May 11, 2013 - Shimla

The British empire could have ceased to exist, however its echoes linger on in Shimla (2130m). because the 'summer capital' of Brits in Republic of India. This was the country's focus for the higher a part of each year and currently, it's the capital of Himachal Pradesh. Today, its well developed facilities, simple accessibility and diverse attractions build it one amongst India's most well-liked hill resorts. Placed within the tower ranges of Himalayas mountains, it's enclosed by pine cedar, oak and bush forests. Towards the north lie the...

Feb 13, 2013 - Shimla, redirected from Kashmir

We had to fly from Jaipur to Delhi, collect our bags, and change planes (and air lines) for the flight from Delhi to Chandigarh. A driver from the Oberoi Wildflower Hall, dressed in full chauffeur gear, met us at Chandigarh and provided us with snacks of chips, banana bread, and brownies for our three-hour drive to Shimla. I read in the guide book that Chandigarh was created by Le Corbusier inthe 1950's as the new capital for the Punjab state after Partition. But the Punjab was subdivided again, and the city became a Union Capital to serve...

Dec 18, 2012 - Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

December 16, 2012 I woke up feeling fine. Because of the tough couple of days I spent a few hours working on the Suukye. I am the service walla, puncture walla, dobi walla, everything walla - when it comes to the bike. I cleaned, lubed and tighten the chain [a little]. The saddle bags I have don’t quite fit right. The fuel cap on the main tank is very tough to open. It’s fixed to the bike and have to force it open because the saddle bag fits too close to the bike. I put spaces in here and there and now they fit great. It was a problem in...

Jul 21, 2012 - Shimla

Bus leaving at 8:30am...we're heading to Delhi to get train onward to Nepal, plus visas for Bangladesh. 7-21 Bus to Shimla, 4 Dutch girls, a young French couple, lots of Indians...a single paved lane road most of the way, beautiful green scenery, rafting river - started out pale green from mtn. snowmelt but evolved to dirty brown. Sunshine until 3 pm then into more mountain drizzle but ended in sunshine in Shimla 9-10 hours later. Got onward bus tickets to Dehli for 9:12am. Not 9:10 or 9:15! See Shimla entry of previous travels for...

Jul 7, 2012 - Manali

7-7 Wiki Info Manali Link To Manali Photos Slept quite well, Bon had difficulty changing position with her shoulder but otherwise we were glad we paid the extra 500 rupees for accommodations and dinner/breakfast. I took a hot shower which they provided in the hotel which was most welcome. Before we were on the road 3 min we were stopped 10 min or more by an Army convoy of 50+ personnel carriers coming from the direction of Manali. The roads have been 50:50 paved with the rest 'under construction' which mans diversions, potholes, washouts,...

Jul 6, 2012 - Kyelang

7-6 Difficult sleeping with Israelis making noise outside until 3:30am! Finally fell asleep and then overslept, fast getting up and out in dark, no electricity. Luckily we had arranged a taxi so got to bus aok. Then of course, a couple Indians were late and we waited for them! Finally left at 5:30 ... 15&1/2 hours later we arrived in Kyelang ! It was a beautiful ride but after the first (highest @16,680') pass I had a headache the rest of the day even though I drank all my 1 &1/2 liters of water! I'm just not good with altitude although I...

Mar 20, 2012 - Dharamsala -Day 2

I had to escape from another hotel in order to go for an early morning walk. The front door was locked and no sign of a key or anybody available to let me out. This time I managed to climb down from the first floor balcony onto a fence below. I had seen a line of mules coming down the path between the houses opposite our hotel so I decided to wander that way. I came across a couple of the mules grazing on grass at the side of the path and as I went past one of them he bucked and kicked back just catching me on my right calf. Fortunately it...

Mar 19, 2012 - Dharamsala

What an awful night with very little sleep. I kept getting a spasm of very sharp pain somewhere on my little toe of my left foot which recurred every twenty to thirty seconds. Nothing I could do would stop the stabbing pain so I just had to put up with it despite trying some pain killers. I bought a papaya and some limes on my walk yesterday so we had them for an early breakfast before checking out and off, once again, to the train station. At the train station we came close to missing our train. There was a mix up on the train numbers and...

Mar 16, 2012 - Our last day in Kullu

Breakfast at Jill's, Lunch at Chaytna's and dinner tonight at our hotel for all those who hosted us. This morning's satsang was a delightful send-off to the rest of our journey, and accolades for Blair who has talked so articulately throughout the week in front of 100+ people. Leslie, Nandi, Clark and Blair took a car this afternoon with two others and drove as far as possible up Bijli Mahadev mountain to 7000 feet where they climbed the meadows to the top to get a 360 views of the Himalayas up to the Tibetan plateau. Robin did errands...

Mar 15, 2012 - Delightfully Overwhelmed

Thursday, March 15 Well, we are truly overwhelmed by the beauty of this part of India. Today we were invited to a tea with Swami, where many questions and answers provided a lot of food for thought. Then off to Leslie's for lunch with friends and on from there with Ellen to visit the Ghompa in Sarabai. I have never seen such an exquisite temple, still being completed. Experts from Bhutan have come to design and build it, and the sculptors are still working there to complete the statues. A young smiling monk accompanied us as we wandered...

Mar 14, 2012 - Trekking in the Himalayas

Tuesday March 13 We set out this morning by taxi from Mohal to pick up another cab and the rest of our party of nine to head up the Kullu Valley to cross the river at Akara Bazar. Leslie, her daughter Nandi and her friend Mara (both having just returned from 6 weeks of yoga in the south of India); Zack who has lived in Kullu for most of his 25 years; Caroline who returns to Quebec tomorrow with her 86-year old mother - a permanent resident for almost 40 years; our dear friend Ellen and the three of us. First stop, the Dhakpo Shedrupling...

Mar 14, 2012 - Heading for the hills

Monday March 12 We flew out of the Delhi smog on a very old Air India prop plane, headed north. Spectacular sights of the Himalayan foothills and the peaks beyond. After a week of cloud and rain in Kullu, the skies were clear and we were able to land at the new Bunthar airport, deep in the valley (where pilots can only land visually due to no radar). Clark’s sister Leslie, her daughter Nandi, and our dear friends Ellen and Sneh were there to greet us, waving on the other side of the glass doors as we collected our bags. Sneh and I couldn’t...