Train to Ernakulam - 12/16

Thursday we boarded an early morning train to Ernakulam. The trip took 15 hours and we had booked seats in the AC 2 tier section of the train...which from what the English tourists we met have told us should be great...and it is! We sit in a compartment of 4 people. During the daytime you can sit in groups of two, facing each other, and for nighttime, one passenger moves to the top bunk and one remains on the lower bunk for sleep. Its quite comfortable...there is air conditioning, the seats are spacious and there are plenty of snacks being sold. Every once in a while sellers walk down the aisles yelling “coffee, coffee, coffee!” or “chai, chai, chai, chai, chai”. They sell extremely sweet coffee and chai. They also sell fried treats and other hot dishes. We bought some bananas for the road because we did not expect so much food on the train, which by the way were super delicious. The bananas here are more tart and less sweet than back home. Fruit in general is delicious and we are always finding some new and strange fruit. But, I digress. I suppose because of all the food available, the train attracts yet another kind of passenger...the cockroach! I have seen several scurrying around.

So although the train was very comfortable, provided both food and pets, I was quite miserable. The sniffling and sneezing from the night before had exploded into a full on cold, stuffed nose and sore throat. On top of that, I seemed to have contracted a bout of the infamous “Delhi Belly”. It wasn't too bad, but I did spend a good portion of the time running to the bathroom which of course was a squat toilet. At first I was horrified, but after much experience, I have found the squat toilet to be very hygienic. The train toilets on Polish trains are disgusting and I think it is because they have a regular sit down toilet. Because the train is moving and the presence of the toilet takes up much of the space in the bathroom, there is urine everywhere as most people seem to miss the toilet altogether. Its filthy and smelly. But, the Indian train toilet is neither smelly nor dirty. Because there is no toilet, there is more room to maneuver. Also, the squat toilet is designed with sloping sides, so that pretty much wherever you aim (unless you are retarded or drunk) the excreted matter will find its way down the hole. There is also a small bucket so you can pour water into it should there be need to do so. I haven't adopted the custom of washing your but with a bucket of water though. I am not sure how that works and so we carry a roll of toilet paper and wet wipes wherever we go.

Squat toilet on the train.

Not much else to report from the train. We met a nice family who gave us some home made cookies and then I rested for several hours in the top bunk while the train gently rocked me to sleep.