American travel vlogger Nick Maddock’s Indian adventure took an unexpected turn when he landed in the hospital with a severe respiratory infection, blaming a 15-hour sleeper-class train journey and a week spent in Varanasi. Maddock, a seasoned traveller with eight years of global exploration documented on Instagram, described the train ride as “harrowing.”
In videos posted on Instagram, a masked Maddock, receiving oxygen, shared his ordeal. He speculated, “I’m actually not sure if it was the 15 hours train or the one week of breathing in dead bodies in Varanasi, but either way these lungs are toast.” While he didn’t specify the train route or date, he emphasized the 15 hours spent in a sleeper coach and showcased a video of a train toilet in poor condition.
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A dramatic text overlay added, “He doesn’t know it yet but 72 hours from now, he will be in the hospital for a severe respiratory infection.”
Maddock’s post sparked mixed reactions. Some users challenged his claims, arguing they had never experienced health issues after traveling on Indian trains, labeling it a “first world problem.” Others questioned his portrayal of Varanasi as a city of burning bodies, pointing out that such scenes are specific to the Manikarnika Ghat cremation ground. One user sarcastically commented about the doctors’ apparent ability to diagnose respiratory issues stemming specifically from a train journey.
“We never got this issue!! Its first world problems!!” Another user wrote, “Somehow he also found doctors who could diagnose that the respiratory issues were due to a train journey .. hope they narrowed it down to seat and train number also,” one user commented.
“Only in Manikarnika ghat would you be able to see dead bodies being burnt because it’s a cremation ground. I am not sure if you have any lung issues but why would you paint entire Varanasi as a city of burning dead bodies,” another user wrote.
