Tuesday Wednesday April 29 30, 2014
India is famous for its extensive British empire legacy railroad system so it seems fitting to try it out.
Varanasi JunctionTrain Station
I have been a tad nervous about this leg if our journey. An overnight train with sleeping bunks in an open carriage seemed like a recipe for disaster. Anyone could steal your bags while you sleep. But there was no lockable cabins so a curtain across the double bunk will have to do. That and locking our 3 backpacks together so that no one could grab one and run.
Not as crowded as we expected... That's good.
Non AC carriage. Glad we have payed for AC since it is still around 43 degrees.
On the platform we learn that the train will be 1/2 an hour late. We are not in Japan now.
Attempting to check a computer printout for our names to no avail.
Many Indian families are very friendly. There were very few non-Indians on the platform so we seemed to attract a little attention. This father encouraged his daughter to introduce herself and have a little conversation.
The traveling cucumber salesman. I would love to eat some fresh fruit or vegetables but we dare not eat anything not cooked. In fact on this day I am feeling unwell and eat nothing.
Stunning turquoise sari.
Grandmar.
This little miss kept jabbering on to me in Hindi I assume.
When a spaniard in dreadlocks and green wrap and a Mexican in handmade cotton sheets with bones and feathers in his hair arrived on the platform all attention was directed to them... suits us. Actually, they provided just the entertainment needed to while away the time.
Evidently there is nothing in Indian culture that says its rude to stare. Almost every Indian passerby stopped to take in the sight of these two bohemian aliens. Several would literally stand and stare for 5 or even 15 minutes. It was hilarious to see their faces. The spaniard and Mexican took it in their stride. Alexandra spoke with them and they are we're quite friendly.
As mentioned in an earlier blog, our attempts to discuss the good news with most people fell very flat due to the heavy weight of the culture (a fancy word for religion) and their limited opportunity for education.
But we did occasionally have an enjoyable 2 way discussions. This is Manus, a Hindu man who works for a multinational firm. Easy to talk to and good to reason with. We gave him a magazine and highlighted the JW.ORG web site.
The chaos as the train arrives... Where is our carriage?
Our bunks on the right. Fairly squeezy. Not the best nights sleep I ever had continuously being woken up by wandering chaparti sales men and the fear that someone is stealing my bags... But not the worst either... As we discovered during our next train journey, this AC carriage with its glass windows and little sheets and pillows is actually quite good.
After a restless night, cold AC and a few unforgettable trips to the "convenience" we arrived at Agra train station.
Now we must hack through the barrage of Auto Rickshaw (also known as tuk tuks or Indian helicopters) drivers to select a suitable ride.
Tuk tuk to the hotel.
Hotel Taj Plaza.
Ok, it's not much of a room... But what do you expect for $20, a view of the Sydney opera house???
"When in Agra we expect a view of the Taj Mahal...And that's exactly what we got."
Lloydnalex
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