Sunrise in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

Event date: 18th December 2011

The place we put a night in Shimla was not in our favour nor choices, it was a guest house and very unlikely that we could find anything better than that. In addition, we were too tired after a long hour journey of being inside a car for more than 14 hours riding a windy and hilly road passing numerous hill station, we had to take whatever it came. We took 2 rooms and negotiated for extra heater, but a portable heater did not help to warm the room. It was a miserable night and the room was not likely being freshly clean. A used blanket was spread on the bed, which was unbearable for me, who always has issue with smells. God bless us, we passed through an uneasy nights.

State road to Bilaspur, single lane

The next morning, I was woken up by a sound from a group of children marching on the road. It was still dark outside and it is unbelievable that those kids can manage early morning rise to be prepared for school. My head was spinning with wonder and a pang of sorrow over the people by the hillside of Shimla, life must be tough for them. It was impossible for me to envy their life in the mountain in a cold freezing weather, mostly throughout half of a year. Summer must be short in here. It is hot and humid in Malaysia which we always complaints but I would rather think that we shall be complaining a lot more if we have a life here.

Alright, not to waste a rare experience, I forced myself to woke up and see those kids with my own eyes. I grabbed my camera and went outside. They were marching right in front of the hotel at the time I was in the hotel balcony. The song that they were singing was beautiful to my ear. There's no other sound but their loud and clear voice. I decided to stay outside and watched the sunrise. It was a peaceful moment of my life where I thanked God again and again. It was a peace and deeper conversation I've ever had with him during my entire life.

I continue to stay outside, enjoying a serene view and a peace for almost half an hour. Once inside the room, I took my IPad and wrote a poem to God. Remarks: I couldn't retrieve those poem as Nasrul has formatted my IPad few months later.

I would like to add a little bit of information about Shimla which is a capital city of Himachal Pradesh, located in northern India. It is bounded by Manali and Kullu in the north, Kinnaur in the east, the state of Uttarakhan in the south-east, and Solan and Sirmaur to the south. The elevation of the city ranges from 300 to 2200 metres. Shimla is well known as a hub for India's tourism sector, ranked among the top 10 preferred entrepreneurial locations in India.

The last photo of Shimla, before I got too a dizzy state

In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India, succeeding Murree, northeast of Rawalpindi in Pakistan (I'm going to make separate entry for Murree which I visited in 2010). After independence, the city became the capital of Punjab and was later named the capital of Himachal Pradesh after reorganisation of the districts of Indian states. 

To be continued...