Shimla 2

The view at breakfast must have been wonderful few years ago.

This morning we headed through the town and out west towards Observation Hill and the Viceregal Lodge.

A few photos on the way.  This one shows the vertical nature of the town quite well.

There are many porters all around as some of the places are hard to get to by vehicle.  I don't know what was in the drum, but it looked really heavy.

Some buildings look so "British"

The splendid Railway Board Building

More smiley faces

A view of the Himalayas

The Viceregal Lodge is now home to the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies.  It was built 1884-88 for Lord Dufferin, the 8th Viceroy, and housed all the subsequent viceroys and governors-general of India.  It was also the first electrified building in Shimla with electricity run by steam engines brought from Britain.

It is a rather imposing building.

Many historic decisions have been taken in the building during the Indian independence movement. The Shimla Conference which reached a potential agreement for self rule in India was held here in 1945, before stalling on the selection of Muslim representatives. 

We weren't allowed in many of the rooms but the entrance hall is very impressive.

The decision to carve out Pakistan and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) from India was also taken here in 1947.  This is that same table used by a handful of men to draw lines on a map that changed the destiny of millions of people overnight, in 1947 – and it’s so small!

We then had a wander around the gardens.

On then to the nearby Himachal State Museum with a nice bust of Gandhi outside by the late Polish sculptor Fredda  Brilliant.

Instead of visiting the museum I decided to go back to the Himalayan Bird Park which we'd passed on the way, before catching up with the others for lunch.

The birds were mostly behind wire and quite high up so I took some monkeys instead - these are baby Rhesus Macaque and Grey Langur respectively.

Bit of a scrap going on.

I don't know if this is the same Langur and if so whether he is checking his arm for wounds or fleas or just looking at this watch!

I certainly wouldn't argue with him.

Despite the town planners, I did manage a sunset from the hotel.

I must mention Ron and Rowena (Mr & Mrs Been Everywhere) who were the loveliest people you could imagine and very kindly took me under their wing on this extension.  We got chatting one evening about work etc and it transpired that Ron was a retired Underwriter and knew both Ian and Robin Kirkland (my former boss).  What a small world!