Two friends from eons ago sit on a rusted iron bench on one of the oldest railway stations of Bangalore (Bengaluru now!? :P).
The elaichi chai has the sickly sweet taste of too much sugar that only the railway chai wallas have mastered. The loud blast of a honk from an oncoming engine interrupts the incessant chatter that never ceases between them. Coolies run past in a blur with three times their body weight precariously balancing on their heads.
Hampi Express/6592 Arrival:2115hrs
A creepy man in a guards uniform strips topless right in front of us and changes his shirt, the moment he begins to unbutton his trousers we look decidedly uncomfortable and stare fixedly at our phones.
Lesson 1: women traveling alone should put an effort into looking ugly. No skin showing, no form fitting clothes, no make up.
Lesson 2: travelers should try and speak the vernacular language. Stay away from strange accents and foreign sounding words. You will be conned.
Lesson 3: always carry something to do when the creepy man decides to do his thing. A book, music, a phone...anything!
Lesson 4: plan! As much fun as rushing last minute is, if you forget your camera at home or your phone charger or something equally important, you'll get stuck in unpleasant predicament. Totally avoidable.
The journey has just begun, and it promises to be epic.
Stay aboard!
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone
7 years ago
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