Chandigarh is India's only planned city. Designed by a Frenchman
roadways are straight and parks are numerous. Buildings are well
spaced and organized and the corresponding quality of life is far
improved. Chains (many American) dot the roadside malls. the Subway
menu is almost identical to home. McDonald's on the other hand is beef
and pork free to please the Muslims and Hindus. Hotels are expensive
here so I stayed at the Sikh temple. The people were very friendly and
the food was really good. Many people at the temple had relatives in
Canada or were trying to move to Canada. Sikhs are the Indians who
seem the most worldly. They are also very open and friendly people
allowing all to come to their temples.
Now in Shimla where the British Indian government use to more their
entire operation for half the year. It is cold and rainy (like
Vancouver). Laws prohibit smoking, spitting and littering (Indians
love these vices). Buildings are old and decrepid and the town is
perched on the side of the hill. Most roads are too narrow and steep
for cars. In the central area anything with wheels is banned. (it is
too steep for bikes even those with 21 gears). The local transport
consists of an elevator (not escalator) Which drops you down 20
stories to the next area of town. I took the train here. It was a tiny
(toy) train that took 6hrs to chug up the 96km to get here. The train
is registered by UNESCO and is in the Guinness Book of Records as the
steepest track on record. The train spent most of the time looping
back on itself and going through tunnels. Truly amazing especially
when you sit in an open doorway. Other then the rain the other
annoyance here are the monkeys who harass the citizens and steal stuff
through open doors. Shimla is not a small town. 900,000 call this
place home. The town is truly amazing. It feels a little like Europe
with its open walking streets and British colonial buildings.
Tomorrow to Rishikesh.
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