Rameswaram was to mark a significant point for my journey, as it was the last place I was visiting. 7 weeks and 3,500km later, I was about to finish the Trail of Rama.
My train from Madurai was only going to take me 4 hours, but the train itself had been travelling for two days before reaching me. Maybe it was this, or maybe it was for other reasons, but to my surprise upon boarding my carriage, I found myself sharing it not only with people, but also with cockroaches. I was sitting on the edge of my seat for the entire journey, only thankful that I would soon be leaving. But, it was the last train I would be taking, and at least I could say I have had an interesting range of experiences.
After getting used to my new companions for the trip, I remembered reading about the two kilometre Pamban bridge connecting Rameswaram to mainland India. Realising we were about to cross it, I ventured to the carriage door, opened it and leaned out as I had become so used to doing on Indian trains. It was dark at the time, but the expansive sea was still visible, and the noise of the gentle crash of the waves upon the railway track tickled my ears. The breeze brushed past me and I knew that I was going to miss this magical adventure. The railway bridge was only one track, and so looking down I could not actually see the bridge that the train was crossing, only the water beneath me, and it felt as though the train was floating above the sea.
Rama crossed the sea on a floating bridge to reach his final destination, and I could not help but imagine that I was doing the same. Smiling to myself, I returned to my seat, before getting off at Rameswaram, being careful to ‘mind the gap between the train and the platform’ for what would be the last time in India, as I had no tannoy announcements to remind me.