Shimla + Amritsar

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Hello

Well we have now come to the end of our travels with Sue and Ginny who have left us to fly home. Later today we are getting out 17 hour overnight train to Mumbai where we'll stay for a couple of days and then fly back on Saturday!!!!

After Jaipur we started travelling using the Railways, our first experience of the railways was really good in a nice air conditioned spacious carriage from Delhi to Kalka. At Kalka we had then planned to get the "Toy Train" up through the mountains to Shimla, (the town where the British government escaped to every Summer to aviod the heat!!) However the train was fully booked and crammed full to the point where we had no chance so instead we had a scenic drive in an "Ambassador" Taxi!!! Shimla was a lovely town, very British which was really strange - cobbled streets, town halls, and big squares!! We visited the Viceroys lodge which is where the British stayed and it was really odd to be in an English country house in India - sort of right but wrong at the same time.

We managed to book the train for going back down to Kalka and after walking along the railway tracks to find the station we found our lovely hard wooden seats and spent the next 4 1/2 hours going through 103 tunnels going under 600ish bridges and around over 600 sharp corners!!! It was very pretty and we had good fun waving at everyone in the other carriages and constantly saying that it really didn't look like India!!!

Kalka home was very interesting we were in normal class seats!!! At one station we stopped at hundereds of people charged in the doors to the point when so many people were trying to get in they were all blocked in the doors and everyone was pushing shoving shouting but eventually we all fitted in. The next bit of excitement was when the police (carrying rifels) brought in a prisoner chained to their wrists and just kicked everyone out of there seats and sat there merrily guns on laps pointing at us for about an hour!!! Then someone stole someone's phone and jumped off the train whilst it was moving. And thats without the constant staring from all the men that Anastasia eventually lost it with and embrassaed infront of the whole carriage!!!! We love India!!! The whole journey took 12 1/2 hours we were very hot and sweaty by the time we got home!!!!

We then had to train to Amristsar which was quite mild in comparason, we had some good conversations with people and after 8 hours arrived again very hot and sweaty in Amritsar. We vistied the Golden Temple which was fantastic. So many people there it was unbelieveable (we'd also hit a weekend). We also went to a Hindu temple that was huge and you had to crawl to bits and wade through water - very strange. We then headed to Jallanwala Bagh whcih was where the British killed loads of Indian protesters when they wanted independence - not good - but it is now a lovely garden.

Back in Delhi we went to an IPL (Indian Premier League) Cricket match which was very exciting - unfortunately we lost but it was all down to the last 4 balls so it was great. There were so many people there and everyone was very excited!!! As always we were the forigners there appart from the cheerleaders and half the players!!!

Back on Saturday

Lots of Love

Roseanna and Anastasia

xxxx

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Comments

[Patricia]

Sounds fab
Sounds fab.