Chapter 7: Train to Calcutta

Hey guys, sorry for the long delay. But here we are and boy do we have a story for you! So, after finally leaving Bombay we took a 38 hour sleeper-train. It was so incredibly dirty that words just can’t describe. Clint walked up and down the train; no westerners were to be found. Our situation is hard to describe but picture 9 bunks per compartment, 3 on each side and 3 on the opposite side of the corridor; all Indians, most of them constantly staring at you. I mean, we made friends but as Johan remembers quite distinctly- reading his book and seeing eyes staring up from around the pages.

It was long, so long, and so dirty. Did we say dirty? Every second guy walking down the aisle was screaming things to sell at all hours of the day: tea, food, candy, toys, jewelry. It was a bazaar on the train... hard to sleep with your back and neck constantly aching. There was even a guy, who we noticed would go off and brush his teeth in the mornings with a stick (toothpaste included). Fascinating, eh? And we were only riding 2nd class (no AC). Just consider: some people didn’t even have seats…

So, up ‘til now we can chalk it all up to unique, eye-opening experiences. But, as usual we do have a story to tell: So, at one point we were walking down the aisle and 6 police armed with rifles stopped us, grabbed Clint by the throat and hurled him into the bathroom. Johan was forced-in shortly after. One cop (the fat kid that was always picked-on in school) stepped in and locked the bathroom behind (remember, these are tiny-ass train bathrooms). He demanded 1,000 Ghandis or else. He held his fist up to our faces, and made the sign for jail and was threatening us with violence. We kept our cool. Clint turned to Johan (who started to protest) and said “Jo, what can we do here?” We realized that we were fucked. There was only one option: pay up or go to Indian Jail, or be beat up by soldiers with guns, in whichever order…

Not a happy story, but one we felt we must tell. As we walked away from that shit situation, we observed the soldiers all clapping hands and laughing in celebration. We are still angry, but getting over it. Email us if you want to inquire further~