Burps Bathrooms and Sunsets: Riding the Train in India
Everyone says that to experience humanity, you’ve got to ride an Indian train. Well, now I can say that I have — and I have lived to tell about it.
The berths are actually much more comfortable than people make them out to be, and there are even Chaiwallas that wander up and down the aisles offering hot tea in very-non-insulated cups. We even had the very rare veggie-cutlet-walla offering a dinner wrapped in tin foil (I declined).
We had the pleasure of seeing perhaps the most disgusting woman I’ve ever been around sitting across from us. Like clockwork, every 20 minutes or so, she would let out huge burps. I’m not talking little belches, I’m talking about the kind of burp that is easily straddling the line of vomit. Her burping, if I can even call it that, was so loud, that even with my headphones on, my face still displayed a visceral reaction to the noise. But the best part is that she clearly did not care at all, and thought nothing of her guttural noises.
Having experienced (survived?) an overnight train in Russia, I still remember vividly the bathroom on the train, so I was anxious to see how the Indian one compares. Though the Russian train does get points for having a western style toilet (as opposed to a “hole” on the Indian train), I have to say, the Indian one was definitely less gross than the Russian one. That said, I’m pretty sure using the sink in the bathroom will actually make your hands less clean.
At about 8PM we saw a beautiful sunset developing behind the tinted windows. Wanting a better view, we explored to find a clear window, but having failed, we decided to see if we could just open the train door. And, despite the obvious safety and security concerns, the door opened right up, and we were greeted with a gorgeous, glowing sunset to stare at as our train click-clacked along.
In all, I found the train to be a pretty good way to travel — but, if you are ever on one, please, please, make sure to avoid a woman belching her way from Jodhpur to Mumbai.
Thanks so Sosauce.com for publishing this article last week…you can read it on their blog, here.
Budak's Tumblr: From SF, but living in DC. Social Entrepreneur and Travel Writer. I like adventures, roadtrips, photography, California and empanadas.
