Another Journey

This journey doesn’t start with suddenly as this was a well planned one. Booked a bus ticket to go home well ahead. The Telengana issue started and they stopped the buses. So booked a train ticket as a backup which was on waiting list 93.

On 23rd after PC gave a different version of the statement on Andhra things became better and busses were released. As per 23rd status buses were going and there was no problem. I called up the reservation counter again on 24th to confirm if buses were going and then tried to cancel the train ticket. It didn’t work for several times, so tried it one last time and switched of the PC with out seeing the status.

On the way to bus depot I was thinking how good it was to have a backup ticket, even if the refund may not happen, the peace it gave was worth. Waited at the pickup point for more than an hour and then called up to the reservation counter to find that the bus has been cancelled. The refund of the ticket can only happen if I give them my ticket that day. Hmmmm now the other option left is the train. I don’t even have the ticket printed. And only 30 mins left in which I have to now print the ticket and reach station. I tried taking my chance at train at the loss of bus ticket now.

Asked my cousin who is travelling by the same train and had already reached station to print my ticket. Out of the blue got a call from my colleague Shamil, asking me to join for lunch. While speaking to him I realised that I have a printed ticket at my office desk which I did on the day I booked the ticket. I requested him if he can drop me the ticket in time. He started immediately with the ticket. Mean while the net connection was slow where my cousin was trying to print and I asked him to check the PNR and…… the ticket status is cancelled :D.

Now my friend is still on the way getting the ticket. I have decided that any cost I am going to go by this train as the buses are not guaranteed and not sure if I will get a ticket for night. Went and bought a general ticket. Shamil came, and I was feeling bad that I have to make him come for a ticket that is of no use. One more idea stuck and asked him to cancel my bus ticket and felt happy that his efforts didn’t go waste as it still helped me.

Met my cousin who have a confirmed ticket on the platform and made up my mind to get reservation even if he charges me high once I get into the train. Got into the train and into my cousin’s reserved compartment it is worse than a general compartment. No place even to stand. Went in search of the TTE to get a reserved seat but it didn’t help, met 3 of them but all of them no vacancy. But he allowed me to stay in the compartment and all other unreserved he asked to get out.

The TTEs changed at Tirupati but they too didn’t ask any thing. So after a long wait I got down at Nellore. Then took a bus home and reached by 12 am.

This is the cheapest journey home I ever did 101 + 27

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A memorable journey

All of a sudden I found that I have nothing much to do at office. Hmm again... All my trip blog entries starts with the same line.. Nothing comes to my mind coz they do happen like that only. Ok coming back to this. I made plan to go on the 15th  night and got the ticket reserved too. But now seriously thought if I have to take that risk of traveling unreserved and a break journey with no clarity of number of breaks in it. It all looked like one big uncertainty with nothing certain but the destination my home ?

Decided to go on this adventure. So packed the stuff by afternoon and went to catch any bus that comes and waited midway. Came to know have direct Volvo to Nellore during the same time. So set the max limit of 45minutes for the bus to come and waited. Luckily the bus came and driver gave the ticket too. Was quite happy and it was the last seat.

So now at least something became certain that I have only a single break. As soon as I got in the there was dispute between the bus attender and a elder man regarding some seat problem and the attender was not responding properly and so I supported him and got it resolved and that’s just the beginning ?

From there it started to have multiple arguments with the driver, the hotel where he stopped for dinner at 3:30pm, and almost in each and every bus stop it stopped ? Driver had a very terrible day that day and the attender too. And most of them were not his mistakes. After half the journey we felt pity for the driver and started supporting him when he was correct which I lead the arguments again form the front even being in the last seat.

Cos of all this arguments the fellow passengers became very friendly discussing out this stuff and it was very funny making jokes of the situations. At the same time we got delayed too

At last reached home around 11pm by which every just got into beds as they don’t know I was coming. Yeah it was a surprise and I didn’t inform them that I started afternoon instead of evening.

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