Let me begin here with a great quote from the great .. African American Black Philosopher .. ' Iron Mike ' Tyson ..
Everybody has a plan until they get hit !
And this morning .. I got attacked .. this morning I got hit !
It was 5:15AM this very early morning .. Sunday morning .. February 10th, 2013 .. and I had done everything correct .. I had gotten a lot of sleep yesterday afternoon and last night .. I was up at 4AM .. with lots of time to get to the New Delhi Railway Station in time for my 6AM train to Agra Cantt .. no excuse of 'being tired' .. NO EXCUSES PERIOD !
So there I was .. at 5:15AM this morning at the New Delhi Railway Station .. I was at the baggage-checking X-Ray Machine and was about to feed my three bags into the X-Ray Machine when .. The Attendant helping people load their bags onto the X-Ray Machine feeder-belt asked me .. " Sir .. What train are you boarding this morning ?" ..
I told him .. " Train Number 12002 The Shatabdi Express to Agra Cantt. "
I will repeat myself here because this is important .. The Attendant assisting with loading baggage into the X-Ray Machine asked me the above question .. THE ATTENDANT !
He said to me very politely and 'in earnest' .. " Sir .. that train has been cancelled .. you must go upstairs to the Tourist Bureau on the second floor and get further instructions ! "
What should I have done ? Should I have said to The Attendant .. " You Lying S.O.B. ? Get out of my way ? " .. What would YOU have done ? I assume .. like I actually did .. you would believe The Attendant and do as he had suggested ..
So up to the second floor of the New Delhi Railway Station at 5:20AM I trudged with my three bags .. my backpack and my over-the-shoulder bag and my suitcase .. and I was met by two very 'official looking' gentlemen who told me .. " Sir .. it is winter here and your train has been cancelled due to severe fog on the route ! " ..
" Sir you need to go to Connaught Place .. to the 'N' Block and there at the 24-hour Railway Bureau you will be given instructions on how to get a refund of your ticket and to schedule another train. "
" We have a government taxi available for you .. it will cost you 300 Rupees to take you there .. to wait for you .. and to return you to the Railway Station. " .. " Come with us Sir ! "
In India you have one ' Cardinal Rule ' and it is this : You NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER get into an 'unknown' taxi or automobile EVER !
People who violate this ' Cardinal Rule ' end up dead .. drugged .. stripped of all their clothing and left naked in a remote area having had everything taken from them .. etc !
India has a very dark side believe me ..
So with my two 'official looking' escorts behind me .. down the stairs we trotted and upon getting to the street ..
Despite their pleadings .. " Sir come this way .. Sir .. come with us Sir ! " .. I took off and left them behind me and headed directly back to my Hotel Capital Residency .. I told Shivam that I had some trouble and to get my three bags back into my room ..
Then walking alone in the early morning New Delhi dark (this act alone is extremely risky and dangerous !) off I walked to find the 'N' Block in Connaught place and the 24-hour Railway Bureau .. and guess what .. I walked and I walked and I walked some more .. about 50 minutes total .. NO 24-hour Railway Bureau .. NOTHING OF ANY SORT OPEN AT ALL .. and at 6:15AM ended up back at the New Delhi Railway Station and went to the Train Master's Office to be told .. " Sir .. the train left on time and on schedule and the train was not cancelled Sir !
I had been scammed big time !
The bad guys had tried cleverly and very very professionally to lure me into a taxi or car to do what bad guys do to people ! Let me assure you .. there is a serious and an organized criminal element here .. and this was not my first encounter with them .. 'They' won the first one back in 1993 ! In fact 'They' won a second one also !
So I lost a couple of dollars on my train ticket .. I was refunded 50% of my ticket despite missing my train !
India does have a good and a caring and a considerate side too !
I lost a full day .. I had to re-book a train for tomorrow morning the 11th of February .. and I did ' take a significant hit in psyche and energy levels' ! .. I slept basically most of the day ! It sure felt good to ' shut out this morning ' for a few hours !
And I outwitted the bad guys who failed to kidnap me !
I now know the baggage X-Ray Machine Attendant was a criminal as were his two cohorts upstairs .. knowing how they work .. the instant I went upstairs The Attendant disappeared and was gone ..
What to do ? Look below and see what I did .. I went to McDonald's to have a McFlurry !
Smiles .. Alive and Well .. Cap ..
Thank you Patti for being-with-me by cell phone through-it-all .. Will you proof the above ?
Everybody has a plan until they get hit !
And this morning .. I got attacked .. this morning I got hit !
It was 5:15AM this very early morning .. Sunday morning .. February 10th, 2013 .. and I had done everything correct .. I had gotten a lot of sleep yesterday afternoon and last night .. I was up at 4AM .. with lots of time to get to the New Delhi Railway Station in time for my 6AM train to Agra Cantt .. no excuse of 'being tired' .. NO EXCUSES PERIOD !
So there I was .. at 5:15AM this morning at the New Delhi Railway Station .. I was at the baggage-checking X-Ray Machine and was about to feed my three bags into the X-Ray Machine when .. The Attendant helping people load their bags onto the X-Ray Machine feeder-belt asked me .. " Sir .. What train are you boarding this morning ?" ..
I told him .. " Train Number 12002 The Shatabdi Express to Agra Cantt. "
I will repeat myself here because this is important .. The Attendant assisting with loading baggage into the X-Ray Machine asked me the above question .. THE ATTENDANT !
He said to me very politely and 'in earnest' .. " Sir .. that train has been cancelled .. you must go upstairs to the Tourist Bureau on the second floor and get further instructions ! "
What should I have done ? Should I have said to The Attendant .. " You Lying S.O.B. ? Get out of my way ? " .. What would YOU have done ? I assume .. like I actually did .. you would believe The Attendant and do as he had suggested ..
So up to the second floor of the New Delhi Railway Station at 5:20AM I trudged with my three bags .. my backpack and my over-the-shoulder bag and my suitcase .. and I was met by two very 'official looking' gentlemen who told me .. " Sir .. it is winter here and your train has been cancelled due to severe fog on the route ! " ..
" Sir you need to go to Connaught Place .. to the 'N' Block and there at the 24-hour Railway Bureau you will be given instructions on how to get a refund of your ticket and to schedule another train. "
" We have a government taxi available for you .. it will cost you 300 Rupees to take you there .. to wait for you .. and to return you to the Railway Station. " .. " Come with us Sir ! "
In India you have one ' Cardinal Rule ' and it is this : You NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER get into an 'unknown' taxi or automobile EVER !
People who violate this ' Cardinal Rule ' end up dead .. drugged .. stripped of all their clothing and left naked in a remote area having had everything taken from them .. etc !
India has a very dark side believe me ..
So with my two 'official looking' escorts behind me .. down the stairs we trotted and upon getting to the street ..
Despite their pleadings .. " Sir come this way .. Sir .. come with us Sir ! " .. I took off and left them behind me and headed directly back to my Hotel Capital Residency .. I told Shivam that I had some trouble and to get my three bags back into my room ..
Then walking alone in the early morning New Delhi dark (this act alone is extremely risky and dangerous !) off I walked to find the 'N' Block in Connaught place and the 24-hour Railway Bureau .. and guess what .. I walked and I walked and I walked some more .. about 50 minutes total .. NO 24-hour Railway Bureau .. NOTHING OF ANY SORT OPEN AT ALL .. and at 6:15AM ended up back at the New Delhi Railway Station and went to the Train Master's Office to be told .. " Sir .. the train left on time and on schedule and the train was not cancelled Sir !
I had been scammed big time !
The bad guys had tried cleverly and very very professionally to lure me into a taxi or car to do what bad guys do to people ! Let me assure you .. there is a serious and an organized criminal element here .. and this was not my first encounter with them .. 'They' won the first one back in 1993 ! In fact 'They' won a second one also !
So I lost a couple of dollars on my train ticket .. I was refunded 50% of my ticket despite missing my train !
India does have a good and a caring and a considerate side too !
I lost a full day .. I had to re-book a train for tomorrow morning the 11th of February .. and I did ' take a significant hit in psyche and energy levels' ! .. I slept basically most of the day ! It sure felt good to ' shut out this morning ' for a few hours !
And I outwitted the bad guys who failed to kidnap me !
I now know the baggage X-Ray Machine Attendant was a criminal as were his two cohorts upstairs .. knowing how they work .. the instant I went upstairs The Attendant disappeared and was gone ..
What to do ? Look below and see what I did .. I went to McDonald's to have a McFlurry !
Smiles .. Alive and Well .. Cap ..
Thank you Patti for being-with-me by cell phone through-it-all .. Will you proof the above ?
Wow! I'm so glad to hear that you are ok!
ReplyDeleteAs I wrote in my post .. NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER get into an unknown vehicle.. one you do NOT have positive identification as the the ownership thereof ! This is always true but especially true in the dark of night ! Thanks for your comment ! Sorry to be so late responding .. Cap ..
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