Part II -- Trains!Cold! Valleys! and the hunt for the Fatigue Jacket
The Travelogue - I
The Travelogue - I
I had a flight to Delhi on 26th Dec,though my vacations started from 24th Dec. I took a day off from office to get acclimatized to the holiday season(:p)*! I had a feeling that this year was kinda holiday for me . The reason ( for feeling that this year was kinda holiday for me) being Non Stop Action! ( again, I associate non stop action with Holiday because thats what holidays are for me-Non Stop Action) Be it office, be it home,be it my travels just non stop action!. The problem with non stop action is it makes concept of time feel irrelevant, unimportant, of no use! You look back and only thing you ask is did that happen? when? how?
My flight on 26th took me to Delhi where I met Bansal, a college friend! We enjoyed our fag and a cup of tea ! which took me down the memory lane and towards Taramani! After catching up we started looking for ear muffs and gloves! I just love the witty shopkeepers of Palika Bazaar! They are just brilliant! You can't beat them at humor! The little Punjabi touch, the glibness, the spontaneity of answers and the hard bargain! It reminded me of Oye Lucky Oye!That was one true portrayal of Delhi's local populi!The glibness!
We had 11 PM train,Delhi Udhampur express(0403), to catch from New Delhi station and Bansal had his luggage at old Delhi station. We some how managed to grab our dinner, pick the luggage up and reach on time at the New Delhi station.
I'll tell you - night journey, by train, in North India,during winters is a torture in itself! Its an art, to survive, only for people who didn't come much prepared for it ! as in the backpack will get heavy is the excuse!
Two simple rules though very effective but not sufficient - 1) Always carry bed sheet or something equivalent of it , to cover the seat.
2) Always tuck in the shirt and wear a long sleeves shirt!
The train journey till Chakki Bank was not eventful! was just filled with few spells of sleep ! and unhindered Cold! Chakki bank station is few kilometers from Pathankot and has just the essentials. I mean one counter for bookings, one counter for inquiry , one Platform,one stall.
We caught an shared auto for Pathankot. On the way we saw many army stores selling Military green color stuff. Jackets,sweaters,rucksacks, and other army gear! And suddenly my desire to possess the fatigue jacket got inflamed! My desire had support of the following feelings --
1) It( fatigue jacket) looks cool.
2) It is associated with ruggedness aka rough-N-tough
3) Points one and two again
4) last and the least - "I have a photogenic Denim Jacket with me and now I want photogenic and effective fatigue jacket"
We started looking for the jacket but didn't find any raiment which fell in line with mental image I was looking for and good material. So we moved on!
Next thing we stopped for was Palak Panner,Tandoor Roti and Onions with some kind of pickle( I should have asked what it was made of :() and lots of butter! The Palak ( Spinach) was just awesome! My taxi driver ( from Delhi airport till CP) had advised me to eat Palak on the way! As in they grow Palak in these parts alot! and for once he was right!
His other advice was to take toy train ride from Pathankot till Kangra station (90Kms) (what he didn't tell me was how much time train takes). It took us 5 hrs to travel those 90 Kms! Initially the ride was painful as in it felt like we were playing Paper dance( with all wrong crowd)! But once we got the seats it was more fun. Train meandered through scenic and magnificent valleys,hills, villages and river running all along! And how can I forgot the Orange trees, laden with Oranges. Strangely! The scene reminded me of a song Lemon tree,by Fool's garden.
" I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree
I'm turning my head up and down
I'm turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just another lemon-tree "
Strange!
Coming back, to route which has couple of tunnels as well. Tunnels come with the childish shouts! In childhood shouts were meant to gather courage ( in the face of darkness) and now shouts were meant to relive the childhood! Strange!
Now when I am writing the Experience of Toy train ride I am reminded of other toy train ride! from Udagamandalam to Coonoor! But that was different - it was about Eucalyptus trees, Green valleys, Smoke, and well kept train. We all had the space,seats to ourselves!
Next blog - Mcleod Ganj! Trek and that of New years
My flight on 26th took me to Delhi where I met Bansal, a college friend! We enjoyed our fag and a cup of tea ! which took me down the memory lane and towards Taramani! After catching up we started looking for ear muffs and gloves! I just love the witty shopkeepers of Palika Bazaar! They are just brilliant! You can't beat them at humor! The little Punjabi touch, the glibness, the spontaneity of answers and the hard bargain! It reminded me of Oye Lucky Oye!That was one true portrayal of Delhi's local populi!The glibness!
We had 11 PM train,Delhi Udhampur express(0403), to catch from New Delhi station and Bansal had his luggage at old Delhi station. We some how managed to grab our dinner, pick the luggage up and reach on time at the New Delhi station.
I'll tell you - night journey, by train, in North India,during winters is a torture in itself! Its an art, to survive, only for people who didn't come much prepared for it ! as in the backpack will get heavy is the excuse!
Two simple rules though very effective but not sufficient - 1) Always carry bed sheet or something equivalent of it , to cover the seat.
2) Always tuck in the shirt and wear a long sleeves shirt!
The train journey till Chakki Bank was not eventful! was just filled with few spells of sleep ! and unhindered Cold! Chakki bank station is few kilometers from Pathankot and has just the essentials. I mean one counter for bookings, one counter for inquiry , one Platform,one stall.
We caught an shared auto for Pathankot. On the way we saw many army stores selling Military green color stuff. Jackets,sweaters,rucksacks, and other army gear! And suddenly my desire to possess the fatigue jacket got inflamed! My desire had support of the following feelings --
1) It( fatigue jacket) looks cool.
2) It is associated with ruggedness aka rough-N-tough
3) Points one and two again
4) last and the least - "I have a photogenic Denim Jacket with me and now I want photogenic and effective fatigue jacket"
We started looking for the jacket but didn't find any raiment which fell in line with mental image I was looking for and good material. So we moved on!
Next thing we stopped for was Palak Panner,Tandoor Roti and Onions with some kind of pickle( I should have asked what it was made of :() and lots of butter! The Palak ( Spinach) was just awesome! My taxi driver ( from Delhi airport till CP) had advised me to eat Palak on the way! As in they grow Palak in these parts alot! and for once he was right!
His other advice was to take toy train ride from Pathankot till Kangra station (90Kms) (what he didn't tell me was how much time train takes). It took us 5 hrs to travel those 90 Kms! Initially the ride was painful as in it felt like we were playing Paper dance( with all wrong crowd)! But once we got the seats it was more fun. Train meandered through scenic and magnificent valleys,hills, villages and river running all along! And how can I forgot the Orange trees, laden with Oranges. Strangely! The scene reminded me of a song Lemon tree,by Fool's garden.
" I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree
I'm turning my head up and down
I'm turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just another lemon-tree "
Strange!
Coming back, to route which has couple of tunnels as well. Tunnels come with the childish shouts! In childhood shouts were meant to gather courage ( in the face of darkness) and now shouts were meant to relive the childhood! Strange!
Now when I am writing the Experience of Toy train ride I am reminded of other toy train ride! from Udagamandalam to Coonoor! But that was different - it was about Eucalyptus trees, Green valleys, Smoke, and well kept train. We all had the space,seats to ourselves!
Next blog - Mcleod Ganj! Trek and that of New years
* I some times feel that the emoticons are like the equivalent of "Applaud", "Laugh" etc. kind of signs used during making of Sitcoms.
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