Plane Jane Travels

Train Travelling in India sure has its ups and downs, the down part I got a big mouthful of in Allahabad but considering it was during the epic Kumbh Mela: A mass Hindu pilgrimage and the largest human gathering in the world with up to 70 million in attendance, maybe we could class it as a complete one off, up until this point I thought my experience travelling the Bombay Metro in a sardine packed all male carriage during peak hour last year was terrifying, a year later and I unknowingly upgraded myself voluntarily to sleeper class with what could only be described as a bunch of peaceful pilgrims turn Nomad on crack. Sleeper class tickets in my pocket and I was all ready to jump on my train until witnessing the nomadic approach on how actually jumping on a train during a festival like this was, people of all ages pushing, face punching erratically to literally fight for a spot on the train paying no attention to the Military control threatening with a beat of their battens. Ticket or not there were thousands of people who weren't going to miss the train, a few ladies had fallen from the train between the platform on the track whistl train is moving and listening to people around me say so nonchalantly "yip she's definitely lost a leg easy there" I felt my whole body tighten and tense up I look to my partner Krish he reads my face so well, walks off and starts talking to the train porters on the platform and gives me a cheeky wink and smile and assures me we will jump on a ac class carriage that should be less crowded less violent but we may have to sit on the floor of the entrance for the first 8 hours. I cant help but feel a little bit defeated that I couldn't just do it, especially having this little ashram leader we met that day whispering in my ear on how I can conquer Indian customs and ways of living, Just do it! Don't be afraid! You look like a strong girl! He said, was my fear that obvious!?. Later that night on our train bound for Udaipur via Delhi we heard from other passengers that a crowd of 35 people mostly women and elderly died when the footbridge at the train station collapsed during a stampede I felt my heart sink, It's just so sad that it was inevitably waiting to happen and on an occasion to this magnitude expected.