Day 24 : Goa to Chennai (Madras) - slow train coming
There should have been little to report on today as the whole 24 hours were to be spent on the train, and what can happen on a train journey? The bloody thing can break down, that’s what can happen.
The day started well - I woke up before my 7 o’clock alarm
( it would have been 6 o’clock but I had checked the timetable and worked out that I didn’t need to go the station by the airport - an hour away- as the train was going to stop at the nearby station). Such was the confidence in my mastery of the Indian Railways website that I ordered a later taxi and had an extra hour in bed.
I was still early ( this is becoming a habit - please note) but the train was ominously late and did not seem to be making up time as we trundled along. An Indian family offered me some fresh mango and a chapati filled with some sweet stuff for breakfast which of course I graciously accepted.
Looking out of the window, I am surprised at how lush and green everything is, with lots of palm trees and signs of irrigation with well marked out fields growing something - I don’t know what. As opposed to Mumbai and even Goa, I hardly saw any sign of life - just the odd homestead and the occasional lone soul, presumably going somewhere doing something, but seemingly going nowhere doing nothing.
After an early lunch of 2 samosas I dozed off, coming round when we stopped at a station. Dozed off again to wake up thinking this station looks very similar to the last one. In fact it was the last one - not similar but the very same. It was still the same station 3 hours later.
So in spite of a lot of men looking very concerned and discussing the situation we had to wait until a replacement engine arrived - I got the feeling that this could have happened before. So it looked like a 24 hour journey was going to be a 27 hour journey
Good Night
Stranded somewhere near Mangalore