Kerala: Final Thoughts …

The Train thundered into the Palakkad station and our tired family sprinted after Sleeper class that contrary to all indications slid well past us. At last ... loaded up into our upper and middle berths the kids fell into a satisfying sleep, and Vijay determinedly put on his eye-patch and ear-plugs before laying down. Chitra couldn't sleep though too keyed up from all the experiences we had enjoyed. Moreover, Sarvesh insisted on sleeping in the upper berth and as a result, Chitra kept waking up in constant dread of seeing him tumbling off. Once everyone was asleep, she tied her bedsheet into a kind of cradle across the supports holding up the upper berth to prevent that impending catastrophe! On our train journey to Kerala, we had butted heads with a few in the day train, but we hadn't seen any thus far on the night train. Maybe it was the fewer food sellers on the night trains? It was also interesting to note a sort of beggar code of conduct that prevented them from loading up on the night train (even when it stopped at stations). Or perhaps beggars need to sleep too (duh!). What remains to report from our trip? Come 6.50am and we disembarked at Yeshwanthpur Station. There was a predictable scrummage of passengers piling down a slope from the platform, only to realize there were no steps yet built from its base down to the road. Several proceeded to scramble down a mud-heap to the road. We just walked the length of the platform to the main exit, before (in true American style) proceeding to pick a fight with a car that was trying to do a U-Turn by crossing onto the pedestrian pavement! Vijay, refused to move, a nod to non-violent civil disobedience against the imperalist car bullying Indian neighbourhoods. After a stand-off of several minutes, the driver had to reverse shamefacedly and find a way to turn on the actual road (what an imposition!) What memories and what images! We are quite stunned that our rather complicated itinerary panned out in a fairly flawless manner. There were people who caused problems, but an equal number that stepped forward to help and make our journey comfortable and unforgettable. Sare Jahaan saye Acha Hindustaan Humara (of all the places, our India is surely the best)!

Coming Soon: Our Recommendations and Dos/Don’ts of Kerala …