Monday, March 5, 2012

20 hour Long, but Happy Journey to Mumbai

Having to go through a few cities, it really ended up being a trek to get over to Mumbai and it ended up totaling about 20 hours + on trains and buses. 
First started off train from Hubli to Miraj where I was surprised to find an empty car and a sleeper seat for me.  The ladies beneath me were sitting and complaining.  Next to them sat two police officers who kept making eye contact with me and shaking their head at these two ladies.  These ladies were just comical-the way they were preparing the food and how quickly they ate their food. My foot accidently hit her head going up and she was upset saying nonsense in Hindi.  I just ignored her and the cops and I just kept laughing. 

The family on the train- Bhilvan, Sadva, Prakash, and Agi, Their nice mannerisms with me offering me roti and dhal, taking photos together and talking about America, me sitting up contently with my puff mix in the sleeper, monkey hill and the sunset off the train.  Not quite the scenic view I expected, but I can’t have it all. My train and bus rides have been great so far so it is not going to be perfectly scenic on them all-I understand. 
Again, the train is ALIVE. It is like an absolute circus with all the floor space covered with people, elderly women sitting on the floor, kids on the laps of adults or stuffed into corners, guys all hanging off the train, a baby is sleeping on the ground and almost stepped on, people are climbing like monkeys up to the top to sit on the sleeper space, men coming through selling "Coffee, chai, coffee chai," idalys, dosas, and juice and my favorite snack mix with rice puffs. I love Indian railways=)
I finally make it to Mumbai CST, which is not the central station so I have to take ANOTHER train to central.  I am being tested with my patience and doing my best to stay patient.  A nice boy helps guide me to the Mumbai central and I enter into the madness of MUMBAI.

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