The Great Train Adventure

In order to have a more complete Indian experience, we took a train from Agra to Varanasi, and then back to Delhi. We weren't taking too many chances, though, so we went first class with four berths in a section. Our train didn't leave until 11:30 pm, but we were at the train station at about 6, so we sat in the restaurant, ate a bit, and played cards. Every once in awhile one of us would take a stroll in the station to have a look at all the people sitting or lying on the floor. All were very poor and very dirty. I read in the newspaper that homeless youth can get about $3 a day selling train leftovers, that is rags, plastic bottles, etc.

A bit after 11 we decided to go to our platform for a change of scenery, Platform 9. A train was there so we walked until we found our car and then found berths. We started getting settled by taking off our shoes and getting sheets from the conductor. All of a sudden at about 11:20 the train starts to move. Trains don't leave early, especially in India where they seldom leave on time. We quickly asked the people with us if the train was going to Varanasi and they said, no, Delhi. We found the conductor and he immediately called the engineer on his cell phone. The train stopped. We quickly slipped on our shoes, gathered our things with the help of the conductor and jumped off the train onto gravel between the tracks. The conductor pointed in the direction we were to walk and just said keep going. The station was in sight, but still quite a walk. We were half running, me with my roll suitcase that doesn't roll in gravel and Sarah carrying three backpacks and another bag. By this time I was laughing. We got to the platform and ended up waiting another hour before the train finally came. At least we had time to tie our shoes and catch our breaths. We made it to Varanasi at about one in the afternoon, and after much bargaining, got in an autorickshaw and went off to the guesthouse.

Varanasi is one of the holiness of Hindu cities because it is on the Ganges and pilgrims come to bath in the holy waters of the river. Maybe it is holy, but also filthy and filled with pollution to a dangerous degree. We saw everything floating in the water, including a dead cow. In the morning people were washing clothes including sheets from guest houses, we assumed.

We took a boat trip in the evening in a big wooden boat. It was foggy so rather eerie as we were rowed downstream. We passed ghats, or cement platforms with stairs leading down to the river all along the way. We also observed four cremation ghats in one section. The body is first bathed in the river and then burned on a pile of sticks. Then we went to see a ceremony that is held every evening for the Mother Ganges River. Five priests dressed in maroon tops and gold flowing pants rang bells with one hand and in the other waved urns with smoke, then fire, and finally a triangular shaped object with many flames. There was also constant chanting. Sarah and I agreed that it was very joyful and uplifting. There were many people on the steps behind the priests and many in boats who had come to experience the ceremony. It was lovely and powerful. Flowers and candles floated in the river.

The next morning we took another boat trip and if there had been a sunrise, it would have been lovely, but there was only fog. Again it was an eerie, chilly boat trip. All along the river, hundreds and hundreds of people, probably thousands, were bathing, splashing themselves with water, submerging, drinking water. Many were obviously in a state of spiritual bliss and didn't appear to be cold.

It was a holiday, Republic Day (60 years of Indian Independence) and so there were more people than usual. We observed dozens of people arriving in wooden boats. It got to be very hot and humid as the day progressed. There was a lot of activity by the river, priests blessing people, women circling trees for luck, food being sold, and beggars sitting on the ground with people walking by and throwing rice to them in bowls or on cloths spread out on the ground. It was a time of joyfulness and of sharing.


Food: A definite highlight was the food. We tried new dishes and usually ate very well. We decided to eat only vegetarian which is very easy in India. Sarah and I could divide a meal that cost us between $2 and $8. We would order a vegetable dish, rice, and nan - puffy flat bread. Sarah had to have her daily dose of nan. Our favorite breakfast was steal cut oats made with milk. We drank a lot of Chai tea.


Traffic: The traffic is completely crazy and chaotic with horns blasting constantly. People are extremely aggressive and there are constant battles among the vehicles. Everyone assumes he has the right of way and no one looks before merging. Cars pass on the right, on the left, on the shoulder, wherever. It can be very scary when you are passing a truck or a bus and other vehicles are coming at you. All vehicles are full of dents and scratches. There are bikes and a lot of motor bikes and autorickshaws or tuk tuks. We usually took autorickshaws in towns. Sarah is a tough bargainer.


Photos: One fun occurrence in Delhi was that young men wanted to be photographed with Sarah at tourist sites. She will appear in about a half dozen photos with the young men beaming at her side.


School: I visited a public high school with an Indian teacher, a friend of Karen Dudley's. Classes had about 45 students in a rather rundown building with bleak classrooms. Everything echoed in the building so it was very hard to hear. I asked and answered questions in an 8th grade English class. It was fun being in the English teachers' office. They were making the usual complaints about the students not being motivated and because they come from lower middle class backgrounds, they don't hear English at home and don't receive good stimulation. Grades and passing are based on national exams, therefore teachers have to teach the national curriculum and have no freedom. All classes in India are in English while Hindi is a subject.