MCA Entrance with a Side of Adventure
On 28th June 2025, a day before the LBS Entrance Examination for MCA, me and five of my friends decided to travel to Ernakulam, as our exam center was located there. The first thing we did after getting our hall tickets was book a hotel close to the exam center. We went with an OYO booking and were greeted over the phone by a North Indian girl who spoke in a mix of Hindi and English.
We kept saying we wanted to book "Hotel O", but she couldn’t understand us at first. She repeatedly asked, “Sir, please say the hotel name.” And we kept saying, “Hotel O.” After some back and forth, she finally said, “Sir, there’s a hotel called Hotel O nearby, can I book that for you?” That moment instantly reminded me of a Malayalam dialogue: “Aisheri naan pottana” — not everyone would find it funny, but it cracked me up.
With our rooms booked and travel planned, we were all set. We chose the Kollam–Tirupati Express, scheduled for 12:06 PM on 28th June. By 11:50 AM, all six of us were at the railway station, backpacks ready. But hey — it's Indian Railways! The train was delayed by 30 minutes, so we chilled at the station.
When the train finally arrived, we hopped onto the general compartment, hoping to find seats — and luckily, we did. The best part? A charming rain followed us along the way. I couldn’t help but capture the moment with some pics and videos. We even met a random stranger in the train who matched our vibe.
By around 2:30 PM, we reached Aluva Station. We asked a few policemen for directions to Bus Station. They said it was just 1.2 km away — a short ride or even walkable. But first, food! We spotted a nearby hotel and ordered six chicken biriyanis… which turned out to be a total disappointment. None of us liked it.
After that letdown, we began walking towards the Aluva Bus Station, exploring the inner streets of Aluva, far from the usual Ernakulam sights. The busy Aluva market, narrow roads, and unique traffic were an experience in themselves. After a 10-minute walk, we caught a bus going towards our hotel.
During the ride, we came across places with names that stood out to me — Paathalam, Choondy, 8 Acre — such cool and curious names! After about 20 minutes, we got off at Parakkattupady, as the bus turned toward a different route. From there, our hotel was about 3.2 km away.
“Let’s walk it!” I said — and so we did. A fun little trek with the squad, and within 20 minutes, we reached our destination: Hotel O.
We had booked 2 rooms for 6 of us, but the receptionist told us we’d have to pay a ₹700 fine for the extra people. I explained that OYO had allowed 6 members while booking. After a brief conversation, he understood and gave us the keys. We split into two rooms — three per room — and got settled.
By 4 PM, everyone gathered in one room and we started playing card games. It was all laughs and good times until 8 PM, when we went out for dinner.
After returning by 9 PM, it was back to card games until 10:30 PM. That’s when we suddenly remembered — oh yeah, we have an entrance exam tomorrow. We spent about 15 minutes going through a PDF, trying to cram something useful. That lasted only till 10:45 PM, and then it was lights out.
But here's where OYO lived up to its name. While exploring the room, we found syringes and even... well, condoms in the wardrobe. Classic OYO vibes. Not entirely negative — just one of those wild, unexpected things.
At 2 AM on 29th June, I randomly woke up — no clue why. Everyone else was fast asleep. I scrolled through Instagram, chatted with a few people, and the time passed. By 6 AM, I got out of bed, got ready by 6:30, and woke the rest of the gang. By 7:30 AM, we were all ready, and breakfast consisted of Lotte Choco Pie. And yes, we played card games again from 8:00 to 8:30 AM — some things never change.
By 9:00 AM, we checked out and walked the 1.2 km to our exam center. We found our respective rooms and waited for the exam to begin. At 10:00 AM, the exam started. I don’t know what got into me, but I finished it by 11:15 AM and then... took a nap. I woke up by 11:50, only to notice the invigilators giving me strange looks — probably thinking, “This guy would sleep during his semester exams, and now even during his entrance exam!”
By 12:10 PM, we wrapped up and started walking back — a solid 3 km walk to catch a bus. Along the way, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch — and finally, good food! After lunch, we caught a bus back to the railway station and boarded our return train, which was also late, but we didn’t care.
We reached Changanasserry by 4:00 PM, tired but happy.
Final Thoughts
Even though it was technically an exam trip, it felt like a mini vacation — packed with train journeys, hotel adventures, bad biriyani, card games, inside jokes, and a lot of walking.
Sometimes, enjoyment doesn’t knock. But when it does — even subtly — grab it, hold on, and live it fully.
