Around the World in 80 Days

Day 28: 22 October

At Daund our meal arrives on a tin tray, neatly portioned with yoghurt, dhal, chapatis and a small vegetable curry and rice. As we eat a station official peers in from the platform and advises us to shut our window, lower the bulky steel shutters and to sleep with our feet facing the window.

Part of the exhaustion of Indian travel is the profusion of things to see. At every station there is something going on. Some fierce argument, a pair of monkeys scouring the platform, a steam engine with puja garlands draped over its boiler, a line of military tanks on low loaders, their barrels hung with washing.

At Kurduvadi at ten past ten. We're now up on the wide central plateau, the Deccan, as I remember from 'O' level geography, and running about fifteen minutes late. I'm not much reassured by a board on the station which reads 'Trains Running Late May Make Up Time Or Loose Time'. No bedding has come aboard for us and Mr Nitti has disappeared again. I feel absolutely exhausted and fall asleep using my bag as a pillow. About 12.30 I'm woken from deep sleep by the arrival of our bedding at Solapur. Never really get back to sleep again.

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Series: Around the World in 80 Days
Day: 28
Date: 22 October
Country/sea: India
Place: Daund
Book page no: 101

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Around the World in 80 Days

Day 28: 22 October

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