OK, so on Wednesday and Thursday I have one of the more harrowing journeys of the trip. Most of the reason it's so complicated and annoying is that I didn't get my ass in gear and book the tickets when I was supposed to. Lesson to all of you. If you want to spend months traveling overland all over a foreign country, and you actually have things you want to see and do (as opposed to bumming around from backpacker chillout spot to backpacker chillout spot), BOOK YOUR TICKETS WELL IN ADVANCE. The other backpackers will be all laissez faire about it, "Oh, don't worry, man, it's easy to get tickets whenever..." They are full of shit (or more correctly, on their own trip that doesn't apply to you).
Anyway.
Wednesday morning bright and early, I'm taking a teensy and slow little steam train from Darjeeling down the mountains to Kurseong. This is something I inflicted on myself, but I'm really excited because I think it's going to be really beautiful. This is the train I described as a poncey heritage train the other day. Who cares, I love poncey "heritage" stuff. Who am I kidding? From Kurseong, I'll get another jeep back down to Siliguri to spend the night. Which doesn't thrill me, as Siliguri is basically just a transit point and I wish I didn't have to spend that much time there. But it's necessary, because...
Circa 7AM the following morning, if I'm lucky, I will be getting on a train back to Kolkata. I say "if I'm lucky" because this is the train I waited way too long to book and thus ended up waitlisted. Right now I'm 8th on the list, up 9 places from yesterday, and I have another day and a half to go. Chances are good I'll get a seat, but still, you know how much I love to worry about things.
The main reason I'm so worried about it and not just thinking "Oh, well, whatever, I'll get where I'm going somehow..." is that I have to get this train in order to make ANOTHER train Thursday night from Kolkata to Varanasi. Again, this is a train that (while at least I have a ticket!) I got stuck with because I didn't plan ahead. There's fully a train that goes directly between Siliguri and Varanasi -- it was just completely and totally sold out by the time I got off my ass and tried to book something. So I'm taking twice the time and 3 times the stress to get from point A to point B, all because I was stupid and listened to backpackers in Goa who were all "chill out, man, you'll totally get whatever train you want, whenever..."
And of course this is how I'm traveling to Varanasi (AKA Benares), which is definitely on the list of Top 5 Most Stressful Places In India. It has a reputation amongst travelers, at least, of being crowded, filthy, full of grifters and con artists, and incredibly intense. And this is where I want to go after 2 straight days of the most stressful traveling?
This is going to be an interesting few days... I think I'm just going to brace myself for the worst and keep repeating the folloing mantra -- I Can Leave Anytime I Want*.
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* That's "leave" as in go somewhere else, not go home. Are you crazy? Why would I cut my whole trip short because I was tired and hungry and lost and accidentally saw some half-cremated body parts in the river?
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4 comments:
Um, maybe if you'd write more. Ha Ha. Just kidding. I read every word you write.
oh yes, here and reading!
the land rover trip sounds amazing-- were you really clinging to the luggage rack???
Keep posting I read everything on my phone in my spair time. Its better than you tube.
Sara, I never miss what you write. If you stop, I shall have to call India Mike. Besides, it's all so intersting, and it makes me proud to be your mom.
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