Story of a train ticket...

"The long-awaited train journey is about to happen!" I thought when I booked the ticket online. It is impossible to speak in India without them. The train is the transport I like the most. I'm not the only one. At least one sixth of the world population shares the same taste. So, the train tickets are sold out and we ended up on a waiting list.

All the time I opted for the bus. It was cheaper and more flexible. I don't have anything planned. The freedom to arrive at a bus station and just be dropped into a final destination was too appealing to ignore it. But I didn't want to go from the South to the North by bus. The distance was perfect to go by train. I booked two weeks in advance and had 25 people ahead of me in the waiting list. Something I didn't worry because we usually obtain confirmation in the last days. For now the priority was to visit the wonderful city of Chennai.

It was the the day before the last one. I was a little nervous. The biggest problem was the uncertainty. I couldn't mark the hotel without ticket confirmation. With only 8 people to cancel, I hoped to obtain it. That night, with nothing to do about this situation, I went for a a coffee with some friends from couchsurfing. I decided to seize the moment with no worries.

I begin with a startle. They tell me that I should have booked a hotel in Mumbai. But five minutes later, I had a place to sleep in Mumbai or, if necessary, in Chennai. Before going to the hotel, I check one last time the number on the waiting list. Only five more.

The last day is here. I wait for confirmation of the ticket. The final list of passengers would be ready four hours before the start of the train (schedulled to leave at 12:00 a.m.).

9:00 a.m. - my status doesn't change. I still have five people ahead of me. Worse, the list isn't ready yet.

9:30 a.m. - my status changes to 2. The worst that could happen. I'm caught between losing the value of the ticket or running to the train station trying not to miss the train.

9:55 a.m. - nothing changes. By this time I try to find alternatives. The day before I learned that there are last minute tickets - laklal. Once bought they are confirmed. The site is offline and I cannot subscribe to buy the Laklal ticket.

10:00 a.m. - A new update tells me that the list is being prepared. Still at number 2. Everything will be decided now.

10:10 a.m. - the verdict comes ... no ticket for me.

Time to look for alternatives. The train company's website is now available and I can buy the Laklal ticket. I completed the forms, find the train I wanted and... one more waiting list. I didn't want an encore, so I try the old fashion way: through an agent. The cybercafe where I was also sells train tickets. By now, the commission I would pay doesn't seems so expensive. During the conversation - and with the luck of a power cut - I find that the agent makes the buying online. I already knew the outcome of this. But as I was in India, I decided to leave the possibility open. I try one last alternative before the electricity returns: buy a ticket within the foreign quota.

For this I have to go to the station, and didn't know what to expect. The Lonely Planet said it was efficient. But in India, this has a great latitude. After finding a rickshaw, I lose a few minutes to negotiate the fare. Something only God, Allah or Ganesh knows why. What the previous day - with all the time in the world – I accepted without much hesitation, today it was impossible for me to pay. Eventually it did compensate. I managed half the price but with three times the passengers.

The station is huge and degraded. As I expected. I feel something forgotten. The travel vibe of a train station. Recovering the passion of trains, I knew that, no matter what, the trip would be done by train. A simple question and I get the desired indication. It looks like a semi-clandestine local tax office. New indication and I was in the room I wanted. Five indian minutes later, I had the ticket in hand and a smile on my face. When I left that station, the world ceased to be a stress. I returned to the tranquility of my trip.

In fact I'd never left it. These concerns are not concerns with so much open-ended options. These are as big as your imagination and luck. In this Friday 13th, it smiled to me once again. Delivered by the hands of gentle Divya.