I had booked train tickets for going and flight tickets for the return journey. I was to travel till Newjalpaiguri(NJP) in West Bengal where I will meet the others and the trip will begin. Plan was to courier the bike through a company called Gati. They said that all you need are the bike papers and you can give us the bike 2 weeks before your departure. Infact they has said they will come and collect it from my house. So everything was set. Bike all repaired and prepared for the trip. Two weeks before I called up the local Gati office and asked them to come and pick my bike. The very coolly asked me that had I got the form 16 from NJP. Form 16?? What form 16??? Nobody had ever mentioned a form 16!!!! How could I possibly get it from NJP which was more than 1500kms from Delhi. I tried to convince the guy to take the bike without this form16, even tried talking to his boss. But no use. Gati cancelled. Tried other companies but either the dint have a warehouse in NJP and needed a local address to deliver the bike or dint deliver it to the place .One week left for my departure and still no confirmed booking for the bike. Now the only option left was to book it as a parcel in the train and take it with me. This is when another bomb was dropped on me. The New Delhi Railway station from where I was supposed to board my train was closing down for renovation, with the train either shifted to other stations or cancelled. They came out trains and train wasn’t on it. I went to the station but no one had any idea about my train. So now even my going wasn’t confirmed. After few days of running around various stations in Delhi and burning many calories in tension, I came to know that my train was going from the Old Delhi railway station. Now the problem remained the bike and the bigger problem was that the parcel booking was closed till the renovation was over. Roaming outside the station I found this agent who said he could get my bike booked. I had to get it to the station a day before. That did reduce the tension but since nothing was confirmed, I was not at ease for the whole week. Finally came 11th September. Day before my train. My mind was already thinking of counter plans if my I wasn’t able to send my bike. Traveling in a taxi, riding pillion, traveling by local bus.. I left the office early. Reached home, readied my bike and rushed to the station. I found the parcel office locked. My heart missed a beat or two…I was looking around for the agent when someone came running towards me from the crowd. He asked me if I wanted to get my bike transported. I said yes and followed him. He took me to a place in the far corner of the station where agents were running the parcel office from under a tree. He packed my bike, another one filled the form for me and third one made the name plate for the bike. Within half an hour my bike was ready for booking. Although I had to wait for 4-5 hours for the railway officer to come and book the bike, I did not mind it. Because finally my bike was going. The trip was on. I felt overjoyed as that realization sunk in. Special thanx to Eric for coming and giving me company. So after it was finally done, Eric and I went home where Sunil also came. What coincidence it was. They were the only two people from Delhi who I know have gone to Sikkim before. Next morning I boarded the train for NJP. Parcel office said my bike had already been dispatched. The journey had begun…
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