Neither here, nor there, in the middle of nowhere is when you realise the magic to train journeys. You've left but you haven't reached and there is so much to be lived in between— that's the meaning of long train journeys. And what lies in between is stories. Stories of travellers, you've never met before and most likely would never meet after. But the few hours or days that you spend together makes the journey interesting.
I get excited every time someone says the word— train. The moments of silence brought to life by the continuous chuk—chuk of, a live view of the world passing by the widow, sunrise at one place and sunsets at another, the laughter and mayhem of the sleeper class— there is so much of life in the heart of a train.
It has been four years since I saw this couple but I still love the memory of them. We met in the train. We shared food and stories, spending an evening together sipping chai and talking about companionship. Like a new found family we stared out of the window and shared everything that we were eating. Isn't it magical? How strangers become family in the long journey of trains.
I simply love train journeys and can't wait to just hop on a train even if I don't have a destination set in my travel plans. But for the joy of craning my head out the door to feel the wild, the morning chai, meeting strangers and playing cards with kids.
