A holiday in Shoghi near Shimla can keep you lazy and busy at the same time

A toy train chugs up the hills

THE Capital had come to a standstill after just a short rainy spell, so I decided to head to the hills for the weekend. The journey is always fun, but the joy seems to multiply when you have the rains and numerous natural springs to accompany you during monsoon. It was a beautiful ride, with different shades of green all around.

Hitting the highways
I have always been fascinated by the road trip to Shimla because of the well-built roads and the scenic beauty. But this time, I bumped into a new place, Aamod at Shoghiu00a0-- just 16 kilometres ahead of Shimla -- right on National Highway 22.
As I walked in, a signboard with a tagline saying 'Slow down to appreciate nature' increased my curiosity. Nestled between hills, Aamod caught my attention and I did a recce of the property. A concept holiday resort developed on the norms of eco-tourism, it is a property with 16 cottages. Spread over 12 acres on hills surrounded by pine trees, the resort started functioning two months back.

In nature's lap
While walking towards my cottage, I noticed a certain design philosophy. At Aamod, all things man-made perfectly blend with the surrounding nature. In fact, not a single tree had been chopped to build the property. Quite an incredible feat. So, when you see a cottage, you know it's on a natural clearing.
The resort gives you the feeling of being isolated from the world, but you have everything close at hand. If you so want, you can even go up to Shimla to spend the entire day. But I wanted a quiet holiday, so I chose to explore the resort instead and make full use of its facilities.