Yesterday will be etched clearly in my mind forever. If ew thought the previous evening was memorable (which it certainly was) we couldn’t even begin to imagine what now lay in store for us.
We were woken at 5:30 am and wiped the sleep from our eyes as we prepared for the new day. An hour later we were divided between 2 Toyota 4 Wheel drives for the trip of a lifetime.
To this point we had only experienced the flat roads of India but that was about to change. We drove for quite some time before the road started to rise and the massive ascent began. We drove higher and higher, swerving around slower vehicles and making our way to the mountain top town of Shimla. We had arrived at the Himalayas.
A tourist website says, Shimla was one a string of hill stations that the British established to escape from the scorching heat of the plains. The 12-kms, crescent shaped ridge on which it is located was first occupied by the British troops, in the early part of the 19th century, during the Anglo-Gurkha War. The little village of Shymala, a retreat for British officers, soon grew to become the glamorous summer capital of the British, in India.
This magnificent city is at an altitude of 2,159 metres. While two of our team found the trip up the mountains a little too much, we all enjoyed the experience once we arrived. The views were astounding and the buildings all seem to be just hanging off the side of the mountain. I can’t even begin to imagine how they would have gone about the building process. Once I get home and can post pictures again, I can assure you that you will marvel at what you see.
I could write all day about the sights and sounds of the area. It was absolutely breathtaking. Even the surreal moment of being at the top of an Indian moutain, in a Chinese restaurant, listening to Dire Straits will stay in my mind for a long, long time.
We finally started the long drive back towards flat ground. We headed straight to the train station to board the 6:20 train to Delhi. For 500 rupees (around $15 AU) we had a three and a half hour train ride while being served far too much food, tea, juice, and water followed by ice cream.
Arriving in Delhi, we crammed into a coule of taxis and made the short drive back to Bible House.
Today should be reasonably relaxed. A few people will take on some more shopping with others just hanging around. The trip has been fairly intense so far so having no structured plans for the day.
Tomorrow we’ll visit one of the families which was represented on the ride to Chandigarh. Mark and I visited their home last time we were in India and it was a highlight of our trip. We’re looking forward to it being just as memorable this time.
We’ll be working again on Sunday with visits to more churches. Monday looks like we’ll be visiting the Taj Mahal.
I hope to post again soon.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Shimla? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.
