I took the Mandovi Express train from Goa to Bombay at the end of July in 1AC. In Kudal I was joined in my cabin by Fr. Theodore Fernandes, a priest of Goan origin who manages a church in Byculla, Bombay. He was a delightful man and I couldn't have had better company.
Which brings me to the topic of this entry. The monsoon scenery en route was truly uplifting. The variety of green on offer is balm for the eye and soul. If the Swiss had anything like our monsoon in their country, they would have immediately designed all-glass coaches and pressed them into service for the 2 or 3 months of the season. But Indians have no imagination. The only thing Indians are good at is adolescent boasting. NOTHING - and I mean NOTHING - in our trains looks engineered for human comfort. And then there's the matter of maintenance. The windows of my cabin were dirty, coated in grime. I had to go out near the door to enjoy the views. Here's a short sample - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jttv95mCkpY PS: The Safari browser on a Mac does not display YouTube in 4K. Those on Mac computers may go here - https://vimeo.com/353084586 <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F353084586%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1T2-Keniizzs_Z07ClmmNwgTT_49EvBJdZ4ilCbxELU0pksh79twJnka8&h=AT0yhccfzTraANVhCImn0bZaW5vpAfuG3Q8hYXR29yZC90P9V5ORhdAy9QAfFsnIbydgNJG54TacaK3WK2B3UX2KY4ivw-_cqcn4oliILyi8rBM1RYMC2InKvUzGp06jQI0V4QN7ZA> r