Shimla

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Getting here was a test of patience and willpower due to the number of times we were given the wrong travel information and the journey which eventually lasted around 15 hours from room to room! We spent most of this on a local service bus from Ambala to Shimla with only a quick 20 min break in Chandigarh bus station to get breakfast and the sweetest coffee in the world.

The views as we climbed up the mountain were amazing although we bearly saw them as we spent most of the time with our eyes shut trying not to see what was going on on the road. As with any mountain road it was narrow, twisty and had sheer drops at the side. This did not deter overtaking on corners and there were so many near misses that we stopped looking. (When we got to Delhi we heard that a bus had gone off the road into a ravine killing 14 passengers, we were not in the least surprised, just saddened and relieved it wasn't us.)

The bus station wasn't near anything so we headed off in the same direction as everyone else and then the direction that an old man kept pointing out to us. We told him we didn't need a hotel but he stayed nearby. Popped into a bar for a wee refreshment as it was a steep hill to walk up with a pack and a long time since breakfast. When we came out it was dark and he was still there waiting to point us in the right direction! Eventually we ended up at his hotel where they promised us great views and provided the cleanest and newest bathroom we'd seen since home!

Shimla, a military post, was developed as the Summer Capital of the British Government when the heat in Delhi got too much. There's a typically English church in the square and a Mock Tudor house beside it. It looks like a Victorian seaside resort without the sea. During the day everyone hangs out on the ridge (doesn't anyone have a job?) with the men on one side and the women on the other.

The view from our balcony was lovely, and we could see the spectacular sunset while chilling with our feet up. It looked like the perfect setting for a fairy tale as we could see the church steeple rise up from the old fashioned town and a forest in the distance with the turrets of a castle poking through the tree tops.

There's a toy train up the mountain, 96km, 103 tunnels, which we vowed to get back down to save us from the terrors of the road. We had a look at the station the day before we left and saw a fantastic 1st class carraige with plush comfy armchairs getting cleaned for it's next journey. Having got our hopes up we were a tad disappointed to see our train when it pulled in. The plastic covered, generous for 1 sized seats were for 2 people (close friends). However, it was a cool journey and we got to listen in to the constant tour guide speak from the guide of our fellow passengers. It was an amazing feat of engineering to build and is listed in the Guiness book of records.

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