Monday, January 22, 2007

Choo-choo!

Ooh, I'm getting positively giddy now. I was reading a post on a message board about someone worrying about flying after IVF transfer. Pshawww, I thought, who needs to worry about that?

And then I did worry.

Not in any grand sense, but flying is tedious at the best of times, and I don't think it'll be exactly fun to fly back after my out-of-state cycle, worrying about embryos. And stressing about getting back to work. So I was mulling, and suddenly the idea of taking the train back came to me. And I thought, bah, I bet with the crappy public transport in this country it will be impossible to take the train.

So I checked.

And there's a train! In fact, there are two a day. Direct from Big City in which Big New Clinic is located, all the way to little old My Home City, wot is where I live and all. One of the trains takes 25.5 hours, and the other takes 29 hours. But they have cute little sleeper compartments, with their own toilets and sinks. And beds! And dining service and all meals included. And all of a sudden I could see myself with a mess of books and magazines lolling in my seat while the countryside rolls by. Relaxing on the train.

Now, we're not talking cheap, exactly, although it's less money for a private sleeper compartment than I thought - about $450 in total for the one-way trip. But, you know, once you consider blowing $20k on one cycle, little trifles like the cost of the train which would normally give me apoplexy suddenly seem so minor. And we're not talking speedy here. But I like trains. I have done several of the world's classic long train journeys. Ahh, the Nullabor. Ahhh, Siberia. Ahh, Rocky Mountain high. Like, several days worth of train travel in one go type journeys. And I'm a nerd, OK, but I like trains.

So, if I can swing it, I might just take the train home from my next IVF cycle, and then, all of a sudden, just like that, it'll be a little adventure for me. Giddy, here I come.

Choo-choo!

3 comments:

katty said...

Ooooh. I liike the idea of an adventure. I like trains too.
just to check: will you have to share with a stranger for that price. It might be worth finding out first (in case you get Mr/Ms snorer).
But otherwise: a bag full of delicious snacks, some magazines. And away you go.
PS I really can't believe that flying is the make or break factor for a succesful IVF. So don't worry about it too much...

Solitaire said...

No, no sharing! You pay one price for the ticket, then one price for the "bedroom". So the $450 is one ticket and one bedroom. All mine!

And I know it's not the make or break factor - many many people have flown home and been successful. And I may still fly home depending on timing and whether I can even book the train ticket. But, you know, it'd be different. An adventure would be nice.

Calliope said...

I LOOOOOOOVE taking the train. I used to take it from NYC to bama all the time. It was 23 hours, but lots of fun. The sleepers are very compact but comfy. I always felt very posh and character in a novel-ish.
The train is a brilliant idea. Well done.
xo