...for a very long time...
Our last day in India started with me attempting another workout. I found my spot outside in the hotel stairwell landing and did my jump rope routine. I kept getting interrupted by hotel workers (waiters, housekeeping, others) walking up the stairs. They all stopped to stare...and then more would show up. It was like they were spreading the word about some white girl outside doing stuff. So, I took it outside on a short strip of the road by the hotel to do sprints. Well, that caused a scene as well, but, oh well...wanted to get some sort of activity in before we started our long journey of travel home.
When we left the hotel, we had a meeting with the SPICE committee. We had good conversations about the needs of each of the hostels, as well as ideas and ways to partner together to provide the best care for the children. During our meeting, they served us with a small tray of salty and sweet snacks. After lunch, we made a quick stop to say goodbye to Poonan and Sona, and ended up seeing some of the SPICE children again. Then, we were off to the train station.
The train from Bihar to Delhi was to be 18 hours and ended up being about 23 hours! It was an exciting adventure to start, but after hearing the continuous delays as we were traveling, and being stuck in that small space...I was very ready to get off of that train.
We passed the time by eating, sleeping, playing cards, reading, and coloring. We invited two young girls to join us for coloring. They seemed to enjoy that. They were 20 and 17, and on their way to holiday. The entire overnight train experience in India is definitely something... So many sights and smells. Of course, the squatty potty on a moving train is always interesting too.
Our last day in India started with me attempting another workout. I found my spot outside in the hotel stairwell landing and did my jump rope routine. I kept getting interrupted by hotel workers (waiters, housekeeping, others) walking up the stairs. They all stopped to stare...and then more would show up. It was like they were spreading the word about some white girl outside doing stuff. So, I took it outside on a short strip of the road by the hotel to do sprints. Well, that caused a scene as well, but, oh well...wanted to get some sort of activity in before we started our long journey of travel home.
When we left the hotel, we had a meeting with the SPICE committee. We had good conversations about the needs of each of the hostels, as well as ideas and ways to partner together to provide the best care for the children. During our meeting, they served us with a small tray of salty and sweet snacks. After lunch, we made a quick stop to say goodbye to Poonan and Sona, and ended up seeing some of the SPICE children again. Then, we were off to the train station.
our sweet and salty snacks
Lunch - fish
Our train was delayed to start, so we had some tea while we waited, of course. Once they announced our train arrival, the coolies (the men hired to carry our bags) took our luggage to our bunks on the train. Joel and Panuwel took very good care of us while we waited for the train.
The train from Bihar to Delhi was to be 18 hours and ended up being about 23 hours! It was an exciting adventure to start, but after hearing the continuous delays as we were traveling, and being stuck in that small space...I was very ready to get off of that train.
We passed the time by eating, sleeping, playing cards, reading, and coloring. We invited two young girls to join us for coloring. They seemed to enjoy that. They were 20 and 17, and on their way to holiday. The entire overnight train experience in India is definitely something... So many sights and smells. Of course, the squatty potty on a moving train is always interesting too.
our first snack on the train
dinner on the train
getting ready for bed...our bunks on the train
tea and a newspaper, served in the morning
breakfast
coloring with the girls
sites along the way
After 23 hours, we finally arrived back in India! It was so good to walk again and to breath some "fresh air." Our original plan for when we arrived back in India was that we would spend a few hours shopping in Delhi and have hotel rooms so we could shower and change and relax a bit before getting on the plane for the US. Well, due to all of the delays, we had about 1.5 hours to shop and 1.5 hours at the hotel to shower and eat, before going to the airport for our 14-hour flight. A total of 37 hours of travel....can't say I need to do that again anytime soon!
train station in India
shops in India
We felt like brand new after our short time at the hotel. The shower felt heavenly. All too soon, it was time to go to the airport.
We are now on our final leg of the trip -- on the train back to Harrisburg from Newark. Almost there...
Thanks for following along on my journey. I have other things I'd like to post -- I'll keep you posted on when they are up. Thanks for your prayers!
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