Train Ride from Hell

Damn this blogger this is hard to keep up with. Thanks to Siwok's kick up the bum I'll start writing again. Let me see, i'm only 6 months behind... pretty bad considering that I'll be gone pretty much only for a year. So, continuing on

Well, if I did'nt have TB before I am sure that I (along with my travel companions) have it now. If there is such thing as foreshadowing in life, this train ride would be it for our stint in Portugal. After leaving the beautiful San Sebastian we hopped on a shitty shitty train and initially were amazed that we got our own little cabin for the 14hr overnight train ride that lay ahead. However, quickly booted out by some irate travelers not realising that we had allocated seat, our new cabin shared with a slightly-wired polish tough man (leaving any eastern european country for Portugal to find work cannot be a good sign). Although refusing to open the window, make room or generally communicating, we got along. Then came some stop where all these vagrants boarded, all them who smoked in the corridor and getting absolutely smashed on fuck knows what. But we hit the absolute jackpot when a man who had the foulest smelling urinary tract infection coupled with stale cigarettes and a putrid cough entered our cabin. Note, that this cabin is the size of a toilet cubicle. Betweeen the germ infested vagabond, no open window and the air so thick with marlboro 22's it was an OCD's nightmare. The only bright thing was at a stop our polish man rolled a joint went outside to smoke it, didn't come back for a while, the train started and all I heard was the slowly dissipating sound sound of a man yelling "Oi!! Oi!! ooii!! fuck!!!fuck!!!" Funniest thing ever, ahhh curse my wicked heart. We no hear of polish man again.

Lesson learnt: Always pay the extra for 1st class cabins.

We did have a much needed stop in a nice little place called Coimbra, where thankfully, we got to change trains. Sweet little place, where we found it really really difficult to find a shoe shop. I don think they're used tourists, it's funny when you go somewhere and ppl all look when you go a cafe. But I suppose it's not everyday you see a brazilian, asian and greek hanging out. Uni on a mountain. And seriously, if you need shoes... or better yet want to open a sock store, remember Coimbra. Too bad I have no photos, so here are random picks.