle :P. The irony of the situation was that he was constantly criticizing aunty emphasizing how irritating she was...LOL..

All and all it was one hell of a night and one torturous day !! Glad its over :)

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