white backpackers traveling through India. I have not seen another westerner
since our plane landed in New Delhi two days ago. This nation is extremely crowded and foreign to us… not to mention how uncomfortable it is to be constantly followed and stared at.
Team ‘Rooted’ had to make a southern trek to Bangalore,
India by the most common form of transport… the TRAIN. New Delhi to Bangalore
is a 2000km trip and takes 40+ HOURS depending on delays.
travel more complicated. After two days of waiting in New Delhi, we were finally
able to get train tickets. So off we ventured…
Our ‘sleeper car’ came
with the following:
– No
air conditioning. It would be pointless anyway since there are no doors and
metal bars for windows.
– A
waste basket that never needs emptying. You just throw your trash out the
window. Even the train squatty potties drain
right out onto the tracks. I’m not going to lie, a cultural difference means I can
litter is kind of fun.
– Awesome
smells. There were many points along the ride where every single person was covering their noses. It was a funny reminder to me that we are all human. Stinky is stinky, no matter which culture you’re in.
– Triple high bunk beds. To sleep, we fold down the beds and climb up. The biggest
decision is where you are going to stash your valuables while you sleep. (There’s
professional thieves and no restriction on who enters the train) I locked up the zippers on my day pack and slept with it around my calves.
– Nonstop
entertainment. There are people pushing (yes it’s that crowded) their way
through here at ALL hours of the day and night. They are either begging or selling toys, or food. Vendors had everything you could imagine: ice cream, chai,
rice in newspaper bowls, nuts, and popcorn to name a few. Our
purchases mainly consisted of water and juices to keep hydrated (always
double check it’s not a reused lid).The water is so dirty here, even most
Indian people do not drink it.
– An
alarm clock… Compliments of the “Chai Guy” who makes his 
first of many walk through’s at sunrise; with
a bag of cups and hot water dispenser; tapping you and screaming ‘Chai Chai Chai!!’. Even with
earplugs, it is not possible to sleep through ‘Chai Guy’. Since you’re up anyway,
might as well hand him 5 rupee (10 cents) and get our first of many cups of
chai for the day.
adrenaline rush. The train makes frequent stops. Sometimes for 20 minutes,
sometimes for 20 seconds. This may or may not be enough time to purchase a snack, because the horn will blow (or not) and take off again.
It’s nice that the train starts off slow to give people enough time to
jog and hop on. When the train is in
motion, You can also sit in the ‘exits’ or even hang off the side for a fun
breeze.
– Heartbreaking
views. For 2 straight days, our view consisted of our inside our train car and outside a barred window. I strive to focus on the beauty of every situation,
but it was very hard these couple of days. For every phenomenal
landscape of ravines and plateaus, there were whole slum communities constructed
of trash. For every man helping an elderly woman up from the tracks, there were
hundreds of others with faces crying out for help. For every father/ daughter singing duo, there was a eunuch beggar. For every group of men playing cricket, there were groups of deformities, some with limbs cut off and wrapped that were clearly rotting.
Let’s just say that ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ did not prepare me enough for this
culture shock. India is a world of its own and this train ride is forever etched in my conscience because it was my first real exposure to India. There is very clearly SO MUCH
to be done in this third world nation. God loves India, and I know He has us here to open our eyes
to reality and be able to fully rely on his authority. He has shown his protection
over us time and time again on this train ride.
HOURS
These travel days were completely incredible…. We got to share the gospel with passengers, a solid group of
Indian men stepped up and helped us out for the entire train ride, and we were able to bring light to some dark situations. God really placed angels around us to protect us, and also opened doors for life changing relationships.
