The bunks in the train cars stack three high in groups of 2 per section (making 6 bunks per section) on one side of the train, two high on the other side. The middle bunks fold up, allowing the bottom bunks to be used as benches. I slept in the middle bunk on one side of our section, "L" in the middle on the other side. Mom and Dad likewise occupied the bottom bunks. Despite having room to stretch lying down, I didn't sleep all that well. It was quite warm, even with 3 fans blowing from the ceiling in our aisle. The bed was hard and the sheets we brought kept sliding around. I was conscious of wearing only shorts in public (no one else was wearing them), so I used my lungi as a thin blanket.
Price for one-way train ticket from Hyderabad to Vizag = Rs. 1034 for four people. That's about US $25 a person. Not bad.
We got into Vizag and navigated through masses of disembarking passengers and men asking to help us carry bags or offer taxis. We met Rajiv, "L's" 19-year-old cousin. He and his driver friend loaded up their Tata Indicar (about the size of a 4-door Geo Metro) and took us to their home. We met Sanjay, Rajiv's little brother, and Auntie "P", their mom (she's Mom's youngest sister). Uncle "R" was in Nasig and would be for a few years at least. We won't be meeting him during our time in Vizag. We also met Auntie "P's" mother ("L's" grandmother), who lives with them, and her mother-in-law, who lives alone in an apartment below them.
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We mainly hung out at home for the rest of the day. "L" and I taught Auntie "P", Rajiv, and Sanjay how to play "Hand & Foot" and "Pounce". "L" also taught a dice game called "10,000".
The weather seems a bit cooler, albeit more humid. Vizag is next to the Bay of Bengal. The beach is about 10 km away.
Rajiv is studying info technology at a Muslim college. It takes him 1.5 hours to get there. Sanjay is in 8th grade. He likes to play more than study, but he seems to be a good student, judging from the homework we saw of his. Sanjay attends a Catholic school, which he said is not as harsh as the public schools, which make students go to school for longer days, more days in a year, and would often hit students for not doing well.
We ate dinner quite late, around 11:30 pm. It's normal to eat dinner in India after 8 pm. Auntie "P's" home has a cute little sink in the corner of the dining room. Those who can afford it always have one, so people can conveniently wash their hands before and after eating dinner with them. By the way, I'm getting pretty used to eating with my hands now.
Rajiv spent the evening trying to get a DVD player to work in his computer, but wasn't able to, even after downloading countless drivers. We were hoping to see the DVD of our wedding that Auntie "S" made for us in Boxford.
We learned that the tsunami didn't affect Vizag too much. Some people did die here, but it was mainly because they were out in the ocean taking a Hindu holy bath. There was little property damage, if any. Rajiv and Auntie "P" said they could feel the vibrations of the waves crashing on the coastline. Makes a bit of sense, since the tsunami was just energy created by an earthquake.
Dad and I got into a spirited discussion about the place of Biblical philosophy in developing government policy.
