08/10 – 1st day in India

Ooops we missed breakfast this morning, we woke up at 10am, but by the time we got up and started to get ready it was around 11am. Check was at 12pm but our train for Kalka was a 5.15pm, so we had some spare time. We ate the sandwiched given in the plane (from Marseille to London) for Breakfast, packed our back and checked out. We used the computers in the lobby to book more trains and flight.

At 2pm we took a shuttle for the metro station, for New Delhi main railway station. We bought ticket, but they were actually blue tokens. Arrived in Delhi 25 minutes later thanks to the Metro Express. We put our big bags in the “cloakroom” (this is how they call luggage storage) and went exploring.

metro tokens

The real New Delhi Railway Station is on the other side of the road. We looked for the tourist bureau but could not find it straightaway, but found some toilets (wooow the smell… this is something we are going to need to get used to).

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1^st toilet experience:

Caroline:

The woman one was an interesting experience. I went in with my day bag, and try to open all the doors but none were working. There was a queue of 3 grown women with 3 small children all gathered around one toilet, it seems to be the only one working (and apparently not that well because one of the women had to take water from the sink to flush.) A women behind me decided to skip the queue and pee in the shower. I chose to wait and use the broken toilet. It took a while but I finally managed to get in. It was a “Turkish” toilet (the one you have to stand up on top of), but with no flush, no toilet paper, and a bin full of smelly rubbish. 1^st thing I noticed, no hook to but my bag… I cannot squat and pee with the bag on my back, so I tried to put it in from of me, it worked. Getting undressed was also not an easy thing. Luckily I had tissues with me, but I remembered that we need to but buy toilet paper and carry it with us everywhere! Once the deed was done, I try to wash my hands, but only one tab out of 4 was working and of course no soap! This is India for you (I mean for us…)!

Damien:

Smelly but fine.

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We looked for the tourist bureau again but only found the train company tourist help desk, so we went in and asked them a few questions, they told us that our train was from Platform 1 (the other side of the station (we were near platform 16), that we might found a market to buy toilet paper on the other side too and that we did not need to arrive before 4.30pm.

We had a few hours to kill and decided to get lunch. We went in one of the place close to the station, and asked for some rice. It was nice but (super) spicy…. (for us anyway). It would be interesting to come back in a few weeks and have the same dish again (and see if our taste buds are different).

Around 4pm, we went back to the station across the road to pick our bags up. We found a small shop where we bought biscuits and (sturdy) flip flops. We found that there was an underground connexion to get closer to the railway station and avoid walking in the beating sun with our big bags. Then we queued to go through security and cross all the platforms.

The quays are quite wide and our platform had waiting rooms, the train before us left and we saw a few people running and getting on board while the train was moving. After that we went in the “upper class” waiting room. We were the only non-Indian from what we could see. Around 4.45pm our train arrived and we looked for our carriage E1. Found it and got in, seats are wide and have a table and a TV. Movie selection was not great but they had movies in Indian and in English (including Die Hard!)

in the train to Kalka

The train left late, then we left and stopped again after not even 5 minutes. We were running a good 45 minutes after schedule, but managed to arrive only 6 minutes late in the end! During the trip, we (the whole 1^st class carriage) were offered drinks, a red rose each, a meal, tea, a newspaper in Indian or English… It was nice!

nice meal

The train had toilets, but at first I only say the “Turkish” one, and waited until I was really bursting to go. I took my tissues (we did not found any toilet paper near the Station in Delhi). Once in front of the door I read the sign “Indian style toilets” then I turned around and saw “Western style toilets”!! You can’t imagine how happy I was!! And the bonus it even had toilet paper!! Luxury all the way! (It is funny to see what we considered luxury not even a day ago at the Ibis hotel and what we considered now luxury!)

We slept, read newspaper, play cards, slept some more, escaped from a flood, luckily our big bags were above our head but unfortunately our small ones were on the floor and got a bit wet, but saved them from getting more wet. That was the only event of the ride, a toilet must have flooded. It got dark pretty quickly and by 7pm it was pitch dark, so much for looking at the scenery.

sunset in the indian countryside heading north

Arrived in Kalka at 9.36pm, left the station and went looking for our pre-booked hotel. There seemed to be only 1 main street, we walked up the street and found our hotel, but the guy tells us it is full and there is no room available. We told him we paid, but he answer that there is no room, we decided to go back and find somewhere else, and contact booking.com ASAP.

We found a hostel for less than twice the price of the pre-booked one. It is not a 5* hotel but who cares! There is a double bed, this what seems to be clean sheets and they are “Titanic” themed sheets, what not to like! We have an en-suite with toilet and a bucket for shower.

We tried the “shower” the water is lukewarm but it is nice to shower after a day of travels. Then we get our bag and clothes ready for tomorrow and set the alarm for 4.40am, the “Toy Train” for Shimla leaves at 5.30am. By 11.30pm we were fast asleep.

Slept in an en-suite double bed room in Blue Moon Hotel.