Summer of Ups and Dawns

This summer came up with a different energy, ideas and aspirations for travel 😊. Summer of 2019....not 69. Destinations that I have been planning to visit forever, finally came to life and I paid my visit to these places. And today I will start with Ramgarh and Bhowali Uttarakhand.

Ramgarh is a small hill station and tourist destination on the way to Mukteshwar. This place is rich in orchards, and they say the temperature and the climate is best suited for tuberculosis patients. However, this is only what I have heard.

The famous poet and the writer of our national anthem- Rabindranath Tagore, resided here. Mountains do leverage the magical charm and keep it just calm. Our journey by car started from New Delhi at 7:30 am with an empty stomach. We drove continuously for 3 hours, after which we took a halt for breakfast. We had to cover 340 kms to reach our destination. Maintaining the complacent speed, music, cheer and gossip.. the drive was gradually taking its shape. We had come across some photogenic spots with not so photogenic faces, those were my folks :p.

And finally we checked in at our beautiful abode- Suvaasa The Resort. We were all desperate to rest our asses in the property and delve into some good food with that surreal view and the eerie quiet.

About the resort, quite far from the clamour, this property is nested almost 13-15 kms from Nainital. With a charming 360° view of lush green lands, this tiny terrace cafe - 'Tamino', is all set to take your heart away, decorated with candles and some cool breeze. The food, well, just order anything, it will taste good. In addition, you find genial staff in this squeaky clean property. Also they have some cool indoor game arrangements and a colorful library.

Food runs in my blood and I couldn't skip this rustic, open-air maggi joint, which was right in front of this beautiful looking ancient property. Whilst we were clicking pictures, there were random conversations with this guy, and to my surprise this ancient property was nothing but the graveyard from the 1800s that still exists. The locals have been experiencing something unusual till date, as the British soldiers, officials and members from the Christian community were buried here. There is a different vibe in this area. So, fortunately or unfortunately, we spotted this haunted yet picturesque graveyard. Locals landmark this place as PINE RANGE.

Next day was the mandatory visit to "Golu Devta Temple" in Ghorakhal, not because it's highly appreciated for a variety of reasons, but we had planned it that way. The drive to the temple was through a lane of tranquil land. It didn't take us much time to reach and park the car (parking is an issue). You simply have to trek for a few meters or take the stairs to be at the top for the darshan, though it is best to trek rather than considering stairs.

The temple visit was just delightful in its own way- the gush of fresh air, positive vibes, followed by the enchanting evening aarti by the modest, impressive pandits. After this fulfilling session, we headed to the parking lot where I stumbled upon this solo fruit seller. He was attracting many passersby's heads, coz he was selling KAAFAL- a pahadi fruit that looks like berries and tastes even better, a rich source of Vitamin C and just chewable- raw or with black salt. This was a good idea right? A picture is worth the shot, and that's what i thought, without any vote :p

A genuine request to the tourists who try to negotiate for the price- please be thoughtful, the sellers literally slog their ass off the whole day in the dense jungle just to earn some pennies for their living. And a small amount (a little extra), won't ever hurt your pocket.

"Happy endings only happen in Bollywood", I thought, when it was time for the packup! Who would ever want to go back and face the extremes of life and be the little insipid soul...euu!! Anyway, that's no approach, this perfect trip was up to the scratch with more upcoming itineraries . I'm a happy soul. Stay tuned ❤