Gorakhpur Express

Shinny, damp, chilled, the goose-bumped bare metallic floor continued its assault through the thick layers of clothing. Opposite me, haggard red eyes stared at a berth nearby probably wishing he could sit there. Hands burrowed deep into the pockets of his black leather jacket in a hope to find some warmth, as weariness wrapped itself around him. He clutched his haversack like a lifesaver and curled to one corner. This curly hair pony-tailed man whose distinct almond shaped eyes on several occasions saw him mistakenly identified as someone belonging to the Northeast community was my best friend Neal.
They say the worst brings out the best in you; a thought that I tried hard to cling onto. Yet there was little solace to the predicament we were facing. This just wasn’t one of our finest days, for the first time we were travelling ticketless as our waiting list train tickets didn’t get confirmed and despite purchasing a general ticket from a scalper we found out it was of no use as not only was the compartment packed but they refused to let us in. We entered the sleeper coach and what initially seemed like a possibility of getting ourselves empty berths quickly evaporated as the train filled up at the next few stations. We wandered the train from seat to seat burdened by huge bag-packs, until finally here we were nestled near the lavatory with a leaking sink nearby and a shut door on one side.
Cold, damp and hungry, this wasn't the way we had planned out the return journey from Nepal to be. Yet here we were journeying from Gorakhpur Junction to Mumbai with no seat, no food and the risk of being thrown out by the ticket collector. And to make matters worse we were also out of money. In the rush to catch the train we forgot to withdraw cash, and were left with little more than Rs.500, some coins and a few Nepalese currency notes which were of no use in India.
This 48 hour train across 3 states saw us plead with 3 ticket collectors (who took the Rs.500) but more importantly was made easier with the hospitality of some of the best local travellers. This group consisting of farmers, drivers and labourers not only provided for our meals but also shared their berths and swapped life stories with us during the journey. I reached into my pocket as the train arrived at the destination and checked to find Rs.27 remaining. That frankly summed up the trip, as it seemed to me that a journey that began with poorer beginnings left me feeling much richer by the end.