[ Sept.2006 ] From Shimla in India, we came back to the lower world by Toy Train.
I was expecting something cute as they called it Toy Train, but in fact it was an ordinary train, though because it was the narrow gage railway, the car was small.
This route is called Kalka-Shimla Railway and it was built in 1903.
The length is 93 km and the elevation difference is 1420 metres.
There are 103 tunnels and 864 bridges.
Two years after I took it, this railway apparently became the World Heritage.
Soon after I got on, I wanted to go to the toilet.
I went to the toilet being ready to face a disastrous one, but I was relieved to see that it was nice and clean, though it was the squatting type.
Our tour group occupied almost entire car of the train.
When I join this kind of tour, I get some memories of not only the destination, but also of the tour members.
In the Toy Train, I was with a middle aged couple who told me that they got married very young and started their life without even a chair.
She joined this tour after overcoming a cancer.
I remember that there was also an elderly man who said that he had lived in British ruling India until he was 10 years old.
