Monkeys and Mountains-Shimla!

We are currently in the little city of Shimla. It is 7000 feet above sea level and on the foothills of the Himalayas...an absolutely amazing place with breathtaking views! Our meditation course has been pushed back and we are enjoying ourselves so much here that we've decided to stay on.

 After taking a local night bus through the very twisty and EXTREMELY narrow roads, I was counting my lucky starts that we had arrived alive! In a crammed bus, squashed between belching, horking, and whatever other terrible manners and smells one can imagine, we gradually climbed higher and higher into the mountains. Literally inches from the edge of what seemed like a million foot drop-without any rails or walls to stop vehicles from going over the edge, I held onto Des with my white knuckles squeezing so hard, I nearly broke his thumb! Somehow, there is a system to the madness, although I can't figure it out. We would literally be head on with another bus and somehow they knew they wouldn't crash- the driver as cool as a cucumber as he chatted away to the person next to him, maintaining polite eye contact the whole time. He would overpass other vehicles for 4 blind bends in a row using a green flashing light and  red flashing light as if it made a difference to our safety!

 I must say though, the stars were absolutely brilliant on the way up. It was amazing seeing the constellations from a completely different angle! And the twinkly lights of the cities as we passed in the shadow of huge hills and mountains left us excitedly anticipating the sunrise where we could see where we actually were!
Anyway, we arrived safely and hauled our rugsacks up the very very very steep roads by foot at 12 am to find the YMCA. An hour and a half later we reached the doors and I have never been so happy to see a bed in my life.

The following morning we were gob smacked as we entered the eating area and had a panoramic view of the city on the edge of a mountain surrounded by layers of other mountains on the horizon--and the Himalayas in view!!! What a place to eat our breakkie.

The city itself looks very European as it was where England controlled the commonwealth for several months. Even now, the army is very prevalent and patrols Shimla all night long. Back in the 40's during the colonial rule, it was where the English travelled to during the hot summer months--an escape from the heat and obviously stunning. I have seen photos of when it snows here (usually around December) and it looks like a fairytale! It is so refreshing to be in a place that is primarily very clean and has little pollution. Des and I went for a jog this morning and my lungs literally ached after ten minutes...I'm sure from the altitude but also from the intense pollution we have been subjected to over the past little while.

I nearly lost my mind from excitement when I saw what I thought were dogs roaming the streets but they turned out to be monkeys! (Rhesus macaques) They are everywhere here and it is unbelievable taking the time to watch them interact up close with their very human like mannerisms and social situations. I wish I could steal a baby and take it away with me. I love they way they cling to their mothers stomachs as they walk and jump. They really are such a funny creature...full of mischief--such messers!

We hiked up to the Jakhu temple today which is dedicated to the Hindu monkey god. Up there, there are hundreds of monkeys and apparently they steal off people so we had to hire a walking stick to shoo them away--we didn't encounter any problems. At the top (which you can see from the whole city) is a massive orange statue of the monkey god. (Apparently designed after the giant Christ in Brazil). There were even more mind blowing views at the top as we could clearly see the Himalayas and used a telescope to get even closer. Des was in his element!

View from Top of Hike

Shimla

Shimla at sunset

Freezing at night! Des sleeping in his toque! 

Des playing pingpong with the locals! Everyone wanted a turn playing with him! 

Toque head after a night out in the cold

Monkeys and Me!

Posing straight faced like a lot of Indians seem to here

Starting the uphill hike

Des and monkey!

Yesterday, I was nearly boiling in the eyes with frustration for the first time since being here. I was trying to send birthday gifts back to my loved ones in Ireland and everyone I went to for help at the post office kept sending me on to other people. Customers were blatantly budging in front of me (We have experienced this lots since being here, but I just can't stand the rudeness of it!) Then we were told that we can't send things unless we go get a white sack from the market. How random is this? We had no idea what they were talking about or where in the huge market to get one so we asked if we could use an envelope and they said yes....but they didn't sell any there so we had to wander until we found a stationary shop. After filling the envelope and sealing it with post office glue and taping the thing to death--it looked soggy and like it wouldn't make it out of Shimla, let alone to Ireland so we had to go on the hunt for a box...in and out of clothing shops until we found a sweater box---but we couldn't find labels for it anywhere and the post office supplied nothing. Grrrr.... Finally after asking a man in a book shop, he cleared the necessary requirements up for us. We had to go to a tailors (which are everywhere in the market here and do absolutely beautiful work) and get them to sew us a white cloth envelope to put the box in. Then we had to take it back to the book shop and seal the seams with old fashioned candle wax stamps and then write the address on the cloth in black ink marker. This was our only hope of it getting to Ireland. What an ordeal! Sorry everyone but no more gifts will be sent from India this year!

What the envelope and wax stamps looked like as the finished product! 

One of the brilliant tailors sewing Carelia's gift