LAHORE
RAILWAY STATION, Pakistan (Contributed
by Robin Dijksterhuis)
"November 1991, an 8 hour middle of the night transit stop. Can't
leave the place because they keep the passports of all transit passengers
(and give a real good impression of having lost it when you need to have
it back). Can't sleep because it is freezing cold, and no closed or heated
areas. Can't eat because there's nothing to buy. When you go to the toilet
and they ask you a small admission fee to keep it clean, you expect (the
only open toilet) it to be clean. Well... I don't think it is paint they
used to give the walls some kind of camouflage color. And I wanted to
thank God on my knees that I was blessed with a strong bladder, but one
look on the urine soaked floor kept me from doing that. So instead of
falling to my knees I wanted to look upward to heaven, well... I don't
know how they get it on the toilet ceiling, but they did. So, I decided
not to pray altogether and just wished that I never ever have to stop over
in this Godforsaken place again."