Last posts on train

Travel tips for Backpackers

2010-05-11T07:59:02+02:00

Backpacking for a holiday can be very rewarding, but there are some safety tips you can do and it will allow for your trip to go that much more smoothly.

Leave copies of important paperwork at home. Before you leave, make sure you leave copies of things like your passport, credit cards, traveler’s checks and anything else important with someone you trust. Just in case something happens and these documents go missing, having copies back home can make the replacement process that much easier. You may also want to keep a copy on your person so you can deal with missing items on your own as well. Travel information India

Make sure you check back in at home. With technology becoming much more common around the world, and cheaper to use, there is no reason not to keep in touch with someone back home. Even a quick phone call or an email to someone to say all is well, and you are fine, is a great thing. People will always worry while you are gone, and this will alleviate any worries they may have. You may want to call or text once a week, as it still gives you your freedom, but takes away worry. Holiday places in India

Locking up your luggage while you travel is a good idea. When you are out and about, you likely will have a small bag with you. Having either a combination lock or a key lock on this bag will help give you a peace of mind. It can be a pain to open when you need something, but it will prevent someone from stealing out of it when it is on your back. Holiday to north India

When you are travelling, by plane, train or a bus, you may want to lock up any luggage that will be out of your site. A second lock is a great idea for this, or a plastic zip tie. The zip tie is easy for security to cut off if they need to check your luggage, and you are not out the cost of the lock. If you are sharing a room with other travelers, you may want to keep your baggage locked up as well, a locker is ideal, but a lock on your bag works well otherwise. Mumbai tours India

Some of this may seem a bit extreme, but keeping yourself and your belongings safe and secure while you are gone will help with peace of mind and to have a good trip.

Wintry Train Ride

2010-02-20T09:44:00+01:00

Stuck at a small station

he watches his breath take off

into the early night

All trains cancelled until further notice

and while the railway people

work hard to clear the tracks

as the speaker ensured

he leans back

drinks his free coffee

and watches how the others endure

the discomforts of this wintry train ride

Most of them talk on their phone

Not sure when or how they’ll get home

they keep in touch with those who wait

A cacophony of words fills his ears

and he can’t help but think of her

waiting for him

But he won’t call

it’s not like she cares

so what would be the point

in fact if anything at all

she’s probably glad he’s late

Intercity To Amsterdam

2008-07-20T21:05:00+02:00

Empty minded

I stare into the distance

the beauty of the scenery

whisks by

while the light wobbling

from the train

carries me further away

until the brink

of falling asleep

Dutch Version:

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Intercity naar Amsterdam

Gedachteloos

staar ik in de verte

de schoonheid van het landschap

zwiert voorbij

terwijl het lichte schommelen

van de trein

me verder voert

tot aan de rand

van slaap

15 hours on a train ...

2008-06-07T15:58:07+02:00

Was supposed to be 12 hours on a train, but there was a fire in Buffalo. According to my friend B., who grew up in Toronto, Buffalo is *always* on fire. Buffalo's Broadway, which is, happily, not on fire.A handful of Toronto pictures will be posted tomorrow.

On the train

2008-01-02T11:25:00+01:00

The excitement builds as the rains picks up speed. The air rushes in through the big, open windows and the train, after passing the first few kilometers through the shanty that inevitably springs up on the side of the railways, moves into more open grounds. Its green. Its clean. The little stagnant pools of water you see in passing are pretty with water lilies and lotus merrily co existing with the fishes... More than anything else, you can see the temples from between the cluster of trees. Suddenly, twenty minutes into the journey, you feel sleepy. The seats are not designed to stretch out comfortably, they are hard, wooden and functional and if you really must sleep, stretch over on the facing seat, it can be managed if you know how. No one will bother you and if you are traveling with the occasional Thai, chances are that he/she would be inevitably eating something: rice with shredded meat cooked in Holy Basil, rice with fish cooked in chilly and Holy Basil, or rice with fried egg (yes, with basil again) and drinking from a plastic bag with the aid of narrow straw. That was strange. Every where I went, I was given a glass of water (for that matter when you buy bottled water-Siam water is popular...costs 5THB and comes in a white plastic bottle.) and a narrow straw to drink from!!

If you dont fall asleep right away, stick your head out of the window for fantastic view of the countryside. In places, the sturdy shrubs press against the train and it feels as though the train is offending their home with its presence. They are quite purposeful, the shrubs and are not afraid of being ripped off by the speeding train. I made that one little mistake of standing by the door, quite unnecessary but out of habit, and got scratched by one such sturdy thing. It was then the whole new idea of the open window "opened". I wasnt missing much by looking out of the huge window and was probably safer there. Also the electric poles were very very close to the train so any attempt at sticking the leg out into the open space meant a collision with the poles, if the bushes didnt get you first.

The houses built around the countryside are very colourful with generous amounts of wood gone into its making. Many appear to be built on stilts for some odd reason, but perhaps due to the high ground water levels. Rivers meander through in gay abandon and paddy fields with merry farmers in pointed hats appear like a fairy tale. It was a good journey, rythmic and I didnt miss the chaos of the general compartments in Indian trains.

Just as the train approcaches Kanchanaburi, the geography changes. From the plain fields and ribbon rivers, it chanegs to undulating hills and gets more green. Suddenly there is a chill in the air, as though you have finally arrived. Its a good feeling to get off the train at this little place with much historic importance.

The train continued its journey to Nam Tok and I, along with 90 per cent of the BP's alighted at Kanchanaburi.

It was close to 12 pm. Hunger gnawed.

❒ ஏழைரதத்தில் ஏசி

2007-02-20T19:40:00+01:00

சென்னையில் இருந்து டில்லிக்கு முதல் வகுப்பு ஏசி ரயில்பெட்டியில் பயணிக்க ராஜதானி எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் கட்டணம் ரூ.2005, தமிழ்நாடு எக்ஸ்பிரஸ், ஜிடி எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் கட்டணம் ரூ.1455.நாளை முதல் சென்னையில் இருந்து புறப்படும் ஏழைகள் ரதத்தில் இதே ஏசி முதல் வகுப்பு கட்டணம் எவ்வளவு தெரியுமா?படுக்கை வசதியுடன் ரூ.892 மட்டும். இருக்கை வசதி பெட்டி என்றால் ரூ.748 மட்டும்.முற்றிலும் குளிரூட்டப் பட்ட 18 பெட்டிகள்அமிர்தசரஸ்-சஹர்சா முதல் ஏழைகள் ரதம்.பாட்னா-டெல்லி இரண்டாவது.சென்னை-டெல்லி மூன்றாவதாக (நாளை) வருகிறது.மும்பை-டெல்லிக்கு நான்காவதாக வரவிருக்கிறது.சென்னையிலிருந்து சனிக்கிழமை தோறும் காலை 6.10க்கு புறப்பட்டு ஞாயிறு காலை 10.15 டில்லி சென்றடையும்.டில்லியிலிருந்து ஒவ்வொரு திங்கள் காலை புறப்படும்.லல்லு என்ற முன்னாள் கோமாளி முதல்வர், இன்னாள் ரயில்வே மேதை. இந்திய ரயில்வேயின் மிகச்சிறந்த அமைச்சர்களில் ஒருவர்.