0146 On train. Chap brought me over on motorbike, streets deserted except for cows and dogs but station moderately busy in a quiet calm way. He was super helpful, going to excessive and ultimately unhelpful lengths to find where my carriage would be. Turned up on time 0135 and now leaving on time 0145. Ticket checked OK.
1153 OK, I am up and sitting on a lower bunk just down corridor as my compartment is about the only one still in 'night mode' and the chap in the bunk under mine is still lying in it. Had trouble getting to sleep, acid sort of feeling in throat. Initially had no sheets on, then felt cold later and put a thin sheet on, then later - possibly much later - felt even colder and threw a blanket on top. Didn't look at watch/phone while drowsing until my alarm went of at 11 (I was drowsing when it did, not properly asleep). Probably didn't get to sleep til 3 or 4 though; cold as much to blame as train. Didn't feel too bad on waking; definitely better than when have slept on bus. Went for slash about twenty mins ago, in my socks (shoes a bit awkward under lower bunk) and naturally toilet floor was damp, I am going to assume with water. Recovered back (unlocked chain I secured it with) and shoes and as I say now waiting sitting on this other lower bunk.
Maybe 1115 conductor type chap came round and asked us our numbers. Turned out he meant seat numbers. Can he not read? Presumably this is in case we have informally swapped round. Maybe he will come to get us off at our stop. I should be OK anyway now I am sat up etc.
Kees said yesterday he wasn't sure if upper or lower berth was better; did make valid point in the upper, once you are up there it's yours, whereas lower is in demand for seating during the day.
Had packet of biscuits not long after 11. I wouldn't say I'm 100% even ignoring the cold but not too bad at all. Will be good to get to hotel in Amritsar, I am not looking forward to the bus much, but I do feel pretty much able to cope with getting there.
1202 Quick attempt at GPS claims I am near Chhattisgarh (correct spelling). It does this intermittently, always at the same location while I've been in India; it's one thing if it can't get a lock, but don't fucking *lie* to me. I hope the replacement keyboard phone (Samsung Stratosphere II) I've ordered second hand from the US can be persuaded to work.
1229 GPS suggests we are at Kappurthala station, about 10-15 miles from Jalandhar. No signs on platform of course.
1246 GPS shows we will be at Jalandhar very shortly.
1340 Bus terminal confusing as fuck but managed to get on a bus to Amritsar, INR76.
Tuktuk driver at stn wanted 150 to go to bus terminal, turned him down on principle as wanted to see what second offer was like. Since I doubled back rather than go past 150 bloke I struggled to find someone. Cycle rickshaw chap not speaking great English offered to do it for 100, or so I though. En route I decided I'd tip another 100 as I do feel being a cycle rickshaw driver must be a shit job. But then when we got there he said 200. I was tempted to argue - it's one thing to give it voluntarily, another to have this kind of scam - but decided I just wanted to get on with finding a bus. In future I may start using finger gestures to confirm 1 vs 2 hundred if any doubt, depends how pressured I feel.
I *hope* this is going to Amritsar but GPS direction is reassuring.
1548 At hotel. They put me in a standard room to start with despite me having paid an extra ten quid for a 'super deluxe'. As I was cursing and fighting with the wifi to see if I could confirm this and go argue they came and moved me. I don't know if they overheard me cursing.
As the bus pulled into the terminal nearly everyone got off. When I got to door it was still moving slowly and there was a light bit of traffic. I hesisated and then got off when it seemed to be turning off as I didn't want to lose my bearings. I fell over in the middle of the road, ripping my left trouser (the combats) below the knee but fortunately not harming myself otherwise or damaging glasses/phone (not tested camera but probably OK). No idea if this was due to me being less skilled than the locals, the fact I was carrying my 10kg bag, the fact I delayed and maybe it speeded up or what. Not examined leg under rip yet, I suspect it's just a childhood-style scrape.
1554 Yes, it's not too bad looking. The wifi appears to not work; phone struggles to connect, laptop connects but no data flows although I can ping the gateway. Supoib. I can connect to the router admin website and see that the primary DNS server shows as a fail on the diagnostics. I can't ping the primary or secondary but I can ping the one IP address I have memorised, which is a box at my university. Sadly I don't have any public DNS servers mentioned so this is totally useless.
Aha, using their *other* wifi network it works.
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