Most of us see our own country through the same everyday lens. We know the crowds, the noise and the delays, and we learn to live with them. But when an outsider appreciates the little details about our own country, it feels different.A Lithuanian traveller named Karisha is exploring India with her friend Kristina, and she recently shared her experience travelling aboard the Vande Bharat, calling the trip worth every penny and appreciating the train’s comfort and safety.Let’s dig in to know further what the women said about their experiences
Foreigner women travelling aboard the Vande Bharat to Kashmir compare the platform to Hunger Games
A Lithuanian traveller named Karisha has been travelling in India for the second time, and recently she took to social media to share her experience about her first ride on the Vande Bharat Express. According to her video, she is travelling to the country with her friend Kristina, and the two are currently exploring Kashmir and posting videos of their trip.In her clips, Karisha documents a journey in an air-conditioned coach. The first video shows her on a busy platform, looking a little overwhelmed. In the video, she compared the rush to board and store luggage to The Hunger Games, writing in the caption, “Watching people trying to find space for their luggage felt like the Hunger Games. We struggled too.”Still, she appreciated the journey aboard the Vande Bharta and added, “After spending 10 hours travelling in the first AC coach of the Vande Bharat Express, I can say it was worth every penny.”ID@undefined Caption not available.
She recalls feeling ‘safer’ in Vande Bharat
In another video, she compared AC and non-AC trains. She says that the ticket price difference is small, but would prefer travelling in the AC coach, “A ticket for a non-AC train might be just three euros cheaper than an AC coach. But if I had a choice, I would never travel on a non-AC train. Vande Bharat felt much safer.”
Her third video took viewers inside the train’s bathroom
Sharing her view in the video, she said that she liked how clean it was but wasn’t impressed by the smell, saying, “The bathroom was very clean, but it still smelled bad.” She also joked that the washbasin under the mirror looked bigger than the toilet seat.
The two friends quit their jobs to explore India
The trip itself is quite an adventure. According to Kristina’s Instagram profile, the friends reached India on October 16 and started their journey in New Delhi, using an autorickshaw and the metro, then went on to Agra and later towards Jammu and Kashmir.Karisha’s profile suggests they will stay about a month, with Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Kashmir on the list, and Kerala as a possible stop. According to the posts on their profile, both women have quit their jobs for an extended trip across the country.
Social media users weigh in
The video has since gone viral and drawn plenty of reactions from Instagram users. One user wrote: “Even this train has started getting crowded.” Another commented: “The worst thing about Indian Railways is the difficulty of booking tickets.” A third explained why many Indians prefer trains, “Everyone in India travels by train so they can carry as much luggage as they want.” Another user added, “Welcome to Indian Railways.”
