Chandigarh

Over the past week you have been able to wander through Nek Chand's Rock Garden in Chandigarh.
Today I end my series from our day trip with an impression of the train ride and of Chandigarh itself.

I booked hotel and train tickets online; the train tickets were cheap, even for good seats in an express train. About 15 euro per person for a return ticket for 8 hours on the train. Reserved seats and very comfortable.

For that money we were served food and drinks non-stop; water, tea, soup, bread, hot meals, snacks. Although not much that I liked (let's call it indian airplane food) , I found it a very good and generous service!

For each a big bottle of water.

For each a pot of tea.

Hot meal.

Along the way we passed villages, settlements, farmers, cows, pigs, oxes, and people, lots of people. Also on the platforms many people: sleeping, sitting, chatting, washing themselves, waiting. Regularly people were walking over or along the tracks.

Here is an impression; the pics are not very good due to the speed of the train and the dusty windows.

Father and children, washing themselves at the sink on the platform.

Lots of women with children. The women in their beautiful sari's.

Then Chandigarh itself.
A strange city. When Pakistan separated itself from India, about 60 years ago, the provinces Haryana and Punjab lost their capitals. So president Nehru ordered a brand-new capital to be built in 1947: Chandigarh. He invited the internationally famous architect Le Corbusier to do so.

Can you imagine: a very formal, linear builder as Le Corbusier building in India? He made a city-grid with wide, tree-lined streets and low-rise buildings. Some people say it is the least Indian city in India.

The city is divided in numbered sections; very creative...sic!

Might as well be a shopping-square in Amstelveen;-).

Besides the Rock Garden there is nothing to be done or seen in Chandigarh. There are some huge parks and gardens, like the Rose Garden, but these are best to be visited in february. And there is a lake, but that did not impress us a lot either.

The Rose Garden; it was sooooooo hot and not too much shadow!

But of course in the end India will always be India;-), so also in Chandigarh you can find the authentic India:

Streetbarber.

Modern and traditional forms of transportation side by side.

Cows next to the roads.

A bit further away from the centre was an interesting temple. No pictures allowed:-(, so we only got these from the area around it:

Powder to make a bindi (red dot) on the forehead (between the eyes).

And finally we stumbled upon this hotel bar with jungle theme; quite hilarious and right up the alley of me as a kitsch lover;-).

Kangaroo bar stools; so funny!

Frits and his new best friend;-)

Me, doing the kangaroo...sounds like the name of a dance...hahaha..

The hotel bar had a nice view over the city with far, far away hills and mountains.

Our day trip to Chandigarh ends here; back to Delhi.