Indian Rail, first class style.

Well, I have a bit of time to write up something now. I'm in the internet cafe across from my hotel and it's 15 minutes until lunch is served. I seem to have been given all-inclusive accommodation, so I am eating all the meals they try to feed me at the moment.

So, the rail journey. I boarded at Delhi two and a half hours late, because the train before mine was running late. The guy who was doing the transfer from my hotel helped me board, which was brilliant because otherwise I would never have found my berth! Apparently you have to find your name on a board of passenger lists to find out which seat you are in, rather than having it printed on your ticket. Hurdle number two (after the train being delayed 2 1/2 hours) was that we couldn't find my name on the lists! I managed to remain pretty calm about the whole thing - I guess I was so far out of my depth I just couldn't stir myself to worry about anything! When the train finally pulled in we had to run to the front to find the right conductor (one for each carriage) to tell me where my seat was. As I sat down in my carriage I looked out the window and saw a board which said something like "upper class passenger lists". I figure that was why we didn't find my mane on the board we'd been looking at - because I was in first class (I'd decided to pay more and keep my luggage :p )!

So I got all settled in. The compartment had a long bench-type seat on either side, the back part of which folded down to convert into a bed. As I waited, a man came in and sat down. He was obviously very important because he read about three newspapers in the time I was in there, and kept taking cellphone calls during which he had to shout down the phone in Hindi to be heard, repeating what he said at increased volume each time. It was really quite comical and I had a very hard time not cracking up into fits of hysterics! Poor man, just trying to make a phone call and some stupid foreigner finds you funny!

Anyway, the ticket inspector came in after about an hour and offered me to move to the next door compartment which was a single room. I was relieved because, as funny as I found him, I
didn't fancy sleeping in the same room as the man. So I moved, and they brought me dinner: a cheese sandwich, what I thought was a sausage roll nut was actually some herby curry paste stuff wrapped in pastry; a really nice strawberry drink, some sweets and some cashew nuts. Oh, and the ever-present tea.

A little while later they came in and asked me what I wanted for dinner. "Wait, what? What was that I just ate then?"
"That was snacks, madam."
Snacks! Perhaps unsurprisingly I wasn't hungry at that time, so I said I didn't want anything and asked for the bedding they supply, and went to sleep after being sternly admonished by the guy who brought the bedding to lock the door. I got up at 11pm to do what needed to be done (they have western-style loos in 1st class, thankfully), and they offered me dinner again. Never being one to turn down a free meal, I got roast chicken with veges, potato wedges and some of these excellent fish cutlets which were dome in a spicy shell. I hope they have those again when I go back to Delhi in a few days.

After that I slept quite well, to be woken at about 6am by the sunlight through my curtains. I tried to sleep longer but I had to give up at 7am when the Hindi music they were playing when I got on the train started up again. Not long after there was an announcement that the train was now 5hrs late, sorry for any inconvenience! Still, I was in no real hurry. Breakfast came (with as many different courses and as much food as dinner), followed by lunch. Soon after that we stopped at a station where some little beggar kids came up to the window and begged for food. I don't know how they thought I was going to give it to then - my window had no opening as the carriage was air-conditioned! I locked my door in case they came inside, which turned out to be fortunate. As we pulled out of the station I heard this thump, thump noise from my door. I pulled the curtain back and saw this guy I'd never seen before trying to wrench the door off its hinges! I was a bit freaked out, and although, I reasoned, he might just have got the wrong compartment number, I kept my door locked the rest of the way there just in case.

I arrived without any further excitement at the Fairlawn and have, more or less, been there ever since. I shall update further later but for now I am late for lunch, which is not really done, so I shall have to run. Hope everyone is well; as always do let me know, by email or by commenting below.