Trainspotting

This is a post from when I was working. I used to travel a fair bit and unexpected things would often happen. In this post, I recount one of the more unusual adventures I had, while trying to board a train from a small town.

The interesting thing about my work is that a lot of interesting, unexpected things happen. Some of these are fun on the spot, for some I spot the fun much later. One of my recent train journeys is definitely something in which I saw the humor much later. Much, much later.

I had to board a Jan Shatabdi train early in the morning from this town in Punjab. I recall from previous attempts that I had to run for my coach in the train in the past because nothing is marked (unlike the Delhi platform where the train comes to stop at specific points for specific coaches). The coaches in trains are connected but I often get confused and so I always aim to board my coach. I had thought the confusion at the platform was bad. I was wrong. 

This time, my horrors had no end. In a quick list, because otherwise my expression of woes here knows no end:

1. The train didn't come on the platform side. There are three tracks but only one platform. Another train was already parked at the platform. So this train was on the second set of tracks.
2. You had to lug your luggage through the first train by the platform and tumble down gracelessly to the other side of the tracks, to board my train.
3. The ticket counter people, thinking I might fuss, if they told me the reality about how to get to the train (I look fussy, especially at 6 in the morning) lied and said we are getting this train moved (the one at the platform). When the entire platform emptied of people, I figured the deception and followed the crowd. Through the entrance and exit of the train by the platform.
4. Standing at the tracks is not fun. Especially when it is 6:20 in the morning, you have luggage, and while nothing else may run efficiently, your train will stop only for 2 minutes. Exactly 2 minutes. I am not even going to start on this.
5. The train came. I was obviously 10 coaches away from where I had to be (everyone else miraculously disappeared into their coaches, this being some kind of inside system that I was no privy too).
6. Here I made my second mistake (my first was to ever get a ticket on this train. I had options. I had been told to plan better. I could blame no one.). I started walking/running/falling towards my coach. I also kept tripping on the tracks. The shoes I was wearing are made for only indoor walking. With every stone my mood soured and my panic increased. The train blew its whistle. I wanted to lie down there and give up. Except I was by the train tracks and even that was a bad idea.

I stopped at what I thought was finally my coach. The door was shut. No big deal. Except when you are 5 feet and some inches, carrying luggage, this means your head barely makes it to the floor of the train. So I hoisted myself up, pushed open the heavy door, threw the luggage in, fell in and swore, and swore and swore some more. I entered my coach and swore as badly as I could without getting into the family side of cuss words. Decent Punjabi travellers were quite scandalised. I wanted to kill someone. Also all this happened as the train started moving. As a reminder, I hate last minute panicky travel. I never board moving vehicles. At that moment I lacked the training to undertake this sort of train travel.

So when the ticket collector came and asked me why I was in the wrong coach, I scolded him and replied snarkily who can board the right coach in 2 minutes, when the train doesn't even stop at the platform. He withdrew quickly after helpfully pointing to my coach.

Everybody who has spoken to me ever since has got the whole story. In retrospect I can only imagine how funny I would have looked hoisting myself and my luggage to the train. At that moment I decided, I am never doing this trip again (please be listening, my travel stars).

You live and you learn. I never thought I would have to do this walking across tracks, boarding a moving train :). But I did and I survived and I suppose this is how adventures happen.