My Over-night Bus Rides

I have been in Bangalore for almost 3.5 years now. And being a Keralite, home is always a night journey away. And as one of my colleagues exaggerated, if you cannot find me office, you find me in one of the highways to Kerala. On an average I use to travel home once on every 3 weekends. And I have always travelled in bus. I would like to share some of my funny and memorable days in the bus.

My General Learning

There are some general rules:

Rule 1: Ladies can’t travel when a guy is sitting next to her.

Rule 2: Your bus will never reach even 30 minutes after departure time on a usual day

Rule 3: Bugs are free entertainment in bus, be prepared for that

Rule 4: Last row in the bus is the worst seats in the bus, and ladies are “Weak Sex”, so can’t sit there either.

My First Trip

First time I came to from home, I did not know about the bus service. So have booked a KSRTC Super Express Ticket. To tell you about the bus, bus is having shutter for windows, no pushback or cushioned seats. Not aware of the climate in Bangalore either, I came in the thinnest shirt. And in the bus I was the only passenger except some people who travelled between some intermediate points. It was damn cold in the bus, tension of attending an interview and lonely travel – altogether it was one of my worst trips.

Rule 1 can have exceptions

Rule 1 can have exceptions but people always look at with wrong eyes. Once when I was planning to travel home, as usual have asked couple of my friends whether anyone who was travelling so that can go together. But one of my friend’s friend – Stephie - was travelling and did our ticket together. We were not close but quite familiar to each other. The travel was not much eventful in the initial phase. We had usual chit-chats regarding office, weekends in general and so on. Stephie was a bad sleeper in bus according to her. It was so cold in the bus, and I was smart enough to have the jacket. But Stephie didn’t have anything thick to help her and being just a friend’s friend, I dint even bother to offer her my jacket.

After reaching Palaghat, somehow suddenly the rear glass of the bus broke. Don’t ask me how a glass can break itself. But all I can say is it was Kerala SRTC A/C bus. But nothing to worry, when I returned back Bangalore next night, aluminium sheet had replaced rear glass! But the funny the thing was my co-passenger didn’t wake from the sleep nor she knew the glass has broken till I told her. But she cant sleep in the bus!!

But the journey is not yet over. Finally we reached Thrissur, and we had to get down there. We stood to take the bags, the guy sitting in the back seat was signalling something to me with his eye. I dint get what he was trying to say. He was having a smile as if he was found out something big in life. He was still giving me some instructions, but this time with his hands. OMG!! He was totally misunderstood us. The problem was some part of her inner was popping out of her salwar around her shoulder. I was not the culprit but ….! I am not sure whether he knows me or my family as we got down at the same stop. And the next question was how will I tell her about this. We never had such talks between us. I dont know how I signalled her, but somehow I conveyed the message. It was the most embarrassing moments. But till now I haven’t told her about the source of the message. 

A lady who booked Driver’s Seat

Sometime back when I was coming back from home, I lady got into bus. She started searching for her seat. A man looking like his dad was helping to locate the seat. To speak about her, she looks like a proper local girl – in salwar who has a crisp slang and loved food (her physique says so atleast). She had booked ticket online and has booked one of the worst seats – the window seat in the last row. The seat will have only half the push-back effect. She don’t want to sit there and she found the conductor single seat empty. So she declared, my seat was a single seat when I checked in the website but it was conductor’s seat. Then she changed her stand, it was a single seat on the right side. There is only one single seat in the entire bus, unfortunately driver was already sitting there. Or has the KSRTC selling driver seat too!! She was shouting and might turn into a tears soon.

She is not going to her original seat. She just sat on conductor’s seat. It was like saying to conductor, if you want your seat back, arrange me a good seat. So conductor has to start negotiating with her for his seat. She was not going back, he gave up. By then there were some KSRTC officers in the bus. They just tried to be the smartest sales men and here comes the offer – if anyone can give their seat to the girl (she is nowhere near maturity to address as Lady), I will give you window seat. Suddenly roars of laughter raised in the bus among strangers. Everyone in the bus knew which was the “window seat”. So conductor of the bus had to move to the least accessible seat in the bus – the “window seat”. If it was an old man or lady I would atleast thought about offering my seat but not to such person. 

A night of Fun

It was one of our classmate’s marriage and four of us – Manu, Treesa, Bhavani and me were travelling to Kerala together and Saleesh in a different bus. None could sleep or perhaps it’s better to say, no one will let others sleep. Every 5 minutes, someone has to make sure others are also awake. When you are making noise and disturbing others, it wont matter much. We were giggling, giving missed calls or sms to someone just sitting across and all idiotic things possible.

We reached Walayar at the checkpost around 4am. It always takes some time there. As men can use any road side as toilet, Manu and me didn’t have to search for toilet. But the ladies needs proper rest room. So we decided to search for it. So Manu will go to somewhere and ask someone for a toilet leaving all the 3 others together and then when he came back, I went to search. I asked in the shop/hotel first. Manu went to the police station asking for a toilet!! We, all four then went into a lodge and even before locating the toilet, we decided to walk back. No luck, and have decided to give up the plan. Bhavani was having a soar-throat and we went to hotel to get some Vicks or so. When we asked the guy overthere, he told us, “just go inside, straight thru the door”. Bhavani almost started walking, then she realized, “why should I go inside his house for a Vicks tablet”. Then we repeated, we need “Vicks”. Oh, he thought we were asking for toilet for ladies and we saw a lady coming out from the door, who was travelling with us. So all problems were solved – girls found the toilet, Bhavani got Vicks and Manu had a tea. By then bus was done with formalities at the checkpost and we resumed the journey.