2100 At My Bar, on Main Bazar Road. While it seemed an awfully long way perpendicular to DB Gupta, I wonder if this is Hellhole Road. Anyway, this is at a T-junction with the road back to DB Gupta. I didn't get touted beyond a small boy at an ice-cream stand. Feel slightly uneasy here mainly in case someone joins me at my table but should be OK.
110 for beer, paid 140 so I can go when I want. Dunno if I had to pay on delivery but I feel safer with the option to go.
2126 Just about done. This being more an exploratory foray than an enjoyable night out, and apart from anything else I damn well don't want to be crossing DB Gupta while anything like pissed, I'm offski after this rather hurried 630ml black label.
2139 Back at hotel. No problems in the perpendicular street, though while waiting to cross DB Gupta (which was a bit hairy, especially with the extra haste induced by this) a chap on a pedal rickshaw moderately persistently offered me a ride, marijuana or a prostitute (a smoke or a lady, to use his words). Yeah, cos there's no way at all *that* could go wrong, eh?
It was OK in My Bar. I felt super worried someone would come over and start talking to me - I've been 'not in the mood' before, but not sure I've ever been worried it would happen. I may go there again tomorrow and/or Thursday, I can't see myself braving taxis and touts to go out anywhere more remote at night, I may not, it depends. I suppose I could take one of the million tuktuks or bicycle rickshaws back to the hotel just to avoid any problems crossing the road, and now I feel a little more confident the route is not beseiged by touts I'd be a little more at ease. Anyway, we'll see how I feel tomorrow.
2215 Having had look online, there is availability (no idea how good location is, but still) in Agra for Friday/Saturday. Guide book says touts are terrible there so half tempted to leave it for later but probably best to do it ASAP. As suggested (without the 1 prefix) train 12626 Kerala Express from New Delhi at 1130 arriving Agra Cantonment 1425 looks a reasonable train; I don't have to get up ridiculously early and I'd arrive in daylight.
I have signed up for the online booking thing on the Indian Railways website but of course it's fucking stupid. It asks for the country you live in, then insists you provide an Indian mobile number and the 'zip code' for your address must be six digits. I haven't had a confirmation e-mail yet and having entered an incomplete mangled will never work version of my UK mobile number I will never get the confirmation SMS. Let's see what happens. I will probably make my primary project tomorrow being to go over to the station and buy a ticket; however, I don't much like the idea of taking my passport into what the guidebook makes out to be a maelstrom of touts and thieves. I may go over without it at first and see what happens. Just possibly the online purchase will be an option, but I doubt it.
2231 Ah, got the email confirmation but it says I will need to provide my mobile verification code when I activate my account, so that's not happening. Oh well.
2242 The seat availability checker returns incomprehensible results even looking at the key underneath, but for 29th (unlike a couple of days later) it doesn't say REGRET so maybe there are seats. Have to see what they say at the station I guess. The fare checker suggests the fare is probably INR1020 for second class air-conditioned.
I guess I'm going to have to take my passport over there. I can stick it in the hidden belt on the way out, but getting it back in there to come back to hotel may be difficult. This is assuming the hotel haven't lost it of course.
2251 OK, some searching online suggests I may need a pen to fill a form in. I might wear my jacket over there, then I can zip the passport in the inside pocket and perhaps even zip the jacket shut. It's not that far and it's not totally stiflingly hot.
0028 In bed. Fucking hope they have my passport at reception tomorrow morning. Oh, am leaving INR500 with a note saying 'tip, cheers' in room. I am not sure they came in today - admittedly I never hung the 'please tidy room' sign up, but equally I didn't have the 'do not disturb' up - but if they did they did nothing more than pull the bed quilt back up, they didn't rearrange the pillows, I suspect they didn't come in or did but did nothing. 500 seems a bit excessive for four nights when I may end up having to tip down at reception and/or the doorman but fuck it. Let's see if they take the bait.
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