Shimla - India with Mountains

Shimla was not what I expected - which is my fault.  I had this image of a cute village in the mountains.   Instead, think of an Indian city draped over spectacular mountains and spilling down the sides.  It was also a bigger city than I had expected.  These are a couple of views of different parts of Shimla.

 

Driving along roads and using lookouts was difficult because of the traffic and crowding.

The town is neat as far as rubbish is concerned, and there are no cows and minimal numbers of sleeping dogs.  You can see the old English style buildings, but they are in a state of disrepair.

Shopping choices range from The Mall

to the Tibetan market.

There are still some pretty untidy sights away from the main areas.

At the same time you get a sense that Shimla is a town with a future.  It is vibrant, there are a lot of local tourists - well outnumbering international tourists it would seem.  There is a lot of renovation, construction and roadwork going on as well.  It would be interesting to come back in 5 or so years - you get the feeling that the access and the town will be quite different.

Jobs and growth in Shimla.

The mountains are spectacular and someone who wanted a holiday walking/trekking I suspect would enjoy what it offers.

Shimla is India in the Mountains - and spectacular mountains at that!