Monday, 27 October 2014, Shimla
At 10 am, as agreed upon the previous (exhausted!) night, Pati and BeeBee were picked up by their guide and driver. During their drive to the first site, the driver explained the history of Shimla. Because of its agreeable climate, it was at one time the summer capitol of India. It was established as a hill station for the English military, and the infrastructure they provided still serves the current population. However, the capacity has long been overtaken by demand, e.g., water supplies planned for 22,000 are now serving 400,000.
As they drove, the guide explained that the itinerary hadn't really specified what they were to see, and, unfortunately, most sights were closed on Monday. Pati, quoting from the itinerary, asked about the trip to Chadwick Falls. The guide explained that it would be a 4 hour hike to the Falls and the falls weren't impressive and they were full of garbage at the bottom but they could go if they really wanted to...
An aside: the guide was the advisor to Michael Palin for the episode on Shimla that was part of the Himalaya series produced by Michael Palin in 2002. (The guide is never on-camera.) This series is the reason that Pati and BeeBee decided to visit Shimla and Wagah. The guide said that Michael Palin is doing another series on the area, and will be back in Shimla in February or March of 2015. The guide will again be his advisor. Only two degrees of separation from Michael Palin!
Their first visit was to Sankat Mochan, a temple dedicated to the monkey god, Lord Hanuman. The drive uphill to this temple on the top of Jakhoo Hill, the highest point in Shimla, made yesterday's drive tame by comparison. The guide explained that he could not find a local driver willing to drive up that hill, but the driver who brought Pati and BeeBee from Amritsar said, basically, "no problem!" As the guide said, the saying is "good driver, good brakes, good luck." The driver went as far as practicable, and then the guide, Pati and BeeBee walked up the rest of the way, later walking back down by another route. The Hanuman statue is 108 feet tall, orange, and visible from as far away as 6 miles. In a small temple nearby was a priest and multiple displays showing Hanuman's story. As the guide explained all this, the priest (mischievously, they thought) threw holy water on them. After looking at the displays, the priest gave the three of them holy water to drink and small objects to eat (that looked like tictacs),. The priest then put a small dot of orange on their foreheads. Pati put a donation in the box. The holy water was a mixture of local spring water and water from the Ganges; they placed it on their heads instead of in their mouths. The guide collected their tictacs and fed them to the many monkeys outside.
The downhill trail ended at a flat paved area, with the Mall leading off it. Here they went inside an Anglican church, the second-oldest church in India. It was plain by today's standards, and in need of restoration, but a peaceful place to rest. Pati and BeeBee sat in the front row, which had a plaque stating that it was reserved for the Viceroy of India, who at the time ruled 1/5 of the population of the world (i.e., India).
The guide showed them the outside of the Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex (unfortunately closed on Mondays). This was the very theatre where Michael Palin entertained soldiers during the filming of his Himalaya series. It has been restored, and Michael Palin will again perform when he comes back next year.
The guide then directed Pati and BeeBee to a restaurant, where they spent an hour for lunch, followed by an hour perusing the shops by themselves on the Mall. At 2:45, they met again with their guide, who walked them downhill to meet their driver. Pati tipped the guide, and that was the last they saw of him.
The driver then took them back to their hotel, where Pati tipped him for the day. The driver was given the next day off, and will pick them up again on Wednesday at 7 am for the drive to the airport.
At 10 am, as agreed upon the previous (exhausted!) night, Pati and BeeBee were picked up by their guide and driver. During their drive to the first site, the driver explained the history of Shimla. Because of its agreeable climate, it was at one time the summer capitol of India. It was established as a hill station for the English military, and the infrastructure they provided still serves the current population. However, the capacity has long been overtaken by demand, e.g., water supplies planned for 22,000 are now serving 400,000.
As they drove, the guide explained that the itinerary hadn't really specified what they were to see, and, unfortunately, most sights were closed on Monday. Pati, quoting from the itinerary, asked about the trip to Chadwick Falls. The guide explained that it would be a 4 hour hike to the Falls and the falls weren't impressive and they were full of garbage at the bottom but they could go if they really wanted to...
An aside: the guide was the advisor to Michael Palin for the episode on Shimla that was part of the Himalaya series produced by Michael Palin in 2002. (The guide is never on-camera.) This series is the reason that Pati and BeeBee decided to visit Shimla and Wagah. The guide said that Michael Palin is doing another series on the area, and will be back in Shimla in February or March of 2015. The guide will again be his advisor. Only two degrees of separation from Michael Palin!
Their first visit was to Sankat Mochan, a temple dedicated to the monkey god, Lord Hanuman. The drive uphill to this temple on the top of Jakhoo Hill, the highest point in Shimla, made yesterday's drive tame by comparison. The guide explained that he could not find a local driver willing to drive up that hill, but the driver who brought Pati and BeeBee from Amritsar said, basically, "no problem!" As the guide said, the saying is "good driver, good brakes, good luck." The driver went as far as practicable, and then the guide, Pati and BeeBee walked up the rest of the way, later walking back down by another route. The Hanuman statue is 108 feet tall, orange, and visible from as far away as 6 miles. In a small temple nearby was a priest and multiple displays showing Hanuman's story. As the guide explained all this, the priest (mischievously, they thought) threw holy water on them. After looking at the displays, the priest gave the three of them holy water to drink and small objects to eat (that looked like tictacs),. The priest then put a small dot of orange on their foreheads. Pati put a donation in the box. The holy water was a mixture of local spring water and water from the Ganges; they placed it on their heads instead of in their mouths. The guide collected their tictacs and fed them to the many monkeys outside.
The downhill trail ended at a flat paved area, with the Mall leading off it. Here they went inside an Anglican church, the second-oldest church in India. It was plain by today's standards, and in need of restoration, but a peaceful place to rest. Pati and BeeBee sat in the front row, which had a plaque stating that it was reserved for the Viceroy of India, who at the time ruled 1/5 of the population of the world (i.e., India).
The guide showed them the outside of the Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex (unfortunately closed on Mondays). This was the very theatre where Michael Palin entertained soldiers during the filming of his Himalaya series. It has been restored, and Michael Palin will again perform when he comes back next year.
The guide then directed Pati and BeeBee to a restaurant, where they spent an hour for lunch, followed by an hour perusing the shops by themselves on the Mall. At 2:45, they met again with their guide, who walked them downhill to meet their driver. Pati tipped the guide, and that was the last they saw of him.
The driver then took them back to their hotel, where Pati tipped him for the day. The driver was given the next day off, and will pick them up again on Wednesday at 7 am for the drive to the airport.
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| Hanuman |
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