Love for trains!

77/100

I am back home, no matter how long or how nice the vacation is, the end hurts. I am bummed, sad and already missing being out and about. I am grateful, beyond you can imagine, that I got my chance. But yet, let a girl be sad in peace, I am allowed that much I hope. Well, vacation is over but not the feeling of it (yet). It’s nothing I want to talk about from this vacation, I will for that too but later. For now, let’s get a little nostalgic and talk about travels we did when we were tiny little kids, at the mercy of our parents. Things were not this advanced and people mingled more, oh so much more. Ready to dive?

If you have watched Big Bang Theory, then you know what is that one thing Sheldon loves the most. TRAINS!!..Well I won’t claim that my love is in any way comparable to his but it definetly is there.

When I was a child I remember traveling to my native place by train (Flights were less and too expensive). It was a good 35 hour journey or more if any delays and I don’t remember complaining about it even for a minute. Maybe a few reasons why I loved them so much then was because me and my sister would get down at any station and ask our dad to get us a couple of magazines/comics each. We hardly read those but it was a train thing. You just had to buy one. Another thing was people. I remember making friends on these journeys which made the journey seem shorter and added so much fun. Then was food – As you entered new states there was different variety of food you would get to eat. This is very much relevant in India, as we have so much variety of regions and the associated food. By the time you reach the final destination you have had food from almost 3-4 states. Now that’s something. This food might be available in the state you live but the local flavor is always different. Not many can get it right if they are not from the region. There are so many stories I still remember from that time. Unadulterated fun!! Let me share one funny yet cute story that has stayed with me. So there was this one time when there was an Asian couple traveling on an adjacent berth and they were carrying their own food. Generally, at that time once you get acquainted to people sitting around, you would share your food. That was the easiest way to form a bond and express love. None of us spoke to them but I still remember that for lunch they had something authentic and something that I had not seen before. Imagine a small kid sitting on a train seat staring at the food on someone else’s plate which looked nothing similar to whatever he has eaten uptil now. I was so intrigued and frankly speaking I wanted to taste it. I remember wanting to taste it and I also remember not having the guts to go and ask for it. However, it is still something I remember and I don’t know entirely know why?! Could it be due to the fact that I love food? Or just because it was something the kid in me wanted but never got?

Nowadays I hardly get a chance to take a long distance train as flights are cheaper and more convenient as you save on time. But luckily for this trip of mine I got to travel by train and though not all the experiences (due to covid) were like the earlier days, I still did get to relive some of my childhood memories. Also, for a person who loves to travel, meeting new people and listening to their stories is as much a part of it as is the experience of a new place.

What mode would you choose for a long distance journey?