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Old 09-04-2019, 05:39 PM
gary
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gary is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Mt. Kuring-Gai
Posts: 5,999
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tandum View Post
Cheers Gary. We have a driver lined up for the entire trip. All 23 days. About day 10 we drive from Agra back to Delhi and go straight to the airport for the flight to Amristar. The driver is going to drop us off and then drive to Amristar to meet up with us again the next morning. So Amristar airport to the Ramada is the only taxi we should need to negotiate.
Hi Robin,

Too easy!

You will travelling in style like a Mughal prince.

Quote:
I can't register on the train website either. Every time I try it takes $2 off my credit card but still says I need to pay. For a country with such a high level of computer skills it's hard to believe the rail authority has such dodgy software. We want to catch the toy train from Shimla to Kalka down the mountain towards the end of the trip. Again the driver will drop us at Shimla station and meet us in Kalka. I'll get the agent in Delhi to buy us those tickets before we arrive. It's like $6 each for a 5 hour trip but you have to book in advance, the rail network is overloaded.
It was a big deal when they computerized the rail booking system.

Back in the day you use to queue for long periods at one booking
office to get your train ticket. They would then issue you with a chit
(Indians love chits) that often you had to take to the other side of
town to a totally different booking office to make your seat or sleeper
reservation.

Remarkably the train would pull into the station late at night and
there would be a carbon copy list attached via a spring clip to the side of each
carriage and lo and behold your hand-typed name would appear there.

One of the world's most astounding sights use to be walking into the
backroom of the ticket office of any railway station in India or Pakistan.

There would be piles and piles of ageing, yellowing ledgers going back
to the days of the Raj with every single booking ever made hand scribed
in them. They never threw anything away. There would invariably be
this equally old clerk with thick glasses and one of those visors accountants
use to wear. Walking into those rooms use to be like going back in a time
machine. Even the light bulbs were old and yellow for the complete
atmospheric experience. Then came the computers which never were
as reliable as those ledgers and clerks.

Quote:
We have also booked a jeep but that's in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve for a half day safari. I didn't think open top jeeps and tigers where a good mix.
LOL.

I've never seen one, but if they are like lion in Africa, they are totally
obvious to you in a vehicle. Most wild cats attack from the rear so sit up
front.
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