Normally i’m a unplanned person and i never planned my travel ahead. So, most of the time i’m left with no other option than to travel in Bus. Also the distance of Railway station from my house in Chennai and Bangalore made me not to even think of traveling in train.
But in Madurai my house is less than a KM from the Railway station and also my friends say Train travel is much cheaper. Only then i realized Train is 300 – 400 times cheaper to Bus travel.
Then i booked my tickets to Madurai a day before in Tatkal and thankfully my tickets got confirmed. I was such a nerd that i didn’t know any nuances of railway terms and for everything i had to call my friend and disturb him.
Then i got a parcel for my lunch and i boarded my train. It was so crowded that people were standing and traveling and every time i got to stand near the door to stretch my legs i return to see someone sitting in my seat.
Then it was time to befriend fellow passengers and talking to them about their profession, where they belong to etc. Then we exchanged phone numbers and not even a single person has called me ever since.
In eight hours train reached Madurai and the Journey was mixed bag as i didn’t have any like minded fellow passenger. But i enjoyed the experience of traveling alone in a Train.
AnandNataraj 