A Pinefull of Kasauli!

People usually have bachelor parties before getting hitched…but me being me, things have to be different…so a month before my wedding, I went for a bachelor’s trip! And to a destination that is usually a honeymooner’s paradise! Kasauli! My last trip before my wedding and last trip with buddy…but considering the beauty of this place, I will stick to the trip as everything about the place was just fabulous!

My niece had been recently packed off to a boarding in Kasauli & in her summer break my sister & I decided to surprise her…we packed our bags and boarded the Delhi Kalka Shatabdi. Airlines give you magazines to pass time while our good Shatabdis stuff you with food, food and more food! In a span of 4 hrs…the only thing consistent was the yelling of the bachha party in our coach and the constant stuffing…first welcome drink, then tea, then breakfast and all this while didi & I discussed everything from the pests in her office to my wedding trousseau to her worries about what hostel life would have done to her innocent kid…she kept talking her heart out while I saw Tare Zamin Pe reloaded! And so, gorging and talking, we reached Kalka….within 4 hours we were away from the heat and dust of Delhi to the lush green, cold & hilly Kalka…and buddy who waited at Kalka to take us to Kasauli said this was just the trailer…the scene was to get more magnificent as we drive uphill to Kasauli!

 We were still enroute Kasauli, and the route itself took my heart away! Every now and then, the toy train route gave us a hit and miss…as if playing hide and seek. It was the first time I had seen a toy train & suggested lets take the train instead to Kasauli…however, I was told that toy train would take double the time than the car so the choice was open…considering the fact I had been eating all the while & abstained from using the Oh so clean Shatabdi loos, I preferred the quicker option!

Going round and round and up and up, we saw some amazing houses of Army personnel who have settled there post retirement. Kasauli, with its laidback life is a post retirement haven! I also saw  the famous train tunnel built by the British. At a height of 5,900 ft, Kasauli was established in 1842 by the British colonial rulers as a hill station. No wonder, the British have the taste for the good things in life! As the TV tower on the hill came close, we knew we were there! The place has such a colonial feel to it, with its British architecture. We reached the Army mess and quickly refreshed ourselves. After all, my niece was desperately waiting to be picked up & any delay would meet her ire!

In less than an hour, we were at Pinegrove school, Dharampur…a place surrounded by the fragrance of Pine trees, that’s why the name PineGrove…my niece least expecting me, jumped in excitement and hugged me! It was my 1^st visit to a boarding school & it was fun exploring the dorms, playground, all so well planned in such a hilly terrain…all this while, my niece kept flaunting me to her friends & teachers…also telling everyone that I was getting married in a month! Kids…phew!

Back to our mess, we gorged on whatever the buffet offered and decided to take a nap so that we can walk to the mall in evening…walking is the preferred mode out there as that’s the only way you can relish the beauty of that place. We took a leisurely walk to the mall road in evening…the Tibetan market is a must visit and offer some really cool tees & hats. There are small tea shops with wooden benches where people are seen chit chatting in the evening over a cup of chai. On our way back, we also spotted the Baptist Church, built in 1923. Made of wood and brick in true colonial style, it takes you back in time. Back to the mess, tired and hungry, a quick dinner & we dozed off.

An early start for me next morning as I took buddy’s amazing fauji binoculars and explored everything from the nearby window to the road on the hill far away. Would have loved to spend more time with the binoculars but we had to leave for Monkey Point.

Monkey Point, the highest point in Kasauli is also a high security area and one has to furnish identity proof at the checkpoint. Unfortunately, I have no pics to show you a camera and mobiles are not allowed in premises. The place takes your breath away, literally! I had never been on a trek before so my lungs were in pain & it almost seemed they would come out of my mouth! My niece and I felt like ponies being dragged to the top and every 100 steps meant a 10 min break to catch our breath! But once on the top, the hardwork was worth it! Monkey point offers breathtaking view of Chandigarh. There is an Airforce helipad & a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. It is believed that when Lord Hanuman was returning with Sanjivni herb, his foot touched the hill which gives the top of the hill a foot shape. We re-energized ourselves with the Prasad at temple & maggi at the local eatery. Niece & I prayed to Lord Hanuman to enable us to fly the way back as we were fatigued by the climb uphill. But Lord gave us strength and the way down was much easier.

Kasauli, being a honeymoon destination has its sunset point, sunrise point & the lover’s point. But I feel that in a place like Kasauli, there is a lover’s point everywhere where you can hold hands and enjoy the love and fragrance in the air!

We also visited a haunted house! A property of the Army now, its wooden flooring and the basement refreshed all my memories of horror movies I have ever seen & niece & I insisted we get out.

Also caught a glimpse of the house of Rahul Bose from a distance but my wish to meet Ruskin Bond remained unfulfilled. “Better luck next time”, I said to myself.

When your host is a fauji posted at Kasauli, the best deal you can get is access to the Kasauli club. With its wooden bar, royal dining hall, and the colonial décor, the place is perfect for evening get together and we saw many club members and faujis enjoying their drinks discussing everything from politics to golf!

I bid adeau to Kasauli next morning & promised my host I would be back for a romantic getaway post my wedding!

Next on our itenary was a stopover at Timbertrail, Parvanoo. Surrounded by beautiful Shivalik hills, a cable car connects 2 hills. The cable car experience is an experience beyond words. The thought of a cable car hanging on a rope initially scared niece & I, but assured by the staff, we finally got on the car. I was reminded of old hindi movies songs shot on cable cars as we approached the adjacent hill. On the other side is the timber trail resort. Cable cars don’t run after sunset, so usually people take a night halt in the resort & return next morning. But we had to catch our evening Shatabdi & could only afford a lunch at the resort. We quickly checked out the tennis court & hurried for our next destination.

Last on our agenda was Pinjore garden & considering we had a train to catch in evening, we had to make it fast. Originally built during Aurangzeb’s reign, it was lyng a ruined jungle till the rulers of the Patiala dynasty restored it. The gardens built in terrace form with its seven terraces is a unique blend of Rajasthani & Mughal arcgitecture. Every terrace has a palace – 1^st terrace has a palace of glass, 2^nd a rang mahal, 3^rd a jal mahal & the lowermost terrace has an open air theatre. Trees lined up on the sides welcome you to each terrace and the fountain (sans the water) gave it a very mughal feel. I felt like a mughal princess taking a stroll in the gardens…just that my prince was in Delhi. I wish we could have spent more time, but that would have meant missing the Shatabdi. So, we had a quick lunch at the nearby restaurant & rushed to Kalka, just in time to catch our train. The good old Shatabdi showered its culinary love on us & stuffed with juice, tea & a heavy dinner, we hit the New Delhi Rlwy stn at 10:30. Outside the station, there were auto & taxiwallas in action…who swarmed around like bees…We managed a prepaid auto & got home.

Its been 3 years since I have been married, my niece is now back from her boarding & I didn’t get a chance to return to Kasauli but my spinster's trip will always be special in my memories & any mention of Kasauli still brings a twinkle in my eyes!

Jungle retreat@ Corbett (June 26-29, 2011)

“I always decide where to go, this time you gotta run the show.” lui made himself very clear. Scanning the Uttarakhand map, I was trying my level best to find a nice, quiet place to celebrate our anniversary – a day which had been overcrowded for past 2 years. The idea of going to Lansdowne, though very romantic, got bombed – thanks to no accommodation status on Cleartrip.com. I was all set to cancel my leaves, when Corbett came to my rescue. Phew! At last, I wouldn't be embarrassed to get back to office and cancel my leaves!

Day 1

Bubbling with excitement, I was up at 4 on an otherwise lazy Sunday morning. What a smooth drive – Delhi to Moradabad, Kashipur (had Paranthas for breakfast there), Ramnagar and finally Corbett. Heavy rains ensured not many people dared to increase the traffic while we were ruling the road. In fact, we reached Corbett one hour before the check-in time. Even the reception guy at La Perle (the river resort) was surprised to see Dilliwallas ahead of schedule.

From my earlier experience with riverside stay (river rafting camps at Rishikesh), I was not expecting much more than decent place and damp upholstery. But I was wrong. The moment we stepped inside the resort, lush green mango trees welcomed us, exhibiting countless mangoes well within our reach. Like a child, I was tempted to pluck all the mangoes and started planning the hunt.

Beautifully landscaped gardens, huge, spacious rooms, small but clean pool (catering to over sized aunties from Punjab), wooden signage, rabbits, birds, dogs – wow! This was too much to ask for on the banks of Kosi.

We quickly checked in, Lui already desperate for bears (Name he had given to a Punjabi family abusing the swimming pool) to get out so that he could get in. But, seems the bears wanted to value every rupee spent. So, no such luck. Seeing the beautifully landscaped and well maintained mango trees, I was expecting a lavish treat of forest greens for lunch. But the lunch buffet was the worst meal I ever had. Greasy Shahi paneer, half cooked dry moong dal, bland mix veg, dal, papad style naans, La Perle food is a complete no no. And when I had to shell out 700 bucks for that disastrous meal, my frustration seemed no bounds and Lui was in splits, giving me gyaan on positivity.

After a nap, we explored around for next day's adventures. The resort guy told due to heavy rains, Jeep safaris had stopped & our only option was to spend Rs 2500 for elephant safari to Sitaguni forest, sans tigers. Confused, we decided to relax first. 

Discovered a small village at the entrance & a small tea shop. The shop owner, a simple chap, too excited to see the Delhi number on our car, served us great chai & we headed back to Ramnagar' for dinner options. (Didn't want to burn another hole in our pocket by dining at La Perle). Ramnagar too, didn't entice us with its dhaba style Chinese food and small, shady eateries. Very skeptical, we chose the safest bet – Bread, eggs & rum....and dozed off watching the idiot box in our exec room.

Day 2

Donno what it was – the romp, the rum or the travel fatigue – we got up at 8 & remembered we had decided to take the 5-7am elephant safari! But riverside vacations are supposed to be laid back, so we had a nice cuppa, shower & decided we would go on Zen Safari! ( Zen aka our red Zen Estilo...hehe!). Entering the Dhangagiri side, passing by the villages, curious onlookers & animals, we were heading towards some fishing camp Lui was so excited about. It had rained sometime back, & the water, stuck at various places, tried to scare our Zen. But, having driven to Badrinath the last monsoons, we were very confident of our Lal Pari, and it didn't disappoint us.

Ten minutes into the forest – my mouth was wide open at the sight of a bunch of spotted deer flocking into the forest. As shocked as I was, they kept gazing for few seconds, enough time for Lui to click them. Deer at the beginning, ye dil maangey more...I said to myself. 

Bearing the rains & only stopping for Maggi breakfast, we somehow reached Marchhula – the address on the fishing camp signboard – only to discover it was under construction! Hats off to marketing - people advertising fishing camps 30km ahead when the resort isn't even ready. Hairaan, pareshaan, we could only go back to La Perle & we headed back.

Looking at the Garjiya Devi dhaam board, I thought it would be nice to go there. Lui was reluctant but seeing people taking dips at river ghaat, he declared – hum bhi dubkee lagaayengey. Poor us, we never knew it would be a queue inspired by Tirumala. It took us good 1 hour of standing barefoot in sunlight before darshan & Lui's excitement evaporated In the heat. All he wanted was to go back to the hotel, have lunch & head for another fishing camp.

Near La Perle, we discovered Pine tree – a decent place with reasonably well a la carte menu & our tips ensured we would get even better service the next time. Just as we left Pine tree, we spotted a chhabeeli monitor lizard, walking the ramp in its full glory. It obliged us for a photograph & went away.

As we returned to La Perle, we saw the bears checking out! We quickly changed & jumped in the pool with our beer cans. It was my first time in a pool & I must say, I have been silly enough to have missed this joy for 27 years of my life. A good 1.5 hours in the pool tired us & we just collapsed on bed. 

A call from the fishing camp guy at 6:30pm woke us...Lui had once again missed his date with the fishes! Tuna macchli (that's me) was his only option. We went to the village tea stall. A WWF board there took me by surprise & an NGO worker told they had trained the village women in preparing natural manure using earthworms. Too excited to see the work in progress, I braved the cow dung heaps to see the Maggi like earthworms at their work. I was told it takes 2-3 months to prepare manure. “We take care of them like our children.” the group head said with a smile. We immediately decided to adopt few earthworms & take 20kg manure back home. Call it their simplicity, lack of marketing & exposure, they were overjoyed with a 100 rupee order & expressed gratefulness.

 

Evening was spent striking the best mango deal in Ramnagar. We actually bought 25kg mangoes for our folks back home. We even managed to spot a beautiful spotted deer on our way back, but just like movie stars, it didn't like shutterbugs & ran away. The pine tree staff served us another sumptuous meal with a smile & we even forgot the Vodka. Too tired, we hit the sac.

Day 3

It was our wedding anniversary! Since we didn't have much left to do at Corbett, Lui decided he HAD to do fishing today before heading for next destination. 2 Chameleons were too enthusiastic to pose for us & we didn't disappoint them either.

Just before Pine tree, Lui saw KMVN board. His excitement seems no bounds, as if he had seen an old time friend! We were served the freshest breakfast ever! The chef got ingredients from the market while we waited patiently. The breakfast was awesome, except for the fly who decided to try breast stroke in my tea!

We finally met Noor Mohammad – the fishing guy. Lui's friend had caught a turtle few days ago & he was too keen to break the record, or at least match up. Because of rains, the water had become muddy. Even a live bait failed to entice other fishes, leave apart turtle. I had always thought Golf was one game that required patience till I tried fishing. Poor Lui, he rested his bum on this big uncomfortable stone, holding the fishing stick, waiting for the prey. Half an hour, no fish. 1 hour – no fish. It seemed the fishes had decided to play hide and seek with him. 

I still wonder how was he able to drive, seeing the condition of my own bum!

Noor Mhd. tried his level best to hold our interest with his half baked information on supposed Crocodile in Corbett, tigers he had seen. Only fish could have us hooked on. Rain again played the spoil sport. We called it a day, paid him 1000 bucks, blamed our luck, then consoled us that we were saved from the sin of killing a fish. Time to say goodbye to Corbett.

Back to Ramnagar, we were clueless where to go next. None of our friends in Delhi could get us a booking in Lansdowne. Nainital didn't seem enticing as we had been there before, so we decided to head to Haridwar. Lui was too confident about his map & it was a good treasure hunt from Kashipur to Haridwar- passing by villages where people were too surprised to spot a car. Kashipur, Seohara, Jaspur, Nagina, Najibabad & finally Haridwar.

Haridwar

We checked in at good old Ginger (which has become rather bad, thanks to the TATA cost cutting). First hotel ever without an AC working in the lobby. Even 2 letters on the signboard were missing...Singur effect, I thought!

The evening Aarti at Har Ki Pairi made up for all the heat, dust & 

fatigue. With time, the priests there have become tech savvy & Anuradha Poudwal enthralls the crowds with her prerecorded melodious Ganga Aarti everyday. But it was an experience to remember. The ambience, floating diyas in Ganga, sanctity, huge crowds....keeping all this aside, I can never forget the heaps of dirt & garbage on the ghaat. Coz every evening before the Aarti, the volunteers invite donations for maintenance.

That night, we decided to explore Foodmax – just opposite Ginger, whose attractive exteriors built some hopes. Huge hall with eight ACs! Lui immediately said “They invest so much in comfort, the food must be good.” The tattered menu & empty tables said it all. The food, lets not talk about the taste, was like serving snacks to a Punjabi for dinner. Smallest raita bowl I ever had. Someone give me the number for Guinness Book of World Records Society!

Day 4

We took a dip in Ganga & gorged on the Ginger breakfast buffet. Before leaving, we predicted FoodMax would have vanished by our next trip...Lui had even advised the stewards to cut down on AC cost & spend on food instead.

It was good old drive back home – Haridwar, Muzaffarnagar, lunch at Cheetal & back home. This trip was different – not much action, but nice & quality time spent together.

Looking forward to Lansdowne. Keep watching this space for more!