Shimla

Shimla, the former British summer capital, is like a little snapshot of old England. With architecture more at home in Stratford-upon-Avon than the Himalayan foothills. The weather also would make Britain proud, with fog and rain aplenty. The streets are spotless and the human traffic managable and polite. A sea of umbrellas passing each other with a curteous nod. As much as I hate to say it, this was a welcome break from the intensity of the flatlands.

Allowing a hotel tout to guide me up the winding paths from the train station, I passed the very first office of Thomas Cook Travels, the oldest (still functioning) telecoms building in the world, and the only post office in the world that still receives its mail by horse and cart. Arriving on 'The Ridge' I was faced with Christ Church, a classically constructed church complete with stained glass windows and picturesque spires. The second oldest Church in Northern India.

My hotel was clean (if a little damp), had TV, hot water and a decent food menu. To get to it however you had to assult yet another devilishly steep climb up behind the Church before attempting the needlessly long staircase and collapsing on the bed to recoup.

Time slipped by up there, as the slower pace of life and the pleasing views (through the fog) lent itself to lazy days and lazy nights. Befriending a local tour guide (he wanted my money as usual, but he was frightfully nice with it) I spent a day playing guitar in his office and drinking Chai whilst it rained outside. The next day I gave his apprentice a 3 hour English lesson followed by an hour long European geography lesson in trade for a guided tour of the Shimla sights.

As the time approached to catch the train back to Delhi, I decided I didn't want to leave just yet. It had not been good weather so far and the next day was looking promising so I gave it one more chance and purposefully missed the train. Sure enough the next day gifted me with bright blue skys, baking sunshine and a wonderful view of the Himalyas on the horizon.

Realising the need to make the most of this weather, myself and Mancunian Danny (who i'd met the night before in a restaurant) decided to hire out a car and go see some sights. Our driver threw us round the mountain passes at frightening speeds for a full day and we stopped occasionally to admire the views, take pictures and visit the odd cave deep down in the valleys. It was a really good day and we arrived back in Shimla with just enough time to grab some food before getting the night bus to Delhi.

We had to laugh as we sat down in our 'DeLuxe' coach, with its rattling windows, squeaky seats and loose armrests. Neither of us got a wink of sleep on the 9 hour journey down through the hills. The nearer we got to Delhi, the hotter and the stickier it became. The niceties were over, we were going BACK IN!