Exploration of Someone's Dream Place

Did you ever imagine your dream destination to be Shimla? I am sure that only a few people would have thought so.

It all started when I was discussing my next travel plan to Shimla with one of my friends. She exclaimed out of happiness and told me that Shimla is her dream destination. I was puzzled that why did she choose Shimla over any other beautiful foreign destination. Finally, I decided to visit Shimla to kill my curiosity.

Shimla is one of the prominent places of Himachal Pradesh. It was the month of August 2019 and the monsoon was still persistent. I had got a long weekend off on Raksha Bandhan, so I decided to visit the place. My friends and associates were reluctant, but I turned a deaf ear to them.

How to reach Shimla from Delhi-

1.Via Volvo boarded from Kashmiri Gate (would cost around 1-1.5k)

2.Via your vehicle (a kind of road trip).

I boarded a Volvo from the Kashmiri gate on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. I was in someone’s dream city by next Saturday morning. The first impression of the city was hysterical. The rain hitting the gorgeous hills in the vicinity of the highways added a cherry to the cake. I stepped out of the bus and hired a taxi for the hotel. The view from the window of the taxi at each unfolding turn was fascinating. The hotel was not far from the bus-stand, so I reached at the hotel in a short time. The name of the hotel was Hotel Sangeet. I always prefer to choose the room that reflects the beauty of the city whenever I visit a new place. I could see the marvellous hills from my room.

After a short nap and refreshment session, I dressed up to explore the city. On my way, it started to rain. Fortunately, I spotted a small umbrella shop on the way. The owner of the shop was a hard-working old lady. She had numerous beautiful hand-crafted umbrellas. It was a difficult task to choose one of them. The humble lady helped me choose a rainbow-printed umbrella. The lady smiled, handed me the umbrella and provided her good wishes for my journey before I left. My first destination was Ridge and Mall Road. No vehicles could trespass the borders of Mall road to sustain an Eco-friendly space inside. When I reached the spot, I realized that the place was flooded with so many tourists. One could easily conclude that the place is not only overrun by tourists in winters but also in monsoon. While walking along the ridge road under the rainbow umbrella, I felt an ice-cold sensation when the winds crossed my path. Besides enjoying the pleasant view, we sipped cups of steaming hot coffee, wandered around the Church and shopped few reminders like shawls, key chains and magnets. The climax of the day included the beautiful sunset. After the chores, I went back to the hotel. I was extremely tired, but the beauty of the city acted as an ointment over my exhaustion.

The other day began with a heavy and delicious breakfast. I was excited to explore Kufri. The place was located at an hour distance from Shimla. It had a beautiful valley, renowned zoo and amusement park. How can I forget the horse ride to Mahasu peak! Few of the important places that were visited include Jakhoo temple, Kalka Shimla toy train and few shopping malls. The Jakhoo temple is known for the world’s largest statue of Lord Hanuman.

I realized that goodbyes are hard when I had to bid adieu to the city accumulating lifetime recollections and lovely encounters. It was like a dream was about to burst and my eyes would open again facing the daily office schedules in Delhi. The beautiful hills, the serenity of the church, the smile of the old lady and the rush of the local markets were captured by the camera. The trip was enough to make me realize why my friend considered it a dream destination