We spend the morning at leisure – sort of slept in, watched the clouds roll across the valleys while we drank our coffee in the room…

…hit the breakfast buffet, then the gym and later computer work, late check out at noon then to the restaurant for lunch.  Unfortunately, the restaurant didn’t open until 12:30, but accommodating as they always are, the staff let us sit in the restaurant and order and eat – while they were buffing and cleaning the floors underneath our feet!  I swear.  The service is not to be beaten here.  Just crazy focused on guests and their needs.

Lunch done (no paneer kulcha for us because the chef isn’t in yet), but nonetheless, excellent with veg spring rolls and soup, we check out, pay our enormous tab (seriously, that stupid wine was expensive, but I had decided I wasn’t going to think about it!) and our driver was right there at 1pm to take us down the mountain.  Literally!

The drive to Kalka was over 2 hours down the Himalayas into the low lands on roads that were alternating 2 lanes and one narrow lane that needed a lot of work.  Oh geez.  There was a lot of construction going on to improve the roadway – and in the long run, it will help, but oh my – in the short run?  A hard drive down the slopes into Kalka.  Our driver-guy (whose name we never found out) was adorable and a great driver.  Quiet – only talked when we hit towns to tell us this was a market.  Think he was just shy.  We had to stop at a permit office – and he told us what he was doing – paying to go into Kalka we think. Then as we got closer to the Kalka, we were stopped by some random guy in the middle of the street handing out sweets to everyone.  Some special Himachal treat that the driver-guy told us to take.  Nice.  And it looked awesome, but, um, we’re not so sure we should eat it.  We’ve made it this far without getting sick, don’t want to start now.  Darn it….

As we approached the train station, the driver stopped and talked to the parking attendant for a while.  Apparently, the last time he was here, the police got him and took him away. He was really skittish when he dropped us off – so we just told him to stop and let us off a little bit before the entrance – we didn’t want him in trouble again!  Crazy country!

Leaving when we did, even with the long drive, we were still at the station almost 3 hours before our train.  Eek.  And there is nothing there. A little restaurant that doesn’t look open, and random snack kiosks.  It’s 3:15 and our train doesn’t leave until 5:45. Oh boy!  We eventually hit the “upper class” room – which is a basic waiting room, but with bathrooms.  Yes!  And western style too.  Heaven!  Hanging out here for an hour or so, we charge our phones and read until we figure we can head out to the train. 

From past experience, we know we can go sit on the train early, so we head that way, stopping at a couple different snack stands for sustenance that we may need if we can’t eat what they serve us for dinner!  Arriving at our Executive car, we find it already busy with a huge group of Indians (who obviously live in the US) who are really, really loud.  Oh dear!  They are whooping it up – and they never stop during the entire 4-hour ride.  Think they may have been here for a wedding – we’re never sure – but oh my.  The noise level!  It’s hard to hear yourself think, much less talk to each other.

Finally underway, we all get served a snack tray of some weird sandwich – white bread with some sort of candied peppers inside?  Have no clue, but totally not appetizing.  Also some stale cashews, a stuffed bread thing that I couldn’t eat (too spicy) and a good peanut brittle thing. Is this dinner? 

As it turns out, no, we have an actual dinner that is served in “courses” some time later. First there is this instant tomato soup (that is wicked hard to open, but the server comes along with scissors to help!) – you pour the pouch in the bowl and the server pours the hot water.  Actually, pretty good.  Then about 45 minutes later, the main meal comes – Amit had ordered us both veg – potatoes (the only thing I could eat), spicy paneer, dal, rice, roti and yogurt.  Oh, and this yummy sugar ball dessert thing.  I ate the roti and dessert – not much of anything else.  I just can’t stomach the spice any longer and am just not much of an Indian food person.  You’d think I’d have lost weight by this point but…..ah well – we can diet at home!

Dinner complete, we spend the rest of the ride reading and fretting about whether our driver will really be at the platform to meet us!  The train arrives just a few minutes late, but we already have our bags and are positioned in line to get off the train. As we are slowly coming to a stop, there is a guy out on the platform looking in the windows, and when he sees me, he smiles and waves – so of course, I wave back, thinking this might be our guy.  We hop off the train and said guy enthusiastically greets us, asking if we are Thomas.  Bummer, no, we aren’t.  He goes off in search of Thomas (Guilling – and I swear that was a name from the ship, but we never saw them – and the driver/guide guy is panicking trying to figure out where they went) as we stand on the platform waiting, and waiting, thinking, oh dear, here we go again. 

But lo and behold, only a couple of minutes later, here comes our driver, with sign in hand. Yes! Success!  Amit is on the job tonight – and Raj our driver corrals us and speed walks us to the car.  Once settled he tells us it is a hassle to get into the station. It is “closed” because last week at the beginning of the big holiday celebration, 18 people were killed in a mad crush of celebrants when the train platforms where changed. He had to scam his way in with a train ticket to somewhere else he just happened to have in the car.  Thank you, Raj!  We appreciate your creativity and subterfuge!

Off we go into the insanity that is Delhi traffic.  Oh dear!  Getting out of the station is a riot.  It is total gridlock and mass bedlam. Typical Delhi traffic!  No one going anywhere until a clog breaks through and then cars move and tuk tuks putter around and cycles come up alongside – and just chaos. But somehow, it all works!

30 minutes later Raj deposits us at the Marshmallow where we check in with the surly guy who gives us a different room and retrieves our luggage, gives me a blow dryer (thank you – but why in the hell do you have to ask for a blow dryer????) and sends up a Kingfisher beer for Ed.  This room is equally, if not more, dilapidated.  Plaster bubbling and peeling off the walls, grime and dirt covering all the switch plates, and particularly the A/C panel. The bathroom door has enough mold to call it a science project and the toilet seat is like a carnival ride – you have to hold it in place so you don’t go for a ride.  There are gross looking green things in the sink. 

This place.  Honestly. We have no idea where or from whom the reviews come, but it’s definitely a low budget, skanky establishment.  The website is a total fake – the place looks absolutely nothing like it.   The city view rooftop restaurant? Not open.  The minibar in rooms? Non-existent.  We asked, and the hotel said there isn’t a minibar in any room contrary to what the website says. Oh – there is a cabinet that used to hold a mini-fridge, but it’s empty now.  Sigh.

Ok – it’s only for 24 hours – we can manage.  But I have to tell you that for some reason it is just doing me in.  We have stayed in such great hotels in every city except this one, the contrast is just jarring me for some reason – and I am unreasonably annoyed by the whole situation.

I keep telling myself, only 24 hours, only 24 hours!  The one shining star here is that the bed is really comfortable, so at least there is that. I’m not mentioning the stained sheets…ok…I am.