Where: Shimla, India
When: May 26 - 28, 2013
With: Dave, Stef, Ankita, and Ralf
The road to Rahul's wedding was a long one, 16 hours in fact if you drove straight to his hometown from Delhi. Therefore, we decided to make some stops along the way to break up the trip and see more of the country. While our first stop on this journey was the mountain town of Shimla, the road trip alone became an event in and of itself.
With 5 of us in a giant van, luggage strapped to the roof by a questionable piece of rope, we took off onto the Indian highways out of Delhi. Even on major motorways, people walked on the shoulder, rode their scooters and led their farm animals along the way. It wasn't until a couple hours out of Delhi that the roads opened up a bit and we were able to make some headway.
What road trip would be complete without fast food stops? But the stops we made along the way were a wee bit different than the norm. First, we pulled over on the side of the road for some coconut water - right out of a coconut, hacked open by a young boy with a machete. The only downside was when the young entrepreneur raised his prices by 50 rupees a coconut when he saw his clientele. The difference equated to about $0.20 per coconut, but still, discrimination!!
At lunch, we had our first experience with hot curry as a mid-afternoon meal. Normally, curry is a dinnertime thing for me, but this was the first day of many where the dish would serve as the main staple of our meals. It was an odd thing to eat such a stick-to-your-ribs meal while the heat was in the triple digits outside, but Ankita took charge of the order, and introduced us to sweet lassi, a blend of yogurt and fruit in smoothie form that was incredibly refreshing alongside the hot dishes.
After lunch, we had about 5 hours to go on our drive, and as the food coma crept in, I started to doze off. I was nudged awake by Dave a little while later to see our first glimpse of the mountains that serve as the foothills of the Himalayas.
This is where the drive got a little wild. The roads through the mountains curve back and forth, making for a windy and slow-going progress. The driver did his best to make good time, but with the two-lane, two-way road filled with people and cars, that meant there were a lot of passes, near misses and driving up the middle of the road in order to achieve this. It was quite the adventurous drive and lasted in this way for about two hours.
Adding to the mayhem as we sped through the mountains were the abundance of forest fires along the way. The sun is so hot that fires break out randomly among the overheated pine needles, and the locals have to do their best to put them out.
The new experience for me after this stop: eating fresh almonds. In their original state, almonds are covered by a thick, green, fuzzy skin that needs to be broken by your teeth and then peeled back with your fingers to reveal the nut. In their raw form, they're much softer and have a light flavor. They made for a great road trip snack, both refreshing and filling.
As we approached Shimla, the villages turned into towns and we started to see how the locals worked with the landscape to build their homes and utilize space: right up the side of the mountain.
Finally, we reached Shimla as the sun was going down. The van rolled into the city, and pulled over on the side of the main road to let us out. In the middle of this mountain slope, buildings stretched out above and below us to no end. They looked as though they ascended for miles each way and would tumble down on our heads at any minute.
After getting situated, it was time to explore the town by night. Lights covered the mountainside and the streets were teeming with people. Shops lined the streets and there was a really fun vibe in the air as people came out and wandered about, enjoying the cool weather and vacation-like atmosphere.
The weather took a very shocking turn when it started to pour rain and was only about 60 degrees out! We ended up buying sweaters (in India??) and trying to explore the town while our teeth chattered and our feet became progressively wetter. A few cups of masala chai tea to warm up along the way and a long stop at a tailor to fix my dress for the wedding, and finally, the sun came out and we could stroll along at our leisure.
We started to hike away from the city center and exploring the outskirts of Shimla. We passed by a series of interesting signs. Very strict!
Most of the rooms in the house were being renovated and were closed to the public, so we decided it wasn't worth paying full price to get inside. However, we did sneak up onto the roof and got some great views. However, once we were found up there, the grounds keepers kept a close eye on us for the rest of our visit to ensure we didn't wander into restricted areas again.
All around the mountaintop are small shrines dedicated to this god of monkeys. Real and fake monkeys are indistinguishable and abundant.
When: May 26 - 28, 2013
With: Dave, Stef, Ankita, and Ralf
The road to Rahul's wedding was a long one, 16 hours in fact if you drove straight to his hometown from Delhi. Therefore, we decided to make some stops along the way to break up the trip and see more of the country. While our first stop on this journey was the mountain town of Shimla, the road trip alone became an event in and of itself.
With 5 of us in a giant van, luggage strapped to the roof by a questionable piece of rope, we took off onto the Indian highways out of Delhi. Even on major motorways, people walked on the shoulder, rode their scooters and led their farm animals along the way. It wasn't until a couple hours out of Delhi that the roads opened up a bit and we were able to make some headway.
What road trip would be complete without fast food stops? But the stops we made along the way were a wee bit different than the norm. First, we pulled over on the side of the road for some coconut water - right out of a coconut, hacked open by a young boy with a machete. The only downside was when the young entrepreneur raised his prices by 50 rupees a coconut when he saw his clientele. The difference equated to about $0.20 per coconut, but still, discrimination!!
When it came time to stop for lunch, the rest stops were a bit different than what we were used to as well. More like mini-resorts on the side of the roads, these places played up their function as an "oasis" in the barren heat. They each contained a small plaza with shops, rides and restaurants, even figurines conveying Indian culture.
At lunch, we had our first experience with hot curry as a mid-afternoon meal. Normally, curry is a dinnertime thing for me, but this was the first day of many where the dish would serve as the main staple of our meals. It was an odd thing to eat such a stick-to-your-ribs meal while the heat was in the triple digits outside, but Ankita took charge of the order, and introduced us to sweet lassi, a blend of yogurt and fruit in smoothie form that was incredibly refreshing alongside the hot dishes.
After lunch, we had about 5 hours to go on our drive, and as the food coma crept in, I started to doze off. I was nudged awake by Dave a little while later to see our first glimpse of the mountains that serve as the foothills of the Himalayas.
This is where the drive got a little wild. The roads through the mountains curve back and forth, making for a windy and slow-going progress. The driver did his best to make good time, but with the two-lane, two-way road filled with people and cars, that meant there were a lot of passes, near misses and driving up the middle of the road in order to achieve this. It was quite the adventurous drive and lasted in this way for about two hours.
The main juggernauts of the road were these brightly painted trucks. There were hundreds of them, cariting all kinds of different things, painted in different colors and with various sayings on them. It was fun to watch them all zipping by.
Adding to the mayhem as we sped through the mountains were the abundance of forest fires along the way. The sun is so hot that fires break out randomly among the overheated pine needles, and the locals have to do their best to put them out.
Along the road, several villages cropped up. Many of these villages had rows of colorful fruit stands lining the way. Eventually, whether it was hunger or the need to take a break from our death-defying drive, we decided to stop and peruse for some snacks.
As we approached Shimla, the villages turned into towns and we started to see how the locals worked with the landscape to build their homes and utilize space: right up the side of the mountain.
Finally, we reached Shimla as the sun was going down. The van rolled into the city, and pulled over on the side of the main road to let us out. In the middle of this mountain slope, buildings stretched out above and below us to no end. They looked as though they ascended for miles each way and would tumble down on our heads at any minute.
Since the roads didn't lead up or down the mountain, we'd have to walk up trails and switchbacks along the mountain side to get to our hotel. A few shirpas anticipated our arrival and grabbed our bags to start heading up the mountain. All we could do was follow them. Far gone was the heat and dust of Delhi. The surroundings were now pine trees and mountains, and the air had cooled off significantly. As we took the windy path up to our hotel, we felt like we were heading to a tree house in the mountains.
The view from our room was gorgeous.
The way the buildings and shops crept up the side of the mountain made for such a cool sight by night.
When we hit the center of town, we saw the western influence that was left on the architecture. Shimla was originally the summer getaway of the British officials of India escaping the heat of Delhi in the early 1900s. Now, its interesting to see tudor style buildings and Gothic cathedrals mixed among the shops and shacks along the mountainside.
Surprisingly, for all the activity, after we ate some dinner, everything shut down by 11pm. Oh well, we were tired and happy to head to bed.
The next morning, we got the first views of the mountain surroundings by daylight.
The weather took a very shocking turn when it started to pour rain and was only about 60 degrees out! We ended up buying sweaters (in India??) and trying to explore the town while our teeth chattered and our feet became progressively wetter. A few cups of masala chai tea to warm up along the way and a long stop at a tailor to fix my dress for the wedding, and finally, the sun came out and we could stroll along at our leisure.
We started to hike away from the city center and exploring the outskirts of Shimla. We passed by a series of interesting signs. Very strict!
We learned that this sign was incredibly relevant as we walked along. There were monkeys EVERYWHERE.
The walk was beautiful though. The mix of English and Indian architecture, monkeys, mountains and pine trees just felt so surreal.
We then made it to one of the attractions in Shimla, the Viceregal Lodge. This used to be the residence of the British viceroy of India (like the main general looking over the colony) when spent his summers vacationing here. Since India is no longer a colony of the UK and the Indian president rarely visits Shimla, it has been converted into the Indian Institute of Advanced Study.
The grounds were lovely, surrounded by gardens. The gardens looked a couple weeks past bloom, but the setting and surroundings made it a beautiful place. Additional little statues throughout the grounds added some additional artistic character.
We ended our visit with a mini-photo shoot on the grounds.
So regal.
So much for the girl shoot.
From here, we crammed into a cab for a very uncomfortable ride to a hilltop temple that sits over the town. The ride ended up being incredibly long, particularly when all the women of the town staged a strike and left work by walking through the streets we were driving in. It took about an hour to go 10 miles.
Eventually, we made it to the top. To start, the hilltop was covered in monkeys. I got this one picture snapped seconds before this monkey lunged at me in anger.
The entrance to the temple was also covered in monkeys. There was also a bell hanging meant to be rung by worshippers entering the temple.
Upon entering the temple, you see why there are so many monkeys around. This is the Hindu god Hanuman, and the world's largest statue of him. He stands at the top of the mountain behind Shimla looking down on the town.
All around the mountaintop are small shrines dedicated to this god of monkeys. Real and fake monkeys are indistinguishable and abundant.
The views from the top were stunning.
This little gazebo allowed us to get many beautiful views, but was completely overridden with monkeys. It was a little dicey whether they'd attack us or not. One in particular had her eye on Dave, but as long as you kept your eyes off her baby, she left you alone.
From this view, we also got to see the trail you can hike up all the way from Shimla to this temple. While a lovely view and hike, I have no doubt, you literally need to rent a stick to beat off all the monkeys that inhabit the way and try to steal your stuff. While fun in theory, after one scary look from that mama monkey, I was happy to view them from afar and take a cab back down.
Upon exiting, we had a few monkeys say their goodbyes.
This was a lovely little town and so completely different than what we expected to see in India.
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