13 India

Day 14 – To Amritsar

The brandy at dinner must have helped because I slept until 0500 and then managed to get back to sleep for a bit.  I managed to work the shower without any cold shocks this time and then read on the chair in the window until 0800, when I went for a very disappointing breakfast, with very little choice.  I packed, went for a short walk and then sat in the foyer until we were ready to go.

This was the only leg of our journey done by bus instead of train.  But we did have a train to catch in Ambala.  The luggage was loaded on to the roof and securely wrapped in canvas and we were ready to go.

We followed the long and winding road down from Shimla.  Thirty-five minutes later we could still see the town, but it was getting smaller.  There were lots of monkeys beside the road.  Cacti began to appear in the vegetation and we passed a couple of level crossings which we recognised from the journey up.

We stopped at a nice little café for a rest break.  I had a Rs15 coffee in a glass, which tasted like a warm version of a café frappe I had drunk in Shimla.  It was very nice.  When we got back on the bus, Sue sat next to me at the front because she said she was feeling a bit sick.

Fixing the Line - No Hi Viz Jackets?

We joined a small traffic jam, caused by repairs to the rail track and road.  Cars stopped on the level crossing and seemed completely unconcerned about the trains.  Perhaps they knew the timetable.

Not long before we reached another traffic jam, I suddenly realised that the mountains had disappeared.  Rafeeq and the driver had put their seat belts on as we had reached Pinjore.

We stopped at a temple complex for lunch.  Lunch was on Rafeeq as he had done a good job in negotiating tips and fares for rickshaws and tuk-tuks, so there was some money left in the pot.  We were very impressed by the elderly waiter who served us.  He did not make any notes and took our order from memory – and did not make a single mistake.  I enjoyed a very spicy dahl and an ice-cream soda, which was a special treat.

Dressed Up for Lunch

As I left the restaurant, I met a group of five Indian girls, looking very smart as they had dressed up for lunch.  They asked if they could take a photo of me with them.  I said of course and posed while, one by one, they took our photo with their mobiles.  I took a photo of them too.

Steam Engine

I also took photos of the steam engine and the camel which was offering rides just outside of the complex.  Then I spotted an unusual bird and managed to get a photo, but the parrots moved too fast.  Two little children were hanging around, so I gave them some pens.

Back on the bus, we were told that it would not take long to get to Ambala to catch our train.   However, a new motorway was under construction, so there were more traffic jams.  We were briefly allowed completed section, but we had to go slowly there as well because cows were crossing the motorway!

We passed a Sikh parade which included an ornate float, with music and people spinning wheels in the air.  I looked for birds on the telegraph wires and spotted two kingfishers.

Eventually we reached Ambala station after negotiating a very tricky junction.  I bought some water from a stall outside and then followed the others into the station.

The noise on the platforms was deafening.  The station canopies must be a major roost for mynah birds.  They were gathering at the station and the chirping, though not unpleasant, was very very loud.  Mynahs seemed to be on every surface: the metal work on the bridge, every telegraph cable and the tops of the trains.  Every so often something would spook them and they took off en masse in a flurry of wings, only to land eventually.  There were several trains standing in the station and with their twenty plus carriages, made useful large landing areas.  A goods train pulled into the station and the mynahs landed on that.  A passenger train came in and that was soon covered in mynah birds too.  They seemed to play a game of “chicken” by staying on for as long possible when the train pulled off.

While I was looking at the spectacle of the mynah roost, a beggar with twisted legs was sitting near us, hoping for some money.  I noticed his friend come up to him and put the beggar on his back and take his off somewhere.   I had not realised that the beggar was so deformed and hoped no one had inflicted the injury on him deliberately, which we had been told happens sometimes.

Gradually the mynahs came in to roost on the metal struts under the canopies over the platforms.  The chirping grew even louder as it echoed in the relatively enclosed space.  I tried to stand in an area which was not beneath any of the roosting sites.  Luckily, most of us managed to keep free of any droppings.

Hold on Tight!

Jude disappeared and the train came in while she was gone.  I was so pleased when she got into the carriage – it would have been terrible to have left her behind.  She sat next to me and took quite a while to regain her breath as she had run up the platform.

This was probably the least pleasant train ride of the whole tour and it was for the best that it was our last train.  Ken helped me put my rucksack on the rack and Jude and I got settled.  I read for a long while and finished my book.

On my way to the loo, I spoke to some of the others who were sitting at the back of the carriage.  They said that they had been feeding crisps to the mice.  As we chatted, I could see some mice dodging under the seats and dashing across the aisle.  I spotted four, but no doubt there were more.  They were cute little things and moved as if powered by clockwork, but not the best things to have travelling with you.  Worse were the cockroaches, which also seemed to be all about the train.

Eventually we reached Amritsar and had to push our way out of the train.  We got on the bus and made our way to the hotel, which was not far away.  Dinner was not too bad, but there was a wedding party on the hotel and we were the poor cousins.  The party finished at 0200, but it did not keep me awake for long.

Animal Corner

Camel for Hire

Another Mystery Bird

Mynahs in Ambala Station

Mynahs on a Goods Train