How long does it take to be ripped off in India!!!
The day had come that I was finally going to India. After the hassle of getting my visa in Sri Lanka I thought it would never happen. Was it an omen??? Should I take this as a sign and get out before I had even arrived!!!

I landed in Chennai after an hours flight with Air India Express from Colombo. I sat next to a buddhist monk who was a real delight to speak with (and not a religious word was passed), we talked about Sri Lanka, his home and India!!! He wished me luck with my travels as so many people had before. Should I be worried when even the locals wish me luck?!!!

As I disembarked the plane I expected to be greeted with the filthy smell of India that people so often talk about but instead I was greeted with a hot smoggy day.

Getting through immigration was an easy process (and thankfully I wasn't asked for a onward ticket), I then collected my luggage and braced myself for the outside world. I waited for the stampede of taxi drivers wanting my fair but no-one was interested in me. A couple of people asked if I needed a taxi but as soon as I said I was catching the train they moved on to the next person. The train was less than .5 km from the airport and at 6 rupees (20 cents) a bargain.

My first mission for the day was to see if I could get a train ticket for the following day from Chennai to Calcutta. I was meeting a friend that I had meet in Sri Lanka and she would be on this train.

The train from the airport was packed but not as packed as it could of been, but after my first ride I discovered the ladies only carriage which was a lot more roomy and a lot less eyes looking at you. I spoke with a local on my train who had just arrived form visiting his girlfriend in KL. He also wished me luck - my god what is in store for me!!!

First I went to a local station only to be advised that I would need to go to the main train station to buy the tourist quota tickets. In India the trains book out months ahead so they always keep a quota of tickets for foreigners who book only days ahead (or in my case less than 24 hours). The central station was busy, busy, busy with people coming and going. I finally found the office of where to buy my ticket and it was a haven. Foreigners only were allowed in this office and so it was away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

I gave the details to the lady for my ticket and paid. I could of sworn that I gave her 4 x 500 rupees but she only had 3 in her hand. Maybe I had thought I had gotten out 4 but was only 3. I didn't argue as I could see she just had three so I got out some more money and finalised the transaction. It wasn't until later that night that I checked my money that I realised that I was 500 rupees short. I had given her the 4 but she had managed to somehow stash one while I wasn't looking. My first experience (of many to come I'm sure) of getting totally ripped off in India and it happened within a matter of a couple of hours of my arrival.

Day one was not even half over, I was 500 rupees down and I still had to find a place to stay. I walked for quite a bit looking for a hotel only to be told "FULL, FULL". I think in some of the hotels I was the wrong kind of clientele!!!! I finally succumbed to a tout and I had a room for the night (but only after some haggling and I still got ripped off by 100 rupees but it was worth it to finally have a room). After dumping my bag and checking the TV (no English channels - damm!!!) I headed out to see if I could find a bookshop as I was in desperate need of a guide book. India is certainly not a place to be without some sort of reference. After a few hours of wondering around I found a shopping centre along with a supermarket (necessary for stocking up on snacks for my 27 hour train journey) and most of all a Lonely Planet Guide for India!!!

It was now 5:30pm and the afternoon was quickly fading so I hightailed myself back to my hotel. My first day in India was over and I had survived - now I only had to survive the night from the mosquitoes in my hotel room.