bloggerbachhi - Mussoorie

Just like what any other skill takes, planning a trip takes just as much of it. It feels like ages ago when I last breathed in the fresh, charismatic air and treated my eyes to the picturesque mountains of Mussoorie...

The place has always seemed to me as a hive of activity. Stepping one foot through its' borders, the bustling hill station fills your heart with an ecstatic energy. I am personally a big time fan of Ruskin Bond(the writer of many noted children's books), who has claimed many trivial and real anecdotes which are rooted in his home town "Landour" as well as "Mussoorie". The way he beautified those hills in his pieces had always made me dream of taking a whole-soul trip to that town, especially since I've got a thing in my heart for quaint and happening little towns! Though I have been to Mussoorie about 4-5 times, but this last visit to the town, my visit in 2021, was the most memorable one, because naturally I had grown up and so I could actually remember all that I experienced and also because I explored parts of the town, I never even knew, existed!

For instance, the Camel Back road, as it takes a curve from the starting point of the mall road and making that somewhat looks like a "D", joins the mall road at the end, is a view of a scenic Beauty! You know the most interesting fact about this trail is that the rocks have been naturally laid out in the shape of a Camel's Hump and hence the name! Usually, very few people hit this road, to get some peace, or spend some one on one time with their loved ones, and as a fun experience, people could also enjoy horse-rides for sweet, vivid memories of the nature! During my own Four day stay in the town, every evening I took a walk along with my family on this trail, to enjoy the serene of the clear skies. As I speak of serenity, there's a library just at the roundabout on Mussoorie mall road, which I have always felt devoured by, however I can't explore it because of it's 'Members only' policy! I mean, the thought of what awaits inside will bug me for as long as I live and this makes me gloomy at times you know, keeping in mind the fact that library is where i spent my lunch breaks in school!

Correct me if I am wrong, but, hunger needs to be regarded, especially if we are on a trip! For me, personally, trips are all about fun games like 'Dumb-charades', Antakshari and some momentous Munching every now and then! So, what's great about the mall road is that there are many eating joints at regular intervals as you stroll along the path, offering ravishing Indian delicacies...Yum-Yum!!! Now, Cafe Coffee Day, Domino's etc. are great and all but as some would say "when travelling, go local" and so I did exactly that, which made me land on this petite eatery going by the name of "Mussoorie Sweet Shop", located deep within the narrow roads of the Old mall road, offering numerous Indian delicacies like Pakoras, Samosas, and sweets like Jalebis, Gulab-Jamuns, Barfis and drinks like Lassi and Tea served in a clay cup called 'Kulhad', especially effective in enhancing the taste of the beverage so served!So, just before our stroll on the Camel's back road, we would go to this shop for a hearty evening snack of samosas, jalebis and that tea in a kulhad...every evening! We felt so down on the last day of our trip about not being able to enjoy those evening snacks anymore that we decided to take one last trip to the shop... for a kulhad of tea ; ) On one too many evenings, me and my family (which is typically Indian in case of their love for tea!) loves to build castles of imagination about taking a trip to there, what with all the history that exists in that quaint town of Uttarakhand!

Yes, this small town enshrouds some episodes from the history of Our incredible India. Just as an FYI, before I tell the secret of Mussoorie, Sir George Everest was the Surveyor-General of India from 1830 to 1843 and he bought the Park Estate on the western edge of the town in 1833, where he lived for a decade before retiring to England. Now what's interesting is that this Park Estate is secluded on a hill top in MUSSOORIE, now known as Sir George Everest House, otherwise under the jurisdiction of Archeological survey of India, but been long neglected since! As a saddened proof of this negligence, what I saw when I visited the site was not as pleasing as should have been. Being one of today's generation, I can tell that the Graffiti done on the otherwise plain white walls of the archeological site was done by the young, but no security was recruited as usually is on sites of historical importance (but still the authorities took an action and put iron bars around the house barring anyone from seeing what's inside).( though off the topic, but another interesting fact is that "Hillary and Tenzing", the first ones to climb the Mount Everest, named the Peak so as a tribute to Sir George Everest!) Anyways, the exploration wasn't completely an offset to the mood because the day we paid visit to the site, the skies were cloudy, cool wind was breezing, gazing the face gently as a refresher, treating my eyes to the panoramic view of the Doon valley and the Himalayan ranges. Oh and of course the "Tapri" on that hill top offering 'Maggi and tea' made it absolutely certain that my mood gets uplifted!

Well, if we are talking about absolute uplifting of mood, then let me recount the day my Dream came true, as I came to know that 'Ruskin Bond' would be coming to a Bookshop called "Cambridge Book Depot" located just at the beginning of the old mall road as a part of his regular Saturday visits to that exact Depot!!! The excitement I felt in that moment when I saw him step out of the car is unlike any other feeling for me, except for when I eat something I am crazy about (joking)! All these years as I had seen him in the pics uploaded on the net, he looked the exact same in real life as well, not a day younger nor a day older. Eventually after waiting to meet him for about One/half hour in the queue, when finally it was our moment to get clicked with him and take home with us an eternal blessing from him, in that moment I felt as if I had been inspired and that inspiration has paved this endeavouring path for me...

This must have been the last day of our trip, since, the next morning we had hit the road for the return trip to Delhi (back then, when I was in 8th, I used to live in Delhi). If it were for me, I would spend every possible vacation in this boom town, spending my evenings strolling along the iron grills, barring the width of the Mall Road, sit on the benches placed for the convenience of people absorbing through the naked eye, the beauty of the mountains, which stand even still, with the passing of time, having jalebis and samosas along with a kulhad full of lassi, though of course occasionally! Time passes real quick when you are reminiscing about jolly experiences and it seems really hard to let go of the memories you create with your loved ones... And on that note, to lighten the mood...

Bunny from yeh jawani hai diwani had said, "Sahi time pe kat lena chahiye nhi toh gile shikwe hone lagte hai"! This hit home, figuratively and literally!