Raj hill station

Trip Start Mar 06, 2005

Trip End ??? ??, 2006

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Flag of India Shimla, India
Thursday, June 23, 2005

Shimla 23rd of June
We waited on the platform of Kalka station not exactly sure what to expect from our planned journey on the 'Toy' train.....well it certainly lived upto its name and as the gauge of the tracks infront of us suggested it clearly resembled the kind of train that inhabits every childrens funfare I've ever visited.The tiny carriages were only just my height and the flimsy doors and windows rattled as it lurched to a halt.

It was immediately assaulted by the crowds on the platform waiting to board, everyone was fighting for the best seats...all the tickets were unallocated (a recipie for disaster, as unarmed combat broke out amongst the surging hoards of eager passengers)we struggled to gain access to the nearest carriage elbowing our way to a seat which we leapt onto as if the music had suddenly stopped during a violent game of musical chairs!

Everyone had just about got settled when the conductor appeared and ordered everyone to "get off" the train. As we dislodged our bags from under the seat he approached us and furtively asked if we would like 'first class' tickets for a small fee (of course). We coughed up the extra 'pennies' and were told we could remain seated in the carriage anywhere we wanted! The other (Indian passengers) were told to move elsewhere on the train as this was now a 'first class' carriage. After ten minutes we were joined by two other European travellers who had also paid extra (gratifyingly, more than us) and so we pulled out of the station a carriage virtually to ourselves for the 6 hour trundle up the mountain to Shimla.

The journey was as scenic as we had hoped...the track wound its way up a seemingly endless gradient folllowing the contours of the hills, passing over deep ravines , rounding steep sided valleys and huge buttresses .

Shimla 01

At every winding turn we were treated to new 'cinematic' vistas and impressive (if hazy) views of the slowly disappearing plaines layed out below and the huge 'topless' peaks appearing above. We passed over cute little bridges spanning dark gulleys and dry streams. The trackside was a mixture of dry brown undergrowth and tall green trees which cast a dappled shade across the line.

Our destination lay some 6 hours or so up the mountain, Shimla was the summer retreat of the British in India with the first 'English' house being built there around 1822. The entire Indian government would decamp there during the summer to avoid the sweltering heat in Dehli and Kolkata and this continued until 1939. The Kalka to Shimla railway which we now find ourselves on was completed in 1903 and allowed the ruling families to construct opulent residences around its summit.

The first 3 hours passed relatively quickly as we were fascinated by our everchanging surroundings, we trundled through minature 'picture postcard' stations each with tiny platforms decorated with flowering hanging baskets. The keystones of the station buildings bore dates testifying to the age of the line. Each platform contained a few local pasengers and usually a 'station master' complete with a little red flag which was always waved enthusiastically as we departed.

leaning out of the window as we snaked around some of the tighter corners I could see the full length of the train,it consisted of about 10 carriages pulled by what looked like a scale model of a deisel engine, just behind the engine was a small tender containing large packages and a few passengers who had decided to brave the sun and noise to ride standing up in the open.

As the journey progressed trying to get comfortable became a continual task as the seats for someone my size were very uncomfortable (I felt like an adult on a kids train).

Shimla 02

I perched myself in the doorway on the carriage steps gazing out over the passing scenery but had to eventually retreat from the suns power and so slumped on the tiny and uncomfortable seats with my elbow out of the window trying to make the most of the cooloing breeze that our speed created,
The final three hours consisted of us dozing, chatting to an Irish girl who was on the last leg of a 9 month trip (similar to our own), and so we swapped travel stories and advice, whilst fidgeting and, massaging our numb bits, until eventually we rattled into Shimla station in the early evening.

The station is located at the foot of a very steep (nay almost vertical) slope, up which we slowly hauled our rucksacs to find a taxi into town. On arrival We negotiated with a group of porters to carry Janes rucksac and both daybags to our hotel(I decided to manfully struggle on with my bag...my pride wouldnt let me use a porter....big mistake!)

Our hotel was perched on the highest part of town and only accessible on foot (sods law) as the porters danced up the almost sheer slopes towards our accommodation as if our bags were full of cottonwool. I tried in vain to stay with them but soon began to fall behind gasping, wheezing and panting violently after only 50 yards or so, they pranced to the top and sat down in the hotel lobby having a quick smoke a full 5 minutes before us. I staggered into the reception with my head spinning, white speckles flashing infront of me, and a face the colour of a ripe tomato, blowing sweat from my top lip all over the deeply unimpressed receptionist.

Shimla 04

Jane had to explain who we were and our reservation details as I was unable to speak. I was too busy consentrating on sucking in enough air to prevent myself from blacking out, as I slumped on a nearby bench seat my head between my knees Im sure I noticed a wry smile (even a smirk) on the faces of the porters....another tourist humiliated!

The town has a large number of Kashmiri and Nepalese immigrants who earn a living by toting tourists bags and almost any form of heavy goods up and down the hillside streets... We saw men humping washing machines,huge piles of logs, and furniture up the most impossible gradients with no more than a strip of cloth for padding and a loop of leather wound around their package and secured against their forehead, for them it seemed effortless...but if you ask me its a bloody hard way to earn a living!

The town of Shimla is set on a ridge surrounded by pine clad 'alpine' style hillsides, its height (2205 metres)affords it a pleasantly cool climate. We had at last found a respite from the incredible heat of the plaines. The mornings tended to be shrouded in mist which lifted by midday when the direct sun could be rather hot (but tollerable) and the evenings were enjoyably warm.It was wonderful to be able to wander around without being poached in your own sweat.

After our first cool night in Shimla, which we spent eating and sleeping (comfortably), we set off early to explore the town starting with its centre known as the 'Ridge' it is here that the famous colonial highstreet is situated which contains mock tudor style buildings as if they had been dragged straight from 19th century England.

Shimla 05

We strolled along the 'Mall' a pedestrianised area which stretches from Christ church (again typically English) to 'Scandal point' at the furthest end of the ridge, it was as if we had been mysteriously transported home during the night, we could have been in any historic english town.
Shimla really is THE archetypal British hill station (see photos).The morning passed quickly as we just milled around with all the other tourists taking in the views and wandering around the sidestreets.

We visited the post office to send a few postcards home, and then sat on a 'park bench' at the side of the main promenade just watching the world go by. As we were warmed by the pleasant afternoon sun we chatted to a variety of residents and Indian holiday makers, who seemed keen to talk to us..especially about England. Shimla is a popular destination for weekend breaks from Dehli and honeymooners from all over India. We discovered that it was the 'wedding season' and many of those with whom we chatted were part of a wedding party.

The atmosphere in Shimla had a wonderful relaxed 'English summer afternoon' feel to it ...a fantastic contrast to the very Indian plaines of Rajisthan.

Everywhere from the Mall is downhill, a warren of sidestreets lined with small shops market stalls and bazzars tumbling down the hillside leading to larger roads and residential areas packed onto the mountain. The British originally had planned for Shimla to accommodate a maximum of 40,000 people and their needs ie plumbing and water supplies but the original system (still in operation today) is now overloaded to the extreeme and the locals are complaining of problems relating to backed-up sewerage and limited water supplies, For many months of the year the population only have a partial water supply which has to be rationed, (infact our hotel even boasted about having a 24 hour water supply).

The second day saw us planning our next step, we wanted to travel through the high himalaya but a review of our guide book left us non the wiser as we appeared to be 'spoilt for choice' from the bewildering amount of options available so we decided to get some advice from one of the local mountain guides who runs an 'adventure and trekking' operation in the town.

This was when we met Naresh who was to be our mountain guide. We studied maps and discussed the best routes to take in what we wanted to see. Eventually we settled on a 10 day tour of the Himalaya which would see us driving over some of the highest motorable roads in the world and camping in remote valleys some of which were only opened up to foreigners in 1991. We agreed to set off the following morning for Sarahan a small village in the Kinnaur valley region....little did we know that a few days later we would have to be rescued by helicopter!

Post again soon, Love Aubrey and Jane.