Shillon Bagh (Shimla) From Delhi

26TH Sep 09: We(Four of us) boarded the Chennai - Delhi Garib Rath in fact its really Garib Rath(Literally meaning poor peoples chariot, so called no frills Rajdhani), the start was adventurous as our tickets were in RAC we were allocated the coach number at the last moment and it happen to be GD1 the coach meant for physical challenged as this coach is part of the generator boggy and all coaches number start with G1, G2 so on we were not able to find the coach and one my friend checked out on internet on his mobile it showed waiting list and I was almost about to loose my cool on him how can RAC be WL and I suggested him another site where in it reflected the coach number and surprisingly we were standing just before the coach, I did ask few of the railway staff but may be because of the noise created by the generator either they or I was not able to hear any how it was great relief now the concern was how do we travel in this noisy coach, surprisingly inside was quite calm and over and above all its like Second AC otherwise the train lacks space very cramped.
Now came the most funniest part the coach air-conditioned leaked and after some time it was like constant drizzle and when we asked the railway staff traveling with us he said this is the way this coach is and only when onwards journey that is from Chennai to Delhi the seats in this coach get booked while returning from Delhi to Chennai its not any how we some how managed and some times it stopped and started again.
There is no pantry car attached though there are vendors, food is ok can be managed with and some place in AP you can really get some great vada and chutney the stuff is really good.
Any how the day went on I hardly got any sleep as the last coach sakes and jolts more.

27th Sep 09: Our train was late by an hour when we reached Agra, other funny part was when my friends were taken by surprise when they saw people taking bath on platform and shaving and by the way all the others, other than me were traveling for first time to North India.
We reached Agra around 9am and on station we met our friend who had traveled all the way from Bangalore where he had gone for training on Friday night by taking a hopping flight to Delhi via Bombay and early morning train to Agra from New Delhi station.
We had made our stay arrangement in a Hotel quite near to Agra railway station called Hotel Ranjit okay okay kind of hotel as we required the place only to freshen up as we checked out by the evening.
We put our luggages in a rickshaw from Agra Station to Ranjit hotel to our surprise the rickshaw puller charged just 20 bucks far from fleecing Chennai Auto-rickshaw drivers who would have tried making fortune from us, which is only thing we are use to.
Breakfast was done in the hotel some good Aloo Parathas with curd again to our surprise people having bread pakoda, samosa & kachori for breakfast we simply can’t imagine this kind of stuff for breakfast.
Just before our hotel we met Raja or so if I am not wrong with his name auto driver who was ready to drop us to Taj for just 50 bucks all five of us that too in a auto with Vasanth the fat guy and we didn’t bargain we couldn’t have imagine something like this in Chennai so we were more than happy any how Raja turned out to be more than a auto driver he was almost a guide to city for just 200 bucks and which we happy oblige he took us to Taj got our entry tickets, took us to Agra fort than took us to place where we had some good lunch with beer of course the glasses were wrapped in tissue papers and it was a family restaurant seems like Raja had some contacts and even if we paid more we were okay with that, finally around 4 or so Raja dropped us in the hotel and we paid him 250 instead of 200 even after knowing he had cut in restaurant and souvenir shop the guy was far-far better than any auto driver we had encounter in Chennai.
I had hardly an hours sleep I was awake by around 6pm and had to awake every one as we had to board Delhi bound Shatabdi which departs by 8:30 pm, all of us were out by 7:45 pm and reached station by 8pm here came the nasty shock Agra railway station is plagued with beggars harassing tourist especially the western tourist, as an Indian I felt embarrassed to see this, why cant a small portion of Incredible India campaign money be spent here and things made better rather than just beating the drum of Incredible India and the platform lack basic amenities too, hope some day things change and are better.
Now came the best part the platform was changed from 2nd to 3rd anyhow both are either side of same platform so was okay.
There was a group of senior western tourist who were traveling in a cruise ship and had anchored in Kerela and flow to see Taj, Agra to Delhi Shatabdi takes 2 hours and to our shock the engine hit a cow near Tuglagabad and we were delayed by more than 2 hours, it was harrowing. The catering in this Shatabdi is poor the server looks like his not taken baths for days and food too is not good.

28th Sep 09: Finally around 12:30 we were in New Delhi station where our taxi driver was waiting, the Toyota Innova looked bit battered driver to looked bit shabby any how my friend had made the arrangements and had assured me about the driver and the car, any how during conversation I came to know he had hardly slept and just come from Solan, but he was very sure that he can driver without sleeping for 48 hours I was not sure any how I occupied the seat next to the driver and engaged him in some conversations he too kept on tuning to some FM station as we passed town and villages in Haryana, we had a stop in some where near Karnal, driver had some tea and here to our utter surprise liquor shop were open like 24 hours we couldn’t believe that too next the highway.
Around 3:30 I started feeling very sleepy I asked Prasanna to be in my seat other three were having a good sleep especially Aravind, Vasanth and to a extent Prabhu too.
The taxi driver to avoid paying entry tax for the state of Punjab took some interior road which did not required him to entry Punjab, but he was not sure of the route and got lost and early in the morning it was not easy finding some one to help, any how the paddy fields with morning mist looked very picturesque.
Anyhow the way was discovered and we reached Kalka, paid the Himachal Entry tax it took like 20 minutes, well our driver was not very well aware about the route to Shillon so went through Shimla which takes longer time compared to the route from Chail any how around 11 we were in the Shillon Resort. The place is really beautiful and the view from the room is panoramic and we had a duplex cottage had breakfast and I slept to wake up for lunch which Prabhu & Vasanth got it from Kufri Bawa Café as the charges of lunch in the resort were exorbitant, we had complimentary breakfast and dinner part of our package. The gang had started to booze and continued after lunch too, VAT 69 was too tempting for us as I too had some but Prabhu went overboard and was like having dinner and booze for like 4 hours and the effect were to be seen. In the mean while got called from the reception that Ravana’s effigy was to be burnt, we went there and it was more like an effigy what is burnt during street protest, any how we made a camp fire of it and it felt great in the cool evening.
Went back to room by now the VAT 69 started working on Prabhu and he was totally splashed, the funny part was he was holding the mobile to his ear and sleeping and he was totally unaware of it, we had taken the photograph too but he was smart enough to delete it.
As Prabhu was in deep sleep four of us went had dinner, food was good, came back after dinner went to the balcony could feel the cool breeze and as the moon was out could see the mountains too, I simply loved it, that moment I thought “I just be here forever” Prasanna came and interrupted, he too was there for some time than, left to sleep, I played Badalon Main Chup Raha Hain Chand Kyon - Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee in my I-Pod and in fact could see the moon going behind cloud cover and coming out, I wont forget this experience in my life it was so surreal and some VAT 69 helped it, I loved it sitting alone in the balcony glaring at the stars and moon, the mountains just wanted the moment to last for ever any how after some time I too went for sleep.

29th Sep 09

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