Modi Hotel — Kalka, Haryana INDIA

On the night of Diwali, festival of lights, in 2017 we stayed one night in a hotel near the terminus of the small-gauge train that takes tourists up the mountain to Shimla, a popular Indian hill station resort area in the state of Himachal Pradesh. During our six months traveling in India this celebration was by far the biggest event with virtually everyone scurrying home. Bus stations and roads were mobbed. Our Modi Hotel visit was an overnight pit stop to catch the train the following morning. The hotel of about 150 rooms was deserted that night. We were the only guests. Our room was up a couple dusty stairways and down a rather dusty hallway to presumably a quieter area away from the street noise and dirt.

The pictures below say it all. A new AC unit worked great except it blew directly on the bed. So we rigged (see 2nd pic) a diversion of the airflow using room furniture, our luggage and anything else handy.

The flip side of the “worst hotel” experience was the dining room in the hotel was fabulous and the food was fabulous — something we got used to in the most unlikely places in India. It’s part of the allure and charm of this incredible country.

Also, the manager and staff in the hotel was so, so kind and helpful to us. He arranged to have someone bring us some medicine for a bad cold Paul was battling. And then, when Paul was too sick to take the five hour train ride, arranged for a car and driver to take us up the mountain to our stunning five star hotel in Kufri (Royal Tulip Hotel). Even “worst of…” experiences can have a silver lining.