The Backpacker

The snow had just decided to stop falling as I arrived. I cannot say it bode well for my plans of building a giant snowman, but it certainly convinced me that had I arrived a better time, I should have been lucky enough to find a place to stay. You see people all over the world love snow and any hint that the cottony white stuff was about to make an appearance, then the whole world arrived in hordes to welcome it. And Shimla, even on a non-snowy day has enough to draw people to its cold hills and apple orchards.

That roughly translates into “no vacancy” boards outsides the hotels and boarding houses and a cheery faced guard in heavy woolens points at the other side of the road and goes back to his tea by the hearth.

But I have a backpacker’s optimism. That universal law of never to quit trying till you find a fire to warm your heart applies to me more than anyone I know. If the hotels do not let you in, people certainly do. It is a matter of finding someone who will. I did.

That is how I spent my first night in Shimla.

It was dark when I arrived and darker the next morning. There was not a whisper of activity at 5 am, except for a barking dog rudely awakened by a passing horse cart. There are mind boggling places around Shimla, all beautiful and bountiful in their offering. It is sometimes hard to separate the roads from the orchards, but no one complains. An occasional juicy apple appropriated from the tree keeps the spirits up as you meander through undulating hills robed in pine and cedar forests, providing wonderful views of wide floored valleys and the magnificent Himalayas.

There is another way of doing this too. Hire a taxi or book a tour on the Himachal tourism bus. This way you will only miss the pilfered apples. Here are the few places I visited. I am sure you will love them too. But don’t take my word for it. Explore Shimla your way. It is fun. Remember that plastic is banned here.

Wild Flower Hall: 12 km (7.4 miles) from the Shimla bus stand towards Kufri stands this elegant monument of the past. Wild Flower Hall sits at an altitude of 2,498 m (7,400 ft), currently serving as a hotel warming the cold visitors.

Kasauli: If Shimla is your starting point, then you have to cover 80 kms to this place. However you can arrive directly to Kasauli from where ever you are. (It is one of the most popular stations in India. You can climb away from Kalka towards Shimla (12 km) along a hiking trail. Or you can arrive from Dharampur, one of the stops on the Kalka-Shimla line. (And I won’t get into the Kalka Express just yet.) It is a different story altogather.

There is the Mall, the Museum, Summer Hill, Chadwick Falls, Prospect Hill, Sanjauli, Temples, Daranghati Sanctuary that can keep you rooted for a good three days if you hurry (precisely what I did) and then go away to Dalhousie or Kullu, Manali for a change of scene. For people with time on their hands and resources, there are plenty of options such as golf and fishing.

Golf has never featured on my list of “must do” anyway.

How to arrive here:

Shimla is connected by daily Vayudoot flights from Delhi and Kullu. The airport is at Jubbarhatti, is 23 km from Shimla. Indian Airlines flies to Jubbarhatti regularly.

It is connected by road with Kalka, Chandigarh, Delhi, Amritsar, Jammu and with many towns in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Other destinations in the circuit, namely Kasauli, Solan, Barog, Chail, Narkanda, Rampur and Sarahan are also well served with all weather roads. Taxis, buses and coaches are available at Shimla, and other places for individual and group excursions.

A broad gauge railway line connects Shimla upto Kalka and after that by a narrow line from where a small train usually called toy train. Kalka to Shimla is 95 km and though the journey takes about 6 hours, the train winds its way through 103 tunnels, and some picturesque scenery.