Train Adventures in the Land of the Unexpected

---

A travel blog that sets out to convey any sense of the reality of travel in India would be remiss if there were no stories about the frustrating aspects of traveling in this vast country, or more specifically, travelling by train, its primary mode of transport. It needs to be stated that tickets for all reserved seats must be purchased well in advance - as in weeks ahead of time - which definitely cramps the style of those of us who like to "play it by ear". Unless, of course, you are comfortable running the risk of fighting for a third class seat purchased on the day of travel at the train station, and quite possibly standing for hours without a seat if you were not lucky or aggressive enough to secure one of the free-for-all seats. We never chose the latter option, but always booked in advance.

We had experienced minor frustration on our first train trip in this country when we arrived at our train station in the middle of nowhere an hour outside of Pondicherry late one evening, only to discover that our paid for tickets were not, in fact, confirmed seats, but waiting list only. We eventually got on the train, but not without freaking out just a little before it all worked itself out. A few weeks later we experienced more frustration when we waited three hours for a delayed train in Delhi to get us to Agra and the Taj Mahal, but both of those experiences pale in comparison to our experience attempting to traverse the 925 kilometres from Delhi to Varanasi.

The ticket for this overnight sleeper train had been purchased a month in advance. We checked the booking on line the day prior to departure to make sure all was still good. Then we hired a taxi to drive us the twenty kilometres to yet another of Delhi's three railway stations - this one just outside the city - and an hour and a half later our taxi dropped us off. Point to note: road travel in Delhi is one big traffic jam. We were happy to have arrived at the station well over an hour prior to our scheduled departure time of 15:50, as this would allow us lots of time to navigate our way to the right platform, etc. to catch our train. All was good, for the first two minutes in the train station, until we read the train schedule to discover that our train had been cancelled. A moment later we heard the lovely lady of the computer voice in her British Hindi accent reciting the same message, and that "we deeply regret any inconvenience this has caused". There were numerous other similar announcements by the Lovely Computer Lady Voice for trains delayed by many hours, so all about the station, inside and out, people were strewn everywhere, looking like they were settling in for the long haul of waiting to come.

Given that it was about 40 degrees, dirty, and there were no restaurants or amenities in sight because we were, literally, in the middle of nowhere, and hey - this is a train station in India, not an airport - they just are not set up yet in train stations with Wi-Fi, Coffee shops, and lounges - we had zero desire to be stuck here. We went off immediately in search of a station superintendent to determine what our options were, and were told regrettably that we had one only: to catch a super late train that was arriving that evening. It was a holiday special and was running nine hours behind schedule, which is the only reason it was still available to us. We booked our berths, then set ourselves down to wait. The time was 14:30, or 2:30 in the afternoon. We were initially told that this train would be arriving at 7 p.m. and departing at 8:30 p.m., but what actually transpired is an arrival at 8 p.m., but no departure until 11:00 p.m. This means that we had been in transit for ten hours, from the time we left our hotel, before we finally left Delhi.

Similarly, we were told that the train should arrive at our destination by noon the next day. However, we creeped along at, I am guessing, about 40 km per hour the entire 900 plus kilometres, so we did not reach our destination until 6 p.m. This means that we were in transit twenty nine hours from Delhi to Varanasi. This is seven hours longer than it took us to cross the ocean to get to this part of the world from Canada. Another point to note: avoid holiday specials, or any trains that do not carry either " Superfast" or "Express" in their title.

The good news is that we had a sleeper compartment to ourselves because this train was, surprisingly, not full. We did eventually arrive. In the process of waiting,we had the opportunity not only to practice that elusive virtue of patience, but also to observe more interesting scenes from the lives of day to day people in India, and meet a few interesting people along the way. Welcome to the land of the unexpected. This is India.

---

Photos

Stan in Waiting Mode
If you can't change it, might as well adjust to it.

Bev in Waiting Mode
Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, you know?

Bev Getting Her Running Shoes Polished
There are the children you meet at the stations. This was one of my favorite experiences with them. The young man set about to glue a patch on my runners, insert new insoles, and attempt to clean them for me while I was waiting for my train. Then along came these two children who were so happy when I made a plan to buy them some food. Unfortunately, my train call came before I could carry that out, but I left the young shoe cleaning friend of theirs with some money to buy them some food. It was a day maker for me.

Greasing Railway Tie Pins
It was a little difficult to whine too much after we watched these men working in 40 degree heat, without any safety or protective equipment, covered in tar, greasing the railway ties at the station.

Beautiful Sari Lady
Watching beautiful, colorful women will always be a favorite pastime in this country, whether they are flying by with saris flowing on a motorbike, walking gracefully down the street under a sun umbrella, or standing patiently in waiting, as was this young woman at the train station.

Look Closely .. . or Don't
Some of our less-than-delightful but nonetheless interesting train waiting entertainment also consisted of watching the rats stealth around the railway tracks when there were no trains coming. Smart critters that they are, sensing the vibrations, they would all disappear when a train was within a mile or so of the station. Apparently they serve their purpose too, cleaning up a lot of the garbage that invariably litters the tracks.

Stan Still Waiting for that Train to Come
When in Rome, do like the Romans do. Wnen in India, do like the Indians do. Practice patience. This is India.

Tuk Tuk Warriors Waiting in Ambush
A necessary survival skill in India is learning to make your way through the front lines of tuk tuk warriors that you will find at every train station, bus depot, and airport. Sunglasses and a glass eyed stare are good practices to adhere to. Speaking either not at all or in some foreign language other than English also works well to get you to the guys outside the station who are not gang controlled.

Vegetarian Shoe Sign
When you finally make it to your destination, you will always be greeted by some unexpected surprise. This one made us smile just outside the New Delhi train station. Yes, it is for real. No jokes. This is India, where pretty much anything goes.

Comments

[Colleen]

You should have tried it in 1985! We sat outside a train station on the platform for hours and hours with a group of 25 locals standing in a semi-circle around us - staring. When we got on the train and I was sandwiched between two of the
biggest people I have ever met. They were candy merchants and I was appeased with 10,000 calories.

[Colleen]

THE WORST WINTER EVER! And you're missing it. You may be having many memorable experiences but there is one experience you will never have. SASKATCHEWAN'S WORST WINTER EVER. You will never truly know the endless snow. In April!!!!! You wil
l never experience the despair we feel so deeply. You missed it! Unless ---- it's still like this in May. Glad you're having fun!

[marsha]

Trains in India, like snowstorms in April, are unpredictable, on their own schedule, and keep you amazed...... Hey you dreamcatchers, love the pictures, I can almost SMELL India.