After a long winter with more than its share of chills ,there is plenty to look forward to in the delicious lunches at home,lip licking mom made special pickles, barefoot walks on warm beaches,picnics,travels in backwaters,scenic walks,the family tea time with special snacks and much more awaiting......
Summer is come and its time to go home .
We love travelling by trains,the sense of calmness that surrounds that travel ,lingers on with you for a while,our onward journey was by train.
Have you all ever felt that travelling by train was quite romantic?I felt it whenever i travelled:)
As serious lovers of trains...we loved waking up late in the train,enjoy a breakfast and then watch the world pass.
Enjoyable most are the Views Outside the Train Window.
The minute you look out you are greeted by the too familiar cacophony of the "Chai" "Garam Chai" "Bread omlette" "Paper le lo,Paper ".
The sights,sounds and smells were all so familiar.
They say if you haven't travelled in indian Railways,you haven't seen India!Yes the incredible India is not complete without its fascinating bit of the railways.
Passengers running after coolies,to locate particular carriages;vendors trotting up and down selling their ware,mineral water,fruits,news papaer and periodicals.
It is difficult to believe that you are seeing your fellow passengers for the first time,as the train is speeding there starts the food and life stories.
Having chai was an experience in itself.An experience not to be missed.The Chaiwallahs were an institution in themselves,unlikely to be seen anywhere .
Their cries could even penetrate the airconditioned carriages.They parade up and down with vigour to reach out to everybody,dutifully.
Earlier ,typical way of making it was with a mixture of water,tea leaves ,sugar and milk and they used to boil it ,until everything got extracted from the tea leaves.
But now it was a luke warm thin milk solution wherein they put tea bags and give you,all a part of modernisation.
The train which we took also gave hot water for us to make our tea ourselves and some snacks to munch.
The train made its way through the undulating mountains,the tunnels,the meadows ,rivers and fields.
Glimpses of Life just passed its way outside our window.
I was totally immersed in the views ,the sunsets,the farmer making his way home,the small kerosene lamps lit in the houses in the villages ,was totally woken up with a jerk which made me come back to reality:)
It was my little one who asked me ,Amma when will we reach home ?This might be one among the countless times she has asked me :),she is getting bored and irritated,while we enjoy the philosophical part of the journey.
All awesome experiences in itself :)
Hi Nepsi,nice to read your philosophical take on the journey down the sub continent. It's fun to travel when you have good company? Do put in more interesting anecdotes soon. Am sure you must be really busy there and not getting enough time to log in....waiting to read more about home and Kerala.
ReplyDeleteOh so nice... I so want to go by the train now!!! Yes.. I love the masala chai and the omlette.. and the chikkies.. (I think thats what you get!!)
ReplyDeleteMy kids dont like it one bit... they think its boring.. and everything is so messy!! How spoilt...
Such a lovely post... I'm planning my holidays tonight...and cant wait to include a train journey.. Thanks Lakshmi!!
Thanks da,Finally u commented on the post ,good to hear your view.i want to write umpteen posts,but u know being at home,one would rarely get time to do any other jobs than running around here and there.
ReplyDeleteI m a train man... I prefer travelling by trains... its wonderful... its unique in India and different to planes and buses where you just see in one direction.. here you sit against each other ... sometimes communicating some times even sharing food !!!
ReplyDeleteand the food stuff all available throughout !!!
its just somethin I love !
Trains are such a fun way to travel and so great for long journeys where you just want a reprieve after hectic packing.
ReplyDeleteVery true shalini,I just relax in trains after a hectic packing of fathers and daughters stuff..
ReplyDeleteHitch writer:Rajdhani in that way is boring with the usual stuff of food.
Patricia:pl do tell me about your train journey