Helpx.net

Vicki and Nigel

Premier Helpers Vicki Slade, 56 from New Zealand (couple) Nigel Kerby, 54 from New Zealand Email: (hidden) Mobile: Network: Australia Present Country: Australia Join Date: February 22, 2013 Last Updated: August 30, 2017 Last Log In: February 4, 2020 Next Destination(s): We're house and pet-sitting on the Sunshine Coast of Australia until mid-October and considering doing some helpx-ing in South East Queensland after that. edit Nigel (54) and I (Vicki, 56) have been together 17 years and married in October 2012. Once our children had all left home we took the opportunity to travel. We were in the UK and Europe, helpx-ing, house-sitting, and working as managers/caretakers on a private estate, for three and a half years, before returning back 'down-under' to be closer to our elderly parents and our children. Nigel was born in England but spent the greater part of his life in New Zealand, where I was born. We have travelled to many regions of the globe. Our home town is Christchurch (earthquake central from late 2010). We were very lucky in regard to the earthquakes, having sold our properties (two homes and a rental property) a couple of years beforehand. We are clean, tidy, conscientious, quiet, friendly, polite and reliable, and are non-smokers. We enjoy a glass of wine with dinner and Nigel won't turn down a beer on a hot day, but we are light drinkers and will easily go without if drinking is unacceptable to our hosts. We're not vegetarians, but do eat a lot of no-meat meals, and are happy to do so if that's what's available. We're not fussy eaters but do prefer natural foods. We're fit and healthy and don't mind hard work. And we're keen to learn any new skills required to help you out. We are both IT professionals, but I was self employed for nearly eight years as a physical therapist, web developer and photographic artist - I enjoy having a variety skills to offer. In early 2013 I worked part-time for the New Zealand government's Department of Conservation visitor information centre and over the 2016/2017 holiday season worked for an airport car rental company, so have customer service experience, including payments processing, and can drive a 12-seater bus. Nigel was most recently employed as a Project Support Specialist, but through self-interest is also a bit of a whiz with computer hardware and software, so is happy to try to resolve any computer issues you may have. We've both been employed as IT Project Managers too. Because we've owned several properties we're familiar with all the work involved in maintaining, repairing and running a home. We both have experience in renovating our homes, so can handle a paint brush and a hammer, and the like, but we're not qualified plumbers, builders or electricians. I have designed and built landscaped gardens on three properties. We like to have a vegetable garden, where possible. We're both familiar with using motorised and manual gardening equipment and tools, including various ride-on mowers. We enjoy spending time outside, so are happy to care for gardens and animals. We will treat any animals with care and kindness, but I'm a cat person, and not a dog person - I love curling up with a cat purring on my lap! In addition to cats we're happy to care for goats, sheep, pigs, horses, birds, rabbits, rats and mice, and will at least consider caring for any creature you care for. And if mice are your enemy, we're happy to hunt them down! :-) We can both drive 4WD, manual and automatic vehicles, and Nigel's driven a tractor (a while ago) - and I'd love to try! We're both well-spoken - although you'll have to forgive my Kiwi accent - so perhaps we can help you with English if it is not your first language. We both cook through necessity, and I can bake and do enjoy baking occasionally, but please don't take us on as cooks! We're both happy to help prepare meals, but you'll get better value out of our time with you if we do something else. When we left New Zealand in June 2013 friends and family asked how long we'd be away. At that stage we'd already committed to six months of Helpx in Europe, so we said "at least six months, but could be six years - we don't know". Four years later, we did try going back and stayed six months, but here we go again! :-) Our budget isn't limitless, so to enable us to spend more time in a place we'd like to help people who need it. Maybe we can help you? Self References: In addition to our Helpx references we have references from past landlords and house and pet-sitting hosts. I can supply these if you like.

References received from hosts (6)
Host Name: Helen Aurelius Haddock	Host Listing: click here
Network: Europe	Date: August 1, 2014
Nigel and Vicki spent a month with me in France in late June/ July 2014. This was my first experience with Helpx or anything similar, so I was breaking new ground with this idea. All I can say is that I wish that I'd thought of registering with Helpx much sooner! I had been experiencing a number of logistic issues with running my home (health related), then Nigel and Vicki breezed in, took over, and made everything run like clockwork. Lists were made, actioned and finished, and things slowly started to return to normal chez moi. Tasks that had been left undone for years were taken on board, organised and executed. I rekindled my love of cooking as all the leg work was taken out of it as they were there on hand to help out in the kitchen with the fetching , carrying and of course, dish washing! They did a bit of unscheduled house sitting when I returned to the UK for a week, and I was ferried to and from the airport making the entire trip so much easier. Nigel and Vicki truly are "helpers for all seasons" and this reference will merely add to the long list of praise they already have. Thank you very much!
Host Name: Marina Puccioni	Host Listing: click here
Network: Europe	Date: December 19, 2013
Vicki and Nigel stayed with us a month in our country house. They were very helpful and hard working. Did a lot of hard work in the olive groves, fortunately we managed to harvest enough olives to have them pressed and they could learn the transformation process and taste the new oil. They also helped in the house, vicki likes cleaning! Nigel and the other helper who stayed there set up a big cupboard, that was not an easy job. It is important they they always have a good supply of muesli and tea.
Host Name: Tim Wills	Host Listing: click here
Network: Europe	Date: November 9, 2013
Lifesavers, both of them. In addition to the superb Kiwi work ethic both Nigel and Vicki brought the quality we needed the most, the ability to provide solutions. Easy going and genuinely helpful they made our lives better both short and long term, helping with the daily grind and sorting out everything from posture to web design. Their experience in oarenting and dealing with teenagers was very valuable since there is no manual for this for us parents. Their connection with the whole family helped all of us get on better and has certainly improved the quality of my life enormously. Unfortunately other hosts are highly likely to offer them places and they won't be able to come back here, at least for a while. If ever they want there is always a place for them. Higly, highly recommended.
Host Name: Pauline Sear	Host Listing: click here
Network: Europe	Date: October 3, 2013
It was a joy to have Vicky and Nigel stay there., along with Alison. She is still with me and we have both said the table seems empty without them joining us to eat. They are very hard workers and did a great job painting the lobby, gardening and clearing bramble. We played games, enjoyed good conversation and I am delighted with Nigel's expertise in helping me set up a website. They were very appreciative in what I did for them. I wish them well in their exciting travels ahead and would love to welcome them back. Pauline.
Host Name: Susan Twining	Host Listing: click here
Network: Europe	Date: August 26, 2013
It was a great pleasure to host Vicki and Nigel who are perfect HelpXers They are totally trustworthy, hardworking and enthusiastic. They are excellent company and appreciative of what’s offered. They looked after my property for three weeks while I was away and I returned to find the house immaculate and in much, much better condition than when I left (as was the swimming pool). They took great care of the garden, strimmed and cleared overgrowth on the terraces. They are proactive and it is a pleasure to find things which I didn’t realise they had noticed and attended to. I am also very grateful to Vicki for setting up my Facebook group and giving me such wonderful photographs. lI look forward to their next visit. In the meantime, I thank them for the numerous ways in which they contributed to Canelli and wish them well for their journeys.
Host Name: Astrid	Host Listing: click here
Network: Europe	Date: August 19, 2013
Vicki and Nigel came on August 3rd and left on August 19th 2013. They were a great help. They painted the shed and the fence, did a lot of gardening, housekeeping/cleaning, and even did hard work like cut a tree down, fix very heavy stones and plant a espalier (kiwi) tree. I enjoyed the time with them and it was a pleasure to show them around the French part of Switzerland. We had nice talks and nice laughs. Vicki and Nigel are two very interesting people. I wish them a great time in Switzerland and all over Europe.

Reviews written for hosts (7)
for Host: 29118 written by: Vicki and Nigel	Date: September 17, 2014
Nigel and I helped Darienne for nearly six weeks in July/August 2014 and it was an unforgettable experience. Darienne is an extremely hard-working woman – in between running her English language classes and her not-for-profit English library in Lunay she has little time for keeping La Vaudouriere (her chateau and land) running. We had a wide range of tasks. Much of Nigel’s time was spent mowing the lawns with the ride-on mower or self-driving push mower, strimming, setting up and changing watering systems, cutting back brambles, repairing and cleaning the push-bikes. I cleaned and set up two rental properties for summer holiday rentals, did oodles of ironing (mainly bedding) with the fancy ironing machine, dug out a fermenting compost bin, updated website info and photos, and helped create a brochure. We both weeded and watered the gardens, sprayed weeds, planted new plants, cleaned, and installed shelving in the library. Max, Darienne’s dog, is elderly and we often helped carry him downstairs in the morning, and helped keep him and the cat, Novembre, fed and watered. The large swimming pool is covered and heated and a real treat at the end of a working day – or on a day off. Darienne has some good bikes that can be borrowed – we cycled into Lunay a couple of times, another day cycled to Troo (a troglodyte settlement which is well worth a trip) and another day to Lavardin (where Darienne had previously taken us for a brief trip by car) – the castle there is well worth visiting, and the entry fee is only 3 Euro. Another day, Darienne dropped us off at the Vendome TGV station and we enjoyed a day trip to Tours. One evening Darienne took us to Vendome to enjoy a small orchestra and choir performing in a beautiful church, and afterwards joined the performers and guests at a reception in a local friend’s home – the parents’ of one of the performers. If you don’t have a car, or are not prepared to get out on the bikes, you may find the location a bit remote – we loved the peace and the property is lovely. There are movie DVDs and plenty of books. Darienne was generous with food and wine, though we often cooked for ourselves, other helpers and for Darienne because she worked so late. Because of her heavy workload, particularly during this time, often we would only see her for brief periods each day. For this reason it’s helpful if you’re a self-starter, self-motivated, and diligent – Darienne doesn’t have time for hand-holding. If you’re capable, responsible, hard-working and will enjoy living in a remote chateau, I highly recommend helping Darienne, and she will be very grateful for everything you achieve.
for Host: 26516 written by: Vicki and Nigel	Date: August 2, 2014
We stayed with Helen for one month over June/July 2014 and had a great time. Helen is a true host – she enjoys conversation and will tell you a lot about the local region and people. We had many an interesting conversation over a long lunch or dinner – usually both! Her needs are varied as she has some health issues so the work involved gardening, cleaning, feeding the cats, sorting books, ironing, trips to the rubbish/recycling centres/airport/shops, helping around the kitchen and clearing up afterwards. Plenty of variety. While Helen is completely independent, living in a three-storey house (plus basement) is challenging and she cannot do the bigger jobs, like spring-cleaning the kitchen. Also, while having helpers in the house gets many of those bigger jobs done, it also creates extra work for Helen, so as a helper you need to be there to give a bit of extra help when needed. The village of La Chapelle-Gaudin is very small and quite rural, with several other small villages not too far away, plus a couple of towns in the area. There were good quality cycles available and the local roads are ideal for exploring. Helen also kindly let us use her right-hand-drive Land Rover for the odd trip, but I’m sure it won’t be suitable or available for every helper. The accommodation is very roomy and comfortable and in an attractive house and garden setting. Mention just has to be made of Helen’s cooking – she is truly a wonderful cook and kept providing delicious and huge meals for us every day. These were really a highlight though our waistlines are still suffering! Helen and her husband Nick – when in residence – are delightful, interesting and very generous hosts and we highly recommend staying if you enjoy good conversation and food, and are happy to be helpful, thoughtful and attentive to Helen’s needs.
for Host: 10847 written by: Vicki and Nigel	Date: November 17, 2013
We spent October 2013 living at Baronci with Marina. Baronci is quite remote as it is surrounded by forest and olive groves and the only town in walkable distance is Santa Brigida, which is not particularly attractive or interesting. If you don’t have your own car you are dependent on Marina to get out and see anything of the Tuscan countryside. Baronci is somewhat rustic but roomy with modern bathrooms and a lovely balcony. At Baronci we helped clean, re-build and preserve old furniture; prepared for the olive harvest by repairing nets and frames, pruning the trees, cleaning out a shed, and (biggest job of all) ‘cleaning’ the fields; mowed the grass; cleaned in the house; collected and cut firewood; sorted old and damaged books; made a perspex window for the balcony; towards the end of our stay we spent a few days helping with the olive harvest and helped take the first 400kg of olives to the press and tasted the oil straight from the press! The olive fields were somewhat overgrown and we found it hard work clearing the brambles, ivy and grasses from around and in the trees. We used the strimmer, loppers, secateurs and rake to ‘clean’. Two weeks after leaving Baronci our hands are still aching and stiff in the mornings. The best part about being at Baronci is Marina – she is full of fun and is very interesting (as are her two brothers who may also be in residence in their own apartments within the huge house). She speaks very good English so communication is fine for English speakers. Marina is a good cook and we were amazed that she didn’t repeat herself in the entire month, apart from a couple of dishes that we requested. We were lucky to take part in a couple of dinner parties with her Italian friends. We also joined Marina and a friend in a mushroom hunt through her forest – we later ate fungi we previously would have assumed inedible! She was also very generous in helping us celebrate our wedding anniversary and Nigel’s birthday. If you are dependent on Marina for transport (ie. you do not have your own vehicle) you have to coordinate your days off with her if you want to get into Florence or to the train station. Marina and her son Lorenzo have an apartment in Florence where it may be possible to stay. This is an amazing place and just an easy stroll to the city centre – ideal for seeing the city. On another day we took trains to Lucca, which we highly recommend. We certainly enjoyed our time with Marina and enjoyed learning from her about Florence, Tuscany, and her interesting life. The only downside was the slight isolation of Baronci (which was also a bonus because it is so peaceful!) and, for us, a few lingering aches and pains in our hands from the constant physical work.
for Host: 8723 written by: Vicki and Nigel	Date: October 15, 2013
We spent two weeks in September with Pauline at her beautiful rural home on the outskirts of San Giorgio. We weeded, strimmed and mowed the garden and lawn, cleared brambles (don’t worry – we’ve left plenty for others to follow in our footsteps!), sanded and painted a small room, and created a website. The accommodations are first rate (B&B style with our own lovely ensuite bathroom), the stunning swimming pool was refreshing on hot days, and the food was incredible and more than ample (bring loose clothes!!). We enjoyed interesting conversations around the dinner table and playing board games in the evenings. Pauline was happy to ferry us to and from the local train station on our day off when we went to Rome and we joined her on a couple of local shopping expeditions. Her delightful friend Corrado took us on a local tour to see ancient villages, a half-buried Roman villa and a castle that is definitely not on the tourist route. He also invited us to dinner a couple of times, which has been one of the highlights of our months of travelling. San Giorgio itself is not a particularly interesting village but there are many interesting ancient villages nearby, including the tantalisingly close Tarano, which dominated the view from our bedroom window. While Tarano is close enough to walk, the road is not safe for pedestrians and the alternative route (through the fields and forest) looked a bit like hard work!. We wished we had had a car so we could visit more of them!
for Host: 3074 written by: Vicki and Nigel	Date: September 23, 2013
We enjoyed three weeks with the Wills family in September 2013. Half of our time was mainly spent helping with their English language camp for Italian children – Polly Glot Ranch - where Vicki spent a week living at a local agriturismo. As Gina was working in Germany for the remaining weeks and as the children were still enjoying school holidays, there were many ways we could help Tim. Typically, work involved driving the children around, getting groceries, gardening, housework, fix-it jobs, and a bit of cooking. We also created a website to promote the family’s talents and took portrait photos. It’s a busy and boisterous household with three intelligent 14 year olds. Like their parents, Steedley, George and Hamish were interesting company. We had a lot of fun, good conversation, and the adults demolished more than a few glasses of local wine. Tim and Gina generously invited us to join them on a few evenings out, including a festa in Moresco, and dinner at local restaurants. We enjoyed meeting a few of their friends too. They kindly lent us their second car on our days off and we were able to visit some of the many interesting medieval villages in the region. The house is huge and modern, with a lovely swimming pool and glorious views. We highly recommend this as an interesting place to stay in a fascinating area as long as you’re prepared to be flexible and like teenagers. We hope to return soon!
for Host: 8693 written by: Vicki and Nigel	Date: September 5, 2013
We spent two weeks with Astrid in August 2013. Astrid has had many helpers in the past and has developed a good balance between work and “play”. She is slowly improving her house and medium-sized garden and, as she works almost full time, she needs the helpers' help for this. During our time with Astrid we helped her sort out her tools, painted the shed and some fence palings, cleaned the carport and shed roof, laid some heavy ‘crazy’ paving stones, helped mend a fence, cleaned around the house, helped make jams, felled a tree and planted a kiwi fruit vine in its place, cleared an overgrown area along the banks of the river next door, watered and weeded the garden, and mowed the lawn. These are typical of the tasks she needs doing. We both worked 20-25 hours each week. It was great for us to be able to look back over the two weeks and see the work we had done, and even better that Astrid was so happy with the results. Astrid fed us well and treated us to local Swiss meals (and chocolate and beer!). Astrid has two bicycles that helpers can use and there are many good dedicated cycle paths in the area to explore. We shared many interesting conversations and laughs together and learned quite a bit about local life. She speaks very good English, thankfully! When she was not working Astrid generously drove us around to see the towns and countryside in the area.
for Host: 8236 written by: Vicki and Nigel	Date: August 9, 2013
We spent all of July 2013 at Sue’s property near Taggia. After welcoming us and showing us the ropes, she departed on holiday for 2.5 weeks, leaving us to housesit, care for the swimming pool, water gardens and fruit trees, and occasionally feed the semi-feral cats. The weather was consistently hot (around 30C each day) so we soon settled into early afternoon siestas. In addition to the tasks above, Sue had a list of jobs that could be done, so we scrubbed and stained an outside dining table and did some extra cleaning around the house. We also did some strimming and clearing of brambles around one of the old olive terraces. We didn’t do a very good job of chasing off the wild pigs – they attacked the vege gardens several times at night! We don’t recommend bringing a car all the way up to the house – the road is very rough, narrow and steep in places – if you want proof, check out this video … http://youtu.be/hNcHO2w4Jug. Sue was very good at taking us into town and for trips around the local area. Without her car though, the walk into town is steep and takes around 40 minutes. It is hard work coming back up on a hot afternoon! In July the weather is hot which can make the work challenging, but there is usually a pleasant breeze and you can find shade under the olive trees. An early start is the key. Canelli is isolated which is wonderful if, like us, you enjoy peace and solitude. It really is paradise. It is surrounded by small olive farms and woods. On hot days the little swimming pool is a lifesaver. Internet and mobile phone access is limited to one end of the property and reception is variable, but never fast. We were happy that Sue returned from holiday a week before we departed as we got the chance to get to know her, enjoy her company and her incredible cooking! Throughout our time there we ate very, very well. She also took us on a couple of trips to visit the wonderful local villages. Canelli was our first Helpx experience and we consider ourselves to have been very lucky: we couldn’t have wished for a better host or location to stay. We would certainly recommend it and sincerely hope to be able to return in the not too distant future.

Six Months in NZ

Let’s be clear. This is a catch-up. I’m talking about the period from the end of October 2016, when we arrived back in NZ after our extended period in the UK and Europe, and our departure at the end of April 2017.
We came home expecting to settle in Nelson. But it turns out we weren’t ready to settle.
That view of the Waimakariri River, out the aircraft window, as we came in to land at Christchurch, probably tugged at my heartstrings more than the view of Christchurch.  I’d lived most of my life in Christchurch, but it was still broken to me (after the earthquakes), but the Waimak was still at the backdoor.  I’ve swum in it, thrown stones in it, crossed it innumerable times in a car, and in its a higher reaches, on foot or floating on a pack.  It’s ever changing and it’s a beauty.

The Waimak

Christchurch

Kerry and the lambs at Francine’s peony farm

We spent a few days in Christchurch, staying with the always welcoming, generous and kind Kerry and Dave – visiting a friend of Kerry’s peony farm, and new lambs, and enjoying a day out and a short walk on the Port Hills with two of our kiddies – Andrew and Izzie.

Lyttelton Harbour from the Port Hills

Nigel, Andrew & Izzie

Vicki & Andrew

Dave kindly lent us his car and we were off to Dunedin where we picked up our boxes of ‘stuff’ that we’d shipped from the UK with Gail and Janos’s things.  We managed a day trip to Lawrence with Nigel’s Mum, Nancy, where Kerry and Dave were camping in their caravan.  We also took the opportunity to check out our Dunedin rental, which had been supporting us while we’d been travelling.
Back in Christchurch we stayed with Glenn and Irene then picked up a couple of rental returns (we weren’t sure that the first would have enough space for us and our growing pile of luggage, so we got a second), and headed to Nelson, where the new luggage joined the pile in the container of goodies we’d left behind in June 2013.
We settled into Mum and Dad’s place, bought a car, and eventually moved in with my sister Julie and her partner. We were looking for jobs, but had time for some fun too.  We enjoyed a wonderful tramp up to the Maitai Caves, but weren’t equipped for going inside.  It was wonderful to be out in the New Zealand bush again. Of course, we made just one or two trips to the Sprig & Fern (pub) – just so we could tell Ann and Alain we’d been! Christmas day we did what we used to do for Christmas – a picnic at Rabbit Island.  Andrew was there too, from wherever it was he was living at the time, and, just like the old days, we wore him out and he had to have a snooze while us oldies went for a walk on the beach!  On yet another sunny day we visited Mapua and Andrew took the opportunity to join the locals jumping off the wharf.

River crossing NZ style

Nigel, Dad & Mum on the way back to the car

at the Sprig & Fern

an after-lunch kip in the sun at Rabbit Island

Dad, Mum & Nigel on the beach at Rabbit Island

on the beach at Rabbit Island

Julie, Nigel and Andrew on the wharf at Mapua

Andrew launching himself from the perfectly safe, stable and dry wharf

Survived!

In January we were lucky to have a visit from one of our wonderful Helpx hosts and friend, Pauline from Italy.  We took her up the Centre of New Zealand for the views!   One of our favourite pastimes involves coffee, cake and magazines and we’re ALWAYS on the hunt for a good cafe.  Nelson has a disproportionate number of great cafes and we did out best to check them all out.  Sublime was one of our favourites, but it was not lonely at the top of our list!

Pauline at the Centre of New Zealand

Coffee and cake at Sublime

In February we took off for a few days on the West Coast with Mum, Dad and their bikes.  We had great weather, stayed in Hokitika, and did some lovely walks and bike rides.

Hokitika Gorge

Driftwood art on Hokitika’s beach

In March I started checking online for sites where you could legally pick free fruit.  I was mainly hunting figs and we found several sites in Stoke, but the best were where we found these huge, syrupy figs.  At the end of March we again took to the bikes with Mum and Dad.  We started at the top of Spooners Rail Tunnel, Nigel and I biked down, then back up and handed the bikes over to Mum and Dad, who biked down and we met them at the bottom.  Julie was with us and walked through to the bottom.

Figs, glorious figs

Nigel & Vicki

Mum & Dad heading into Spooners Rail Tunnel

Now I’ve talked about all the fun things we did that summer, I’ll do another back-track to December. On the job front, we’d almost given up hope when I managed to get a role that sounded like fun, at a car rental place. It was horrible from the first day, but at least I was able to entertain Nigel, Julie and Tony each evening. None of us could believe that a company could be run so poorly and treat its customers so badly, and still be in business. I met some neat people along the way, some monsters (actually, just one monster, many were just rude and most of the time I couldn’t blame them), and some dedicated and hard-working staff who deserved better. I stayed for a couple of months before resigning.
Meanwhile, we were hoping Nigel would be able to get an IT job, but we found they were few and far between in Nelson and we finally realised we’d have to go elsewhere.
I started looking for house-sitting roles in New Zealand so we could test a place out while looking for jobs there. A well-timed conversation with a friend (Jennifer – thank you!) expanded our horizons and I just happened to find a perfect house-sitting opportunity in one of our favourite places.  I applied, hassled the owner a week later when he hadn’t responded, and got it!!
So, in April, we packed up again – one suitcase each and hand luggage – drove to Christchurch, where we left our car with my niece, Katherine, and her husband, Piyush.

Before long we were off, on our next adventure …..

Train Travel in India

Back in New Zealand I (Vicki) wrote a [paid for!] article for the Travelista Club website about our train travel experiences in India.  This is the article .....

After three and a half years in the UK and Europe my husband and I were returning home to New Zealand.  We timed our return so we could attend my niece’s wedding to a Punjabi man, in India.  We flew into New Delhi in mid-October, travelled north by train to Nangal Dam and at the end of several days of celebrations flew back to New Delhi and began two weeks of visiting the cities of Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur and Jodhpur, before returning to New Delhi for our flights home.
A couple of months earlier, when we’d decided to attend the wedding and shared our decision to travel around the country by train, my niece’s future husband (who was born in India and lived there until he finished high school) indicated it was a risky business and my niece said they’d used an overnight train on one of their earlier trips and she’d never do it again.  We’d made our decision based on financial and time considerations – we like to travel on a budget, and with locals, and by travelling on overnight trains we saved money on accommodation, and we simply like travelling by train.  We’d found several useful websites, some which included photos of the carriages, and they looked okay, so we continued as planned.
I really didn’t want to be arriving in a destination and spending the next few hours searching and haggling for acommodation – so, having determined our preferred itinerary we focussed on getting the train tickets online, as they can be in short supply, and then found accommodation to fit our train schedule.  I recommend you do the same – train tickets are available for sale just a few weeks before the travel date, so it’s best if you get in quick.  Some cities have more than one station, so make sure you select the correct one for the area you wish to stay.

Challenges

New Delhi

Indira Gandhi International airport is no different to most large airports.  We walked through to catch the ultra-modern, safe and clean Metro Express to the New Delhi Railway Station.  Don’t do what I did and drop your ticket – you’ll have to pay double to get out at the other end!  When you do get out of the metro station there appears to be no easy way to get across the busy road to the railway station – we walked, day packs on our backs and rolling our large bags behind us – it’s a short walk, but involves maneuvering your bags around fences, up and down short flights of steps, over curbs, across broken roads and footpaths, and dodging buses, cars and motor-rickshaws.  We did the trip twice, the second time trying to make sure we didn’t miss any signs to an under-pass, and still ended up taking the unpleasant above-ground route.
As soon as we exited the Metro we were assailed by locals asking where we were going and offering advice, cars, rickshaws, and porters.  They’re trying to make a living – be nice;  if you don’t want their services be firm; and try not to be gullible.  The latter is difficult as we naturally like to think the best of people, but even after three weeks of ‘experience’ we still got conned twice on our last day in the country!

Where are we?

Especially when travelling at night it can be very difficult to discover where you are on your journey.  We always had Google Maps downloaded to our phones, to cover the route of the journey.  However, it was rare that we could get a GPS signal, so we were left watching for signs in stations to try to track progress, while our phones told us we were still back at our departure point. If there’s a ‘next time’ I think we’ll get a local SIM card with data so we can get updates – the websites, listed below, are brilliant.

Delays

It was rare for a train to be on time – one twelve hour overnight trip had us reaching our destination five hours late.  On a couple of trips we had talkative Indians travelling with us who were happy to share their knowledge.  Another train started three hours late.  On this occasion it was especially frustrating because a friendly local driver-for-hire told us, on arriving at the station, that the train was running late, despite the departure board indicating no delays, and he kept turning up with updates of further delays.  He was always correct – the departure board usually updated about half an hour after he’d delivered his update.

The author … waiting at the station

Jaipur station

Late arrivals jumping aboard

Security

We knew to watch out for pick-pockets and thieves.  We always placed our large bags under our seats (or under the closest ones available) – they were locked at the zip, and we locked them to each other and to a seat leg for overnight trips using a long, thin cycle lock that we carried on all our travels.  Our hand luggage (small day packs), containing our valuables – laptops, backup disks, cameras, lenses, phones and passports – we ‘cuddled’ as we slept, with an arm linked through the straps.  I carried cash and credit cards in a money belt, with valuable jewellery pinned to the inside pockets.  We felt most secure on our only first-class (AC1) trip when we were lucky to be given a two-berth room to ourselves – these have a locking door.  Many trains did not offer AC1, and AC2 offered no doors – just curtains.  Having said all that, we never felt threatened or at risk once we were settled in – you’re always surrounded by other travellers, and having shared a smile and maybe a few words with them we felt welcome and safe.

Noisy neighbours

It’s past bed-time, all the lights are out, and all passengers are tucked up in bed.  That doesn’t mean that passengers getting on at subsequent stations will be considerate.  We had thought we were lucky when we went to bed in our bunks and our room-mates hadn’t arrived.  We had thought they were no-shows.  But a couple of hours later, when the train came to a halt, our four room-mates came aboard, turned on the lights, managed to shove me in the back (on the top bunk), talked at the top of their voices, and eventually went to bed, with the light on.  I turned it off and attempted to sleep. In the morning they were no less noisy, but they were friendly and happy to chat.

2AC corridor

First class 2-berth (1AC)

Bathrooms

Two-tier air-conditioned sleeper carriages (AC2) offer one European-style and one Indian-style toilet in each carriage.  While these tend to be clean at the beginning of a journey, that doesn’t last long.  On one trip I was disappointed to walk in the unlocked door of the European-style toilet to discover an elderly Indian gentleman standing up to urinate into the toilet with the seat down.  The train was moving – it was difficult enough to just to stand. Ugh!  The first-class (AC1) toilets are the same, but are cleaned more often.  Bring your own toilet paper and soap.

Bedding

Each berth has a sealed paper bag with freshly laundered top and bottom sheets and pillowcase.  They looked clean enough, however they were often so ‘freshly laundered’ that they were still damp!  We always carry a pillowcase and sleeping bag liner on our travels, and have rarely used them, but they came in useful on this trip.  We do not know how often the supplied blankets are laundered or even aired – being dark grey they looked ok, though I didn’t look too closely!  The pillows definitely look well used.

Delights

Food

I don’t usually enjoy what’s on offer as ‘Indian’ food in Western countries.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the food in India, and that includes on the trains.  We were expecting at least a touch of ‘Delhi belly’, but had no problems at all.  We didn’t drink the chai offered from urns on the trains as we didn’t trust how long the milk had been in it.  And we only had one meal prepared on a train, and it was ‘ok’.   The highlight was the meals you can order online for delivery to your seat at your chosen station.  When you pull into the station, no matter how much the trip is delayed, a man turns up with your ordered meal, it’s piping hot in a plastic, foiled covered tray, and you pay him on the spot – or you can pay online when you order.  The site asks that you don’t tip the ‘delivery boy’.  We always tried to have the correct money available, but the once when we did not, the delivery man didn’t bat an eyelid and immediately handed over the correct change.  The food was always superb!  Note that not all stations offer food delivered in this way and you may need to search using various online sites as they seem to use different restaurants to fulfill the orders.

Dinner – courtesy of TravelKhana

Travelling by train

There are pros and cons to travelling by train.  Compared to a car, you can’t stop and you can’t take a short detour if you feel like it.  But you can get up and wander around. You’re sitting higher than a car, if not a bus, so your view is improved – and on Indian trains you can pull the door open, if it’s not already open, and enjoy a better view, though not without risk!  Despite the occasionally accident where hundreds of people might be injured or killed, I felt safer than I ever did travelling by car in India.

Success

We have friends who actually enjoyed the Indian train experience – and I know they were not referring to the absolute-luxury trips that are available, for a price.  I can’t help but wonder how they enjoyed it, or if perhaps their memories have faded over time.  I’m pleased I’ve had the experience – I did the research and found the wonderful websites that made it achievable; and we did it despite a local recommending that we reconsider.  It added a level of challenge outside my comfort-zone and we were successful.  But, I didn’t enjoy it and if I had the funds to travel more comfortably and reliably, I wouldn’t choose to do it again.

Useful websites

seat61.com – the most useful resource I found for Indian train travel beginners
cleartrip.com – this site is easier to use for your bookings than the official site, below
indianrail.gov.in – the Indian government’s official rail site. Other than it being a bit complicated to navigate, it’s a busy site and is often unavailable. However, don’t miss the train mapping page, to find your train’s location.
erail.in – a privately run alternative to the official site
indiarailinfo.com – another privately run site.  Encourages traveller participation.
travelkhana.com – Meal order and delivery to your seat.  Easy process and excellent food.
irctc.co.in – an official site, with a focus on catering and tourism.  See ecatering.irctc.co.in

It took me a lot of time to find the above sites – there are a lot of others that I eventually discarded. I do hope you’ll find my article helpful when planning your train travel in India.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur market and fort

Another tale of train woe to start this trip. It was supposed to be a short morning ride from Jaipur with an opportunity to see some countryside in the daylight and still have half a day to look around Jodhpur. Of course the Indian train world rarely goes to plan and, after checking just how late the train was expected to be, we arrived a couple of hours late to the station. A couple of hours more and we were finally on the train and moving and we arrived only about 5 hours late. So much for looking around Jodhpur that day.

Passengers jumping onto the moving train

Colourful

Anyway, Jodhpur turned out to be probably our best stop. It is much smaller (less than 2 million) and feels a little less hectic except around the main bazaar areas. The old part of the city has many houses painted blue as this used to signify the houses of the Brahmins (the top caste), though now anyone can paint their house blue or any other colour. Within the city area there are two major attractions, the first being the last grand palace built in India (in the early 20^th Century). The 300+ rooms are occupied by the Maharajah of Jodhpur and his family plus a 5-star hotel, so without paying the $US600+ a night fee it isn’t easy to see inside. Luckily the other attraction, the Mehrangarh Fort makes up for everything. It stands at the top of the old town looking very impressive and is the best I have seen in India.

Umaid Bhawan Palace

Before we got there though we visited the textile warehouse that I mistakenly referred to in the last post as being in Jaipur! When you’re moving to new locations every other day it is easy to lose track …

We had ample opportunities to purchase clothes, spices, bangles and rubber ends for chair legs from the incredibly hectic market. So colourful and loud but a nightmare to navigate with stalls everywhere, half the city’s population, and all sorts of traffic competing for the roadway.

 

On with the Mehrangarh fort.  Built in the 15^th Century it was never conquered and that is not surprising given the massive walls and position on top a ridge above the city. The usual collection of courtyards and decorated rooms along with a huge collection of cannons on the walls. There were plenty of local Rajasthanis with their traditional moustaches dressed in traditional garb awaiting photo opportunities, for a price. Interesting was watching one demonstrate tying his turban. They must be 30m long and require a companion to hold one end while he slowly wraps it around his head. Once it is all tucked in the turban can be taken off and put back on again just like a hat.

in the armoury

turban wrapping

Jaswant Thada - final resting
place of the Maharajahs

After leaving the Fort refreshed we walked along the ridgeline (turning down numerous offers from tuk-tuk drivers) to a marble cenotaph – a beautiful building where the various Maharajas of Jodhpur are buried. Well, at least some of them as inside as paintings (presumably not the originals) of each of the Maharajas dating back to 1250. A serious amount of history.