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.
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| 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).
---------------------
1st
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. 1st 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.
-----------------------
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 1st 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.
