Thread: Train Ride

Thanks for your stories, AnglesMatter. I never got in a first class train. I hope it was otherwise very enjoyable!

I lived in India 4 years. I went there to work - a one year internship that morphed into an adventure for another day.

I was robbed only once. It was in India in the Mumbai local train. They took the Residential Permit in my back pocket. It looks like a passport, so I suppose they thought they were hitting a jackpot!
Of course, it was silly of me to put something in my back pocket in the first place.
Funny enough, I was going to the government office to get said permit updated with my new address, so its loss was quickly fixed!

I visited Agra in 2008 IIRC. I enjoyed the visit greatly. I loooove history! So I am willing to put up with the overcrowding at the Taj and all that.
I did not like how much more non-Indians have to pay for the privilege though. It is something that happens often enough that leaves a bitter feeling. I was earning at a local rate back then, so...

Originally Posted by MrZ

I grew up pretty poor, so we never flew anywhere. I had watched enough old movies that I really though that plane travel was going to be this super experience with a meal served and a movie and a beautiful, friendly stewardess. When I finally did get to fly for the first time, I was saddened to learn that an air plane is really just a bus with wings. All those black and white movies had lied to me.

The old B&W movies didn't lie, that was the way air travel was in the late 1960s early 1970s. There excellent meals, real tableware and movies on a pull down screen from a projector that dropped from the overhead. Security screening was not the pita it is today either. The seats were wider with more leg room too. All in all not an unpleasant experience. Fast forward to today and air travel is a very pale shadow of what it once was.

Love taking the train when in Europe. Very comfortable and relaxing with good meal service.

Bob

Oh you were working there? May I ask doing what? (PM is fine if you wish to keep such on the down low).

I traveled with a guide and interpreter, a best friend I met in college. I wouldn't go to a strange land without such......he knew the local customs including the tricks played on foreigners.

I planned ahead for pickpockets! I took along a nylon wallet I'd had as a child, filled with bits of paper and even cardboard to give it "bulk." I put it in my back pocket and rather hoped someone would steal it! Either I never came across any pickpockets or they guessed what it was!

I'll do the same my next trip abroad but this time I'll write insults on the paper so the thief may have something to read.

Yes a passport is "the jackpot!" I hope you were able to get a replacement permit without much trouble. I relied on a leather pouch I wore under my shirt to keep my traveler's checks, and passport. My rules for India: defend my friend's life, my life, my passport, my malaria pills, my cash, my stuff in that order.

Agra is different since 9/11.....they have lots of security there or so I saw on TV. Do little boys still charge a few cents to look after your shoes as you go barefoot on the temple? (Taj Mahal is a Muslim temple and on such you do not wear your shoes).

*I was so touched by the great kindness every Muslim showed me I might have converted had I not already been a saved Christian. I considered learning Arabic for some time after and probably should have for what was coming (War on Terror).

How did being in India change you? It remains as one of the best experiences of my life and I hope to return some day.

Hope your relative is recovering.


Been on the local MARTA in Atlanta, but never travelled by interstate by train. Wish a train went near where my family lives.
Flew once when I went to an insurance company conference with my wife four years ago. I'm just over 6' and leg room was a pain. I don't need two seats yet, but there is no room left in mine! The flying bus comparison someone made was spot on.
When taking a bus to the Grand Canyon I tightened up my legs when the person in front of me tried to recline, because my knees were basically against the back of their seat already and I would have had to sit sideways. I would have said something, but I wasn't sure about their English skills and didn't want to risk trouble with people I would be sitting near for several hours. They kept pushing and pushing and finally gave up. They must have realized it was my legs they were pushing against though as long as they tried!

I did the Empire Builder at the first of the year. Cheapest coach. The only time I would have thought about shaving was when we had to wait for the track to be repaired. And then the tanks of water were emptying to prevent them from freezing. The restrooms are small and I had to lean on the wall to steady my aim to take a leak let alone shave!

Trains and shaving don't mix.

That last comment reminded me of taking a leak on the flight from NYC to London. It was getting late and lights were switching off. I figured it was was high time.

As I walked to the rear of the plane we hit turbulence and walking became very exciting! I'd aim my hand for a headrest but then the plane would bounce up and my hand would be headed for someone's face! I managed to get to the bathroom without having to steady my walk by grabbing someone's nose.

Once there I braced myself very well for a stand up leak. It never dawned on me to sit down and try it.

Having worked for airlines pretty much all my working life, I do enjoy traveling by train.
The Europeans and some Far Eastern countries have a fabulous train system.

Last year I took two trips in a sleeping car on Austrian Federal Railways night trains to Northern Germany and had each time booked a single occupancy compartment.
You board the train in the evening and the next morning by 8 am you arrive in Hamburg.

The train system in Europe is managed quite efficiently, the ride is comfortable and you don’t need to worry about getting knocked around while shaving in front of the small sink and mirror in your compartment. Still, not an experience I was brave enough to use a straight razor for and I used my trusted back-up safety razor instead.

Once I was done, the sleeping car attendant even served a small breakfast in the compartment.
It was more expensive than flying, but if you factor in that you don’t need a hotel room for that night it was not too bad.

Crossing Europe in a sleeping car; a truly civilized way to travel.


B

Lots of great reading on this thread.

Malaverdiere,

I forgot to mention, about the Indian First Class train to Calcutta, there were armed soldiers, armed with Lee-Enfield rifles and those were the WWI variants or possibly Indian Isophore make. Not exactly the best weapon for the tight confines of a train car. I saw such weapons often in India and like my Pakistani-marked surplus .303, I wondered just how well stored the ammunition had been. A great many of my .303 rounds were hang-fires....and India is a very hot and humid place.

The scenery was probably worth the extra price but the window was so dirty you couldn't see out of it.

A hot meal was served and I ate it and didn't get sick. It was lamb I believe. I think that was the only meat I had my entire time in that country.

I recall the train being cool so there must have been AC.

Once in Calcutta two half-naked and barefooted boys stormed the car, grabbing whatever they could. They were screaming at the tops of their lungs. One grabbed my bed net, something I felt my life depended on (and probably did when I was in Ajmer). I had hold of the other end but that scrawny kid had some grip! I didn't want to lay him out with a punch so I handed him my half-empty bottle of water. He let go of the bed net and ran down the aisle still screaming like a banshee.

Originally Posted by MrZ

I grew up pretty poor, so we never flew anywhere. I had watched enough old movies that I really though that plane travel was going to be this super experience with a meal served and a movie and a beautiful, friendly stewardess. When I finally did get to fly for the first time, I was saddened to learn that an air plane is really just a bus with wings. All those black and white movies had lied to me.

I don’t think that the movies lied to you.

Time moves on and with airline deregulation the race to the bottom started, trying to find out who could offer the cheapest fares with the least amenities and legroom.
Some of the beautiful friendly stewardesses of the early jet age are still working today, but they have grown older and, after their old employers went into bankruptcy protection, cannibalized their pension plans and cut their salaries, are utterly disillusioned by now. And it shows.

Many customers look for the cheapest fare and are then surprised when as a result they find themselves in a glorified cattle-car and are charged for basic amenities that used to be free.
As long as customers don’t become more selective and continue rewarding such airlines for the sake of saving a few bucks the situation is unlikely to change.

As the airlines cram more passengers into the same tin tubes, the number of lavatories per passengers is also shrinking and you’d be lucky to have 10 minutes for a shave before someone knocks on the door. You have more luck if you find yourself in First Class on a domestic flight, which can barely hold its own against what international airlines would refer to as Business Class.

Flying in the US is a necessity, not something to look forward to.


By comparison, train travel is slower but more spacious and relaxed. Trains travel from city center to city center and you don’t need a ride to and from the airport and don’t have to queue at security checkpoints. You can even bring your razor along.
In Europe, it is not uncommon for trips of less than 250 miles to be quicker by train than by air.
The situation in North America is different as population density is lower, trains run less frequently and are slower.
Yet, I am still thinking about that coast-to-coast trip from Halifax, NS to Vancouver, BC, but it wouldn’t be a business trip.

B .

Originally Posted by AnglesMatter

I traveled with a guide and interpreter, a best friend I met in college. I wouldn't go to a strange land without such......he knew the local customs including the tricks played on foreigners.

Great way to travel - I've done similarly every now and then, though I've also went by myself too.
As for tricks played on foreigners, I feel that you learn them all within 72 hours of arrival, so you don't get fooled much afterwards.

One of my main suggestions to others is to stick with government-organized stuff, unless the travel operator is very well-reputed. The governments in India often suck, but they won't cheat you.

Originally Posted by AnglesMatter

Yes a passport is "the jackpot!" I hope you were able to get a replacement permit without much trouble. I relied on a leather pouch I wore under my shirt to keep my traveler's checks, and passport. My rules for India: defend my friend's life, my life, my passport, my malaria pills, my cash, my stuff in that order.

Yes, replacement was easy.
As for your rules, they're mostly fine, though you can afford to loose your malaria pills - they're fairly easy to replace (that happened to me).

Originally Posted by AnglesMatter

Agra is different since 9/11.....they have lots of security there or so I saw on TV. Do little boys still charge a few cents to look after your shoes as you go barefoot on the temple? (Taj Mahal is a Muslim temple and on such you do not wear your shoes).

How did being in India change you? It remains as one of the best experiences of my life and I hope to return some day.

I don't remember that much, but I think I had to leave my shoes at one point - I think this is because there is a mosque on the side.

Security was already impressive in 2008. We're talking about mini bunkers with machine guns and paramilitary personnel all over the place (CISF or CRPF - don't remember which). Not very welcoming.

I've often had help whenever I needed it from strangers, irrespective of their religion (which many people there wear on their sleeve, so to speak).

I lived in Muslim neighboorhods, to the surprise of my colleagues. That is because Muslims in India are generally poor, so there is that stigma. And possibly plain racism too, but I'm not going there.
And there is the expectation that I'd live in one of those areas full of foreigners paying high rents. Not exactly my style. I didn't even have a driver!

Being in a Muslim neighbourhood looked the same as any other Indian neighbourhood for me, except for the prayer calls from the mosques' speakers. My brain eventually learned to filter that out so I wouldn't get woken up in the morning! But lets just say that some sounded better than others

As for changing me? We'll need a some beers to go over it. But I'll just mention that it made the Bible come to life for me. The people's family/clan-centric attitudes, religious practices, etc. are reminescent of it.