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Published: April 30th 2006
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The narrow-gauge railroad or 'toy train' from Shimla at 2000m down to Kalka on the plains of Punjab is 98 km long and has 103 tunnels and hundreds of bridges. The seven car train takes over five hours to complete the trip as it twists and turns through terraced fields, green forests and small towns. Sometimes we could look out the car window down the mountain and see two more lines of track as the line would switch back on itself to achieve the dramatic change in altitude in such a short distance. This marvel of engineering was completed in the early 20th century and allowed the whole government of India to comfortably move from Calcutta and Delhi to a cooler climate during the heat of summer.
Our car was only half full with both Indian and western tourists. Anybody in a hurry took the bus or drove. The speed was perfect for us as we had some time to kill before returning to Delhi.
We found a resort with a swimming pool at the edge of the mountains in view of the hot plains. Our room had a balcony that looked west where we thought we could share a beer
and watch the sunsets in the evenings but we soon realized that, although the balcony was attached to the room and was part of the room description, it really belonged to the herd of monkeys that ranged over the resort grounds staying one jump ahead of the staff. Like an endless cricket game between two good teams, there was never a clear winner in the competition between monkeys and people. Yes, the monkeys were evicted (temporarily) from, say, the deck around the pool, but they managed to eat most of the flowers before leaving.
The resort is perched on the edge of a steep mountain that plunged some 400m down to a riverbed and then rose up 1500m on the other side. One morning we woke up to see a squadron of eagles cruising up the valley about eye level. Their wings were white except for the black tips and leading edges. The resort is actually in two parts as there was a cable car across the valley to the top of the mountain on the other side. The 200 rupee (C$5) ride took us up to the top where we walked around and snapped photos of the views of
the terraced fields below.
We had the pool mostly to ourselves as the Indian tourists aren't that interested in swimming. There is no acceptable swimming attire for women other than a sari - so it's easy to figure out why the women don't want to swim. We lazed about the pool and went for walks in through the hills and terraced fields for four days.
We caught the 6:00am Shatabdi Express from Kaulka to Delhi. It was a pleasure to feel the heat of the plains after three weeks in the mountains. The grain was ripe and small bands of harvesters were shearing, bundling and stooking the sheaves. We read in the paper that mechanized grain harvesting had led to such a shortage of straw that some farmers couldn't keep cattle any more because there was no bedding. So, hand harvesting of grain, which employs more people, was making a comeback because the leftover straw could be sold for a good profit.
Arriving in Delhi felt like coming home. We took a taxi to the Master Paying Guest House in the quiet suburb of New Rajindar Nagar and got a warm welcome from our hosts. Our rooftop room and screened
sitting area was an oasis of calm as we organized our belongings and packed for the flight home.
We had promised ourselves another trip to Old Delhi and Karim's Restaurant - a carnivore's delight across from the famous Jamma Mashid Mosque. We decided to take the subway and then a bicycle rickshaw through the teeming narrow streets of Old Delhi. The streets of Old Delhi are not for the faint of heart during the day let alone at night when the smaller streets look just like the proverbial 'dark alley'. However, we felt reasonably safe on the bicycle rickshaw and were depending on the driver to know where we were going because we were lost. The wider streets were so crowded with people who, like us, were thinking of supper. Huge woks of hot bubbling oil were cooking delicious looking joints of chicken, puffy puris, crisp samosas and pakoras. The sweet shops were jammed. Groups of beggars crouched patiently next to street vendors waiting for something to come their way. The noise and exuberance on the street was infectious and we looked at each other and realized that this was really India and perhaps our last look at it.
We
had tender ribs of mutton, which is what Indians call goat, dal, spicy vegetables and the fluffiest fresh hot nan of the whole trip. We couldn't leave without trying the rice pudding which came in its own disposable unfired red clay bowl.
The crowd seemed thicker than usual as we left the restaurant and headed up for a quick view of the mosque. There was a TV crew on the street and, on the vast entrance steps of the mosque, a large crowd of white-clad men chanting. We decided to beat a hasty retreat as this was no place for women or westerners. We took the subway back and, near our guesthouse, found a telephone where Darla called her mother who told her she had just seen footage on TV about a bomb that had exploded in the Jamma Mashid Mosque in Delhi. We had planned to visit the mosque earlier that day but had changed our minds. No one was seriously injured in the blast but it was a close enough call for us to make us count our blessings again like we had been doing for the whole trip.
The next day we packed for our long trip
home that evening. We were glad to go as we had been away a long time. Our time in India gave us a new perspective on life in the west, in Canada and in Prince Edward Island. We realized just how lucky we were to live in such a safe place where there is an opportunity for anyone to reach whatever level they want. In a moment of truth, we decided we will never again complain about:
bad roads
other people's driving habits
dirt
politics and corruption
heat
flies
excrement on the streets (dog, cow, buffalo, camel or elephant)
open sewers
offensive smells
minor inconveniences
each other
life in general
We have been home for a couple of weeks now and the jet lag and culture shock is wearing off. We feel privileged to have had such a great adventure and we feel we have a new, more positive, lease on life.
The blog was fun to write and we want to thank all the faithfull readers for sticking with us. We are trying to edit the 7000 photos we took down to a more reasonable number. We look forward to seeing and hearing from everybody.
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