Food poisoning in sleeper class

Sleeper class, one of five classes on Indian trains, lacks the charm and cleanliness of European sleeper trains. Many foreigners opt not to travel this class in India. Especially foreigners with food poisoning.

I had my first sleeper class experience on a 14-hour overnight train from Varanasi to Delhi. Let me paint the scene. In my train car there were 72 beds, or berths, all connected by a hallway that ran the length of the car. There were no doors or curtains. Walking to the bathroom, which was a metal hole leading straight to the train tracks, required bypassing dozens of unticketed passengers sleeping on the floor. People snored so loudly that even earplugs and a pillow over my head couldn't shield me from the noise. Some travelers also blared Bollywood music on their cell phones. Tea sellers, or chaiwalas, made their way down the hallway at all hours of the night, announcing their presence loudly: "Chai, chai, garam chai!" One passenger, maybe tired of sleeping on his own cramped berth, tried sitting on mine around midnight, hoping that I might not notice (?!). The air was thick from the concentration of bodies.

Approximately four hours into the trip, I developed a stomach ache. A few hours later, I ran to the bathroom so fast that I accidentally stepped on several people camped at the base of my bed. Everything came up, out, and about. Afterwards, I felt so weak that I couldn't pull myself from the bathroom floor, now slick with vomit that had moistened pre-existing layers of dirt. I spent the next several hours hovering over the "toilet," deliriously contemplating whether I should jump off the moving train and pray for a nearby hospital. Unable to move, I listened to would-be bathroom goers rapping on the door. In early morning, I hobbled back to my berth. Shivering and wet, I waited for the train to arrive.

The food poisoning lasted for several days, but nothing compared in severity to its beginnings in sleeper class. Incidentally, I'm writing this post while traveling on an Indian train again. I'm now in a higher class—and I'm hoping for nothing noteworthy.

A typical Indian train station. Crowded, much? Most people are sleeping here for the night.

Inside sleeper class.

The toilet where I spent a night. Apparently it was photo-worthy even before I got sick.