Yesterday: From 'A' to 'B' (Location: India) - The Chronicles of Euphoric Adventures

Yesterday the 29th of March I left Darjeeling, where I had been staying for the last four months. By Jeep i drove down to the NJP station where I was to take the "Darjeeling Mail" train...so there I was waiting for an hour, for 8:00pm on PLATFORM 1...little did I know that there were two sides to platform 1 - A & B ...So while I was waiting on the 'A' side my train had actually already left on the 'B' side. So with my two heavy bags I ran all across the bridge to the other side to tell the 'enquiry' desk about what happened. Then they told me to go all the way back to the other side and cancel my ticket. So I ran (with my two heavy bags) to the other side and cancelled my ticket. Then they told me to go back to the other side (again with my two heavy bags) and buy a new ticket. So after buying the new ticket they told me to go run back to the other side so see if I could ask for the next train and yes I had my two heavy bags. So I jumped on the next train (not even knowing where it would take me or where to get off)

So there were no seats left in the 1st or 2nd class so I had to go onto the general side of the train. But there weren't any seats there either so I just sat and slept on my bags on the floor for the duration of the trip (around 10 hours!)
So the carriage I happened to hop on was FULL of some hindu or buddhist pilgrimage people and they begin to chant and make strange ace-ventura-type of sounds when the train took off and also a few times again. Yeah...I was scared.

So i barely got any sleep because I had no idea where to get off, checking for any signs of Calcutta. Some boys start to talk to me in 'Bengali' which i have absolutley no clue of. So what do I do? I start speaking Nepali. Thank God, one of the boys seems to understand and replied to me in Hindi, which somehow, mircaulously, devinely and all of the above, we managed to actually understand each other. So I felt a whole wave of relief so then we all decided to take photos :)

The next morning I ended up talking to another guy. He said he'd been watching me all night (creepy I know, but in this case it was kind of a good thing) Because he said there was something about me he couldn't quite understand. So it turned out that he was also from Darjeeling, therefore we were able to speak Nepali to each other. He told me that to get to the Calcutta airport I still need to catch another train and then a bus. I WAS NOT A HAPPY CHAPPY. But then he said to hop off the train with him and his friend and I could take an easier way instead. So we got off and they sent me off on an auto for just around 180 Rupees, a quicker and cheaper option. Thank God I was saved!!! Aiport here I come! :D

So I arrive at the Culcutta airport at 8:00AM and when I try to get in the guard wouldn't let me because my plane was leaving at 1:55AM the NEXT MORNING. I couldn't go anywhere because I had my TWO HEAVY BAGS with me...so i waited outside the airport for...wait...just wait...15 hours!!! I only had enough money to buy a bottle of water because 20 Rupees was no way near enough to buy aiport food...let alone a packet of mints! So there I was trying everything I could to fill my time. I read the whole book of "The Alchemist" by Paulo Chuelo, I read through my whole journal and all the letters people had written me and I went to sleep. So I was gettting REALLLY REALLLY REALLLY hungry...I prayed...Please God, send me a friend who will feed me!!! (hahaha no really...I said that)

So the constant buzzing and annoyances of flies were then replaced by the stinging of mostiquitos as darkness started to take over. Completely fed up I decided to move to a seat on the other side. There was a girl there and she was...... speaking on the phone...IN NEPALI!!! Afterwards I asked "Hey are you Nepali?" And it turns out she's from Kalimpong! So we begin to chat to each other and she became so happy because she can talk to someone in Nepali...and coincidently (or is it)...she was in a similiar situation as me...Her flight was at 4am the next morning and she had arrived at 2pm on this day. So she goes, "hey I haven't eaten, let's go find a place to eat"...so while bluffing (because I knew I had so little money) I said "SURE!" We then found some canteen across in the other building, I was able to buy 4 Samosas (5 Rupees each, YEAH BABY!) and...wait for it...(DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!)...She bought me fried rice and chicken curry...THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYER!!!

So for the rest of the time we watched India vs. Pakistan which porvided us enough entertainment. We then headed back to the airport where I fell asleep. I then woke up to the sound of colourful fireworks lighting up the sky, as ......if it were a sign of glory and celebration for me...because it was my time to check in for my flight!!! HALLELUJAH!!! As the fireworks danced in the night sky, I said goodbye to my new found Samaritan friend. I borded the plane, was fed very delicious food, dessert AND brandy ;) And now here I am in Thailand...airport...STUCK FOR 17 HOURS!!! Let the next chapter of the story unfold!!! ♥

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Mar 31th, 2011 at 06:26 am