After a surprisingly restful sleep in the tiny little cabin (top bunk) with no cushion, James and I spent the last half hour of the journey looking out the window watching India wake up. Unfortunately, it seems that every villager we passed has the morning ritual of pooping as close to the tracks as possible. Seriously, every twenty feet or so we peered another person taking their morning squat. Was this a special salute for us or a do all trains get the same special treatment?
Passing by all the poopers, we slide into Lucknow station and see Ankur and his father right outside our cabin.
No time was wasted as we were immediately rushed home to freshen up for a breakfast of Puris. One of our first goals for our time in Lucknow was to buy tailored suits. We went to a well know Indian chain, The Raymond Shop, to pick out our fabrics for the suits. From there we went to get fitted and do some more shopping. Lucknow's specialty is a type of hand stitching know as chickan becuase of the way the stitches look as though they were pecked by a chicken.
At night we were taken out to enjoy a favorite type of India street food called Chaat. The term loosely covers a wide variety of small, spicy dishes. In particular we were after a food called Pani Puri, a hollow puff of dough filled with mashed beans and a spicy liquid. Most Indians are in love with the stuff, I likened it to licking the Indian sidewalk. The Chaat was washed down with some thick hot milky goodness.
It was nice to read your adventure of Lucknow city which is my birthplace. I hope you liked it. I feel sorry for the troubles you had because of the food.
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