I wanted to share so much about my trip but I just couldn’t find time to do it! Was buried in work immediately after I returned. Amidst my busy schedule, I long for the peace and simplicity in India.

When I first “announced” to my family that I wanted to go to India, a very expected response was:“Sure or not?? Don’t be crazy!! Make yourself suffer for what?”

My mom’s first concern was my safety. Then came the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. She was very worried. That was why I had to keep mum about where I was heading earlier. *In fact, for security reason, I will not reveal the places that we visited.*

Secondly, I can’t take hot food. Chili makes my lips swell like Angelina Jolie’s.

Thirdly, most warned me about having weak stomach. I was advised to brush my teeth and bathe with mineral water. Hahaha..

Perhaps, it would be less “frightening” if it was just a leisure trip by a travel agency.

Somehow, all these visuals didn’t come to mind. I left it blank intentionally. Eat whatever that is served and walk the path that is laid. No expectation, just go with an open-mind.

Though I have been the “minority” for most of my lives, it was more evident when we were there. We attracted attention wherever we went. The locals flocked around us, stood there and just watched our every move.

Waiting for our train. They watched us for as long as we were there.

Personally, the amazing experiences were countless! Let me start with the train rides.

When we arrived at a small town (4 hours car ride from the airport), we needed to take a 15-hour train ride to another even smaller town.

One thing about this train was that it only stopped for 2 mins max. So we carried our 20kg backpacks with us when we “felt” that the train was coming. When it came, the passengers ran like wild animals chasing after the train.*Not sure if there was an announcement, even if there was, don’t think we understand it either.

AC two tier – This is A class. Will explain what the “Two-tier” means later.

There was an AC (air-con) and non AC class (no bed). Of course we took the AC one!

NON AC.

This is 90-seater cabin. *no joke*

The non-AC one do not come with beds. So imagine having 90 people squeeze in a cabin with windows open for 15 hours. The mosquitoes are definitely your faithful companions.

And again, the locals will probably tell you – why not? It’s all about comfort zone and level of tolerance. I am sure if I take the train like this since I was born, it would be peanuts for me.

Before I enter the train, I had a very beautiful picture painted in my head – Nice beds in a personal room with a DOOR.

When I stepped into the train, I was dumbfounded. There was no room, only curtains. It took me 5 min to pull myself together. I even forgot to put down my 20kg backpack. The aisle was so narrow that it can only contain 1 person at a time.

Beds on both sides.

You see, having expectation is definitely not helpful here.

TWO-TIER

The passenger from lower tier actually expected the upper one to sit on his/her bed. It was weird for us because it seemed like we were intruding their private space by sitting on their “beds”.

The difference between TWO and THREE-TIER. TWO-TIER – you can comfortably SIT UP AND READ A BOOK. For the equal amount of height, now it is divided to 3 tiers. You do the maths.

The top 3 “coolest” toilet. *Will share the top 2 toilets in next post*

We were told that the train would reach our destination at 3.30am (after 15 hours). The attendant was asked to wake us up on time to “jump off” the train. *No announcement, just keep a lookout for the station*

At 3am in my half-sleeping mode, I felt the train was stopping. *my biological clock worked very well suddenly* I jumped out of my bed and woke everybody up. We were not sure if we missed the station. We (with messy hair and bad breaths) packed our bags frantically and squeezed our ways to the exit.

I know..my PINKY MINNIE MOUSE blanky. Mom bought it “specifically” for this trip.

In Singapore, no way you can open the door when the train is moving. But in India, you can stand at the entrance with the door wide open to admire the scenery – dark and peaceful.

Particles in the air reflected by camera flash

I can never forget the starry sky and the cool breeze brushed my hair against my face. We didn’t miss the station.
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Where was our attendant who was supposed to wake us up?

We took the three-tier one back but after the first one, everything just seemed nice. And oh! The 3-tier class doesn’t come with curtains.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the train rides very much because of good company and I had good sleep (may be the train was constantly shaking – felt like sleeping on a rocking bed).

Our acquaintance and “local delights”.

Up next – the top 3 toilets.

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