Shimla

A hill station fighting to retain its charm

Whenever one thinks of a holiday in a hill station, one name that comes readily to mind is Shimla, the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh. Shimla was once the summer capital of the British and even today, there are few buildings from the colonial era still standing. 

Shimla has changed over the years

I visited Shimla for the first time in 1970s and I was eagerly looking forward to another visit. I must admit I was a bit disappointed. The extensive concretization of the hills (few constructions appear to be standing precariously)  and the narrow roads that have been taken over by hordes of cars and taxis that bring in tourists is sad to say the least. Traffic jams have become an essential feature not only in Shimla but also in nearby areas of tourist attraction such as Kufri. 

Even then Shimla can be a fulfilling holiday

Holidays in a hill station are more about relaxation and enjoying the fresh air than rushing to tick places of interest from a set itinerary. As such, there is not much to ‘see’ in Shimla. You can stroll on the Mall road, a pedestrian only street with plenty of eateries and shops, and on the Ridge, an open space in the center of the town, with views of the entire town. Lakkar Bazaar is famous for wooden stuff. The Mall road has some very nice cafes, including the iconic India Coffee House, a popular coffee joint for over 4 decades. 

There are few other nice buildings from the colonial era that you can view from outside and some Temples and Churches as well. Jakhoo peak, at ~8000 ft, is the highest point in Shimla and houses the statue of Hanuman. The Christ Church is the second oldest church in North India and was opened in 1857.

A vegetarian ‘hamburger’

There used to be a large skating rink but I could not locate it at all. I was told it was closed. Another memory I have from my earlier visit was of eating ‘hamburgers’ on the Mall road. That’s right-though I am a vegetarian, I have eaten Shimla style ‘hamburger’! Essentially, it is a vegetable burger, and the bun is fried-it tastes yummy and worth trying. I don’t know why shops used to call it hamburger but today, most of them call it a burger.

To enjoy more mountain views, you can drive to Chail, ~45kms away, 2 hours or to Mashobra, ~10kms away, 30 minutes or to Kufri, ~15kms away, 1 hour.  

Kufri

Kufri has a gentle skiing slope and like many others, I too tried my hand(more apt to say legs!) at skiing. Luckily, protective clothing was provided that cushioned my more than couple of falls. 

There is also an amusement park(Mahasu Peak, 9000 ft) which is believed to be one of the highest in the world. The go-kart track is stated to the highest in the world. It is a bit steep but fairly easy climb to the park, but horses are available for those who cannot climb.  It is a mud track and even if it drizzles a bit, the combination of mud and horse dung can make walking difficult. Once at the top, several open shacks serving hot Maggi noodles welcome you.  While I was there, it started snowing and in that weather, a bowl of hot noodles was heavenly. And since the water is boiled, quite safe. 

The sudden snowfall also made me aware of the lack of critical infrastructure in these areas. Our car was parked in the ski area but it was not possible to walk down in snowy conditions and the horses too had stopped operating! After some enquiry, I managed to find a mini truck that the locals were willing to run down the hill on an alternate road to a small village enroute to Shimla. All for a reasonable fee.

The mini truck was in a run-down condition and the tyres did not have snow chains so at each of the hair pin bends, the helpers would place tree branches on the ground so the tyres don’t skid and the mini truck does not go over! I was amazed at their ingenuity(I guess this is what we call as ‘Jugaad’). But did I feel safe? I am not sure but the helpers knew what they were doing. 

But it was cold and wet and I was thankful when I alighted at the village after a 30 minute journey. I had already alerted the driver(thankfully, mobile actually worked!) but he had parked some distance away because the roads were jam packed with vehicles. I could see how ill prepared some of the car drivers (mainly tourists) were to drive in snowy conditions. Couple of them were actually pressing hard on the accelerator despite the tyres skidding. 

Overall, Shimla left me with mixed feelings. It still does have a charm but urbanization and multitude of tourists are spoiling that charm.

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