Toy Train To Little Brittain

The Ambala-Kalka train was 2^nd class, but quite comfy with fans installed overall the ceiling that moderated the climate. 

Ambala-Kalka - The underestimated 2nd class

After 1 and a half hour we changed trains in Kalka, boarding the so called Himalayan-Queen toy train between Kalka and Shimla. This is an old little diesel that runs on narrow tracks curving up the mountains at an average of 20km/h speed. The total distance to Shimla was only 94kms that took us 5 and a half hours, from 400m to 2100. It was an amazing ride over 102 tunnels and a lot of smaller / bigger viaducts with astonishing views over valleys and surrounding settlements that were spread over the mountains. 

Hialayan Queen aka.: Toy Train

Upon arrival we found out that Shimla is not just a little town up the mountains but the ex-capital of the state Himachal Pradesh numbering over 1.5 lakhs (150.000) of people, and it is like a piece of Europe thrown on a mountain. The town was developed and ran by the Brits until the independence of India in 1947 when it was declared the president's official summer retreat. The town is also the home of north India's oldest church – a catholic one – and the first building with electricity and self-triggering fire extinguisher dating back to the end of the 19^th century. Almost all the buildings residing in the old city wear the fingerprints of the European architecture, having a mixture of an Anglo-Germanic style with a touch of the decaying Romanian mountain resorts' look. Overall it is a very pleasant mountain town after the rush of the “low lands”. Moreover, preserve the heritage littering, spitting, plastic bags and smoking are prohibited all over town (public places) therefore maintaining a much cleaner look than that of an average Indian town (at least in the central area).

Christ Church & Library at The Ridge, Shimla

We were kindly guided by a tout to a more affordable accommodation than the one we previously looked up and despite our initial doubts the place turned out to be OK, with the friendliest staff we met until now (City View Hotel). One of them even invited us to into his room for a friendly chat about the area and possibilities to explore the Himalayas – which we had to turn down due to lack of time. For the first time during our travel we had to reach to the bottom of our bags and pull out the warm sweaters to make the evening walk pleasant. And during the night we used both our thin sleeping bags and the blankets provided by the hotel. After waking up to the disturbing fight of the neighbors – Mr. Monkeys – we set out to a short hike to the hilltop Jakhu temple at 2460m – 85m less than Romania's highest peak the Moldoveanu.

Jakhu statue at 2460m

Note though: due to the climate the vegetation here is still lush with high pines and a lot of monkeys. Near the peak we were advised to take wooden sticks with us to fight off the attacking monkeys that are said to steal everything that is edible or glitters, even spectacles (the Indian glasses).

Arriving back in the center we circled around the amazing brick buildings and sat down for a dinner. Interestingly, though Ems ordered European meal: fried chicken with French fries it still tasted very much Indian because of all the spices used. The evening ended with a soft drink on the balcony of our hotel that had a gorgeous view over the lights of Shimla. Afterwards we dozed off du­ring the 15min commercial break of a movie on the telly.

Evening walk - in front of the State Library

The next day started with a dizzy head and running noses for both of us – seemingly our bodies couldn't handle the cold waters and quick climate changes, including stepping in an ac-d ATM from the 36C of the outside world. But the 4.5km walk to the amazing Viceregal Lodge (currently Indian Institute of Advanced Studies) got everything out of our system and we enjoyed the remarkable Neogothic style of the Victorian era building, where at most 50 Indian and international bright minds can apply for a 2 year post-doctorate scholarship to research in the field of social sciences.

Ex-Viceregal Lodge

Having had a small pizza dinner in a cozy little café, we collected our backpacks and after a delicious masala chai we set out to find the bus station, from where a 10hr long bumpy way would take us to Dharamshala / McLeod Ganj – the home of His Holiness.

Rainy walk to the bus

For both of us this was the first, and rare chance to puke in the laps of an Indian, which we almost did, due to the bumpy curves going up and down, at a speed that was manageable (We guess) only by the driver and his co-pilot – after a 15 year long experience. Fortunately – for the Indian companions at least – Ems had some magic pills (and not those Es you take in the D. I. S. C. O.) that forced every goodness that we ate in the other direction at a much slower pace. In the end all of our prayers were answered, the morning came, flowers blossomed, birds sang and monkeys stole cookies from foreigners in the monsoon rain and we arrived to McLeod Ganj.