Shimla

Thank goodness we had decided on a quiet day as a touch of the Delhi Belly struck. Either that or it was too much of the spicy buffet after a long day. Suffice to say we had a quiet morning, thankfully in a luxury hotel, and enjoyed the view from our window. By lunch time we tentatively set off for the Mall, the main road which runs along the ridge on which Shimla is built. There was no hassle from anyone here, no rickshaws, no one really trying to sell anything unless we approached a shop. We restocked at a pharmacy which was quite prepared to sell us antibiotics so we now feel prepared for anything that strikes. There were nice coffee shops and the influence of the British shows in the bakery section, chocolate chip cookies, custard biscuits, and brownies. "Tiffin" used to mean elevenses, and is one of the many Indian words which have made their way into the English language alongside jodhpurs, bungalow and pyjamas. One thing we can say for sure is that it was extremely cold with an icy blast from the north. Everyone was wearing lots of clothes, blankets and very nifty hats. One was purchased perhaps as inspiration for the SWRI competition. The woven shawls here are lovely too so it was a bit of a spending spree. A long paisley shawl for 10 pounds is pretty cheap. These designs were borrowed from this part of India too. A quick meal of pasta and a burger was purchased in the Mall then it was back to the hotel for a shower to warm up.