Something on travel, commute, No! Means of transportation!

After a long time, I return back to the blog.

I wish to start with reminding you of an old lesson we had, may be in fourth grade about different modes of transportation. I don't know whether they are still teaching camel cart or bullock cart these days or not, but when I read they were there, very much, on school book as well as on road. I will return back to this lesson, but first let me share my experiences.

On a recent trip to US, precisely Baltimore, I and my friends decided to travel by MTA bus and reach Bestbuy to buy a laptop. The reason was genuine, I had not carried my laptop thinking I would buy one.Without Lappy life comes to a stand still so it was wise to go and buy one. It was wiser to use public transport  to reach there, so that we could feel ourselves at home in Baltimore.

So we found ourselves waiting at a nearby bus stop which took us straight to Belmont Avenue, right in front of Best Buy. When the bus came, I confidently climbed the bus from the wrong gate, and two of my friends who were trying to follow me in a hurry were not allowed to do so. So they climbed the bus from the front gate, but frantically found their way through the crowded bus to reach me in the middle. Probably, we were never so happy to see each other in a gap of three-four minutes, ever before, wide smile spread across our faces, oh! so much of warmth. 

The bus seemed to take more time than we thought it had to take to reach our destination. We got eager and worried. Kis stop pe utarna tha? yaad hai na theek se, nikal to nahi gaya? Nahi ye announce karta hai, maine sare sune hain..... Is bus ko rok bhi sakte hain beech mai, stop request karke....... mai is taraf dekh rahi hu, tum us taraf dekho....................ek kaam karte hain kisi se poochte hain....... nahi ye sab dekhne mai dangerous lag rahe hain...... aisa karte hain kisi lady se puchte hain............. vo udhar apke age ek lady baithi hai.............. excuse me.........Can you tell us......

The lady sitting in the seat ahead of me turned her face - aap baat karne se to indian lag rahe .............Ohhhhh! Aap Indian hain....... Nahi mai Nepali hoon.......... acha Nepal mai kaha se.........(Frankly, I cant remember the answer now) Hum India mai Jaipur se........... acha ye Belmont avenue ka stop kab ayega...................?

The lady told us that we had to get down two stops later. While we could reach our stop, she also told us that she worked as a maid and was returning back from her work, she had come to US seven years back and had changed three jobs since then. She told us that Best Buy was just on the road and we could walk up to the store. 

Ok now tell us, " Is he going to give the ticket or take the payment when we get down? 

Oh! you have not taken the ticket? You had to take it when you climbed the bus.

But we didn't. Should I go..........

Yeah you can go and get it from there in the front, or else what you can do is, you can just get down and start walking confidently as if you have paid the fare....... (with a nod). Thats ok.

Oh! is that Ok? Oh Well! Ok.

************************************************************************

We come to Newyork Grand Central Railway Station. I am with my friend Shilpa and we have to board a train to Stamford, where my cousin is waiting for us with an elaborate home cooked dinner. (I have already got the details on whatsapp). It is about 6. 30 PM. As soon as we enter, I am dazed. I am looking above while I am walking, admiring the grand dome at the roof, spectacular. And obviously, I am walking very slowly. We look at the shops, we pass by the identical twins being carried in a special pram, looking so cute, we ask someone where is the ticket window........ she says follow me, I distract my friend with something and we lose her....... we walk further, we ask again........ Its already 6.50 when we reach the ticket window. The train is at 7.00. and this is express, will take only 40 minutes to get there, but do you think we will be able to catch it?Shilpa asks. Yeah, I think we will, its still ten minutes, lets go for this, the other one will take 1.5 hrs. My credit card doesn't work. Shilpa uses hers. We quickly rush towards the platform, ask someone, Oh my God 6.54, run...Excuse me the platform, A train to Stamford............ I gasp..........Yeah that side, the train is there run!!!!!...........Shilpa that side.....He directed us correctly.......... We reach a place where there are some 10 platforms, we are on 5. Shilpa takes charge. There is a huge looking man, precisely a cop, sitting on an elevated bench. 6.56. Shilpa asks," Excuse me, can you tell us on which platform do we find a train to Stamford?........ I dunno! (With a shrug!)

See, you should not do this.. (I am gasping, 6.57) We are new to this country, you should not say that, you should help us!!!!!
He gets down the bench,  a huge man almost 6.5 feet. Takes a few steps.... asks another cop, 6.58..............makes a gesture....... follow me........... We reach platform. 7, running........ 7.01, the train is still there, at a distance, just about to leave. We see this huge cop raising his hand, making a gesture for the driver, to stop. We run, with bags in both hands, gasping, we run ....... and climb the train. In a complete DDLJ style. As soon as we do, it starts. Wow! Feel so GOOD!!!!!!!!! 

That helpful, well-meaning huge cop who stopped the train for a foreigner, would never come to know, however, that his helpful gesture was much appreciated by the foreigner, although there was no time to thank him, but that there was also a DDLJ factor attributing to the feel good!

*********************************************************************************

The next day we have to return back to Baltimore. On the way we have to stop at a friend's place for a get-together of school friends after 20 years. Excited! We decide to hire a car. Shilpa would be driving. The smart salesman who was sitting at hire-a-car, gives us a sedan, for 50$ more, while we could have easily managed with a small car, saying, that that was all that was available. It was a Sunday. Online booking showed a small car was available, but he could sense we were in a hurry, and were left with no options, may be the other places are closed.

We reach NewJeresy Turnpike. I recognize the place as we had come through the same way. US roads are becoming more familiar. Shilpa says," lets take the Gas from here, the price is slightly lower in NJ. " Makes sense. Since morning I have been hearing Gas. My cousin mentioned that too. I have been wondering, "Do they drive their cars on gas". Too dumb a question to ask. We are at a gas-station(Looks like a petrol pump, only). I hear Shilpa saying," You remain inside, I will get the gas. Its cold outside." " No, no, I will also come out, don't worry." As soon as we start driving again, " Shilpa, why do you say gas, when you fill the petrol?"

"They say it like that here." ......." I mean, is there any particular reason? Why do they say it like that?" (historical, sociological, could be .......anything?) The professor takes charge........ Gasoline?????

*********************************************************************************

Finally, at the airport. We are a group of six. Five of them ladies. We are returning back. Obviously, with bags full of shopping. I have four shopaholic ladies as co-passengers. My stay in US has taught me a unique theory, one that I had never studied in my economics classes. I am going back richer in terms of ideology. When India reaches a stage of growth, where you find it very difficult to find anything, Made in India, in Indian markets, then India would have become one of the super-powers and the biggest economy in the world. Oh Wow, a new development paradigm.
One of my co-passengers has a friend coming to meet her at the airport, so she is busy. One of them has gone and stood in the queue for boarding. The others are roaming around the airport, looking for another purchase. Prasad, one of our students comes to me and says, " I have decided to make a purchase with all the change we have. I have collected all the change from all others. Give me all of yours too and then we will count." I bring out all my cents and dimes. "Alright, now let us count them all." Counting the money was a kind of a game of cards, you put the similar looking ones together, then count......... we have 14$ and 57cents. With a wicked smile Prasad says,"Now, I am going to irritate the Aunty at the counter. She didn't reply to my query earlier, nicely." The other two girls squeal. " Hey, we are coming with you too."

I find myself sitting alone,with some 20 bags, big and small, waiting to be boarded. I forgot to mention, of the four ladies I travel with, one of them happens to be a Gujju. I decide to sit in the middle so that I can keep an eye on all of them. Two security persons, a lady and a gentleman pass by. The lady gives a smile and asks me, "Do you think they will allow you to carry so much with you?" I smile back. Find myself saying, " The airlines person weighed them all, he says he will allow me, they are light." They break into what I call an american guffaw and I join in. (My convented upbringing always taught me not to make any voice when you laugh, but I have always preferred to make some.) "Well, as long as they are fine with it, we are ok." Americans laugh well, I must say.

Now let me come back to the means of transportation. US is a very poor country. It has such limited means of transportation. There are no stories to write on rickshaw, auto, camel cart, horse cart, bullock cart and so on.............................................