The Train Journey Part I
Friday-Sept 5th-7:10 AM
Have been sitting on the Radjdani Express since 5:45 this morning when Ravin "delivered" me. We left Chennai Central Station at precisely 6:20 for Delhi. 2190 km in 29.5 hours according to the announcement (like when you get on a plane at the beginning). I have gotten myself comfortably settled in. Have an upper berth which at first worried me but it is actually the best of both worlds. Lower berths are made into beds only at nite (this turns out not to be absolutely true as I will write later...and the upper berth is FREEZING from the AC!) and the upper berth people also sit on the lower berths during the day travel. Which means, having an upper berth, I can sit quite comfrotably, as I am now looking out the window and relaxing and if I get tired, or want to be alone, can go "up" whenever I want. The lower berth people don't have that option (unless they are very selfish as was the couple in our compartment!). Worked out here that the 2 lower berths belong to a young couple. They seem to be very sweet and very much in love. Have not seen Indians act like this in public...they are cuddling and hugging and touching etc. all the time...maybe it is a honeymoon trip...don't know...but right now both of them are using the same lower berth and are sprawled on it together leaving me and the guy from the other upper berth on the opposite bertth. Quite comfy. On the "side" compartment is a older couple also settled in their own private "home" (but they moved a little later to a better place) and everyone keeps to themselves while being "smilingly pleasant" to each other.
The landscape outside rides by. Small towns, shanty thatched hut slums along the tracks-your regular line of guys squatting on the tracks doing "their thing" (always wonder where the woman go)...Nice fields, palm trees, low hills in the distance.
We were just served morning tea. A tray with cookes, tea bags (or coffee if requested), sugar and dairy creamer and a small thermos of hot water. We are all also given a newspaper and in the background really fabulous sitar and tabla music is playing. I couldn't be more comfortable. I've got my bags hooked up on the upper berth with me which means I have a drop less length to sleep on but the bag doesn't fit under the lower berth and it is actually comfortable having all my stuff up there with me. For just overnite trips lower berth is good. but I think I will find it a shame that I am not making more of these long journeys. Later I will go up and listen to music and read and sleep. The whole trip costs 2700 rupees...270 shekel and includes 2 bottles of water, morning tea, breakfast, lunch, evening tea, dinner and again morning tea and breakfast (it includes more as you will see later on) We arrive in Delhi at 11:30 sat. mornning. Beautiful square fields outside and you might expect to see tractor or combine but what you see is plow being drawn by bullocks...that's it for now...
8:50...Just had breakfast. But first....Just passed the local ":laundromat" of some town we just came through. same all along the route...body of water with sandy banks and groups of people, men and women, doing laundry. others carrying large bundles of clothing down from the town. People beating not only the dirt, but the LIFE out of the clothing on rocks protruding from the water and then all the clothes are stretched out flat on the sand to dry. I guess once it is dry, the clean sand just falls off...
Breakfast...Something similar to Idli but was softer and had peices of veggies in it and something donut shaped and fried which they told me is called Vada and some spicey sauce not for me. and tea and bread and margarine (yuck) and jam. Quite nice. Now going to eat and think....or sleep...or whatever.
12 PM....Well, after breakfast everyone went to sleep. At 11 we were brought juice and at 11:30 tomato soup and breadsticks. So can't complain that there is not enough food to eat! The upper berth is fine so far. I will have a little trouble stretching out at nite but will just stick my legs out in the isle...It's cold up here as the AC vents are up there but I have a warm jacket, the one I bought in kodai and the blanket is very warm. I see now what the "in-the-know" Indians did. They "took over" side berths which were empty to sit on during th day. Next time I will know also. I hate to bother these people on the lower berths but I have to look out for me and certainl you can't be "so nice" that I will sit up on top the whole day. So now I have come down...I've been listening to music as well and it is really a pleasure for me.
there seem to be many small bodies of water with high brigdges over them but either very little or no water ...like huge puddles-and of course people doing laundry. Perhaps during the rains they are full...many shanty towns along the way...funny thing is, the people who come out of the houses are still beautiful dressed...ironed, clean etc., If you didn't see where they came out of, you could never guess by their clothes where they live. (or perhaps an Indian lady used to buying cloth could tell by the quality of the sari etc...but I certainly cannot)
Well...found a seat like that for myself!!! Kol Hakovod Li....No one has this lower side berth so perfect place to sit while the young couple sleep in the compartment . If I have to leave...no problem,....
12:30....landscape change...no more palm trees...more hills around... much more tree type foliage...Hi voltage electric towers and bullocks plowing below!
1 PM...Just finished lunch...and I don't helieve it! I KNOW this is the same railroad food served to me 2 years ago which I found absolutely impossible to eat except for the rice and chapati....Now, thanks to the Kaushal family preparing me...I was able to eat everything!. Rice, dahl ( so tasty) paneer and pea thing-good and a not very good roti...but, I learnt that I simply need to put the curd on whatever I mix with the rice and ANYHTING is edible. It is spicey but I handled it with no problem and quite a nice meal. I am REALLY pleased with myself! So ravin...make sure you say thanks to your mom for
#1: getting me used to the food so I could manage and
#2: showing me with HER cooking what REALLY good Indian food tastes like...alot different than railroad food!
1:30..ICE CREAM...HMMMMMMM!. And boaz Sharaabi singing "Kvar Chodesh Biladaich"...well, it's been about a month (a drop more) that I've been away,,,,anyone out there missing me that much???
3:30...Awake...guess we will have some food again soon! What to do for a few hours now. Yes, just brought us Pepsi which I won't drink...to bad..oh well, see what's next.
Passing all along the way many many rice paddies (what else)
4:15- Tea- Sandwich-quite good-potato chips (masala), wafer and cream filling, tea etc., So much food...soon will be dinner...now also got a 2nd bottle of water.
I have moved to a new seat again as the people in my compartment are still sleeping and taking up the seats. the other up guy has been gone for the whole day and I didn't understand where he could have disappeared to. Then I found him on a side berth and I saw a lower berth across empty and he said "hello-they still sleeping there?" "come sit, sit"....and I've been here now and met 3 really lovely travelers-2 men and one woman, none know each other from before and now we are a pleasant 4-some. more later. They also tell me a guy will be getting on further along in Nagpur and they will tell him to go up on top and I should come and sleep here on this lower berth and leave my things chained up on the other berth and be comfortable-so if they arrange it-I have not problem- but don't want to cause trouble...will see later.
4 very pleasant people. Travelling companions enjoying each others company...telling stories, my answering quetions (as best I can) about Israel, rainfall, main food, main products....They've heard of the drip system and how we love trees and take care of them. they said we have turned a desert into green country, and they are turning a green country into a desert!....all in all they have much to learn from us about producing food. taking maximum advantage of the land (again, hard for them to understand how small we are) About TV and computer effect on the younger generation-on the special dress of India women...on and on...we talk...really enjoying...now they are speaking among themselves-one guys daughter just got married and they went off to live in the States. The lady is a school principle from Pondicherry and the other just left his family after relocating them from Banalore to Madras and his getting a job transfer to Panjab...he will expect to come home once in 3 months... They couldn't understand how I have 2 unmarried daughters and they don 't live WITH me and why I don't make them get married.
Have been sitting on the Radjdani Express since 5:45 this morning when Ravin "delivered" me. We left Chennai Central Station at precisely 6:20 for Delhi. 2190 km in 29.5 hours according to the announcement (like when you get on a plane at the beginning). I have gotten myself comfortably settled in. Have an upper berth which at first worried me but it is actually the best of both worlds. Lower berths are made into beds only at nite (this turns out not to be absolutely true as I will write later...and the upper berth is FREEZING from the AC!) and the upper berth people also sit on the lower berths during the day travel. Which means, having an upper berth, I can sit quite comfrotably, as I am now looking out the window and relaxing and if I get tired, or want to be alone, can go "up" whenever I want. The lower berth people don't have that option (unless they are very selfish as was the couple in our compartment!). Worked out here that the 2 lower berths belong to a young couple. They seem to be very sweet and very much in love. Have not seen Indians act like this in public...they are cuddling and hugging and touching etc. all the time...maybe it is a honeymoon trip...don't know...but right now both of them are using the same lower berth and are sprawled on it together leaving me and the guy from the other upper berth on the opposite bertth. Quite comfy. On the "side" compartment is a older couple also settled in their own private "home" (but they moved a little later to a better place) and everyone keeps to themselves while being "smilingly pleasant" to each other.
The landscape outside rides by. Small towns, shanty thatched hut slums along the tracks-your regular line of guys squatting on the tracks doing "their thing" (always wonder where the woman go)...Nice fields, palm trees, low hills in the distance.
We were just served morning tea. A tray with cookes, tea bags (or coffee if requested), sugar and dairy creamer and a small thermos of hot water. We are all also given a newspaper and in the background really fabulous sitar and tabla music is playing. I couldn't be more comfortable. I've got my bags hooked up on the upper berth with me which means I have a drop less length to sleep on but the bag doesn't fit under the lower berth and it is actually comfortable having all my stuff up there with me. For just overnite trips lower berth is good. but I think I will find it a shame that I am not making more of these long journeys. Later I will go up and listen to music and read and sleep. The whole trip costs 2700 rupees...270 shekel and includes 2 bottles of water, morning tea, breakfast, lunch, evening tea, dinner and again morning tea and breakfast (it includes more as you will see later on) We arrive in Delhi at 11:30 sat. mornning. Beautiful square fields outside and you might expect to see tractor or combine but what you see is plow being drawn by bullocks...that's it for now...
8:50...Just had breakfast. But first....Just passed the local ":laundromat" of some town we just came through. same all along the route...body of water with sandy banks and groups of people, men and women, doing laundry. others carrying large bundles of clothing down from the town. People beating not only the dirt, but the LIFE out of the clothing on rocks protruding from the water and then all the clothes are stretched out flat on the sand to dry. I guess once it is dry, the clean sand just falls off...
Breakfast...Something similar to Idli but was softer and had peices of veggies in it and something donut shaped and fried which they told me is called Vada and some spicey sauce not for me. and tea and bread and margarine (yuck) and jam. Quite nice. Now going to eat and think....or sleep...or whatever.
12 PM....Well, after breakfast everyone went to sleep. At 11 we were brought juice and at 11:30 tomato soup and breadsticks. So can't complain that there is not enough food to eat! The upper berth is fine so far. I will have a little trouble stretching out at nite but will just stick my legs out in the isle...It's cold up here as the AC vents are up there but I have a warm jacket, the one I bought in kodai and the blanket is very warm. I see now what the "in-the-know" Indians did. They "took over" side berths which were empty to sit on during th day. Next time I will know also. I hate to bother these people on the lower berths but I have to look out for me and certainl you can't be "so nice" that I will sit up on top the whole day. So now I have come down...I've been listening to music as well and it is really a pleasure for me.
there seem to be many small bodies of water with high brigdges over them but either very little or no water ...like huge puddles-and of course people doing laundry. Perhaps during the rains they are full...many shanty towns along the way...funny thing is, the people who come out of the houses are still beautiful dressed...ironed, clean etc., If you didn't see where they came out of, you could never guess by their clothes where they live. (or perhaps an Indian lady used to buying cloth could tell by the quality of the sari etc...but I certainly cannot)
Well...found a seat like that for myself!!! Kol Hakovod Li....No one has this lower side berth so perfect place to sit while the young couple sleep in the compartment . If I have to leave...no problem,....
12:30....landscape change...no more palm trees...more hills around... much more tree type foliage...Hi voltage electric towers and bullocks plowing below!
1 PM...Just finished lunch...and I don't helieve it! I KNOW this is the same railroad food served to me 2 years ago which I found absolutely impossible to eat except for the rice and chapati....Now, thanks to the Kaushal family preparing me...I was able to eat everything!. Rice, dahl ( so tasty) paneer and pea thing-good and a not very good roti...but, I learnt that I simply need to put the curd on whatever I mix with the rice and ANYHTING is edible. It is spicey but I handled it with no problem and quite a nice meal. I am REALLY pleased with myself! So ravin...make sure you say thanks to your mom for
#1: getting me used to the food so I could manage and
#2: showing me with HER cooking what REALLY good Indian food tastes like...alot different than railroad food!
1:30..ICE CREAM...HMMMMMMM!. And boaz Sharaabi singing "Kvar Chodesh Biladaich"...well, it's been about a month (a drop more) that I've been away,,,,anyone out there missing me that much???
3:30...Awake...guess we will have some food again soon! What to do for a few hours now. Yes, just brought us Pepsi which I won't drink...to bad..oh well, see what's next.
Passing all along the way many many rice paddies (what else)
4:15- Tea- Sandwich-quite good-potato chips (masala), wafer and cream filling, tea etc., So much food...soon will be dinner...now also got a 2nd bottle of water.
I have moved to a new seat again as the people in my compartment are still sleeping and taking up the seats. the other up guy has been gone for the whole day and I didn't understand where he could have disappeared to. Then I found him on a side berth and I saw a lower berth across empty and he said "hello-they still sleeping there?" "come sit, sit"....and I've been here now and met 3 really lovely travelers-2 men and one woman, none know each other from before and now we are a pleasant 4-some. more later. They also tell me a guy will be getting on further along in Nagpur and they will tell him to go up on top and I should come and sleep here on this lower berth and leave my things chained up on the other berth and be comfortable-so if they arrange it-I have not problem- but don't want to cause trouble...will see later.
4 very pleasant people. Travelling companions enjoying each others company...telling stories, my answering quetions (as best I can) about Israel, rainfall, main food, main products....They've heard of the drip system and how we love trees and take care of them. they said we have turned a desert into green country, and they are turning a green country into a desert!....all in all they have much to learn from us about producing food. taking maximum advantage of the land (again, hard for them to understand how small we are) About TV and computer effect on the younger generation-on the special dress of India women...on and on...we talk...really enjoying...now they are speaking among themselves-one guys daughter just got married and they went off to live in the States. The lady is a school principle from Pondicherry and the other just left his family after relocating them from Banalore to Madras and his getting a job transfer to Panjab...he will expect to come home once in 3 months... They couldn't understand how I have 2 unmarried daughters and they don 't live WITH me and why I don't make them get married.
posted by Jane @ 10:41 PM
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