Delhi to Shimla

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Delhi to Shimla
The flight from Bangkok took about four and a half hours but as Delhi is an hour and a half behind we arrived at 8.30. Delhi was very organised but while waiting for luggage I went to the loo, I was greeted with a 'hello Madam' and when I came out, arm in sling they helped me wash my hands, turning on taps offering towels I thought that was lovely. We were soon through and met by a rep from Travelbag or Cox and Kings. We were driven through Delhi, quite a pleasant warmth about 20 but it was dark and you can't quite see what it's like, although it looked surprisingly clean. We arrived at a swanky hotel but had a small room oh well it's only for a night.We had to repack so that we only took a small bag each on the train to Shimla, which we would be getting around seven so another early night for us, although it took ages to repack and we finally got to bed at midnight.We had breakfast which was good and we were picked up and taken to the station around 7. The traffic got worse as we reached the station and it was a lively atmosphere, glad we were being taken there. The porters are dressed in red but we didn't need any. Our seats were next to a cracked window which was cleaned on the outside as we sat there. Newspapers were here and tea and coffee were served. A few minutes later another breakfast arrived and then more tea on offer. Then the questionnaire about the service! The train went through very flat land, lots being countryside and the occasional town, some of the buildings looked very run down with rubbish littering the streets. We expected this in the more rural parts of India and were not surprised. This is a country of extreme wealth and extreme poverty, a real land of contrasts. We arrived at Kalka after a three hour journey and walked up the platform where our train for Shimla was waiting. This was a small gauge railway with narrow carriages that must have been at least 70years old. Pretty cramped for a five hour journey but we settled in to our seats opposite an old Brit who was visiting India watching the cricket. Interesting old geezer but he would not stop talking, mainly about himself. He admitted that this was a fault of his, a kind act would have been a bullet (only joking) he was quite entertaining. The fare to Shimla was only £2-00each but did not include a lunch, instead we bought a veggie curry from a vendor and tucked in. The scenery up the mountains was outstanding, the train lumbered on at around 16 kilometres an hour so plenty of photo opportunities. The route included 680 bridges and nearly as many tunnels, a great feat of engineering by the Brits in the early 1900's. As we climbed the vegetation changed and the air temperature got cooler, plenty of pine trees , snow on the peaks to the east giving an alpine feel to the scenery. The train made several stops where the locals got on and off and eventually we arrived at our destination on time at 5.20pm, not bad for two quid eh? Shimla looked interesting built on a steep mountainside, originally for the Brits to escape the heat of the plains in the summer. Eventually the government decided to rule India from Shimla for six months of the year, moving to Delhi for the rest of the year. We were met by yet another rep and taxi driver and taken to our hotel just on the outskirts of the town centre. In a really pretty location and they try to please but! Our room was very large with lovely views what more can you ask?, curtains that close, a sink with a plug, a toilet seat that fits, a fridge that works shall I go on? Towels that are white not grey well maybe that's a bit picky. We had a lovely veggie curry in the hotel and then Steve fell asleep because he had drunk about a pint or two of beer. It was very cold but I also managed to get some sleep in this huge bed snuggling up it must have been about two degrees!

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Photos

Bangkok airport
Year of the snake