and tea/coffee was a welcome relief from the confines of the train.
Our train ride was an interesting and authentic experience. First of
all, as our stop was not the originating station, half the train was
already asleep, with lights out. We whispered and attempted to
manuever our bulky luggage through the narrow, darkly lit aisles,
while trying to locate our berths. This was made even harder by the
fact that there were already people sleeping in our bunks! Apparently,
there are people who buy non-sleeper tickets and then find empty beds
to sleep in until they get kicked out by the legitimate ticket
holders. Luckily, the train staff are prepared for this and supplied
us with clean sheets and pillowcases.
We had originally hoped to switch two of our sleeper berths so that we
would be together, and in checking the reservation chart, we noticed
that those two berths were travelling together. Unfortunately, upon
finding the two travellers, we realized one was a nun who had no
intentions of switching. Oh well.
As noted by David, one of the travellers in the nun's party was a
terrible snorer. I Ellen, very kindly, offered me earplugs which I
used for the first time this trip. I seem to have the gift of being
able to sleep anywhere and through anything, so I was the only one in
our party to sleep through the noises and commotions.
The good news is that although the train was an hour late, we made up
time through the night and arrived in Kochi on time. We were also able
to speak with the retired Army colonel and the Conductor's son who
gave us some helpful tips and advice about Kochi.
Our homestay is very nice, clean, and situated in Fort Kochi. We are
looking forward to our first ayurvedic massage, scheduled for
tonight.
--
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