Walking in the clouds

In July of 2005, we travelled to a place called Chakrata with a group of colleagues. Chakrata is a small village in Uttaranchal, about 100 kms from Dehradun, up in the hills. Chakrata bases a military cantonment, and almost all the activity in the place is driven because of the military presence. It has very limited facilities (there were hardly one or two half-decent hotels); in fact, it is not a frequented tourist destination. But, the natural beauty is untouched and unspoilt (probably because of the very fact that it does not encourage tourism).

It was quite cold, even in July - none of the hotels' rooms or 'dhabas' (the place had no restaurants to boast of!) were furnished with a fan !! Most of the time we were walking in the clouds - which seemed like dense fog in the mornings and evenings.

For the rest, I'll just let a few pictures speak up.

On the way

Majestic Deodars

Lilies ... growing in the wild

Sunset - through the clouds

A Golden Langoor mother with her baby

(The baby is not clearly visible though)

City of the lake - Nainital

Months of hectic work schedules had tired us out, and the onset of summer just made the feeling worse. To take a break, we decided to visit Nainital on a weekend. A thursday evening saw us take an overnight train to Kathgodam, the last train station on the route to many famous hill-stations, including Nainital, Ranikhet and Kasauni. We reached Kathgodam early in the morning. We could see the hills, and feel the cool, fresh mountain breeze. Nainital is about 60 kms from Kathgodam, and needs a 1.5-2 hours drive.

The one claim to fame that Nainital has, is a large, natural lake - Naini Jheel. Our first view of the lake, against a backdrop of the hills, and devoid of the boats in the early hours, was enchanting. The lake is mango-shaped; along one arc of the lake is the mall road, the main market, and a number of hotels. Along the other arc, in the shadow of the hills, is a pedestrian walkway. Most of the city centre surrounds the lake.

Naini Jheel in early morning

After checking out a few hotels, we finalised one right on the mall road, offering a great view of the lake from the terrace in front of our room. We freshened up and rested for a while, and then set out to explore.

A carnation growing in a pot in the hotel

There is not much to explore though. All one can do, is walk up and down the mall road, take boat rides in the lake, go up the hill to a view point via the cable car; and this is what we did during our two day stay. On the mall road, quite a few hawkers were selling fresh strawberries and mulberries which they carried in a basket. Boat owners stood along the lake, on the mall road, and even at the hotels' entrances, coaxing tourists to take a ride in their boats. Most of the shops on the mall sold the "specialities" of the place - embroidered dress material, wooden handicrafts, and of course, candles.

Nitin contemplates a strawberry

We strolled down the mall road, towards one end of the lake. At this end, there is the boat club, the Tibetan market, and several public buildings. Further down the same road is the main city market, and the cable car terminal. We decided to ride the cable car, which goes to the top of one of the mountains. From the cable car, high in the air, we could view the entire lake, and most of the city.

View of Naini Jheel from the cable car

Near the cable car terminal, an amusement park was under construction. A little climb up the hill took us to a viewpoint from where the snow-covered himalayan peaks could be seen. The view was rather hazy though - in the hills the view is typically clear in the morning only. But the cable car ride was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

At the snow view point

Later in the afternoon, a boat-wallah persuaded us to take a ride around the lake, in his rowboat. We asked about the depth of the lake, and were told that it was more than 40 feet deep in the centre. The boat didn't look very sturdy, and we were rather scared. As the boat took us along the periphery of the lake, we took in a number of temples right on the shore, as well as a few churches and catholic schools with their distinguishing steeples, near the lake, and far in the hills.

The boat-wallah

Part of the city as seen from the lake

A temple on the shore

Nitin tries to row the boat

After the boat ride, we again strolled down the road to the Tibetan market. Here, across the city sports arena, is a large mosque, beautiful in white against the green hills.

The mosque

The next morning we made an early start.

On the terrace

We were game for a local sight-seeing tour, knowing well that the "points" the taxi-drivers promised to take us to would not amount to much. The first site that we visited was a snow-view point, a part of the road, from where we could get quite a clear view of the Himalayas, despite the clouds and mist.

Snow covered peaks of the Himalayas

The lake

After coming back, we loitered about in the Tibetan market for a while. Then, weaving through the market, we reached the entry to the walkway that lines the other side of the lake. We walked along at a leisurely pace, taking in the natural beauty - water on one side, and the mountain on the other, under the cool shade of the trees.

The municipal office near the Tibetan market

Ducks reside at the back of the public library

After taking a complete round of the lake, we still had time to take yet another boat ride. A couple of sail boats had set out in water to take the advantage of the pleasant weather and the nice breeze. With their colourful striped sails, they made a very pretty picture.

Sailing over the winds

It was later afternoon by this time, and we prepared to leave for Kathgodam, to catch the train back to Delhi. As we waited for the taxi, we clicked a picture of a small, prety church which is almost on the mall road, but almost hidden from view by a dense growth of trees.

The Church

Neemrana Fort Palace

Neemrana fort palace is about 120 kms from Delhi, on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. It has now been converted to a luxurious hotel. We had heard a lot about the beauty and the grandeur of the palace. One weekend, agroup of us decided to find it out for ourselves.

We left Noida early in the morning, in two cars, picking up other friends from Delhi and Gurgaon. It was quite hot, and we encountered a lot of traffic on the roads till Gurgaon. However, after we crossed Gurgaon, driving was a pleasure. The highway was smooth, and the view quite scenic. After we reached Neemrana, which is just a small village, we had some difficulty in finding the way to the fort, and a lot more in reaching there. The fort is built atop a small hill, and the only accessis through a narrow, steep lane through the crowded village market.

Our first view of the fort was enchanting. The entrance was through a high arched gateway. A small walk led us to the palace building. There is a small garden, built on multiple levels.

The Terrace Garden

By the side of the main entrance to the building is a large terrace, from where we got a view of the entire village, and beyond. In pleasant weather it would have been a wonderful experience to sit on this terrace.

View of the City from the Fort

Inside, a passageway led us to a hall which was converted to a lobby. Some swing chairs were set there, and some rooms opened into it. Yet another passage led us to a terrace where there was another lobby and a small restaurant. Here we had some refreshments and relaxed for some time.

Thereafter we set out to explore the fort. There is the old, original part of the fort, whose rooms are converted into the hotel rooms. Instead of the numbers, the rooms are identified by names - each name has the word "mahal" (palace) (I can recall a few - tara mahal, tulsi mahal, radha mahal, surya mahal). The rooms didn't really look so grand - the names were just to add a touch of royalty. The halls have been
converted to lobbies, dining halls or recreational areas.

The Old Fort

There is also a renovated/reconstructed extension (and more construction is in progress), which is built in the spirit of the original fort in appearance, but mostly houses facilities like swimming pool, gym, dining halls, conference halls, etc.

The Renovated Part of the Fort

Numerous passages, stairs, corridors form a maze through out the fort, which is sprawled over a large area on the hill, at many different levels. We explored quite a few of these passages and a large part of the fort - entering at one point and exiting from totally unexpected point, climbing up and down many staircases, losing our way a few times, walking through the gardens, reaching a open hall from where we could see a large tank (baoli) - it was a tiring but thoroughly enjoyable experience.

The heat took its toll, and we were exhausted. So we lounged on the sofas and chairs in one of the lobbies; some of us even dozed off. Refreshed, in spirit and in body, by late afternoon, we were ready to return.