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  • Day 8

    The Great Train Game

    December 9, 2016 in India ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    09/12/16
    Mumbai
    It's the day off the great train game!!!

    First off we go to the test match for a few hours but before we leave.... Noblet have you got the card? Erm no.... We spend like 2 hours turning the room and bags upside down in search of the debit card and can't find it. Noblet back tracks to the restaurant ... No sir we do not have it.

    Get to the cricket late and as soon as we sit down INDIA take a wicket. Humph. Then ball gets all injured and he's out... Great. But at least we get to watch INDIA bowling and to sing a rousing session of Jerusalem with actions. Fantastic and a really good atmosphere now India are getting cocky. Loud drums horns etc along with the Indians randomly cheering every now and again made it feel like an event. We leave after 'just one more over pleease' and here Endeth our time at the wank Hede stadium (haha)

    Got a mutton burger after the match which was pretty tasty. Then off to the hotel to get to the train station.

    Oh yeah popped into the cricket bar from last night on the off chance and they had found our debit card!! Whup!!

    Get to the train and decide we need a stash of food and water as we have no idea what will happen on this 20 HOUR train journey to Agra (taj mahal land). We know there is no WIFI and that we have a bed and seat each.
    That is all.

    Get on the train and turns out we don't have both we have a seat used by 3 people which turns into a bed. So there must be some kind of communal agreement as to when you hit the hay.

    The trains have the doors kept open and travels very slowly the majority of the time, giving you the feeling that we could be hijacked at any moment.

    Imagine a prison cell bed, this is what three of you sit on with three people opposite on the same. There is a bed above this which acts as a back rest and is left folded down until you need to sleep. Another bed above this which is permanently in the bed position. The top bed hangs from a riveted connection to the train roof. There are two chains which hang from this bed which hold up the middle bed and the bottom has a frame fixed to the floor. Very clever.

    Each bay of 8 also has a mirror, some coat hooks and 4 windows. Which have bars across but are fully open. The windows can have an acrylic window pulled down to stop wind and shutters to close out the light. During the day the things are kept open and you can also sit at the doors to the train which are permanently open.

    Once seated there are 9 million people selling pomegranates, pomegranate seeds, popcorn (tomato flavour), samosas, crisps, tobacco for under you tongue and chai (tea) walking up and down the carriages. It's like being in the market.

    There were several blind people Doing this and we realised it was quite a good profession as all they had to do was walk between the aisle can't really go wrong there.

    We haggled over inflatable pillows 50p each, tea 10p each, samosas 10p for 2, 1l water 20p. We were getting charged white people prices and it's still very cheap.

    The train is great as you can watch suburban and agricultural life as you pass. People working in fields, praying, pigs chilling next to the line....mmmm bacon.

    Night comes after a couple of hours and everyone goes to bed. It's India, its 36 degrees.... We've packed all warm clothes to the bottom. Sensible.

    Until you realise you're on a train which has been designed to be drafty, the temperature drops and locals start pulling out (from no where btw) hats, gloves, sleeping bags, blankets and down jackets.... What just happened its like we've gone back to Iceland. We look at each other and realise it's going to be a long night.

    Sure enough we were freezing.

    Using the wc is literally a hole in the floor onto the trAck with a stainless steel handle so you don't fall in to the pit of doom. GRIM. At least these 49 steps got some blood moving.

    That's us... Night night... Fuuuuuccccxkkkkk itttttss freeeeeezing!

    Donkey: Noblet for loosing the team debit card in a bar.

    Man: Noblet for finding the card and getting us around Mumbai. Super directions now he's stopped guessing where we are on a map!
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