Aside from the tigers and our wonderful stay in Ranthambore, Rajasthan - Shimla is, undoubtedly, our favourite place in India so far.

The elevation - about 8000 feet - is superb - we feel like we’re breathing fresh air for the first time in a very long time. The air is very crisp and it was only 2 degrees when we got up - bracing enough for me to wear my fur coat and for James to have multiple layers - long sleeve T-shirt, jumper and down puffy jacket - along with a warm hat. It was however brilliantly fine with blue sky and sunshine - just freezing.

First stop of the day’s itinerary was Jokul Hill, the temple and the newish addition to the Shimla skyline - the Monkey statue. This was erected in 2010 and can be seen from Shimla town, looking over his subjects. The statue represents the HIndu god Hanuman and it was quite a drive to reach the highest point in Shimla... then a 100 or so steps to reach the very top of the hill. As you’ll see from the photos - it was positively Planet of the Apes time. (The coats and hat were certainly appreciated as it was getting colder, not warmer, the higher we went.)

The area is sacred to Hanuman and all the monkeys in the area are protected because they are considered to be the god’s relatives. They are taking advantage of this mercilessly. They have no fear whatsoever and have to be watched very carefully. In fact, we were told not to wear glasses, bags, carry phones, food etc as they are so bold they’ll jump on you and steal anything. Cute but aggressive sums it up.

We enjoyed the walk and the views of the surrounds then it was back in the car and a long and winding drive down and up again to the Viceroy’s Lodge (pictured) - the summer headquarters of the British government from 1888 until 1947 when India became independent. The building itself, stone, impressive and Scots-influenced was quite a sight to behold. It is currently occupied by the Indian centre for advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Whilst there was a guided tour of a small part of the interior, the group was enormous and the interior was really just a series of photographs focussing on the historic meetings at the Lodge in the 1940s in the leadup to Independence. Interesting but scrum-like would probably cover it - though obviously it would have been beautiful in its hey-day when it was furnished and fitted out.

After a stroll around the very pretty grounds it was into the car and back to town, up the steps to The Mall road and even further up the hill to enjoy lunch at Ashiana, a pretty, gazebo type restaurant with amazing views over the town.

After lunch, and when the church reopened at 2 pm, we visited Christ Church of North India - the second oldest church in North India. Construction started in 1844 and shortly afterwards services also started - though it wasn’t actually consecrated until 1857. The church had beautiful stained glass but it was quite a sad visit in many ways as we’d been watching the news of the mosque massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand as the morning progressed.

The church was the end of the official sightseeing and we meandered back down the hill to the Mall Road, found a bakery for a little treat and tootled back to the hotel in order to enjoy a coffee on our balcony along with the cake and the views. And then it started spitting.

A few clouds had started to block the sun and the sky was starting to darken - but really, we thought, stunning day - how bad can it get. Well those clever little people at the forecasters who’d said ‘Thunderstorm’ had really gotten it right and by the time the kettle had boiled, the sky had closed right in, lightening was flashing, thunder roared and hail was pelting down... Despite freezing temperatures, we were utterly fascinated as it had been months since we’d witnessed cold weather and here it was, literally on the doorstep. The hail hammered down and before too long the town wore a cape of pristine snow and hail and we just could not believe the change in the weather. No sooner had the white stuff stopped falling, it started to melt and by the time we came out for a pre-dinner stroll, there wasn’t much left on the ground - but the winter clothes were definitely still warranted.

We enjoyed our final Shimla dinner at the hotel then it was packing time and it took more effort than normal because the winter gear had to be stowed and the summer clothes brought out again for our arrival back in Kalka (a mere 5 hour drive down the hill tomorrow followed immediately by the 5 hour ‘express’ train to Delhi). Yay. Packing.