Crossing the Line!

Literally Crossing the Line- Kalka Railway Station, Kalka

I Rarely Protest about Food but This is an Exception

A Plate of Food at Jhansi Railway Station run by Indian Railways

I clicked a picture of this stuff that we ate at the Jhansi Railway Station just to remind myself that food can really taste like mud if it is messed up thoroughly. I thought hostel food has killed all my taste buds. But on this occasion I realized that a few have survived and protest sufficiently when served with mud in the name of food.

Taksal- The Curious Name for a Railway Station

Taksal Station on the Kalka Shimla Route

I was wondering why the railway station got a name which means 'minting money.' Wikipedia has a partial answer about the name Taksal. I think this is the first station that we cross while traveling from Kalka to Shimla.

The Kalka Shimla Railcar at Barog

The Kalka Shimla Railcar at Barog

When we were returning from Barog, we had this entire railcar to us! It was going back empty and the Barog station master arranged for three tickets for us. When we were at Barog and saw the railcar for the first time and Brat 2 said, "How would it be if we had the entire thing for us!" So when it happened by chance on our way back I told him so. He immediately had another wish, "Now if we could only have the entire Shatabdi Express Coach to us."

Push Trolley, Indian Railways

Push Trolley at Dharampur Station, Kalka Shimla Railway Line, it is used on the railway tracks by railway official

And just before our Railcar started moving out, this kid came and claimed the car!

Arch Gallery Bridge Between Sonwara and Dharampur

Arch Gallery Bridge Between Sonwara and Dharampur on Kalka Shimla Rail Line

I know the picture is not quite striking but the Arch Bridge is actually quite striking. We were coming back from Barog to Kalka in the Railcar and I was looking in the opposite direction. The driver of the Railcar reduced the speed and looked in the direction of the bridge without saying a word. The three of us were immediately hooked. I tried clicking pictures but the railcar had gathered speed again. I immediately told my nephews, "I wish I would walk along the entire Kalka Shimla route and click pictures to my hearts content. And how wonderful it would be if we could camp at the stations at the night!"

I have a feeling that this plan would always remain in thoughts but what a lovely thought it is!

Coming back from Kalka to Delhi by Shatabdi Express

I like traveling by Shatabdi Express trains. They have chair car seating, they have are air conditioning and they dump you back at Delhi the same night.

Kalka Shatabdi Express Train at Kalka Raliway Station

So while coming back from Barog we reached Kalka by noon and it was quite hot and humid there. We headed out of the station to eat lunch. We found a restaurant called Shelly's near the station and ordered a lot of things and took our time eating it too. It started raining heavily while we were eating. And yet it was three in the evening when we found our self back at the hot and humid station with a light drizzle still falling.

Seats inside the Kalka Shatabdi Express Train

It was raining but the sun also was out. I walked the length of the station that there might be a rainbow but no such luck this time. Brat 1 got us some tea and that helped in passing some more time.

Unfortunately, some kids came begging and I said I would buy stuff for them. They asked for potato chips and biscuits and I bought them the same. And then we had more tea. The brats finally told me that it looks like the train is open, let us go inside.

Checking out the Reservation List

There was this young girl, recently married (look at all the bangles in her hand, newly wedded brides wear them) on what could have been her honeymoon but then what looked like her husband's entire family was also traveling with them. Shimla is full of honeymooning couples and I have nothing for or against them, until they start throwing their empty chips packets out of the toy train window. But then to be fair to them, almost 95% of the train does the same.

However, the biggest surprise of the day had still not revealed itself. We boarded the train after waiting for sometime on platform 3. We were glad for the air conditioning on a hot day. I had a window seat and both the brats aisle seats. I am mean about window seats, I do not give them even to my nephews. I mean anything else and their wish is my priority but not when it comes to the window seat. They also know this and let me have it after a token protest this time. Most of the times they don't even protest.

And then an elderly couple took their seats diagonally behind us, plugged in their cell phone on charger and started playing bhajans (Hindu prayer songs) loudly. Both the brats immediately plugged on their headphones. One has a ipod shuffle and another a mobile that has a million songs. I have a mobile with three songs and I had left my headphones at home! Another person in Brat 1's row took out his headphones and the mobile with a vengeance after about going through this for half an hour.

I was tempted many times to tell them to lower the volume (or better still to shut up) but Brat 2 always told me to ignore it. Let it be. I had to be content by giving them dirty glances occasionally. After an hour or so, Brat 2 took some mercy on me and transferred my songs via blue tooth to his phone and gave it to me along with the headphones. But how long could I let him suffer?

So I gave him the phone back after a while and was forced to listen to the cacophony till we reached Delhi.

Moral of the story? Next time I will fill my phone with songs and I vow I will never leave my headphones at home! This was sheer torture at the end of a beautiful trip.

Indian Railway Train Announcements

Train Announcements Recorded on a Trip from New Delhi to Agra, We Went to Agra to See the Taj Mahal (again) Of Course!

I had recorded 'mind the gap' on Delhi Metro a few weeks ago and I shared it on India Mike. steven_ber (resident Indian railway expert on Indiamike) suggested me to record the various train announcements on an Indian railway platform! So, here I am, sharing the recordings, wait till the end for 'asuvidha ke liye khed hai' (the inconvenience caused is deeply regretted). Enjoy.

Comesum Cafe: Indian Railways sees Light at Nizamuddin Railway Station

For quite some time, if you were catching a train from the Old Delhi Railway Station or Nizamuddin Railway Station, it was impossible to find a decent eating joint. I remember on many trips we either packed something from home (both of us are bad cooks) or ate in dhabas (I like eating in dhabas) but they were at least a kilometer away from the station, or so it seemed on an empty stomach and pollution filled eyes.

Then suddenly on one trip (I have forgotten which one, Oh! it was to Bangalore, now I remember after writing a few more lines) I saw a proper eating joint that you can see in the picture. Now this is a great idea. The place is always full whenever I went there and the food is quite decent and prices reasonable. On my trip to Bharatpur, I had a coffee and a rawa masala dosa. There are so many people traveling by trains that it makes great sense to have places like this. I wonder what took the Indian Railways to come up with one?

More on the cafe from Rediff.