Amritsar Trip

Being a travel freak is what I always love to be in my life,which keeps my soul and life alive in the midst of hectic days. Explore places, both natural and historic means nurturing myself . But sometimes unexpected things make our most expected trips into a nightmare. Something like that happened to us on last Saturday.2 weeks preplanned trip to Amritsar turned out to be a great disappointment to some extent. Our journey by 'Humsafar' express became 'Hum' Suffer literally.

Amritsar was always there in my bucket list. Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, Partition Museum,Wagah border, Local markets etc.were top in the itinerary. But our planning turned to be disaster from the very beginning of booking tickets in Humsafar express (Jay nagar -Amristar). We have underestimated a Journey of 6 hours by taking tickets in a sleeper coach.Spent an owl like night with over excited mind to catch 7:25 am train from old Delhi railway on 13th this month.As we have more than 1 hour traveling distance by road to the railway station we managed to leave home by 5:45 am itself.Train chart prepared message received on phone that time itself.

Backpacks for a weekend getaway with hubby  was what much needed for an enthusiastic traveller to be overexcited.Managed to hire a Uber taxi.Reached railway station by 6:30 itself as morning time was quite free from road rage. Old Delhi railway station area is congested and somehow we managed to find a bench to sit.Once we were settled down into our talks. Husband came up with a doubt whether train is on time or not...Omg,such a horrible thought. Please...

But some intuitions will never go wrong...🙄 He checked in the display screen and railyatri app .Then stared at me...as an appreciation for my hopeless planning.And declared train is delayed for 3 hours..I was like another failure in my planning which swept away all my interest to travel. "At least you should check this before leaving home..." I am paled.We waited till 9 am at waiting room with a tasteless tea and few days old burger from nearby eatery. We started walking to platform no:9 around 9:30..keep checking train status on apps. Apps were giving  some reliefs sometimes by showing 10 am as arrival time..But time passed like 10,10:30 ...now 11.. train has reached 7 kms away station (shahdarpur)by 10:30 itself..but no signal or announcement yet. Waiting lasted till 11:20 when Humsafar express reached platform 10 with a change in coach positions which made us to run and walk through platforms to get into the coach.somehow managed to find our seats...journey started..but it was really disgusting to travel in a sleeper coach during this summer time even though summer is yet to being in full swing.We kept ourselves hydrated with water.
HUM SUFFERING started in Humsafar in all means. Even sleeper coach was treated as local passenger train compartments.Whole family with laggages seemed to be of a whole village itself. Barrels,baggage were dumped inside coach by hindering passages,stinking toilets made sadness to utter disappointment.Thankfully these people didn't bring their cattles along with them.Emergency exit windows became easy ways to handover baggage from platforms to coach at each stations.wow..what a brilliant Indian creative minds to use Emergency windows.Hours and hours delayed journey made us spent whole day in train and forced to cutshort places to visit in Amritsar. Journey through the sunflower and Maze fields of Ambala and surrounding areas made a slight relief . Sunflower blooms in a vast area seems blooms of thousand suns.

Finally we reached Amritsar around 7:45 pm...Exhausted mind with an hectic journey has been rejuvenated in Amritsar's soil with a warm and hearty dealing of Amritsar people..Friendly and caring nature of them were visible even from outside of the railway station itself.Taxi and auto wala were really understanding us and if we declined their offers to drop ,they left with folded hands and greetings..which I have never seen in Delhi in these years..in Delhi taxi and auto walas behind tourists  are like vultures on fish.

Our stay in Hotel Regal was really great..well maintained hotel and premises. It's inside a small Gali but nearby Golden Temple. We paid a visit to Golden Temple around 9 pm...Golden Temple was fully illuminated with lights and diyas were lighted up on the banks of Amrit Sarovar (pool of immortality-giving nectar)....Prayers were chanting in every nook  and corner.Even the slight breeze whispers the chants from Gurugranth Sahib.

Peaceful and hopeful times came back to us after a long hectic journey on the banks of Sarovar.Next day, paid a short visit to Jallianwala Bagh and omitted Partition Museum and Wagah border for now.

Next day our return to Delhi was unfortunately again on Humsafar Express,it was late for 7 hours as usual..But memories of this journey will remain  fresh .