I love the long train journeys; No fast/hep show-off airport crowds where MOST (not all) are trying to make a fashion/status statement, no start-to-end AC journeys; No surety of Clean Toilets; forget toilet paper, even soap MIGHT not be there; No need to talk in a foreign language, read English, UNNECESSARILY; No assurance that your slippers/shoes will be at the same place where you left them or that they are even there at all! In short, the uncertainty the journey brings.

You have all the time in world to finish your pending movies, that’s what i use my laptop for, apart from writing blogs like this one; you meet people from different dialects. From Punjab/Haryana/Delhi to UP to MP to Maharashtra to Andhra to Karnataka – Wow that’s 7 states!
And don’t forget – you have all the time to sleep, that’s why i always prefer the Upper Berth 🙂

I hate kids especially when are crying/shouting and I guess somebody was listening when I booked my tickets. 3 times I took a train last week and all 3 times they were there in my seating of 6 berths! What’s worse is that twice it were infants and thanks to them I never got to sleep on those occasions 🙁 But that’s what life is, you get what you least want 🙂

Plan to do such a marathon ?

Things to do in order to enjoy such a experience

1. don’t carry the a USB modem and you will explore the real India. No, you don’t need to travel how Shahrukh did in Swades 🙂 to explore real India

2. travel alone

3. carry minimal luggage

4. have inexpensive items in luggage. Yes, believe me, you won’t enjoy or better said, will ruin your journey if you find out your stuff is stolen!

5. a good camera helps, unfortunately i didn’t have one. It’s there on my wish list – right up there!

6. Most Important: step out once in a while, even if you are traveling in AC, open the door and stand there holding the support bars. No, DONT light your cigarette – feel the breeze on your face and if you’ve done that before, you already know how it feels. Simply Amazing

7. forget/ignore if there’s a beautiful gal or a smart guy in your vicinity – or else you’ll get conscious and won’t do things for yourself. Yeah, you may laugh but you’ll still do the same; you know it 🙂

My journey was a little tampered as there was a rather stupid family that occupied 4 out of the 6 seats. They would turn off the lights all the time, put the curtains on and not let anybody even sneak, forget talk, not even the pantry guys. Would go back to sleep at 11 in the morning and won’t wake up even their kids ping them. They even won’t let me sit or put my luggage even though I own, at least for the journey, 1 complete berth. In short, they would have a problem with every one and every thing apart from their own selves. Pathetic! Anyways, i hope you don’t find such people, but if you do, probably do what i did. Blandly IGNORE.

Experienced such journey/s ? Let’s share our experiences, just scroll down and there’s that comments section! All of us can learn a few more points then 🙂