Our mammoth journey

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Nicky: That beautiful meal overlooking the lake wasnt so beautiful for long as it kept me up all night, on the train, while I was being sick. I am not going to go into detail just to say that it wasn't pleasant, I am trying not to remember much of it, but I do have vague recollections of launching myself kamakazee style from the top bunk where i was sleeping still wrapped in my sleeping bag, one handed and half shuffling, half running the 50 yards to the toilet (which was barely nice enough to wee in let alone anything else) several times in the night. My bad stomach continued until we arrived in Ahmedabad at 5.30am, while we waited for our next train, all through the journey to Mumbai - which was in what I am going to call Cattle Class, you cant book a seat you just have to find one and try and keep hold of it as long as possible. Some of the journey we had a seat, some of it we were perched among our bags in the join between two carriages, thankfully for me - not so for Neil, next to the toilets. We arrived in Mumbai about 6pm Sunday night, and couldnt find a single person (despite trying several ticket desks) who would sell us a train ticket to Goa. In the end we opted for a bus, I cant say it was my first choice but i was past caring at this point. And actually it turned out ok, it was a lot like the coaches you get for school trips but with reclining seats and i think both of us managed to sleep pretty much most of the way to Goa, where we arrived at about 9am on Monday. I was so relieved to finally be somewhere for more than a few hours i would have stayed anywhere there was a shower but we have found a great guest house near the beach.

NEIL:
A mammouth journey but well worth it. Nicky's adapted really well to India. There is no way in the world she would have considered using a toilet on a train but she seems to have grown really fond of them. She was in and out all night.

Travelling in cattle class was a real experience. Indian people are so friendly! Nicky was invited to squeeze onto a seat with a group of Indian girls and and old lady bellowed at a big fat man to make room for me to sit. They all seem really nice and love to have a chat.

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