Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Consider Shimla for your travel bucket list




Shimla is called the Queen of the Hills for good reason; the view of the snow-capped Himalayas is spectacular, and the architecture in the old town center is as if the British left their occupation of India only yesterday. You can see their influence in the buildings and the number of parks.


The road system there, too, seems much less intimidating than other parts of India I have visited – and these roads traverse the sides of steep mountains. I especially appreciated that Shimla’s main tourist and shopping area is for foot traffic only – that includes horses.
While the buildings need renovation, it is obvious that the Himachal Pradesh (state in India) is spending a lot of money to make this a destination for tourists and newly married couples on their honeymoon. Their work is evident with rebuilding of the old town hall, the quaint street lamps – and there is absolutely no trash!
We visited during the off-season so it was cold – but not by Minnesota standards - but a down jacket was necessary during the day and, because central heating systems are rarely available, double thermal underwear at night. However, a little cold meant accommodation prices were low. We stayed at a house from the colonial times, walking distance from the mall and good restaurants. I just love Arbnb!
Because if was off-season, scheduled tours of the area were not available. However, we grabbed a tourist brochure, looked at the one-day itinerary and hired a taxi to take us around. The highlight was a visit to Kufri, a village so high (about 10,500 feet) that you could call it the nose-bleed section of the Shimla area. 
We opted for a horse ride up even further and awaiting us was a panoramic view, that sucked whatever breath I had left out of me.
Of course, there were plenty of entrepreneurs trying to get into your pocketbook- target shooting (yes with a gun, be it B-B style); a haunted house and telescopes available to rent if you really, really had trouble seeing what was before your very eyes.
We opted (for $3) to dress up in traditional Kullu wedding attire, and celebrate our own marriage - I guess this is really what this trip to India is all about for us.

There and back

Our journey to Shimla was grueling - I complain about a 3-hour drive to Duluth in the USA or air travel taking five hours to a destination. Here, even short distances take time to traverse. We hired a taxi for the first leg of our journey to Kalka – that was about six hours. Upon arriving, we headed straight to the railway station to buy our tickets for the five hour journey on the so-called “toy train,” a 10-gauge railway that was built during the British in 1905 and, with its 100 tunnels, is considered an engineering feat.
Chan had tried to book tickets online, and just as with most everything else here in India, it may happen or it may not. It was a NOT for us!
At the counter, we learned that the only spots available were on the 3:30 a.m. train! So, it was that or nothing, and since this adventure was on our “must-do” list, we did it. Fortunately, we had booked a hotel for the night. Now, my booking criteria is cleanliness and within walking distance to where we need to go. This facility served its purpose and at 2:45 a.m. we walked down the deserted streets of Kolka to the train depot. By the way, we sat down to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner featuring tandoori chicken.


While the train ride was cold - I mean really cold- it was worth every so-called inconvenience so that we could view the sunrise making its way over the mountain range.
We opted for a 12-hour bus ride to take us home. Two stops, including one for lunch, lots of hairpin turns on some pretty scary roads added up to another wonderful adventure.

View my complete Shimla photo album here


You can follow our adventures nearly daily on:

The sun sets on our trip to Shimla






                                                                                                       


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