Honey and Hills

Life takes it own turn and mine took a big turn. It turned me into the voyage of married life and eventually we celebrated it by sailing out for the Honeymoon.

Hills had always enticed me, the vastness of hills for eternity have pulled the strings of my guitar. So I decided to spent one of my memorable days of life being cuddled and hugged in the valleys of Uttarkhand.Though I have spent my early days in Delhi, apart from a short visit to Nainital I never could feel the hills of Uttarkhand.

We took the flight from Netaji Subash international airport to Delhi.The flight arrived late and then punctuated with rains pouring heavily on the way, we reached the charming Nainital at 11 o clock night. We missed most of the picturesque ride from Haldwani to Nainital as rains and night blocked the view.We travelled from Delhi-Moradabad-Rampur-Pantnagar-Haldwani-Nainital .Our stay was arranged at Dynasty resorts in Khuraptal.Other than being pretty far from main Nainital, the resort was magnificent. Nestled in the valleys of Khuraptal the view from the loggia of the hotel room was celestial.

Next day morning after having breakfast we started our journey towards the petite Himalayan town of Kausauni.Its a 5 hrs drive from Nainital to Kausauni.Enroute we passed over the picturesque Ranikhet.Then the time for lunch arrived and we had one of the best experiences of our voyage. We stopped by a very small and cute Homestay and café for lunch. Reaching there we learnt that, the café was closed for some time for some renovation work. But then the café owner was kind enough to fix some sandwiches and coffee for us. Interior of the café was mesmerizing and well decorated that my camera rolled itself on to capture the scenics.A must recommendation for the travelers who like something new.

Then as it happened we had a tyre puncture and after that we reached Kausuani at around 5-30 p.m.It was freezing cold .My wife started feeling little nauseatic after experiencing whirl winding rides in the hills and hence we decided to call the day off.

Next day we woke up leisurely and headed for some local sightseeing in Kausauni.Kausauni is situated in the Kumaon region of the Uttarkhand and native people speak Kumaoni here. Gandhiji once came to Kausauni and hence it has a Gandhi anasakhti ashram here .It boasts magnificent views of Himalaya which is sure to enthrall many hearts.We did a small trek here and roamed around the Ashram.

Then we headed towards the Tea gardens of Kumaon.There was also a shawl factory nearby.We went into the factory and the local boy explained us how wool is being made and processed.The factory was churning out shawls,stowls,tweeds,mufflers and yes we chose some of them from there.

I have always felt food and wine is one of the important and defining parts of any travel.As being once explained ‘A romantic traveller is not one who walks is one who dawdles and imbibes the local culture ’.

If you havent experienced the local cuisine you haven t felt  and smelt that place actually .This was part was certainly missing till now.Then I stumbled over a small local joint near the tea garden and the owner mentioned he is one of the few people here who serves local food here.My gourmet self woke up and I ordered few local specialities.

Bhatt ki Chutkani (Local cereal), Aloo Mooli ka chetuah (Sabzi preparation made of Potato and raddish) and Kumaoni Rice were my lunch for that day .The food was scrumptious and we enjoyed eating every tiny bit of it. After finishing the day’s work we returned back to the hotel room and savored the evening tea under the drooping sun.The temperature reached below 4 in the evening, so vibes of chill was superflous.

(Dairy version starts here)Lying inside the woods of Kumaoun and snow peaks view with the flip of my eyes as I keep typing these lines. It’s definitely the best travelling experience I have for long time and romanticism of travelling reaches to the pinnacle here. The hotel room was comfortably made up of wood, fireplace keeping the room warm,water in copper glasses turned into nectar ,a cozy room  and sonata of chirping of birds, with all these I couldn’t have asked more than this. Coming to Binsar has made up my trip and a pat on my back as I decided to come to Binsar. It is one of the offbeat destinations of Uttarkhand and it boasts of a wildlife sanctuary which has a varied range of Flora and Fauna. Our resort ‘Binsar retreat’ was well juxtaposed inside the sanctuary and the Himalayan peaks.

Listening to the howling of animals outside, we both hugged each other and enjoyed the romantic serene settings. Plus I got those Kumaoun specialties on my plate. As I write this I have to leave this place and we will be starting heading towards Nainital.

(End of Dairy version)

Cold welcomed us into Nainital again. Nainital Lake was worth looking into as it was ornamented with lights and mist spraying over it. At last my wife got some opportunity here to delve into shopping. Nainital is famous for its Wax candles. From a beer mug shaped candle to lantern, the shop possessed it all.

Next day was our turn to descend from the hills to the plains of Delhi. Coming back it took mere 7 hrs. Then we took the flight back from Delhi to Kolkata. It seemed like a six days full of tranquility and harmony in the hills had finished and we transcended to day to day life of mortal plains. The enormity of Himalayas still alive is in my hearts and as start planning my next explore into the hills.