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Travel Tales from India and Abroad

Have You Ever Traveled on the Top of a Train or Even a Bus?

Posted on December 9, 2008
No, don’t blame me for discussing such strange ideas. Blame Steven_Ber, the resident train expert at Indiamike. He has posted a photo of a young man in Assam who climbed on the top of the train to ask Steve “which country” you are from! That means Steve was traveling on the top of a train too! Now that makes me envious, really go green with envy. I wish I could post Steve’s photo here but for now you have to hop over and see the image of people traveling on the top of the train on Indiamike.

Now all I can talk about is traveling on the top of a bus way back in the college days. However, that was not the age of digital cameras or camera phones (in fact there were no mobile phones even) so I do not have a picture of my journey. Instead I can share a picture of people sitting on the top of a bus at Leh Bus Stand.

People on the Top of the Bus- Leh Bus Stand, Ladakh

I used to travel for a different reason during school and college days. I used to represent my school and college (sometimes the state too) in various sports meets. We had gone to Tonk to participate in a sports meet back then when I was in college (and no, I have not explored the town as a tourist). When we were coming back, the bus was really crowded. So, 4-5 of us out of the 20 odd girls that made our squad decided that we were better off at the top of the bus rather than inside the bus. I do not remember much of the journey other than we had to duck hard when the bus went close to a tree with low hanging branches. I wonder if I would do such a thing again if I get a chance?
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15 thoughts on “Have You Ever Traveled on the Top of a Train or Even a Bus?”

  1. Mohan says:
    December 9, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    Hi Mridula,Well, this is still a common scenario in most of rural India. I have seen many such instances and it is no special thingy for regular commuters. As far as I can recall, there are still millions of villages in India that have a single bus traveling once in the morning and again in the evening.This kind of environment makes them a real life situation than adventure!

    Reply
  2. Final_Transit says:
    December 9, 2008 at 8:00 pm

    Oh thank God you ducked those branches Mridula! I never had the urge to travel on the top of a vehicle, somehow I don’t find it exciting! But then everyone has their limits between exciting and safety!Now Mohan is right about lack of infrastructure in rural areas. But then, I don’t live there!

    Reply
  3. bindu says:
    December 10, 2008 at 4:31 am

    With that kind of view, I wouldn’t mind sitting on top of the bus! What sports did you play? I did too, so am curious.

    Reply
  4. Akhila S says:
    December 10, 2008 at 7:54 am

    Sounds like a nice experience. Although I don’t have a Bus experience, but Lorry I do. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Mridula says:
    December 10, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    Hi Mohan, thanks for looking at the scenario with another perspective. I was not thinking of it when I wrote the post.Ah Priyank, that was way back and to be honest i really did not think of safety! Now next time, if there is a next time, your advice will ring in my ears before I attempt any such thing.Bindu, I started as an athlete, switched to TT (that I still play) and in university played basket ball too and then during the Ph.D. days even managed some badminton.Akhila lorry would do pretty fine! And I have actually traveled in a lorry twice!

    Reply
  6. Doli says:
    December 10, 2008 at 7:44 pm

    Ohh my! I have never travelled on top of a bus. Although would have liked to 🙂 I have travelled just on the footboard once or twice literally hanging for life onto it 🙂

    Reply
  7. Shrinidhi Hande says:
    December 11, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    That could be next way of cost cutting for companies using buses to transport their staff- add another set of seats on the root and ferry twice the number of staff 🙂

    Reply
  8. Vamsee says:
    December 11, 2008 at 9:45 am

    Mridula,Does sitting on the roof of a boat count? I was going through some random pictures and found this and remembered your blog post. We were trying to take pictures of grizzly bears. I am the only Indian in this picture, towards the back with a camera. http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vamsee.m/Random#5278457968953257938

    Reply
  9. Mridula says:
    December 12, 2008 at 3:25 pm

    Doli, on the other hand I have never ever traveled on the footboard!Vamsee that does count, thanks for the picture, the two toher people also seem to be equally happy.Shrinidi, I was thinking of the UK tour buses that have open roof top and I saw two such buses in Jaipur too this time! Yes why not, the companies can introduce it!

    Reply
  10. Kusum says:
    December 14, 2008 at 2:51 am

    Yeah, Once I did travel on top of the bus. Fortunately, it wasn’t in woods but in open. It felt too windy and cold. It was a rough ride and at times felt we would fall off the top. As for experience, well, it was something to remember for rest of our lives 🙂

    Reply
  11. Mridula says:
    December 14, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    Kusum, I agree, it is journey that one can’t forget in a hurry! But where was this for you?

    Reply
  12. Prashanth M says:
    December 14, 2008 at 6:27 pm

    Answer to your question is my latest post 🙂

    Reply
  13. Mridula says:
    December 15, 2008 at 4:56 am

    Thanks for sharing Prashanth, that looks like a luxury bus top tour where as when we went there even the top was crowded!

    Reply
  14. Kusum says:
    December 16, 2008 at 9:02 pm

    It was in North Karnataka.

    Reply
  15. Mridula says:
    December 17, 2008 at 5:46 am

    Thanks Kusum.

    Reply

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About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

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