In Chennai, a coastal city in southeastern India, the afternoon sun was scorching the land of South Asia, and I strode toward the train station with my backpack on my back. Follow Google Maps through stinky, garbage-strewn streets and into a somewhat green alley.
Because of the hot weather, the body has long been sweaty, so I walked into a cold drink shop next to the alley, ordered a cup of orange juice and a glass of lemonade, the cold drink shop actually has air conditioning, it seems that this cold drink shop is still relatively "luxurious" in India. After a cold drink, continue on foot to the train station and get ready to take the train to Madurai, a famous city in southern India.
As soon as the train station approached, the crowds were noticeably greater, and the vicinity of the station was crowded with various vendors, homeless people, and passengers with their families waiting in various postures around the train station.
After asking the surrounding passengers, I finally found the ticket window, bought the ticket and took the ticket and kept asking other passengers and station staff about the specific platform to get on the train, I feel that most Indians are also ignorant of my ticket, and I don't know why after watching it for half a day.
The ticket I bought should be the cheapest seating (station ticket) carriage in India, buy the ticket to get on the bus and then get off at the destination, without any staff checking the ticket.
After asking several passengers and train staff, I finally found the waiting place, bought a bottle of Indian Coke, drank Coke on the platform and watched the passengers jumping on and off the train door, and I couldn't help but feel that China's train safety was really in place.
After waiting for about an hour, the Indian train that never closed the door crackled and slowly drove over, and the local passengers waiting on the platform rushed to the door, I hesitated slightly, the movement was slow for a few seconds, the carriage was already crowded with people, and there were several passengers hanging on the handle outside the door. With a sigh, I can only wait for the next train.
When the second train entered the station, I moved quickly and jumped on the train before it stopped, unfortunately the carriage was already full of people, even adults and children on the luggage rack. It seems that the train journey of more than ten hours will not be good, fortunately, the Indians in the carriage are particularly friendly to me as a foreigner, and several uncles have deliberately vacated my seats, which is really touching.
The train left the platform and raced all the way over the Deccan Plateau in southern India, and I chatted with the young Indians in the carriage without a word. Before the train stops at the next stop, many vendors will crowd into the car to sell some snacks, hot tea, purified water and so on to passengers.
There are sockets on the side of the seat in the carriage to charge mobile phones, but many of them are not powered, and it is worth noting that a converter is required to charge mobile phones purchased in India.
In the early hours of the next morning, we arrived at our destination, Madurai. Got off the train, recharged my phone in the corridor of the station, and walked with my backpack to the hostels that I had seen in advance on the Internet.
After more than a month of travel in India, South India basically to sit in this cheapest car without checking tickets; to North India began to take the sleeper car, the sleeper is really much more comfortable, when buying tickets, you can go to the special foreign traveler ticket office to fill out the ticket to buy tickets, good sleeper cars will also provide food, snacks, tea.