Addendum to last post....

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The powers that be somehow have a way of making you eat your own words. In my last blog I asserted that I had become somewhat savvy on traveling via the Indian Railway system......uh huh. Not two hours after posting that blog, all of a sudden, my trip took a major wrong turn....literally.

So it's like this: I purchase a confirmed ticket in Chennai headed for Bhubaneswar in the north (which the computerized ticket clearly states). I board the train at 11:30 pm on Tues. Everything is cool for the whole night and next morning and then, right after writing the last blog, a guy comes up to me saying that he is confirmed or the same seat. We go to the train manager to sort it out (who is not very helpful) and after arguing back and forth for about 30 minutes he asks me where I am going. I say Bhubaneswar....he says the train I'm on is NOT GOING TO Bhubaneswar, or any where close to it. Then he proceeds to tell me to get of at the next stop and take a bus.....however the next stop/village is not even listed in my guide book, or on the map!! I try asking a number of different people, and everybody gave me different answers! AT this point we have reached the stop that he was referring to, and I have to make a split decision: stay on the train going the wrong way until I reach a city large enough to be on the map (and risk going farther away from Bhubaneswar)....or get off and see what happens. I chose the latter.

Immediately after getting off that train I started asking people about trains to my destination....several of them pointed to a train that was literally pulling out of the station and said I could catch a connecting train 2 hours south (another oposite direction). Again, stuck in the middle of nowhere......or get on the train and hope for the best. I chose the latter.

Turns out this train was a city train and took 4 hours to get to the city that MIGHT have a connection. By this time it's 8:30pm...dark...and I arrive at a train station in the middle of nowhere. I am told there is in fact a train to Bhubaneswar that will arrive at 11:00pm. OK, fine, at least I will be headed the right direction. So I wait for 4 hours.....5 hours.....6 hours.....oh, and in the meantime the power goes out to the entire village. So I sat on the ground in the pitch black with a handful of other people (3 of which I made friends with) waiting on the train. At 1:50 am it arrived.

After this train arrives I realize that it is completely full. I was told by one of the Indian friends I had met that we would have to stand......FOR 6 HOURS! About the time I was ready to crack, the train manager came through checking tickets. I explained to him my situation and INCREDIBLY and unexpectedly he escorted me to an A/C sleeper car!!! Halleluia !! I wanted to hug him. I managed to sleep for few hours and arrived in Bhubaneswar at 7am. At this point I am a day behind schedule and wanted to actually be in a town called Puri or religious festival. As exhuasted as I was I booked a 9am train to Puri and waited again for 2.5 hours or it to come. Well, this religious holiday is a big deal, so the train was packed....I was sitting with all my luggage on my lap for another 3 hours.

FINALLY, after 37 total hours of trains and waiting at stations I made it. As I filtered out of the train, I realized that the station was packed with people getting off trains...all heading to Puri for the festival. All looked weary from travelling...and I felt there pain. For a minute I felt like just another pilgrim headin for the temple...😉

This festival should be awesome. It's one of the most important Hindu gatherings anywhere. Oh, and Puri is on the beach. I'm satying at this old little beach bungalow motel. I like it....and best of all it's only 5 USD/night. Cheers!

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Photos

The middle of nowhere
This was the train station I sat at for 7 hours. Imagine what it looked like once the power went off.

First train diversion
Ater I first got off the train I hopped on this one. Nobody spoke english but 1 guy who told me I was going the right direction. This girl and her family got a big kick out of me...im sure I looked strange to them.

Comments

[jay]

With that you have been certified eligible to travel anywhere in the world! Congrats!