Traveling by train in India

The best way to experience the real Indian train experience is by travelling in the second class or the sleeper class for the longer journey. It is dirt cheap and a good way to meet the local people from all walks of life, although usually only the poor and middle class travel in these carriages.

I really wanted to try it but as I was travelling alone and taking an overnight train, I thought it was best to go for the more civilized and comfortable journey. Save the hassles for future travels, when I come again with a travel buddy. Susah senang bersama bak kata orang. :p

OK so there are several classes of accommodation on the train, namely:

• Second Class (SC) - the cheapest class it is almost free but be prepared for the crowd. It is overcrowded as those who aren't able to secure a ticket in sleeper class will cramp in here. These basic carriages have hard wooden seats so it is best to avoid it for longer trips.
• Sleeper Class (SL) - there's six beds in each compartment. The beds are stacked in three tiers on either side of the compartments. During the day, the middle beds must be folded down against the compartment walls to allow passengers to sit on the lower beds.
• Air Conditioned Chair Car (CC) - designed for daytime short distance travel, found almost exclusively on superfast services and consists of comfortable reclining seats.
• Three Tier Air Conditioned Class (3A) - similar to SL; it has six beds in each compartment but it is air-conditioned and much more comfortable. Sheets, pillow, blankets and towels are provided in the evening.
• Two Tier Air Conditioned Class (2A) - there's only four beds in each compartment. The beds are stacked in two tiers on either side. Sheets, pillow, blankets and towels are provided in the evening. Additionally, it has curtains at the entrance to each compartment for more privacy and individual reading lamps.
• First Class Air Conditioned (1A) - The most expensive class. Compartments have lockable doors, carpeted, washbasin and either two or four beds, stacked in tiers. Sheets, pillow, blanketss and towels are provided. The only problem is that you cannot specify if you want accommodation in a two bed or four bed compartment when you book.
  

The choice is yours. The officers at the reservation office will usually recommend you the 3A or 2A, depending on the availability.

For the tickets, you can book it at the train station. Alternatively, you can book online through Indian Railways' official reservation site or Cleartrip. Cleartrip is easy to use but they impose some service charge.

If you fail to get the tickets, try the Foreign Tourist Quota, a quota specially allocated for foreign travellers. The tickets can only be booked through the International Tourist Bureau though, and you need to show your passport.

There's actually much more options to get the tickets. You have Waitlist (WL) or Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) tickets. Quite tricky to explain all these cos I don't really understand it myself. Go google it ok. hehe...

If you land in New Delhi, you can go to the International Tourist Bureau at New Delhi Railway Station. Reserve and buy your tickets here, not at any 'government approved booking office' which are clearly fake.

Once you enter the train station, head to the first floor above the main departure building where the reservation office is located. Some touts will tell you that the office was burnt down or relocated, but don't be fooled by them.



main hall

go up to the first floor

the office

You can buy tickets to/from anywhere at this reservation office but first, you need to fill in this form.

Once the form is completed, get in the queue (or just get the form, queue and fill it up while queuing) and wait for your turn to be served. If you don't know the train number, you can leave it blank first. The officer will then check the departing and arriving stations, the dates of your journey and he will recommend the suitable trains for you.

the platform

Sleeper Class (SL)

Two Tier Air Conditioned Class (2A)

Here are some pictures just to give you the ideas how the carriage looks like inside. These pictures are on 2A class that I rode.

#1 During the day, passengers sit on the lower beds. Blankets, towels, pillows and sheets are provided for the night.



#2 To secure your bags, chain and lock your bags to the hooks provided under the lowest bed.

  

#3 The compartment, with 4 beds each. I prefer to take the lower bed everytime I travel in an overnight train. How about you?



#4 The compartment is complete with mirror for you to see your ugly face in the morning :p and power socket to charge your phone, laptop etc.

#5 Inside the carriage, each compartment has a curtain to give passengers privacy. You don't want people to see your terkangkang style of sleeping, do you?

#6 The toilet. There are four toilets in a carriage, two at each end. The toilet was surprisingly clean. Don't expect the same if you travel in the second class though.  

#7 Washbasin outside the toilet to brush your teeth and face in the morning.

#8 Ready to leave. Back on foot carrying my Deuter AirContact Pro 55+15 SL backpack. T_T Gahh I really need to learn how to travel light.

The sound of chaiwallah shouting 'chai, chai' passing each compartment selling chai kept on playing in my ears, the image of little child playing by the train tracks, the blaring train horn in the middle of the night, the curious locals greeting you. It was indeed one of the most interesting part of the journey.

You definitely have to try it whenever you're in India! Oh for the record, no I didn't see people sitting on the roof. 

India : Delhi

The trip was supposed to be with the Chickpeas. But during the initial discussion, they wanted to take travel package once we reached there. As for me, I prefer to go backpacking and arrange everything on our own. I thought of objecting the idea but it would be selfish of me to drag them on my adventure.

So, one day out of boredom I browsed through AirAsia's website, looking for destinations to go for my year end break. I thought of going to Beijing and Shanghai but I was afraid I couldn't stand the freaking cold winter. The next destination on my mind was Cambodia but the big flood across Southeast Asia made me crossed the country out of the list.

Then, out of the blue I selected New Delhi and tadaaaaa... they were having a promotion. So apelagi, I bought the ticket without thinking twice. Selfish I know for leaving my friends, but I guessed it was better that way. Both parties will be happy. They will be happy following the tour package and I would be happy with my adventure.

So yeah.. another solo travel for me.
 

When I told my parents I was going to India alone, they didn't object. My dad just said, take care and don't accept anything from strangers. I took it as a blessing so with that, I packed my bag and started my journey.

I ♥ AirAsia... hehehe...

Flight to New Delhi took about 5 hours, the flight departed at 9.50am and reached there about 12.30pm. India is 2 hours and 30 minutes behind Kuala Lumpur, FYI. 

I had landed in India yo! 

Once you approached the immigration area, you'll be greeted with mudras. These are hand gestures that are essential to Indian classical dance, yoga and visual arts.

There are 9 mudras altogether and each of them carries a different meaning. Read all about it here.

One of the popular areas for backpackers in New Delhi is Paharganj. The area got mixed reviews from travellers, some of them recommending it as the accommodation is very cheap and the location is good but some said the place is noisy, dirty and rather dangerous for solo female traveller.

But given the close proximity of the public transportation; the area is within walking distance to New Delhi Metro and New Delhi Railway Station which is convenient if you wanna catch the early morning train to Agra, plus the cheap accommodation (yeah yeahh.. I am a cheapskate) I decided to stay in that area.

From Hostelbookers, I booked Kuldeep Friends Hostel. They offered free airport pickup which was really a huge help. So as soon as I passed through the immigration area, I walked to the arrival hall looking out for the hostel's representative. Easy cos he's holding a placard with my name. Felt like a VIP yo!

Driving from the airport to Paharganj took approximately 40 minutes. As we entered the neighborhood, I looked around curiously. The area was indeed dirty, dusty and very noisy too.

Things I noticed in Delhi (and all other parts of India that I visited), drivers like to honk their car horns and urine stench and cow dungs were everywhere. Also, the cows walked across the roads like a boss, stopping all vehicles in their directions.

The guy then stopped the car and I saw a signage...oh we've arrived.

He led me to a narrow path.. ermm.. what place was this?!

And this was my hostel.

The entrance wrote Hostel New King so I wasn't sure I stayed in Kuldeep Friends Hostel or Hostel New King. They are under the same management though. Well as long as they didn't charge me extra rate it's fine.

Before checking in, I requested to see the room. You should do this too whenever you look for a room.

The room came with a TV and hot water. 

It looked a bit shabby but I only paid INR315 (around RM20) per night so I won't complain.

While checking in, Harpreet, the owner of the hostel, asked me what's my plan in India. I told him my plan roughly and asked the direction of the train station as I wanted to buy the tickets for my next destination. He looked shocked upon hearing that I haven't made any onward travel arrangements as according to him, the year end is a super peak period.

He told me there are two booking offices, one at the train station and another one in the city centre. But he advised me not to go to the train station as it would be crowded. He then said, 'I'll take you there.' It made me wondered, wahh why you so nice? He had an agenda actually.. you'll know later on.

I went up to my room after completing the check in process.

This was the view from my room's window. Classic! Well, that's Paharganj for you.

After resting for a while, I went down to the lobby and met Harpreet. He asked me to follow his friend, Dave, who was waiting at the hostel entrance, to the booking office.

Dave drove me to an area not far from Paharganj. He brought me to an office at a shoplot, claiming it was a government approved booking office. I was suspicious cos it actually looked like a travel agency. I've read the scam stories in my travel books so I had rough ideas of what to expect. But I went inside anyway.

Once inside, I told the officer I wanted to buy train tickets. He helped me checked my desired dates of travel and the destinations but unfortunately all were sold out. I asked him to check for the tourist quota tickets and guess what he said? 'The tourist quota tickets are only for travel agents so if you want to get the tickets you can follow our tour package.' Wahh.. you've got the nerve to fool foreign visitors to your country. I knew the tourist quota is a special allocation available for foreign travellers, not a special allocation for travel agents, but I said nothing, pretending like I knew nothing.

He then asked me how much was my budget and proceeded to offer me their tour package. I knew it! It was a conspiracy. Harpreet and Dave brought me to this travel agency, and they would get commission if I signed up for the tour.

I politely declined the package, telling them I was a student and I was strict on my budget and walked out of the office. Just as Dave and I got in the car, the travel agent guy came and asked me how much was I willing to pay. I told him I still wasn't interested and asked Dave to drive off to the train station. 

On the way, Dave told me it would be hard for me to get the tickets and why I should just follow the tour package offered just now. Wow.. these guys were persistent ok! Nevertheless, I was firm with my decision to go to the train station. I told him, I would just try my luck.

And thank God, it was the best decision ever. I got my tickets though tickets to some of my initial intended destinations were sold out. But still, at least I managed not to fall into those travel scams.

From the train station, I crossed the main road back to Paharganj. At night, Paharganj transformed into a lively bazaar. The Main Bazaar Road is full of locals and travellers looking for bargain buys. Clothes, bags, books, jewelleries.. you get it all here.

I walked around just to see the bazaar and get the feel of India. It actually took me some time to really digest that I was in India. It felt so surreal being in the country that I once thought was never going to make it in my list of to go places.

Couldn't wait to explore the city!  

India : Visa Application

OK.. forcing myself to write about India. If I don't do it now.. maybe I'll finish writing about it one year later like my other trips. -_-

First thing first, you need a visa to enter India.

You know what? A few days before my trip, I read Dr. Halina's tweet that she will be going to India with her husband, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (the astronaut). Done packing and all excited, on the day of her departure, he realized that he forgot to apply the visa for them! O_o So, the trip had to be cancelled. 

Moral of the story: Please check whether or not you need a visa before going to any countries.

Anyway, all India visa applications need to be submitted with Online Visa application form. Go here and click the online application link. Fill up the form. After that, print out the form and attach 2 visa photos. Indian visa photo is similar to USA and Japan visa photos, with white background and measuring 2"x2". Also, you can attach any supporting documents if necessary. Not forgetting, your passport, of course!

You can apply either for single or multiple entries. The fees are the same though, so just apply for multiple entries in case you wanna repeat the trip. :D For the fees, I paid RM168 last December 2011. But note that for normal tourist visa, they will only issue the visa for a maximum of 6 months. And from one visit to the next, you need to have a gap of 2 months between both visits.

After everything is ready, you can submit the application to India Visa Centre office at Lebuh Pasar Besar, KL. From what I read on High Commission of India's website, they don't insist you to go there yourselves so you must apply the visa at India Visa Centre, an outsource visa application centre by the High Commission of India.

I was quite busy before my trip so the easy way was to ask my office's travel agent to submit and collected it for me. Hehehe..

The visa will be ready within 3 days.

You can refer to India Visa Centre website here and the High Commission of India website here.

Happy applying and enjoy your trip! :D

Number one

Since this is my first post in 2012, lemme start by wishing you guys a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Ohai... I am back from India!

Wanna update the story on my trip but I am so lazy now. hehehe..

Lemme rest first ok.

Have a good week ahead peeps! :D