Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

Except that the Speed Post is open til 2 PM!

And they even agree to send the hugger. And I wasn’t so sure about that…!

 

They weigh it (2.2 kg) and give me the price (2,200 Rs, about 30 euros and ten times the price of the hugger, and 50% more than the normal courier). In addition it has a tracking number. I don’t hesitate too long...

 

I sit there to finish packing and then I hear THE dreaded word. The one word I didn’t want to hear: “kapra”. Kapra is synonymous with big problems even though in fact it just means fabric.

When you send a parcel by post in India, God knows why, you have to wrap it in white cloth. In some Post Offices there is guy whose job is to stitch the fabric but in all cases you have to buy the fabric and in this area I had no idea where to find it...

 

So, I start to beg, please no kapra!

The lady at the counter insists – women will not have been my allies in this story...

But I hear a guy in the back saying in Hindi that the white cloth is not mandatory with Speed Post. I give him my most beautiful smile!!

 

One hour to send my parcel: a record!

Next step: reshaping the carton in which the hugger will be sent! Fortunately I love cartons, tapes and scissors...

 

Then the Post Office... As much I did not know what mission it would be to find a matflap in India, I knew what mission couriering it would be!

Saturday morning. I put my alarm clock at 11:20. When it rings, my whole body, exhausted by a week of traveling and tensions begs me not to react but this is the only free day I have before my holidays... And from what I remember the Post Office closes at 12 so there is no time to laze around in bed!

 

At 11:35 I am at the Post Office:

 

I took the picture later but here are about twenty people waiting in line. I skip the line because I know there are good chances they won’t take my parcel and I’d rather find out fast!

And good I did. No parcel in this Post Office… The clerk tells me the address of another Post Office.

 

I sit in a rickshaw. I am running out of time now. He doesn’t know the address so I step out – I don’t have time to spend looking for the place. Same thing with the second rickshaw. The third one knows!

 

I arrive at a Post Office hidden in a building, funny.

Less funny, it closes at 11:00.

I knew it... It was gonna be a pain in this ass to courier that piece of shit...

Except that...

 

(To be continued)

 

In June I went in Jaipur and slept in the Best Western. I discovered the most incredible pillows…

And if there are expenses that I don’t mind there are these ones, expenses linked to my bed. I loooooooooooooove sleeping, and well if possible.

I discovered, O miracle, that these pillows could be purchased on line!! Obviously not in India. Transport cost from the United States (more than half of the cost of the pillows)?? That won’t stop me…

 

I thus placed my order on May 3. Searching on line, I found out that you can follow the USPS parcels here: http://ipsweb.ptcmysore.gov.in/ipswebtracking/  

According to the site, my parcel arrived on May 11 in Delhi (not badly huh, 8 days). On May 25, it arrived in Mumbai, more exactly at the customs.

And on June 2^nd, bam, the killer message: “Retention reason: High-been worth goods - Official Customs declaration required.” Bouhhhhhhh!!! I want my pillows!!!!!!!!

 

I won’t give-up so easily; I put our admin on it. She gives a few calls, makes me sign a bunch of papers…

After that, I go on leave and two weeks later, I return to the office. What awaits me?? Nothing!! I reactivate the admin then decide to call myself. I thus call the Mumbai Foreign Post Office. Wow, the chick speaks English!! She tells me that my parcel is indeed stuck with the customs and she gives me the phone number. I call. Wow the guy speaks English!! He asks me for the details of my parcel and asks me to call again. 10 calls later, I get to talk to his colleague and this is the end of my luck… Firstly she doesn’t speak English and she somehow makes me understand that they have no entry for my parcel. Ah. The story of the snake biting its tail…

 

I end up asking assistance from my assistant who finds 5 different numbers, each one telling her to talk to someone else, until it is 5:00 PM and everything closes. There I start becoming a pain. I want my pillows.

 

And there we are. A gloomy Monsoon morning. A guy arrives in the office with a large parcel!! And an invoice (bah yes custom fees (25% of the price, transport included, they have no shame). 50 days, not so bad huh??

Morality of the story: good things come to those who wait. I wonder now why I did not simply wait…