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The gentle vibration of my phone woke me up quite early in the morning. It was quite dim in the carriage and I could hear a few snores from somewhere down the aisle. I looked at my watch it was 4 am. I had woken up early to get myself a good seat in the dome car. I wanted to catch the sunrise with the best possible view possible. Another advantage of waking up early is the unencumbered use of the washrooms.
As it was winter sunrise was around 8 am. At 4 in the morning it was still night. I knew it was too early but my excitement made any more sleep impossible. As I walked to the rear of my carriage into the next one I could see people trying out various ways to make their sleep on the seats as comfortable as possible. Some were using bags as props, some curled up on base of the seats, some just slept as rigid as a statue. I entered the deserted dome car and grabbed a seat. The night views from the dome cars were surreal. Everything was pitch black which was only broken whenever we passed by some town. The lights of far away sparkled in the black of the night. On places where lights were shining they illuminated the surfaces covered with snow. Of all the things I loved looking at solitary streetlamps. They were like a beacon in the night. A small space of light around darkness.
Somewhere around 5 am the train came to a halt at a small station called Nakina. It was the most surreal railway stop in my life. As I looked from my window all I could make out of the station was a small building displaying the name Nakina. I could only see the walls of the structure and not the roof as the lights were only beneath the roof. The whole ground around was covered in snow shining under the illumination. I snapped a few pics. The train soon resumed its journey leaving the quaint station behind.
Soon it was sunrise but nothing changed in the way of landscape views. Everything in sight was covered in snow. At around 1130 am we stopped at Sioux Lookout. Again the smokers heaved a sigh of relief when the conductor mentioned about the stop. It was around minus 15 degrees outside (in Celsius).I wandered around a bit here. The day was dark and cold. Many passengers got down and strolled around the station. The smokers had by now formed a group and were smoking together. The locomotive staff got busy in refueling. As for me I just wandered around aimlessly looking at the locomotives for some time and then walking along the length of the train in the snow. All around me was white snow. Everywhere! Soon it was time to go.
Afternoon passed without any event. Had another veg burger in the pantry and just spent my time reading a book or tracing our journey on a map that I had bought with me. The next major stop was to be in Winnipeg and till then I had of plenty of time to just while away.
It was around 1930 Hrs when the train slowly pulled inside the Winnipeg Station. We were ahead of schedule and the conductor made a quick announcement that the Train will depart at the scheduled departure time which was at 2200 Hrs and we are free to roam around the station. I gathered my jacket, gloves and beanie and was ready for a quick and short venture into the city.
Having gotten down from the train I quickly made my way inside the station. Winnipeg was an important point in the transcontinental railway. This city was used as a base for westward advancement. Its central hall was a huge, cathedral like in its size and feel. I looked around here a bit taking in the size and when satisfied made my way towards the exit. As I approached the glass doors I readied myself for the minus 18 degrees Celsius temperature outside. I gingerly stepped outside and looked around. There were only 3 people at the front. All of them from our train. Two guys just joking around and one lady intently looking at her phone. All around everything else was still. Directly in front of the station runs a road parallel to the length of the building. There was light traffic now. Mounds of snow still clogged the edges of the roads and the side walks. Surprisingly the cold did not bother me much. Must be because of the proper gear I thought to myself as I started walking along the road. My plan was to reach an Indian restaurant nearby. Google maps showed it to be within walking distance. I walked along the snow covered sidewalks now and then glancing behind by back as I was a bit spooked by the empty streets and general feeling of desolation. I felt like I was in one of those video games where there is everything; tall buildings, cars parked, shops and bright street lamps but you know none of those things has life behind them. Most of all this reminded me of the video game Max Payne. The night, the snow and white street lamps. All of it.
With these thoughts swirling in my mind I followed the Gmaps directions and finally reached the restaurant. It looked decent. There were a couple of families inside but apart from them it was relatively empty. I spotted an empty corner side table and made my way over to it. Here followed one of my most hilarious restaurant experiences ever. I ordered Kabuli pulao and it arrived a good 20 mins later. It looked good so I hurriedly took my fork and picked up a piece. Or at least tried to. The lamb piece was rock solid. No amount of pressure could pierce it. After failing multiple times, I looked around, made sure no one was watching, picked up a knife and with all my force pressed into the piece. To my horror the piece of lamb jumped high into the air taking along a fistful of rice with it and fell on the adjacent empty table. I was mortified. I hate attracting attention to myself. And most certainly not in this way. I again looked around and to my immense relief found out that no one was watching. I sneakily got up, picked up the runaway piece with a tissue, wrapped it in the same tissue paper and put it on my table away from my plate. For a third time I looked around to make sure no one was witness to this rescue mission. Thankfully nobody was. The families were busy among themselves. I then signaled the waiter and told her I mistakenly dropped some food. And also how the lamb was not fit for human consumption. She offered compensation. I politely declined telling her I had a train to catch and just be careful for the next customer. She however offered me a 20% discount which I took. With this out of the ordinary exchange I hurried away from the restaurant as fast as I can. With nothing else to do I made my way back to the Railway Station. This time I took a different route for a bit more exploration. I met the two guys I mentioned before and we got back together. On reaching the station I looked around a few infographics on display in the waiting hall. Also I met another passenger called Paul. We chatted for while about the journey so far and the journey ahead. Paul was a regular partner during the rest of the journey.
The train departed from Winnipeg at 2200 Hrs sharp. I had nothing much to do now. Dinner was done. Next day morning was an important as we would be entering the Canadian prairies section. I wanted to see the flatlands of the Canadian prairies as the sun rose from its slumber. So making myself comfortable with adjustments on those two seats I drifted off to sleep as the train rattled away into the night.
For those of you who don't like to read heres a video of the whole trip.
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