When I'm at the sea, I look to the port - from the ports, I long for the open seas.

I was ready to quit the Goan sands. To be honest, there's nothing like the freedom to breathe in sandy winds; to smell of salty water and fish when you go wash up, all set to spend the night with candles and moonlight, music and friendly strangers. I'd had the most expensive Goa trip ever. I was not careful about finances. I rented a jeep, for the thrill of driving one through the single lane Goa roads, where every turn is ghastly and blind. I was bandaged from a fall, a drunk fall to be more precise. I drove through the alley ways, smiling at absolute strangers who would wish you good mornings and evenings. I felt at home, but it was indeed time to go. The fourth day, we - a bunch of five 20 year olds - understood that our travel agent had left us hanging with no tickets. No means to achieve flight tickets without going broke. So, I drove my gypsy at 8 o clock, on roads without any lights or red lights, following a BJP rally to the train station to check for "Tatkal" (emergency) tickets, which are made available 20 odd hours before the train. We, of course returned, empty handed. This was the morning of our departure. We manned up; decided to travel like travellers would with a swing in our step, taking a worthy risk. We boarded the train with the "General Ticket" - a compartment overflowing with people, mostly crowding even the hallways of the train. We instead boarded the "Sleeper section". Truthfully, we could have been thrown out of the train. We legally did not belong in the section. We cajoled the ticket collector, to help my bandaged self, in retrieving some kind safe accommodation. He being a kind man, let us snuggle up between 3 berths - 5 of us, and 3 berths. We adjusted damn well. We sat at the doorway, during the day. I for one, enjoyed sitting for 8 hours at the gate of the boogie, looking at the scenery pass by. I saw what the luxury of AC constricts - I saw life, the hustle bustle of a train. I saw people at the station who pushed me in and out, to get in. I smelled the rain on the track, I felt the dirt stain my clothes and I felt people, in their lives intersecting mine.
I love trains but I discovered, I loved being in a train where I don't belong.