A three day train trip part one.

India, New Dehli,
04-04-1995.

Like always when I take a train in this country, I`m acutely aware I`m in the third world. It`s India for real on the train!!! Since I`m a western tourist and have to dough to prove it, I was clever enough to reserve a bunk bed in a train compartment. Only the middle - and upper class can affort a bunk on the train. All the other passengers either travel on hard wooden benches,third class or outside in the gangway.

I`ve heard a rumour that the indian railway company is trying to discourage the locals from taking all their junk with them on the train, judging from the 50.000 kg. outside my compartment I would say that they are not having much success.

A trip to the toilet is quite an adventure trying to get across all that luggage, people sitting patiently on top of it, chicken and piglets - probably a food gift for whoever they gonna visit - rowdy children - mostly boys - but I manage, well, excuse me but I still have to get that indian off his free seat, that is..... the toilet seat, sorry mate but I need to have a pee, hope you don`t mind. Now I need to make it all the way back to my compartment acroos all that junk, across all that live pet shit.

I`ve no doubt that I`ll wake up to the cockerel`s crawing, as a matter of fact I`ve seen several cockerels so sure as hell they will try to outdo each other tommorow morning early.