Train from New Delhi to Calcutta
August 22, 2008My train was waiting for me, #2330 from Delhi to Sealdah (Calcutta station). Left on time at 19:10. While searching for my seat I met a friendly student from New Delhi University, named Manjit. He helped me find my seat and we got to talking and became friends on the train. We shared some train food, curry chicken and rice, and then I watched Wanted, with Angelina Jolie. It was pretty good, the action scenes were really fun. The story wasn’t too deep or anything–not that I was expecting it to be, but it is worth watching for the action…as far-fetched as it is. The next morning I woke up at 10am and around 12pm the train stopped for about an hour because there is some sort of perpetual strike going on in West Bengal. Because of this, the train could not move because people were standing on the tracks way down the line, causing the railway to be backed up and the trains queued. After that hour the train started moving for another hour. Then we got to stop again…great, I was so close to getting out of India and now, that I am 75% of the way from Delhi to Calcutta I can’t finish and have a possibility of missing my plane. If I miss it then I lose $115. Needless to say, I was flipping out. Four hours later the train began to move and I ended up making it to Sealdah station…8 hours late. It was 1am by the time I got to the station and then I get a taxi to the airport that wants to charge me Rs. 500 (about $12)…Way too much. I don’t really have any other choice since it is 1am and there aren’t really any taxis…so I accept and ask him to go to the ATM along the way to the airport. We stop at 3 banks and of course none of them accept my Mastercard…I have had tons of problems with withdrawing from ATMs in India…No problem ever in Thailand. I dont know what the deal is. Anyway, I gave him all I had in my wallet, every last rupee (340). Still over priced. It should have been about Rs. 75. But once again, just the crap that you have to deal with 24/7 in India. People always over charging you and it really sucks when you have to bargaining power and are forced to pay it. Especially in the dire circumstances I was in. Finally I reached the airport at 2am. Check-in was supposed to be at 3:50am because my flight was at 6:50am. I found a shoddy electrical outlet and plugged my converter in, which barely hung on to the holes. I worked on editing my pictures and listened to some music until 3am rolled around…then 4am rolled around…then 5am rolled around. No one was allowed to go to check-in. Apparently the only people working at the airport were the military since almost everyone else was still on strike until 6am! Awesome. So around 6:15am people began showing up and they finally let the mass of people huddled around the gate though and towards check-in. I was the first person through check-in and security and by 6:30am I was sitting at the flight gate waiting to board the plane, which was now scheduled and had a departure time of 6:50am…and then they delayed the flight until 9:15am. Again, awesome. Just one more roadblock in my way to keep me from getting home. I eventually passed out for about 30-45 minutes waiting for the flight, the only sleep I’d had over the past 24 hours and finally we got aboard the flight. Once the engines screamed and I was pressed back into my seat like I was entering hyperspace to get to Endor I was much more relieved as there shouldn’t be any more hurdles to jump over, except for an emergancy landing in Myanmar, which I was thankful didn’t happen.
Landing in Thailand brought feelings of overwhelming joy like I was back home safely. It was really strange, since I wasn’t home, but in Thailand. I ambled through the international terminal of the airplane, thankful to be out of India and back in Thailand. When I finally made it back outside I took in a big breath of air…and there was no stink.
Now that I am back in Thailand things should be much calmer. India has seriously been a headache for the most part. Everything is so chaotic and frantic. People here can be extremely greedy at every corner, not knowing who to trust–so you end up not wanting to trust anyone. But then, there are very genuine people that show traditional Indian hospitality, which is really great. Shikah’s family was extremely warm and welcoming and happy to make food for Zack and I every day we stayed there; Manjit was at great friend to talk to on the 29.5hr train ride from Delhi to Calcutta; and our camel trek guide, Mila, was very humble and eager to make exquisite food for us each day at camp. They were all eager to help and be friends and offer tea or food.
I think that it will be a very long time before I return to India. It was too much for me to deal with all the time–the constant haggling, chaotic driving and lifestyles, and the pollution and waste everywhere. Despite my complains, I think that it was a good trip and gave me a lot of perspective about India and its people, as well as making me appreciate all the I have in American and just appreciating how great America is and understanding why so many people want to come live in America. If I were to travel to India again, I would know where to go to enjoy myself, instead of backpacking around to a bunch of different cities. I think that the four places that I would go to if I visited India again would be Kerala, Goa, Jaisalmer again, and Manali. Kerala has a bunch of backwaters and estuaries that you can ride on houseboats in. It is supposed to be very pretty and relaxing. Goa is the top beach destination in India and is supposed to be very beautiful. Jaisalmer was really great. My favorite city of the trip. I would go there to do the camel trek again and spent the night in a hotel in the fort (even though Lonely Planet recommends against it). Manali is a hill station up north of Delhi. You can see the Himalayas and it is a very relaxed small town.
In the future I plan to take extensive trips through America because it is an extremely beautiful place that is close, reachable by car (which is less than airfare across the world) and I feel safe going out camping or driving anywhere, unlike being a white-skinned foreigner in such a foreign land. Sedona or Yellowstone are places of great interest as is the entire American Northwest and Alaska. I would really love to return to Alaska, as it is my favorite state I have been to.