When I reached Shimla (an overnight journey), it was still dark. It was the morning of December, around 5 AM and you know 5 AM remains pretty dark in the morning. I went inside the bus stand and experienced hustle-bustle. Small tea stalls selling light snacks, maggi, people sitting on chairs, dozing off, some waiting for buses, some running towards the loo to freshen up, bus drivers and conductors going to their buses, people standing around ticket counters and inquiry desks; the bus stand had already come to life and I thought it was too early. I found a chair and sat on it. It was my first time to come here. The place I was sitting very close to a tea shop and I could smell the tea. I ordered a maggi cup. I started to imagine the morning in Shimla that it would be all covered in a white layer of snow.
But it was nothing like that. The morning in Shimla was beautiful, hands down, but it didn’t snow. I was told that it snowed a couple of days before my arrival. I felt so sad and disheartened since it was my last trip of the year 2019 and I wanted to experience snowfall in the year but it just didn’t happen. I have seen beautiful mornings in the hills. The morning in Tosh was such a beautiful, incredible gift of nature which is treasured in my memories. Here too, the morning in Shimla was nothing less.
Also known as Queens of Hills, Shimla in the morning looks like a bride and the sun adds to its beauty. The sun rays shower the grace and joy on the land of Shimla in the morning. The flora and fauna take the first breath of the morning with pureness and freshness which is a blessing not everyone is blessed with. Not me at least who lives in the chaos of metro cities working on laptops all day. I never actually planned to visit Shimla and wasn’t on my list.
When morning in Shimla brings everything to life
I reached the early morning in Shimla and got to spend two mornings and one night here. It was a weekend trip and the next day, I moved to Kasauli. Well, I had my reasons. On my first morning in Shimla, when the sun had started to come out of its den, and started to spread its wings of golden rays, I took a cab to my hotel. On the way, I saw patches of snow by the roadside and then huge masses of snow clouds which somehow made me realize that it might snow, if not in the morning in Shimla then might be in the evening or night. Guess what, it didn’t and my desire remained incomplete.
Read Here – A Hillstation Named after Lord Dalhousie
I reached the hotel, took some rest, got freshened up, and left for Kufri National Park. The next morning, I checked out from the hotel and took a walk through the zigzag paths, narrow streets of Shimla. While I was coming down through stairs, I saw a group of laborers was repairing broken parts of the road due to which the path was blocked and it was risky to jump to the other lane crossing it. Moreover, at certain places, it was slippery and one had to be very attentive while putting a step ahead to move.
I moved ahead and the roads started to get a little lively with more people in groups around the tea shops, reading newspapers, some smoking, chattering. Some came with their pets for the morning walk while the shopkeepers had started to open their shops and the stall owners had started to put their stalls by the time sun started to shower morning in Shimla. I saw monkeys jumping here and there. At a point, I was a bit scared to see them moving around but later I realized they were harmless (not all the time).
Read Here – A Weekend Trip to Kasauli
I continued towards Mall Road and reached the Indian Coffee House. I had my dinner there the last night. Thus, I came here for breakfast. I had a veg sandwich, coffee, and noodles. The restaurant was less crowded as compared to the situation it had last night though people had started to come slowly. I came out from there and continued walking. The cafes alongside the Mall Road had started to open up and I could smell the coffee, hot brew, and other dishes being cooked and the air was so aromatic. The strong aroma of brew was prominent.
People, locals, and travelers like me, were on the road, some came for cafes for breakfast, and some came to take bus or cab. I reached the bus stop and took a bus to ISBT. From ISBT, I waited for the bus to Kasauli. I was leaving Shimla for Kasauli. It was all intentional. The ISBT by the peak of the morning was crowded, packed with passengers. I waited for the bus, took the ticket from the counter, and boarded a bus to Dharampur. I was bidding goodbye to Shimla.
