Incredible India

My cake, a gift from the Radisson Hotel, Shimla

Bill and I are back from an unforgetable trip to India, my surprise 60th Birthday present from my great husband! I did not know about the trip until a week before we flew so the packing was a little haphazard!

Shopping in old Delhi

We flew to Delhi and spent a day touring the city and wandering the streets. We travelled on the underground trains and then had a ride in a rickshaw. I think my whole life flashed before me as we missed lorries and people by a whisker!

My favourite form of transport in India, a Tuk-Tuk

We then travelled by train to Amritsar and stayed in a very old and quaint hotel from the days of the Raj. Just lovely! Our brilliant guide, Vikram took a few of us to see the Golden Temple at night and to watch the Holy Book being carried to its night time resting place. A magical evening – I felt priviledged to be one of the very few Europeans  in the crowd and made feel very welcome – I do not know how many people came to shake hands with us.

Vikram and yours truly

The Golden Temple at Amritsar

Before travelling to Shimla, we visited the monastery at Dharamsala where His Holiness the Dalia Lama has his residence and the offices of the exiled people of Tibet.

The peaceful garden at the monastery

After Amritsar, we travelled by train to Shimla in the foothills of the Himalayas. This so-called hill station has a population of 250,000 without the tourists and must be one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Towards the Himlayas

I am afraid the pictures do not give you a clue to the magnificence of the scenery, and you do not want to imagine the excitement of the drive on single track roads with hairpin bends…….

Now my problem is a very simple one – where to find the time to use the inspiration of the trip and to create all the designs in my head!