Thursday, February 4, 2010

Uttaranchal-Simply Heaven


I WISH I HAVE WINGS TO FLY , I WISH I HAVE EYES TO CAPTIVATE THE BLUES OF THE SKY AND WHITE OF THE PEAKS , I WISH I MAKE ABODE ON LOFTY MOUNTAINS AND I CAN HIDE MYSELF IN THE NOOK AND CORNER ON THE EARTHLY HEAVEN WHICH IS UTTRANCHAL, SIMPLY HEAVEN.

The mesmerizing beauty of the Himalayan Peaks , the innocence of the locals , the cold breeze of north hypnotizes one in its own way and several like us run in that direction just like a fly run towards a burning flame to discover the beauty inside and gets captivated there. Similarly we, the mountain lovers rush frequently to have lifetime experiences of charming Himalayas.
We began our journey on 4th October ‘ 2009 , we were six adults and two kids , tatai and mistu. They made the trip more joyous and their tenacity and energy level simply deserves a SALUTE.A friend of mine well said after having a glance of the pictures of our trip, a good – coherent group enriches the experiences of a tour and our group was a mixture of vigour and potential of youth, blessings and good wishes of elders which made our days bloom with happiness.

Our first destination was queen of Hills , Mussourie. Where we resided at Prince hotel, we rented a family cottage which actually made the stay much more enjoyable and happy. We spent a splendid time there. Mussourie, a sophisticated hill station of Uttaranchal gives a far sight of Himalayan peaks from the mall arena in a crystal clear sky , this feature of the place adds a feather to its crown. We went to Sukhanda Devi, Dhanaulty, Kempty Falls from Mussourie and in Surkhanda Devi we did a mild trek of 2.5 kms. . Dhanaulty is another place of idyllic charm and calmness and the place makes ones mind at peace. Kempty is a known destination to all and the vibrant falls gave a real jerk and joy inside. The two kids enjoyed the beauty of the falls a lot.
Roaming loosely at in Mussourie mall very often draw visitors attention towards the gorgeous Tandoori Chicken hanged on one after another.. And let me reveal a secret that my dear friend Paromita dies on Tandoori chicken , and thus the sight of ravishing tandoori pieces attracted her towards them , thus we too had a great evening relishing on Chicken Pieces.

Our next destination was Rishikesh, a abode of Gods, we enjoyed the stay and good food of GMVN bunglow. Had galloping and joyful autoride of the town for sight scene. Lachmanjhula was crowded as always but very welcoming. The tit-bits of a tour make a tour more memorable and close to heart. One such fact is Paromita’s effort of making Glucon-D at the middle of the road to quench the thirst of all of us , while everyone of us were tired with the scorching heat of the sun.

From Rishikesh onwards MA- GANGA accompanied us throughout our jorney to Rudraprayag and then Chandrapuri. On the way to Rudraprayag we enjoyed a Country Boat ride on Ganges. It was a life-time experience as it was very unusual and we generally see rafters going around in ganges . It was possible because of the cooperative attitude of the Car- driver who made it possible.

We reached Chandrapuri, which is 25kms. far from Rudraprayag and a small village in the lap of deep, green mountains , ornamented by scintillating Mandakini flowing aside. Mandakini is a river which originates from Kedarnath and the presence of the river and it’s gaudy sound increases the beauty of the place. When we reached the GMVN Bunglow of Chandrapuri it was late evening and the beauty of the place was covered in the darkness but the beautiful placement of the cottages made Kuntal Da dance with joy aftera tedious journey. I should mention here that it was Kuntal da’s happy and joyful nature and Subhas’s good managing capability which made our tour so glamorous.
The following morning i.e 11th October was a day of surprises and joy . our window curtains opened to a shinny , beautiful, sensuous morning.. We saw infront the scintillating, rough, extravagant and sexy mandakiny flowing just beneath the green mountains and just upright to it was the glittering, silvery Himalayan peaks of Chowkhamba, Sumeru, Kedarnath, Bhatrikuntha and enormous unnamed peaks. After experiencing the beauty of the scene for some time we geared up for our next destination that is to Deoria Taal, a lake at the top of the mountain guarded by lusty green forest and Himalayan peaks. When we reached Deoria after a tedious trek the beauty of the place calmed all our mind and body. It was enchanting environment which squeezed out from us all our pain of trek. The most credit of the trek goes to the two kids and my mother , because it was a tough journey for all three of them.

On 12th October we traveled back from Chandrapuri to Haridwar , with heavy heart we bid bye to Chandrapuri. Someday again we will visit you dear.

Late evening we reached Haridwar and had three days relaxing stay there. The stay was more remarkable for the shopping we did there, the evening were well spent hopping on different shops. On 15th October, noon, we came to station to avail UPASNA Exp. , as our tickets were not confirmed so all of us were praying to God for everything good but all our praying went to vain when we saw the train passing by , leaving us at the station with pale faces. No time to think more we managed a car and moved towards Delhi in hope to avail a Flight. On the way, after lots of phone calls and roller coaster ride of adrenaline our return tickets were booked by good Ashim Da from Kolkata in Flight on IC- 401. 15th and 16th October we had a stay in Noida Kalibari, another enchanting place . It is by the Blessing of “Ma” that we got to stay there for two days and had a splendid time. On 17th of October we sat on our destined flight and Zooooooo……, landed at 9.15 am in Kolkata airport.