Shimla, India

With our relaxed days in Tosh at an end we made our way back to civilisation. We hadn't had any internet for a week and so we hadn't researched how best to get to our next destination, the capital of Himachal Pradesh state; Shimla. We took a taxi along to the next village of Barshani and then waited with locals for a bus, when the bus arrived everybody crowded round and there was a bit of a scramble to get on. We trundled down the long winding road, past Kullu to Bhuntar, the bustling hub that we had stopped in briefly before. We left the bus not having a clue if and when there would be a bus to Shimla or even how long the journey would take. After wandering around the dusty market place chatting to locals we found out that the next bus was late that night or the following morning. We contemplated waiting around for the bus but it was so hectic that we decided to check into a hotel and wait till the morning. 

Views From Shimla, India 

Overlooking The Green Hills From Shimla, India 

The hotel we found was basic and a bit mouldy but for one night it would do. It didn't have wifi so we had to wander around in search of an old-school internet café, it felt like our first backpacking trip before we had iPhones and when barely anyone had wifi available; we'd sit for hours at a time in a dingy computer room talking to home via Skype and catching up on all the news we'd missed. We logged on to message home and left it at that, the connection was painfully slow. The next day we caught a minibus to Shimla, the journey was long and uncomfortable and we got stuck in a few traffic jams on the narrow roads thanks to local festivities. Eventually we got to Shimla, without any clue as to where we would be staying. The bus station was down a hill, we found a taxi to take us to 'the lift' which is an outdoor elevator that takes passengers to Shimla's traffic-free centre named The Mall. After queuing for ages we zipped up in the lift to a bustling scene, neon lights, shops, market stalls, men walking around selling bags of popcorn, restaurants and hotels all with 'no vacancy' written in the windows. Oh dear. 

Hydrangeas At Viceroy Lodge in Shimla, India 

Hydrangeas At Viceroy Lodge in Shimla, India

Craig had read that there is a YMCA in Shimla, we crossed our fingers that there would be space available and that it wouldn't be too expensive either. We climbed up the hill, bags in tow to the YMCA which overlooks Shimla and the surrounding landscape high on the hillside and luckily there was a room available and for a bargain price too! For a YMCA we were very impressed, the building was huge and historic and our room was big with a window looking out to the church and rooftops. 

A Mysterious Doorway In Shimla, India 

The next day after our free Indian breakfast we took a walk to Scandal Point, just minutes from the YMCA to see the yellow church and views. The surrounding landscape was blue in appearance due to the mist and low clouds. In years gone by, Shimla was the home of British India in summer, where dignitaries would spend their days in office to avoid the heat of Delhi. For this reason Shimla had a distinctly 'British' feel to it, the buildings were made from stone, signs were painted in a way that reminded me of times gone by in English towns and The Mall itself had a bit of a 'Edinburgh Royal Mile' feel to it. We found a cute café to retreat into where I found English Breakfast Tea which felt like a real treat. It was somebody's birthday so after singing happy birthday the café staff handed cake out to all the customers. We went for a stroll, there were packs of stray dogs slumbering in the streets and local families treating themselves to sweets and ice cream. Shimla was a bit of a tourist trap but still retained its quaint feel. 

The Monkey Statue in Shimla, India 

The following day we walked up a steep hill to the highest point in Shimla where there is a temple surrounded by monkeys and a huge monkey statue. The views as we walked higher were breathtaking and the walk with trees either side of us was a breath of fresh air too. The temple was small but the monkey statue was huge. The monkeys were sat at the base of it, chasing off any person who got too close. At one point we witnessed a monkey trying to steal a scarf from a mans neck, nearly strangling him in the process. It was a little bit intimidating, the monkeys were so aggressive it felt like you could be assaulted at any minute. In the evening after dinner we tried lots of varieties of Indian sweets that we had picked out, each were an acquired taste but we really loved the coconut flavoured ones, just like the inside of a Bounty chocolate bar. 

Yellow Flowers At Viceroy Lodge in Shimla, India

Potted Plants At Viceroy Lodge in Shimla, India

We booked a bus for the next day but it wasn't to leave until the evening so we decided to walk across town to The Rashtrapati Niwas also known as Viceregal Lodge which was the home and office of the British Viceroy. The walk was lovely and not too strenuous with beautiful views, we ran into the girl we had met in Manali too and spent the morning talking about our trips so far and what we had been up to since we last saw each other. The building was impressive, made from grey sandstone and built in a style reminiscent of a Scottish castle. We didn't have time to go inside the lodge as it was by guided tour only but the highlight for me was the spectacular gardens filled with wonderful colour. The hydrangeas were out in force accompanied by daisies, poppies and a myriad of wild flowers. On the walk back we noticed a child and toddler on a blanket on the side of the road, strapped to a piece of machinery. The mother was hard at work on a building site and had left her children to play while she got on. A reminder of how hard the women of India work in order to support their families and how different their lives are to ours at home. 

Daisies Viceroy Lodge in Shimla, India

Battered Old Converse and Fallen Leaves At Viceroy Lodge in Shimla, India 

We fetched our bags and caught the lift down to the road where we grabbed a taxi to the bus station. We waited at the bay we'd been pointed to, and waited and waited. Buses came and went and we got a bit anxious, where had our bus got to? There had been a bus a few bays over that left when ours should have, we'd asked and been told to wait where we were but I suddenly got a sinking feeling that we should actually have got on it. After asking around we found that we'd been mis-informed, it was indeed our bus! We ran to the office, a man called up the bus driver and ran with us to get a taxi, we threw our bags in and in a panic rushed after the bus. It was like a scene from a movie, our taxi driver weaved in and out of traffic, in the darkness, on blind corners, beeping and shouting while simultaneously talking with the driver of the bus on the phone. It was madness. After 15 minutes we caught up with the bus which had thankfully pulled over. The taxi driver had been a life saver and his fare was so reasonable too, I could have hugged him! With our bags stored below we ran on apologising profusely to our fellow passengers who were already tucked in for the overnight journey, the bus driver wasn't impressed and gave me a bit of an annoyed look as I passed. 

Only we could miss a bus that had been sat in front of us the whole time! But alls well that ends well and we were on our way to Rishikesh where we'd finally see the mighty Ganges river. 

🎥 India video:

Have you been to Shimla? If so, what did you think? Maybe you're planning a trip? I've got tonnes of advice and tips I can share. Let me know in the comments below. 

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Tosh, India

Laden with a heavy backpack on my back and a full rucksack on my front I found myself walking uphill along the edge of a road, with a steep drop to my left down to a rumbling river. Miles from the destination we were meant to be at by now, almost certainly winging it. How did we get here? 

A Ramshackle House On The Hill In Tosh, India 

Flowers Found On One Of Our Walks In The Hills In Tosh, India 

We left Manali by public bus, squished into a seat with our bags around us we felt every single bump and pothole in the road. An open window gave some respite to the stuffy air, outside the landscape was verdant, lush green forest, a fierce river and a distinct lack of crowds. Eventually we reached Bhuntur, a dusty and busy hub of activity. As the bus stopped to take on new passengers I watched a man outside the window frying batter in a vat of oil, spinning each piece in turn carefully and efficiently. On we trundled, the bus was heading upwards and the road was getting narrower, traffic on the opposite side was heavy. We passed Kullu, a small town known as a backpacker hangout, perfect for parties apparently which wasn't our scene. Our end destination was a lot quieter and as far as a car could travel on this road. The bus slowed to a stop outside of Kullu, a police woman advised the bus driver that traffic up ahead and narrow roads meant we had to wait, but for how long no one seemed to know. We waited, the minutes ticked by. One by one passengers alighted the bus and began to walk up the road themselves. There was a curve in the road, how far away was the next town exactly? Reluctantly we decided to leave too. I jumped down from the bus, carrying everything I had been living on for months and walked, like a real nomad.

Donkeys At Work In Tosh, India 

So there we were, walking uphill on that narrow road with the perilous drop and the heavy bags. After the curve the next village was revealed and it was within reach. We arrived and after a scramble up a hill caught a taxi to take us where we needed to go, to the last village at the top of the road. The taxi fare wasn't cheap, but with the bus stranded we had no choice if we wanted to make Tosh. Off we went, over a bridge and up the road, zig-zagging across the landscape, weaving in and out of cars on sharp bends despite the dangers. Tosh was much further away than we had anticipated and so the pricey fare actually seemed fair. We left the taxi at the village entrance, walked across a wooden bridge and onto the traffic-free pathways. The village consisted of houses and restaurants perched on stilts on the side of a hill, with maze-like muddy paths lined with cannabis plants connecting each place to the next. Around us were snowcapped mountains, sublime views that demanded all of your attention. We stopped at a couple of guesthouses, Tosh was inundated with them and they were all cheap. The one we had read about was at the top of a hill but was full so we checked in at another slightly lower down with the same commanding views.

Steep And Rocky Terrain In Tosh, India 

A Lightening Bolt Of Sunlight In Tosh, India

We ended up staying in Tosh for five nights. The village was cut off, there was no phone signal, no wifi. We spent our time simply, looking out at the mountains, taking photographs, eating and going for walks. I wrote and drew with no distraction. After two nights in one guesthouse we moved to a different one, just slightly further down the hill with even better views as they were uninterrupted. Each day would start with an impressive full vegetarian breakfast, and end with dinner and a delicious 'hot milk nutella' a milk and nutella concoction. My only anxiety came from the fact that we had been off the grid for a few days and hadn't let anyone know where we were as we hadn't realised that there would be no internet. I was worried that family would have tried to contact us and panicked when we hadn't got in touch back. 

After five peaceful nights in the mountains we left the village with Shimla in mind as our next destination and last stop in Himachal Pradesh. 

🎥 India video:

Have you been to Tosh? If so, what did you think? Maybe you're planning a trip? I've got tonnes of advice and tips I can share. Let me know in the comments below. 

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them.

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Mcleod Ganj, Bhagsu and Manali, India

After a motion sickness inducing journey from Amritsar we arrived in Mcleod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala in the state of Himachal Pradesh. As our trip to India was originally unplanned we arrived at an ill time, right in the middle of the hottest season. With that in mind we decided to see as much of Rajasthan as we could quickly and then spend the rest of our time in the north. With Rajasthan explored it was now time to retreat into the Indian hills. Mcleod Ganj is home to the Tibetan government and many Tibetan refugees who left their homeland due to Chinese oppression. The Dalai Lama resides in Mcleod Ganj and it is therefore a place of learning, Buddhist faith and Tibetan culture. 

A Street Scene In Mcleod Ganj, India

Mats and Plants At Tsuglagkhang Temple in Mcleod Ganj, India

We took a taxi from the bus station and drove through the lively town to our hotel down a hill. We checked in and found that we had been upgraded to a room a short walk from the hotel itself which was a bit strange. The next day we woke to a few things; amazing views across the hills, noise from a building site next door and worse of all that Craig found that he wasn't feeling well. Typically just as I'd started to finally be able to eat meals again Craig now had an upset stomach. We managed a walk up the very steep hill from our hotel to the town and got some medicine from a pharmacy as well as food that the pharmacist suggested, bananas and water mostly. One positive thing that we noticed straight away was the temperature, it was so much cooler yet still lovely and warm. It felt like a treat to not be red-faced and sweaty within minutes of leaving the hotel room. Craig rested for the rest of the day while I admired the views.

Inside Tsuglagkhang Temple in Mcleod Ganj, India

Prayers Wheels at Tsuglagkhang Temple in Mcleod Ganj, India 

The following day Craig was feeling a little better after his banana, water and medicine diet so we ventured up the hill into town to have a little explore. The town was very busy, as a site of pilgrimage and a tourist hub there were a lot of people around. Tibetan monks in robes sat and drank coffee in a café window, dreadlocked backpackers haggled with market stall owners over bracelets and locals went about their day; picking up groceries, attending appointments and chatting while dawdling along. Though we were still in India it did feel like a completely different atmosphere, a little more familiar from our days backpacking in Southeast Asia several years ago. We went inside the Tibet Museum where we saw heartbreaking photographs of the Tibetan's struggle against oppression and read stories of refugees that had to make the extremely dangerous journey out of Tibet across the Himalayas in order to survive. Reading the tales of terror endured put into perspective how lucky we are to have not ever had to face such horror in our lives. I felt a surge of anger each time I read about what the Chinese government is doing to the Tibetan people and how their human rights are basically non existent, I really wish that the west could do more to help but what with the world being as it is i'm not sure there is much hope. I read a beautiful passage written by the current Dalai Lama about compassion and left a note in the visitors book. It had truly been a moving experience to see the photographs in the museum. We wandered to the Tsuglagkhang Temple which is the Dalai Lama Temple and noticed hundreds of colourful mats laid out with names of people on, presumably reserved to sleep on. Craig spun the prayer wheels and we looked into the beautifully decorated rooms of the temple from the doorway. 

Walking To Bhagsu Falls, India

The next day we took the scenic route to walk into town which was longer yet just as steep! Luckily the views over the hills were beautiful which made up for the breathlessness. We had a delicious dinner of veggie burgers at a little café which appeared to be a bit of a tourists hangout. We had managed to go quite a long time without seeing many other tourists but it appeared that they were all here and not silly enough to be travelling in Rajasthan like us. 

Walking To Bhagsu Falls, India

I was quite glad to leave the hotel the next day and head up the road a bit to the town of Bhagsu. Our room next to the building site had been noisy and it turned out that our upgrade wasn't an upgrade at all, it was simply because they had double booked and needed to put us elsewhere. Our manager had kept insisting that we had come to India at the wrong time of year and though he was a little over-the-top friendly, his constant criticism of our travel timing had got very irritating. Bhagsu was a short taxi ride away and felt quieter, smaller and cooler than Mcleod Ganj. It was also raining when we arrived, feeling the cool air and droplets of water on my skin was something that I had missed and really reminded me of England, I guess I was starting to really miss home after nine months away. Our room was brightly painted and had balloons in it, was it somebody's birthday? We walked up the slippery hill to a restaurant, running slightly to dodge the downpour and ate with a view of trees; lush greenery had also been missing from my life since being in India. We spent the next day in our room as it was much easier to relax in with no noise, we left to get meals and had a wonderful breakfast at a café a short walk away. They advertised hash browns on the menu, we were very excited. The hash browns arrived and were not at all what we were expecting. Instead came a dish with chunks of potato, green peppers and onions in a spiced sauce, though they weren't what we were imagining they were delicious. 

Our Hotel View In Manali, India 

Beas River In Manali, India 

We'd booked a night bus from Mcleod Ganj to Manali and so had an entire day to kill with no room to hide away in. We left our bags and went on a walk to see Bhagsu Falls, a popular waterfall and picnic spot. We didn't seem to be going in the right direction at first but after a bit of a scramble uphill and around the backs of buildings we needed up on the right track, one away from other tourists too. We wandered along the narrow trail with a steep drop on one side and pipelines running under our feet. We could see the main pathway which was full of walkers and felt glad that we had a little bit of peace where we were, with amazing views of the valley to boot. We climbed a steep path and came across the pretty stone building that serves as a café with the waterfall just behind. We ordered some drinks and sat on the terrace for a while before it started to spit spot. Craig suggested that we make a move as if the rain persisted it would make getting down the steep hill pretty challenging. We passed people on their way up and goats randomly milling about on the path before getting back to town and our hotel seconds before the heavens opened. The wind and rain was so strong that we had to retreat from the roof terrace where we were planning to sit and find a cosier spot in the communal reception area under a shelter. 

Craig Walking Through Cedar Forest In Manali, India

Cedar Forest In Manali, India

After a long wait, a hot chocolate and a piece of banoffee pie it was time to leave Bhagsu, we caught a taxi back to Mcleod Ganj where our coach was waiting for us. Luckily blankets were provided for the overnight trip so at least it was warm if somewhat uncomfortable. We arrived in Manali extremely early, the sun had not quite risen and we had all been dropped off in a muddy field seemingly in the middle of nowhere. A 4x4 arrived and we grabbed two spots and were taken into town where we had reserved a room. Of course as it was so early there was no one to be seen but there was a tiny reception room with sofa's to rest on for a few hours until somebody arrived to check us in. A girl we had met on the coach walked with us and we had a nice chat, it had been a while since we met anyone to talk to. I was pretty glued to my phone all morning because it was the UK General Election results day and I was pretty keen to see the results. While the UK was sleeping and results were coming in we were in a perfect timezone to watch events unfold. We found a café devoted to Bob Dylan to eat breakfast at and then had a chilled out day catching up on lost sleep from the journey. In the evening we ate at Riverside Café, as the name suggested it was right by the beautiful fast flowing Beas river. 

Our dinner at Riverside Café had been so lovely that we decided to go there for breakfast the next day. After breakfast we walked to Hidimba Devi Temple, a simple structure built in 1553 and surrounded on all sides by forest. We didn't stay long at the temple as it was so crowded with tourists, we found the small national park to walk through which was peaceful, a sweet dog decided to accompany us on our wander. It was lovely spending time in the company of trees and being somewhere a little out of the way. In the evening we ate dinner at a restaurant called Renaissance and it was delicious. 

We had jumped from one town to the next in Himachal Pradesh, our time wasn't particularly exciting but it was memorable as the views were superb and we were finally able to enjoy being outdoors without the burden of the heavy heat. We hadn't finished with the state however, our travels would take us off the beaten track next, to the mountainside village of Tosh. 

🎥 India video:

Have you been to Himachal Pradesh? If so, what did you think? Maybe you're planning a trip? I've got tonnes of advice and tips I can share. Let me know in the comments below. 

If you enjoyed reading then please click the heart at the bottom, share or better still leave me a comment, I love reading them.

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