Blogs from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia - page 5

Bugged by the exasperating workload, we headed off to Shimla this weekend, to find solace, but only to bump into the whole of Delhi crowd blaring horns in its characteristic fashion. So we bid farewell to the chaotic place, flipping through a local guide book and zipping away on the twisted road, we reached the surprisingly isolated Narkanda (2700 mts) , 67 kms from Shimla, which proved to be an ultimate holiday destination. Also, along with Thanedar and Kotgarh, Narkanda forms the apple heartland of Himachal. Thank God for the relative bliss. The place was a welcome delight. After the wacky journey there was peace. The most prominent edifice of Narkanda is the Hatu temple. Hatu is famous for its ski slopes. At a commanding position of 3300 mts, it offers a spectacular view of the ... read more

After extensive research on internet and through friends, We decided on chail for our much needed vacation. It had been so long, since we've had taken a break. And we wanted some place quite, a small cottate with scenic view. The palace hotel, in chail offers what we wanted. So we booked a log hut for a day. We wanted to keep everything spontaneous, so we just booked a day. Our vacation started on 12th feb, when we caught flight to delhi from hyderabad. This was mine and sruti's first flight together. Earlier, we had travelled together by bus and all but never flight, for an hr we kept sleeping, as we both were very tired. Next one hour, we kept chattering. Poor soul seated next to us kept cursing i guess. Though, we hadn't booked ... read more

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Some Zen master or another suggested it is better to travel than arrive, but he did not have the day I did. A day after reading about a horrible crash of an overcrowded bus in Kangra where I had just been, I found myself on a bus with 120 fellow sardines, the conductor always willing to stop for more. I stopped worrying about holding on, as there was no where my body could go. I did worry about my ribs being crushed, but like nuts in a jar, with the shaking of the bus coming down the bumpy mountain road, some settling of contents did occur, enough that I had some time to reflect on what might await me on arrival in Delhi. Dreams of that perfect cinnamon bun from the German Bakery, the hot shower ... read more

Shimla is a town in the hill province of Himanchel Pradesh, towards the far north of India. It became a military hill station during the Guerka wars in the nineteenth century but subsequently became a popular destination for the British due to its fantastic views and high altitude of 2400 metres, giving respite from the extreme summer heat of Delhi. The place became so popular that the British used it as their summer capital between April and November and its impressive to think that the whole country was run remotely from this small hill retreat. Getting to Shimla can be a bit of a slog. First of all you have to take the main railway for five hours, heading north of Delhi to a small town called Kalka at the foot of the hills. From ... read more