Train stations in India are very lively places. They are a mix of people coming and going from all over the country, people frantically trying to buy non-reservable tickets, and people who have set up shop on blankets, filling the station floor, waiting for trains to arrive. When we arrived at Varanasi train station, it was 36 degrees, with clothe soaking humidity. This was our first Indian rail experience, and we wandered aimlessly amongst the chaos trying to figure out when and where our train would be, when a station employee (real this time!) directed us to the ‘tourist room’. “Tourist room?!”, we thought. We tiptoed through the families spread out, sleeping on the station floor, and came to a door marked ‘tourist room’. Inside was a large air-conditioned room with leather couches, private bathroom, and
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