Flew from Delhi late afternoon to Chandigarh and from there took a taxi to the railhead town of Kalka.I have a shortlist of places that could be described as "the arsehole of the universe",Kalka has now joined it.Left Kalka at 04.00 this morning,Wed 9 th for the 5.5 hour uphill toy train ride to the top of the mountain where the town of Shimla clings to both sided of a sharp ridge.I was the only Caucasian on the train and so became the object of interest,to such a degree that I didn't take the SLR out of its case for fear of provocation.My fellow passengers could only be described as belonging to the lower end of the socio/economic stratum.Given that the train fare for the five and a half hour journey was 20 Rupees about 30 cents I have no business complaining.
Like yesterday the locals mostly slept through the passing parade of beautiful countryside,perhaps poverty and hardship are not conducive to that sort of appreciation.
Shimla has loomed large in my imagination since childhood when the town was known as Simla and featured in most of the tales of the derring do of the British Raj,largely because ithe town became the summer capital,the seat of power once removed from Victoria's Britain and when the heat of Calcutta became too much for sensitive memsahibs and career beaurocrats,they loaded up the elephants and moved here to the cool of the mountains and so most authors like Kilpling and Paul Scott described the geography and buildings and climate at some point.Places like Scandal Point and Christ Church have been names long familiar to me.
I have now had a chance to have a quick look at Shimla,firstly,nowhere is flat,innocent names like Upper Mall,The Ridge,Lower Mall are places connected by hundreds of steep steps or steeper walkways,secondly while the architecture is distinctly British Colonial most buildings have mischievous monkeys running all over them and eagles perched on chimneys and ridge capping.
Thirdly,the hotels, and I checked out two others before deciding on the Gulmarg Hotel which had been the likeliest pick during my research..the thing is the bedrooms all belong in bordellos,lots of velvet furnishings,mirrors above beds, or in my bedroom inlaid with parquetry on all walls and ceilings,weird.
The reason my reconnaissance of Shimla was limited is because I have finally succumbed to "Delhi Belly",my only attack in almost 5 weeks of travel.
In need of comfort food during my long wait at Delhi airport,I could not resist a McDonald's masala burger followed by a hot butterscotch crumble muffin,so whether the rich food is the culprit,or perhaps I have slipped in my hygiene regimen, who knows.Shit happens(sorry):-)
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