Express? This word has been used in the very loosest possible way. The journey between Delhi and Jaisalmer is about 1000km.. (To those in the UK, or for that matter the USA, or North Korea that amounts to about 660 Miles. (That’s a strange thought.. the entire world is metrified except, 1. An insular isolationist state obsessed with arming itself with weapons of mass destruction, 2. North Korea?, and 3. Good old Blighty. I think we should adopt the metric system pretty dam quick)) Anyway not a great distance really although in this particular instance the journey time is a whopping 19 1/2 hours.. We opted for a bit of luxury and booked tickets on the Air-conditioned sleeper carriage.

Once firmly wedged into our tiny beds with our noses about 6inches (Arghhh Metric please) away from the ceiling, and the air-con (rusty fan) spinning precariously next to our heads, it was time for our first Indian train adventure to begin.

The train rolled out of Delhi at about 6pm, just before sunset. As we coasted through the suburbs and into the slums it became apparent just how poor some areas of the city are. Slums of tin and mud shacks lined the railway tracks for mile after mile. Children having nowhere else to play but on the tracks themselves. Its as if this is a side of Delhi that the rest of the city seems happy to turn a blind eye to.

Sun set and we settled in for a rather lack luster attempt at a nights sleep, waking every time the train driver came across a signal to brake, or came to an intermediate station. Like most car drivers in India it would appear that the train driver was unable to lightly apply the brakes and bring the train to a smooth halt. Instead ihe deemed it necessary to slam his brake peddle hard to the ground in order to see how many people he could make fall out of bed!

I awoke at about 5.30 am when we were stopped at Jodhpur Station. I took this opportunity to indulge in one of India’s little delights, a cup of station Chai served in a little clay cup that you get to smash on the platform once you have finished. Smashin!!

We then trundled on our way as the sun began to rise. The trackside views of squalor and depravation that we had left in Delhi were replaced with vast open dessert views with the odd scattering of primitive dessert villages. It was great to sit in the passage between carriages with the door open (another Indian railways safety feature) and just watch the landscape pass by.

After another 6-7 hours we finally arrived in Jaisalmere hungry, tired, and aching after our great train ride (first of many for me!) to be greeted by hundreds of people touting for business for their hotels and Camel Safari companies. Just what you need when you’ve spent the last 19 hours or so traveling? India can really test your patience at times!!