What To Do When Stuck In A Day Long Train Journey

Since I have written a couple of posts about my unforgettable 25-hour train ride a few days ago, I have decided to share with you the things that kept me sane during the entire trip just in case you'll have to face the same situation in the future.

Ms. Piggy says Hi!

 

Presenting! Ankamil Yepuda's What To Do When Stuck in a Day Long Train Journey!

1. Bring a couple of books or three that can help you get your mind off of the fact that you are gonna be stuck in your train berth for more than a day. Reading is a great boredom buster and time killer especially once you get engrossed in what you are reading that you would lose track of time and before you know it, half of the day or even longer have already passed.

I'm so engrossed in the book right? Teehee!

 2. Load up your mp3 player with your favorite songs and take it with you so that it can cheer you up when boredom is slowly seeping in to your system and reading a book is not what you feel like doing. If you are going to bring a laptop, a tablet or any other gadget with you where you can watch videos, in our case, we opted not to, you can also download a movie or the latest episodes of your favorite series so you can watch them on board. The train had designated areas where people can charge their gadgets and we're lucky to have one in our berth. That's where we charged our mobile phones.

My one year old trusty mp3 player.

3. Strike a conversation with your co-passengers. Every man has an interesting story to tell. Who knows? The person beside you might have the most amazing story to tell you that you will never forget ever. In our case, we had a Polish couple who were like our grandparents telling us bedtime stories and even sharing with us their packed food. So sweet of them!

Lolo Jerzy, Lola Kristin and your truly.

4. Appreciate and enjoy the view outside your window. Well, during our train ride, the view outside our window was not always a sight to behold but those not so nice scenarios actually opened my eyes to how really lucky I am to be in my shoes.

Forgive Riju's mobile phone charger that's hanging like a tapeworm in the middle.

5. Another great way to kill time during a long journey is to eat and even share your food with your co-passengers. Our train is full of all kinds of food not to mention the food stuff that we brought with us so eating has also helped me get thru that long journey.

A food vendor from a train station is preparing the stuff that he is going to sell to his customers.

6. Get out and quickly take some nice pictures whenever the train halts at a station to unload passengers and load up new ones.

Peek-a-boo photo taken by Riju while the train is at a halt.

7. Taking short naps every now and then is also a great time killer. it also helps you recharge your energy tank.

Since we are in an AC compartment, it can get really cold inside and putting on a fleece blanket helps keep you warm.

8. And when boredom and vanity strike at the same time, you can always get your picture taken or take your own photo in different poses so that you can use the best ones later on your favorite social networking site!

Thank God! I have a photographer uhm, I mean, Riju with me to take my vanity solo shots! LOL

9. Play a game. Since I traveled with Riju, I was able to play with him a simple yet really fun guessing game that helped me get thru the first few hours of our train journey. Our game was such a hit that the kids sharing our compartment started blurting out their guesses on the side that I ended up playing with them when Riju got tired of it.

10. Call someone on the phone and give them a blow by blow details of what has happened and what is currently happening while your on board.

Yours truly talking to one of our friends who actually called us up and not the other way around. Hehehe!

11. Lastly, if you are traveling with someone, a long trip is a great way to bond with your travel buddy. Riju and I talked, laughed and played during the journey and I know that we both had fun. And if you are traveling alone, take it as an opportunity to get to know someone new, a co-passenger perhaps and who knows, you might even end up having that long journey as your most unforgettable train ride.

So yeah, these are basically the activities that kept me in tact during that truly memorable train journey with Riju last June. What about you, what do you usually do to keep yourself entertained whenever you are in a long journey? Share it over here and maybe one day, when I find myself in another long haul, I might just do what you have done during your trip.

Another vanity shot of yours truly. Can you see the train on the opposite side?

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Have You Ever Tried a 25-hour Train Journey?

So, have you ever been on a train ride that lasted for more than a day? Well, I have! Not just once but twice! You see, it was a round trip journey so I had no choice but to take the train again so that Riju and I can come back home. And boy oh boy! It was definitely an experience that I will never forget!

Hello Everybody!

It was last June when we were invited by one of Riju's childhood friends to his wedding. Since they live in a different state that is very far from where we live, we have decided to take the train so that I can fully experience what my new home has to offer and besides, what better way to blend in with the locals but to get on the train and mingle with them.

A sneak peak of our compartment. That's our Polish co-passenger busy reading on his tablet.

I have to admit that once we have finally settled in our designated berths, I felt a bit worried about how I will keep myself entertained and sane until we finally reach our destination. But once the train started chugging forward, we found ourselves joined by a couple of Polish foreigners and a local family. Everyone was quiet in the beginning but after some time, everyone has started to loosen up a bit and conversations were happening here and there. Chatting is always a great way to pass time and we were lucky to have shared our compartment with the rest of the group.

Lolo Jerzy and Lola Kristin from Poland!

Every now and then, the train will halt at a station to unload some passengers and then load new ones. Inside the train, I felt like I was in a different world altogether. Vendors selling tea, coffee, meals, sandwiches, chips, chocolates, etc. kept on passing by our compartment and offering everyone their stuff. Lively conversations are happening everywhere. The train's just so alive!

Photo opportunity while the train is at a halt.

at one of the many train entrances

I'm not sure if all train stations have this but I think it's a wise idea to have it since it can get really scorching hot during summer here.

After dinner time, the mood inside the train started to shift from lively to relax mode. People have also started taking out the middle bunk bed that is usually folded up during the day because it is almost time to sleep. I was supposed to sleep on the lowest bunk but Lolo Jerzy, a co-passenger, asked me if Lola Kristin and I can exchange bunk beds for obvious reasons so in the end, I became the hotdog in a hotdog sandwich. You know, I'm in the middle bunk bed and the hotdog is in between the sliced bun... Yeah, yeah, corny I know.

Sleepy Yepuda trying to strike a pose! Goodnight!

The next morning, I no longer worried about what have to do for the rest of the journey to keep boredom at bay. After having breakfast, I cleaned up a bit. Changed my attire, brushed my teeth, you know, the whole works. Well, not really the whole works since I did not take a bath during the journey because the washroom is not really apt for such thing if you ask me. And speaking of washroom, I tried to limit my trips there as minimum as possible because the washrooms were not really regularly maintained so you know, the sight and the smell can be quite uhm, yeah, I'll leave that to your imagination.

Moving forward, so once I'm done tidying up, I decided to just sit near the window and enjoy the beautiful scenery outside. Whenever the train stopped by at a station, I read a book or I played charades with the kids in our berths. I took some power naps too until finally, it was already four in the afternoon and we finally reached our destination.

Look at that mountain! The peak looked like a Thumbs Up sign. Cool right?

Our view while passing by a bridge.

This picture may not bring justice to the beauty of this view but it really is a gorgeous sight to look at!

These days, people are always in a hurry to reach their destinations that is why they always take the fastest option, air travel. However, it would not hurt if every once in a while, you will stop hurrying up and take the longest route possible to wherever it is that you need to reach and enjoy the journey. Who knows, you may have the most unforgettable experience or memory in that longest journey of your life!

Are we there yet?

Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed my first ever long train ride!