Thursday, August 23, 2012

Travelogue - Shimla 14-16 Aug - Day 2


Previous Posts

Travelogue - Shimla 14-16 Aug 2012 - Prologue

Travelogue - Shimla 14-16 Aug 2012 - Day 1

Travalogue Shimla 14-16 Aug - Day 1 continued...

Much has been written about Shimla. So much so that sometimes I feel, this is the most over-rated hill station. Too much 'touristic', too much over-visited. Everything is too much about this place. Adding to this "too much"  is the burgeoning  trafiic & the hap-hazard construction. It is losing its pristine charm & is turning out to be just like any other Indian city, full of filth & chaos. The administration had the opportunity when they planned New Shimla. But they totally missed the bus. New Shimla is unplanned, chaotic with no basic civic amenities in place. When I compare the old British-era buildings with their Indian counterparts, I wonder whether India has any architectural style of its own or not.

Anyway, I am not an expert. The so called experts on planning have done the blunder & now it is for the common man to bear the brunt.

Seems like too much of criticism. But this is because I love this place and want it be be beautiful & orderly.

Municipal Corporation Shimla




After a supposedly short journey yesterday, that was deliberately made long, thanks to my new found hobby of photography(not really!!), it was time to explore Shimla. Since there is problem of parking vehicles here, we decided to leave the car at my cousin's home and try out other modes of transport. There are frequent mini buses by HRTC(Himachal Road Transport Corporation) running to & fro connecting Shimla Main with near by places. We de-boarded the bus near the lifts. The lifts are simple two sets of elevators  that take you to the Mall Road. The ticket was Rs.8 per person - one way. Mostly people buy one-way ticket only as they prefer walking down the mall road through array of shops down the mall road.

Walking towards the Mall Road



It started drizzling. Thankfully we had umbrellas with us. Since it was 15th August, a National Holiday in India, the Mall Road was fully packed with people. Walking uphill, we reached the famous Scandal Point. On a normal day one can view the Ridge, Christ Church, Gaity theatre & other monuments from here, but today the visibility was nil due to fog. Still there no loss of enthusiasm. It was quite a break from the hot & humid weather of plains.

The Christ Church





State Library Shimla




A view of Shimla Hills





After strolling for two hours, it was time to eat. There are lot of food joints, the best being Ashiana & Baljees   both along the Mall. Ashiana is a bit too costly & Baljees was fully packed. So the open air Krishna was our choice. It is not a restaurant, but a small shop selling different kinds of snacks. No doubt small, but it draws lot of customers due to its variety & quality.

There are many places worth visiting, within & outside Shimla. But since time was limited, we decided to go back to New Shimla.

Happy days pass like a dream. So after two days filled with fun & joy the last day back home was quite uneventful & tiring.

A new place next time...that's all folks!

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