Ooooof!

I wanted to put this down after reaching Bangalore, was too tired. So this might lack a bit of freshness , I will try my best.

Sat morning was quite uneventful, after the match rushed back, packed my stuff , showered, changed my clothes and was back on the street searching for an auto in 15 mins. The bus was supposed to reach Mehendipatnam at pillar number 53 of the Samshabad flyover. It took quite some time for me to decode this, the bus guy kept on telling "towards Attapur, 53 flyover". I wasnt expecting an address to reference a floover pillar. Managed to reach there by 8 PM the bus was due at 8:15. After checking with the staff if this is where the bus starts from, I dug into my backpack for the bananas and some bars. Soon the bus arrived and I got in, smeone came and checked my tickets I settled down with History of Tour de France , btw Tour de France started off as a newspaper advertisement, more of it later in the other blog.

After about 1 hr into the ride, the bus again stopped and another guy came and again asked for the ticket. I was really irritated, some of your folks have already checked, why are you checking it again ? handed him the ticket, he went off with it came back after some time, I knew there was something wrong, all thsi while he was chatting away with some other guy on phone, the only word I could understand from that was "Chalapathi" that was my travel agency !. I was sure there was something amiss, maybe a case of doubling, same seat 2 tickets , it has happened before, but thats his headache.

The guy then comes over and tells, this bus goes to Vizag, you have a Banglore ticket, you have to get down here!. What the fuck, didnt you verify my ticket in Mehendipatnam. "You have to get down here, take this number, this is the driver of our other bus that goes to Banglore , if you rush you probably would be able to catch it at Shivrampally chourastha".


So I call this other guy and his first question was
where are you now ?
I dont know, I had just got down from the bus, I ask people around what is this place ? Imagine the look on a guy who responds to that question, You are here and you are asking what is this place ? From where did you land here from, the moon ?

LB Nagar thats it,
I am in LB Nagar now. Where is your bus?

It is just starting from Mehendipatnam.

Okey I am on my way to Shivarampally , you just wait for me .
Whats teh bus number ?

243, all our buses are painted similarly, you wont have trouble, locating it.

okey, was this tip printed overleaf in the ticket, or maybe you guys should do as tehy do it in flights, some pretty face tells all teh passengers that look all our buses have teh same color scheme,so please note down our color combination, if our bus breaks down in the middle of teh road, you wont have trouble flagging down teh other one. Now we request you to get down and inspect the color combination first hand.

yes, I said I will find out. but you wait for me.

Next thing was to catch an auto.

250 are u mad ?
100
are you coming,
I am in a hurry cause of that I am ready for 150 even though normally I wouldn't have paid more than 100.

I think it helps if you are confidently laying down the terms, they understand your nonnegotiable standing and dont stretch. One of them agrees, I jump in. How far is Shivrampally , how long will it take ?

30 mins

Bhaiya jaldi karo please

On the way I call up the driver of the Banglore bus again, this time he says there is no place , its ur problem, you have missed teh bus and I cant help.
What teh fuck
Your guy promised that I will get a seat in this bus of yours. It was the mistake of your guy he didnt point out that I was in the wrong bus even after checking my ticket. You spoke with me 15 mins back and promised me a seat and now you say you have no place ?

You have to be a bit aggressive . that was my best bet .. I was ready to travel even on a stool. I was determined to make it to the concert somehow... but he just cut the line.

There I was ...I am sure the bus is not going to wait for me, and I dont have any other ways to reach Banglore and my cell is now complaining that the battery is almost empty.I decide to call Chalapathi travels, explain him the situation, he listens and then asks for the number of the driver, I give him the number and he cuts the line and my cell is now dead.

"Full charge your cell before you travel"

I reach that chourastha , ask guys where the banglore bus stops and he just tells, thats the banglore road and the buses goes that way, you wait there, I pay the auto and run. There is a Diwakar bus standing , I run across the street, ask if there are any tickets left, he asks where ?
Banglore
he says Okey. I get into teh bus. Last row, not bad I cant really complain now.

My next problem is I don't have cash to pay for the ticket. I decide to come clean upfront, I tell the driver about my situation, he tells me to get down, I convince him that I have the moey, I was holding my ipod in one had to give the impression that I can pay up!. I plead with him, that I have to reach Banglore , I will leave my abg with you and withdraw the cash and pay you up.

He says okey, after a while he stops and points me in the direction of an atm, I go there take out the cash and thats it, I was so thriled with this adventure , somehow pulled it off, I will probably brag abt it to guys back in hyd over the next weekend .. look you know what happened ...

Last Weekend I was travelling .... hehe