The more I journey through life , the more I’m convinced that my stars for travel aren’t always aligned.

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Since last November I’ve been making almost monthly trips to Pune and each trip has had some hiccup – either the driver doesn’t show up , the rickshaw gets lost in the dark or I pull out the wrong ticket for the ticket checker !

Today I thought I had things under control having bought my return ticket before embarking on my train ride to Pune. I thought that would obviate the stress of finding time , getting network and booking a ticket from Pune . So even though I was waitlisted, I paid for my ticket and hoped for the best.

I arrived at the station well before departure ( the train left at 7.15 while I was at the platform at 6.35. However the TC wasn’t anywhere to be seen so I jumped into C3 with the hope that I’d get a seat in a coach that entered Mumbai first .

I heaved a sigh of relief when I was told that my seat was confirmed but in the EV coach . For a minute k thought it was the Luggage coach having grown up with hearing about people booking their luggage in the EVK.

It turns out the the EV is the prestigious Vista Dome coach that is the pride of the Indian Railways.

But ( there always is a but ) I’d have to get off at Lonavala which was an hour away and then run down the length of the train and board the last coach – all in 2 minutes!

The butterflies in my tummy began to rumble so I decided to quieten them with some coffee . I walked to the Buddet Car and had two hot bread cutlets and a coffee.

The train was packed so I decided to walk through till I got to the coach closest to the EV .

At the best of times walking through a moving train is not a great idea and as I went to C1 I wondered if I was doing the right thing because the vestibule area was literally packed with people . Luckily they were all helpful and my bag was passed on from person to person till I caught up with in the coach and wheeled it through till the next vestibular road block .

At the end of C1 I met a young man who was also going to the EV coach but had got into the wrong coach and was waiting to get off at Lonavala . I told him that I’d rather walk ahead through all the people so that the platform run would be shorter .

The young man decided to come with me which was a real blessing because he helped with the vestibular crossings that were getting more and more congested.

Eventually we reached a dead end but were advised by the pass holder passengers to make a run for it at Lonavala because the platfoek was crowded .

My guardian Angel was definitely working overtime because the young man took my bag and ran with it while I trundled along . He already had a back pack and a duffel as he was planning a holiday with his pals in Mumbai so it was indeed chivalrous of him to lug my bag as well .

With seconds to spare we made it to the EV coach where I could finally enjoy the luxury of the Indian Railways .

Two lessons learnt – always check the PNR status before boarding because the Railways do not send any notifications.

But more importantly, you always meet someone who will help you along the way.

Have a great weekend all.

Ciao