August 24
4:00pm- We move all of our bags into the hall from the room that we were staying in for the past three weeks. We then thoroughly clean the room.
5:15pm- We move our bags from where we are staying to outside the building so we will be ready to be picked up at 5:30pm.
5:25pm- One of the ministry contacts calls the van driver. It turns out that the driver is running late and should be there in about 15 minutes.
6:00pm- The van driver arrives and we load up the van with our backpacks in a matter of three minutes and pile into the van as well.
6:03pm- We are ready to go but we realize that the driver is not in the van. Our ministry contact sends people to find the driver so we can leave.
6:10pm- The driver comes back and we start the drive to the train station.
7:10pm- We arrive at the train station. We unload quickly. Our van driver is talked to by some local police- I still do not know why. We find the correct track and look for Team Cavalry (Lindsay’s team) so we can give them their train tickets.
7:20pm- We board the train to wait for the departure. I am on the top bunk. Angela Bringham is on the middle bunk on my side. A stranger is on the bottom bunk on our side. On the other side, Cara is on the top bunk. Emily Toles (from Lindsay’s team) is on the middle bunk on Cara’s side and a stranger is on the bottom bunk. Angie (from Mac’s team) is in the top side bunk. A stranger is below her in the bottom side bunk. The other people from our teams are in the next car over. (For those who have not traveled on an Indian sleeping car before, the middle bunk is probably the worst one. That is because there is not much room to sit. Also, it is dependent on the lower bunk people. If it the middle bunk is up, the lower people can sit up straight but that means the middle person cannot use their bed. However, if the bunk is down, the lower person cannot sit up straight but each person can lay on their own bunk or sit slouching on the train.) The lower bunk people want to wait until dinner is over so they can sit up comfortably to eat. This means that Angela and Emily cannot use their bunks until dinner is over.
8:30pm- The train departs from the train station to start the 36-hour train ride.
9:30pm- Dinner that they serve on the train is given to us. I had spicy chicken and rice. It was spicy for me so I didn’t eat much of it. Luckily, they also had dessert- vanilla ice cream.
9:45pm- Angela and Emily are able to put their bunks down so they could sleep or read on them.
10:00pm- I realize that I am still hungry so I eat two personal pan pizza slices and one piece of garlic bread from Pizza Hut (which I had brought on the train).
11:30pm- We went to bed.
August 25
6:00am- I wake up to one of the stewards pulling open our curtains asking if we want Tea (which consists of 2 thin breadsticks and tea bags). I decline and roll over.
8:45am- The same steward comes in with our breakfast- an omelette (a little spicy but I finish it), two pieces of bread, and an orange juice. He also gives me one for Angela so I (unsuccessfully) try to wake her up. I give up and eat my breakfast.
9:00am- I try again to wake Angela up telling her that I have her breakfast. Cara suggests to put it near Angela’s feet so I do. I decide to watch “Tangled”- the only full-length movie on my iPod.
11:00am- Tea is brought around with the two breadsticks by the steward. I did not want any.
12:45pm- Lunch is served. I had the rice and a little of the mystery meat (but it was spicier than the first night so I don’t eat much).
1:30pm- I decide to try to find our World Race teammates and squad mates in the other car. I find them all. Jake, AJ (both from Lindsay’s team), and Nikki (from Mac’s team) are talking so I join them for a few minutes. Annalisa and Ashley (both from Lindsay’s team) are watching a TV show on Annalisa’s computer. Alana is watching a movie. I talk to Angela Grit (from Mac’s team) for a few minutes. Haile (from Mac’s team) and my teammates Rebecca, Mary, and Addie are sleeping.
2:00pm- Alana comes to visit for a few minutes. I decide to try to blog. I try to work on one blog but then decide to chronicle our last travel to debrief in this blog instead.
3:00pm- I decide to watch “Despicable Me.” I start it but then start talking to the others. T
5:00pm- I decide to go visit my fellow S-squaders in the other train car. I stay there and talk.
6:00pm- Dinner comes for the S-squaders in that train car. I stay and talk for a little longer.
7:00pm- I go back to my bunk. I ate the food that my train mates had saved for me. I only ate the rice since my stomach did not feel up to eating any spicy food.
8:00pm- I finish the movie I had started earlier.
8:30pm- We start getting ready to go to sleep since the train is scheduled to arrive at 5:50am the next day.
9:00pm- I read some of the book that I took on the train.
10:00pm- I go to bed.
August 26
4:45am- I wake up and start getting ready for the day.
5:00am- I wake up my teammates in my car so we can pack our bags and be ready to leave the train.
6:00am- The train has not arrived at the station but we are ready to go.
6:15am- The train arrives at the station in Delhi. We load up with our stuff and get off the train.
6:30am- We start from the track to find taxis.
6:45am- We arrange for four taxis to take us to the hotel.
7:15am- We arrive at the hotel. We have to wait for our rooms to be ready.
7:30am- Myself and many others decide to go to breakfast. When we arrive at both of the local McDonald’s, we find out that they do not open. Myself and two others decide to go back.
8:00am- Our rooms are ready so we can move in. This is what I would define as the start of debrief so this ends the travel to debrief.
