Konkan Railway - Madgaon to Udupi
Monsoon Travels in India After making a thickly regional accented English announcement typical of Indian railway announcers, warning the hapless and hopeful traveling public, of the imminent arrival of our famed 12133 down train, the announcer at the station, crackling with static, lapsed into a meditative silence. After a full 10 minutes since her staccato cry, we continue to be swarmed by flies reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds. Our daughter Shruthi, covers her twitching nose and walks away peering into the distance if she could spot the train. Physical movement also counters the still monsoon air and keeps the flies at bay. We debate if we should abandon the journey altogether or brave it for the Buckets List and keep the rendezvous with Udupi Krishna. This was a planned trip after much deliberation to experience the Konkan railway during monsoon. But the jump to what Shashi Tharoor called cattle class, from the lap of luxury at Cidade de Goa to the Madgaon...