A holiday to remember - II

We reached Dehradoon at 1.30 p.m. Our original plan was to spend that day at Dehra sight seeing but then suddenly we changed our plan and decided to head for Mussoorie insted. In any case we were coming back to catch the train for our return journey, so sight seeing could wait for the time being.

A taxi was hired for the 34 k.m uphill climb, which takes about one hour. After a few kms drive, Doon valley was left behind. We could feel the sudden drop in temperature and see the changing scenery. The Sal forests were left behind with Oak, Deodar and Pine forests taking their place. After about half way up the hills the gradient was becoming steeper and steeper. Buses, lorries, taxis and private cars coming down from the opposite direction were whizzing past. The roads were narrow with hair pin bends and deep gorges on one side. Through out the journey we just could not relax for a moment and remained on our guard sitting up, holding our breath. It was no use telling the driver to drive slowly or cautiously. It was their daily routine. They even play pranks with a known person by coming on his track and then skillfully maneuvering the taxi out. I had a feeling that they enjoy taking risk with lives of the passengers at their mercy. At last the ordeal was over. We reached Mussoorie safely.

Hotel Deep where R had booked a double room for us was situated on a hillock. The interior had many levels and the steep climb to go to the upper floor dampened our spirit. The receptionist came with us to show us our room. It was situated at the end of a narrow corridor. Contrary to what R had been promised on phone, there was no front balcony. It was a foggy day; nothing was visible beyond a few meters distance. R, as I know her, is not the person to make compromises with something substandard. The receptionist was trying to impress upon us that this room would give us a view of the abodes of the celebrities such as Ruskin Bond, Tom Alter, Victor Banerjee, but we were not impressed. We had come to enjoy the beauty of the ‘queen of the hills’ and not concrete houses. The room even lacked in freshness. Grudgingly we settled down and ordered tea. R had now made up her mind. After tea she told me to lock the door and went out to look for a better place. I decided to have a nap. I was woken up from sleep by R calling me from outside. She was back with some refreshments, which we ate for dinner, and news about a better place, where we would be shifting the next day.

It was raining heavily - we could see flashes of lightening. In the night we heard some eerie noises from the other side of the wooden wall, which made us sit up on the bed. We got up early in the morning. I told R about my worries, had we come at the wrong time? Had monsoons already set in here? If so, there could be chances of land slides - we may be trapped. We decided to gather information about the rainy weather. If it persisted, there was no chance of an outing and no view of the majestic mountains. R ordered tea on the intercom. And the bill too.

After a short while, the son of the owner of the hotel, who had answered R’s enquiries from Delhi came to our room, asking why we were leaving so soon. When R explained the reason, he apologized saying that he had been absent and would immediately change the room. But we had made up our mind. After packing up our bags, we locked the room. We had enough time, so we started looking around a bit. Rain had stopped and a bright sun came up from behind the mountains, with a blue sky revealing the majestic mountains. And lush green forests covering the slopes. It was breathtaking, As we were enjoying scenery, the old man (proprietor of the hotel. He had heard that we were leaving) came up to us and started a conversation. He offered us tea. Knowing that we were not happy with our room, he said a deluxe room was becoming vacant after 11 a.m. and we could have it at a slightly higher price. So we agreed to stay on for one more day. Room problem solved, we deposited our bags at the counter and went out to do a survey of the mall.

It was again a steep climb. I was panting for breath, while R kept on singing in my ears - “good for health, you are loosing kilos.” Smell of doshas and fried eggs was wafting in from the roadside eateries. Local small boys and girls were roasting bhuttas on charcoal fire. R bought two roasted bhuttas, which seemed the best treat in the chilly weather. Shops were opening gradually. We wanted to buy a souvenir of local made but were disappointed to know that everything is imported from outside . Mussoorie has no industry but though there are renowned schools started by the British. The hotels thrive on the earnings that they make during the tourist season. The local sherpas work as porters during the tourist season and in the construction sites during the off-season. There was a Tibetan market, where Tibetan women had their stalls selling teeshirts, skirts etc. We did some shopping there and that was all. We had skipped breakfast so we started looking for a good restaurant. Soon a board caught our sight, which said that authentic Tibetan and Chinese food was cooked there. We decided to have a Tibetan meal starting with the soup, it was hot and appetizing. The main course was also tasty. The hospitality was very good

As we came out of the restaurant, the scene had totally changed. The Mall was buzzing with people, small small stalls had sprouted on both sides of the narrow road, a band was playing .We heard that preparations were going on for celebration of some festival. Mussoorie is famous for its confectionaries and the bakeries were attracting the crowd with their mouth watering cakes, pastries, pies… We bought something for our evening tea. Back to the hotel, we were shown our new room. A beautiful one. One side had wall to wall transparent glass panel - giving an open view of the Queen… It was breathtaking! R told me to shut the door and not open to any one until she came back, and she hurried out. I decided to take a hot shower.

To be continued…