Skip to main content

Binsar -> Mukteswar (22.4.25)

Bird’s eye view:


Around 110 km travel today to Mukteswar, dropping to 7,500 ft, slightly lower than Binsar. We travelled to Almora, which we bypassed and took a slightly longer route via Lamgara, since we will be going to Almora anyway later on. We left at 7.30 am and reached at 12.30 pm, just before lunch. Apart from the initial 6 km return road inside the forest, the highways, both national and state, were excellent.

Leaving Binsar (7.30 am):

Simba Jungle Lodge had been a nice stay, except, as we said, for the exorbitant price of food. We were planning to have breakfast somewhere on the way, after we hit the highway again. The descent of 6 km to the gate of the wildlife sanctuary was as perilous as ever. While ascending, we had run the risk of getting stuck in the ruts if we slowed down. While descending, the car tended to skid on the loose soil if I braked too hard on a slope. So we made it down slowly, driving on tiptoes as it were. We saw one family looking at the track doubtfully, having failed at the first attempt. Hearing from us that the peaks were not visible due to clouds, they did high-fives and executed an about turn. I saw the lady get down at the barricade, perhaps wanting to ask the forest department for a refund.



Reaching Mukteswar (12.30 pm):

The journey was uneventful today, though the scenery was as beautiful as ever. Passing Almora, we were happy to see its pink houses growing on the mountainside like colourful mushrooms. A biggish town (pop 35,000), being a district headquarter, one that we will visit three days later.


We were going to stay with a school friend of mine, who has a cottage in a village in Mukteswar. As we slipped into a side road leading away from the highway, fruit trees and forests moved closer to our travel path, till finally, down a graded road, we found my friend standing outside their cute cottage.


Mukteswar also used to be a small village, he said, till Covid came and people wanted to have a place outside the congested cities. Some 3 km from the cottage, the approach road now sports supermarkets, smart-looking cafes, and homestays, indicating the influx that is happening to the area.

My friend’s cottage overlooks the falling hillside and the rising hills on the other side, full of orchards, forests and village communities. Being a doctor and having worked with the people here earlier, he finally decided to settle here after retirement.

After a lovely lunch of rice, daal, okra, cauliflower and trout (he is a very good cook) we talked about our lives and then turned in for a siesta.

Evening brought chilliness as the sun vanished behind the hills. We sat outside on garden chairs till the cold started to penetrate. While my friend focussed on making dinner, we sat in the kitchen and nursed evening drinks - vodka, agave (tequila) and rhododendron (separate drinks).


So when I said my friend is good cook, we did not imagine that tonight's dinner would be something at the level of shakshuka with cheese-stuffed garlic bread, ending with mishti doi. Fully home made and delicious.


Today was a completely relaxed day at Mukteswar. Expect the same pampering to continue for two more days. 

Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Local at Dehradun (14.5.25)

Getting up in a garden (7.00 am): The Old British House offered us a garden as soon as we opened our doors, with the scent of flowers and the chirping of birds. A totally different look from the mountains and the rivers, but equally welcome. We had our tea sitting in the lawn while we planned our day. Our landlady had expressed her inability to prepare meals, since her cook had an illness in the family, which meant this place became more of a AirB (not even an AirBnB), but we did not mind. Who wanted her two slices of bread when we could walk into any of the twenty cafés scattered on Rajpur Road? Breakfast at Ama's Cafe (9.00 am): Rajpur Road is THE place for eating out, with no dearth of cafés and restaurants. Ama’s Cafe had been recommended by our landlady Seema, and we drove the required 4 mins to a swanky first floor cafe, who seemed to be specialising in freshly brewed coffees. The place was full of its delectable fragrance. We had both decided that Dehradun will be a sort of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Uttarkashi -> Gangotri -> Harsil (11.5.25)

Bird’s eye view: Another 100 km drive today. From our Uttarkashi homestay, we travelled 80 km to Gangotri, then retraced our steps for 20 km to Harsil, a beautiful valley, a far better place to stay than the congested Gangotri. We left Uttarkashi around 8.30 am, reached Gangotri at 12.30 pm, and left it again at 1.45 pm, clocking in at our Harsil homestay at 3.00 pm. Gangotri is at 10,200 ft. When we reached, it was drizzling lightly and the temperature was around 9 degC. Harsil, on the other hand, is at 9,000 ft, but it felt more chilly here. Road quality to Gangotri is a bit of a mixed bag. There are stretches where two big vehicles can travel side by side for a couple of kilometers, but mostly, it is a single lane road, though in fairly good condition. The usual driving skills apply. But all in all, we had a wonderful drive and a great day. Leaving Uttarkashi (8.30 am): Uttarkashi had been a simple stopover for us. The homestay was nice, with the river flowing a five min...
Post a Comment
Read more

Joshimath -> Auli -> Joshimath (3.5.25)

Bird’s Eye View:  Today is our rest day at Joshimath. That is to say, we aren’t going from A to B and staying there. That does not preclude travelling from A to B and returning to A. Which we did.  Leaving Joshimath (9.00 am):  Before these Cartesian cases confuse you, let me revert to our usual start to the blog, saying that the sky was overcast, but some of the peaks were visible. It had rained quite hard at night, and when we woke up, the sky was still leaking. I can use no other word because it was like one drop here, then another drop a foot closer, then somewhere else, like a cloud with a prostrate problem. It was 2-3 degrees colder than yesterday and we had to carefully consider our wardrobe before we stepped out to our destination for the day, which was Auli. We wrapped up, bolted our staple breakfast of alu partha and dahi , and started our day-outing.  Reaching Auli (10.00 am):  Auli is a hill station close to Joshimath, around...
Post a Comment
Read more