Chandigarh Diary - I

2nd feb, 2008

Garib Rath:
Some important lessons I learnt while traveling in this poor cousin of Rajdhani Express. Poor in the truest sense of the word.

a. Never order for dinner on it. Except if you like yellow, white and orange coloured liquids for it with something that distantly resembles cooked rice and chapattis that need to hammered and tonged before they get into shape. Shape worth putting in mouth.

b. You may be a tomato soup fanatic like me. Resist the temptation to order for it as well. It comes in a glasses not more than 100 ml in size, costs 11 bucks (not ten, but eleven) and tastes anywhere between coloured, adulterated water at best to I-don’t-have-words-for-it at worst.

c. Did not dare to order for tea or breakfast. They say it tasted good. So, if you really are hungry – and I am sure you would be if you don’t order for anything else – go for it. But in case you don’t enjoy it too much, you can add comments here.

d. If you manage to feel hungry on the train, remember that no one dies due to lack of food for 18 hours. If you still manage to not resist, make sure you got one helluva life insurance ready. I am lucky to be alive without one, but everyone may not be as lucky all the time.

e. DO NOT look interested when your co-passengers talk to you and you do not enjoy the conversation. It only gives them more opportunities to talk about stuff that has no bearing to your current predicament – hunger pangs – and they just do not stop. Trust me they don’t. Read a book, look out the window, act like you are sick, do whatever…but don’t look too interested. Had a bad experience listening to the man’s son’s life story, just because I offered to flaunt my knowledge of computers – which is not too great either – and ventured to tell him about the best bargain rates for PCs for his son. The story was neither tragic, nor was it too comic. It was just plain boring.