Once again, I slept well on the Yesvantpur Express. I bedded down around midnight and the train was already nice and quiet and probably around 80% full. I woke around 4 and fell back to sleep quickly waking around 0730. Food wasn’t served on this train and so far the only way of telling whether food is included or not, is by checking the price whether there is a catering charge – which I don’t think you can even deselect. I grabbed a few bits and bobs from the endless stream of IRCTC attendants and that was sufficient. The scenery was largely unremarkable as we approached Bangalore but it was nice to sit at the open door feeling the warmth and watching the green fields roll by.

We arrived in Yesvantpur on time again and it was a very short walk to Bengaluru’s relatively new metro system. Rs35 took me all the way almost to the entrance of the Oberoi. I have stayed here a number of times for work trips and it rates as one of the top hotels I have stayed in anywhere in the world.

Walking in, passing a Bentley, Aston Martin and Ferrari (it is hard to imagine why anyone would want to drive one of these cars around and through Bengaluru’s chaotic traffic, let alone how they can possibly avoid any dings and scratches), I felt somewhat out of place with a large and small grubby backpack.

The hotel and its staff didn’t disappoint. I could wax lyrical about the superb levels of service and ambience the whole hotel has. It truly is exceptional.

Again I was treated to an upgrade (I think they still have an @microsoft email on my record which I thought I had changed) and the room was absolutely beautiful, overlooking the lush, serene gardens where I went for a light lunch, followed a while later before a refreshing swim.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Oberoi is the Polo Bar and drinking a G&T on the verandah. It is absolutely wonderful. Here I was met by a colleague and after a London priced double G&T, we headed for an excellent thali which for both of us cost the same as one of the drinks! That really put’s things in to perspective.

Bengaluru is perhaps one of India’s most liveable cities. It’s metro, whilst small, is impressive and growing. MG, Brigade and Church Road offer a number of international shops, the airport is relatively new and the climate is a lot easier than many cities. And you have the Oberoi which I hope I will have the immense pleasure to return to again in the not too distant future. A slice of heaven, indeed!

My last post signed off before I headed to Girgaon Chowpatty beach for dinner. The night before I’d faded and was not overly adventurous – ending up in a local veg restaurant. It was more than acceptable and I always feel that the best place to be a vegetarian is probably India so enjoyed it. The walk to Girgaon Chowpatty took only 15 minutes and once there, I was really glad I made the effort. The beach was packed with local families enjoying the slightly cooler night time air. There was a real fun atmosphere around that was great just to walk through.

The food stalls were fantastic with mats crammed full of families eating. Again, I followed a recommendation from Time Out on The best places to eat street food in Mumbai, as I did earlier in the day – and again, I wasn’t disappointed. Have to say I didn’t feel that hungry but found the way to devour an absolutely delicious Bhel Puri, followed by a lovely Mysore Masala Dosa with Cheese and, to round that off, a not-to-missed Mango Kulfi. It was wonderful just sitting there, eating delicious freshly cooked food in such an atmosphere and will be up there with the (many) special memories of this trip.

I had been told that I should leave around 04:30 for my 05:50 train and sure enough, didn’t get much sleep for fear of missing my alarm. Needless to say, I didn’t. My Uber arrived within a few minutes of booking it. In many respects Uber and other app based taxi services have been a blessing but I do realise that the taxi drivers are losing out. Even at 04:30, I turned down 2 drivers who were looking for passengers and felt bad for the fact they’d probably lost the opportunity to make a few extra Rs on a foreigner.

CST was pretty full with people mostly still asleep on the floor in large groups. I think they were waiting for trains. Grabbed a couple of chais, a decent vege burger and some supplies for the train as my website booking said there was no catering on-board. The 05:50 departure was not particularly busy so there was no mad scramble when the doors were unlocked. I was booked in to the Vistadome, a carriage with extra large windows and basically an observation car. There were 2 of these special carriages, one at the front, one at the back. I was in the one at the front of the train which through the observation window presented a wonderful view of the back of the engine – cue many videos. Non-rail buffs might have been disappointed but this experience – combined with the fact that door was only locked closed when I brought myself in from hanging out – is up there with the Class 56 departure out of Paddington on the Night Riveria Express a few weeks back. Really great fun watching the electric beast powering south with great determination.

The journey was a breeze and the Vistadome very relaxing and comfortable. Needless to say there was food onboard. Lots. And again, it was very good.

Arriving on time to a very small station with an army of rickshaw drivers all wanting Rs250 for a short distance I decided to walk. After all, I had been sat down pretty much for 8 hours so it wasn’t a problem, despite the 33C heat. After a 1km or so, one of the same rickshaw drivers stopped and offered to take me in to Old Goa for Rs50. Fair deal and had had enough of walking with a heavy backpack on.

I visited the Basilica De Bom Jesus which was suitably impressive. There is always a wonderful feel around the Portuguese influence and Goa is certainly one of those places. The architecture, the food are consistently pleasing.

Again, a cab/rickshaw seemed a bit too easy so I figured out (not much figuring really) a route via two local buses. Slow, hot, crowded, cheap fun, although I’m glad the Marriott Goa Spa Resort did not see me jump off the bus! It was bad enough the dishevelled state in which I arrived, especially as I got treated like royalty on account of my loyalty, although I left thinking they somehow must have confused my actual tier as Marriott has not been top of the list, plus I have also changed my contact details for the account from @microsoft.com to my personal email. Anyway, the welcome and service throughout was exceptional. Treated to a room upgrade and chocolates delivered to my room. And the late check-out helped greatly.

I’m/we’re not usually resort fans. But I guess there is a time and a place. This was the time and certainly the place. The resort was beachfront but it wasn’t recommended to swim due to a nearby port, dangerous tides and the number of large floating casinos. Have to say that was disappointing to see and apparently, local Goans can not access them. So I managed a walk along the beach walking through the very warm surf. The pool was not much cooler.

Bit of a sun tan top up. Well, not really, all that tan has faded and I feel horribly pale skinned, especially in the absence of similar coloured people! My evening dinner was at a nearby ethnic Goan restaurant and it was the sort of place that everything on the menu looked worthy of attention. A delightful waitress made some suggestions and she got it spot on, with some Bombli fried fish for starter and a prawn Goan curry coloured fierce red, vinegary and developing a slow kick. Absolutely delicious but a bit of a splurge at RS1,600 which sounds outlandish, but is £16, including 1 beer and some expensive Himalayan mineral water (would’ve settled for Bisleri).

Today. Not sure this is worthy of a confession but I have spent a gloriously relaxing day pretty much doing nothing.

Which takes me to where I am now – on a beach just outside of Vasco Da Gama where my train to Bangalore will depart at 11pm. Great move – it’s fairly cool (ish), I’ve just had a couple of cold Kingfishers to go with prawns and a large slice of garlic buttered Kingfish. SNAP! Oh and – confession time #2 – some fries!! It’s now dark and pretty blissful.

We came to Kerala in summer and it’s very similar but I would say Goa is as you would probably expect more geared up for western tourists, even if few are around (at least in this part, but perhaps I’m not in the main party area :-). The big standout in this very short stop has been the food and the sheer loveliness of the people. And the Marriott. I could complain about the poor condition of the some of the room finishes but that would be to the detriment of a truly wonderful hospitality experience.

So to leave this slice of heaven and to an 11hr overnight Express sleeper train (no cool name attached to this service) to a busy chaotic modern city and as nice as this is here, I am looking forward to it! It is also helped by the fact that I will be staying at one of my favourite hotels in the world – The Oberoi – where I have stayed many times on business trips. Southwards it is then!

Slept well again (probably after all the walking, the heat and the relatively short sleep on the sleeper) and the feared effect of the street mango juice with ice had, well, no effect. Some immunity perhaps following our family trip in August? Breakfast was acceptable but not outstanding and there are a few little oddities about the place I am staying (not least, as I write, the fact that I’ve locked myself out of my room and I had to go hunting to find someone, who now is on a video call to the manager who is away and who is guiding someone through all the keys to finding the right one…which is proving challenging. One ceiling fan is not working and my arms are dripping sweat all over the glass table I have placed my laptop on).

It has been minging hot again. I took the local commuter train 3 stops north to visit the famous Dhobi Ghat – where Mumbai’s washing is done by hand. Really interesting and colourful. I had been approached by a number of guides elsewhere wanting to take me but felt there was no need and I’d read it was close the station on a line that was just 5 minutes from where I am staying.

From an H&S perspective, I shouldn’t say this, but I do love the doors being open on a train – eek. OK perhaps it would be better to say the windows, but it adds to the whole experience. Jumping off at Mahalaxmi, literally, which had cost Rs10/10p return, although I wonder how many people buy tickets, it was clear which way to go. There was a great viewpoint over the railway bridge where a few hawkers and guides lay in waiting. I headed for the Ghat and had read that it is a public area and therefore no entry fee. Of course some entrepreneurial guides tried to convince me that I had to pay them to get in and take photos. I pushed on around the corner and found an entrance which was “unguarded” and, at first, cautiously wandered through the tight alleyways packed with people washing, sleeping, playing games, looking at their phones. It almost felt like a step back in time, although it really is exactly that. I kept me phone camera in my pocket and only pulled out to take a discrete photo with no people in it. As I wandered through I became more relaxed and a number of men working there cried out “Hello! Good morning!” and one or two struck up a brief friendly conversation. At this point I asked if I could take a photo of the colourful washing in front of me. No problem!

The number of westerners I have seen has now reached double digits!

Back in to Churchgate – and I’m feeling like a real local now. Wander around similar area to yesterday hoping to find a decent place for some street food. Get diverted by a sweet lassi that was off the charts for Rs20/20p. Find a place recommended by Time Out magazine close to CST/VT. Stand-up eating a local speciality of Pav Bhaji at the bar served by a team of elderly ladies. Delicious. Not sure the cheese and slab of butter helped with something that appears to be bulging a little more after 3 days…??!

Back to Gateway. The heat is perhaps affecting the cab drivers as an altercation ensures between 2 drivers. I take the crowded local ferry to Elephanta Island, Rs240/£2.40 return, which I visited on my trip 25 years ago. The caves are less impressive than I remember but I would say that could actually be because after that trip, I visited the Ellora and Ajanta caves which were stunning. The heat is now taking its toll on me and I can feel my face is bright red. The locals are probably thinking I look like some odd kind of pink sweaty mess! I haven’t been helped by the fairly steep climb to the caves and what was probably a fairly brisk pace up them and around the caves.

Back on the boat after another delicious, no ice, sugar cane juice, I realise that slowly but surely I have been somewhat surrounded in an inquisitive friendly way by some young men and conversation develops. Before I know it, I have a new follower on Instagram (perhaps that will open up CrockysTravels to a whole new audience 😉 and drive the number of followers off the charts?!). They’re a funny bunch of guys on a guys trip.

Confession number 1 for the day: I am done and can’t be bothered to walk to Churchgate for the train 2 stops back and get an Uber all the way. It was Rs150/£1.50. Blow the expense.

A cold mango and beer awaits and strangely, the two seem to go together.

Type this up. Need another cold beer. Purely rehydration purposes. Seriously. OK, dinner calls. I have to be away by 04:30 tomorrow for the train journey to Goa which should be a belter. Heading off to Girgaon Chowpatty for hopefully some curried seafood.

Mumbai has really got under my skin. I’ve loved it. It has a South East Asian feel to it, combined with the energy, heat, chaos, noise, relative lack of hassle, some seriously impressive pieces of colonial architecture, the Parsi influence, and even has the feel of some of the more traditional areas in Hong Kong such as Kowloon, Sheung Wan and Wanchai, with their dilapidation but character buildings. Perhaps that is why it has appealed? Or is the copious amount of mangoes lying around that, seriously, are driving me crazy!!

Sunday 23rd April. I slept well on my first night in Delhi, probably aided by all the walking and heat on Saturday and, after getting a taste of New Delhi Railway Station, was really looking forward to the trip. First, I was to have lunch with a former Microsoft colleague at her house in Gurugram, which was absolutely wonderful. There had been a cock-up with the Uber driver so time was a little limited but it’s always great meeting someone you have known for a while in a different part of the world.

My hosts urged me to leave plenty of time for the ride to the station and they were quite right. Train 12952 was due to depart at 16:55 and it is recommended to be there an hour beforehand, which I was. The train was waiting and looked absolutely resplendent (living up to it’s name in Hindi – Tejas or Brilliance) in saffron and yellow but not yet ready for boarding. For this journey I was travelling 2nd class aircon 2 tier.

A couple of masala chais later and the train was opened it. No mad scramble, all very orderly. I was assigned a side upper berth but switched with a child so she could have the berth above her mother. They were most appreciative! The berth was supplied with 2 bed sheets and face towel in a brown paper bag, a blanket, pillow and face towel.

Bang on time the Tejas Rajdhani Express slowly pulled out across a complex web of rails starting its 1,384km journey south to Mumbai, arriving 15.5hrs later. I was surprised by the level of security on the train – with at least 3 armed soldiers frequently walking up and down. The carriage was served by one attendant in charge of linens and another responsible for the delivery of food which he did exceptionally efficiently, first taking note of whether you want veg or non-veg, which I found out didnt have to be consistent across both meal servings. The ticket conductor came through to check ID’s against his handheld device. He was immaculately presented. It was his train.

The first service arrived around 5:30pm which I thought was dinner. A little worried that it didn’t look like much to keep me going until breakfast I was pleased I had back-up supplies of coconut biscuits, banana, tangerine and a carton of mango juice. However the people I was sharing the 4 berth compartment with were very keen to kindly share some of their food with me, which did the trick. Dinner however turned out to be afternoon tea – as dinner came around 8 and represented a very substantial, tasty tray of vegetables, chicken curry, dal, rice, chapatis and pickles. Again, my meal was supplemented by my compartment friends!

The timing of the train, close to sunset, and my seat/berth position meant that the opportunity to sit and watch India slip by was a bit limited.

Just after midnight, the little girl and her Mum were jumping off and the conductor had suggested I should move to my original assignment so that I wasn’t disturbed which I did and then bedded down for the rest of the night. I remember waking up a few times at stations but generally the train was quiet and smooth and I slept well, although did feel a little claustrophobic in the top berth due to the curved ceiling.

I’m pleased to report that the toilets remained incredibly clean throughout the journey and there was liquid soap right through to the end. A few tips for travelling on the sleeper trains would be to carry a small pack of tissue paper (non supplied in the squat toilet – but is in the western style toilet which is opposite – however one may be occupied when you REALLY need it), take liquid hand sanitiser and also keep your shoes handy by your bunk so you can put them on QUICKLY when you REALLY NEED TO!!!

Breakfast was served pretty much as soon as I surfaced – a satisfactory omelette, 2 pieces of bread with butter and tea. No complaints at all. By this point, we were rolling through the outskirts of Mumbai and the amount of commuter trains increased. We arrived in to Mumbai Central bang on time at 08:35. I’d put the whole journey at pretty much a 9/10 but I’d be hard pushed to say why I dropped a point of that. Excellent all round. Small tip to the 2 attendants seemed to be appreciated – it was asked for – even though the napkins with the meal service had printed “No tipping”! But they both deserved every rupee and I hope others tipped them as well.

I chose to walk from Central to where I am staying – and was tortured by the sights of boxes and boxes of beautiful ripe Alphonso mangoes at approx. Rs2,000 for a box of 24. Bargain. Hopefully I can get some in Delhi to take home.

I am staying in a small homestay place in the middle of Mumbai, down some small back lanes with only the occasional motorbike disturbing the peace. It is an incredible old historical house with just 4 bedrooms run by the Ferreira family. Highly recommended.

After a quick recharge, I headed off in the direction of the Gateway of India, meandering through the chaotic streets teeming with energy and people going about their business. And more boxes of mangoes. I couldn’t help myself, getting a cold fresh juice on a street stand (think that had some early morning clearance effect in Delhi…if you get my drift?!) but it was delicious, and also buying 2 smaller ones to eat back at the guest house. With the temperature feeling like 37C it was pretty exhausting but I made it on foot to the Fort area, first taking a quick peek in to the architectural marvel of what used to be called Victoria Terminus – now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus – a historic terminal train station and UNESCO World Heritage Site before heading to a restaurant I’d targeted – a Parsi restaurant where I ordered a speciality berry chicken pulao. It was absolutely amazing and I researched the web to find a recipe to try at home. A quick look-see at the Gateway before ambling up to Churchgate area past more imposing Victorian Gothic administration buildings such as the High Court.

To ease the feet, I took a local EMU 2 stops for Rs5 (5p) and walked back to the guest house to cool off.

What a fabulous if not very hot, sweaty, sore footed day, fighting off the continual temptation of mangoes galore!

Rail adventure/challenge part 2. The idea for this probably came in to being a little under a year ago on a family trip to India when we took the train from Delhi to Agra. I had travelled extensively around India during my late 20’s backpacking days and been in my complete element. The short journey to Agra reminded me of this and got me thinking how I’d love to do it again.

Then opportunity presented itself. As I’ve mentioned, I’m not in to gardening and I want to ensure that I maximise my 3 months gardening leave – so as I sat on numerous trains whizzing around the UK a few weeks back, an idea took root. Some rapid planning and utilisation of near expiring airline miles, saw me piece together a 3,800 mile slog around the country in 2 weeks on a total of 6 trains, 4 of which will be sleepers (and one of 27hrs duration!). It’s not going to be easy by any means and temperatures are currently well in excess of 30C. So, with a combination of hotel points and/or incredible value for money 5 star hotels, I should hopefully get some decent non-rail based sleep in this slightly mad adventure!

I flew via Helsinki with Finnair. Not the quickest but time was not really an issue and I used expiring mileage to book a business class ticket at much less taxes cost than the direct flight with BA in Premium economy. The flight from LHR-HEL confirmed that if you are paying for business on a short-haul in Europe, it’s really not worth it. After a 5 hour layover in Helsinki in a very average lounge, I lucked out with the flight to Delhi being operated by a newly fitted out A330 with the new Finnair fixed shell business class product. This isn’t an airline review and whilst the seat had some oddities, it was exceptionally comfortable as a flat bed and wonderfully cocooned. As there were only 10pax, it was very quiet and also clear that’s why it was so easy to get a redemption ticket – something worth bearing in mind!

Arriving into Delhi just before 0500 was very smooth at Immigration and sorting out an Indian SIM card. Again, time was in my favour so I took the airport express one stop to Aerocity where I was staying for 1 night at the Holiday Inn, the same place we stayed as a family on our last night in summer 2022. It was a little too early for an early check in, so I changed left my bags, and headed in to Delhi on the train, easy as you like. Arriving at New Delhi Railway Station, I couldn’t resist wandering in to the station – to breathe in and observe the atmosphere and proceedings. Wonderful. I could’ve jumped on the first train I saw!

I didn’t and headed in to Pahar Ganj for a wander around the backstreets and then a 2nd breakfast at a little cafe opposite where we’d sat as a family last summer and where my daughter had revisited in January at the start of her travels! I think by 09:30 I’d been on the station twice, had a couple of cups of chai, one chilled fresh Mango juice from a street stand (no water – but forgot about the ice element here to make it cold…) and one masala omelette toast! Brilliant.

Zipped back to the hotel at 10:30, quick dip in the pool and out again to the National Rail Museum of India – what I thought would be a fun way of kicking off this rail based trip. Unfortunately, it was closed for Eid. Shame. I then headed in to Old Delhi and wandered around the Red Fort which had also been closed when we came in summer. Extremely busy but lovely. Had to battle a raging thirst with the heat and eventually sore feet from sandal wearing! Might have dozed off a few times sat down in the shade of a tree!

From the Red Fort I headed down Chandni Chowk and the surrounding areas of the Jama Masjid which was absolutely heaving and chaotic. As it was in summer. A couple of the famous kebab restaurants were closed but a mango seller recommended a place which was worthy of the recommendation. He was a little disappointed that I only bought one (large) mango which I ultimately devoured later at my hotel.

Being a solo diner I was assigned to a table and after a couple of group table photos with new found friends, I enjoyed a couple of kebabs, with fabulous tandoor roti and a lamb curry recommended by my friends. Navigated my way back to the metro station and a couple of changes later was back in the air conditioned comfort of the Holiday Inn and in dire need of a refreshing beer. Having truly acclimatised to local prices, the cost of a single bottle of Corona – Rs650 (approx. £6.50) which was 150% more than I paid for my dinner – was shocking (even though I knew it would be the case). And it’s not as if I can just pop to the 7-11, local garage or supermarket to buy a can or two for the end of day reward/rehydration and put it in the room minibar. Hey ho. Sure I’ll survive.

My stomach as not survived it’s first 24hrs however. Probably all the street food/drinks. Not bad – but clearly a welcome back to India!

I was only meaning to keep this intro short as I didnt think there was much to write about. But it’s India. There was a million things that happened yesterday that I could’ve written about. That’s one of the reasons I love this country so much. But I better push on. I’m meeting an ex-colleague who has very kindly invited me to lunch at her house and then the first mainline train of the trip – the Tejas Raj superfast express from Delhi to Mumbai overnight. Can’t wait.

A little over a week from now and I will be setting off on my next, slightly more adventurous, rail driven “challenge”. Interesting choice of words? Perhaps! But before I set-off on what will be definitely be a spicier challenge, I thought I should summarise my thoughts from my 7 day all line UK rail rover:

1. The UK’s rail system is a lot more impressive than many people realise. Recent disruption has created a lot of negativity and certainly there are infrastructure investments that are needed, but all up, the system works well and I was able to cover an enormous amount of ground with only occasional delays.
2. The rail rover is a superb ticket to hold – it would be especially so if you hold a railcard that presents a 30% discount but even without this, and in First Class, I felt like I got a lot of value out of it. I do acknowledge however that my itinerary might not represent the average “rover” passenger. A few grippers (as we used to call them…or revenue protection officers as they are now formally known) took much delight in seeing the rover which was always amusing and made me feel like I was holding Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket!
3. The UK is a beautiful country to be seen via rail. I barely made a dent in my reading materials. It is a great pleasure to just relax, day dream and stare at the beauty effortlessly gliding by.
4. The First Class experience could be stepped up a notch to an almost airline level of quality, including the pre-departure lounge experience. Of particular note was the poor GWR lounge at Paddington on Platform 1, especially as it is housed in what is probably my favourite station and the starting point for 2 fabulous rail experiences. The onboard service of LNER up the East Coast Mainline could also be improved, especially considering the distance being covered.
5. The GWR Pullman Dining experience was exceptional. Other long distance train companies should consider upping their dining experiences and could consider this as a weekend package deal.
6. The GWR Riviera sleeper train to Penzance is a blast and very well executed, although don’t expect much sleep! And the Class 57 powering out of Paddington just before midnight was a top 3 highlight of the week!!
7. Many of the UK’s stations are beautiful examples of Victorian architecture and fitting for the starting point of some great journeys however the in-station experience isn’t quite what it could be – Sheffield Tap Room was an exception.
8. I wouldn’t want to be a revenue protection officer. The level of abuse being given to one RPO in Portsmouth was troubling and a sad sign of the fact that some individuals seem to have a sense of entitlement to free travel.
9. There are more working Class 37’s around than I realised (sorry, only train buffs will appreciate this).
10. Having recently taken 7.5hrs to cover 220 miles in the car, the train is the only way to go.
11. The vast majority of train company staff were professional and very customer-centric.
12. The week of travel was tremendous fun, smooth and relatively hassle free, and a great way to kick-off my gardening leave.
13. Oh, one more, I still wish I was a train driver (or at least be given the opportunity to ride in the cab for a long, fast journey)!!