Follow The Steps Of The Footprints In Many Colours

~ the footprints on the floor of the metro stations are a good navigation, when i follow these footprints, i'll not get lost in the extensively huge stations of the city metro of delhi ~

Day 46

4.4.2024
Thursday

Paharganj, Delhi

I need to get the terminals of the IGI airport correct. There are 3 terminals in New Delhi. Two terminals, T1 and T2 are domestic terminals and T3 is international terminal. That is for sure. Last night when I took the metro to the airport, I had taken the same metro lines I came to Paharganj several weeks ago. When I arrived in Delhi, from the airport, I took the magenta line metro, and after riding on the metro for six stations, I changed the line at the interchange station at Hauz Khas into yellow line. From this yellow line metro, I took another ten stations before arriving at Paharganj. So last night, I assumed if I took the metro in the sequential, but on the reverse direction, I should be arriving at the international arrival gate of the IGI airport. However, there was a great confusion when I arrived at the metro station of the airport.

I was told I had arrived at the wrong airport terminal. The international arrival at Terminal 3 was 5 km away from the metro station. I was greatly confused. So after I got out from the metro, I had to take a taxi to T3 before I would arrive at the international arrival gates. I decided I needed to go to the airport one more time by metro in finding out the exact terminals correctly before departure for home next thursday.

The metro in Delhi is very extensive, which is two to three times more extensive than the commuter system in Kuala Lumpur. In the congesting and traffic choking areas such as Old Delhi, all the metro stations are underground built tunnels. The areas connecting Old Delhi spreading into the several railway stations and to the nearby commercial centres, they have all underground stations too. Some metro stations have very deep tunnels, they are into three to four storeys down from the ground surface.

A metro commuter has told me, if I could not find the direction, or lose my way into the next interchange stations at the metro stations, I should look for the footprints that have colours sticking on the floor of the metro stations. For example, later if I need to interchange on a violet line, when I come out from the metro of another line, I should look out for the footprints in violet, then follow the prints of feet and I should be led to the train of the violet line. It's a very creative way of leading the confused metro commuters who are not familiar with the metro system of Delhi.

Last night, Jasmine's flight was delayed by half and hour. At first, I thought we would be able to take the last metro at 11.20 pm when she had come out from the arrival gate. But by the time Jasmine was out at the gate, it was already 11.40 pm. We had missed the last metro. At that time, we were left with two choices, it would be either we take a taxi or go by bus to the city centre. When I checked with the bus conductor, the city bus in the airport was running 24 hours. When I confirmed with the conductor of the bus again, he said to me, yes, the city buses at the arrival terminal were running non-stop at regular hours.

We decided to take the city bus. The bus took nearly an hour to reach new delhi railway station situated right in the mid pulse of the bustling city. Paharganj was only a mile away from the railway station that had two entry gates. The gate nearer to our motel was called Paharganj Gate. The opposite side of Paharganj Gate was known as Ajmeri Gate. The bus stopped for us to get down at Ajmeri Gate. So, we had to walk the last mile, from Ajmeri Gate then got through the luggage x-ray belt for detection of any explosives, and out through the Paharganj Gate before we reached our motel.

The attendant of the motel insisted, we must register with him of Jasmine's arrival to his motel at that time in the midnight. By the time we settled with the registration, it was already 2 am.

This morning, I wake up at 7 am. I send a message through whatsapp to Jasmine, telling her to drink more water because the weather in Delhi is getting hot and very dry. We may get dehydrated very easily and quickly.

~ the city bus leaves the airport, seeing the bus conductor collecting bus fares from the commuters, and we pay Rs75 for two people riding on the bus to paharganj ~

~ i am back to gulshan motel, jasmine and i will stay in this motel till next thursday before the departure for home ~