Friday
Bright and early, at 7:30 am, the hot water arrived in a bucket. Not sure exactly what I was supposed to do with hot water in a bucket, but it was a moot since I had showered the night before.
Again this morning, the young man made me some delicious foods for breakfast. I could get fat here. Everything tastes like it's loaded with calories.
This morning I'm taking a rickshaw to the train station and then a train to Puri, one hour and a half, to catch a long distance train tonight to Kolkata.
The train station in Bhubaneswar was very crowded. I stood in a line awhile before I realized there was a ladies line. Even the ladies budged in front of me. Finally, I had to muscle my way to the window like everyone else. The lady who sold me the ticket kindly told me the time the train arrived, but not the platfrom. Luckily, a young man kindly noticed my confusion and explained how to read the signs and which platform to go to. Also, luckily, he was getting on another train because while he was polite, there was no getting rid of him (without being rude).
I bought a 2nd class seat on the train. This is general seating, wooden benches that can fit three comfortably, without air conditioning where you just get on and try to find a seat. Not the way foreigners usually travel, but it's only an hour and a half, and my Indian friend from the states says it's a great time. I hope she's right!
I tried a few cars before I found one that I could get on without too much pushing. I have my luggage- a small suitcase and a back pack- which isn't much, but still it's not easy to get on the train when everyone else is too.
But I got on, and I found a potential seat. An old woman was sleeping on the bench, taking up the whole seat. It kind of seemed like she was a bum sleeping on bench, but that wouldn't make sense, would it? A middle-aged man in the next seat made hand gestures that I should sit in that seat and put my luggage up above. But the old lady didn't move so I wasn't sure exactly how I was supposed to sit down. But the man, with hand gestures, kept insisting that it was fine and I, with hand gestures, kept questioning where to sit.
Finally the woman in the seat opposite nudged the old lady to wake her up. And the old lady awoke and arose, as if from a deep sleep, completed bewildered as to why she would be awakened, especially to share her seat with the likes of me. But she did sit up and so I sat down, giving her the lion's share of the room on the bench. It's amazing she could sleep at all on a hard wooden bench, much less achieve deep sleep.
And thus began a colorful ride on the train.
A man, dressed quite colorfully in yellow robes and a beard, came around and tried to put yellow paint on my face. I didn't let him, but he succeeded in cajoling a few of the other passengers. I think this is a blessing of some sort.
Then a singer came through the car with a set of sticks that he made a drumming sound with. It was a soul-thrumming crackling sound. I'm still not sure how he got a crackling drum sound out of two sticks, but he was very good. I almost gave him money.
And of course the chai guy came through selling tea.
The old woman who I sat next to was at least in her 80s. She produced a bag out off somewhere and pulled out a small snack and ate it carefully out of her hand like a bird. Then she brought out a worn, colored tin, about two inches high and an inch wide. A snuff tin, I thought.
She checked I wasn't looking, then opened the tin, stuck her finger in and stuffed something which I suppose was tobacco in her cheek. Her finger had traces of black when it came out. Unbelievable! Did that just happen? I feel like this must be a fiction I'm in.
After a bit she wanted out and I let her out of the seat. Her daughter, the woman opposite who had woken her, came to sit beside me and I was pushed to the window seat. The old woman then sat on the outside. So this was actually a whole family spread out onto a few different seats and they were sort of looking after me.
The daughter tried to talk to me but she didn't know English so all we got was that we were both going to Puri.
It's honestly so delightful when they're kind to you because it doesn't happen often. Mostly they just stare and sometimes laugh. It's hard to know what to do with that.
I kind of understand what it might be like for a person of color to live in an all white country. People stare at you or ignore you, but they're generally not friendly.
Anyway, it was really a joy to ride the train in 2nd class... for an hour and a half. It's too hot here to do it much longer. But I had the experience and it was a good one.
Arriving at Puri, I was accosted by rickshaw drivers wanting to know where I wanted to go. I wanted to secure a ticket for the train. It took awhile to throw them off. But finally they got tired of waiting and left. I managed to make a good decision about the train, and booked a foreign tourist quota ticket in 3A instead of possibly not getting my 2A ticket confirmed. The difference is two levels of bed seats in 2A and three levels in 3A.
Now I'm at a restaurant recommended in the guidebook, Wildgrass. It serves local foods not usually on the menu. I had a dish of wonderful grilled eggplant, mashed with garlic and onion and jalapeno. So good! And the grilled shrimp masala is spot on. Loving this place! And for dessert chenna poda - a dense cake that is sweet like tres leches, but has the texture of a pound cake only more curdy. The guide book says it's made with cottage cheese, sugar and cardamom. Most excellent!
At the train station, waiting for the train.
So far I've only seen four other white travelers in the four days I've been in India. Lots of Indian travelers here at the train station, but no other backpackers. No one else staying at the YHA in Bhubaneswar. Where are all the back packers, I have to ask myself?
Also, no one on their crack pads here. Just me. They have phones, but I don't think they're 'smart'. And no tablets anywhere.
Later
So I've been sitting in the plaza outside the train station for almost two hours. Lots of people here also waiting. Cows and dogs too. It's like a public square, so some bums and street people, but they keep t themselves.
A train arrives and a mass of people that are waiting disappear to the platform and a whole bunch of people come out and it's like a wonderful parade. And then it's sort of over. Most of the arriving people have left with their ride. The plaza is a lot more empty.
And then this creepy guy comes up to me and starts talking to me. I think maybe he's a tout at first, but he's too grimy. And so I don't look at him, hoping he will go away. I can't understand anything he's saying. Apparently, he was not saying good things, because out of nowhere, this middle-aged well-dressed guy pushes the creepy guy away from me and literally starts kicking him in the ass. Like literally high kicks in the ass and crotch and shoos (shoes) him away.
And a second well-dressed guy appears as a backup, in case guy number one needs assistance. But the creepy guy gets the message and goes away. And the guy who beat up on him, goes back to his motorcycle and eats his sandwich and continues to wait. Doesn't engage with me at all. I give him a look just to say 'thanks buddy' but he doesn't acknowledge me. He's looking around to see if anyone has a problem with what he just did. But no one does. So strange!
Apparently, they are looking out for me as much as they are staring at me. So crazy. Makes me feel good in a way because I don't know how I would have gotten rid of creepy guy on my own. But I still don't know where those guys came from.
After that, I thought it better to wait inside the station, and discovered there were a lot more people waiting inside. I also found a first class waiting room, one just for ladies and it was empty. So I waited in there for another hour or two, peacefully away from the crowd.
When they finally announced the platform the train would arrive on, the mass parade of people rushing on to the platform was amazing. I don't know where all those people came from. And the goods! So many flat beds with goods piled high were loaded on the train. It was really very interesting.
Turned out to be a pretty good day.
