“This is it,” I thought to myself as I stepped through the customs at Changi International Airport after waving goodbye to my teary-eyed family and friends. Backpacking isn’t common in Singapore, not to mention alone. It was a blasphemous decision to everyone I knew. When I belted up on the plane and felt the familiar vibrations of a take-off, I thought, “Fuck, this is it. THIS-IS-IT. There’s no turning back now.”

Transit at Amsterdam. They wanted to check my hotel reservations, I left everything in my check-in luggage – a 60 litre backpack I named Mr Tatonka. Lucky I had my iPod Touch on me with my e-mail receipts stored, they let me through. It was cold and quiet in Schipol Airport. My cheery yellow cotton shawl did little to save me in T-shirt and jeans during the 2-hour transit. Time crawled.

Finally, Paris, Charles De Gaulle (CDG). A smile peeked through the gloom as I stepped out of the airport. Paris probably has one of the most complicated train system by far. Doesn’t help that I don’t speak French. I took my first train to Gare Paris-Bercy where my next train heads to Rome in the evening. Noted that EUR to SGD was 1.898 and I donated more than I should dropping what I thought were shillings to a not-very-friendly man playing an accordion.

Paris - Bercy

First meal, Bercy Cafe on 118 Rue De Bercy where I ordered one of the set menus at 18.30 Euros. I vaguely recall reading filet on the menu which I mistook for fillet. Slightly surprised when I received steak instead of fish but I kept quiet.

Pate de Campagne

Formule E/P

Time: 1248hours. My initial plan was to explore Paris for a bit before the night train to Rome but the complexity of the Paris subway threw me off, even though there was absolutely nothing to see around Gare de Lyon. I didn’t know how to get to Champs Elysee or know how long it’d take me. Being the virgin backpacker I was, I have to admit that I was afraid of hiccups.

Gare de Lyon

This is the waiting area on the second level of Gare de Lyon. Now that I look at the Eurail timetable again, I realised there are only morning trains and night trains. There wasn’t a single passenger except me for a long time until a man arrived and slept across a couple of seats. Five more hours to go. The silence, the emptiness, the waiting and the loneliness was driving me crazy! With my backpack strapped to one of my arms, I set my alarm clock and tried to sleep. It got colder, I pulled over another sweater and continued to force myself to sleep.

Soup machine

More and more people gathered at the train station as I drifted in and out of sleep. I think I drank two cups of tomato soup from this vending machine in between. I followed the crowd due for Roma Termini at 1859 to the trains and got out of the station, it was so much colder outside and a wind was blowing. As much as I’m afraid of the cold, I like it and it got me all excited.

I shared the cabin with a quaint, old Italian lady whose name is Emi, if I recall correctly. I cannot remember her age, probably 70. I remember that she loves cats and she’s got adorable grandchildren, whose photos she showed to me on her mobile phone. Emi was full of vigour for her age and she stole quite a few cigarette breaks during our ride to Rome. She couldn’t speak English and I didn’t understand Italian so our conversations didn’t get us very far. She taught me to be careful and locked the cabin before we went to bed.

Non Smoker T3 Lady Upper

Emi

Sleeping on the upper bunk, there wasn’t any space for me to sit upright. It was dark outside. I was supposed to arrive at 0950 but the train was retardo (delayed). I got hungry. That meal at Paris Bercy was the only meal I had 24 hours ago. I didn’t buy dinner on the train when they offered because it was like 25 Euros and I thought no way am I gonna pay that sorta money for train food. I nibbled on my only pack of crackers that my sis insisted I bring for the trip and washed it down with the complimentary sparkling water. I don’t think breakfast was on the menu but they served us coffee and buns. I gobbled them up.

Breakfast for Emi and I

After about 20 hours on the train and hours of forced sleep, I finally got to Rome.

Someone came to pick Emi at the station, I think it was her son. I wonder how she’s doing now.

Non Smoker T3 Lady Upper