The planning that takes place before a trip can be as much fun as the trip itself. Looking up places, googling for information, chalking out an itinerary, booking tickets, the whole build-up to the final day…it can go on for weeks.
This trip was no different, although experience has taught us to temper our excitement with practical concerns that come with age. (medicines, food, water, washrooms etc!)
We (friend & I) arrived at the railway station looking forward to a journey in a different train and on a different route. We had splurged on tickets in first class and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in a coupe- no annoying fellow travelers- bliss! Moreover, we were well stocked with food and snacks for the journey, so all we had to do was put up our feet and enjoy the trip.
It was evening and the train raced past fields full of bright cosmos flowers, hills, streams, tunnels, small stations- all very picturesque and From a Railway Carriage-ish. After an early dinner, we tucked ourselves in for the night, in pleasurable anticipation of the day ahead.
A little around midnight, my friend who was sleeping in the upper berth, realised that she had a visitor- a long-tailed, pointy- nosed and sharp- toothed visitor who was probably a resident. She and the visitor stayed put like that for some time, till she finally got into action with a pillow to keep the resident fixed in a corner. After which she descended and we debated our options. Luckily, the train had stopped at a major junction and some people from another compartment had got off. That did it, we grabbed our bags and scurried out of our coupe and into that hopefully rodent-free space. When we informed the attendant of our woes, the only response we got was a helpless shrug of the shoulders and an indifferent, “Yes, it happens…” So much for travelling in First Class.
We were to meet up with the others of our group at Indore, from where we would all travel by road to our first destination. As usual, there was much chatter and laughter on the way. We had made a pit stop at the famous ’56 Dukan’ to get breakfast and were well pleased with life. The three hour drive was pleasant and as we approached the town where we were to spend two nights, excitement levels rose.
The resort was on the banks of the Narmada river and all of us were in eager anticipation of a new and interesting experience. Which it undoubtedly was!
For starters- the gates that led to the entrance of the resort were firmly closed. As we drove up, we saw a handwritten notice tacked on to the gate. It said in large, untidily scribbled letters- CLOSED FOR REPAIRS AND RENOVATION DUE TO FLOODING’. Our bookings had been done more than a month ago through a travel agent. We had received no updates about this bombshell that was awaiting us.
We ventured inside, the resort looked deserted but there was an employee at the reception who informed us that some weeks back, due to excess rainfall, the river had overflowed its banks, flooding parts of the town. There was extensive damage caused to to some of the rooms and the resort had been closed since then.
Here it must be mentioned that this was a government-owned resort for whom customer care or customer service was not exactly a priority. And nor were they in any tearing hurry to reopen. They claimed to have informed all guests about bookings being cancelled and money being refunded. And that was that. Our travel agent claimed otherwise.
The staff at the resort were impervious to our requests for a couple of rooms just for two nights. While the agent and the staff argued it out, we wandered the grounds of the resort, admired the cottagey-style rooms, their gardens, the beautiful terrace overlooking the river flowing serenely by and sighed in despair. It was not to be.
Meanwhile, our harried agent had managed to book us rooms in another hotel so we headed there. We were in a small, dusty town of Central India, so a hotel with a grand sounding name like Panchratana Palace was not exactly palatial. But the staff at this hotel were happy to accommodate 5 ladies from the big city, which made a change from those at the closed-for-repairs resort.
Oh, and to round things up nicely, the only lift at Hotel Pancharatna Palace was out of order, due to the excess rainfall flooding its mechanism. The rainfall that had happened a few weeks ago, might I add!
If there’s one lesson we have learnt from our travels it is this:
– Go with the flow.
– Take things as they come.
– Make the best of whatever happens.
– With friends, things are not as bad as they could have been.
And they weren’t. The rest of the day went pretty much according to plan, so a big “Whew!” for that.
It had been a long, eventful day so when we finally turned in for the night, it was with weary relief and a plan to get up early to catch the sunrise.
Note # 1: The room I was sharing with two others was near the stairs on the first floor.
Note# 2: The restaurant of the hotel was on the third floor.
Later at night, we were rudely awakened by loud yells and what sounded like a drunken brawl. The uproar carried on for some time, there was more yelling and more voices joined in. I got up hurriedly and double bolted our door, just in case! After some time, the ruckus ceased and we were able to snatch a few hours of sleep.
The next day, we asked one of the staff at the hotel what had happened. The incident was related to us with some relish and a lot of dramatic flair. So, a couple had come to the restaurant for dinner and the husband had already downed a few before the meal. To make matters worse, he eyed a group of young girls at the next table. Which enraged the wife, words were exchanged and the inebriated husband tried to leap off the third floor landing. Yep! Never a dull moment! Luckily, he was grabbed by the manager of the hotel who tried to calm him down and the furious wife. Then relatives were called in to take away the unloving couple and peace prevailed.
All this was on Day One. Because of our booking getting cancelled, our plans had to be tweaked a little but we were all up for Day Two and the rest of the trip. Some of which will be related in another post! But another valuable lesson was learned from this experience – Always Expect the Unexpected!
More to come…
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