Train trip

We had to get back to Delhi and the best way was the train. Now Indian people don't seem to have much respect for the old ticket system, for example the transport Minister's in-laws just got fined for riding the train with no ticket and their excuse was they have never bought a ticket and don't know what a ticket is!

Anyway, it took about 20 mins for our leader to convince 3 men that they had to vacate our bunks for it was a sleeper train, she let them finish their meal first. She decided not to aggravate them as one was clearly drunk.

So we got our bunks eventually, something I have never seen before, 3 on each side and 2 on the end, so basiclly 8 in an area where in Vietnam we have 4! Told you I was getting claustrophobic in this country. I had the middle bunk and there was not enough room to sit up and put on my socks, Jo got the top, she figured that it was safest away from the madding crowd and any prowling hands. We had to chain our luggage together and though a loop on the bottom bunk designed for exactly that. Again, nothing I worry about in Thailand or Vietnam.

There seemed to be an army of men prowling the train selling chai, tomato soup, and some indian snacks, not of which we were game to try.

When we finally go to Delhi this morning, there was soooo many people at the train station. I reckon that there was as many people on that platform as live in all of Australia. Luckily I have been perfecting my pushing, shoving and being generally rude skills in Vietnam for the last year, so I managed to barge a path through the crowd.

Speaking of being rude, I also have perfected seeing straight through the beggars, we were warned tht begging is organised here, women who drag babies all over the streets is depressing and sad. Also, the tuk-tuk guys and rickshaws are ignored, they can speak better English here than Vietnam so they follow us around. Jo had to get quite short with a guy this morning who wouldn't leave us alone.