A very relaxed day in Pune - the only work I had to do was find a way to make my new purchases fit in my suitcases. Not an easy task, but I made it work :)
The interesting part of the day was leaving for Hyderabad via train. But first, one last look at Pune from the balcony...
Swati didi and I took Konark (train & route) to get to our destinations - she was headed to her in-laws home, and I was headed to Hyderabad. My part of the trip (I got off the train first) was a 12-hour journey. Sound awful?
It was actually very comfortable. We had seats in a 3-tier AC Compartment. Even though all seats were full, the ride was nice.
Swati didi and I were able to get along with the other two people in our compartment, and we were able to close the curtains for some privacy from people walking up and down the train.
During this ride, languages played an interesting role. One of the other people with us spoke Oriya, and the other spoke Telugu. It was interesting to see how we all communicated with each other, and a bit amusing as well, as I was able to understand the majority of their phone conversations, while they had to resort to simple sentences to communicate with each other.
This is one of those times when I look back at that person who thinks I must know very little because I am American-born, and think "Hah!". Okay, I guess that's a little mean, but still, it is kinda cool to be able to understand several languages :) Definitely makes travelling within India just a little easier.
The sleeping part of the ride was very comfortable... the rocking motion of the train actually helped me sleep. My middle berth was a little small, but otherwise, perfectly fine. I can see how many people prefer a much longer train journey as opposed to a short plane ride. With the exception of the extended travel time, there is much more room to stretch out, you get the opportunity to enjoy the scenery outside, and you get to save a nice amount of money :)
We reached Hyderabad at around 8 the next morning. I was received by Dharmaji Bhaiyya and my Dad - the beginning of my first visit to this city (which I later found to be REALLY cool). But more about Hyderabad in the next post!
The interesting part of the day was leaving for Hyderabad via train. But first, one last look at Pune from the balcony...
Swati didi and I took Konark (train & route) to get to our destinations - she was headed to her in-laws home, and I was headed to Hyderabad. My part of the trip (I got off the train first) was a 12-hour journey. Sound awful?
It was actually very comfortable. We had seats in a 3-tier AC Compartment. Even though all seats were full, the ride was nice.
Swati didi and I were able to get along with the other two people in our compartment, and we were able to close the curtains for some privacy from people walking up and down the train.
During this ride, languages played an interesting role. One of the other people with us spoke Oriya, and the other spoke Telugu. It was interesting to see how we all communicated with each other, and a bit amusing as well, as I was able to understand the majority of their phone conversations, while they had to resort to simple sentences to communicate with each other.
This is one of those times when I look back at that person who thinks I must know very little because I am American-born, and think "Hah!". Okay, I guess that's a little mean, but still, it is kinda cool to be able to understand several languages :) Definitely makes travelling within India just a little easier.
The sleeping part of the ride was very comfortable... the rocking motion of the train actually helped me sleep. My middle berth was a little small, but otherwise, perfectly fine. I can see how many people prefer a much longer train journey as opposed to a short plane ride. With the exception of the extended travel time, there is much more room to stretch out, you get the opportunity to enjoy the scenery outside, and you get to save a nice amount of money :)
We reached Hyderabad at around 8 the next morning. I was received by Dharmaji Bhaiyya and my Dad - the beginning of my first visit to this city (which I later found to be REALLY cool). But more about Hyderabad in the next post!
No comments:
Post a Comment