Sleeper train vs. sleeper bus
Individual beds = +1 to sleeper train
The train can have either two or three levels ("tiers") of beds, on one side of the aisle either 4 or 6 and the other side either 2 or 3. In the 2 tier, you can comfortably sit up, but the 3 tier doesn't provide enough room to sit - only lay down flat. You're provided sheets, blankets, and pillows. During mealtimes, people sell the time-appropriate foods, including chai, cold water, and other refreshments.
On the other hand, the sleeper bus is a standard coach bus size, with the seats removed and converted into two levels - kind of like permanent bunk beds, with only enough room to sit up. Each bed is a twin size, for two people, and sometimes they are randomly assigned - as in the case with our tickets which we booked late. Licia and I were traumatized at the thought of having to share such a small, secluded space with a random man (spooning all night) and so we just ducked into one, claimed it for ourselves, and hunkered down. I vowed to leave only kicking and screaming. But apparently it wasn't an issue because the conductors are forgiving with women, so we were gracefully accommodated.
Bathrooms on board = +1 to sleeper train
Shortly after we boarded the bus and getting ready to sleep, Licia had to use the bathroom. We both wandered up and down the bus aisle before we asked a woman at the front of the coach who laughed
at the question. At this point, I stopped drinking water and took a pepto tablet - a lifesaver which calms the stomach and quells any need to use the bathroom for the next few hours.
About an hour later, the bus stopped and the conductor yelled "2 minutes" in Hindi, which Licia understood. We put our shoes on as fast as we could, got off the bus, and followed a few other women to the bathroom. We did our business and ran back to the bus. A few hours later, around 4:30 am the bus stopped again, but this time there were many other buses and the bathroom was packed with women and children forming indiscriminate lines to 5 stalls. As I finally got to the stall and opened the door, a woman with a child pleaded with me about her bus leaving soon and that they should go first. The bathroom itself was pretty nasty - a wet floor with some mix of water, urine, and others...leaving my shoes disturbingly wet as we got back on the bus.
The sleeper trains have 4 bathrooms per car, some "Western" and some Indian. Western means a veritable toilet, sometimes with a seat, whereas Indian means a platform on the floor with a hole through which you can sometimes see the tracks racing by below. Both have pressurized water for flushing, a sink, though rarely is there soap or toilet paper. Sometimes they are relatively clean, other times not.
Food = +1 to sleeper train
I woke up in the morning on the train to someone yelling something having to do with food, walking up and down the car, stopping periodically for transactions. Next was the guy with a few gallons of warm chai, refreshing after an air conditioned ride. For 7 rupees (less than 20 cents), you get a small cup of warm milk, sugar, and black tea.
No such luxuries were offered on the bus. The 4:30 am stop did include a chaat stand (snacks) but I was too worried about getting back to the bus after weaving my way through dozens of women to get to the bathroom, plus it was far too early and far too few bathroom stops to consider eating.
Stop announcements = +1 to sleeper bus
We were surprised on the sleeper train that the stations weren't announced - you have to know your stop and get off at the right time. We learned our lesson after our first trip and now we write down the 3 stops before where we need to get off so we can know where on the line we're at, as time isn't always a reliable metric of approaching the destination.
On the other hand the bus conductor announced the stops in a mix of other Hindi words that Licia didn't understand. However, many towns have multiple pronunciations, and it can be confusing.
Overall score
Sleeper train = +3
Sleeper bus = +1, but at least -5 at the possibility of sharing a twin bed with a random man for a bumpy 12 hour ride, and maybe a few more negative points from the assorted fecal wetness on the bottom of my sandals, which I eventually put back into my cozy bed
Individual beds = +1 to sleeper train
The train can have either two or three levels ("tiers") of beds, on one side of the aisle either 4 or 6 and the other side either 2 or 3. In the 2 tier, you can comfortably sit up, but the 3 tier doesn't provide enough room to sit - only lay down flat. You're provided sheets, blankets, and pillows. During mealtimes, people sell the time-appropriate foods, including chai, cold water, and other refreshments.
On the other hand, the sleeper bus is a standard coach bus size, with the seats removed and converted into two levels - kind of like permanent bunk beds, with only enough room to sit up. Each bed is a twin size, for two people, and sometimes they are randomly assigned - as in the case with our tickets which we booked late. Licia and I were traumatized at the thought of having to share such a small, secluded space with a random man (spooning all night) and so we just ducked into one, claimed it for ourselves, and hunkered down. I vowed to leave only kicking and screaming. But apparently it wasn't an issue because the conductors are forgiving with women, so we were gracefully accommodated.
Bathrooms on board = +1 to sleeper train
Shortly after we boarded the bus and getting ready to sleep, Licia had to use the bathroom. We both wandered up and down the bus aisle before we asked a woman at the front of the coach who laughed
at the question. At this point, I stopped drinking water and took a pepto tablet - a lifesaver which calms the stomach and quells any need to use the bathroom for the next few hours.
About an hour later, the bus stopped and the conductor yelled "2 minutes" in Hindi, which Licia understood. We put our shoes on as fast as we could, got off the bus, and followed a few other women to the bathroom. We did our business and ran back to the bus. A few hours later, around 4:30 am the bus stopped again, but this time there were many other buses and the bathroom was packed with women and children forming indiscriminate lines to 5 stalls. As I finally got to the stall and opened the door, a woman with a child pleaded with me about her bus leaving soon and that they should go first. The bathroom itself was pretty nasty - a wet floor with some mix of water, urine, and others...leaving my shoes disturbingly wet as we got back on the bus.
The sleeper trains have 4 bathrooms per car, some "Western" and some Indian. Western means a veritable toilet, sometimes with a seat, whereas Indian means a platform on the floor with a hole through which you can sometimes see the tracks racing by below. Both have pressurized water for flushing, a sink, though rarely is there soap or toilet paper. Sometimes they are relatively clean, other times not.
Food = +1 to sleeper train
I woke up in the morning on the train to someone yelling something having to do with food, walking up and down the car, stopping periodically for transactions. Next was the guy with a few gallons of warm chai, refreshing after an air conditioned ride. For 7 rupees (less than 20 cents), you get a small cup of warm milk, sugar, and black tea.
No such luxuries were offered on the bus. The 4:30 am stop did include a chaat stand (snacks) but I was too worried about getting back to the bus after weaving my way through dozens of women to get to the bathroom, plus it was far too early and far too few bathroom stops to consider eating.
Stop announcements = +1 to sleeper bus
We were surprised on the sleeper train that the stations weren't announced - you have to know your stop and get off at the right time. We learned our lesson after our first trip and now we write down the 3 stops before where we need to get off so we can know where on the line we're at, as time isn't always a reliable metric of approaching the destination.
On the other hand the bus conductor announced the stops in a mix of other Hindi words that Licia didn't understand. However, many towns have multiple pronunciations, and it can be confusing.
Overall score
Sleeper train = +3
Sleeper bus = +1, but at least -5 at the possibility of sharing a twin bed with a random man for a bumpy 12 hour ride, and maybe a few more negative points from the assorted fecal wetness on the bottom of my sandals, which I eventually put back into my cozy bed
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it.