So not every night I’ve spent in India has involved some unusual, uncomfortable, or strange location. However, while pondering upon the craziness that I have purposefully turned the last two weeks of my trip into, I realized that really, over the course of two months, I’ve gotten some shut-eye in more than a couple places that a lot of Americans would not consider. I thought maybe I should put together a list.

This does not include the mundane nights I’ve spent in the BASIX guest house, the hotel I found in Berhampur, the relatively normal hotels in other places, etc. Because after all, what kind of story is that?

• The train - 7 times, and that’s only counting full nights, not afternoon naps. Six of the last 9 nights I’ve spent sleeping on the train, and I’m planning on spend at least 1-2 more before I go. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t even have trouble sleeping anymore, nor do I find it uncomfortable. And, oh yeah, all of those nights have been in second class.
• The bus - two times. This is bad news folks. Indian roads are slow, full of potholes and speed bumps, and the drivers speed and weave like they’re late for their own wedding. Unlike non-AC trains, non-AC buses are stuffy, and although the seats go back much farther than U.S. seats, this is far more uncomfortable than riding sleeper. Then there’s every drivers’ penchant for playing Indian pop at 5 AM. This is a sleeping location of last resort.
• The jeep - No full nights, but 2-3 good long naps in the back of a Tata Sumo jeep have been my lifesaver. All the comments about the bus hold strong, but at least in the jeep you can lay flat on the seat. This does not hold valid if you’re in a share-jeep, in which case there will already be 10 or 11 people inside and taking a nap will be rather difficult.
• The office cum guest room - 4 nights, plus a few afternoon naps. When I first arrived in Berhampur, they told me I could stay in the unit guest room free of charge for as long as I was there. There was no AC, a squat toilet, I was sleeping on a cot, and the place was dirty, but I figured what the heck. At least it was free. This was, of course, until I realized that “office guest room” actually meant “room that we still use, and sometimes we’ll wake you up in the morning by coming in and working,” I realized this might not be a good idea. Also, the fact that the well-intentioned office boy insisted that I don’t have to ever leave the room/office because he’d get everything for me got a little claustrophobic. I spoiled myself and checked into a hotel. Everyone has their limits.
• The bosses’ house - Maybe this is not strange, even when your boss is Indian. But staying with a family where no one but your boss and his little brother speaks English is interesting. They bring your food to your room and the little brother asks you questions about how they say English words in American.
• The 80-cent hostel - So yeah, the first hostel that the French students and I chose in Darjeeling was a little disappointing. The fact that it was dirty and musty was seemingly a given. That we figured was a reasonable trade-off for the spectacular hilltop views of 24-hour Himalayan monsoon fog. However, the fact that they didn’t have any water for most hours of the day just didn’t cut it. Also, when they did have water, it was so cold that visible steam rose off you when you got out of the shower. Not that you really wanted to shower in that place anyway. After one night, we changed hotels and went upscale ($1.50/night).
• The train station - Almost every train station in India has retiring rooms that you can rent for the night or for a period of time to get 40 winks while waiting for your connection. However, you quickly learn that these cost money, and while spending 2 bucks to take a nap wouldn’t faze you in the U.S., you are pathetically cheap. So you go to the 2nd class waiting room, which is full of people from all walks of Indian life napping, eating, chatting, people watching, using the pay-to-use toilets and shower (which, incidentally, has apparently nothing to do with their upkeep), etc. There are far more of them than there are seats, so when in India, you do as the Indians do and pull up a spot on the floor and sleep. Good enough for me! This works especially well when you have not gotten great sleep on the train the night before, and you’re not looking for a hotel because you’re sleeping on the train again that night.
• On the doormat in front of the BASIX guest house - One morning myself and one other intern returned from a bus trip at 5am. The BASIX guest house, however, is staffed by a couple who don’t get up before 5:30, and who don’t hear doorbells very well. Faced with no alternative, I said the heck with it and curled up right in front of the door. Half an hour later the other intern re-rang the bell and they found me still asleep in front of the door.

Not a bad collection for a two-month trip. Tonight, however, it’s the BASIX guest house before an 8 AM flight to Delhi. I get a day there, then a 6AM train to Agra, a train back, a different hotel, a 6 AM train to Jaipur, an overnight train to Udaipur…

I’m glad I’m willing to sleep anywhere.

Posted on August 25th, 2005 by Lee
Filed under: Uncategorized