The preparations for this trip started an an unconventional mode for us- we made out a list of things we would need for our survival(us being plains people and all that). Apart from packing in the conventional warm wear, we packed in leather gloves,appropriate footwear, woolen socks,head covering material and warm inners.
One of the rare instances where we did make a previous accommodation booking(better sense prevailed - this being the festive season and all that), we were told that in case of heavy snowfall we could also be stranded for a couple of days. So we packed in extra food items- biscuits, chips and the works.Given the fact that we are hard core foodies, we did hope that we would not have to survive on these -but physically and mentally we were prepared.
The winter months see a lot of fog happening in the plains of Northern India and normally it sets in around 6 in the morning.To beat the fog and start the hill climb before the "fog setting in time" we were out on the highway by 3.30 am.
Pashatuks recommends to all travelers to have a bath before stepping out in the near zero temperatures- you feel the cold less. Shivering and excited, music on a peppy mode the happy quartet of team Pashatuks set off for Ramgarh(district Nainital,Uttarakhand,India),296 Kms from Delhi.
The route that we took was Delhi-Gajraula- Moradabad-Bazpur-Kaladungi-Nainital-Bhowali-Ramgarh.
The road condition was decidedly better since we traveled last on the route,upto Kaladungi barring the almost 30 Kms stretch from the Moradabad turning to Bezpur,where there was virtually nothing in the name of a road and we enjoyed a roller coaster ride all the way.Thank God for the timing of our travel where the intestines were empty or we would have been throwing up everything that we ingested.
The cups of steaming hot cardamom flavored sugary tea we had at the roadside in mud kullars gave additional zing to our pepped up spirits.seeing the lone feminine Tuks on the roads with the three men did raise more than a few eyebrows among the blanket covered turbaned heavy mustachioed locals,( who looked straight out of some thriller bollywood film)gathered around the fire.
We stopped at one of the many Kahlon Hotels on the roadside for breakfast, hoping for a piping hot finger licking parantha breakfast. Unfortunately, though the food was piping hot, can't say the same for the taste factor. But yes the washroom facilities were clean and usable and there was a nice lawn and the staff friendly.
The early morning visions of people wrapped up in blankets, going about their business, shivering, staring at our car in wonder(who the hell can be this crazy to travel for fun in this cold),cow carts taking produce to the factories.
We were traveling through the sugar belt, so all that we saw was convoys of cow carts, where the cows had jackets as protection from cold, traveling to the sugar factories dotted on both sides of the road.
Our climb started at few kilometers ahead from Kaladungi. We took it real nice and slow- stopped wherever our heart wanted to.We had made very good time on the road thanks to the timing of our start,fog free decent roads and minimal traffic and we could afford to soak in the ambiance as we made that short climb of about 70 odd Kilometers.
A few kilometers short of Nainital we stopped at a bend to have a look at the local handicrafts displayed invitingly alongside and felt the first blast of icy winds lashing out at us. The locals happily informed us at the shop that there was snow on the road from the bend beyond and we gleefully rubbed our hands in anticipation as we got inside the car and sure enough, a couple of bends later we had our first view of ground snow.
As soon as we got a chance, we got off our car and started playing, till some local told us that we would be getting loads of more snow at our destination and we put our greedy souls in tight control and moved on. And enjoyed the sunlight falling on the beautiful lake at Nainital, and the happy influx of tourists roaming on the mall road.Somehow,Nainital has managed to retain its beauty despite the heavy load of tourists that the place handles and we have always enjoyed driving through the town.
This was our first visit to the hills during winters and we soaked in the transformation. The Uttarakhand Himalayas have a substantial amount of greenery which we found were replaced with dry plants. We were roaming in the fruit belt of the state and instead of the green fruit laden trees that we were used to seeing we were greeted with snow covered land with the trees looking back at us naked and forlorn.
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The step farms of the region were cultivating snow,it seemed as if big steps of snow were cut out for us to scoop out ice and use it for whatever purpose we wanted to.
On our way, we noticed plenty of accommodation options available for travelers for different types of travelers- from the back packers to the high spending tourists.The snow clad peaks of the Panchachauli range kept changing colours with the sun's angle and we watched awestruck.
Ramgarh has been the home for Rabindranath Tagore for nearly a decade and the locals proudly boast that the first verses of Geetanjali were drafted in these tranquil environs.
The small town is also the home to very many big names of the Indian community- one erstwhile prince also has over 500 acres of property there.
This is the place to soak in natures beauty, whatever the season be and if one is looking for city activities its definitely not the place for you.Long walks into the mountains,clambering up on rocks and grass, sitting at vantage points and watching the sun go up or come down,introspecting while watching nature unfolds it mysteries are the activities that keep you busy.
Don't count your calories as you eat as you are bound to feel hungry all the time. The crisp clean air and the amount of physical exercise that one does keeps one hungry all the time.
We stayed at the state run guest house- the KMVN hotel. While touring the hills, we prefer to stay at the state run accommodation units for two basic reasons. These properties almost always are the ones with the best views and secondly they are value for money. KMVN TRH(Tourist Rest House) is strategically located on the main road to Mukteswar, overlooking an unobstructed view of the snow clad peaks and the beautiful mountains. Each room has a balcony which serves as a perfect sit out for meditation,contemplation with tea and snacks.
The food that we got was exceptionally good, both vegetarian and non vegetarian cuisine.Just make sure that you don't order fish because that's not something these people know how to serve.
The room tariffs include breakfast for 2 and like other KMVN TRHs this one also offers free accommodation for drivers.
After an exceptionally heavy lunch some members of the team felt that they needed to rest- but Pasha and Tuks decided to explore some of the area nearby. We started clambering a snow covered mountain from the main road and were almost half way when we heard a local calling out to us from the road below "wahan jaana maat wahan bagh hain"(don't go there, there are leopards there).
The heart skipped a beat, but we hadn't had our fill of nature or photographs. So we utilised the available light and shot whatever we could and came running down, looking beyond our shoulders more than once for the reputed leopard on the prowl.
All too soon the sun went down on the year 2014 and we were all set for a bonfire and general bonhomie with the only other family in the hotel. Music dance and general conversation regarding the cloud 9 town that these people had gone to and all the snow that they encountered,made us gungho for the next days expedition to Mukteshwar.
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