Passage through India – Homeward Bound and Top Ten Highlights (Part Two)

Continuing with my Top Ten of India Tour but in no particular order now as I found it rather difficult to rank or separate them.

After two hours the Shatabdi Express eased into New Delhi station and having just completed our sixth and final ride then I have to include the train journeys.  One of the reasons that I was persuaded to take this trip in the first place was down to the railways and I was not disappointed.

I enjoyed every minute of it, the early morning starts, the breakfast boxes, the station chaos, waiting for the trains to arrive on busy platforms, the anticipation, the thrill of the engine arriving, the never-ending line of passenger carriages squealing to a halt, the rush to get off and the rush to get on, finding our seats and sitting back to enjoy the ride. The contrasting views from slums of Delhi to wide open plains of India.  Long distances so long journeys but entertainment all the way with a procession of busy activity including airline style dining which was surprisingly good.

In-travel vendors pass unsuccessfully several times through the coaches.  They return every few minutes in the hope that someone has turned down the meal and will have a Snickers Bar instead or maybe hoping that they have just changed their mind and turn a no thank you into a yes please.

Fellow traveller Lesley agreed with me and summed it up like this…

“My highlight was the total train journey experience, the very early starts (not so good), the hustle and bustle of the stations, the hard seats, the interesting food, “toilets”, the other passengers and the camaraderie of the group, the Indian countryside and the anticipation of the next destination”

Whilst enjoying my lamb curry meal on board the Shatabi Express it occurred to me that in my Top Ten that I must include the food and especially of course the Curry.

Before the trip I had been nervous about the food and the fear of Delhi Belly but I needn’t have worried at all.

Quite different to a curry in an Indian restaurant in the UK.  Spicy yes but also surprisingly more mild and gentle than I was expecting.  In the UK some people expect and tackle blazing hot curries that burn  and sear and lack subtlety.  None of that here and I was happy to try anything that was presented and I never once had an upset stomach and none of the precautionary tablets that we had taken with us were required.

My favourite of the fortnight was a Thali Platter in a restaurant in Jaipur, but only just, all of the food was perfect.  Towards the end of the tour I did begin to suffer curry overload and on one occasion skipped the Indian lunch for an Indian ‘Burger King’ but I mildly regret that now.

Fellow traveller Helen remembered a meal on the train from Kalka to Shimla…

“A young woman and her small family who sat opposite us on the train to Shimla.  At lunchtime she got out a newspaper, a red onion, a tomato, a chilli and a small bunch of coriander.  She meticulously cut these vegetables into tiny pieces onto the newspaper.  Then she took half a bag of bombay mix from her bag and mixed the contents into the vegetables.  Clearly this was going to be lunch for her and her husband and small daughter.  She then poured some of this mixture onto a piece of newspaper and offered it to us along with a wooden spoon.  It was a spontaneous and generous offer which we accepted and shared between us (it was also delicious!).  So that was one of my favourite memories of our trip.”

The train arrived at New Delhi station bang on time and we left the carriage and entered once more the world of Indian colour because India is a country where colour is amplified several times over, burning blue, firestorm red, gorgeous green and scalding yellow. everything about India is a shock to the senses, the sounds from gentle music to blazing car horns, the tastes of the wonderful food and the colours, so colours of India goes into my Top Ten.

Maybe fellow traveller Ann had colours in mind when she said  ” … it meant so much to me to have experienced some of what my dad saw eighty years ago.  Roger and I had a brilliant time!”

I have picked out colour but fellow traveller Ruth picked out the music…

“The corridor outside my room connected to the balcony so I could hear the flute…  I thanked them at reception for the music.  They seemed to take it for granted.”

A bit of music at Ranthambore Jungle Villas…

So, now we were back in Delhi at the Hotel Suryaa for the third time; we were almost regulars now.  We felt familiar with the place and walked into the small shopping area nearby (we needed to purchase wine).  Over the two weeks we had accumulated some small denomination notes and a pocket full of coins and we thought that this might be the opportunity to pass them on.

Tourists with money to give away are very welcome and no matter how discreet you think you are in giving it over vigilant eyes are watching out and the careful passing of a note or a coin doesn’t go unnoticed and soon a small crowd of children assembles.  We gave all of our money to a charming group of kids who continued to optimistically hold out for more even as we escaped to the sanctuary of the hotel.

Final four in my Top Ten in my next and concluding post.