Day 46, Sept. 25

Sadly, today was another get-a-way day. The scheduled journey would take me first to Trivandrum, the See city of the Diocese. Then I would catch the night train to Dindigul. There, on the following morning, I would be picked up by my new host.
The hardest part would be the first leg. My host had appointments all morning. I told him that was no problem. I could take the local bus. Somehow, that was not on his list of possibilities. I persisted. He could take me the very short distance to the bus and make sure I got on the right one. He reluctantly acquiesced. Then, r remembered that two of his parishioners wee going to be on that bus with their young sons to attend a diocesan function that might result n the boys receiving a scholarship to Catholic school.
When the time came near for the bus to leave, I had to force the priest to get out from behind his desk to get me to the bus. He seemed as if he wanted me to miss it. We were late. I saw a bus moving. Since it was the only bus I directed my host to pull in front of it, which he did. Sure enough it was the right bus and the two women were aboard. Like it may have happened in Mayberry USA the driver graciously stopped; the conductor got out of the bus and proceeded to help me with my bags. Meanwhile, Father was conversing with the women.
Once on the bus and on the way to the big city of Trivandrum, the conductor proceeded to take the fare. When he got to me, he just shrugged his shoulders as if to say it was out of his power. The ladies had paid or my fare. It was the whopping price of 11 rupees (22 cents). The conductor powerlessly showed me the receipt. By this time the two boys who obviously knew me from church had come to sit with me. I had two ten rupee notes ready to pay my fare. I gave each of the boys one of them. All seemed to be happy. The mothers had come to sit behind me forcing the boys to behave. We spent the time playing finger and hand games. None of us knowing a word of the other’s language, we spent the next 90 minutes playing together – with the moms happily satisfied they could enjoy the ride themselves.
When we arrived at the last stop, it turned out to not to be the one we anticipated. We hoped to be across the street from the train station. We weren’t. That was more than a block away and the streets were under construction. There were a lot of three-wheeled taxis surrounding us all asking for our business. That’s when the other surprise hit. The ladies were given money to pay for the ride to the Chancery (Bishop’s House in India). We were all going there. However, I wanted to go to the train station first to get my ticket straightened out. It was an e-ticket. That only allows you waiting list status. I wanted to get a seat and not the berth I seem to have been sent. Thus, the hassle. The ladies were instructed to accompany me to the Bishop’s House. I wanted them to go while I settled matters at the station. They won. My consolation prize was to pay the cab fare of 50 rupees to the consternation of the ladies who had obviously been given money to pay for the taxi.
They were waiting for me at the Bishop’s House. I was given a nice room to freshen up in. One priest insisted to go look up my ticket status and it now in quite good order. I bought two more books at their ridiculously low prices. One book had printed on the back cover US $ 30.00 India 300 rupees ($6.00).
Of course, I wanted to get out and shop for a few necessities. I was offered two directions o a walk. Neither had any shops. In one direction was the king’s palace (Kerala was a kingdom until 1947). The other way led to museums and the zoo. I got to the zoo at closing time. I was reading a sign when a guard asked me if I wee going to enter. I told him the zoo was going to close in 2 minutes. He was insistent. So, I said yes; he pointed me to the admission booth (10 rupees entrance charge, in US$ 20cents) So, I had little to lose. As soon as I received my ticket, the heavy door dropped with a great thud. Then, I realized I had an hour to enjoy a walk in the zoo. The ambiance was the best part. It felt like a jungle with trees one only finds in a rainforest. Not all the animals were out; but those that were looked healthy.
When I returned, one of the chancery officials met me and asked about my arrangements to the train station for the 3:45 am train. Then another got involved. The upshot was that I had a ride from a priest to the station starting at 2:45. Greater love…
At dinner I enjoyed more conversion about coming to the US. That is an expected part of a priest’s development here it seems. One needs that experience on his curriculum vitae here. Then I returned to my room to pray, type more blogs, and do a puzzle.