I am writing this post for the second time. The first time because of unfortunate reasons, it could not be saved. So here it goes.
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I thought only in India you can stop a train and make it wait until all your family and friends from the village in the horizon have boarded. But apparently in France too, you can do this. This is an account of the story that happened last Saturday.
On Saturday morning we were on our way to Island of Porquorolles. It is the most the visited island of France after Corsica. To reach there, we took a train to Hyeres, then a bus to Tour Fondue. In the morning when we took the bus, we covered this distance in 25 minutes. From there we took a ferry to the island.
In summer, Porquorolles is like a green dry patch in the blue hue that encompasses it. It is filled with gorges and calanques along with olives, grapes and some other rare vegetations. To cover the island before the end of the day, we hired bikes. As soon as we started, we missed the turn that would have kept us on the route the rental bike told us. But the badass overconfident bunch we are, we missed it.
After toiling for almost half a day and discovering the island in a very strange manner, we decid to go back. But not before the customary dip in the Mediterranean. That was epic! It was stunning blue water and quite calm to swim around.
As per our plan, we were supposed to take the 8.02 PM train. That was the last train to Marseille from Hyeres. As per our estimate and also, the god aka google maps, it would take us 25 min to reach Station from Tour Fondue. This was verified by each of us when we came in. So we took 6:00PM ferry from the island to Tour Fondue. When we reached the dock at around 6.30 the bus to station was already waiting. Few of my friends were already queueing up to take the tickets. The bus to station was every 15 min. So ideally we could borrow 30 minutes to roam around the city of Hyeres.
I think I was salesman in my last birth. I sold to my friends the idea that we can take 7:00 PM bus. After the sale, I roamed around Hyeres. At sharp 7:00 we boarded the bus with gleeful faces.
As soon as the bus started to move, we caught a glimpse of catastrophe that is going to strike us. We were going to be late because of the snail like traffic. The god, after estimating all odds were saying that we will reach by 8.02PM . That is going to be close. Or nearly stating the fact that we are going to miss the train.
Except for 3 us, everybody else had an invisible streak of sweat on their forehead. We were poking each other and telling the tales of people could stop train in India. But inside our head we knew how this out turn out. No place to go, people getting frustrated, accusations etc.
We reached the station at 8.02 PM as predicted by the god. I ran towards the platform. As I was entering the platform, I saw the station master. We asked in which platform 8.02 PM train was, the guy gave a blank look. Then somebody found that it was in Platform C. Normally there is an underground passage to connect from one platform to another. I started frantically searching for them. Then it occurred to me that, since the station was small, we had to run towards the end of platform and literally cross it. We started running towards the end of the platform.
Somehow I reached the end of the platform only to see the guard giving the signal to the driver. He was going to close the door. I gasped and in my sign version of French language, I asked him to wait for my friends. Then guy 1 came and joined me.
We both were waiting and seeing the "Tamasha" that was happening across the platform
Guy 2 was running with shorts coming loose. So he stops in mid way and tightens his shorts and then starts to run again! The way he did would make anybody laugh and roll over.
Guy 3 was running towards the end of the platform to cross but he suddenly stops and then retracts. He starts to run in the opposition direction. Guy 4 stops him. They are telling something which we can't here. Apparently Guy 3 thought he forgot his goggles so he was going back to collect it. Guy 2 was telling him that it is still on his face!
Gal 1 is looking for Guy 4. Checking behind first when he was actually in front of her
Now comes the epic scene
Gal 2 walking leisurely to the end of the platform. By this time everybody is inside the train is waiting for her to come. However to everybody's' horror she walks leisurely. Everybody started to shout asking her to speed up. After sometime she cuts the platform and come in.
The guard is not screaming saying that he is going to loose his job. The train is late by 2 min when we started to move!
========================================================================
I thought only in India you can stop a train and make it wait until all your family and friends from the village in the horizon have boarded. But apparently in France too, you can do this. This is an account of the story that happened last Saturday.
On Saturday morning we were on our way to Island of Porquorolles. It is the most the visited island of France after Corsica. To reach there, we took a train to Hyeres, then a bus to Tour Fondue. In the morning when we took the bus, we covered this distance in 25 minutes. From there we took a ferry to the island.
In summer, Porquorolles is like a green dry patch in the blue hue that encompasses it. It is filled with gorges and calanques along with olives, grapes and some other rare vegetations. To cover the island before the end of the day, we hired bikes. As soon as we started, we missed the turn that would have kept us on the route the rental bike told us. But the badass overconfident bunch we are, we missed it.
After toiling for almost half a day and discovering the island in a very strange manner, we decid to go back. But not before the customary dip in the Mediterranean. That was epic! It was stunning blue water and quite calm to swim around.
As per our plan, we were supposed to take the 8.02 PM train. That was the last train to Marseille from Hyeres. As per our estimate and also, the god aka google maps, it would take us 25 min to reach Station from Tour Fondue. This was verified by each of us when we came in. So we took 6:00PM ferry from the island to Tour Fondue. When we reached the dock at around 6.30 the bus to station was already waiting. Few of my friends were already queueing up to take the tickets. The bus to station was every 15 min. So ideally we could borrow 30 minutes to roam around the city of Hyeres.
I think I was salesman in my last birth. I sold to my friends the idea that we can take 7:00 PM bus. After the sale, I roamed around Hyeres. At sharp 7:00 we boarded the bus with gleeful faces.
As soon as the bus started to move, we caught a glimpse of catastrophe that is going to strike us. We were going to be late because of the snail like traffic. The god, after estimating all odds were saying that we will reach by 8.02PM . That is going to be close. Or nearly stating the fact that we are going to miss the train.
Except for 3 us, everybody else had an invisible streak of sweat on their forehead. We were poking each other and telling the tales of people could stop train in India. But inside our head we knew how this out turn out. No place to go, people getting frustrated, accusations etc.
We reached the station at 8.02 PM as predicted by the god. I ran towards the platform. As I was entering the platform, I saw the station master. We asked in which platform 8.02 PM train was, the guy gave a blank look. Then somebody found that it was in Platform C. Normally there is an underground passage to connect from one platform to another. I started frantically searching for them. Then it occurred to me that, since the station was small, we had to run towards the end of platform and literally cross it. We started running towards the end of the platform.
Somehow I reached the end of the platform only to see the guard giving the signal to the driver. He was going to close the door. I gasped and in my sign version of French language, I asked him to wait for my friends. Then guy 1 came and joined me.
We both were waiting and seeing the "Tamasha" that was happening across the platform
Guy 2 was running with shorts coming loose. So he stops in mid way and tightens his shorts and then starts to run again! The way he did would make anybody laugh and roll over.
Guy 3 was running towards the end of the platform to cross but he suddenly stops and then retracts. He starts to run in the opposition direction. Guy 4 stops him. They are telling something which we can't here. Apparently Guy 3 thought he forgot his goggles so he was going back to collect it. Guy 2 was telling him that it is still on his face!
Gal 1 is looking for Guy 4. Checking behind first when he was actually in front of her
Now comes the epic scene
Gal 2 walking leisurely to the end of the platform. By this time everybody is inside the train is waiting for her to come. However to everybody's' horror she walks leisurely. Everybody started to shout asking her to speed up. After sometime she cuts the platform and come in.
The guard is not screaming saying that he is going to loose his job. The train is late by 2 min when we started to move!
