Riding on trains

I've just returned to Bhorugram after taking about two weeks to bop all over the subcontinent visiting family and giving Jennifer a bit of a taste of India. (Sort of a tourism thali, if you will.) Photos of that will be forthcoming shortly, as will some further progress reports. In the meantime, since I made the return journey by train, I thought I'd give a review of the state of Indian rail travel.

There are two disclaimers here. First, I traveled by 2AC, which is "first class light" -- air conditioning, bedding provided, fair amount of space, decent security. (The class system is convoluted, and if you're interested, look here.) Second, I was on a Rajdhani express, one of the fast trains that radiate out from Delhi. Rajdhanis include food as part of the ticket price and thus may have better catering than other trains.

That said, I would do it again, and in fact intend to book a train ticket back to Mumbai as soon as I've got internet access. I found it to be a much more pleasant experience than airplane travel. Major comparison points include:

• Luggage allowance. If you can carry it, you can bring it aboard, no extra fees.
  
• Legroom. The berths have enough room to stretch out even for a six-footer like me.
  
• View. There's a great view of villages, mountains, sunrises, sunsets, and the general Indian countryside.
  
• Peace and quiet. In the AC levels, passengers barely talk, and there's outlets in every compartment. Very easy to relax and even do some work (or at least write some blogs).
  
• Better sleep. It's genuinely dark, you have a full lie-flat berth that's big enough even for a six-footer like me, and the back-forth motion of the train is an excellent hypnotic.
  

Now, with that recommendation that anyone with time to spare give train travel a whirl, I will say that there are a few mild disadvantages:

• The toilets are fragrant, even the Western ones. By American standards, they reek, as does the station itself. By Indian standards and my now-numbed olfactory bulb, I've smelled worse.
  
• Security notwithstanding, you do need to watch your valuables closely. I chained everything down and locked my suitcase. I lost nothing.
  
• That high amount of luggage space does come with a need to make sure your luggage fits under the seat or is otherwise keepable near to you. American suitcases have problems with this.
  
• If you go by AC class, your windows don't open. (Duh.) So, you can get less of a good view of the outside. The remedy is to lock up your stuff, go to the end of the compartment, and hang out the door.
  
• "Time to spare" is key. Mumbai->Delhi flight time is under 2 hours. Mumbai->Delhi train time is 17 hours. Not a disadvantage if, like me, you've time to spare. Might be a problem for tourists on a time crunch.