Wrong keyboard and foggy head so will keep to bullet points.
back and forth to get ticket but still waiting list 1-4.
climbed balcony to escape hotel, still WL1-4
saw chief reservation superintendant to get general ticket on 11:40 train
stuffy, hot, humid, reminded me of Romania train, so I started talking to locals. university students, no, working for Forever multilevel marketing for 2 years, no, just starting.
taught me Hindi – e do chi cha pach.. talihad, chagalaga – all wrong by now, I’m sure.
Big crowd gathered around to watch.
Kicked out of seat, stood up for 6 hours.
Hari Krishna grinding chewing tobacco and lime.
Raining in vestibule.
Invited to sit down around dinner time with family including beautiful woman in blue / gold sari and henna hands/feet (bride?) that stared at me but wouldn’t smile.
Ordered thali dinner and had to eat with hands – first time – that made woman laugh, holding sari in front of mouth.
Stood up again. Invited to sit with family that would leave at midnight. Took their sleepers. Got up at 3am and off train at 4am. Into hotel at 5am in time for sunrise over Gange and a family swimming 20m downstream of a dead body.