We booked tickets for the bus leaving Manali at 3pm and reaching New Delhi at 7 am the next day. There is no choice. You have to leave Manali by 3 if you wish to see New Delhi the next morning.
The train to Guwahati was at 2359 hrs from New Delhi. So we had some time which we didn’t want to while away in New Delhi.
After intense discussion, some shopping, a visit to a Gompa in Manali,
lunch at madras café, we decided to while away our time in New Delhi.
But we decided to do a movie marathon. Morning to night, we wanted to
watch movies. We wanted all hell to break loose. But rarely, dear
reader, rarely things turned the way we wanted it to turn. I’m sorry to
disappoint you, hell did not break loose.
The bus to Delhi left precisely an hour late, but not before the usual drama of leaving the passengers clueless on the time of actual departure.
The
bus is something to speak about. It has a sleeper coach above the
seats, where in two people can sleep. Designed for the honeymooners, in
all possibility. And so, this Indian lady “upgraded” her seat to a
sleeper and later found that she had to share the travel with a
firang-guy. It was here, that our dream of hell breaking loose took
place. All hell broke loose. Drama unfolded like we’ve never before
watched. Oneiro and I were enjoying every minute. Abuses flew, Bus
Conductor came running, the other firangs confused, while some holy
gentlemen decided to smoke. And, all the drama that was quoted, took
place before the bus left.
What
could’ve been sorted by a simple request was blown out of proportion
and we witnessed the demonstration of mayhem, end to end.
Amidst
this drama, the honeymooner guy with a potbelly (easily 40” waist) got
down from his sleeper coach in his inner wear, with his vest reading “I
look like John Abraham”. So, there, dear readers, surfaced the evidence
of comedy in the proceedings.