tosh - mandi - shimla

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well, as it turns out, the lonely planet was not far wrong. the road continues a bit further than manikaran and then gradually degenerates into a slippy muddy bit of the mountain and then eventually into just a big pile of rocks and mud. from there there is a rickety footbridge and a path up to the village. definately no rickshaws! i found the guest house okay although the guy from goa wasn't there it was run by really friendly people and plenty of other travellers around.

the village so far is unspolied by the tourism, just a few guesthouses on the edge of the village. it's so beautiful, the building all piles of stone and wood, inexplicably in himachal pradesh the building style seems to be wood towards the bottom, some layers of wood and bricks further up, and then a huge overhanging roof of big heavy stones.

they all look like they are in iminent danger of simply collapsing. but they somehow don't.

there are snowcapped mountains all around, which you can never get bored of looking at. always the same, but always they look different depending on cloud, light etc. it was mainly cloudy at sunset, but one evening one of the peaks literally glowed orange as a beam of sunlight sneaked through a gap in the clouds.

you can't move but trip over waterfalls and wildflowers and small colourful chirruping birds.

i met really nice people and have one more option now for my future plans - return to india in october to take up a job offer in goa!!!

how tempting....

so i stayed about one week in Tosh and then took the bus to Mandi. the lonely planet warns mandi is no tourist town, but it was handy stop off for me avoiding doing too long bus journeys, and i thought i would give it a chance. it did not seem especially endearing at first but actually, it's not so bad. they are loads of colourful chamring temples in the midst of the rather grey streets. and in the centre is a lovely garden in the market where you can just sit and people watch for hours should you wish.

it was a bit of a challenge, the rickshaw-wallahs spoke no english, and i had to have paranthas and mouth burning pickle for breakfast, but i liked it.

so, i stayed there two nights and then came yesterday to Shimla. another routinely death-defying bus journey. i just love the drivers enthusiasm! and i was especially reassured when near the beginning we passed a temple, and driver dutifully touched his feet, then folded his hands in a respectful namaskaram... and then closed his eyes for a short prayer.... all whilst still driving along. it was nice to know shiva would look favourably on our journey.

Shimla, apart from the fact that right now it is raining buckets and freezing cold and all my clothes are wet, is really lovely. very british. very clean! no cows! (what have they done with the cows i wonder, shipped them off to glastonbury???)

the main high street areas, Mall Road and The Ridge are totally litter free, pedestrianised havens... all very quiet and polite and orderly. there are proper shops with clothes on rails and stuff, that you can go into and browse around. no open sewers along the edges of the road. have i flown home already? am i in uxbrdige?

no, it's okay, simply step down into the alleyways of the bazaar and you can remember you are in india again!

it's also quite interesting, because, apart from Mall Road and The Ridge, Shimla seems to be organised entirely in the vertical plane, as opposed to the usual horizontal that most cities, streets, buildings go far.

it is literally clinging to the side of the cliff and everywhere you have to go up and down complicated stairways and alleyways and switchback paths. it's a bit like an esher picture.

and well, i have finally booked my flight home. i will be getting back to london on 26 jul and then going straight up to sheffield. oh well, it had to happen. although i then got caught in a monsoon rain shower, and it turns out my bag is not waterproof as i thought it might be, and the ticket got completely soaked and is now hanging up on a peg on the washing line to dry along with everything else. do you think "but immigration-officer-ji my ticket was ruined in a rain shower, so i couldn't fly, that's why i have overstayed my visa" will work?

i am planning on leaving shimla on thursday for chandigar. if possible i will booked the apparantly cute and charming "toy train" that goes from shimla to kalka and then bus to chandigar, but if i can't book i can easily get a bus only four hours. then from chandigar to delhi is only about another five hours, which i will do sat or sun, the flight to london 8 hours, train to sheffield 2 hours.... i am nearly home!!!!

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Comments

[Lucya]

It will be lovely to see you again - I do hope I get to see you soon, even if you are in Sheffield. But I think you should consider going back to work in Goa. You obviously love it so much in India! But do keep writing if you go back, I love reading about life in India!