Across the valley we could see houses perched, closely to each other, on the hill slope, some looked precarious while others looked too close for comfort. Otherwise, it looked like an engineering feat to me!
Tek and the driver arrived. Off we went to our first stop of the day – the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies.
The Institute, formerly known as the Viceregal Lodge, was once the official residence of the British viceroy of India. It was completed in 1888 and has the Scottish flavour of architecture. Many important decisions were made here, such as the 1947 decision of partitioning India into Pakistan and Bangladesh.Although the building is more than 100 years old, they are very well maintained and preserved. While the functions of the rooms and facilities have been changed to suit the present day use, some of the things were still in their original form, such as the curtains and wall papers and even the electrical switches in some of the rooms.
A guide from the institute showed us round the building. We could only visit the ground floor. We were shown places such as the present library, conference room; rooms where important and major meetings were once held, photos of the bygone era, etc.
The building is now used as the centre for the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. Scholars from other parts of the country and the world over carry out their research, debates and discussions here.
Outside the building, the impeccable lawn was dotted with myriads of plants, trees and flowers around. With the beautiful sunshine, it reminded me so much of the typical summer day in England.
After the eye-opening visit to the institute, we then headed for the town.
Shimla indeed is a unique town. It spreads over a 12km ridge with just two main roads – the Mall (pedestrian walk) which runs from the far west to the lower eastern side, and the Cart Road which circles the southern part of the town.
One interesting thing to note about the place is that it is so steep they even have passenger lifts (2-stage) to bring people up and down the hill from Cart Road to the Mall. It cost Rs 7. Walking up the steep steps is the only other alternative.
At the lower end of the town, we also noted that there were many people with prams sitting or standing at the side of the road. Supposedly, we were told, the prams are for rent to those with babies and young children. Interesting and amazing.
First we went to the Mall. Shops were found chaotically and haphazardly cascading down the steep terrain with extremely narrow walkway in between. Cables and wires could be seen hanging and dangling above our heads.
The streets were jam packed with people, both locals and tourists. Anything under the sun could be found here. To the food lovers, this is the place for you. Food is in abundance and you need not have to worry about the calories consumed. All you need to do is take the steps instead of the lift after the indulgence!
From one end of the Mall with very much the local flavour, we then proceeded to the other side of the Mall where the Municipality building is located. Here, the buildings are of colonial design. The streets are much wider and the shops are generally selling higher end goods. Overall it gives an air of the ‘old’ English.
Shimla – where the west meets east, the old blends with the new – has a unique characteristic; it exudes much beauty and charm with a romantic feel. It is no wonder that it is a popular spot for the honeymooners.
Before we left the Mall, we passed by Christ Church. It is the second oldest church in northern India. Due to the time constraint, we did not get to see the inside.
It was a pity that time did not permit us to stay longer. Otherwise I would love to explore and walk about in the woods amidst the lush green hills and the beautiful and calming meadows.
When I was planning for the trip, I came to know about the famous toy train plying between Shimla and Kalka and told our agent in India to make sure that that was part of the itinerary.
The history of the toy train dates back to the end of the 19th century. The railway track (narrow gauge) was finally completed and opened for the public in 1906.
The railway line, linking Shimla and Kalka, snakes through the rugged mountain terrain. It is 96km long and passes through 103 tunnels, 919 curves and 969 bridges. It is touted an engineering feat and often termed as a scientific fiction.
Due to the tight schedule that we had, we could only travel from Shimla to Kethlighat, a much shorter distance and would take about two hours. Though we did not have the chance to go through all the 103 tunnels, we went through no less than ten, perhaps many more. I was counting as the train went up and down the hill like a roller coaster, disappearing behind the hill, and reappearing like magic. Somewhere along the way, I lost count, perhaps distracted by the beautiful landscape, or perhaps by the unique experience.
While we were enjoying our ride on the toy train, the driver drove to Kethlighat. He would pick us up from there.
From Kethlighat, we drove to Chandigarh which is located in the state of Haryana.
As we journeyed further south, the torrid heat was getting to be almost unbearable. En route to the hotel, we stopped at the Mughal Garden for a short visit. The hot weather was just too much for us to really enjoy the walk about, though we could see many local people taking their evening stroll around.
Finally we reached the hotel. We did not have the chance to explore the city, but from the look of it, it is a relatively big city compared to those places we had visited in recent days.
The hotel is located along a row of shop houses. We found a fast food café with comfortable seating, something like Coffee Bean, few doors away. It is air-conditioned, and so we decided to have our dinner there to relax and to enjoy the cool air inside.
Early next morning, we left the hotel just past six to catch the 6.50 Shatabedi Express back to Delhi.
As the train chugged along under the hot summer sun, I fell asleep.
I felt a jerk and woke up. I opened my eyes and found that we were fast approaching Delhi railway station. It signified that our 15-day adventure in India was about to come to an end.
As I spent the last few minutes on board the train reflecting on what had taken place over the last 15 days, I could not help but to think that ‘this has been one of the most interesting and exciting trips I have ever been’.
We spent the last few hours in Delhi driving around the city, stopping by places of interest such as the Parliament House, India Gate, Lotus Temple, Qutb Minar, etc. for a quick photo shots; and walking around Sarojini market under the hot sweltering sun.
In the evening, we had dinner with Tek and Mohinder, the mysterious man who came on board our car at the roadside when we first arrived in Delhi 15 days ago, before heading for the airport.
With the door of the aircraft closed and ready to take off, my adventure in India also came to a close.
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