I could tell it was the end of the season as I headed down as all the traffic appeared to be going in the other direction, many cars seemed to be very well loaded with enough holiday stuff for an army strapped to the roof. I had a couple of decent sunny days in Goa before the monsoon rains arrived. I had a couple of nights rest in a beach resort before heading back to Delhi. Quite a few places had closed, but the essentials of a restaurant and a coffee shop were still open and populated only by a small group of more hardy backpackers. Whilst in India it was always my intention to make a long distance train trip. After a few days pootling down to the south of Goa and the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary I returned to Margao to catch the train to Mumbai. The timetable for my train stated “superfast Express”. This was an exaggeration if ever there was one. It took until 10:45pm to reach Mumbai. When I booked the train the only accommodation left was a sleeper berth even though it was just a rather long day journey. Cycles have to travel as express parcels so it is necessary to report to the parcels office at least a hour before the train departs. Naturally this involves much form filling. The India bureaucracy is modelled on the British, except they seem to have taken the view that if record keeping is good, then more forms must be more good! The rules say everything must be packed, so the porters tie a token piece of cardboard over the saddle. The signs prominently posted on the parcels office wall say “pay at office only, do not pay porters loading fees”. However, at Margao, it appears the chances of anything making its way onto the train are pretty limited unless you “tip” one of the porters. As long distance trains in India are notorious for running very late especially during monsoon season that can cause landslides to block the tracks; I allowed a 1 day layover in Munbai before catching the second train back to Delhi. I had a bunk in a 2 tier a/c carriage. During both legs attendants came round frequently with tea and snacks and meals. These had to be paid for but were inexpensive. The length of the trains is quite a contrast from the European norm. Both trains had 24 carriages. At the end of each coach are two toilets, one squat and one sit-on. There is no pretence of any refinement, just a tube straight down from the toilet bowl, you can see the sleepers whizzing by underneath. As the vestibule ends are not air conditioned it provides quite a refreshing breeze whilst you sit.