Just. Too. Much. Travel. This was officially a travel day. Not a ‘See’ or ‘Do’ or even a ‘Pack’ day... just a travel day. And a very, very long one. We had a sleep in and a leisurely breakfast, then a final walk along the Shimla Mall Road in the fresh mountain air - enjoying the morning chill and the sunshine. We walked out of the hotel at 11.15 am then, with one stop, made it down the hill road in a mere 5 and a quarter hours. Which is not bad for a 3 hour trip. The road is being simultaneously widened/rebuilt and rescued from landslips so there were a few long tailbacks as they allowed one way traffic only on big stretches.

If the long day had finished at 4.30 pm when we reached Kalka railway station, then we’d probably have all been quite happy. But no. We loaded into the Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express and left at 5.45 pm for the roughly 4 hour train trip down to Delhi. On a positive note, no one starves on these Shatabdi trips - if anything we were fattened up with a tea/coffee/savoury/cake/sandwich service followed by a soup course and a Rice/Curry/Dal course - then an ice cream. We pick and mixed our way through the service and actually enjoyed the hot food very much. If nothing else it passed the time - whilst the seats weren’t particularly uncomfortable (they were actually seats after all) - we were both a bit worn out from the drive down on the long and winding hill road.

We finally arrived at New Delhi station (continuing our comprehensive experience of India Railways) and we were only 15 minutes late (at 10 pm... so really ‘on time’). Then the fun really began. Up the stairs, over the ramp, down the stairs, out the door, battling our way through a horde of pushy porters (none of whom were actually being used to lug our stuff), followed by a secondary horde of pushy tuk tuk drivers, along the road (horrendous traffic - pictured), mind the drunks, off the footpath/on the footpath, through the traffic, wait and wait (and wait) for the coach to get to us then, eventually, on to the lovely, big coach. Took us another 20 minutes just to move. And another 40 to get to the hotel, just a short distance away.

As you can imagine it was becoming the day that would never end by the time we hit the hotel, were checked in and finally in our room with the bath running in an endeavour to transition from go-go-go to relax-wind down-sleep mode - all in the knowledge that the alarm would be going off at 6.30 am for an 8 am ‘Ready to Go’ in the morning.

What to do? Asia Standard Sleep Mode of course - ear plugs, eye mask, sleeping pill. All this of course after we had Housekeeping in to flip the mattress from the rock hard side to the ‘hard’ side. Quite disappointed actually - this is the most expensive hotel of the five Indian hotels so far - and whilst undoubtedly five star - has the hardest and most uncomfortable bed so far. Ah well...