Indian Rail

 Indian Rail we love you!!  

Indian trains haven't changed a bit since I was last here.  Efficient, cheap and just a great way to travel.  We've now had a couple of trips - both a 7 hour and 18 hour trip.  Had the choice of 1st class, 2nd class with AC, 3 class with AC or a chair.  3rd or 2nd AC is our choice (AC absolutely essential now, its just too hot to travel any other way!) and it's perfect.  It's not an easy thing to do to get a railway ticket in Delhi, as I think Phil has talked about the scams below, but in New Delhi train station they even have a foreigners ticket office.
There are even trains with women only carriages, and apparently women only trains.  I used them when I was last here and they work really well.
The train is just great.  3AC consists of 3 tiers, 2AC consists of 2 tiers - yep pretty obvious! -  of sleeper platform, 2 lots in each compartment.  You are given a freshly laundered sheet to put under and over you, when you sleep.  We were lucky enough to share our compartment on one trip with a woman and her son (she 56, he 26) - they were well educated, spoke good English and were very generous.  (Sweety and Ajun of course have invited us to their place to stay after our cycle trip.)  Made the trip go very quickly.  I am completed bummed out, as my photos of that trip and the train somehow have got corrupted and I can't download them.

There is a Chai (tea) man who wanders the train, dishing out tiny cups of tea for - hmm 12 cents I guess, the same man also comes around with dinners (for the longer trips - just like an Indian version of airline food - very good in taste and value!).  Then after dinner, there tends to be quite a din as everyone is sorting out their beds, etc etc and finally everyone shuts down for the night.  The hilarious thing is that this is so much a part of the Indians life that they are well sorted with it - bring their slippers, last night we even had a couple of men wandering around in their boxer shorts!!  Not a care in the world...