How many times have we told ourselves "Yes, let it be" whenever a disaster strikes even at situations that was least anticipated.
Bangalore, Friday - 13th Jan 2012.
Fridays are always freaky ( in the office ). The day winded up just like any other Friday with the anticipation of another weekend. If you happened to be an IT citizen, you would agree with me on the value of a weekend. I was back from work by 7:30 PM; went out for a walk and planned to have my dinner on the way back. So, after a short walk and finding my favourite restaurant I retired on my regular seat and placed the order. It was while having my dinner the thought of weekend came into my mind and I was wondering how am I going to spend it. The next day was "Pongal" in Tamil Nadu; the harvest festival celebrated by farmers. It has been more than 5 years since I had been in Tamil Nadu during this holiday. Sugar cane is famous in this season; I love munching it. That's when I decided; lets munch some sugar cane tomorrow. I decided to go home and spend the weekend with my family in TN.
I rushed back after dinner to check if there would be tickets available to Coimbatore. Opened my computer, Fired up firefox and typed in "redbus.in". The page swam into focus; keyed in "Source" and "Destination", chose the current date and clicked on "Search Buses". The list of available buses loaded just within 3 seconds. It was 9:30 PM. As I scrolled down sorting by departure time, I was looking for buses that would depart after 11:00. To my disappointment, tickets from major travels were already sold out. Finally, I found out 4 available seats in a bus called "YESBEE". I've never heard of that travels before. As I don't have another choice, I didn't hesitate to proceed further. Clicked on "View Seats" and a disclaimer popped up "You've chosen a low rated bus. Are you sure you want to book a seat on this bus?" (Coders behind the website have converted the feedbacks from passengers into ratings for each travels). I don't have a second option and I had to click "Yes". The page slid down from the middle and an aerial view of the bus swooped into my central screen. Booked seats in grey and available in white. Guess what? Only the last row of the bus was in white. It made me think again, "Do I really have to make this trip"? But, since I've made up my mind and the sugar canes which now stands in front of my eyes made me click on the window seat in the right. I completed the payment and immediately received an SMS in my mobile phone with the ticket confirmation.
I had about an hour and a half at my disposal within which I will have to pack my backpack and take a public transport to the place where I'll have to board the bus. It was a race against time as the journey to the boarding point itself will take about an hour. Finally I made it 10 minutes ahead of schedule, panting and sweating. I flashed my mobile phone against the ticket checker's face. He ushered me inside the bus just to strike me with another disappointment. There were no actual seats in the last row but just a flat bed of cushion. What the heck?? I can't even lean my back against anything. A looming thought came over my mind; am I going to travel the next 7 hours in this position?? Impossible!! But, I stay put. The only convincing point was the place was really spacious for 4 people. We could take turns to stretch ourselves, only if all of us co-operate. This little hope came smashing down to the ground when 2 more passengers were squeezed into this space. None of us raised our voice against the discomfort. (One common mistake we all commit) Finally the bus started after a 20 minute delay.
I had little idea as how am I going to survive the next 6 odd hours. I forced myself to get some sleep in all positions that I could try. The clock started ticking away at ever slow pace. It didn't take longer for the next disaster to strike. Half past midnight, the bus choked and the engine went off. I could sense that in my drowsiness and I was not willing to know what was happening. I was disappointed and tired. I thought I made the bad decision this night. Few passengers helped push the bus to start the engine. This happened couple of more times until the engine died completely at 3:30AM. Now there were only 3 people in my row of seat and I secured a position comfortable enough to get some sleep. I didn't bother about what could have happened to the bus.
Curiosity kills. That's what happened to me. After about an hour of comfortable sleep (without the movement of the bus), I started wondering how bad the situation could be. I got up from my seat and walked the length of the bus just to see a little over 70% of the passengers peacefully sleeping. I stepped out of the bus and went behind to see a bunch of young guys diverting the incoming traffic away from the stationary bus. I questioned one of them as what happened to our bus? He immediately let out a sarcastic laugh and replied back saying "the bus broke down about an hour ago and you just got curious as to what happened?". I put my head down. I told him I slept peacefully. It was 4:30 AM. The actual problem was with the tube that carries diesel to the engine; it burst. The diesel can't be supplied to the engine and the engine wouldn't start. When enquired about the driver, he said he had gone to the nearby town to find a spare part. We were still a good 4-5 hours behind our destination. I joined the gang in doing some traffic police job. The early morning weather was biting cold. Luckily we had a tea stall close-by and we had tea couple of times to help keep ourselves warm.
5:40 AM. We were like 6 or 7 guys on the road diverting traffic ever since the bus broke down. We rang up the driver to know the status. He had just found the shop that sells the right part and was heading to the owner's house to wake him up, go back to the store, purchase the part and then return back to the bus. We soon roughly calculated that it wouldn't be any sooner than 6:45 or 7:00 by the time the driver returns and another 30 - 45 minutes to fix the faulty part. The scary part here was, we wouldn't know if the actual problem was diagnosed until after the tube was replaced. We didn't know what disaster was in store next. The clock just past 6:00AM and we decided to let the other passengers know that it wouldn't be before 8:00 we leave this place and also advise them to take other buses that passes by if they can't wait. 6:30AM and no sign of the driver yet. Few of the passengers were starting to grow impatient. Couple of them boarded other buses passing by. One of the co-passenger and I thought why don't we let the highway patrol take necessary action. We went back to the tea stall to check if they had the patrol's contact numbers. Unfortunately they didn't. There was another tea stall that opened just then and we headed there. This guy sounded positive and he volunteered to give them a call. The moment he dialed the number the patrol van was already in the scene. And just like any other tamil movie, driver too arrived in the climax. It was 10 past 7:00AM. By now, most of us got to know each other a little.
We all had our fingers crossed while the driver changed the tube. We all hoped that this should be the end of it and we would start our travel back to our destination without any problem. The driver took his position in the driver's seat. We waited with anticipation for the engine to start. He inserted the key and turned it ON just to bring all our hopes shattering down flat on the ground. The engine failed. Back into diagnosis phase to find the actual underlying problem. It was easy this time. There was no diesel in the tank, everything had spilled already. Disaster again. With the help of the patrol our driver went to the nearby petrol station and bought 20Litres of fuel. At last, the engine could be fired back to life again. Everyone were back in the bus ( all those who were patient enough to wait this long ). Now I had a seat and one that I can choose :-) the ones that belonged to the passengers who left. Next disaster was awaiting. The driver was pleading couple of passengers for some money because 20Litres of diesel wasn't sufficient to reach the destination. We needed 30 more and he had no money to buy even a single drop. Oh crap!! This is what I exactly expected after all. We agreed to pay only if the owner gives us an assurance to pay back the moment we reach Coimbatore. The bus owner gave his word on the phone and we stopped by the next petrol bunk to buy diesel. We all pooled in money and paid.
Back in our seats, we were discussing the line of events that unfolded from the beginning. To everyone's surprise all those who were left in the bus were from IT field ( with an exception of one or two ). We were to journey the next 4-5 hours together. It wasn't easy to go back to sleep in the broad daylight. So, all of us agreed to keep talking. What happened after this will never be forgotten and will be cherished for a lifetime. It made an unforgettable experience for all of us. We started off with a formal introduction with names, origin, place of employment and so on. It started getting even more interesting when each started sharing their best / worst experiences from their lives. A "Broken-Bus" community on facebook was also proposed. Co-passengers became friends.
We halted for an hour for breakfast and then continued our journey. We reached our respective places by 2:30PM on 14th. We also got our money back that we pooled in for the fuel expense.
I'm not going to mention names here just for 2 reasons. One, the very obvious, blame my poor memory; second, I respect everyone's privacy.
If I had opted to quit at any point before boarding the bus, or had I taken an alternate bus after ours broke down, or if I hadn't told myself "Yes, let it be"; stay put and wait; I would have missed the most memorable road trips I ever had in my life so far. I would have missed the fun, the sharing, knowing and lot more. It was like a college picnic. I'm sure that every other bus-friend would agree with me on this.
The New Year 2012 started off with a blast and is getting even better with this trip. I hope 2012 has real good surprises in store for all of us!!
Though this snap portraits nothing more than a bunch of ugly bums and a bus, it brings back the real good memories and the crazy events that I experienced. It deserves a special place deep in my memory!! (Like non-volatile memory)
By the way, I happened to meet 2 of my new-found-friends again in my travel back to Bangalore!!
Bangalore, Friday - 13th Jan 2012.
Fridays are always freaky ( in the office ). The day winded up just like any other Friday with the anticipation of another weekend. If you happened to be an IT citizen, you would agree with me on the value of a weekend. I was back from work by 7:30 PM; went out for a walk and planned to have my dinner on the way back. So, after a short walk and finding my favourite restaurant I retired on my regular seat and placed the order. It was while having my dinner the thought of weekend came into my mind and I was wondering how am I going to spend it. The next day was "Pongal" in Tamil Nadu; the harvest festival celebrated by farmers. It has been more than 5 years since I had been in Tamil Nadu during this holiday. Sugar cane is famous in this season; I love munching it. That's when I decided; lets munch some sugar cane tomorrow. I decided to go home and spend the weekend with my family in TN.
I rushed back after dinner to check if there would be tickets available to Coimbatore. Opened my computer, Fired up firefox and typed in "redbus.in". The page swam into focus; keyed in "Source" and "Destination", chose the current date and clicked on "Search Buses". The list of available buses loaded just within 3 seconds. It was 9:30 PM. As I scrolled down sorting by departure time, I was looking for buses that would depart after 11:00. To my disappointment, tickets from major travels were already sold out. Finally, I found out 4 available seats in a bus called "YESBEE". I've never heard of that travels before. As I don't have another choice, I didn't hesitate to proceed further. Clicked on "View Seats" and a disclaimer popped up "You've chosen a low rated bus. Are you sure you want to book a seat on this bus?" (Coders behind the website have converted the feedbacks from passengers into ratings for each travels). I don't have a second option and I had to click "Yes". The page slid down from the middle and an aerial view of the bus swooped into my central screen. Booked seats in grey and available in white. Guess what? Only the last row of the bus was in white. It made me think again, "Do I really have to make this trip"? But, since I've made up my mind and the sugar canes which now stands in front of my eyes made me click on the window seat in the right. I completed the payment and immediately received an SMS in my mobile phone with the ticket confirmation.
I had about an hour and a half at my disposal within which I will have to pack my backpack and take a public transport to the place where I'll have to board the bus. It was a race against time as the journey to the boarding point itself will take about an hour. Finally I made it 10 minutes ahead of schedule, panting and sweating. I flashed my mobile phone against the ticket checker's face. He ushered me inside the bus just to strike me with another disappointment. There were no actual seats in the last row but just a flat bed of cushion. What the heck?? I can't even lean my back against anything. A looming thought came over my mind; am I going to travel the next 7 hours in this position?? Impossible!! But, I stay put. The only convincing point was the place was really spacious for 4 people. We could take turns to stretch ourselves, only if all of us co-operate. This little hope came smashing down to the ground when 2 more passengers were squeezed into this space. None of us raised our voice against the discomfort. (One common mistake we all commit) Finally the bus started after a 20 minute delay.
I had little idea as how am I going to survive the next 6 odd hours. I forced myself to get some sleep in all positions that I could try. The clock started ticking away at ever slow pace. It didn't take longer for the next disaster to strike. Half past midnight, the bus choked and the engine went off. I could sense that in my drowsiness and I was not willing to know what was happening. I was disappointed and tired. I thought I made the bad decision this night. Few passengers helped push the bus to start the engine. This happened couple of more times until the engine died completely at 3:30AM. Now there were only 3 people in my row of seat and I secured a position comfortable enough to get some sleep. I didn't bother about what could have happened to the bus.
Curiosity kills. That's what happened to me. After about an hour of comfortable sleep (without the movement of the bus), I started wondering how bad the situation could be. I got up from my seat and walked the length of the bus just to see a little over 70% of the passengers peacefully sleeping. I stepped out of the bus and went behind to see a bunch of young guys diverting the incoming traffic away from the stationary bus. I questioned one of them as what happened to our bus? He immediately let out a sarcastic laugh and replied back saying "the bus broke down about an hour ago and you just got curious as to what happened?". I put my head down. I told him I slept peacefully. It was 4:30 AM. The actual problem was with the tube that carries diesel to the engine; it burst. The diesel can't be supplied to the engine and the engine wouldn't start. When enquired about the driver, he said he had gone to the nearby town to find a spare part. We were still a good 4-5 hours behind our destination. I joined the gang in doing some traffic police job. The early morning weather was biting cold. Luckily we had a tea stall close-by and we had tea couple of times to help keep ourselves warm.
5:40 AM. We were like 6 or 7 guys on the road diverting traffic ever since the bus broke down. We rang up the driver to know the status. He had just found the shop that sells the right part and was heading to the owner's house to wake him up, go back to the store, purchase the part and then return back to the bus. We soon roughly calculated that it wouldn't be any sooner than 6:45 or 7:00 by the time the driver returns and another 30 - 45 minutes to fix the faulty part. The scary part here was, we wouldn't know if the actual problem was diagnosed until after the tube was replaced. We didn't know what disaster was in store next. The clock just past 6:00AM and we decided to let the other passengers know that it wouldn't be before 8:00 we leave this place and also advise them to take other buses that passes by if they can't wait. 6:30AM and no sign of the driver yet. Few of the passengers were starting to grow impatient. Couple of them boarded other buses passing by. One of the co-passenger and I thought why don't we let the highway patrol take necessary action. We went back to the tea stall to check if they had the patrol's contact numbers. Unfortunately they didn't. There was another tea stall that opened just then and we headed there. This guy sounded positive and he volunteered to give them a call. The moment he dialed the number the patrol van was already in the scene. And just like any other tamil movie, driver too arrived in the climax. It was 10 past 7:00AM. By now, most of us got to know each other a little.
We all had our fingers crossed while the driver changed the tube. We all hoped that this should be the end of it and we would start our travel back to our destination without any problem. The driver took his position in the driver's seat. We waited with anticipation for the engine to start. He inserted the key and turned it ON just to bring all our hopes shattering down flat on the ground. The engine failed. Back into diagnosis phase to find the actual underlying problem. It was easy this time. There was no diesel in the tank, everything had spilled already. Disaster again. With the help of the patrol our driver went to the nearby petrol station and bought 20Litres of fuel. At last, the engine could be fired back to life again. Everyone were back in the bus ( all those who were patient enough to wait this long ). Now I had a seat and one that I can choose :-) the ones that belonged to the passengers who left. Next disaster was awaiting. The driver was pleading couple of passengers for some money because 20Litres of diesel wasn't sufficient to reach the destination. We needed 30 more and he had no money to buy even a single drop. Oh crap!! This is what I exactly expected after all. We agreed to pay only if the owner gives us an assurance to pay back the moment we reach Coimbatore. The bus owner gave his word on the phone and we stopped by the next petrol bunk to buy diesel. We all pooled in money and paid.
Back in our seats, we were discussing the line of events that unfolded from the beginning. To everyone's surprise all those who were left in the bus were from IT field ( with an exception of one or two ). We were to journey the next 4-5 hours together. It wasn't easy to go back to sleep in the broad daylight. So, all of us agreed to keep talking. What happened after this will never be forgotten and will be cherished for a lifetime. It made an unforgettable experience for all of us. We started off with a formal introduction with names, origin, place of employment and so on. It started getting even more interesting when each started sharing their best / worst experiences from their lives. A "Broken-Bus" community on facebook was also proposed. Co-passengers became friends.
We halted for an hour for breakfast and then continued our journey. We reached our respective places by 2:30PM on 14th. We also got our money back that we pooled in for the fuel expense.
I'm not going to mention names here just for 2 reasons. One, the very obvious, blame my poor memory; second, I respect everyone's privacy.
If I had opted to quit at any point before boarding the bus, or had I taken an alternate bus after ours broke down, or if I hadn't told myself "Yes, let it be"; stay put and wait; I would have missed the most memorable road trips I ever had in my life so far. I would have missed the fun, the sharing, knowing and lot more. It was like a college picnic. I'm sure that every other bus-friend would agree with me on this.
The New Year 2012 started off with a blast and is getting even better with this trip. I hope 2012 has real good surprises in store for all of us!!
By the way, I happened to meet 2 of my new-found-friends again in my travel back to Bangalore!!
