I had survived India for two days and then the “Delhi Belly” got me good. I had been a little too adventurous with the street food and the tasty treats were now reappearing. India is pretty much the dirtiest place you could imagine, plus everyone eats with their hands and the water is undrinkable, so I knew I would get sick sooner or later!
That day was pretty much a write-off for me; I checked into a hostel and just passed out on a bed for about eight hours. Josh did some sight-seeing, saw a Bollywood movie and then came and woke me up so we could catch our train that night.
I am currently reading a book called “The Great Railway Bazaar”, which is about a guy in the 70s who gets the train from London all the way to Asia and then back home through Russia. It’s pretty much just about all the people he meets on the journey and the strap-line is “I sought trains, I found passengers.”
This was definitely true of our first big train journey in India. We were going to Goa on the overnight sleeper train and had some beds in second class. There were four other people in our compartment and after the 14 hour ride we were all like family!
There was a young Bulgarian couple, a crazy Cuban lady and an Indian guy who intentionally dressed like Indiana Jones. We all chatted about where we were from and our various experiences in India. The Bulgarians had been travelling in the North and hated it, Billie the Cuban had been coming to India since the 60s and was totally loaded, while the Indian guy now lived in South Africa and was just coming home to see his mum.
After the conversation dried up and the train food sellers finally gave it a rest, we all folded down our bunks, made our beds and climbed in for the night. It was better than any hotel we have stayed in; the next morning I was woken up by a smiling man holding a CHEESE OMELETTE!!!
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