Shimla and Darjeeling are my favourite retreats in the hills. It’s fashionable to bash the British Raj but the fact remains that the charm and character of these hill stations derives from .their colonial heritage. Revisiting Shimla after many years I was filled with nostalgia. First of all the scent of the deodars, the towering Himalayan cedar, all pervasive and incenselike, was intoxicating. I know I’ve returned to Shimla when I’m among deodars. Do visit the Viceregal Lodge, imposing, gothic, Scottish baronial. The gardens are lovely in May, irises, peonies, pansies, poppies. roses, cyclamen..and some magnificent trees including two chinars. Take the tour inside to see how the Viceroy and Vicereine lived. Though it is an Institute for Advanced Studies now they’ve preserved much of the original furnishing, including the wall paper and drapes. I’ve stayed at the Oberoi Clarkes in October , which is very old world and comfortable, and completely empty when we first went there in September. This time I tagged along with a large group which stayed at a more modern Himland, but since every room was booked my friend and I were given , almost as an afterthought, an incomplete room with exposed wires everywhere, grimy and freezing. The rest of the group had decent accomodation at the same place and we couldn’t even check in elsewhere because everything had been booked and paid in advance. My tip, if you ever go to Himland, insist on inspecting a few rooms first before deciding to stay there. I walk endlessly in Shimla, reconnecting with Kipling, Emily Eden. M.M.Kaye, Lord Dufferin...I can feel the ghosts of the ladies and gentlemen of the Raj at play. The flirtations, the dances, the scandals..Visit the two churches, Gaiety Theatre, Shimla Club if they let you in, Annandale, The Glen, Summer Hill, Prospect Hill, Kamna Devi temple, the Himalayan aviary outside the Lodge where you walk among rare Monals and silver pheasants. Take side roads off the mall and plunge down into steep gullies to explore. Basically lose yourself and get off the beaten path. You’ll find tiny eateries that do lovely momos and soups and the people are delightful and kind. The shawls, stoles and scarves come ridiculously cheap if you hunt around. Next time i’d possibly stay longer and at a decent place, the Cecil or Woodville Palace. Shimla is a state of mind. I go for the altitude, the climate, the people and the sense of deja vu.