What’s today’s date?

We woke at 3:00am on what we thought was Saturday. The train station said Chennai. Our eye contacts were dry. Were dehydrated, tired, dazed. The train is emptying. People were running, babies were crying. Stressful? Well the stress was certainly building. So we get off the train, start walking to the main entrance. There were more people sleeping on the floor than awake and walking. We exit the station and are mobbed by rickshaw drivers. One of the fathers told us it’s a real short ride to the bus station. So Mary Ellen believed we could walk and refused to take an auto. I knew it was good 15 minute ride at least and we needed an auto or taxi. She was avidly against it, but finally agreed after seeing the area she thought was a bus was a public toilet. The guy way over charged us. But we made it. It was 4 am. We went into the station. There was no one at any help counters. The station was sleeping as were many many of the people, on the floor, on tables, on benches, crazy. We finally figured out the bus we needed to take was in the number 3 spot of 42 spots… so we headed over there. Its 427. The next train leaves in 8 minutes. Its non ac, we have no place for our luggage so we agree to let it go. And wait for the next one, hopefully ac. I get a chai. Then we found a guy selling electronics that looked black market and he sold us a phone charger. we got back to the bus, which you don’t buy tickets for until you are on. Stressed yet?

Were on the bus. Its leaving. There’s maybe 40 seats, no ac. And at least 50 people on the bus. People keep loading on. We stop about 15 times in the city. People get on, people get off. We leave Chennai with about 60 people on the bus, 20 or so standing. I fall asleep. Its 630, its sunny. We should be about half way, I thought. wrong. 730…830.. we stop at 930… still another 40km to go. So why did we stop??? So I got off and went to the bathroom and got chai (2 separate actions). After about 5hrs, we made it to Pondicherry. What a relief!