Blogs from Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia - page 3

Time to leave the bright, crisp clear air of Shimla and descend to the smog of New Delhi. As we came up on the Toy Train ( The Shivalik deluxe Express, the only express thing being that it didn't stop at the myriad of small stations, not the 15 miles an hour top speed it managed), we decided to return on the bus, and pushed the boat out and went for the super deluxe Volvo a/c ( cost all of £10 for the 9 hour trip). First they handed water out, and then the sick bags, seems it's a very bendy mountain road, occasionally we would meet up with the narrow gauge railway, seeing it bend around the mountain side, but unfortunately didn't see any trains on it. Not long after we set off, they fired ... read more

First up today was a visit to Viceregal Lodge, built in just 4 years in the 1880s in the style of Balmoral Castle. It was the summer residence during the Raj and was the site of many of the negotiations prior to partition in 1947. It is now used by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. 60 or so post doctorate students are selected each year to continue their research here. The gardens are extensive with plenty of English flowers. The grounds included a fire station and a squash court. The house was the first in Shimla to have electricity and a full fire protection system. We then went the the opposite end of the spectrum and visited the Jakhu Temple dedicated to Hanuman the monkey god. As expected, there were plenty of monkeys around. We ... read more

Another sunrise well worth the early start today with clear blue skies. After breakfast we set off to Nagar, south of our home to visit the Roerich museum. The Roerich family were Russian and came to the area early last century. They had studied in Russia, Europe and the United States before doing a long overland trek to get here. The father and one son were prolific artists with a striking modern style. The family was very interested in religions, archeology, science and, well, pretty much everything. They established a centre of research and promoted worldwide the principle of achieving peace through sharing and preserving culture. After a stop or two on the way back for photos and a handcraft exhibition (got suckered there - it was just a shop) we were back in New Manali ... read more

The lizards love the slate on the verandah in the morning sun. I counted at least seven there this morning. They seem to have quite a pecking order as to who has what spot. After a hearty breakfast of pancakes AND omelette we trotted down the hill and meet our driver to go to Solang, a few miles further up the valley. The road to the right headed to the high passes that lead to Lei and Ladakh - an adventure for another trip. They are currently building a tunnel which will reduce the 3-4 hour road trip to more like 45 minutes. Solang has one of the first ski fields in ... read more

I am sitting on the slate floor of the verandah at 2,275m watching the sun rise over the mountains. The river below sounds like the sea and the birds are just beginning to wake up. I might just do this forever. Since last blog, our guide met us as we pulled into Chandigarh station in the now usual efficient manner and we spent our first night in a shared room - Liz and I that is, not the guide. Up at 6:15 and on the road by 7 for our 9 hour drive to Manali. We had breakfast on the way, not the strange sandwich packed by the hotel but masala dosa. Our driver was young and not very talkative, however we came to appreciate that as we headed up into the hills. There are a ... read more