My travelogues: Ukhimath

Showing posts with label Ukhimath. Show all posts

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Mussourie - a romantic getaway

Mussourie - a romantic getaway (20th & 21st Nov 2013)

Enjoying a ride - Mussourie

As a part of my Uttarakhand itinerary, I was in Mussourie too. The journey from Duggalbita in Chopta to Mussourie was strenuous and I spent the whole day traveling, from 7 am to 9:30 pm. From wading like a directionless drifting boat in the curvy forest roads from my campsite in Dugalbitta to Ukhimath, traversing the dangerous roads from Ukhimath to Rudraprayag and then following the Ganga all the way to Rishikesh and then traveling the people infested city of Dehradun, the journey did tire me and tempt me to return back home. The last stretch from Dehradun to Mussourie was to be in a classic Ambassador. Our driver seemed to be greatly influenced species of the tortoise and he maneuvered his car at such a careful pace that a cyclist would have reached faster.

As we were approaching our destination in the darkness of the night, the lights of Mussourie twinkled in the distance and it appeared as if someone had bought a series of the Diwali lights and had insouciantly neglected to arrange it. The map created by the shimmering lights looked like a moving amoeba changing shape and size with every curve that we left behind bringing us closer to the summit. Finally we reached and I checked in to my hotel, had a quick and awaited dinner and pushed of to sleep.

I was put up at the Hotel Vishnu Palace which is near the Library House and offers a scenic view of the Gangotri glacier and the neighboring mountains and valleys from each window. I was pretty happy with the allocated room.

Mussourie is a dainty town and still has some of the colonial feel to it. Like most hill stations, it has a Mall Road which is its prime attraction and shopping centre. And like most other hill stations like Shimla and Manali and Mahabaleshwar and Ooty, it is more for the newly wed honeymooners than solo travelers like me. Coming from a place like Chopta and having been so close to the snow clad mountains, the place didn’t interest me much and the only thing I did for 2 days is walk on the Camel Back road and shop a lot on the Mall Road. The weather was pleasantly cool and nights were colder. Evenings and mornings saw a mist engulfing the houses lining the hill and gave every reason to render a romantic look. Sharing and relishing a corn or munching on peanuts while the cycle rickshaw rider sweats out paddling, enjoying the vantage points to take in the scenery and posing for that early happy memory of married life, the possibility of long romantic walks holding hands with your loved one while sharing silly nothings, licking the icy ice-cream in an even icier weather, widening your mouth to gulp down that golgappa or go on a shopping spree for woolens, accessories and others or disappearing in the mist; Mussourie is a delight for the romantically inclined.

I took it easy in Mussourie and laid back and relaxed. There are a few trekking options in Mussourie including the Nag Tibba trek and the Pari tibba trek. The Lal Tibba is the highest altitude point in Mussourie and the people boast of having celebrities like Tom Alter, Ruskin Bond as local residents. There is no dearth of staying options in Mussourie and each hotel has a nice view to offer, either the Himalayas or the Doon valley. It snows heavily during December and January, so be prepared if you happen to visit at this time.

Places of Interest in Mussourie

Mall Road – The heart and veins of every hill station and Mussourie is no exception.
Camel Back Road – It’s a nice walk along the circumference of the mountain and at the end of it, you come across an assortment of rocks in the distance on the top of the mountain which resemble a sitting camel. From here, you can get a telescopic view of Lal Tibba, Nag Mandir, the cross worshipped by lovers, the Gangotri peak etc. Also a great spot for bird watching and enjoying the valleys.
Gun Hill – You can take a cable car ride from Mall Road to the Gun Hill point or trek to the Gun Hill point.
Company Gardens – At a distance of few kms from the Mall Rod, to the other end, it is a garden that you can spend some time at
Tibetan Market – Near Mall road having woolens on sale at a low price.

My room at Hotel Vishnu Palace

View from my window

Gangotri glacier

Camel Back

Bringing things closer

Gangotri peak

North me South

The town of Mussourie

The Doon valley

The town of Mussourie

Camel Back Road

Eurasian Jay

Malabar Whistling Thrush

Keeping an eye - at Camel Back Road

Camels Back Road

Church on the way to Mall Road

School

Tibetan Market

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Trek to Deoria Tal – The magnificence of a reflection

Deoria Tal – The magnificence of a reflection - 18th Nov 2013

Caught in the reflection

There was once a story of a fisher woman who got married to a man in the city and couldn't sleep without the smell of her fish and her fish baskets around.

I just couldn't sleep with so much of peace around. It seemed the insects also went into hibernation in the cold. Not a sound. My eyes woke to a faint light creeping in from the fabric of the tent. What I thought as the first rays of the sun was actually the moonlight seeping in. The sun was yet to rise. I couldn't put myself to sleep anymore, so I just lay; blankly, with nothing in mind except the shivering cold to think of. I didn't have to wait for a long time as the moon handed the baton to the sun and the landscape was being covered in the glow of a happy morning. As I stepped out of the tent, it was so eerily silent. Even the chirping of the birds came much later on, as if they too seemed to be cozily cuddling in their nests.

I spent a good deal of the next 2 hrs bird watching and trying to capture the tweeting fancies in between their appearing and vanishing in the foliage. After warming myself in the kitchen fire and having a hot cup of tea, my guide and me were off to Deoria Tal on a bike. The path to Deoria Tal is to the left on the way from Ukhimath to Dugalbitta/Chopta. It is motorable till Sari village, the last village in that area. The trek starts from there.

Deoria Tal is at an altitude of about 2400 metres. The path leading to it is a cemented ‘6 footiya’ in most of the parts and it starts opposite the first shop at Sari village. At others, it’s made up of stoned steps, curving at almost every 50 metres, taking you up, up and away. Breathing becomes a little heavy for the city folk at such altitudes so you need to take care. Though the trek is easy, you end up heaving and panting most of the way because the climb is a quite steep. On the way, you see cows and horses grazing, village girls getting fodder for their cows and buffaloes in huge baskets literally bending their backs. The landscape is just as beautiful as can be and it never tires the eyes. A small old temple appears almost half the way to the top. Like most temples built in this region, it is built in the likes of Tungnath and Kedanath. This trek is through a jungle, but I didn’t see many birds except for the gliding eagles. At the top was a shop thankfully and we ordered for lunch which we were to have later. A few minutes later, the jungle opened up to a lake; a tal; Deoria Tal! And what a frontal view of the mountains! You need to see to believe! It took us 1 hr 15 mins for the to reach the top.

Deoria Tal is a small lake in the middle of the forest and has water in it throughout the year. The beauty of the lake lies in the reflection of the Chaukhamba and the adjoining mountains in it when the water is still, a different hue during the different times of the day. It’s like seeing the beauty of a veiled princess through its reflection in the water. When I went, the water was a little marshy and green and not so still. The reflections rippled. Small fishes, presumably trouts were swimming gleefully. There is ample space for pitching up a tent and is permissible with a little extra cost and approval from the authorities. Just imagine a moonlit night with the reflection of the Chaukhamba peaks in Deoria Tal. Next time if I happen to be there, this would definitely be on my agenda.

It was very peaceful when we reached there except for the chirping of the birds. The silence was shattered by a teenage group of girls and boys who played music loudly on their state of the art mobiles and in a few minutes, the chirping of the birds were replaced by the nonchalant blabbering of the girls. I also met a group of doctors and interns who were put up in Ukhimath for the next 6 months.

Spending a few hours just enjoying the tranquility of the place, the lake and the landscape views, with a heavy heart we returned. Had local daal rice and omelet at the shop before we descended. Riding back to the campsite on the bike, the chill in the air caught on us.

The same splendid view of the moon rising from behind the Chandrashila peak and the white washed mountains on the other side before I push back to my tent…to rest before I took the next trek to the highest Shiva temple in India; Tungnath!