Friday 22nd Feburary
Felt slightly better this morning, if a bit weak, but slightly nervous at the thought of a 6 hour train journey ahead. I got up with the others to say my last farewells....to my buddies from the Scottish contingent - the lovely Shaun and Gio - and to my riding buddies from the last two weeks - Mike, Guy, Max, Andy, Ian, Nick and Adrian. A special mention also to Bill the Bike and, of course, King Kip from the medical team. Kip is an honorary citizen of Oonyiakistan, and I'm hoping he'll get to visit his homeland soon. Most of folks were from the Blue team that I started off in, which had survived intact against all the odds, and with a helping hand from the angels. Everyone was tired, weak, not looking forward to hours cooped up on buses and planes. They were a great bunch of folk, all of whom welcomed this much less experienced Scottish lass into their team without even so much as a hint of patronising or macho nonsense. Thank you guys.
Then, after an extra hour or so's rest, it was time to strike off on my own, on the 1330 from Ernakalum to Trivandrum. All the horror stories you read about Indian trains are pretty much true...people climbing on the roof, in through the windows....but in Air Conditioned class it's a bit more organised. Everyone has an allocated seat, which was fairly comfortable and bigger than the seat I had on the plane over.
There is constant food and drink available...hawked up and down the train as it crawls its way along. Again I encountered the open curiousity that I've come to love over the past few weeks - where are you from, where are you going, what language are you writing in.
It was dark by the time I got to Trivandrum, and based on only the slightest of information, I headed for Kovalam beach in search of somewhere to stay. The journey to Kovalam was wild...this is the busiest city i've been in, it's traffic is the usual nightmare, but on top of there there is music blasting from giant speakers on every corner. I was feeling slightly nervous...it reminded me of being in Madrid about twenty years ago, when Grant and I pitched up there in the middle of a national holiday and there wasn't a room to be had. At least that time I could speak the language and wasn't alone, this time I had neither comfort. However, after just one rejection I found a place...a bit of the Norman Bates' motel about it, but it was a bed for the night, and cheap. And it was the first time in two weeks i had a room to myself and didn't have to share with two or three or four or even five others. Luxury! Well, everything is relative. The shower is more like a hosepipe, and there is nothing in the way of soap, towels or toilet paper provided, but luckily I packed all of them before I left, so it's no great problem.
It does feel slightly odd being entirely on my own after so long in a crowd. No Prem to help out in emergencies, no Kip to give me a big smile and a hug, no Andy or Ian to help out...but I will say for sure that I don't feel threatened here, there isn't the same predatory feel that you get in some places. Speeding along in the dark in the autorickshaw in the dark, without an idea of where I was going or who was taking me there, I did feel slightly vulnerable, but I got where I wanted to go without incident. Think I just need to relax a bit...and I think i've found the perfect place to do just that :-)
Then, after an extra hour or so's rest, it was time to strike off on my own, on the 1330 from Ernakalum to Trivandrum. All the horror stories you read about Indian trains are pretty much true...people climbing on the roof, in through the windows....but in Air Conditioned class it's a bit more organised. Everyone has an allocated seat, which was fairly comfortable and bigger than the seat I had on the plane over.
There is constant food and drink available...hawked up and down the train as it crawls its way along. Again I encountered the open curiousity that I've come to love over the past few weeks - where are you from, where are you going, what language are you writing in.
It was dark by the time I got to Trivandrum, and based on only the slightest of information, I headed for Kovalam beach in search of somewhere to stay. The journey to Kovalam was wild...this is the busiest city i've been in, it's traffic is the usual nightmare, but on top of there there is music blasting from giant speakers on every corner. I was feeling slightly nervous...it reminded me of being in Madrid about twenty years ago, when Grant and I pitched up there in the middle of a national holiday and there wasn't a room to be had. At least that time I could speak the language and wasn't alone, this time I had neither comfort. However, after just one rejection I found a place...a bit of the Norman Bates' motel about it, but it was a bed for the night, and cheap. And it was the first time in two weeks i had a room to myself and didn't have to share with two or three or four or even five others. Luxury! Well, everything is relative. The shower is more like a hosepipe, and there is nothing in the way of soap, towels or toilet paper provided, but luckily I packed all of them before I left, so it's no great problem.
It does feel slightly odd being entirely on my own after so long in a crowd. No Prem to help out in emergencies, no Kip to give me a big smile and a hug, no Andy or Ian to help out...but I will say for sure that I don't feel threatened here, there isn't the same predatory feel that you get in some places. Speeding along in the dark in the autorickshaw in the dark, without an idea of where I was going or who was taking me there, I did feel slightly vulnerable, but I got where I wanted to go without incident. Think I just need to relax a bit...and I think i've found the perfect place to do just that :-)
Comments
Well done! Hope you are feeling better enough to enjoy this part.