tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795920124734881705.post5652077702274417304..comments2024-03-18T02:27:15.748+05:30Comments on Song of the waves - Parayil A. Tharakan Blog: Travel: A round trip by trainAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391953993560698130noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795920124734881705.post-65971844685214081452008-02-28T05:00:00.000+05:302008-02-28T05:00:00.000+05:30Interesting journey indeed. I am not sure what th...Interesting journey indeed. I am not sure what the return fare is from Chennai to Bangalore for travel in this express. Whatever it is, it should be more than what my annual salary was some 35 years ago! I cannot understand why it should take 4.5 hours to cover 355Kms journey in rocket-launching India? Your experience in terms of train cancellation, passenger treated with disdain etc..is no better than my experience in 1960s with Brindavans. <BR/><BR/>Talking about grand trains and good food, until last year I used to travel in TGV a few times a year on business trips. But being a vegetarian and a teetotaler I could enjoy only the fast and smooth ride on this majestic train, and my food was mere home prepared cheese and tomato sandwich washed down with Evian mineral water!! <BR/><BR/>But nothing compares to the experience of traveling in steam locomotive express trains between Mysore and Bangalore, then a metre gauge line. When these trains stopped at Maddur for nearly 25 mins to take in water for their boilers, the passengers dived to the railway stalls selling masala vadas(vades) Those masala vadas with chutney were so delicious. Rupee bills changed hands fast in exchange for tens of these vadas.<BR/>We used to travel semi-hungry to prepare ourselves for those vadas!!<BR/><BR/>I like those 1950s open window bogies and steam locomotive more than a 2008 TGV running smoothly between Paris and Lyon!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com