Simla aka Shimla

A bus ride to Shimla on a rainy July night...we'd started on a clear, pleasant evening, but the rains caught up with us sometime during the night. We arrive at Shimla, the next afternoon, after a sixteen hour drive punctuated by a couple of halts. A bunch of 250 tired souls with hopes soaked through and through, yet spirits intact!

Sounds like a big number? Well we'd taken a four day school trip to Shimla. Hot baths, beverages and snacks made brought back the warmth, and the sun peeped through too, to lift our hopes. Soon we were ready for a walk up the Mall. (This is what people like to call 'the Mall Road,' be it in Shimla, Mussorie, Meerut, or any other city in India, with British history.)

It was quite some hike, and the road uphill seemed never ending! Once we reached The Ridge, our group leade lead us up another lane next to the Christ Church. Whew! a steep walk in a drizzle, what with a sky getting darker by the minute. Our group leader sure featured on top of all our hit lists for he'd lead us to this rendezvous with the monkeys on an unknown unfavourable terrain!

Only Hanuman, the monkey God could save him, in whose name he'd caught us unawares, and brought us up Jakhu hill, to Jakhu Temple. A tiny room, with brass bells mounted on a bar bar suspended by thick brass chains, in its porch. Tens of monkeys hanging on to the bells, ringing it, created strange music. A couple more monkeys inside, sitting with hands folded in prayer, were an aweinspiring sight! They'd observed their human counterparts do this very often, from very close! Climbing down hill in the dark, with the valley on on side ready to gobble any one whose step faltered, was no joke. We made it, lucky enough to have lost only a couple of cameras and spectacles!

The next day saw us drive 16 Km up to Kufri. The entire was marked with panoramic views of pine clad slopes, deep valleys and tiny waterfalls in the distances. We visited the Himalayan Nature Park and the Indira Tourist Park., where the famous Shimla Pact was signed. A short horse ride, or an exhilerating walk up the slope brought us to the snow clad slopes with snow waning away. These slopes are used for skiing during the winters.

The Ridge facing the Christ Churh and State Library, is a wide open space with iron railings on three sides, for people to marvel at the views around. It also leads to Lekkar Bazaar, famous for wood crafts and souvenirs, and The Mall which is the main shopping hub of Shimla. We spent the next afternoon and evening , admiring the views and shopping.

The treks up and down The Mall were indeed a visual treat, with cottages and hotels, both old and new, standing out in their vibrant best, as architectural feats.

A short, adventurous trip, over-punctuated by rain, yet pretty enjoyable!