11 India

Day 12 – Toy Train

Another early start today, but I was up before the alarm which was set for 0420.

When Rafeeq handed out our seat numbers on the train, he also gave us some small bags which had nice scarves inside. The scarves could be very useful as we were heading up into the Himalaya today.

The first train was Delhi to Kalka. All our luggage had to go on the overhead racks, but they were very large, so there was no problem. Why do trains in the UK not have large luggage racks? It makes life so much easier and luggage is not left unattended at the end of the carriage.

Chris, Lucy and I were lucky enough to have a table seat and sat with some very nice people: retired Professor Surjit Singh, his wife, Harbhajan Kaur and Sanjay Tiwari. We all chatted and the journey passed very quickly. The professor did most of the talking and Sanjay said a bit occasionally. Like most Indian wives we saw on the trains, Harbhajan said very little, but she did laugh at times, so she understood what we were saying. The professor was very interested in our trip and also wanted to know why so many people in the UK got divorced. Unfortunately, Lucy and I were not really in a position to explain, though Jude did try.

Chris told me how his doctor had told him to follow his dreams and so he went trekking in Nepal. Since then he loved to go on more adventurous holidays like the one we were on. Both he and Lucy were a bit sniffy and we hoped it was just the atmosphere and not a cold about to do the rounds.

I remember looking out of the windows at some of the stations as we passed. Panipat station was particularly nice and clean and stood out from many other stations we had seen.

On-board service comprised morning tea, followed by breakfast. The man serving us had a lovely uniform. His hat was wrapped with a terracotta scarf, made of the same fabric as his waistband, which was tied over a long black jacket.

The train gradually emptied and I went to check on Bob, who was alone again. I was about to return to my seat when we reached the station where the professor and his wife got off, so I missed saying goodbye to them.

Kalka was the next stop, so we said goodbye to Sanjay, grabbed our luggage and made our way to the famous Toy Train, waiting for us across the platform.

Rapu

The Toy Train did not have much space for luggage, but there were lots of free seats and we were all in the same carriage. I sat next to Bob and opposite a little girl, who I think was called Rapu, and her mother. In the corner of the carriage was a poor lady, who was using the seats as a bed. Rafeeq tried to get her to move as she was in seats which had been allocated to our group. Suddenly, in burst the guard, roaring in anger, who yelled at her, picked her up and as good as threw her out of the train – not on the platform side, but onto the railway line! It was so sad. Looking down, I realised that she only had one leg and moved by using her arms and the stump with her full leg bent up. She held on tight to a bag, probably containing all her possessions. Lucy threw out a curry they had bought in the station and it landed the right way up. I don’t know if Lucy knew the lady was there but perhaps the lady ate it after the train had gone. I do wish that we could have done something to help and this was definitely the most upsetting encounter with poverty in the whole trip.


Agricultural Terraces



Once the train set off, it became clear that the system for rubbish disposal was to throw it out of the window. Rapu’s mother told her to throw her rubbish out and she praised her when she did. And there was a lot of rubbish as she ate her way through their stash of goodies. This was an Indian middle class family, signalling their wealth through the size of their waistlines. Rapu started with Smarties, and munched her way through crisps, two chocolate bars, some biscuits and a spicy nut mix. I had nothing and started to feel quite hungry.

A Long and Winding Road

The train soon started to climb and went back and forth on the switchback up into the mountains. There were some crimson flats which must have had wonderful views. We passed them several times and began to feel that we were going nowhere.



Higher-Altitude Pine Forest



Lush Low-Altitude Vegetation



The vegetation proved that we were climbing though. At first, it was very lush with some lovely wildflowers: first orange, then red. I spotted some mini-sunflowers. Eventually it turned to pine woods as we gained altitude.

Whenever we went through tunnels, the people in the front carriages yelled as loudly as possible, creating quite an effect as we followed behind.

Welcome Break

Rafeeq sat in the open door, probably so he was able to smoke, although he claimed that it was so we could stand safely behind him and take photos. We passed through several stations without stopping. When we did stop, Rafeeq jumped down and bought himself some food. He did not tell us how long we were there, so no one dared follow him, even though we were getting rather hungry. Luckily the next stop was for ten minutes, so we were able to get off, stretch our legs and buy some of the very tasty spicy potato croquettes they were selling on the platform for just Rs10.



Crossing a Viaduct



I played with Rapu for a while. I stuck my arm out the window and moved my fingers up and down while she tried to catch them from the other side. Later, we did a clapping game and she got quite good. We also played peek-a-boo out the window. She was laughing and I made a new friend. I think her mother was pleased not to have to entertain her. “Not talking to strangers” does not seem to be a rule for children in India, which is nice.



Don't Lean Out the Train!!



“Not sticking arms and heads out of train windows” is another rule which does not apply in India. Nor is keeping train doors securely closed or a multitude of other safety rules which we have here in the UK.

As we approached Shimla, it started to get colder. People started to put on warmer clothes, especially Rafeeq. The doors and windows were closed and people gave up taking photos.

Toy Train Engine

Eventually we landed in Shimla and disembarked. I waved goodbye to my new friend.

We found three taxis and drove what seemed like miles out of town until we reached our hotel. There were some very narrow squeezes because of parked cars. Like the railway line, there were lots of bends in the road, but people were happily overtaking on blind corners. Our taxi took a roundabout on the right and then crossed in front of a lorry to return to the left hand lane. Then the driver’s mobile rang and he answered just as he was negotiating a tight downhill bend. Thank goodness there were no bikes or rickshaws to add to the chaos – the hills would have made cycling a bit difficult – and there were no tuk-tuks either.

Bob's Photo of the Train

I looked around for signs of wildlife. There did not seem to be many birds, but I did get a fleeting glimpse of a red one, one with a long tail and a crested bird. I resolved to go for a bird walk the next morning.

Eventually we reached our hotel. Although it had the very English name of the Hotel East Bourne, it looked like a Swiss chalet. I did notice some very nice cakes on display as we came through into reception.

We had dinner in the hotel, which gave us 25 minutes to get settled. Some people were already in the bar when we went to eat. The bar was outside and it was getting cold, so we did not stay there long and went into the restaurant before they were ready. The food seemed expensive but it was nice and there was a lot of rice. Mark was very impressed with the music – they were playing a compilation of hits from the 1980s, so we sang along.

Some of the others stayed up for a late night drink, but I was sharing with Jill who had already gone to bed, so I went up to the room as soon as we had finished eating.

I tried not to disturb Jill, so I did not put the light on and tried to move round quietly. Unfortunately, I knocked something and my two marble elephants fell on the floor, damaging their tusks. When I tried to put everything back together, my rucksack fell off the bench with another crash.

I got to bed eventually, but could not read myself to sleep as that would have wakened Jill yet again.