BANGALORE TO MYSORE: A CHAOTIC 3 AM TRAIN ADVENTURE (PART 1)

Hi Reader,

Welcome to my very first blog! After living in Bangalore for about eight months, I finally gave in to the urge to write and share the random stories, thoughts, and incidents that constantly buzz in my mind. So here I am — starting with the first part of my weekend trip to Mysore.

The Last-Minute Plan

It was the night of 31st October when my newly made friends (colleagues from the same company but different teams) decided we should head to Mysore for the weekend. Perfect timing, except… I had just had a mild cat fight with my roommate and was feeling annoyed. For a moment, I genuinely thought I wouldn’t go.

But something kept pulling me — Maa Chamundeshwari Temple. Last year, during my internship in 2024, I was in Mysore but couldn’t visit the temple because… well, periods happen. The eternal enemy of travel plans.

A Chaotic Start (Typical Me)

I set an alarm for 3 AM and went to bed around 1 AM… but of course, I ended up scrolling Facebook rental groups until 2:15 AM. During the travel discussion, I was shocked to know— there’s a small railway station just 4 km from my place called Karmelaram. I’d been living here for months and had no clue. Very on brand for me. We decided to board the train from there.

The only reason I woke up was because of a 3 AM call from my friend Kartik. (Bless him — the alarm never went off.) I rushed, booked a Rapido, and reached the station by 3:20 AM.

The Suspenseful Station Scene

The moment I saw my google map showing I already reached, I couldn’t find where the entrance was. I was confused and little scared. I asked rider to park on the side of the road. I got down and my heart beat was dropping. Empty roads. Just a bunch of barking dogs. And zero idea where the entrance was.

The Rapido rider kindly agreed to wait until my friends showed up — honestly, his kindness made me feel safe in that eerie silence.

At a distance, I saw a grill gate and three silhouettes inside. I called Kajal, waved dramatically, and asked, "Can you guys see me? ”Yes, come straight,” she said.

Right then, a car pulled over near me — and I panicked again — until I saw Kartik stepping out with a trolley suitcase like he was on some business-class trip. (I’m pretty sure he travels only 1AC or 2AC.)

Inside the gate, we joined the rest: Kajal, Ritika, Kartik, Shammi (Kajal’s cousin), and me — the Bangalore batch.

Tickets? What Tickets?

There was also a half-drunk guy mumbling to himself nearby, and that’s when we realized the ticket counter opens… at 8 AM. And we had none.

The entrance to the station was closed, so we were in the place where the ticket counter is.

Panic.

But then I spotted a banner for the UTS Mobile App and remembered using it in Chennai. Within minutes, I booked unreserved tickets for all of us — second sitting class. (Did we actually sit there? Absolutely not.)

The train, scheduled for 4 AM, finally arrived at 5:20 AM. By then, the station was opened and filling up, the counter magically opened, and we spent some time sipping tea and sharing work gossip.

I was excited when the trains were passing with very high speed so fast it thrilled me so much, there was a furry black dog who would howl at it.

Meanwhile, Ritika got bitten by some insect, and her lip slowly began to swell — to the extent that it started looking like she had gotten an Urfi Javed-style lip filler. No exaggeration.

Boarding Drama

When the train arrived, we barged into the sleeper class and grabbed the first empty coupe.

The stinky toilet smell nearby was the cherry on the cake.

We waited until KSR Bengaluru station so people could get down, and then shifted to a more central—and less smelly—area.

Ritika kept her mouth covered with a mask for a long time, and when she finally revealed it, the boys burst into uncontrollable laughter and named her “Murgi Javed”. Friends, right?

A few passengers kept asking for seats on the way, and although guilty, we weren’t very enthusiastic about giving ours away, especially me who was half lied down on the seat. I could almost feel karma writing this down somewhere.

The Beautiful Ride

Despite everything — the sleep deprivation, the swollen lip, the chaos — the journey was peaceful. The misty morning, the rising sun, the lush green fields passing by… nature has its way of calming me. I am obsessed with how effortlessly its colours blend together.

Kajal, being the sweetest, had packed Poha, and that mini breakfast tasted like comfort.

We dozed off, woke up, stared outside, cracked jokes, repeated the cycle… while Shammi acted like our personal GPS, tracking how much time left.

And finally —Mysore arrived.Excited, half-sleepy, hungry, and thrilled — we stepped onto the platform, marking the beginning of our weekend.

We had booked a 2BHK Airbnb in Mysore, and just knowing that a comfy, spacious place awaited us felt like luxury after that early-morning madness. The thought of collapsing on a clean bed kept us alive emotionally.

That Airbnb became our home base for the next two days — and trust me, many stories were born there too. Stay Tuned.