kaitymiss

Shimla is the old British capital that people used to head to to escape the heat of the plains. We stayed four nights here before, as I really enjoyed it here. One of the best things, is up on the Mall, there are no vehicles of any kind allowed, so it makes for a much more enjoyable trip when you can walk and not have to worry about being run down by an auto, or a car. There are plenty of nice shops, so many eateries, an old Christian church, statues of Indira Gandhi, bleachers that you can sit on and look down the hills at the wonderful scenery. The best pizza I ever had in my life was at the Dominoes here. There are also places where you can get other western food, but I prefer to eat the local food. Had some wonderful chow mein and momos at one Tibetan stall here. Shimla is a lot of walking up and down, but plenty to see and enjoy.

Absolute beauty~! I was completely awestruck by the beauty of the mountains. The drive up from Manali to the Rhotang Pass is one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world. I visited once when there was not much snow on the ground,only up on the peaks. Last year, I went in November, and everything was covered in snow, the Indians were on skis, riding ponies up to the lower peaks. It was just so surreal. I felt like I was on another planet. This is one trip that I highly recommend for anyone who is going to Manali. Make sure you bundle up and take extra gloves if you plan to walk about. I had on two pair, and my hands still froze. Also its very windy up n the pass. There are sellers walking around with hot tea and coffee to warm you up.

You can hire a car and driver. First time we took a small car, a Maruti, the second time, we went in a Qualis, and its much more enjoyable, and we had to cross one portion of the road that had washed out, so I would not have wanted to go through that in a small car.

I got to spend one day here back in 2002, and it was so nice. I was in Amsterdam, and its such a nice place to be. The people I met were friendly, and the climate was wonderful. A place I would like to spend some time at.