Train Travel in India

Traveling by train in India is an absolute must for anyone visiting the country. The ginormous railway system is actually relatively organized and well run. It is possible to make reservations well in advance. There are different cabin classes (ranging from Unreserved 2nd Class to 1 AC). And while the trains are often delayed by a matter of hours rather than minutes, you will arrive at your final destination (eventually).

When Anna and I found our seats on our first train (headed to Varanasi) we started laughing out loud because we were both thinking "40 hours of this? There is no way." Cramped, upright bench style seats...nothing like the Deutsche Bahn. However, the train ended up actually being pretty comfortable. In the 3 AC cabin, boards fold out from the wall to use as beds at night. We even got pillows and a sheet to sleep with. A diner car worker came by before every meal to take food orders. We had the option of ordering a vegetarian or non vegetarian meal (for about $1). In the food car, cooks prepared huge things of rice and vegetables which were then distributed to people who had ordered meals. Quite impressive when you consider how many people were on the train.

On our second train, we arrived to find people sitting in all of our seats. They scooched closer together to make some room for us. Thinking that there was some sort of confusion, I asked one of the men what his seat number was. He just said "no". Turns out half the people in our little section didn't have tickets. This did not seem to be a problem, even when the conductor came by. Somehow, five people (me being one of them) wound up sleeping in a space meant for two. I guess that is India.

I liked traveling by train because we met new people and had unexpected conversations with them. For example. there was a group of four medical students who had just finished giving free eye exams for a month in a rural area. I first thought that they were vendors of some kind because they each boarded the train with three or four bags filled with brand new winter clothing. Turns out they were bringing warm clothes back to their families. For the life of them, the students could not understand why the heck I was taking a gap year. They seemed to think I was some sort of screw up who hated school and couldn't get my act together. They kept asking me why I hadn't decided what I wanted to study in college my senior year of high school like I was supposed to. We wound up talking about all sorts of cultural differences. Very interesting.

Another thing about riding on Indian trains is that you will never ever be a)hungry or b) bored. There is constant action, both inside the train and outside of it. The landscape out the window is always changing. People selling everything from cell phone chargers to samosas walk back and forth between the cabins. And don't let me forget the chai wallahs. There are also plenty of people selling fresh coconut, salted guava, papaya chunks, you name it, at every stop.
It is all very fun!