In the morning we were woken early by yet another election rally. I wonder if anyone simply votes for the party that disturbs them the least? We arrived at Coonoor the next morning about mid-day after some moderately hair-rasing bus journey, towards the end of which we passed some political activists who gave me the flyer reproduced here.
The bus stopped in the middle of town and we had to waddle quite quickly to the station. There we were able to buy normal (jam-packed compartment) tickets but Suriya said we'd get on a reserved coach and buy 'reservations' from the conductor. It wasn't clear whether this would be legal or baksheesh: it turned out to be legal. (If we'd bought our tickets yesterday we could have bought reservations at the time.)
Because the coach was tiny and had no luggage racks, I chained my rucsac to a vacant platform outside the back of the passenger compartment. For this, I received a angry shouting from two rail-workers. I wasn't pleased by this, was still stressed and shouted back at them, while complying. (If they'd explained why quietly, I'd not have done so. It turns out this is the place where the person who ensures the rack and pinion are engaged stands.)
The journey itself was very exciting and I hope my photos do it justice. As we descended, so the climate became hotter and hotter: I wasn't in Scotland any more (or even in Kansas) but back in mainstream India.
Finally we pulled into Mettupalayam. There were lots of soldiers on duty. I wondered out loud why: was 'Auntie Sonia' visiting? A soldier nodded and I asked him to confirm: she was about to arrive and campaign for next week's election.
We took a final bus to Coimbatore where I commited another lapse of control. I'd been slow to get on the bus but Suriya had saved me a seat at the front next to her. I didn't want to try to get there because that would involve bashing my rucsac-laden way down the crowded aisle and tried to get her to let someone else sit next to her. This didn't communicate and finally I was persuaded to join her. When I got there, I thought I would be more comfortable standing and said so. However Suriya kept trying to take my rucsac off my back. I snapped and shouted at her 'stop organising me!': this probably embarrassed her a lot as well as upsetting her: I'm not at all proud that I caused her to cry.
I apologised as best I could and sat cursing myself. A few minutes later she said that it was now nothing and that I could forget about it. (I couldn't: while I'm sure it's fine to tell someone that I can make my own decisions, it's not OK to shout.
By the time we got to Coimbatore, we were talking normally again. We ate dosas in the bus-stand café and then somehow got to the station. Various enquiries told us that Ottapalam was the last stop on Suriya and Rajesh's route before it turned north towards Mangalore so I bought a ticket to there and while Rajesh and Suriya bought tickets to Mangalore.
I have no idea when I wrote the following blog entry:
The US Department of State have just written to me, asking me to take the next step in my application for a visa. I didn't need this and right now is about the worst time I could have received it. So here's another entry in Random Bozo's dictionary:
Serenbollocky (n): an accidental juxtaposition of two unrelated but similar undesirable things or events that combine to make Random Bozo feel utterly dejected
We arrived at Ottapalam at about 10pm: I said goodbye to Suriya and Rajesh and phoned home to hear that I had upset someone there. I also enquired about trains south to Ernakulam: there would be a train at 4am but I needed sleep and so got an autorickshaw driver to take me to a hotel. I decided to stay in Ottapalam for a while, blogging, thinking, feeling and trying to get my head together. I didn't feel I could move on until I had some of my tension out of my head.
© (except the blatantly ripped-off bits) Random Bozo 2006