After
three amazing days, it's time to say „bye, bye” and depart for
Aurangabad. This is my first trip by train in India, so I was quite
excited. Everyone said one should be at the train station at least an
hour before train's departure, as it is so confusing and difficult.
Only train tickets are like that – you need to book them 3-4 weeks
in advance at least. Otherwise you can try your luck with waitlist or
last minute tickets. Online booking is a huge convenience, and it
works wonders (as opposed to Poland).
We
reached the station 1.5h early, found the platform in 20 min and even
found the right carrige even before the train arrived. However if
you're lost, you are doomed. There is no english speaking information
assistance anywhere. The guards that sit in ”How can I help you?”
booths do not seem foreigner-friendly. But, everything is very
clearly marked, so as long as you read numbers rather than look for
English writings, you should be fine.
The
train arrived an hour early. In case a passenger was an idiot, they
glue passenger name lists next to the door with seat number and
destination (to hell with privacy policy). I'm writing this sitting
on the train, and so far the ride was quite pleasurable. Having Chai
every once and then, leather seats and a lot of leg room...I think
back to the times I travel with smelly, chaotic and sometimes
dangerous trains in Poland.
We
too the AC chair Mumbai-Aurangabad and reached the destination on
time – something Polish trains seem incapable of doing.
Even
the food served on board is quite decent, better than some airplane
food I daresay!
