I Love Trains

I literally love train travel. And my reasons are ten fold:

1. In every train station there is a Ladies' waiting room where we tend to set up camp before and after our trip. This means that we can sleep before and after the journey, recharge our phones, wash (a smidgen), and always always always listen to a fight kick off between some of the women. This is usually the women in charge on a power trip. They all get very into it. This is very interesting to watch though a tad annoying when it's at 3 am and you really just want to sleep. In Jodhpur we slept in the train station about four times-through being back and forth to Jaisalmer. By the end, the cleaning boy waved to us when we entered the station, and we had managed to fashion two small tables into a pretty impressive bunk-bed. The Ladies' waiting rooms have saved us from being whisked off bleary-eyed to expensive, rubbish hotels by wide-awake touts. They mean we almost get a full night's sleep on a night train because we can top-up at them. And we sometimes (ladies don't like to talk much to us) meet people. They are great.

2. There is always someone in our seats and there is always about ten people around us trying to sort out where we should be, and where they should be.

3. Chai, chai, chai...The array of foods and drinks that run up and down the train every five seconds. We started off hating the call of 'chai, chai, chai' that pumped out constantly through the night as we tried to sleep, but now I find it quite lulling. I love all of the foods that are available and the fact that, if you miss one vendor, another will be along in literally five seconds.

4. They fixed my bag. I made a friend on the train who told me that the call of 'chain, chain, chain' would fix the zip on my bag. I was dubious. So, the next time I heard it, I grappled for his attention and uselessly pointed at my zip thinking he would just laugh at me. I'll point out that the friend was long gone so I had no authentic Indian support and just a niggling feeling that he was having me on. The 'chain, chain, chain' boy grabbed my bag, whisked off the zipper, fiddled for about a minute deciding which of his collection would be appropriate, and then whipped the new zipper on, giving it a few clip, clip, clips, and he was done. Amazing. It works better than new.

5. The on/off syndrome. The trains stop constantly, either at stations or at random patches of grass. This apparently is the cue for everybody to jump off the train, and then when it starts moving, hop back on. Whether it be a bus or a train, no-one can sit still. A pause at traffic lights is a sufficent reason to be off.

6. The pack lunches people bring on the trains. I love watching the sheer quantity and variety of food that people unpack at dinner time.

7. There are always a handful of euch creatures.

8. When we aren't sleeping, the scenery is beautiful.

9. They are a 'free' night's accommodation.

10. We always make at least one friend per journey. My last one was en route to Goa. He slept next to me on the upper berths that were separated only by some thin metal wiring. It almost felt like we were in bed together. I thought he was a starer (an Indian man who will ask about your marriage situation and whether he can kiss you). He turned out to be lovely.