However, our train did not find its mention, so, we were still thrilled to board the train eagerly waiting for its arrival.The train was scheduled to depart at 09.50 P.M. After waiting for an hour, the first announcement was made about the train that we were supposed to board that, the train was running late by 2 hours from its scheduled time of departure, this did dent our excitement to some extent, but 2 hours was still kinda ok. After few minutes, next announcement was made that the train would arrive only around 5 A.M of the next day, this totally dashed our hopes, as, our further plans of visiting the next destinations would have got ruined if we did not reach Amritsar and that we would have to rework our entire itinerary.
Dilly dallying for few minutes, we then decided to explore options of boarding a bus. Many buses were already running full. Somehow, we managed to book a bus though a web aggregator. It was already 10.20 P.M by then. The bus was scheduled to depart at 10.45 P.M with the pickup point being near Red Fort, gulping down whatever little we found in the restaurant in Old Delhi railway station and rushed towards our boarding point.
In the chilly winds, armed with Google maps on the one hand, duffle bag on the another with a huge backpack hung to our back, we walked through the roads of Old Delhi. With the barking sound of dogs echoing through the isolated streets, treading on the path became more scarier. Around 10.35 P.M, we reached our boarding point i.e, Red Fort.
We were in for a surprise when the Bus operator informed that the bus that we were supposed to board had already departed. We were neither contacted nor informed about the departure of the bus and how could it depart even before the time of its scheduled departure.
After a lot of arguments over that, the operator argued to accommodate us in another bus. The aggregator was informed about the high handedness of the bus operator. We both were accommodated in a seat, which otherwise is meant for a single passenger, that congested and narrow the seats were. Around 11.15 P.M, the bus left for Amritsar.
The tiresome journey had already drained our energy and made us extremely drowsy. We soon fell asleep. Hazy sunshine in the dawn next day welcomed us. It was around 7 A.M, we reached Amritsar.The struggle ended there.
