Shimla, the ethereal beauty spreading over the Himalayan ranges welcomed us with chilly breeze and unpolluted environment. We boarded the Himalayan Queen Express from New Delhi and reached Kalka by 11.30 in the morning. We have planned to board the connecting toy train, the Kalka-Shimla mountain train. However, the holiday special train was cancelled and there was no room in the available regular train. If we have referred to a good Shimla travel guide we would have known this earlier. We were forced to hire a taxi up the hill.

On reaching Shimla, we searched for good Shimla hotels to stay. We booked room in Hotel Brightland Inn Hotel. It was comparatively expensive and later I learned that the rooms were available cheap as you ascend up the hill. There is very little or no mode of transport other than walking to go up the hill. So, usually the tired tourists do not want to climb. Taking this as an advantage, the Shimla hotels located at the base are cozy and expensive and the hotels at an altitude are cheaper.

Freshening ourselves, we strolled along the streets and stopped by one of the Shimla restaurants to have dinner. After a short walk, we returned to have a good night sleep. It was the month of June and the climate of Shimla was cold with occasional showers. The next day dawned cheerfully. As I popped out of the window, I could notice the mist covering all the places screening everything from my sight. After a while, the lazy sun peeped out to drive away the gadding mists and floating clouds.

I was fascinated like a little child on seeing the snow-covered blue Himalayan Mountains that I so far have seen only in the pictures. We went to the Mall by lift. Lift is one of the modes of transportation in Shimla that would take you to the Mall situated at an altitude. After travelling by two lifts, we reached the Mall, the bazaar area of Shimla. The woolen products, handicrafts and cosmetic items are sold there. After loitering around for two hours, we lost our way back to our hotel. We have to walk and climb steps in between and finally could reach our hotel located near the army base station.

We planned to explore the city and hired a private taxi. We enjoyed the photographic spots of the Green Valley, wandered through the whispering pine forests and headed to Kufri, one of the important nearby attractions of Shimla. Mahasu is the top of Kufri and to reach Mahasu you have to walk along the swampy land or hire a mule. We both hired a mule each and climbed up the hill and the mule ride continued for about 30 minutes.

At the top, there was a small lake and few shops. But for that the whole area was very silent except the sound of the blowing breeze. I derived childish pleasure in watching the snow filled mountains. The Chinese and Tibetan borders were visible at unfathomable distances. The white furry yak looked awesome. My mind started to fly together with the moving cloud, the chilled hand searched its mate to warm it up and the dreamy world slowly took me to a mystical trance. The young hearts have many things to do in Shimla. They are better felt than said.

We climbed down the hill in the same mules and headed to the railway station by car to start our downward journey. We were lucky to board the toy train this time. We had to catch the Shivalik Express at Kalka. The toy train started cooing and hissing. As the sluggish snake winded along its trails, my greedy eyes were trying to capture as much beauty as they could, my blowing mind was working to digest all the wonderful moments and my hallucinated feelings were full of inerasable ecstatic memories. Adieu Shimla! Adieu my dear Queen of Himalayas!!!

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On April 11, 2012lView All Articles

I am Suhaina Mazhar, a freelance content writer and blogger and have written thousands of original articles. Writing is my passion, writing is my hobby and writing is my career. I want to write till the last moment of my life.

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Keywords :
Shimla Travel Guide , Shimla hotels , Shimla restaurants , Shimla Climate , Shimla local transportation