Indian train journeys are an adventure like no other. Trains are often late, usually by several hours, or cancelled altogether. When they're running normally they're more like travel by plane elsewhere. I opted for the train from Delhi to Kolkata as I was so looking forward to getting out of Delhi. An enormous advanage of train travel is that you don't have to show up three hours before it departs and then go through security, but you instead just get on, put your luggage beneath the seat, and make yourself comfortable. The only thing to worry about is finding the correct platform. Indians are very good at making themselves at home on trains as they bring plenty of food, play cards, and dilly-dally on their phones or iPads whilst their children run amok.
The carriage attendants pass out sleeping sheets and pillows and then ask if you prefer your dinner "veg" or "non-veg." I chose the latter. Vendors come around selling snacks, drinks, and masala tea. It's even possible to order food from a particular restaurant in the next town using the UberEats app, and have it delivered directly to the train! Wow! There are so many things possible now that were a distant dream only a few years ago. Travelling by train is preferable to going by bus even though trains are usually slower and more prone to delays. I've done some spectacular train journeys in Thailand, Australia, the USA, and a few other places and there's nothing like lying down peacefully whilst the carriage rocks gently back and forth. This is my first time ever sleeping in a bed on a train (although I've done other overnight train journeys sitting in a seat). Whilst I slept the train moved straight through the heart of India.
As I awoke and washed up, we were only a few hours out of Kolkata. There are both squat and western-style toilets on board; whilst I've travelled to many places I've never cottoned on to squat toilets. Breakfast isn't hotcakes and sausage or bacon and eggs but instead delicious Indian fare.
Yogurt is helpful when food is a bit spicy. I would wash it all down with a few cups of masala tea as they don't have coffee on the train. An interesting thing I noted is that I was the only foreigner on the train. As the train slowly trundled toward Kolkata I could see how there's a more tropical feel. The air is (by Indian standards) cleaner and the sky has more blue. Palm trees abound as it started to rain. As I only have one night in Kolkata I'm thankful this train departed and arrived on time. Hitchhiking wouldn't be feasible India (if it is, it would be very challenging) but the adventure of a long train journey more than makes up for it. On a future journey to India I'll be here longer and will be riding the rails a hell of a lot more.
After my second big Indian train journey, I'm ready for my brief sojourn around Kolkata.
