Moments in Indian Train

"Garam Chai, kol rinks, garam chai". A well expected loud voice is coming from the other end of the sleeper class carriage. People are waking up and turning the middle beds against the wall, so that you can sit in the bottom bed. Some are sleeping in in the up beds. While my breath is frothing and my hands are tucked in between of my legs, still some of the fellow passengers tend to keep the windows open. The voice is getting more near sometimes stopping as other people buy their chai´s. Perhaps some one is also buying a cold drink, but to me it seems an as absurd idea as keeping the windows open.

The traffic in the pier has diminished and the train pulls off. Some is running to catch with departing train with breakfast naan bread in their hands. It's still quite dark but you can sense the light growing slowly. I gather up some coins of Indian rupees with my cold, numb fingers for the chai vendor and start sipping the hot chai with lots of sugar in it.

As the scenery passes by the window so does the time. Window, like a hole to another world, shows us many small train stations, passing trains, huge rice paddy´s and small villages. Even better way to experience this all is hanging out of the open door. You can truly feel alive, with the wind in your hair and the fresh smells in your nose.

To me even the aisle seems like a stage with performers. Beggars with no legs and hands, children performing agility stunts, drummers and musicians of all kinds are passing by and trying to get your attention. And with many sellers of food, drink, newspapers and odds and ends you can satisfy all your earthly needs. Even in the trains you cannot miss how truly colorful and lively India is.

Slowly as we approach Nepal the north indian plains start changing to rougher landscape and you can to feel what you´re going for, the Himalaya mountain range.

In the end of the tracks lays Gorakphur. There trains will eventually change to busses. And there is still a lot of road to beat before you can set your eyes to the holiest mountain in Nepal, the Machhapuchre. After days of balancing in the narrow spiral Nepalese roads up high in the mountains you'll definitely miss those moments you spend in a cold Indian train. Drinking Garam Chai.


Text originated from Rajasthan India. A train trip from Varanasi to Gorakphur, and on to Pokhara Nepal, in January 2013.