An eventful evening trying to reserve train tickets to Agra ended with reminding me why you should pay attention to the Auto-rickshaw driver.
Train tickets and why to book in advance
This weekend the plan is to meet up with my parents in Agra. I figured it would be an easy task to get tickets, not thinking about that the train might be all booked up just days before departure. Instead, I've started to think that everything will be all right, so no rush. Oh, boy did I learn more than one lesson about living in Delhi today.
First of, when wanting to reserve a ticket, you cannot purchase this in the same booth were you buy tickets to be used right away. Another side to this is that the reservation office is not even in the same building as the ticket booths! After some questionings, asking for directions I finally reach the Reservation of ticket office, where they tell me I have to go to another New Delhi Railway Station instead to get the foreigners quota! Finally arriving there, I arrive too late and since I'm not a tourist, but live in Delhi - I cannot get the foreigners, or better put, the tourist quota either.
This means that I'll just have to get a normal ticket, and apparently according to other people's accounts: fight to get onto the train. I guess I will just have to use my elbows, sleeking myself onto the train. I've done a lot of observations of that happening when people go on and off the metro. If I just go back to my junior high school day roots of pushing and shoving I will be just fine. I'm excited about the adventure to get Agra.
Important to know how to wake up auto-rickshaw drivers while driving on high ways
On the way back from the Railways station, around 8pm; chatting away with my friend we notice the auto-rickshaw driver has shut his eyes closed. We're in the middle of the high way, with crazy Indian traffic and the driver is not opening his eyes! He's fallen asleep while driving. I touch his shoulder trying to wake him. No, use at all. I end up having to use force punching him in the back to wake him up. He slowly wakes up and starts staring hard at the road.. I stare him down the whole way back, having to tap his shoulder again before arriving safe home. We told him to go home and get some sleep.. I have heard that drivers drive in looong looong shifts without any sleep, perhaps he had done that - or perhaps it was something else.
Lessons learned today:
1. Reserve train tickets in advance, more than two days...
2. Always pay attention to the auto-rickshaw driver to ensure he does not fall asleep while driving.
Train tickets and why to book in advance
This weekend the plan is to meet up with my parents in Agra. I figured it would be an easy task to get tickets, not thinking about that the train might be all booked up just days before departure. Instead, I've started to think that everything will be all right, so no rush. Oh, boy did I learn more than one lesson about living in Delhi today.
First of, when wanting to reserve a ticket, you cannot purchase this in the same booth were you buy tickets to be used right away. Another side to this is that the reservation office is not even in the same building as the ticket booths! After some questionings, asking for directions I finally reach the Reservation of ticket office, where they tell me I have to go to another New Delhi Railway Station instead to get the foreigners quota! Finally arriving there, I arrive too late and since I'm not a tourist, but live in Delhi - I cannot get the foreigners, or better put, the tourist quota either.
This means that I'll just have to get a normal ticket, and apparently according to other people's accounts: fight to get onto the train. I guess I will just have to use my elbows, sleeking myself onto the train. I've done a lot of observations of that happening when people go on and off the metro. If I just go back to my junior high school day roots of pushing and shoving I will be just fine. I'm excited about the adventure to get Agra.
Important to know how to wake up auto-rickshaw drivers while driving on high ways
On the way back from the Railways station, around 8pm; chatting away with my friend we notice the auto-rickshaw driver has shut his eyes closed. We're in the middle of the high way, with crazy Indian traffic and the driver is not opening his eyes! He's fallen asleep while driving. I touch his shoulder trying to wake him. No, use at all. I end up having to use force punching him in the back to wake him up. He slowly wakes up and starts staring hard at the road.. I stare him down the whole way back, having to tap his shoulder again before arriving safe home. We told him to go home and get some sleep.. I have heard that drivers drive in looong looong shifts without any sleep, perhaps he had done that - or perhaps it was something else.
Lessons learned today:
1. Reserve train tickets in advance, more than two days...
2. Always pay attention to the auto-rickshaw driver to ensure he does not fall asleep while driving.
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