Trying to catch the train

At 5:45 in the evening we had to catch our train ride to Jaisalmer from Delhi. Due to some time wasting on our part, we were a little late to the train station. Getting to a train station late in India is a bad idea. I recommend against it.

First, it's a place of total chaos to begin with and second, most everything is written in Hindi. The station has 16 different platforms and we didn't know where ours was. We asked these two men who looked like they worked there and they told us to go to platform 16. So we race on down to 16. We walk up and down the entire length of the train and see nothing that says we belong there. So we walk down platform 17, again nothing. So we ask some one and that person says platform 10. Now our time is running short so we scurry along, big huge backpacks and all. We walk up and down the length of platform 10 and realize that it's not our train either. Awesome.

So we ask yet another person, but at this point I've given up hope. He tells us to try platform 10. So we race up the stairs and back down the stairs to platform 10. On the sides of the trains, they post the names and seating arrangements for every car. So Ash and I are racing up and down the side of the train trying to read all these dittos taped to the sides.

Amongst all this chaos and noise and people and smells and fumes, we finally see a little piece of sanity. There at the bottom of a ripped up piece of paper falling from the side of the train we see the words that are so familiar to us, "Ashlee Dixon seat 18, Kevin Maddrey seat 19" It's amazing the feeling that seeing those simple names gave us. We get on the train and set ourselves down for a night and a day on the train.

How much to the train station?

So catching a taxi or a rickshaw ride in India is always an adventure. When we left Kovalam, we needed a rickshaw to the airport. Rickshaws are little three wheeled vehicles. They are open on the sides, but have a roof and there's enough room for two people and two big backpacks. Although you can also see a group of six Indians all packed into them as well.

Since we were carrying our large packs and walking down the strip to the place where the cabs all hang out, we were walking targets for salesmen. People come up and bug us for rooms. 'Nice room, only 200.' ' You need room?' 'Clean rooms, western toilets.' This one rickshaw driver came up to us and bug us the whole way. I had my price that I would pay because I asked someone else what a fair price was. He was saying 'No no no... it's this far, two people, big packs, etc.'

I told him that's fine, you can go give someone else a ride. He bugged me long enough that I decided to give him a chance. We drove to the city and he stopped across the street at our hotel.
"Our hotel is over there on the other side of this busy street." I didn't want Ash or I to have to lug our packs across this mad house of a road. He said there was no parking. I was annoyed cause I could have taken another car taxi that offered the same price, but I thought this guy was alright. It just shows that you never know. All I can do is work with the information I have at hand. If the guy turns into a scrub later, then that's his fault not mine.

In Delhi, I had a price in mind when I needed a ride to the train station. So I was asking around and people come bombard you from all sides. Asking for rooms or to eat in their restaurant or for rickshaw rides. I just ignore them most of the time and avoid eye contact. Sometimes I'm rude as can be, but for the most part I try to be polite and silent.

Although there was this one annoying guy who ran up right in front of me bugging me about a room I think, I didn't pay attention and I walked into him, pushing him and I think he fell into the dirty street. I didn't notice though. That was his fault for walking right in front of someone and annoying them.