Trip to Landour and Mussoorie
A two days break from the monotony of what life has become is never a bad idea... following the same we went for a weekend gateway to Landour and Mussorie.
We reached a hotel called The Mussorie Club. It was a beautiful
place. for the past few days we had been unable to see the queen of hill stations ......we discovered the
cause. .. clouds...they were surrounding is all over and floating like
fog ..here and there.
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| walk in the clouds |
We had lunch in the hotel itself and there after we
went for a walk through Mall Road. I was in a green saree with sports
shoes we walked and walked through the clouds.
Had the place been less commercialized i could have written poetry. It gave a whole new meaning to the
word floating in cloud 9. I think I floated in many clouds not just 9. Then we
reached the place where we took ropeway for"Gunhill Top". That place
was super commercialized.
There were
1.shoot the balloon shops,
2.shoot target with
bow and arrow.
3.Ring the prize hoopla.
4. PHOTOGRAPHERS were walking around
with garland of erstwhile photographs promising to make us look great in
kashmiri dressess.
5. There were clay models of Dinosaurs. . In whose mouth we
could place our head and take pictures. .. also innocent deers, peacocks and
larger than the deer rabbits. We could hug them and take pics for Rs 10.
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| don't miss the dino |
There
was a sulabh sbouchalay where we could piss for 5 bucks..
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| Near the Sulabh Shouchalaya |
all this in the
serene surroundings of Gods heaven. The rope way was good but for us who are
used the ropeway of Mansa devi and Chandidevi of Haridwar it was dirty
diapilated dingy and pathetic
We walked back and bought clothes from road side shops nightie for mum one
hoodie jacket for Kukku. He saw a book store and we bought three books.
Diary of Whimpy kid
Dead and famous issac newton
Dead and famous writers.
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| Lost in a Maze of Books |
We had coffee cakes and kathi
roll in a shop called Chic chocolate. Two Americans were sitting and talking to
the proprietor. They were surprised at the Western dishes that shop could dole
out. There were cheese cake.. peanut butter cake apple pies. They were surprised
to see that they could make German Cheese. I could see that the proprietor was a regular guy like us. He had decorated the walls of his shop
with posters of Marlyn Monroe Greta Garbo Lawrence of Arabia. Plus the music being played was the golden oldies like yesterday of Beatles and others that we
had in the cassette that one elder brother had given me once. The Americans were
wearing pagdi like the Sikhs.
We came back in the waft of the
clouds and rested till 700. We had planned to go to Landour but evening
was cold and cloudy so we went again to Mall Road. We happened to come to a
shop called Natraj Woollens. He sold us so many things. It was a great
shop. We bought :-
1. 2 sweat shirts me and
Partha
2. 2 lowers mamoni and Goles
3. 2 lowers kukku
All this was Monte Carlo. Ek ke saath ek free. Wow na.
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| At the TAVERN |
Now we are back after a great
dinner at a place called the Tavern. There was a boy with guitar and sang songs
of ...Arijit.. who's a rage these days.
I had a ice cream and Kukku sulked because we did not order anything from the Mussoorie
Dominoes.. They will never be happy
On day 2 we
left the under age and over age in the hotel itself and went for a long hike...
to Landour. It was a long and arduous journey. Mussorie and Landour are only 4.5 km walking but I have send
the feedback saying they should consider the terrain as well. The navigator
said we could reach Landour in 15 min... but it took more time we reached by 45
min.
we were in Landour market by 10 min but the climb uphill was a terrible
terrible climb and made me realize how unfit I have become.
It had a slope of
considerable gradient. We had to bent our bodies ar 45 degrees to walk
uphill. I could feel my heart beat loudly.
I recalled what Tara, one
mountaineer who was with us for the idiscoveri training, had told me...
mountaineering is all about mind over body. If you feel tired rest a
while, then proceed... remember the mountain is all the things you have
to defeat in life... if you let the mountain win you will loose in life also.
He could not write properly but
while we were climbing he was going up and down repeatedly. Many gave up and
sat down but he kept on yelling me to go on cajoling... scolding...
endearing... comforting.. taunting.. I made it to the top. You know he could
barely write!!! A young skinny pahadi man of about 18. He was with us and
carrying in his bagpack all our picnic stuff.
Poor Partha was walking with a
big handicap ... me... I remembered Tara's words and walked on Partha was
equally insistent that I reach "char dukan". We took many pictures on the
way .. and finally reached our destination of about 45 min. Which navigator had
told about 10 min. The slope started in the last one km.
We reached "char dukan".
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| Char Dukan Landour |
There is
a school called Woodstock there and we saw a few.students from that school in
Char Dukan. They were foreigners.
Also there was a motor biking gang of Harley
Davidson Bikes which had crossed while I wes huffing and puffing on my way to
the top. I HAD a bun and omlette. Partha had veg sandwiches.
If you do go there remember to
try Tip top restaurant at char dukan, it is great. There are pics of Sachin
Tendulkar in that shop. I have posted the pic on face book. I remember the
times I was once in Surankot...
At tip top (since 1910) it was nice and peaceful
and cool all my sweat was drying and I felt I was in heaven. Even the stray
dogs were veru cute to look at. We had started at 7 30 and reached back at 10 15.
Downhill was easy but because of my knees I was slightly careful and
cautious. When we reached Landour market I was able to walk faster than
Partha. .. who made insignificant and insulting remrarks (jokes) about the bun
and omlette vis a vis my metabolism.
After reaching I had bought
back a waffle for kukku but they had eaten breakfast of bread pakoda s. And the
waffle was cold so it was not eaten. We started the journey back home at 11 am.
Reached d dun by 12 15 am and
then had lunch at Anandam... a little like the Haldiram outlet when we
travel back from Mathura to Delhi. There is a shop called "Raising
dough" nearby, we bought back square bread from the shop and also blue
berry cheese cake...
A guy there was very pleased as
I was Bengali. He was too. A final year student doing hotel management in d
dun.
Came back after 2 good days.
The hotel was good but the sheets appeared damp also one night before one
company had held a cabaret dancing function in the hotel audi hall and
their comp employees were there. We saw skimply dresses girls confidently
and boldly walking in the hall for dancing.
In the journey I loved :-
1. Walk to Landour
2. The book shop Cambridge.
3. Walk in the clouds.
4. Chic chocolate and Tavern
5. Char Dukan.
Wow two good days.
