Excuse me, my good man, I don’t know London very well. Is this the spot where I might catch the bus?
Yes, indeed. Where are you headed? Piccadilly? Charing Cross? Covent Garden?
No, I’m getting off in Calcutta.
The one in India?
Yes, that’s the one.
Blimey! That’s quite a commute. I guess I usually get off before the Calcutta stop. How long does it take you to get there?
Let me look at my bus schedule. Um, it takes 50 days, unless I decide to get off the bus early, say, in Turkey or Afghanistan.
Oh, so you’re allowed to get off before Calcutta?
Yes, but it takes a while to slow the bus down. If you know you want to get off in Pakistan, you need to pull the cord in Afghanistan.
How much does this little junket cost?
Eighty-five pounds! It’s hefty, but like I always say, you can’t put a price tag on misery and discomfort.
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