Amazing! Unbelievable! Shimla-rific!

It is difficult to find words to describe our amazing adventure travelling to Shimla this weekend.  It is such a different view of India than we have seen so far, and every bit as exciting.

The sporadic internet service disconnected us from our everyday life, so we were able to experience enough sites, sounds, tastes, friendships, etc. to fill a book!

 

Our journey of only 100+ kilometres took us about three and a half hours despite beginning on the new Himalayan Expressway.  After leaving the expressway, we were on a narrow, winding road as we climbed higher into the Himalayas.
The road surface was good but the going was slow because, even there, the vehicle and pedestrian traffic was heavy.

Adi was our skillful driver so we cringed only slightly when he had to pass a loaded truck with only a small window of opportunity.  Lots of tooting of horns!

There is a continual array of picturesque villages (hill stations) along the way, some very large.  All have buildings that are clinging to steep mountainsides.

 We saw markets filled with the fresh produce that is grown in the valleys--tons of apples at this time of year.

And the monkeys!  They joined the cows, goats and dogs to entertain us as we edged along, sometimes at 30 km per hour.

Getting there was half the fun!

 Shimla is the capital city of the state of Himachal Pradesh.  It has a population of about 200,000 people.  It was established during the British rule as the summer capital of India.  In the days before AC, this was the way to escape the searing heat of Delhi.  It must have been quite a trek but at an altitude of about 2100 metres, the cooler temperatures made it worthwhile.

We escaped 32 degree Chandigarh to 20 degree Shimla.

Above is the Viceregal Lodge built in 1888.  It was here that the agreements were signed to create the independent India in 1947.

The building is now home to the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies that attracts post Phd students from all over Asia to do research.

We didn't qualify to stay there, but we were treated royally at the Himland East Hotel.  It was much closer to Mall Road where we found the world's longest pedestrian-only market!

 The Himland East Hotel is owned by the Akre family.  It was built in 1969 when there were only three hotels in Shimla.  Now, there are 600!  Yes, tourism is big in Shimla and throughout Himachal Pradesh.

Adi (Aditya) is on the right in the photo.  He is our roommate and does Marketing for UFV Chandigarh during the week then drives to Shimla on the weekends to help Dad, Mr. Akre, run the hotel.  Adi's twin, Akshay, also works at Himland East.

Mr. Akre was born in Shimla as were his children, and has a real love for his community.

 Here is Adi with his Mom and his sister, Akanksha, who is visiting from Delhi.

Mrs. Akre prepared us a wonderful Indian breakfast before we left (sadly) this morning.  She, too, works for the hotel and does volunteer work in the community.

This is beautiful baby Prithvi.  He is only three months old and visiting from Delhi with his Mom, Akanksha.

We were all so fortunate to enjoy the warm hospitality of the Akre family!


More Shimla in posts to come.....