This one deserves its own story. The overnight train- definitely not something I would ever care to repeat.
We had our very long day exploring the exciting and wonderful sites of Cairo. This was exhausting (especially due to the heat) and definitely wore us out for our impending journey. We went to the train station at about 10pm that night for the overnight train to take us down south. It was SUPPOSED to be a 12 ish hour journey. This was daunting enough. I had heard a few stories in my travels about these trains and was expecting the worst. The main thing everyone seemed to comment about was the bathrooms. Anyone who knows me moderately well will affirm the fact that I have a bladder about the size of a very small walnut- especially when travelling. So I particularly was not looking forward to a 12 hour journey on an uncomfortable train with possibly the grottiest toilets on the planet. I tried to prepare by not drinking much and trying to sleep as much as I could – there was absolutely nothing to see outside the windows because for at least the first 7 hours it would be dark outside. Best laid plans hey!
As it turns out the temperature of the train varied between sauna and freezer most of the night (I wrapped myself up in my sleeping bag most of the night), the lights never went out (except when the sun came out in the morning), the seats were bloody uncomfortable, the guy in front of me seemed to be oblivious to the fact that his mobile phone was ringing and beeping half the night (he got a good nights sleep at least), and the guard felt the need to check peoples tickets every couple of hours or so whether or not we had even stopped at a station in the intervening time! Either way not a recipe for a restful night for a person who is a bit of an insomniac at the best of times and who is also concentrating on not needing to pee!!!
I made it to 12 and a half hours. I could have made it had the train not been running 3 hours late. Bloody 15 bloody hours!!!!! And put it this way, the grotty train toilets after 12 and a half hours were not what I would call remotely sanitary…I seriously considered trying to hold on….but needs must.
15 hours on a train….an experience certainly. But not a very enjoyable one.
