I travelled to Benares - now Varanasi by overnight sleeper train. The Amritsar Mail Express left Howrah Junction the massive Kolkata rail terminal at 19.20. The train was too long to see the end and teeming with activity. It seems each of the platforms has its own road access with stacks and stacks of bales of goods ready for loading. I got to the platform in good time but one queue of people was never ending and went passed what I thought was my designated carriage. Anyway there was a degree of urgency to get on. ( the jostling was a bit like waiting to exit a full holiday plane that has just landed). On my carriage I am searching for 33 UB - I cleverly guessed upper bunk!. I get to my number and it was taken by an Indian family including 2 grannies in sarhees. They didn’t seem to know what was what and they had so much luggage to stow they might have been emigrating to the UK. Eventually in a nice manner it is established I should be in an adjoining carriage. I find a ticket man and he quickly directs me to my place for the night. Heaven. I am in a higher class carriage - only 4 berths and a door to the corridor rather than corridor running through it - and AC. Great. Just after the train left we were each supplied with a crisp white cotton pillow, two clean sheets wrapped in brown paper and a proper white cotton towel. I relaxed - I needed to - this was going to be alright. The two Indian men I was to share the carriage with were probably father and son - little English. The elder man seemed to give me odd looks but it turned out they were friendly enough - offered me some of their chapati picnic they laid out and ate before bed. I had previously eaten in the station canteen - chick peas ( as it turned out) and rice for 45 Indian Rupees - 50p. There are signs advising not to take food and drink from overly friendly people because there have been instances of drugging and theft. I judged these gentlemen were fine - I wasn’t hungry and to be honest I haven’t mastered and am not sure about eating with your fingers - right hand only - ha!
The journey was to be 14 hours. I slepted pretty well but also had a lot of thinking time. Kolkata had been a steep learning curve. I survived. Fed myself. I had negotiated the taxis and railway. Next time it should be a bit easier. I was on my way across India. I am doing it. I lay on my top bunk staring down at the old Indian gent dressed in his bright white crisp cotton suit and thinking where I was - a sort of tearful moment. I get these on my travels from time to time. A couple of other things I didn’t expect - a clean western toilet and I could charge my phone in the carriage. Oh practical pleasures make all the difference.
The next morning I find out the express is running 2 1\2 hours behind. The gentlemen leave. I have the carriage to myself. Chai is served - I eat biscuits I have brought and sit and watch rural India go by for several hours. This was really lovely. In the main we were passing through mile after mile of rice growing. Dead flat land as far as you could see but with lots of trees and water. There was no sign of machinery - just small groups or individuals toiling. Simple houses - surrounded by animals. A lot if people riding bikes. Little girls in neat school uniform - but women in what look like lovely colourful sarhees working on muck heaps forming dung patties with their hands (which they dry in the sun as fuel for the fire.) As elsewhere all life is attracted to the railway. Some quite incredible scenes at the stations and road crossings. Cattle just roam - including on some platforms. People squat everywhere. They wash and change and cook. Anyway too much to try and describe and I am deficient at it.
I arrive Varanasi with a degree of trepidation!
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| My cabin mates set out their dinner on the bottom bunk. |
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| A small corner of Howrah station |
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