Keep your camera ready.....

Lest you should chance to meet
Any day some camels
Coming down the street...

As we did this morning when we went out for our jog!

Isn't she beautiful?  Such a smile!

Here are a few more shots from Shimla.  We have been back for a week but the warm memories are still with us.

However, tomorrow we are off on the second journey on our To Do List--so, there will be many new photos and adventures.

We met this lady sitting on The Ridge in Shimla, busily knitting baby booties to sell.  I did buy a little pair for 60 rupees for a baby girl who was born in Abbotsford on September 9.  Hope she doesn't grow too much before December.

Always on the lookout for a chaat shop.  This one is on Mall Road in Shimla.  We haven't tried any chaat yet but will be doing that tomorrow, we are told.

There is no shortage of poor souls who have nothing, although we saw fewer in Shimla.  This looked like a father and daughter, and they were very persistent  as we waited in the car at the Himland East Hotel.  The hotel staff did give them some money.

We passed by this lady as we drove through the village that is right next to Shimla.

Here is an example of building on the steep slopes.

Just outside the city, we visited the weekend retreat belonging to friends of the Akre family.  This house and its surrounding gardens sit right on top of the mountain.

 They have almost 360 degree views of the valleys and villages below.

Adi remembers fun times as a child when the family would go to this spot for picnics.

The flowers were absolutely beautiful.  Just about everything we grow at home in full bloom at such an altitude.   I think Adam photographed every one!

 Here is our crew in the gardens at the Viceregal Lodge.  I included a photo of that building in a previous blog.  It currently is home to the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies.

Flowers were everywhere in these gardens as well.  My nasturtiums at home never grow like this.  

The inside of the Lodge is in immaculate condition.  We were not able to go to some areas of the building because the scholars were busy at work.

As luck would have it, the Viceregal couple was there that day!

So, after two days of focussed work marking, preparing midterms and lessons for our classes, we now have two days to travel and enjoy.  At 6:00 am tomorrow, we are off to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple then on to the India - Pakistan border to witness the Flag Retreat Ceremony.  After overnighting in Amritsar, we will visit Deven's mother, Mohini, at Beas on our way home.  A great way to celebrate the birthday of Gandhiji!

And he never came back.......

Our young cook, that is.  Last weekend, we went to Shimla and he took the long journey to visit his family.  We returned; he didn't.

So, we don't really know who our new cook is, but every day our dinner arrives in this blue, insulated container!

What a great service.  I don't know if anyone in Canada has opened a business like this.

The food is kept quite warm and is real "home food," not fast food.

We do get teased about our early dinner hour--usually 6:30 or 7:00 pm.  People in India generally eat after 9:00 pm.

Later in the evening, a young man comes by to pick up the container and off he goes on his bicycle.

This system is working quite well for us.  We have always made our own breakfast and we are not often at home for lunch.  So, the "virtual cook" concept is a workable one.

This is tonight's meal -

A pakora-like dish in a sauce,

Rice, of course,

A bean dish,

And our favourite, roti!

There is always a small bag of fresh cucumber pieces as well.

Very tasty!

We have a good kitchen and could cook for ourselves, but I, for one, enjoy having dinner prepared by someone else.

Adam and Kathryn made us pasta the first night we were cookless, and that was a nice treat.


This is our propane cooktop.

We have a small fridge and microwave.

There is a unit for filtered water and two large sinks.

So, here we are sitting down for tonight's feast.

We seem to spend a lot of time thinking and talking about food!

Some years ago, a boy was born in India......

He lived for some of his early years in this house, Number 27 in Sector 18B in Chandigarh.

Today we visited the neighbourhood.

The years have been kinder to the boy than to the old home.  He moved with his family to the United States and now has a successful career as a neurosurgeon.

He is our son-in-law, Deven, husband of our daughter, Blair, father of our beautiful grandchildren, Mira, Tarik and Indigo.

Thank you, India!

There are several shops across the street from the house.

The Tagore Theatre is about a block away.  It has been refurbished since the days when the Khoslas lived in the neighbourhood, and is Chandigarh's main theatre for live performances.

Deven's sister, Anu, had a good friend back in those days and the friendship continues although Shelly still lives in Chandigarh.

We spent a very enjoyable time with her today and she was the one who took us to find Deven's old home.

Earlier, we had a delicious and leisurely lunch at the Flamme Bois Bistro.  Chandigarh has such a selection of great restaurants.  The fresh green salad was a special treat here!

Shelly is on a short leave from her job as administrator of the out-patient department at the huge Fortis hospital.  We look forward to meeting her husband and children.

Shelly's big task of the day was to take us to her favourite hair stylist, Ali, for long overdue haircuts.

This was George's first ever experience at a hair salon!!  He enjoyed it so much I might lose my job as family barber when we go home.

I kept my eagle eye on Ali as he cut my hair!  He is a master of his trade so I was pleased with the results.

We then had to visit two other salons to find the products I needed.  Short, blond, limp hair is not common in India.

Another great day!  Thank you, Shelly--and Anu for making the connection.

The ups and downs of Shimla . . . . .

The weekend has come again (end of week 4) and this one is extra long for us.  Tuesday, October 2, is Gandhi's birthday so the university will be closed.

 We are not sure what adventures we will have after the marking and preparation for next week's classes are done, so a bit more Shimla before those adventures begin.

To the right is the view looking uphill from the front of our hotel.

And to the left is the view looking downhill from the back of our hotel.

Yes, the city is built on the mountainside.

This is the street going up from our hotel to Mall Road.  It is a two-way street.  Drivers in Shimla are very skilled, and courteous to one another, too.  They easily stop and start on the steep slopes, and find ways to get out of each other's way when meeting on the very narrow streets.  Most of the cars are quite small.

We were able to walk up from our hotel in about 20 minutes.  Quite a climb, but good exercise and a good excuse for a snack when we reached the top.

New construction was happening along this route.

Mall Road at the top is for pedestrians only.  There are several beautiful new hotels located there as well, so how is a guest's luggage transported?  On the backs and heads of some very strong men.

It isn't just luggage that has to be carried.  Mall Road has all types of shops and here is someone's new refrigerator being delivered.

Many people in Shimla, and in Chandigarh as well, really know how to use their heads.

Here is just a tiny portion of Mall Road which is actually two very long streets of shops.  I know several people at home who would enjoy a day of shopping here.

At the end of Mall Road is a reminder that the British were here.  Beautiful Christ Church, started in 1844 and consecrated in 1857, served the British Anglicans.  Services are now conducted in English and in Hindi.

This is the City Hall.  It sits atop this beautiful city.

Not far from here is Scandal Point.  At this spot, the Maharaja of Patiala was said to have kidnapped the daughter of the Viceroy of India because he loved her!

Continuing up, we reach The Ridge, a wide open space that sits atop the city's water reservoir.  Concerts and other gatherings are held here, but it is also enjoyed by families and tourists who are just wandering along enjoying the views of the city, some food from the kiosks, shopping and the statues of Indira and Mahatma Gandhi.

George was stopped and interviewed by some Architecture students who were doing a video for a university project.  They asked his impressions of the architecture in Shimla.  I don't think they expected to get so much information about building on steep slopes and the strict building codes in Canada!  They looked pretty happy.

Happy Birthday, Jeevika!

Actually, her birthday was last week but today she treated us all to lunch.  Apparently, that is the tradition here.  George had better start saving his rupees for October 30.

Jeevika is second from the right with Stacy, Simlee and Angad (a friend of Gurneet and UFV Chandigarh).

Kathryn on the left with Adam and Adi.

 I wore my new Indian suit today and the students were very complimentary.  "You look cute, ma'am," one said.

Our lunch was at another of Chandigarh's trendy restaurants, Mainland China.  Great food that was more traditional Chinese--with a bit of spice.

Shimla continues.....

Whew!  I found the good photos of Jakhoo Temple and the giant Hanuman that were lost somewhere in my MacBook.  Between my poor Mac skills and a deteriorating internet connection, each successful post is a minor miracle.

More monkeys at the foot of Hanumanji.

This little guy was having so much fun climbing up and sliding down.

These big guys with their big sticks were protecting us from those cute monkeys.

Some of them weren't so cute.

A view of Shimla from the temple at 8000 feet.

Stay tuned for more sites from around that beautiful city.