Hotel City Heart 18 Chandigarh

... diesel engine pulling us up hills no train should be able to manage, crossing hundreds of bridges and passing through dozes of tunnels. All built to take the British to Shimla, which during the summer months was used as the British Raj's capital. Each small quaint station enroute has two signs, one telling you how high you've climbed, the other a quote promoting religious harmony.

... she got a room and I got someone to share the cost. We were both hungry so checked out the veggie restuarant downstairs it looked good but they weren't open yet so we went for a wander. Chandigarh is shoe heaven - shop after shop after shop! Also found a 24 hour restaurant which had very yummy cakes but as I hadn't had dinner yet thought I had better resist!!!!
Restaurant was finally open - had a very yummy Thali.
Next day was to be the Rock Garden.......

... who offered to give us a tour then we wouldve understood more about it,but we didnt so we grew bored of it rather quickly. Howver harry did keep himself entertained with taking picture of the wild tiny stripy squirrels that run about all over the place.

After speaking to an american couple we decided to go look at Humayuns( some emperor dude) tomb, this was definatly worth seeing i dont really know how to explain it, it was ...

... Garden (Sector 16),
- Terraced Garden (Sector 33),
- Garden of Fragrance (Sector 36),
- Topiary Garden (Sec 35 B) - wonderful
-Cactus Garden in Panchkula, Sec 5 - really nice
Walk around the Sukhana Lake is really relaxing. There is a restaurant and few food bars
so you can spend there whole afternoon/day having fun and/or relax.

SHOPPING MALLS -

1- Ebony ...

... went on a mission for find a good place to have some real food. We found this restaurant called Deepak and had some amazing food there. No, it was seriously the best food I've had in India so far. I had some mushroom dish that was fabulously flavored. We shared our dishes with each other and rolled ourselves out of the restaurant feeling happy and full. Sara and Annina took one room together and I was left with the Isaeli guy. We all turned in for a chilly night in Shimla.

... course there was a door just ten metres to the right and the four of us just wandered into the pavilion, into the press conference room, through and onto the playing area where Ricky Ponting, the Australian team captain, and Matthew Hayden were practicing. Various Australian players, including Ponting and Hayden, walked right past us into their dressing room. The access to players and proximity you could get ...

... back home would recognise in such things as Malai Kofta and the sublime Punjabi MC ("c'mon!"). But just when they thought the invasions were over, up pops one Le Corbusier and gives them yet another lesson from on high- His masterplan for Chandigarh. It is a startling intervention in a place of so much history. It is like an organ donation gone wrong - of the man who needed a new knee cap and was given a liver. This not to say it is all bad - India has ...

... wait. It dropped me off near the main bus station in town. There were several hotels and guesthouses to choose from but I decided to first check on the road closure. The states in India all have largely different cultures. Punjab is largely Sikh. Men wrap their uncut hair in a specific type of turban. Their beards are long and often tied down under their chin. Kashmir and Jammu is predominantly Muslim. The men wear fehrans- long wool ...

... After chai we headed over to Parganj for a roof top fry-up for breakfast, then myself and Hussey spent a productive few hours on the net booking flights for the Ashes leg of the trip, then it was up to Chanders on the very plush AC express train, exorbitantly priced. After arriving in Chanders, and spending around 3 hours traipsing round the place trying to find a hotel, we ended up in Sector 19 in an overpriced 850 roops a night hotel ...

... and Haryana. I have been curious about totally planned cities and have previously visited two others: Canberra, capital of Australia and Brasilia, capital of Brazil. All have impressive and integrated architecture. I think such experiments may be worthwhile. How successful they have been I don't know.