THE KONKAN RAILWAY

It took ages for the railway to really take off. They issued bonds and waited for all the protests to calm down and then we had the railway chugging off. It cuts hours out of the travel time and it has made travel to the konkan belt esp Ratnagiri and Sindudurg so comfy, cheap and fast, that the train resembles a Virar fast at peak hour all through the year. Imagine the profit the Konkan Railway must be making. No wonder Lalu PRasad is boasting of a great profit making organisation!

The route is scenic, provided one travels by the day train. There are hills, valleys, small streams and some red mud all around in the summer. But the rains are the most delightful time to travel in. There are flowing streams and rivers while you are passing on an elevated bridge betweeen two tunnels. Innumerable waterfalls line the way and the green lush hills with clouds sitting on top of them is a sight one cannot miss.

The stations are all quaint and clean. Hope it stays that way. NO PAAN STAINS! Not so far at least. The vada pavs at Ratnagiri and Kudal are really really great.

The train itself is not very clean except the AC compartments which are ISO certified and are cleaned at regular intervals. The sleeper compartments, resemble a local harbour line ladies compartment with litter all over the place. You can add a few cockroaches and rats too. No one bothers to clean the train at Mumbai. The train being late almost every day, there is just enough time to fill in the water and clean the loos. Thank God for that!!!!

The journey by the Mandovi Express is a gourmets delight though. The menu is great, lassi, chaas, sol kadi, kokum sharbat, tomato soup in the liquid variety. VAda pav, sabudana vada, idli , dosa, masala dosa..... and it goes on and on. I have tasted every one of the vegetarian dishes and believe me they are really really good.

The journey itself is out of this world. It is a fairly flat journey till we reach Chiplun then it is just tunnel, bridge, tunnel,tunnel,bridge, tunnel bridge........( that is how one of my friends described it the first time he went to Goa). I have had the pleasure of going up and down almost every month. I have seen the change of seasons, the change of colours on the trees. I have however, only been up to Goa. I would like to go all the way to Trivandrum one day. That should be even more amazing!

So all you people out there who have not made it, make a trip along this railway and enjoy. Mind you the trains never run on time ( there is only a single track ) but then the journey is worth it. Take a sleeper compartment and the window seat would be a window to the world of the konkan and malabar coast!!!!