Shimla

The majestic mountain range of the western Himalyas tower above me as I type. The last stop on my wish list, Shimla, in Himachal Pradesh,  sprung out on a mountain ridge where when the sun disappears it is freezing! Literally.. In the bright morning glare this morning I see snow capped peaks encircling the valley. This hostel was like an ice house last night until the bright glare of the morning sun streamed in.

I arrived in the dark via two planes, one large and one here very small (!)  And then a four hour taxi on the Himalayan expressway...a slight misnomer given the single lane twisting, winding hairpin track. Fortunately the views were so stunning it distracted me from the sheer drop and increasing altitude sickness. Fortunately again the sickness abated..probably driven away by the cold! My first impression of Shimla was hundreds of twinkling lights illuminating the mountain side like a curtain of stars.

Flying low over India

Heading towards Shimla...

...getting higher

Tea/Loo stop 

The local train goes faster!

My hostel is some way out set in the mountain hence for a cheap price I have a palatial suite with floor to ceiling windows looking over the Himalayas. Its quiet, the season is just starting as the snows melt, my hosts are a lovely Muslim family with many rescue dogs who are proud Shimla born and bred and a mine of information.

A free drop off is offered in compensation for the village setting so this morning when I had warmed up enough I was duly dropped off. It’s a hard choice with hostels; location/budget/facilities, a trade off doubly hard in India where nothing ever works anyway. And here is peaceful tranquility whereas Shilma is hectic, a city expanding by the year, putting far too much strain on an ancient infrastructure. (I reckon I've typed that a fair few times this trip). But it is still a beautiful place, strung out along the mountain like a coat of many colours, surrounded by the jagged towering mountain peaks.

Sunrise over the mountains

the view from my room

Today I walked the heritage way marking the historic landmarks of the town from British times. (again a sentence much typed). This was a British hill kingdom, the summer capitol of the British Empire in India. Hence the hydro electric water power, the famous railway 'toy train' line and fine architectural gems of colonial structures. The Viceroys Lodge resembled an English castle. With magnolias in bloom, red rhododendron bushes everywhere, I felt as if I was already home!

up high in The Himalayas

snow on the distant peaks

its a bit windy - and my hair is getting long 

the British legacy - the Viceroy's lodge

National trust-like

Magnolias - looks like an English scene

Sunset

High up in the clouds my trek took me above the bustling mall area, once a fashionable promenade but now tourist heartland,  a path in the upper reaches of the town where the army and government still use the original buildings from the 18th century.  Gazing down at the higgledy piggledy mish mash of colours and styles, from the modern reconstruction to the ramshackle ruins, peering down in the layers of bazaars deep down in the valley floor as the town descends the slope, I drank in the glorious scenery and the blissful cool clean mountain air.

Mother and baby

the family group