The Hilly Solitude - Day 14

It’s amazing how you can visit a particular place innumerable times and yet you keep finding new surprises. Or maybe it’s just me! So, I was walking along the Camel back road again this morning and I noticed - there is this particular house on the valley side which has got a life-size chess board decorated on its terrace! So, each of the pieces are at least 3-4 feet in height, so I assume you would have to carry them over to play your moves. How cool is that! Even though I have walked almost daily on this road, for the past fortnight, I still love it. Hence followed another walk down the same road this evening. I was just aimlessly strolling on the Mall road and suddenly met Dhruv. Had a quick Chick-Chocolate special Spanish hot chocolate with him. Then I went on to enjoy my solitude and found myself slurping up a wild mushroom soup whilst looking over the valley. I was back in the Camel back road. Again. Every time, a new bird, a new flower, a new tree or even a new house definitely welcomes me here. A tiny monkey hanging from the electric wire made me laugh out loud this time.

A silent promise to the whispering Oak

And even if there is nothing new; even if it is the same snow peaks in the horizon, the same old oaks, the same curvey valley, I am still equally amazed. The big tower from the top of Landour looks down on me, the Nag tibba peak calls out...I feel wistful...I'm sitting in the Hawa Mahal now and I realise, I have fallen in love with everything in this little town of Mussoorie - the queen of the hills. It has started growing on me and I don't want to leave! I was sat on the terrace this afternoon, soaking in the warm sun, looking at the swirly roads, smiling at the overpour of greens and the restless chirping, counting the quiet blessings of the mountains and I knew I can’t say goodbye…

A vented-bulbul couple on the Camel Back Road!
Loads of other black birds, flinches, barbets and laughingthrushes
escaped my silly camera...

The Hilly Solitude - Day 13

Winter was at its fag end when I had arrived. And Spring was kinda creeping in. As I sit on the terrace now, I see the pink and white blossoms have taken quite a character. Spring is not yet at its full bloom but it has certainly arrived with a grandeur. Just from the terrace itself, I can see a number of finches, songbirds, barbets flying around with their gorgeous wings. The white and purple and fluorescent butterflies have joined them as well.

Aadu ke phool (Peach Blossoms) in front of the cottage

It's a mixed feeling today. I want to go home and be lazy but I want to go to Landour too and walk around till my legs throb. I want to sleep in my own bed but I want to watch the quirky creatures in the Camel Back road too. I want mom made food but I want the yummy bakery too. I want too much! :D

A chocolate downpour to cheer myself up !

My right knee is extremely sore from the last few days of marathon walks. It’s a rest day with a crazy work schedule. Unlucky 13 it is. Home calling and yet, a heavy heart still seems to wander around...

The Hilly Solitude - Day 12

I woke up a bit late than usual (courtesy Dhruv's bidding-goodbye movie late last night). Rajesh knocked on the door, with sleep in his eyes, 'ma'am chai?' A dearie, he is. I had told him off the other day because he was late and Mussoorie mornings are not the same without Rajesh's special ginger tea. The Sun was at its full strength today, basking the streets of Mussoorie with a vibrant energy. I found myself walking towards Landour, again.

Mussoorie Mall road in the morning...

As I was climbing up the initial steep of the road, my eyes were drawn to a sudden swift movement in a corner of a oak. I strained my eyes to observe but there was absolute stillness. I could see nothing but the oak and it's leaves. I took a couple of steps further and again there was a flutter. I stood very still now and watched. A little owlet sat in one of the branches! He looked very sleepy and comfortable. Ah, the sweet sweet thing. He fluttered his neck a little again and then fell into a stillness. Maybe, he's dreaming, who knows!

Valley view while climbing up the Landour hill

I took the path straight to the bakehouse today. I was craving for their bakery items and nothing beats a good brunch. Needless to say, I ate like a pig! I shook off any sneaky feeling of regret by thinking, 'well I'm walking real long distances each day. I need calories.' Whatever makes you happy, really! If you are a foody pig like me, do check out this fabulous article - Landour's food culture!. It has every gastronomical gems you might be looking for!

Landour Bakehouse

I, now, know all the popular trees and the flowers in the area - buraansh (rhododendron), banjh (oak), chir (pine) and as I was taking pride in it, a bunch of reddish-orange spiky flowers appeared at the next turn, bursting my pride-bubble. I asked a local if he knew the name. He smiled and nodded a negative. I guess there's a charm in not knowing as well. You see, whatever makes you happy ;)

Rhododendrons all over!

A car speeded by with a loud persistent honk and a heavy beat music! When you are in an environment where you can even hear the leaves fall and the plants spit, what's the need to honk?! Honestly, if we all could just slow down for a minute and practice patience, the world can be such a quiet and peaceful place! I don't understand people playing loud music on trek or these leisurely walks either. Don't you want to hear the mountains?

Ah the quiet of Landour!

I met a group of 3 while pottering around. They were all solo travelers and now have become friends. We exchanged a few smiles and moved on. The day was coming to an end. I walked down the Landour hill, through the Landour bazaar and walked all the way through the Camel back road. I sat for a while in the Hawa mahal, the light was low and pleasant now. A couple sat in the next bench and were reading a story book together. It made me smile. Nostalgia. I got up and then went up and down the Gun Hill and then to and fro the Mall road to mark the end of the day with all my favorites. Feels like visiting every place one last time and then just one more...

The Hilly Solitude - Day 11

It is a love story - every time, every season, every moment I’m in Landour. I have been to Landour before and I was in Landour today and I will be in Landour again. I know I have a piece of my heart tucked in those whispering oaks and long slender deodars, the steady slopes and the lonely turns, the rustling leaves and the soft gentle breeze, the chirping birds and the cheeky monkeys. I know I have a piece of my heart tucked in those hilly swirly paths of Landour and I know a piece of this place is tucked deep inside my heart.

Just doing what I love best...idle strolls :)

I have been to quite a few places, have fell into a whirlwind of adrenaline rush and romance in those high snowy slopes of the Kedarkantha, have been charmed by the mystical flowers in the Valley of Flowers, have felt acutely spiritual standing in front of the mighty Annapurna massif, have felt magical getting lost in the European lanes and etc. etc. But when I come to Landour, it's like a sweet subtle love story woven between those gnarly barks of the trees, the homely flowers in the corners and the serene tree shade in every turn of the clean brick path. It reminds me of the South Downs Hills in England, for some reason. Even though there is no practical similarity between the two places, I guess the feeling is the same - cozy, comfortable, undaunting, sweet love.

Just be :)

I walked around Landour, mostly tracing similar paths I have been before ( Feb 2021 - Lazy@Landour), but at times sneaking into a few unexplored lanes (got warned by a growling dog when I almost started walking into the Doordarshan TV tower campus), sometimes watching the little birds which are at abundance at the start of this spring (got watched by a bunch of red-bottom monkeys in return), sometimes getting lost and wandering off to a nearby village (got back in the right track with a help of a patrolling army officer), sometimes sat with a coffee looking at the snowy Siwalik range doing nothing, sometimes smiling at the new blossoms and the big trees (do you ever think of Deodar as a tree sprawling its many hands as if trying to maximise the surface area for soaking warmth?), sometimes just stopping and listening to the trees whisper in the soft breeze and sometimes just pausing to let the big Langur cross the way.

Coffee with Kedarnath, Badrinath and the Bandarpoonch trio!

Gastronomy is as important as love! Hence, I had to make my way to my all time favorite - Rokeby Manor. I had been fasting since this morning so that I can hoover up their entire kitchen store. I think I did justice because my walk after the meal saw an extremely slow pace to adjust to the sudden heavy input to the tummy.

Feast at Rokeby Manor!

I’m already missing Landour as I climb down the hill and walk back to my cottage. I have to be back here again…one day, some day, maybe tomorrow?

The Hilly Solitude - Day 10

As I walked back to the cottage in the dark, I stopped, struck in awe. The moon is crescent shaped today. A thin crisp glowing white outlines the bottom half of the moon. But if you just stare at the moon for a few seconds longer, the entire circular shape of the moon is visible under an uncanny misty dark gray shadow. It’s as if clearly letting you know - that it’s there, the full circle of it and it's keeping an eye from behind the veil. Maybe, this is how it always looks like but I have never noticed before. And I stood there marveling at this moony hide-n-seek whilst the chilly night grew chillier.

While walking on the Camel Back Road,
where a carpet of rhododendrons adorned the path
& I also spotted the blue-throated green barbet..!

It’s amazing the things that you notice when you pause or slow down for a bit. And hence, walking definitely is the slowest and yet the most pleasurable experience. Well, I hate driving (also I can’t drive), so I am biased - I confess. But even then, you can’t deny the magical revelations you have when you walk. Like this crescent moon’s full shape in the dark or the bright green blue-throated bird (blue-throated barbet) at the top of the tree that I noticed when I was walking by the Camel Back road, yet again. I stood by the railing and kept watching the bird as he kept shaking his neck sideways and up and down. A couple walked by, smiling at me sympathetically - like I’m either lost or retarded. Well, I am both, so I don’t mind.

My phone struggling at it's very poor attempt of clicking a snap of the barbet

As I entered the cottage, bidding a goodnight to the moon, Doodle greeted me, wagging his tail rapidly, with his two fluffy hands holding on to my knees. As I walked in, he kept holding on to my legs and got dragged in with my feet. Awh, the sweet thing. I never knew I could get so mushy by a dog’s wagging tail.

Doodle!!

It's the end of Day 10 of my hilly solitude. It’s the first in these 10 days that the snow caps at the far end eluded me with a big blob of cloud shutting them out. Even then, the misty fresh breeze blew, the brown-green creases prevailed, the deep valley caved in and so did the green-blue barbet, the crescent moon and a strong aromatic coffee on the terrace...Let's see what tomorrow brings :)

The Hilly Solitude - Day 9

Jabarkhet Nature reserve echoed with a musical duet performance by a barbet and a cuckoo as I stepped into ‘The Hut’ that served as the main point of entrance to this private forest reserve. It's a little hut made of stones. Vipul Bhai and Rajinder Bhai (who walks 10 KM each way on this hilly terrain every day from his home to work here!!) take care of this place along with a few of their friends; they serve tea and other refreshments to the visitors and also guide them to the forest trails that diverge from this hut.

Entering JNR - Jabarkhet Nature Reserve...

There were many paths to choose from - Leopard trail, Ridge trail, Rhododendron trail, Mushroom trail, Wildflower trail. Mushroom trail immediately captured my attention. I love mushrooms in any form! But too bad, it's best viewed in monsoons. I followed the steps of my guide, Rohit (who agreed to bear with me again this weekend after our last weekend’s Top Tibba trek) and we leisurely started with the Leopard trail.

Starting with the Leopard Trail...

The long trees give a thrilling vibe to the forest. There was a cluster of variety all around - long, coarse oaks, stylish rhododendrons, furry pines, barberry shrubs, reddish boxwoods, gnarly Layonia and so many others!

A classic Rhododendron amidst a cluster of Oaks!

We cut across the Leopard trail and moved to the Ridge trail at one point. The path twisted and turned, softly and steadily moving up to the top most point of this reserve - The Flag Hill top. From this point, the Himalayan snow wall which has been my friend every day of this trip now, was once again, clearly visible. Thanks to Rohit, we even had a binocular today. Through the lenses, I took a longer and clearer peek at my favorite Bandarpunch, Swargarohini along with Srikanta and Yamonatri and several others.

At Flag Hill Top

After pottering around a bit, foraging for some fungi (which I mistook for mushrooms), feeling the thorns and the softness of the barberry shrubs, we made our way to ‘The Lone Oak’.

Fungi and Lichen coated Oak!

A single big Oak tree stood at the top of one corner of this hill, as if cast away from his community around. Maybe, he is the big Oak - the one the rest of the Oak community looks up to and hence has his own special place in the forest.

The Lone Oak!

Just round the lone big Oak, the Rhododendrons show up. The big red bright flowers never cease to delight me. As I stood watching one particular tree full of these beauties, I spotted a number of tiny birds with bright hues on them! One had a bright yellow breast with a blue neckline and another one was bluish in colour. I found out later that these were sunbirds! They are the sweetest, brightest birds I have ever seen!

Overpour of Rhododendrons!

One of the other birds I noticed (and I have noticed them very frequently all around Mussoorie now) is the Streaked laughingthrush. They are very common. Whilst the sunbirds preferred being in the cosy cocoon of the big flowery trees, the streaked laughingthrush pottered around randomly at every nook and corner of the forest. I walked around the trail, watching the birds and the flowers, every time trying to get a bit nearer to them than the last. The rhododendrons always seem to be growing in precarious bends of the slopes or are just too high up in the trees, totally out of my reach. Nonetheless, they are beautiful and I get mesmerized by every single one of them! The birds just make it even more interesting; Not to forget the little fungi and lichen that adorns the barks and shoots here and there!

On a lookout for more birds & flowers!

Following the Rhododendron trail and again cutting into the Leopard trail, we gradually looped our way back to ‘The Hut’. There were a few other localities at the hut now. Most of them were working as guides or nature/bird experts in the area. They told me all about the birds I had spotted and gave me a lot more info about the reserve in general. A shout out to all my fellow readers - if you want to help with this natural preservation project, please drop a note to info@jabarkhet.com and help out to your best, if you want.

The Helpful friends who work at JNR to preserve the Nature

It was a 2-4 hours walk and it was over by the afternoon. Rohit dropped me off on his scooty at the mall road and I strolled down to my cottage thinking of what to do next. Kaamini aunty suggested - why not walk up to the Dalai Hill if you still have the energy. Did I have the energy? I dunno, but I sure did have the enthu.

At the Shedup Choephelling Temple

So, I set off on a walk to the Dalai hill. The path goes by the beautiful institutes which are part of lbsnaa and then it swoops up and down the Happy Valley (as it’s known) to make its way to the top of Dalai Hill. A buddhist temple had its serene presence there and a big Buddha statue adorned the very top of the hill.

Buddha Statue at the top of Dalai Hill

From this hill top, as I looked out to the valley, the top of George Everest Hill smirked at me from across the mountains, from the other end of the valley. That’s where I had been sitting just yesterday. I felt my heart smile at this beautiful harmony of the hills. My knees feel quite sore now, having walked quite a lot of distance in these two days but I feel a swell of happiness inside. I stay still for a while thinking of nothing and thinking of everything and then I walk back to the cottage thinking of the beautiful birds at sunrise and the calming Buddha smile at sunset…

And the day comes to an end with these fluttering flags :)

The Hilly Solitude - Day 6, 7 & 8!

This is more like a backlog blog post coupled with today’s shenanigans! Last couple of days were all crazy with work - I woke up, logged in for work and logged off - Yup! That pretty much summed it up! Suffice to say - worst days ever till now. But the flip side to this was - I not only made friends with some fun people who are staying in this cottage but also learnt some bhangra and garhwali dance moves - two classic talents in my repertoire now! A very sweet couple - Honey and Dipangshu rocked the evenings with their bhangra moves and our very dear caretaker, Rajesh swooned the floor with his slow-motion Garhwali moves. Another friend, Dhruv imparted some good Rajasthani foody tips, mostly involving different types of Kachori, not to forget Supriya and her jumpy dog - Berlin who played along the whole time. Kamini Aunty cheered us on whilst cooking dinner for us and her sweet teddy dog - Doodle ran amongst us, confused at all this commotion! The Friday evening ended with a bitter after-work exhaustion but the night ended with a lot of bhangra cardio, cleansing the tiredness and the sore neck I got from working all day in bed! Anyway, next few days of no-work now and I went to bed thinking - Let’s see on which side of the topsy curvy life I find myself tomorrow…

Next morning be lit up as this Night!

It’s Saturday morning and I woke up full of energy. A quick freshening up and I set off with one of my new friends from this cottage, Dhruv about 7:30 in the morning. From our little tucked in Stella cottage (Oh and I discovered that the house which was struck by the cannonball from Gun Hill, I mentioned in one of my last posts - is none other than the Stella cottage I am staying in! How uncanny!), we started to walk past the Library Chowk and took the way to the right from the forked road there. Destination - George Everest top.

Walking up the George Everest Hill

The scene changed instantly. The valley opened up offering a glimpse of the snow-capped Himalayan range. The walk was a serene experience, the morning was calm and quiet, the flowers peeked from here and there, the leaves rustled in the soft wind and we walked on…

Mussoorie flowers - after which the place is named. Pic courtesy - Dhruv

Turns out, we both - two strangers from two very different parts of the country - are equally interested in the funny green leaves and pretty colorful flowers and chirpy singing birds. The walk took its own interesting pace as we stopped to debate and google and browse through a fauna catalog to figure out the differences between - chir pine and blue pine and deodar. The cutesy pinkish Mussoorie flowers (after which the place is named) greeted with a sly sweet smile, the bright red rhododendrons burst out amidst the thick greens, sometimes from the top of the slopes, sometimes - from the bottom of the valleys, the violet and yellow tiny flowers peeked from the corners.

Glimpse of flora and fauna on the way. Don't miss the coconutty-bird nest there! :D

We arrived at the bottom of the George Everest hill, legs already feeling warmed up pretty well. After a few tid-bits, we started the actual climb of this hill. A bushy-tailed dog followed us for a little bit and a few cows mooed while grazing the green pastures on the side of the path.

View from the Observatory at the George Everest House

A bluish - yellowish bird suddenly flew by, joined by his (could be her, not sure!) friend with a greenish hue. The brown birds with an orange breast greeted us almost at every turn. The wise big langurs (the monkeys with red face and red bottoms are apparently bandar whilst the black face ones are langur) with whitish fur and black face sat on the trees, looking very solemn. It was not just wilderness and wildlife, though. I met many new interesting people. My companion for the day, himself, was quite engaging to talk to and it was only a bonus that we met a really comical uncle - ‘Where are you from?’ He asked. I said, ‘Kolkata’. He shrugged and twitched his nose, ‘Kolkata! What kind of place is that!’ and as I started to explain I found out he himself was from Howrah, Kolkata. We also met a family of three where the parents were super anxious about their teenage son’s fate to make it big in this life. My friend took the opportunity well and imparted some well-rehearsed corporate tips!

Climbing up the last steep now...

The top of the George Everest takes the breath away. The entire snow-capped range opens up to an even wider screen! Bandarpunch and Swargrohini - my two well known and favorite peaks say a big cheerful Hello!

The snowy Himalayan wall!

You can walk all around the house and the backyard which is full of rocks and trees and little wide green pastures. And then you can climb further up from this house to reach the top-most part of the hill. The rocks at the top are of a slightly different formation and you can go on all fours to get a good roughing up with nature. Dhruv was totally bonkers on making up his own adventurous routes and I,being scared but tempted, followed him with a feeble protest. We slid down a slippery hilly path, swinged ourselves tarzan-like grabbing a hanging branch of a tree, crawled up a narrow path to reach a top slope and pretty much, exhausted ourselves with wise-life gyans and silly banters on what awaits in the next phase of our own separate lives!

Top of George Everest Hill!

Well, as it turned out, my next phase of this life took me to a years-old café - Lotte café up in the Landour bazaar. By the time we had completed our walk and came back to the cottage, it was afternoon. I took a little rest and then ventured out for a coffee on my own and that’s when, Lotte café happened. I won’t say much about this café because I have got a heavenly chocolate raspberry tart melting in my mouth at the moment. I will just say this - Walk up and down the hills of Mussoorrie and let the coffee in this café wash down your tired legs - you will feel blessed!

Lotte Cafe!

P.S: The long day rolled into a long night with all my new friends from the cottage around a bonfire and a pancake from Landour - Chaar dukaan. A perfect end to a perfect day.

The Hilly Solitude - Day 5

There is something about being in the mountains that makes you smile. As I walked down Gun Hill, I just realized how polite and smiley I generally am while climbing up and down the mountains as opposed to my otherwise crooked-eye brow nature!

Funny tree from the top of Gun Hill

I woke up this morning feeling fresh and ready. After a quick cuppa with my host and another guest who is staying in one of the rooms next to mine and their two dogs – Doodle and Berlin, I went out for my morning dose of mountains before I get glued back to work. Just after a couple of minutes’ walk, I found myself pacing up a steep road that goes all the way to the top of Gun Hill. I met a local woman who was gathering tree branches and piling them up to carry them on her back. She told me the turns I need to take to get to the top of the hill. I followed her instruction and kept going. It was a short 20mins steep walk (gaining about 400ft) at the end of which I found myself standing in a large square area surrounded by little shops. There was no one around this early in the morning except for an old man who sat in a corner, probably soaking in the warmth of the sun. He showed me a little alleyway by the side of a shop where laid a few steps that landed me to the viewpoint.

View from top

Ah the view! The snow-clad peaks and massifs of the Garhwal Himalayan range grazing the skyline on one side, the green Doon valley scooped out on the other side and the hilly slopes dotted with red and green tiled houses – all in all, it offers a beautiful view of this pretty hill town. The story goes – from the top of this hill, the British used to fire canons every afternoon to make people aware of the time. Hence, the name – Gun hill. Then one day, apparently, a cannonball got fired in the wrong direction (maybe he was drunk or just having fun – who knows!) and it hit the house of an English woman. This created a lot of hullabaloo and there was no further canon firing to be heard.

The square area with lots of shops, just before the view point

The deserted Gun Hill now saw another man who has a tea shop on the hilltop. He offered me some tea. Apart from 3 or 4 monkeys who were busy surveying the area, there were only 3 of us – the old man who sat under the sun, the tea-shop owner and myself We chatted for a while – me telling them about my city of joy and them telling me about their queen of hills. A few tiny woodpeckers with olive-yellow wings danced around, a bright green parakeet fluttered by, an eagle circled overhead and a cuckoo cooed from somewhere in distance…

Mussoorie from top

The Hilly Solitude - Day 4

Oh man! It was hectic. And interesting, in a way. The day started with a splitting headache which I carried over from yesterday. I got a bit carried away and came back home last night with an uncanny cold freezing my head with a severe pain. I thought sleep would make it alright but alas, no!

When in misery, I call mum and dad :D Sounds like a pretty selfish relationship, eh! Anyway, I took some med they advised and gulped down two cups of hot tea. I started feeling a lot like myself. But it was already too late for any morning venture and I had to get started for work.

Quick Peek before Work!

It is Shivaratri today. And even though I am not a religious person at heart, I am all hearts for any celebration of any kind. And this occasion served as a superb ice breaker amongst all the guests staying in this cottage. Our host took all of us to a very old temple nearby. We offered our prayer to Shiva, had a sip of bhaang prasad and rocked a little bit to the bhakti songs that were getting played in the temple; the vibe was more like a pub – DJ with high beats and loud blaring speakers and intoxicating bhaang!

Shivaratri Special Thali; Courtesy - My super host

On our way back, one of us wanted to climb up a little roadside hill for a surprise. We had to climb almost on all fours, but it was worth it. Very soon, we found ourselves standing under an umbrella of bright red and thick bunch of rhododendrons! The ground beneath our feet was a red and green carpet with the flowers dropping themselves every now and then on to the floor. The sunlight peeked through the long green trees; the flowers shone an even brighter red; there were smiles across every face.

Spot the reds! :D

And the rest of the day? Well, work got worse, meetings got crazy, deliveries got piled up. So, I will spare those boring details and leave you thinking of a bright yellow sun on a bunch of bright red rhododendrons…