The long weekend of 26th January was enticing enough to get out of the mad Delhi rush to a nearby weekend getaway. We thought of going to Mussoorie as it is: a) close-by, b) easily accessible and very well-connected, c) has captivating landscape, with the additional hope that we just might get to see snowfall, if the weather god permits, as it happens during this time of the year! d)Also, finding accommodation in this hill-station is never a problem with more than 250 hotels to boast of.
Though a hill-station is ideal during the summers, this was an adventure trip and I can’t say that we regret this decision of going there during this time of the year, though for the last two years, snowfall has eluded this pretty queen of hillsConveniently, on the 25th night, we boarded the Nizamuddin-Dehradun a/c special train.The train chugged off at 11.30pm and it suited us perfectly after we finished the whole week’s work. The train terminated at Dehradun exactly at 5.50am, with the chill and darkness greeting us at that hour. Dehradun - Mussoorie; a lot of options are available.
Buses ply frequently and there are cabs waiting to ferry the passengers there. The uphill journey in a cab took us less than an hour and we could check in to our hotel by 7.30am. One is supposed to walk from where the Mal Road begins and since our hotel was in the Camel-back road, it was a long and arduous walk.It was chilly and that’s what is expected in January-end but the natural scenery was mind-blowing. The early rays of the sun lit up one side of the mighty Garhwal Himalayas, with the snow-capped peaks shimmering and playing peek-a-boo with the clear sky.
After breakfast, we set out to explore the place.The pine-covered hills, the beautiful houses atop the hills and the magnificent view of peaks like Lal Tibba, Camel-Back are a sheer delight to watch. The winding path going to the cemetery in the sleepy and silent camel back road, seems straight out of Ruskin Bond’s stories. It is frighteningly sinister and just a peek into that pre-independence graveyard, gives one goose-pimples. In the afternoon, we took the cable-car ride to the gun-point. It is said, that in pre-indepence days, a gun shot was fired for the people to set the time in their watches.
In the evening, Mal road, gives ample opportunity to shop as well as eat to one’s heart’s full.Next day, we set out on a tour of the Kempty falls, Lake Mist, the Buddhist Temple, Santara Devi Temple atop a steep hill(Can’t figure out what saddistic pleasure the god’s derive from making us climb these great steep heights!) and the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute for training the civil servants. We set out in a cab at around 9.30 in the morning and came back by 4 in the evening. The places are charming and beautiful but the hilly roads leading to the destinations are themselves a visual treat.In the evening, a tete-e-tete’ with Ruskin Bond and a photograph with him and his autograph makes the trip a memorable one and very eventful too.
Ruskin Bond is from Mussoorie and he comes and sits in a book stall almost every evening. So, this is an added attraction for all Ruskin fans like me! Rush to Mussoorie.There are more places to visit around Mussorie like Dhanolti and a few on the way to Dehradun, like Bhatta Falls and others, which we couldn’t make to, due to the paucity of time.But the best part is the night sky of Mussoorie.the innumerable stars shining clear and bright and the beautifully illuminated houses on top of the hills are simply picturesque. One can spend an entire evening star gazing with your loved one. It seemed, if there is heaven on earth.its is this.As all good things come to an end, our Mussoorie trip too came to an end with our taking a cab to Dehradun early on Sunday, through the winding hilly roads and I kept on saying to myself that I have to come back to this place again.