With my visa for India expiring on the 17/9/10 I decided to spend a few months in Nepal. Having successfully circumnavigated India for 6 months without getting a plane, I prefer to see were I'm going from a train or bus window and really feel the journey, I decided I would cross the border by land.
Being over-laidback and perhaps stupid I left this journey very last minute so I would in fact be crossing the border on the 17/9/10.
The trip from Calcutta to the border takes about 16hours on train to Siliguri and then a short bus journey to the border were you can cross on foot. I had a 3-tier AC train ticket booked for 6.30pm on 16/9/10 and this was my only option for getting out of India in time.
After rushing to exchange rupees for dollars to pay my Nepal-visa on arrival in Nepal and quickly packing I left Abhijay's house in Jodhpur Park at 5.20pm. I had to get to an ATM then haila taxi for the journey to the train station which normally takes about 45mins. Entering the taxi at 5.30pm I had 1 hour to reach the train station. Traffic in Calcutta is terrible, despite the wide roads and as our taxi crawled at a snails-pace down the rainy streets of Calcutta panic set in as I watch the minutes race by. Waiting for red lights to change to green and cursing every other driver on the road and myself as I anxiously tapped on the back of the driver's seat in front of me.
Finally, with 8 minutes till the trainleft we arrived at the train station. Slamming the taxi door shut, both of us running through puddles with the sound of the drummers who had just arrived in Cal for the the Puja celebrations beating their drums as a soundtrack, my heart beating along with them as we ran into the station. Unable to decipher what platform the train was leaving from we stood in the middle of the train-station like goons staring around till we saw the train on a board. Running as ast as I could in flip-flops to platform 8, with 3 minutes to go, my dark blue, rusty train was there.
Dropping my bags on my burke there was enough time for quick goodbyes before the deafening horn summoned me to the train. We Won The Race And I Made My Train!!
