I think it's fair to say that this wasn't the most successful of my weekend breaks. I had mainly underestimated how many people would be going to Shimla on a bank holiday weekend and that this would turn the winding mountain road into a winding mountain traffic jam. But ho hum. Add that one to the lessons learned register.
Shimla is a weird old place. Half the roads are traffic free the other half are traffic full, which means that getting to anywhere that isn't the central pedestrianised core is deeply unpleasant. The central bit is nice enough, lots of ramshackle colonial buildings, looking like they might still house witches on the top of a hill. And, due to the pedestrianisation, minimal horn blowing. What's not to like? Apart from the food. As it's where everyone goes on holiday all the restaurants seem to be mediocre attempts at non-Indian food. Which is okay if floppy pizza is your thing.
Jakhu Temple is on a hill above Shimla, with a big old Hanuman statue surveying the town. Turns out the monkeys at this monkey temple are a bit more, erm, inquisitive than the average monkey. By the time the third stranger had told me to take off my glasses I figured that there was something in it. This meant that my temple experience was somewhat blurry. The chances of a monkey stealing my glasses were reduced; the chances of me stepping on a monkey were greatly increased. Still, nothing happens if you step on a monkey, right?
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