1654 On platform. Don't have enough money for hotel. ATM next to Brothers just printed a 'transaction cancelled' slip. Of the four ATMs in station forecourt, one just says 'transaction completed' without giving me money or slip, one has crashed, one looks OK but has four men sat outside telling you you can't go in and should use the one which just prints 'transaction cancelled' slips and the fourth is apparently off. This is not a complete catastrophe as I believe my card still works, I have about 3k on me (hotel will be about 6.5k) and also have travellers cheques and credit cards and some GBP/USD cash. Still, not ideal.
2231 At hotel. Not been asked for any money yet so hoping it will be pay on checkout. '24h' prepay booth at stn was unmanned, so I had to deal with some random drivers. Quoted me 200, having 150+tiny bills+a 500 I said I couldn't pay that and walked off and he went dow to 150. Probably still a bit high but OTOH it was a longish ride. It's an odd place, the tuktuk was sort of curtained off with probably didn't help but the buildings are set back so far from the road it's like you're driving through the middle of nowhere not a city.
I got window seat of a group of 3 on train as my allocated seat, joy. Fortunately some chap asked me to swap so I got the window seat of the sole group of 2 in first row. Just as narrow a seat. As I was closing the window the woman next to me stopped me. So it was a bit nippy when the train was moving, fortunately just tolerable. She was all wrapped up in shawls and fuck knows what. Later on (at which point I was leaning forward to keep out of the draught as much as possible and secondarily to prevent myself from blocking it reaching her, she wants it open, let her feel it) she reached over to pull it down a bit more. I half wonder if she thought I was *opening* it, but really fuck knows. She got off maybe half an hour before terminus so I shut it then. We got in a bit early 2145 ish, station was heaving.
Indian chap who was standing spoke to me a bit during the journey, which was OK. Could have sworn he indicated the window-bitch was his wife, but she didn't get off with him.
Waiting for them to bring me the wifi password.
2306 OK, I have had an A4 printed page of super-detailed wifi instructions delivered. I suddenly realise I don't have a key to my room, but the door can be bolted on the inside and I am not going to ask for a key tonight as it may prompt a request for payment and all other things being equal I would rather quest for a cash machine tomorrow in daylight. (I could use credit card but the small risk of it being misused makes me reluctant. This assumes they take credit cards anyway.)
Have clipped my nails while waiting, apart from being horribly dirty they were also getting so long it impeded typing on phone.
While I remember, I was at hotel Darbar View in Amritsar.
Because this is a 'proper' hotel (though the room while clean varies from fairly smart (the ceiling) through borderline shabby (scuff marks on floor and most walls) to extremely shabby - the wall next to the bed has weird amoeba-like shapes in the plaster and peeling paint) of course it has an open wifi network (the name is not actually shown on the sheet) and you get to go through the "Iberry Hotspot Login" page and the (free, admittedly) 'hotspot prepaid coupon' can be used for one device only. (I can tether my netbook to my phone, so am setting phone up, plus I use that for e-mail most of the time so it's most important).
There does seem to be hot water, judging by my experiments with the taps while soaking nails prior to cutting.
0112 Hot shower was very nice. Appalling wifi (I am right opposite reception but my phone still struggles to get more than one bar - and I *am* blaming the hotel for this, since their wanky "one device" policy stops me trying my laptop) not so nice. Anyway, got what I needed to do done and bed. Just hope they don't cut up rough about the room key tomorrow and claim they gave it me and I lost it.
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