Spontaneous Escapade: From Bangalore to Tuticorin
What an unexpected turn of events — a perfect blend of chaos and excitement.
We’ve all heard that unplanned trips are the best, but rarely do we feel the spontaneous urge to embark on one. Let me share the story of how we ushered in the New Year aboard a train bound for an unknown destination.
Originally, my friends and I had meticulously planned a sunrise trek to KUNTI BETTA in Bangalore. Tickets were booked, gears were packed, and we were ready to board the trek team bus. However, due to a glitch in the booking site, our tickets didn’t get confirmed at the organizer’s end. The news of this disaster reached us around 9:30 pm, just an hour before our scheduled departure at 10:30 pm.
Faced with the dilemma of how to spend our New Year’s Eve, Aman suggested a countdown party at a club, while Atishay preferred a low-key celebration with close friends (including Aman and me, of course). Personally, I was open to anything until Aman pitched the idea of catching the next available train from the nearest station to an undisclosed location — a plan to welcome the New Year in a completely unfamiliar place.
Believe me when I say, I enthusiastically screamed “YES!” Aman and I jumped around like excited kids. In the midst of our animated discussion, we had another friend on a phone call. Despite our best efforts to persuade everyone, only Atishay had “no choice” but to agree to our crazy idea. So, we headed to the nearest railway station to inquire about the next train.
Upon reaching the station, we discovered many others waiting for a train. Aman approached the help desk, inquiring about the next train, scheduled for 10:20 pm. Reading our blank expressions, the helper asked where Aman intended to go. Aman, with no specific destination in mind, asked about the last station — the answer being Tuticorin.
I’ll admit, I was unfamiliar with this city in Tamil Nadu and never anticipated it to be a hidden, unexplored gem.
Seeking validation from me, Atishay, and Muskan (another friend who accompanied us to the station), Aman got the green light for three tickets to Tuticorin.
In a whirlwind, it was 10:06 pm, and we had a mere 14 minutes until our train departed. Rushing home, a mere three minutes away, we packed our bags in record time. Our Swiggy order, originally intended for us to have before leaving for club, became our meal for the train later. This has a small story of its own which will be covered on my upcoming blogs.
We made it to the station on time, capturing every moment on video — perhaps destined for a future YouTube upload.
Entering the train, the realization struck that we had no clue if our tickets were for a general bogey/ “unreserved”/ something else?
Stay tuned for the next part and see the crazy stuff we noobs pulled off!
A/N: Happy National Youth Day y’all ! Hope you liked reading my first blog of 2024. I plan to write about the whole trip in chunks. Might make a macroblog out of the whole thing “later”. See ya soon. Bye !!
