I went to Shimla in the beginning of December to work. Early December is the best time of year to go; the days and nights are like chilly New England autumn and the town is filled with the whispers of snow.
There isn’t very much to do in Shimla, if you’re looking for things to do. The capital of Himachal Pradesh is still a small town. It’s surrounded by mountains — the town itself is even built on a mountain, and people come through to see the snow, or to stop by on their way to treks in the more remote regions of the state.
But if you’re like me and don’t like doing very much on vacation, Shimla is a lovely place. I came home after a year living in Delhi (which you know I love), and my dad told me that all I talked about was Shimla, as if I’d spent the past year only there.
A few moments stood out to me:
The first was my first time down Mall Road (the main commercial street). I was meeting a friend at a cafe right after sunset, when the sky was a purplish blue and the shops’ lights were twinkling on. Neon awnings flickered on-and-off, and the crooked wooden sides of the buildings became as shadows. Beyond the railings, there was nothing. The town reminded me of the bathhouse in Spirited Away in the evening, as the humans disappear and the spirits begin to stalk the streets.
Second was the season’s first snow, my favourite hour of 2019. I woke up at 7:30 and opened my curtains to see the mountains covered in snow; and I wandered out for a walk in my pyjamas. Not even the monkeys were awake. The clouds were moving quickly, and the sun was coming up in the direction of my walk. All was still and perfect.
Lastly, I was standing in the fruit wine shop when it began to hail outside, small stones the size of peas. They covered the ground quickly, as people rushed in the shops to buy umbrellas or stuck their hands out to catch them. Children packed snowballs from the melting hailstones — it was almost like a blizzard, except you could see and feel the individual pieces fall.
Recommendations
If you happen to make your way up there, there are a few things I’d recommend, (besides just walking around and marvelling). First, the Kalka-Shimla railway, a six hour route up from the neighbouring state of Haryana through the mountains. At only 240 rupees per person, it’s quite reasonable, and stops for tea literally every half hour.
Second, things to buy: one of the Shimla shawls. They are very warm. Mine was 300 rupees (I have no idea if this is a good final price or not), they are cheaper the farther from the town center you get. Also, Himachal is famous for its fruit wines and preserves. I went to Aarel Agencies and got some fantastic fruit wines, ranging from 250-400 for a small bottle. The juice concentrate is also great and much cheaper, at only about 100 rupees a bottle (and since you add water it’s much more juice than it looks like)! Minchy’s is the famous brand for wine, juice, and fruit preserves. There’s also some good, and ubiquitous, lip balm made in Uttarakhand, a neighbouring mountain state.
Things to watch out for:
Monkeys: they are everywhere and bold. If you’re going to walk around with food, carry a stick. In addition to the ubiquitous rhesus macaques (the bane of every North Indian city-dweller’s existence), there are lovely grey langurs (specifically Nepal Grey Langurs) near-flying through the trees. Just because they’re prettier, doesn’t mean they won’t attack.
Transport within Shimla: Shimla doesn’t have autos or Uber, and while Ola (an India-specific cab service) does exist, connectivity to the city outskirts (where I was staying) is quite bad. Budget time to walk wherever you want to go. Walking is nicer anyway.
The weather: it is ever-changing, from sun to rain to snow to hail. Carry an umbrella; you can also use it to fend off monkeys.
Getting there, lodging, and food
Night buses run from Delhi to Shimla and vice versa regularly for about 800 rupees. These buses are comfortable sleepers or half-sleepers and the trip is about 7 hours. The worst part of the journey is probably figuring out where you’re supposed to go to find the bus in North Delhi’s Majnu ka Tila; it is very helpful to have some Hindi
But as above I’d really recommend the train if you have a day to spare for the journey. Trains go from Delhi to Kalka in Haryana regularly, just make sure to time it with the more-infrequent toy train.
For lodging, can secondhandedly recommend Spars Lounge, often frequented by my colleagues. Great food and location close to the old Viceroy’s palace, an imposing relic of Shimla’s colonial past.
For additional food, there are some nice cafes. I kept going to Wake and Bake on Mall Road (the town centre) for lunch — they have surprisingly good pizza and of course, cinnamon tea (this travel blog is just a front for a chai review blog). Cafe Shimla Times, further down Mall Road, has a good atmosphere for hanging out or studying, if overpriced and subpar drinks.
Shimla is a magical place, especially if you get a bit away from Mall Road and are there during the snow. Much of what I did was work. I burnt a hole in our carpet because our building has no insulation and we rely on extremely dangerous glowy space heaters for warmth. Everything we cooked tasted strongly of rosemary. The house always had the faint smell of gas, and I nearly missed my train after falling on black ice in front of twenty onlookers. And yet, what a place.
There are some places I fear going back to, lest my memory of them be ruined. The confluence of things and time is inimitable. There can never be another first snow.
