Shimla, India
Out of the desert and into the mountains…
We took a public bus to Shimla, from Chandigarh (after an exciting tuktuk race through town from the train station). I had to run a bit to board the bus, since the driver decided to leave just as I was exiting the bathroom (even though Grant, and the rest of the group, was on board, along with my stuff). The bus was more pleasant than expected, taking only 4 1/2 hours (instead of the 8 hours we were expecting), even though we stopped everywhere to pick up and drop off passengers on the way. There weren’t even any puking episodes anywhere near us on the bus 🙂
Shimla is quite the beautiful town in the hills, surrounded by mountains, popular with Indian honeymooners and vacationers. It used to be the summer Capital of the British raj, for obvious reasons: alpine temperatures. Another thing that stood out about Shimla was how clean it was. Although not 100% effective, they have a ban on littering and spitting, with modest fines for offenders advertised throughout town. They also close the main street off to vehicles, so you get to walk without the sounds or risks of passing motorbikes or cars. The air was refreshingly cool, but unfortunately still filled with smog from the field and litter burning that’s unavoidable throughout Asia.
It was nice to have a full day (2 nights) to enjoy this town. We acclimatized to the higher elevation and enjoyed the cool weather, while hiking around town, up to a hilltop temple, and traversed the ridge to the other end of town. We’re getting our bodies ready for some upcoming hikes in the Himalayas.
