Kasar Devi: The Little Paradise I Traversed #LettersFromTripoto

Leaving for a trip for the first time without family was quite difficult and different.  I along with the other four backpackers decided to leave for Almoda the very next day. We boarded the bus in the evening, had our dinner and started our journey.

The next morning,  I opened my eyes and found myself going above the mountains by the bus. The feeling I had at that moment was really very different and peaceful. (May be that is the reason why I couldn’t wake up from sleep before that) The fresh air, the mountains,  the trees and the person beside me was a homely feeling-the feeling which I craved for long.

We reached Almora but our destination wasn’t Almora but Kasar Devi.  Before travelling,  Indian Express described Kasar Devi as a hidden jewel in the crown of Uttarakhand.  8kms North of Almora,  Kasar Devi is a perfect gateway for backpackers who is in search of peace and fresh air.  After travelling for half and hour from Almora in the cab, we reached the less crowded Kasar Devi.

The sun rays hit my eyes but that was so different from the rays in Delhi. It made me feel like home. I was mesmerized to see the sun rays at the one side and the Himalayas on the other.  This less known place is the hippie trial that attracts travellers to this quiet village. Along with the sun rays the cold breeze hit my face.  That breeze made my other significant backpacker sing KNOC KNOCK KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR and then I realised the reason why Bob Dylan travelled all the way to Kasardevi. 

Kasar Devi was all about sipping a cup of tea and the different types of cake at the famous Baba Cake there and watch the scenery out there. Kasar Devi is about trekking but because we wanted to explore more we trekked at the Binar wildlife Sanctuary for two hours and that was really worth seeing because there we reached a point from where we could see the entire region. Climbing to the Kasardevi temple was not only about paying our tribute to the deity but watching the pleasant scenery and the most beautiful sunset.

The nights we spent there were too memorable with the sound of the breeze and the fear of tigers attacking our homestays.

Like every trip, I left Kasar Devi with the feeling to come back again. Kasar Devi might not be a place to have all the adventure that one wants to seek in the hill stations but is a place full of peace. Today, when cool breeze hits my face, I am reminded of ‘That Little Paradise.'