Story: Beautiful Mistake

India is one big ass country, and as such, travel around it is half the adventure. That statement rings more true when you take into account that the only thing harder to find in India than a straight answer is a garbage can. Fresh off my hair-raising five hour bus trip back down the mountain, I learn that the train I was told would head my direction around five, wasn't actually going until 7:55pm. Nominal issue in India...I can kill time with the best of them. After following my tail in circles for a bit, I finally ascertain which train is mine and a kindly conductor directs me to an appropriate carriage, which is near deserted. Beautiful. A few hours later, a second conductor comes by wanting payment for the upgrade to sleeper. Normally I'd be cool with that being a big fan of sleep and all, but after he points out that I'd already paid for THREE adults and gives me shit for traveling without my two companions, I'm in a less than generous mood. Having been burned in India already, I made a point of checking the date, time, train number, etc on my ticket. Trebled passengers was not a scam I'd previously considered. Well, I'm not paying any more on top of what I'd overpaid and I'm not really inclined to move, so we resolve our stalemate by ignoring each other. At least I thought it was resolved, but apparently he just passed the buck to the second duty conductor who wakes me around seven the next morning to see my ticket. To be honest, I'm not a very good morning person to begin with and I definitely don't respond well to being bitched at first thing out of bed, so this train conductor go-around does not go well at all. I've already slept (kinda) and certainly am not paying now. So two stops later, the police come aboard and I'm booted back to third class cattle car. Well, some things just work out, and this was definitely one of those beautiful mistakes (a term I typically reserve for those accidentally snapped fotos that come out great). The back of the train is packed, but I'm welcomed as though a visting dignitary, with space promptly cleared for me and my rucksack. So many smiling faces was a welcome sight after my less than hospitable run in with Conductor Crabby, and it wasn't long before I was in the middle of the pack, a chillum was passed, and all was right with the world. The stop that was printed on my ticket, came and went without the train slowing down, as did the next one. Though my new travel companions implored me to join them all the way to Pune, I hopped out at the next stop (Kanwar). From there, a rickshaw delivered me to the bus station, where a KSRTC bus delivered me to a small dusty town where I awaited another bus to the next dusty town, where I caught a fishing boat for the short ride around the headland to my destination. Ahhhhhhhh...

Just like that, my mindset was back to positive. In India, I can handle the suicidal bus drivers and the filth and the beggars and even the touts, as I know where they're coming from and deal accordingly, but what really wears me down is constantly having to be on guard as nearly everyone dealing with tourists is scheming to screw you. THAT gets old...fast. But in an instant, getting tossed into a train car full of REAL Indians with genuine warmth and hospitality, all that bad energy turned in a moment. I wore my Kool-Aid grin the rest of the day. Thanks 3C Crew!!!!!