Shimla- Kalka Heritage Toy-Train Journey
No Shimla resident goes on the toy-train. That’s a journey for the monkey –capped Bengalis and foreign tourists to make. If the locals have to get to Kalka they would rather drive down or would prefer to hop on to any available public transport. The toy- train ride is just too much of a touristy thing to do.
Its also a more leisurely thing to do. A journey which normally takes two and a half hours at medium pace takes more than five hours in the train. But one would expect the slow train journey to be the natural choice of travel for the temperamentally relaxed , laidback and slow moving Shimlaites.
A Manali Taxiwalla’s Monologue.
The wealth of information you can get from your cabbie can beat any fancy guide book hands down. No matter where I travel, I always needle my taxi-driver for info and am rewarded with a lowdown on local gossip, survival tips, inside knowledge on tourist scams and much more.