Train chaos

We want to love India,we really do. We've had some remarkable experiences here. But yesterday we were left feeling frustrated, tired and vunerable all over again.

We left the homestay in Agra early and set off for our 5 hour train trip to Jaipur. Due to previous experiences on the trains this was to be our last train trip. We changed our future plans, cancelled 2 trains and booked a flight as we felt the boys had taken enough.

At the station there are several boys, about Elliot's age, begging. They all have a scrunched up cloth in their hands which they regularly sniff. We do what we've been doing this whole trip and ignore them. It's hard but advice is to give money to registered charities.

We know this, however, after we board the train a boy comes on and cleans the floor and begs. We had him a couple of notes. Afew minutes later we watch as he leaves the train and goes over to a group of his friends and a guy! Minutes later another boys appears right at our feet. This time there are some guys in our carriage too. We ignore them all. Again we see them altogether on the platform as the train moves away. You can't help feeling suspicious and guarded all the time.

And this is the view.

Everywhere you look. 

It does eventually get better.

So our train moves slowly away and in the next four hours spends more time stationary than moving. I think we do about 40 miles. Then a random guy appears and tells us the train will not be going to Jaipur!

We decide not to take his word for it and to sit tight but after a while it appears most people are leaving the train. Afew others come along and advise us to get off but no one official looking. Our over active minds think 'scam' and we sit tight. By now then engine is off and the train is getting rather warm.

We chat to a wonderful lady in pink who speaks great English. She too is headed to Jaipur. It seems that farmers have staged a protest and have blocked the track. As we make phone calls to Jaipur we discover many roads have been blocked too. There's no way to Jaipur. Delhi is our best bet. 

By now we've  been on the train for two more hours. It's baking. The guy at our Jaipur hotel is so helpful and tries to sort us a taxi. We leave the train, load up on snacks and wait for his call. It's not good, no taxis to Jaipur and now none to Delhi either. We need to get a train.

Mark leaves the boys and me to sort tickets. We are surrounded by staring faces. I loose it as groups of men get way to close and just stare and I mean stare. The boys are struggling. I stare back, I hold up my hands, I smile, I say 'hi', but by now my voice is shaky and I'm physically trembling. The boys and I grab up all the bags and move round the corner. Nothing changes. I try to tell the boys people are just curious, but it's hard when groups grown men are glaring at you from a couple of feet away and won't stop.

Mark comes back with tickets to Delhi on the 'general' carriage.  We head to the platform. It's now about 2pm. We are melting. Everybody is crowded into the shade we have no choice but to join them and face the music. This time there's certainly more friendly faces but also some familiar ones, it's unnerving. 

We move a couple of times and then watch as a train approaches. The general carriages are overflowing, people run alongside and pull themselves into the train where there's no space. People hang out through the window bars and doorways. I want to cry. Our train is next. We have four cases, four back packs and two worried, hot and hungry boys. How are we supposed to do this? 

We then find out our train will be an hour and a half late. We had moved ourselves to a small patch of shade further along the tracks to avoid the stares. It's now filling up. I cannot see how we could possibly get on the train. I then have my number one worst toilet experience ever!!!

We decide enough is enough. We have been at this station for hours. We book a room 4 miles away and are crammed into a tuk tuk now just feeling totally beat.

The worst thing about all of it is seeing what life is like for some many men, women and children here. There are children begging who are clearly drugged, have been attacked and injured to make them attract more sympathy. There are people for whom this stinking, dirty platform is their home. We watch an old man with a leg in plaster sitting on the ground and using his arms to slide his body backwards a painful inch at a time.  And we feel crap for not being able to get on a train! 

We shower, we rest, we eat, we try to make a plan. I'm sure things will look better tomorrow. Xxxx