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Published: April 30th 2006
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Rebecca and I in Delhi
Thgis picture was just taken a few hours ago in front of Ajay's door. Rebecca and her husband Ajit dropped me off after lunch at Khan Market. I am back in Delhi, and the summer has started! Each day this week has been 40-43 C. I have never before experienced such temperatures, but I have to say it is not as bad as I had anticipated. Delhi is dry and dusty, and the humidity is low, which makes it more tolerable. And also I am happy to have this experience as Delhi is this hot for about half the year -- and how could I say I've lived in Delhi (for I do feel I live here now!) if I had not experienced the famous Delhi heat? (Ajay corrected me and say it is very hot for only part of the year; but Rebecca told me it is fully half. Which just goes to show you, if you don't already know, that perspective is everything ...)
As I write this, at Ajay's house, dusk is falling and I have been getting up to walk out on the terrace to watch the sky darken. I love this time of day, especially in India. There are so many colours, so many scents. Everything about India is so rich! The sky is pink at the edges and azure above, and
Ye Olde Simla
Here I am standing on The Mall in Simla, with a few of the old English houses behind me. the heat and dust is a palpable presence in the air. I find it quite comforting, actually. The sounds of the Delhi evening fill the air, mostly interminable horn honking, but also a plane overhead (as this house is under the airport's flight path). Inside, Ajay's Mother is relaxing in a glorious red cotton sari, and his Father is watching cricket. The windows are open and the fans are going overhead, but it's hot in here. They only turn the air conditioning on while they sleep. To combat the heat, they made me a "sherbet:" cold water mixed with sweet rose syrup.
I am having an "I love India" day. They are not all like this -- I sometimes feel very frustrated and lonely and out of place. But there are many, many other times when I truly love India, including all the chaos, noise, diversity, odd juxtapositions, inefficiencies, and heat and dust. And I feel I am EXACTLY where I belong.
I got back to Delhi from Simla two days ago. I went to Simla from Macleod Ganj by car last Sunday, April 23. It was a long drive -- all day -- through two valleys and
the view from The Ridge in Simla
On a clear day, you can see snow-capped Himalayan mountains in the distance. the foothills of the Himalayas. Some of the drive was quite hair-raising as we wound our way around mountains on narrow roads, high above the valley floor, gaudily decorated Punjabi trucks barrelling towards us.
However, I arrived safely, feeling quite relieved. You can see Simla in the distance for a long, long time as you drive towards it. When I thought I was close, I was still an hour's drive away. Simla is set amongst many mountains, but most of them are quite barren. Simla, however, is quite built up, and apparently is spread over seven hills. Most of the hotels, including the one I was in, are clustered on both sides of the main hill, which is topped by The Mall and The Ridge, both pedestrian walkways.
Simla is a very historical hill station, though today it is primarily a vacation destination for middle class Indian families and honeymooners. While the British were ruling India, they would pack up in March and move to Simla for the summer, going back to Delhi in October after the heat began to abate. Simla is about 2,500 metres above sea level and much cooler. When I was there, the days
the centre of town
This is the top of the mountain on which Simla is built. It is a pedestrian-only promenade, with statues of prominent people such as Indira Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi. were warm and the nights pleasantly cool.
I read somewhere that fully one-fifth of humanity was ruled from this small mountain town during the Raj. The signs of "Ye Olde England" are still evident in some of the mock-tudor architecture, though of course the place is now fully Indian. I had tea at The Cecil, a beautiful old hotel that is a heritage building, kept in immaculate condition. All the rooms are off an atrium, and the bar / tea room is in the atrium. I think it is one of the most beautiful "rooms" I have ever been in. I also visited the old Viceregal House, home of the former Viceroys, now the Indian Institute for Advanced Study.
The Viceregal House is a huge, stone baronial mansion in the Scottish style, on the edge of town. It is occupying an enviable position overlooking the valley and receiving mountain breezes. (I wrote the previous sentence in Hinglish, the unique English-Hindi dialect that many Indians speak.) This is the spot where most of the independence and partition talks were held, and there is a room that contains photos of Nehru, Gandhi, Mountbatten and others entering the mansion for the
me at Scandal Point
Scandal Point is where The Ridge and The Mall meet in Simla. It is a common meeting place, and in fact I met my friend Tessa there. I don't know why it is called Scandal Point ... Simla Conference. I was the only non-Indian on the tour, but as usual the Indians enfolded me and made me feel very welcome. Some ladies said to me I should be wearing a bindi, and one promptly took one from her purse and placed it on my forehead.
I spent about four days in Simla, sightseeing and relaxing. I met a lovely English woman named Tessa, who was also travelling alone and we spent time together, shopping in the local bazaar, having tea and dinner at The Cecil. I had a wonderful time in Simla, not because it is the best or most interesting place in India, but because the climate was perfect and the place is very relaxed and low-key. No one hassled me for any reason the entire time I was there, and the pedestrian-only walkways are great -- you don't have to be on guard every second, worried that a motorbike or car is about to knock you down.
I also found it very clean (for India) and "respectable," in the sense that most of the people I encountered were either indians living there or Indian families vacationing there. There were few foreigners when I
an old English mansion in SImla ...
... that is now an administrative building. Simla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh. was there. Unfortunately, Dharamsala / Macleod Ganj seems to attract some very unsavory types -- aggressive beggars, drug dealers, unwashed hippies. I feel sorry for the Tibetan refugees and Buddhist spiritual community there. An Indian friend of mine is of the opinion that it is the government of India's fault. He feels that the Indian government has not done enough for the Tibetan refugees. They are given asylum, but not much else. They are on their own and struggling with the influx of refugees.
I loved doing art and playing games with the children at Art Refuge, and I met some wonderful people -- especially Ram, Shira, Ama Adhe, Lhamo, Frances and Karen. I will never forget this experience. But the truth is, I didn't feel "at home" in Mcleod Ganj. I struggled while I was there, and have never been so ill in my life. The minute I got to Simla, and especially to Delhi, I felt better. I feel at home here in Delhi, especially with Ajay, his family, my best friend Rebecca (and her husband Ajit) and with Caryl at her place on the Canadian compound. This is where I feel I belong. I guess we
Tessa and I
(on our way to the train station) need to have these varied experiences to find out what is right for us.
So, I have been very well, happy and healthy. Simla was a lovely experience and I will always think warmly of this old hill station. I took the train back to Delhi on Thursday, April 27th -- my sister's birthday. Happy birthday again Vic!
The first train, from Simla to Kalka, is called a "toy train" as it runs very slowly on a narrow gauge line. The track was constructed in 1905 and it must have been a feat of engineering. It travels through the mountains almost 100 kilometres -- and takes five hours for the trip! The train goes through 95 tunnels, each numbered, and uses a very low-tech token system to assure safety. A regular Shatabdi train runs from Kalka to Delhi. The whole trip takes about 11 hours.
So, I am back in Delhi, visiting my friends, shopping, relaxing, site seeing, getting used to the heat (yesterday I had a painful heat rash) and planning my next trip, which will probably be to Corbett Tiger Reserve. I am also thinking about my homeward bound trip to Canada ... and also
trying not to think about it ...
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Anette
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Glad you are feeling better
Hi Mariellen, I live precariously thought your adventures in India! Thank you for putting such an effort into your blog. I read it wide-eyed and study the details of each picture. Glad to hear you are feeling better now. Hug from Anette