The long-awaited summer vacation arrived at last. The extreme heat in the plans made me think that I should pass my holidays on the hills. Shimla was chosen as my summer Resort. One ideal morning I arrived at the railway station with luggage and got my ticket.
The railway station presented a scene of considerable confusion. Many poor villages sat, waiting patiently, in clustered around their pots and pans. Besides the actual passengers, the railway station was crowded with those who had come to see off their friends and relatives. In 10 minutes, the train that was to take me to Ambala arrived.
The train came to standstill and at once the passengers made a great rush. I got into a compartment. Sitting in a corner near a window, I began to read the morning paper. In another 5 minutes, the guard blew his whistle and waved off the green flag. The bell rang and the engine with a loud whistle glided smoothly out of the railway station.
The compartment in which I thought was crowded to suffocation. People of all communities were huddled together. Some of the passengers were rude, others were polite. Some were shy and kept quiet.
A few soon entered into an animated conversation with their fellow passengers. A travelling agent soon appeared on the scene. He introduced himself to the audience with a short speech and then started advertising his goods.
As the train sped on, it passed by green fields and then through the beautiful forest. Now and then I could see cattle wallowing in muddy pools and farmers ploughing their field. Idle people sat and smoked and shady trees. Here and there we saw fields covered with golden corn and gardens with clusters of fruit trees.
At noon the train arrived at Ambala. In the evening we reached Kalka where we changed for Shimla. The train now went uphill. It passed through dark tunnels and crossed mountain streams.
The scenery on either side of the railway line was picturesque. All sorts of beautiful birds flitted across the landscape. At last the train reached Shimla which was my destination. Alighting from the compartment I took my way to the nearest hotel. What a pleasant journey it was!
