Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. ~Langston Hughes~
It is said to be end of tourist season when monsoon arrives.To my belief Monsoon ride has its own charm,the best way to enjoy nature in its cleanest and purest form. Nainital is such a to enjoy the Monsoon beauty.
Friday ,11th July 2014 I started around 7 AM from Indirapuram .
Route : Delhi-Hapur-Gajraula-Moradabad-Haldwani-Nainital
I took breakfast at Bikaner, Gajraula and had some chole bhature with sweet Lassi. At Gajraula there are many eatery points to choose.But we didn’t do so and stopped at the first in the list.
After that the journey was not pleasant till haldwani as the scorching sun just didn’t stop to bless me with heat ..phew !! Though i am not fond of coke or pepsi ,but it was them who survived me in that sweltering day .
At haldwani took a coffee break and i was happy to find filter coffee at Vango. The vexations of journey disappeared when we headed towards the beautiful green mountains ,clearly visible from Haldwani Town.Soon i realize sun is no more to bless us.It started drizzling and we were among clouds..Oh my God!! couldn’t believe such a drastic change in weather..
I was enjoying my ride with clicking pics at back side.. That 30 km journey from Haldwani to Nainital took away all our stress.Soon we landed at beautiful Nainital town in the Kumon foothills.We thought of taking lunch first and this was the first time when we didn’t have book any resort in advance.So definitely we supposed to search with opened eyes and energy !! So we hog our lunch like anything. View of lake from our lunch table was picturesque as the restaurant was on first floor..named as “Machan”
Next was to search a place to stay.Though there are many numbers of hotels on Mall road but i didn’t like any.I always prefer a place far from crowd.With a disappointed mood ,i took a drive towards opposite side of the Lake.Went till Governor house and decided to go back again to Mall road to try our luck.While coming down the road ,I saw a pretty White Bungalow “Bhikampur Lodge” !!
With a sinking heart i stepped inside that 1.9 acre land and soon my eye caught a fat man talking over phone..I asked “Is it a Resort??” And guess what? it was and in-fact got a beautiful room next to Garden !! 🙂 A perfect place to relax and enjoy holiday amidst nature. The colorful dahlias were the extra charm to that view. That property belongs to grandson of Nawab of Bhikampur who purchased this in the year of 1955.
In the evening we went to Naina Devi temple besides the Nainital lake .Inside the temple, devotees have darshan of three deities. On the extreme left is Mata Kali Devi, the centre representing two Netras or eyes is Maa Naina Devi and to right side is idol of Lord Ganesh.The temple is just opposite side of Mall road.And we were spellbound with the night view of Naini Lake, called as Tri-Rishi-Sarovar.
There are many road-side stuffs to eat on Mall road.Also many place for shopping.I bought some fresh fruit squash and the Lychee was one of the best i ever had!! Diner was simple but delicious veg foods at famous “Shiva Hotel” in the Mallital area.
The very next day I went for an early morning walk til Governor House of Nainital. Along with gossip i was capturing moments through my camera lens. Back to resort by 8 AM and had our breakfast. Aloo Paratha with some cold sandwich and neately folded omelettes with some amazing fillings . Next plan was to go Mukteshwar Shiva temple.
It was around 11 AM when we were just few kilometres away from Bhowali and it started drizzling.Roads were not clear due to a foggy weather , but I was feeling like we were floating above clouds 🙂 we took a break and enjoyed hot roasted Corn with that typical green chutney. The extra chilli in that chutney was a real punch !! 😀 At bhowali took a tea break again where i couldn’t stop myself from eating boiled peas thick gravy. It was yummy.
After Bhowali ,we enjoyed the most beautiful view of our journey.Apple orchard both side with some orange color flowers in-between.We behaved like kids when we entered one orchard and saw apple trees 😀 Again it started drizzling and this time it was more fog than earlier.The roads were sharp but wide.Around 1 o’clock we reached the temple.It was Guru purnima and the crowd was more.
But we got a nice darshan and enjoyed prasad after that.By 2 PM we started our return journey to Nainital. In the evening we relaxed at resort with some music ,beer and campfire.
The return journey ,we tried a different route.
Nainital-Khurpatal-Kaladhungi-Bazpur-Tanda-Muradabad-Hapur-Delhi
But when we just reached Khurpatal rain poured heavily.Green all around with sharp turns on roads.After a kilometer found a tiny shelter where already few people were standing below.We also adjusted.The rain didn’t stop for an hour almost.So we decided to start our journey. To our surprise ,there was no sign of rain after 4-5 km .
After crossing Bazpur , for around 7 km the road condition was just one degree better than worst.Not recommended if your travelling by four-wheeler. Apart from that the road condition is good all through. By 10 PM we reached our home.
I still miss that morning Masala Tea at Bhikampur Lodge .
