Call of the Mountains:
In June 2014, my friend Suvra messaged me asking whether I would like to join her on a trek in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. I planned to visit this part of the Himalayas last year, but it did not materialise due to a terrible natural catastrophe. Sadly, almost all the parts I wanted to see had been washed away. The roads were destroyed, and connections to some areas were cut off due to landslides and massive mudslides triggered by heavy rainfall. A lot of people died.
Despite these challenges, the allure of the Himalayas remained firm with its breathtaking beauty.
I would’ve answered Suvra with an instant YES if I could, but my situation then was that I was about to go to Japan, Hong Kong and India for seven weeks in the coming November. I had already been to Kashmir from March to April. Now, this trip would mean I would also go in August and September.
‘Would I get leave from work? Could I work out the funds?’, I thought.
My husband, Arpan, was in the US at the time. Even though I longed to yield to the ‘Call of the Mountains’, I could not decide immediately. I pondered; we were getting old, and trekking would be far more difficult as the days passed. Another fact is that not many people like to travel to this part of India from here, as it is comparatively strenuous and lacks luxury. So, would this opportunity ever come again?
I thought, ‘Arpan is too busy with his new job and will hardly have time to accompany me to this place anytime soon. I should grab Suvra’s offer with both hands.’ He was not very impressed with the idea, and he was worried about my safety. However, my daughter Ria encouraged me, saying, ‘Ma, go and fulfil your dream’. After doing all the pros and cons, I decided to go. I thought it was ‘now or never‘.
The trip took around one week to plan. Although we were informed that the bridges and roads were still not fully working, we were hopeful that we could still make it despite these minor setbacks.
Then, suddenly, we received news that heavy rain and landslides had again disconnected roads to the region we were supposed to travel through. The people we were speaking to about our trip advised us not to go. We had already purchased our flight tickets by this time, so we couldn’t abandon our trip. We had to think of an alternate route that would be just as good. We had to change our itinerary. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be a trekking trip. We considered a few places, but in the end, nothing could beat the natural beauty that drew us to the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh. So, we stuck to our decision.
Last time, my cousin, Bapi, took on a lot of responsibility in organising the holiday in Kashmir, but Suvra and I would split the responsibility for this trip. I would book our transportation and plan the itinerary, and Suvra would book accommodation—all while consulting with each other, of course.
We booked all our transport, including three train rides. We booked an air-conditioned seven-seater for our on-road vehicle to ensure a comfortable journey, as the tour itinerary was very hectic. We had two flights and two train rides before sleeping on a bed. We would be in transit for 42 hours! We braced ourselves at the thought.
Hit the road:
The early morning start of our journey finally came. We left home around 5.00 AM, and Ria dropped us off at the airport. The flight to Delhi was smooth. We reached Delhi before the scheduled time. We had to wait about 6 hours from 11 PM to 5 AM at the airport. The airport was quiet, so we grabbed a couple of seats and tried to sleep after almost 24 hours. Slowly, the airport grew busier, but the people remained silent. Still, it was tough to sleep. We couldn’t, as we were anxious about our transfer from the airport to the New Delhi Railway Station. Harsh was supposed to come and help us with the transfer. Our train was at 7.40 AM, and he still hadn’t shown up – panic was creeping up. The problem with Indian airports is that if you exit the premises for any reason, you can’t go back inside, meaning that we couldn’t come out to check where Harsh could be. After some stress, Harsh picked us up, dropped us off at the railway station, and waited until the train departed. He was frank and said he fell asleep while doing the night transfers for other guests. Only our phone call woke him up, and thank God it did! We were super excited to ride on the ‘Shatabdi Express’. So many things I had heard about this train! I hadn’t experienced a train journey in India for a long time. We would be alighting at Kalka, a town in the state of Haryana. Kalka is situated at the foothill of the mountains and is the gateway to ‘Shimla’. On board the train, Suvra and I were so eager that we got out at every station along the way to Kalka and took photos of the surroundings, trying to absorb everything around us. The train journey was a real feast for our eyes. It passed through the lush green fields of Haryana and Punjab without any man-made constructions obstructing the gorgeous views.
First train, done. The next train journey would be on board the ‘Himalayan Queen’ toy train. A railway worker helped us transfer our large amount of luggage. He recommended that we have lunch before boarding. It was good advice as there would be no place in between to have lunch. We had a vegetarian lunch offered by mobile vendors at the station. After a couple more scenic photos, we quickly boarded the train. Our toy train would soon climb up to Shimla.
Historic Kalka-Shimla Toy Train:
The organiser initially suggested we go by road from Chandigarh to Shimla. This meant we could reach Shimla, the picturesque capital of Himachal Pradesh, quickly. Despite taking longer, we wanted to experience the historical UNESCO Heritage-listed Kalka-Shimla toy train and booked it. The narrow-gauge railway in North-West India travels along a primarily mountainous track from Kalka to Shimla. This route is one of India’s most scenic train journeys, and the thought of riding it very soon was exhilarating! The Kalka–Shimla Railway was built in 1903 by the Indian Railways to better connect Shimla, the summer capital of India during British Rule. The Kalka-Shimla service was the second toy train built in India, the first being the ‘Darjeeling Himalayan Railway’ running between Siliguri and Darjeeling and completed in 1881.
Fun facts!
One hundred and seven tunnels were initially built on the Kalka-Shimla Railway Track. Four tunnels were discarded many years ago, and in 2006, tunnel number 46 was dismantled. Presently, only 102 are in use. The last tunnel in Shimla is famously known as tunnel “number 103” and has become a renowned town landmark
The Journey:
The spectacular scenery along the entire route, the genius of Mother Nature, and the railroad builders kept travellers like us spellbound. Initially, the journey was a bit stuffy as we were squashed into one of the tiny carriages. By this time, we were exhausted, having already done two flights and one leg on the train journey. It is not advisable to travel on this train if you have lots of luggage. I recommend taking the car to Shimla instead. Our luggage was all over the place, and on top of this, the train was quite full. We were coming straight from Sydney, Australia, and we had our fair share of baggage – probably not the best idea, whoops. Starting off, we didn’t see much difference as it chugged through the flat plains of the land, but as soon as the train started climbing up, the scenery changed dramatically.
Leaving Kalka, 656 meters (2,152 ft) above sea level, the train entered the enchanting foothills and commenced its angular climb immediately. The journey enthralled us as it gradually wound its way abruptly upwards along the narrow track through mystical mountains and pine forests. The route was a visual masterpiece of the picturesque Himalayas from the Sivalik foothills of Kalka to a few significant stations such as Dharampur, Solan, Kandaghat, Taradevi, Barog, Salogra, Jutogh, Summerhill and finally, Shimla.
Sitting on the steps of the train door and taking photos from different angles was quite thrilling. Although it took more than five hours, the journey was worth it. It was incredible how this railway was built in such steep and rocky terrain. I felt very privileged to have experienced it.
Misadventure strikes!
Suddenly, Suvra realised, to her utter dismay, that she had left her laptop on the Shatabdi Express, forgetting it when she was changing trains. By this time, we were already on the toy train, halfway to Shimla. OMG! What could we do? Would we get the laptop back at all? Panicking, I quickly called our organiser to see whether he could help. I could hardly hear him from the noise around us. We had to ask the other passengers (a group of young travellers) to be quiet so we could listen to the phone call (we had informed them of what had happened). By this time, the whole carriage knew about the incident and had started offering their help. Finally, we got a phone number to contact the station. We contacted the station and gave them our carriage details. They informed us that they would check and let us know. Suvra took the loss in good spirits, even though she was visibly upset. We lost hope of getting it back anyway.
Wonderful Shimla:
When we arrived in Shimla, it was 5.20 PM. It was a trendy railway station with a distinct colonial influence in its structure. Shimla (not the station) is located at 7,238 feet (2,276m) in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Our guide, Nitin, brought us the much-awaited news at the Shimla station. Suvra’s lost laptop had been found by a kind cleaner on the Shatabdi Express and was waiting for us in the office. The relief and gratitude we felt were overwhelming. We couldn’t thank everyone involved enough, and Nitin assured us that he would retrieve it from Kalka the next day.
The road outside the station was narrow, but fortunately, the driver was skilled and could reverse the car within that small space—what a relief! Thankfully, after a long journey, we were quickly transferred to our hotel. We were ready to take a much-needed rest after 42 hours on the road, but not without a quick look around.
Our hotel, a former palace, was a sight to behold. The exquisite decor, the serene surroundings, and the courteous staff created a genuinely royal atmosphere. We instantly fell in love with the place and looked forward to spending the next two nights in this charming abode.
We went for a short walk to Mall Rd. It was almost dark, and hardly anyone was there. The trail was very scenic among the Cedar trees, and although it was pretty dark, we felt safe. The hotel surroundings were also charming, and we thought it would be nice to walk around before calling it a night and heading to our rooms.
To be continued…….
Apology for the poor photo quality
Photos: Self and Suvra Mitra
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