Shimla

Shimla is an easy going and relaxed place. It's popular with Indian's and while there's not much to see in terms of tourist sites, it's a great place to hang out for a few days.

It feels very British – which is no surprise - as this is where the British colonizers would come when things got too hot in Delhi.

It's remarkable to think that at one point in time, one fifth of the world's population was ruled from this small unassuming town. Unfortunately the British Empire didn't do such a great job. During this period, it presided over one of the worst ever famines in world history, and implemented partition in such a way that 1 million people died.

As if to balance this up, Shimla was the home of Allan Octavian Hume who described the British regime as having an "invariable disregard, if not actual contempt for the opinions and feelings of our subjects".

In response to this, he set up the Indian National Congress which would eventually lead to India's independence.

The town hall – hammer house of horror style Gothic building:



And at night:



Streets of the old town:





I was lucky enough to stay in a building built during the period of colonization which has now been turned into a hotel – it reminded me of some of the early buildings in Christchurch New Zealand:



And inside:



One trip worth doing is the long walk up the very steep hill to see the Hindu Temple dedicated to Hanuman the monkey god avatar. People come here to feed the monkey's who can be very aggressive – and so armed with my fold-out umbrella I set off.

I was glad to be “armed” because at one point I had to fight off a monkey who was trying to steal my bag!

Hold on to y'r Goggles:



And here's why – one mean monkey:



I don't want to be your little research monkey boy:



Here's a pic of the main temple at the top of the hill:



Carving at the temple:



I ended up spending a while sitting in the temple watching people come to worship and make offerings, and ended up getting a tikka from the priest at the temple. Me with temple in the background:



Walking down the hill I forgot that I had the tikka and couldn't understand why people kept staring. When I got back to the hotel and looked in the mirror I discovered that at some point I'd rubbed my forehead and had orange all over my face :-)

I also remember Michael Palin visiting the small theatre here, and was a little disappointed to find there was nothing on. Undeterred I walked into the theatre and by some fluke found myself on the stage. Just as I was about to let rip with my best Shakespearean acting someone turned the lights out and so I had to make my way out in the dark.

And finally...

A police man in Shimla:



Where else could you book your very own Emo AND get it delivered electronically :-)

The Road To Shimla...

OK – I'll admit it: I'm following Michael Palin's route from his Himalaya series. One of the highlights I remember was the toy train journey from Chandigargh to Shimla.

It's an incredible feat of engineering, given the difficulty of the terrain. To get from Kalka to Shimla there are 102 tunnels and 988 bridges, and the line has been recognized as a World Heritage Site.

The train to Shimla:



Just one of the 102 tunnels:



Waiting at the station:



And the engine at one of the stations on route:

Chandigarh

I'd really enjoyed Mcleod-Ganj – but decided it was time to head off. After a long ten hour bus journey I finally arrived in Chandigarh and got a place to stay.

It's a unique place in that it was built in the 50's and 60's as a planned city. The streets are wide and tree lined, built in grids – each with a sector number – making it easy to get around. There's a main shopping street where everyone hangs out, and it's fun to spend an hour or so people watching. At one end of the city there's the administrative area with government buildings, and each sector is more or less self contained with restaurants, business, and shops.

While it sounds impressive it's a bit of a let down as everything is so obviously built during a period in history which now looks very dated.

The main administrative building:



The high court:



Sculpture in the grounds of the government complex:



The main park:



A typical sign in India with over the top English explanation:



The other "must do" is a visit to Ned Chand's rock garden. It's a large landscaped garden, built entirely from industrial waste – most of it produced when the city was being built.

It's very popular with Indian families, and it's nice for an hour or two's wander around:



The wishing well:



Just some of the hundreds of hand made figures:









I also spotted this sign - part of the global conspiracy to find The Island :-)

Mcleod-Ganj

When the Chinese Government invaded Tibet and His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced to leave, he made his way over the Himalayas to India and settled in the tiny village of Mcleod-Ganj. As a result, what would have been nothing more than an ordinary village became one of the top destinations on the Indian backpacker circuit.

It is, a backpackers town. The main streets are full of gift shops, restaurants, hotels, travel agents, and coffee shops. But it feels very Tibetan, and has a great laid back feel about it.

After crashing, I woke up the next day and headed for breakfast – and ran into Annie from America, and Vikki and Kate from London. For the next three days we met somewhere for breakfast, and again for dinner to catch up on the things we'd done during the day.

Mcleod Ganj, appearing out of the mist:



The main draw here is the temple complex - it's a bit of a surprise – because it feels very modern – although it's obviously a Tibetan temple. But it feels new – almost temporary.

The main courtyard of the temple:



Wall painting at the temple:



While the world waits for Tibet to be freed – monks continue to debate, keeping their traditions alive:



Yak butter lamps at the temple:



Sadly – there's another side to Mcleod-Ganj. There are still political refugees arriving here, forced to cross the Himalayas in secret – on foot – through dangerous mountain passes – often in the worst possible of weathers.

Before last year's uprising, between two and three thousand Tibetans a year would be forced to flee the persecution and torture in occupied Tibet.

This year - only 500 have made it so far.

The Chinese Government are now actively trying to stop the flow of refugees who arrive in free India and share their story with the world.

Each week, an organsisation in Mcleod invites refuges to share their story. The week I was there, the refugee was (in his own words) a simple, illiterate farmer, who was forced to flee China after being involved in last year's uprising.

Having never had any interest in political action, he decided that he couldn't remain silent when he saw a 70 year old being beaten, arrested, and taken to prison for eight months simply for having a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his home.

After making it to Lhasa, and witnessing the army opening fire on a group of monks and nuns, the farmer rushed to help one of them and was himself shot.

Unable to go to a hospital for fear of arrest, he was forced to cross the Himalayas and become a political exile. More than a year on, and he is still suffering medical complications from the bullet wound and may never be able to use his left arm properly again.

The one thing that really stuck in my mind about the evening was how, when asked, the farmer said he held nothing against the Chinese people. He actually feels that it's all Chinese people who are being oppressed – not just the Tibetans.

When it comes to evidence against the Chinese Government and the human rights abuses being carried out in Tibet – there's plenty here. It's pretty shocking to see and here of some of the horrifically dehumanizing things being carried out routinely in China.

But Tibetans still hold out hope for liberation - and just down the hill from Mcleod is the complex of the Tibetan Government in Exile. It's like a small country all wrapped up into a tiny village. There's everything you'd need here to run a country: a parliament, and various departments including finance and health.

Hopefully one day the exiles will be able to return home.

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And now for something completely different...

I decided to grow a beard in Pakistan – here's a pic the day before I went and had a shave:



Normal service has now been resumed in the facial hair department :-)

The Road To Mcleod-Ganj

My next stop was Mcleod-Ganj – the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan Government in Exile.

Having seen the toy train journey Michael Palin took from Amritsar to get there, I decided to head off to the train station to make for Pathankot to catch the toy train to Kangra.

The train is popular with locals, and it was packed when I finally managed to squeeze myself on. Luckily – I was able to get a window seat for the trip.

The carriages are so full that people have to hang out of the doors:



India or England:



And here's one that looks like the train journey along the coast of the Lake District:



The Lonely Planet says that the journey takes two and a half hours – but actually - it takes more than five, and with no food all day I was glad to get to Kangra.

Here's a picture of the view from the station at Kangra:



I finally arrived in the early evening, and walked down towards Kangra. I'd been thinking of staying here for a day or so, but when I saw the sign for Dharamsala jumped on the bus for the one hour ride.

After eating some of the best veg momo's (Tibetan Steamed Dumplings) at Dharamsala, I jumped on the bus to head to Mcleod-Ganj...