Now in Deli at the Radisson near the airport. Different sounds from outside. It is the roar of the traffic muffled by the thick walls and windows. The highway to get here from the station was wide. Mostly cars and trucks often laden with a group of Indians. Our guide said they would be off to an event maybe a wedding. We have been told there is a limit to ten in a car. The seems to be no limit to a wedding.
Our guide Ravi was knowledgeable and proud of his country. He explained the caste system. He is in the second class: Gupta. We were picked up at 9.30 just after breakfast. Phil had a swim in the pool and we met a couple inspecting the best hotels. Their company was Ellison Roberts from Yorkshire. They said there was an even better Oberoi Hotel in Shimla, the Wildflower which was situated in the Mall. The staff at the Cecil bowed and showed respect by putting their hands together pointing to the ceiling and nodding the head slightly. The road down was narrow and winding. Our driver drove slowly and so we got a good view of the hills and the houses and towns. We passed through Solan which was quiet a big town. The houses were often built next to the road so that the owners could start a business on the street and live in the levels below. I saw buildings that were eight stories high. Similar construction was used for them all. Concrete foundations topped by a concrete plinth, then concrete pillars usually round then another concrete level. Usually the houses were never finished. The concrete reinforcing cables were jutting up and out waiting for more money for the next level.
There was plenty of construction along the way with lots of trucks about. The hillsides need plenty of reinforcing to prevent landslips.
We stopped at a restaurant which was run by Tourism India for a cup of chai tea. No one else was there, perhaps it was too early. The garden surrounding was very attractive with a range of plants, many perennials. Phil mentioned the surprising number of pharmacies in Shimla. He said 25. Ravi laughed and said there were 250. Drugs are big business in India and are very cheap. The price in Australia would be up to 100 times more expensive. Ravi explained that he was a pharmacist and produced a photocopy of his qualifications. He was very knowledgeable about the ingredients. The qualification was done by apprenticeship and six months formal training. He had followed his father as a pharmacist. It was his family tradition to be a pharmacist.
We had time to sightsee in Chandigah to see Lee Corbusier's work. We saw the High Court from a distance but he managed to talk his way into driving the car up close to the Secretariat. We were allowed to take lots of photographs of the massive concrete structure. The rounded openings on the car park area were rather spoilt by the washing hanging around.
Ravi took us to the War Memorial situated a 25 acres of parkland with lots of large trees and bougainvillea. The war memorial was a round structure and the names of people who had died in the wars mainly with Pakistan and other border clashes. The High Court was visible in the distance. The main issue is the dispute over who owns Kashmir.
Ravi disappeared for a while looking for our driver and the car. We saw the rose garden with thousands of roses but no blooms. The gardeners were in the process of pruning them.
We parked in the centre of town. Big brands were there including Mothercare and Arrow shirts. We inspected the stitches shirt by Arrow and had a lassi in a modern café serving a big range of Indian food upstairs and cakes and packaged biscuits downstairs.
Our train to Dehli was leaving at 6.30. but we got to the Chandigah train station at twenty to six so had plenty of time to watch the passengers gather on the wide platform. Our porter stayed with us and was arguing with Ravi about his tip. Ravi insisted that he had already paid the tip. He hang around until we got on the train and carried our bags on board so Phil slipped him 15r. The waiter in the train asked everyone for a tip. Phil gave him 15r as well. He would do well. He had a fist full of money. The girl sitting next to Phil refused and said that this was not the normal practice on the train. She only drank chai tea as she was fasting. Not a full fast like Ravi of 9days. Just the first and the last day.
Our last night was at the Radisson, very near to the airport. The road outside was wide and full of traffic. Less carts and bikes but always a few. The hum of the traffic could be heard from our room. This hotel was large with a big reception area floored with marble and a carpet strip through the door ways. Rather dated compared to our five star hotels during the Distantfrontier tour. Spots on the carpet and the rooms were designed with a glass wall from the bathroom area. No escaping to the toilet, always in view. The blind hung in the shower and I did not woke out how to pull it down. We didn't need dinner as there were meals supplied on the train. The guide who accompanied us in the taxi was 21 and had been a very goog cricket, captain of the local under 19 team in Dehli. He had just graduated from a degree of Hospitality and Management.
Regretfully he said one needed to be rich or have a sponsor to get into the test team. Arriving at the hotel he came in with us and asked us to sit down. He said he needed our passports and took them to the reception. I realize now he wanted to hang around for as long as possible to earn a good tip. However in Indi it is easy to talk to the staff and book oneself in. Our flight would leave at 1pm next day so we had plenty of time to have breakfast and check out and get a taxi to the airport. Distant frontiers were keen to send out a car but that was inefficient as they would have to come a long way to our hotel to pick us up. The taxi was fine. We were lucky on the trip home. Phil forgot when checking in to ask for an exit seat. At the waiting the attendants said that due to a connecting flight delay 50 passengers will miss the flight. She gave us h and k so that we had three seats. I could stretch out and put my feet up. It was bliss! The Dreamliner plane was very good and fast. We arrived in Melbourne at 6.30am or maybe 15 minutes later. It had left Dehli at 1.00pm.
Our guide Ravi was knowledgeable and proud of his country. He explained the caste system. He is in the second class: Gupta. We were picked up at 9.30 just after breakfast. Phil had a swim in the pool and we met a couple inspecting the best hotels. Their company was Ellison Roberts from Yorkshire. They said there was an even better Oberoi Hotel in Shimla, the Wildflower which was situated in the Mall. The staff at the Cecil bowed and showed respect by putting their hands together pointing to the ceiling and nodding the head slightly. The road down was narrow and winding. Our driver drove slowly and so we got a good view of the hills and the houses and towns. We passed through Solan which was quiet a big town. The houses were often built next to the road so that the owners could start a business on the street and live in the levels below. I saw buildings that were eight stories high. Similar construction was used for them all. Concrete foundations topped by a concrete plinth, then concrete pillars usually round then another concrete level. Usually the houses were never finished. The concrete reinforcing cables were jutting up and out waiting for more money for the next level.
There was plenty of construction along the way with lots of trucks about. The hillsides need plenty of reinforcing to prevent landslips.
We stopped at a restaurant which was run by Tourism India for a cup of chai tea. No one else was there, perhaps it was too early. The garden surrounding was very attractive with a range of plants, many perennials. Phil mentioned the surprising number of pharmacies in Shimla. He said 25. Ravi laughed and said there were 250. Drugs are big business in India and are very cheap. The price in Australia would be up to 100 times more expensive. Ravi explained that he was a pharmacist and produced a photocopy of his qualifications. He was very knowledgeable about the ingredients. The qualification was done by apprenticeship and six months formal training. He had followed his father as a pharmacist. It was his family tradition to be a pharmacist.
We had time to sightsee in Chandigah to see Lee Corbusier's work. We saw the High Court from a distance but he managed to talk his way into driving the car up close to the Secretariat. We were allowed to take lots of photographs of the massive concrete structure. The rounded openings on the car park area were rather spoilt by the washing hanging around.
Ravi took us to the War Memorial situated a 25 acres of parkland with lots of large trees and bougainvillea. The war memorial was a round structure and the names of people who had died in the wars mainly with Pakistan and other border clashes. The High Court was visible in the distance. The main issue is the dispute over who owns Kashmir.
Ravi disappeared for a while looking for our driver and the car. We saw the rose garden with thousands of roses but no blooms. The gardeners were in the process of pruning them.
We parked in the centre of town. Big brands were there including Mothercare and Arrow shirts. We inspected the stitches shirt by Arrow and had a lassi in a modern café serving a big range of Indian food upstairs and cakes and packaged biscuits downstairs.
Our train to Dehli was leaving at 6.30. but we got to the Chandigah train station at twenty to six so had plenty of time to watch the passengers gather on the wide platform. Our porter stayed with us and was arguing with Ravi about his tip. Ravi insisted that he had already paid the tip. He hang around until we got on the train and carried our bags on board so Phil slipped him 15r. The waiter in the train asked everyone for a tip. Phil gave him 15r as well. He would do well. He had a fist full of money. The girl sitting next to Phil refused and said that this was not the normal practice on the train. She only drank chai tea as she was fasting. Not a full fast like Ravi of 9days. Just the first and the last day.
Our last night was at the Radisson, very near to the airport. The road outside was wide and full of traffic. Less carts and bikes but always a few. The hum of the traffic could be heard from our room. This hotel was large with a big reception area floored with marble and a carpet strip through the door ways. Rather dated compared to our five star hotels during the Distantfrontier tour. Spots on the carpet and the rooms were designed with a glass wall from the bathroom area. No escaping to the toilet, always in view. The blind hung in the shower and I did not woke out how to pull it down. We didn't need dinner as there were meals supplied on the train. The guide who accompanied us in the taxi was 21 and had been a very goog cricket, captain of the local under 19 team in Dehli. He had just graduated from a degree of Hospitality and Management.
Regretfully he said one needed to be rich or have a sponsor to get into the test team. Arriving at the hotel he came in with us and asked us to sit down. He said he needed our passports and took them to the reception. I realize now he wanted to hang around for as long as possible to earn a good tip. However in Indi it is easy to talk to the staff and book oneself in. Our flight would leave at 1pm next day so we had plenty of time to have breakfast and check out and get a taxi to the airport. Distant frontiers were keen to send out a car but that was inefficient as they would have to come a long way to our hotel to pick us up. The taxi was fine. We were lucky on the trip home. Phil forgot when checking in to ask for an exit seat. At the waiting the attendants said that due to a connecting flight delay 50 passengers will miss the flight. She gave us h and k so that we had three seats. I could stretch out and put my feet up. It was bliss! The Dreamliner plane was very good and fast. We arrived in Melbourne at 6.30am or maybe 15 minutes later. It had left Dehli at 1.00pm.
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