Most enjoyable journey in India.

Banarasi at heart

<Originally Posted by steven_ber
What was your most enjoyable journey in India?>

My favorite is the overnight journey from Madras to Tirunelveli when they had Metre Gauge. I think the MG sleeper class is unique and somehow I find it much better. At that time I was a child and since ther was only one track, I was constantly afraid that we might be hit by a trin coming the opposite way.

Shiver me Timbers

I've two - one memorable for all the bad reasons, and one for all the good.

First, I travelled from Madurai to Chennai in 2nd class unreserved overnight - it's memorable cause I remember all of it cause I got no sleep at all - spent the night with my knees tucked under my chin, thinking the guy next to me was staring at me.....turns out he had a glass eye and was fast asleep the whole time.....and there was me wiggling my head and smiling at him the whole night.

Second, going from Varanasi to Delhi was my last train journey in India.....I was chatting to a few students, and happened to mention that I was liking all the Bollywood music.....within 5 minutes, the whole carriage was piled around me, singing all the hits just for me.......the French guy next to me just said 'it would never happen in Europe'.......5 stars!

PeakXV

Went 1/4 distance around Connaught circle in a rickshaw to make a relatively important meeting with the CM of AP ...... the wrong way,,,, against the normal flow ....with oncoming Tata Lorries, brakeless blue buses and god knows what bearing down on us we just managed to exit the required side road before getting sent into the sweet-hereafter - more memorable than enjoyable ...... still sweat a bullet when I think about dat morning.

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We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started ...and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

Darmabum

in '82 . . . after a two week general-All-India-All-Everything-Transportation-Wise strike I was ready to get out of Puri . . . got to the station early . . . two tracks running away from town . . . one track had a train on it, puffin' and ready to go . . . the second track was empty . . . asked the station master about the train . . . "It will be arriving on Track 2" he told me (the empty track) . . . went and sat down . . . with half an hour to go, I asked him again . . . same answer, "Track 2" . . . train on Track 1 puffin' harder now . . . with five minutes to go, I asked again, same answer . . . the train on Track 1 left . . . went back to the station master . . . "You have missed your train" he told me . . . had to get to Bhubaneshwar to get the train to Madras . . . no taxis . . . no cars . . . no buses . . . rickshaws! . . . eventually found a guy willing to peddle to Bhubaneshwar, @ 40K (distance, not fare) through the jungle at night . . . and then there was the five day bus ride in the giant red bus (GREAT stereo), Himalayan mountain scene painted on the side, driven by a Nepali guy (LOVED the Doors, Hendrix, Zepplin) in purple overalls named Genghiz and his German Shepherd from Delhi to Kathmandu . . . but I guess that's another story . . .

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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure - Marianne Williamson

noflylist

A train journey from Hell!

Mumbai to Bangaluru in golden years of early 90's with spose.
Made reservation in 3 tier, requested 2 side seats facing each other.

Brother-in-law came to drop me. Turned out 2 side seats were facing away from each other. A young guy facing my wife refused to budge after a sweet request from my wife (which has gotten her out of traffic ticket jams with cops many a times). Seeing my mood brother-in-law left in a hurry. After train conductoer's request was turned down. I took matters personally and physicall removed the guy. (A foolish thing to do for which I was reproached by wife). Ordered the train food. Worst ever. Tried platform food, notan improvement, also those were days before water bottles.

A matronly lady on adjoining seat was observing all this. Finally she started critiquing on our bravery of trying food not better than for dogs (her actual words). Then she talked of why were we in sleeper class and not in first. (I do not believe AC cars were on that train those days). All this while I was thinking why is this lady not sharing her sumptuous spread of Rotis, pickles etc. I joked to my wife may be it is time to take matters into my hands again and wife told me she will personally lead the posse which throws me overboard.

Anyway, managed to make friends and ammends with everyone. But could not get decent food and my heart was set on southindian food.

In Bangalore, first restaurant we went to served only Punjabi food!!! (more about touts later and may be bangalore adventure, Oh this brings out memmories)


to be continued...

Nick-H

Connor... I love the glass eye story!

But your liking for bollywood music could well make my journey a trip from hell if we ever share a carriage!

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

noflylist

Moving the travelogue little forward (will go back in time later - a flashback for U movie buffs), My wife was wanting to know what I would buy her. So true to character, I found a Saree shop, run by a Gujarati in Bangalore(they R everywhere!) After initial consultation, he kindly put his shop at our disposal. My wife chose score of sarees to choose from, I went through seating on a stool and going through whole newspaper in those couple of hours. Finally, I was summoned to finalize the deal since I had purse strings that day. The shopkeeper told me that the kind lady has spoken and which of these we want. I asked him to pack Finally we paid for all 16 of 'em. Shopkeeper was overjoyed, so he closed his shop early and hailed a rickshaw to our hotel carrying the pack. Of course I paid for the ride. We waved him goodbuy at the hotel door.

Finally, my wife forgave me for the train indiscretion and had the most enjoyable evening.

Next day, we were getting ready and I was in bathroom. Here walks in the shopkeeper! In those days we were not much worried about Hotel security and would keep door unlocked sometime in the daytime. After my jaw closed, he said that he had made a mistake in calculation and wanted 150 more. I looked at him, so he said how his brother will kill him and how 150 was not much a deal for people comming from USA. I escorted him out upto the front desk, and asked the front desk, why they allowed someone upsatirs to the room. The desk clerk failed to understand the subtleties of hotel security and human privacy.

Finally, over coffee and vada, the whole affair was mulled over with a positive reflection.

New-South-Welshman

Best trip for me was a flight from Bombay to Goa. A whole 45 minutes it took. A quick trip is a good trip for me.

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Mr. Burns "Non-violence never solved anything!"

PeakXV

First real taste of an Indian train journey came back in 1996 when ModiLuft(now SpiceJet I think) went kaput and couldn't get an adequate/quick replacement flight out of Bangalore .... so we took the choochoo from Blore to Bhopal ..... fascinating(-ly long 30+ hrs)for the window view of rural Indian life & memorable cause I still have the crick in my neck from sleeping the wrong way in my quarters!

Nick-H

I really enjoy any flight less than about an hour --- but the long 10 hours Heathrow to Chennai is just boring, I really pity people who have to fly even further.

My most enjoyable Indian journey is probably driving down and up the Nilgiris. (I say down and up, as the first ascent was rather spoiled by ear ache). Roads twisty enough to be fun, but not enough to be frightening, views stunning. I was really glad our driver had an old, slow car --- the people rushing past in their more modern 4*4s would have missing out on savouring the experience.

vsp27759

Dear Nick,

A Train Journey can be a Memorable One and Enjoyable One, if you have a passion for TRAINS.

On 10.4.2007, I have travelled - alone- from Tenkasi to Quilon by 741 Passenger (MG).

On 14.4.2007, I have travelled - with my friends - from Shimoga to Talguppa (MG) by RAILBUS - a distance of 98 Kms. for a duration ofr 4 Hrs.20 minutes. You can see this the Shimoga-TLGP Photographs on www.irfca.uploads section.

rangss

VSP,

Link no work.

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...and I took the road less travelled.

steven_ber

I done this trip from Virudunagar to Quilon in FC on my first trip, nice journey.

I've been trying to keep up with gauge conversions in the south, and I thought the Tenkasi-Quilon section was closing for GC on 1st April, it all confusing.
I nearly traveled this route on my 2nd trip, I got the overnight from Bangalore to Shimoga (in FC) and stook on the platform talking to a prety girl and feeding a dog, after a couple of hours I started to get worried about the train to Talguppa, then I realised, it was on a different gauge so couldn't arrive at the (BG) platform I was waiting on, eventually went into Shimoga and got a bus to Jog Falls.

There is also talk of gauge convertion for the Shimoga - Talguppa section, do you have any idea when this will begin?

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How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions.



Train information.

steven_ber

I think you have to be a member of IRFCA to view the uploads section.

rangss

That I was since 2002 . Also the Uploads section is not restricted to members. It is a free site.