Misty Mountains Part 2 - Kasauli

Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, India
 

 

 

Down memory lane, was the Kasauli leg of my mountain holiday. I went back to the quiet little hill station opposite the Lawrence School Sanawar, where I studied for seven years, and dragged my family to experience all that I had in those long ago days, including the food I ate and the places I roamed.

Being an army cantonment and due to restrictions on land purchase it's probably the only popular hill station in India which hasn't fallen prey to rapid haphazard development (so far) and the sleepy little town, which you can pretty much cover in one whole day, is a real delight for people looking for a quiet holiday. It's the perfect weekend getaway. Though June was peak season and not so sleepy with loud tourists chattering up and down the hills.

Our trip was a continuation from Naldehra (see earlier post) and took us about three hours because we got stuck in a bit of a traffic jam in Shimla and stopped for lunch. We checked in to the Kasauli Castle hotel in Garkhal, a teeny village between the Sanawar and Kasauli hills. Peak season and last minute booking (seems to be a common thread in my posts) it's all we got. Garkhal, which was a four-shack village in our school days, has been rapidly developed and a multitude of hotels, many calling themselves Kasauli something or the other, have popped up.

I was told the hotel was located above Mushroomlee, the only proper restaurant in Garkhal in those days and very prominently visible from the road, which now can't be seen amid the crush of buildings around. So naturally we overshot as I couldn't spot it. Imagine staying in Garkhal. Never thought I'd see the day! The road up to the hotel is really steep and narrow and you'd better hope there's no car coming down at the same time.

Commercial Comfort

After a quiet, peaceful homestay in Naldehra, the full on commercial establishment was quite disorienting. A modern construction with 15 rooms which got pretty decent reviews on tripadvisor. It had a hall where they played loud popular Hindi and Punjabi music every night and the lawn had tables and chairs where you could also eat your meals and a huge concrete patch on the wall where they showed a new movie every night by projector. Oye Lucky Oye being one of them. 

 

Kasauli Castle

My idea of the hills is to enjoy the beauty of nature and the peace and tranquility it affords so I was quite disgruntled at this situation, but got over the gripe after I realized the benefits. The rooms were very comfortable and one of the restaurant staff members who happened to be a Bengali far away from his homeland, was so happy to meet fellow countrymen that he went out of his way to help us. The entire staff was very friendly and responded quickly to all calls and that really was the selling point of the hotel. More importantly, the brats were quite happy fooling around in the play area with swings and slides all day, which left us to our own devices to explore Kasauli at leisure.

 

The weather was beautiful. It would threaten to rain but it wouldn't. Cool, crisp and misty mostly. Every once in a while a cloud would pass through us. Such a wonderful feeling especially after coming from the sweltering National Capital Region.

We walked the steep upper mall road, past the Kasauli Club, the TV Tower (which I spent many an hour gazing at from my classroom on the opposite hill wishing I was somewhere else)  right up to the Nature Trail, a scenic path wrapped around a hill that takes five minutes to cover. Thanks to our workouts on the steep slopes of Naldehra, I was quite the mountain goat by then. The road has little paths leading into the hillside which seem interesting to explore and are spaced with driveways leading to charming colonial era cottages owned by admirals and major generals and the like. So envious. How I'd love to have a place there.

Came back down to the lower market where we had bunsams (samosa in a bun with chole and chutney), jalebis and chai. The market is a long narrow line of shops selling ethnic products, cheap Chinese toys and street food. We sat on a bench against the wall and enjoyed our fare amidst flies and stray dogs loitering around. Yeah, that's one area they would do well to clean up. Has potential but falls prey to the typical dirty street market category. The only not-so-clean part of Kasauli.

I Famous

Jalebis coming up!

The owner of the Narindar Sweet House shop where we had the bunsams was quick to tell me about how famous persons have frequented his place. He thrust a laminated article written by Khushwant Singh about his shop, showed me a picture of himself with Omar Abdullah and said  ``do you know who that is? Do you know who that is?'' God(eyeroll) that was irritating. Apparently Rocky and Mayur, hosts of a food show on NDTV Good Times, have eaten there too. Yeah well you know.. don't care. Surprisingly,  the food is still the same, though the enjoyment of it a little less than I remembered as a perpetually starving student in boarding school.

The shops in the main market are still the same after at least 20 years. Sharma & Bros, photographer for the school, Gupta Brothers, the grocery shop and round the corner, Daily Needs, the place to go for burgers and cold cuts. I remember going to Daily Needs in 2001 and asking for barbeque chicken. It was November and quiet and the owner actually walked down to the market to buy the bird. I told him about it this time and he laughed. You have to buy minimum two burgers as they use the oven to heat the chicken part of it (conscious about electricity wastage) and it was totally fine because I ate them both back to back! Still nice.

We saw an array of different fruit flavoured wines made locally in Himachal as well as stuff like apple cider vinegar, which we bought (apparently it aids weight loss). I bought a rhododendron (their specialty), apple and strawberry wine too. So far only opened the apple wine and the verdict .... it would find better use in desserts.

Lawrence School Sanawar

The next day, after I took everyone on a tour of my beautiful school, with its stunning landscape spread over an entire hilltop (though I'm very happy not to be a student anymore), we went back to Kasauli for lunch. Ross Common, a Himachal Tourism department owned property on the lower mall road, is in my opinion the best located hotel in Kasauli and has some pretty decent food at great prices. The service is horrendously slow though.

The grilled chicken was succulent and a very welcome change. The hotel was my first choice but was fully booked, though Kasauli Castle was the better place to stay especially if you have your own car. Being government owned, Ros Common's furnishings are a bit old and musty and maintenance is not their strong point, BUT..... location, location, location.

Holy Places Are Holy Hell to Get to

After lunch, two of us walked the 3.5 kilometres to Monkey Point. A hump at the end of the hill on top of which is a Hanuman temple. The point is guarded by the Air force and visitors are not allowed to enter after 4 p.m., or take any phones or cameras into the area. We barely made it in time, avoiding getting splashed by cars bumping up the badly maintained road with potholes filled with water.

As we huffed and puffed up the steep 350-foot climb to the top, stopping to catch our breath every once in a while (we had to be back down in half an hour), one guy on his way down told us that his eight year old son who has asthma issues just ran up the hill in like five minutes.....I don't think that made us feel any better and we huffed and puffed on. We reached the top, paid our respects at the temple and then stopped to admire the view. On a clear day, you can see the city of Chandigarh from there but that day, a misty cloud passed through us. Ah well, still good.

Cheeky!

After that we took a very steep short-cut down to our hotel in Garkhal, picking up fallen pine cones along the way, and I remembered all the times I wheezed UP the slope (which is quite a killer) in my school days. As my walk down memory lane ended, I wondered if the next time I came back, I would see a big change in this wonderful little town as property developers are now building villas all around the hills at exorbitant rates. It seems that Delhi land and food prices have stretched as far as the cars from there can go. Totally ridiculous. But as of now, it's like time's stood still in Kasauli and sometimes, that's the way it should be.
 

Misty Mountains Part 1 - Naldehra

                                          Naldehra, Himachal Pradesh, India

On my Himachal holiday last month, I went back to the state where I spent seven years of my life studying and tried to relive a bit of my youth with my family. Our first destination was Naldehra a picturesque little town about 22 kilometres from the state's capital Shimla.

As far as hill beauty goes, much of Himachal has nothing on the dense lushness and forested beauty of the north-eastern hills (I haven't yet been to Kashmir so can't compare to that)  but there are pockets of beauty nestled in here and there and Naldehra is one of them. The approach from Shimla is pretty and the roads though narrow, are lined with trees such as deodar and cedar.

Our trip from Noida, about 400 kms, started at 6.30a.m. and took 12 hours because of two long rest stops, going slow so we didn't lose sight of the other car with us and losing our way a couple of times. Also, the underpowered Ertiga loaded with five people and luggage struggled to pull up the slopes in the hills and we had to keep putting off the air conditioner to overtake other vehicles. Once, after winding behind a bus for about five minutes, we got an opening but the car just couldn't muster up enough power to pass. Suddenly a head popped out of the back of the bus and uh oh! Aborted the attempt to overtake just as most of the guy's entire breakfast and lunch ejected from his mouth in a violent manner. Yuck. Think we got a few spots on the car. Bus hazard in the hills.


The good part is that the highway bypasses all the major cities and towns. The new Kalka and Parwanoo bypass is really awesome. Four lanes hugging the hillside with the valley below. Our breakfast stop was at the Savoy Greens in Karnal, a soulless food court with McDonalds, Dominos and the like but...good bathrooms. A major criteria for me.

Lunch was at Giani Da Dhaba in Dharampur, an institution in itself which really had the best food I'd eaten the entire trip but.... bad bathrooms. The lemon chicken, their speciality, was outstanding. So much so, that we ate there again on the way back. The stuffed parathas, achari paneer and other items are like they've been made at home and are not too rich or greasy. The hazard is of overeating and that's what can get you on the winding roads up, All of us were pretty pooped by the time we got to our destination and it took us the remainder of the evening to get our bearings right.

Jacaranda Estate

In Naldehra, we stayed at the Jacaranda Estate and Whispering Willows. The homestay is owned by a lady who takes great pride in her property and it shows in every aspect, from the lush gardens to the nicely done up rooms. One room was made entirely of deodar wood and was huge with two double beds on either side and two balconies looking out into the valley. The other had a massive antique bed which can easily accommodate four adults breadthwise. There are only three rooms so if you go in a group you have the place all to yourself. The only issue city slickers would have are the creepy crawlies. Spiders, beetles and the like, so mattresses on the floor.. uh uh.

Dining area

Mornings were spent in the lawn goofing around with the kids and just exploring the property. A real jewel with willow trees, a small apple tree, a fully laden plum tree and blooming hydrangeas and other beautiful flowers. It was a compact terraced property and boasted of a direct view of the valley. The rains would come at night and leave us alone the first two days which is why we decided to make the most of it and explore areas beyond.

Our meals, breakfast, which was included in the fare, and dinner, should you choose to eat it there, were eaten in an open gazebo in the lawn. The place was so charming that we wished we could have spent more days just relaxing there.



There is a lot one can do from Naldehra because it's close to so many interesting places. Tattapani, Fagu, Mashobra, where you have the famous Wildflower Hall, Kufri, Shimla all can be done individually within an hour or two from there. Within Naldehra you can get a round of golf, go horse riding, trek through forests and generally walk around exploring.

The day after we arrived, we went to Tattapani which was an hours drive downhill. The name means hot water and the place has natural sulphur springs at the banks of the Sutlej river. As with most Indian tourist spots, the area has not been developed to allow people to appreciate its full potential. With the rain showers that hit, the natural springs were mostly covered by the river, so we went to hotel Hot Springs Therme and Spa, which had piped the water from the springs into a pool which people could jump into.



Tattapani

Only one person out of our group went in the water because the rest of us were unprepared for this and didn't have our swimming costumes and no way were we going to wear one provided by the hotel. Apparently it was a good experience. They also had private rooms for people who didn't want to jump into the public bath. I would try it next time. There were also people rafting in the river, which was muddy brown at the time, though it's not really a destination for actual river rafting thrills. For that you need to go to Rishikesh in Uttaranchal or higher.


After lunch at the hotel where the lights kept going off and the person who got into the pool radiating heat generated by the sulphur (not to mention the smell  which lingered way into the next day even after a good scrub) we got back to Naldehra. That evening, we decided to take a walk to the golf course, the oldest in the country according to the Himachal Tourism web site, and generally explore. Oh boy, this is one golf course you really have to sweat to get to and can't take your car. It's a steep slope of about 100 meters up to the clubhouse on narrow paths. My husband's observation was that this is one club you definitely can't afford to indulge in alcohol.

Ahead of the clubhouse is a lovely picnic spot, a clearing surrounded by tall deodar trees. The beauty was spoiled only by the litter which seemingly can't be controlled anywhere in India and the approach road, of which not an inch was spared from horse droppings. The place was dotted with vendors selling tea, Maggi and fruit chaat. We sat and enjoyed all three and chatted to a couple from Delhi who advised us about the perils of parking in Shimla where we were planning to go the next day and also gave us a solution to that. Sometimes people come into your lives for a fleeting moment for very constructive purposes.

If it weren't for them, we would have just turned around and forgone Shimla altogether. Parking was a NIGHTMARE!! We arrived in the city around 12.30 p.m. and reached the lifts near the Combemere hotel which would take us right to the mall area. This is the most convenient way to get there so we tried that first. There are a couple of tiered parking structures which were full and there was no other place to park. for people who aren't at all familiar with the city its crazy because you just don't know where to go. You can park on the roadside on the other side of the city and making the long trek up to the mall but with a 2 year old child and a pram and shortage of time, it was not an option for us.

Shimla

So we tried once, didn't get space, went all the way to the other end and turned around. Came back, tried again. We were about to get a slot but because two cars were blocking each other, one on the way out and one on the way in (no separate entry and exit as you can see) and we were holding up traffic, we had to let that go. Why can't the administration just get their act together? Peak season, seriously crowded hill station and two measly parking slots!!! Somehow we can never build for the future. Always struggling to keep up with past demand. 



Jakhoo hill, Shimla

Word of advice to all those travelling to Shimla in their own car for the day. Get there early. Though I'm not really sure that if we had reached at 9.30 we would have got parking either, but then again, its coming from an irritated person. If you face what we did, you have another option and this is the advice we were given. Park at the Radisson hotel, have lunch or a coffee there so that it doesn't look like you're there only to park, then take a cab to the lifts. It was a bit far out and the trip to the lifts cost us 500 rupees one way and 400 rupees on the way back, but by then we had had it. Do your research and park at any hotel close to the mall that will let you.

Our lunch at the Radisson took almost two hours and by the time we reached the mall road it was already 4.30 p.m. If it hadn't been so hard to get there we would have enjoyed it so much more. The city is charming with lovely old architecture. The mall road stretch had a mix of the old with the new. Traditional folksy products shops along with the brands you see all over the cities. Sadly, all we got to see was the church and walk down the strand to the post office and it was time to head back to our lovely escape in Naldehra where I promised the owner I would make brownies.



Room with a view

The great part of the holiday was that it only got dark around 8 p.m. so we could enjoy the hills to the max. In winter darkness falls around 5 p.m. and after that it becomes difficult to do much. I suppose that's why it's peak season at this time and seriously crowded.

Back at Jacaranda I got down to making the brownies. The owner Rita very kindly opened her tiny personal kitchen and provided most of the ingredients. Since there was no measuring scale I had to fly blind. Lets say I didn't do too well with that and the result was quite bitter according to me. Was edible though and everyone was quite gracious about it.

There was a family from Chandigarh also staying there and that last evening we decided to have drinks together. Rita joined in and pulled out some cheese, crackers, and sausages. With food, wine and music in the gazebo and rain surrounding us it was a party and a night to remember. A fitting end to the first part of my misty mountain holiday.






Corbett, India

CORBETT

Tiger Dekha?

That's the question everyone asks everyone they meet, strangers in the other vehicle, or the driver and guide. In front of me, it's always been a no. Seriously, has anyone seen a tiger in Corbett? Those who have are truly the chosen ones. This has been my third trip there and still no luck spotting the elusive beast. Guess that's the reason they're listed as endangered animals. Barely 160 of them loitering around a 1300 square kilometer reserve of which you get to travel not even a minute fraction. Good luck finding one. Unfortunately, during peak tourist season, you'll be hard pressed to see any animal. They're too busy avoiding the roar of the engines of the hundreds of Gypsys loaded to the max with loudly chattering people, unless you ambush them by stealth.

Our trip began on Holi day. Left Noida early around 7.30 am because we wanted to try and get to our destination before drunk revellers on bhang and God knows what else hit the roads. To our extreme good fortune it was the perfect day to travel. Holi being a major festival in north India, there was not a bus or truck on the highway and the very occasional car. Reached Moradabad in two hours flat and would have made it to Corbett in three and a half hours, but because of the bad roads before and a bit after Kashipur, we reached in a little under four hours. Our return took six hours, seven with a break for lunch.

Interesting road this. While most of it is four laned up to Moradabad, an ambitious attempt to build flyovers in a couple of small towns flanking the highway have met with setbacks. As a result, the flyovers start up, then end abruptly on top, turning them into ramps that could well be used for flugtag (a competition where home-made flying machines are launched off a pier into the water). Meanwhile, 85 percent of the road has been hogged up by the incomplete structures so on both sides cars have to negotiate all of 4 meters with bullock carts, cyclists, trucks, buses, tractors and pedestrians. You can imagine how smooth this makes the passage on a regular day.

The resort we stayed in was wonderful. Corbett Riverside, set on 21 acres of prime land right on the edge of the river Kosi, had huge lawns, blooming flowers and very well spaced out living areas with some huge rooms and suites. There's a vegetable patch with brinjal, mustard, cabbage, coriander and other vegetables and herbs and an orchard with mango, litchi and chikoo trees among others. Bliss for a country girl at heart like me! Well kept horses roam freely on the expansive lawns.


Outside our window. I've got my eye on you!

Langoors and monkeys shared the same space though usually langoors are used to chase away monkeys. Thankfully none of them came after us for our food. I have horrible memories of school days when vicious monkeys used to terrorise us. I loved my stay at Riverside even though we changed three rooms in four days due to last minute booking on an extremely busy weekend and a mix up on the reservation desk's part (they allotted the same room to two of us). The good part was, we got much better rooms than we paid for because of the goof up!


Chilling on Riverside lawns

Days were spent playing with the children in the mornings, splashing about in the pool, horse riding, lying around in the hammocks and playing badminton (after years I might add). We avoided the river this time. Otherwise, being dry season it could be crossed on foot. In  the evenings after our safaris (jeep and elephant), we would sit by the river drinking tea and eating pakoras and biscuits..one of my favourite times of the day. The staff were extremely helpful and accommodating on every aspect even though they were reeling under the load of almost 90 percent occupancy of extremely demanding guests.

The only weakness would be the restaurant. Since the resort was full, the dining staff just could not cope with the demand especially at breakfast. What with people on holiday, leaving their diet plans behind and just deciding to let go, the food always ran short and there were long waits to get replenishment. Also must say that some people have just no etiquette, manners or consideration. Vegetable cutlets being in high demand one breakfast, were coming out very slowly. After a wait of about 20 minutes, the waiter came out with about six or seven of them. One greedy idiot took the whole lot on his plate not caring that there were about 10 others waiting for a piece. Ah our fellow countrymen. Such sophistication and finesse. And then they waste. Plates and plates of finger chips..,also much sought after and denied to many.. were just left half eaten on the tables and abandoned.

Jackal

The jeep safari, which came complimentary with the hotel package, was quite interesting. As usual because we were so late with the bookings, all permits to the main Jim Corbett park were finished, so we were taken to the other side of the river through the Sitavani forest..it was a very pleasant day having rained the night before, so the open Gypsy, crisp, clean air, wind in our hair was lovely though we ended up frozen in our shorts. We saw deer, jackal, vultures, Siberian ducks, an eagle and other interesting birds. Sadly, no tiger. Our vehicle driver was quite the wit. Brutally honest, he told me to get the tiger out of my head and assured me I wasn't going to see one that day. We passed many other vehicles with tourists and since he knew all the drivers they would slow down or stop and have a chat. On one of these I asked him if those people had seen a tiger (I'm obsessed now). ``Dekhta to shakal mein shining hota. Inke mooh dekho, billi bhi nahin dekha''. These guys look upon us tourists as poor desperate suckers who'll drop any amount of money to spot the orange striper. Sigh, maybe someday....

The elephant safari also provided no luck. After two hours of bumping along through the river and forest, all we saw were two spotted deer, a turtle and carcasses of two cows (probably the closest I got to a tiger, not to mention the stuffed one at the gift shop). The mahout told us that we were his sixth trip that day and no luck for anyone. The ride was great fun and an exciting experience. Though I would advise people with motion sickness to take a pill before getting on because it is rough! Also, make sure you wear tough full length trousers or jeans because the branches and thorns will get to you. I have the scratch marks to prove it.

 








                                                                                                                                                            
One night we drove out more than 25 kilometers past the village of Mohan in the hopes of seeing a tiger. It was pretty spooky driving in the night. Lone car in a forested area with barely any traffic. If you really want to see animals, you have to stop at particular spots and wait patiently. With two small kids in the car, dead of night, hoping we wouldn't bust a tire or get waylaid by bandits or whatever, there was no chance of that happening. With a two or three car convoy I would say it's a must do. If not for anything, just a sense of adventure. This time again we just saw deer.

To be fair, as you approach the forest area there's a big yellow signboard with the disclaimer ``Tigers are one of the many animals in the reserve''. They're basically warning you that you're not likely to see one so be happy with the birds and the prey.

I hope to get lucky somewhere else sometime. Still, I'll keep going back to Corbett to stay at the Riverside for the sheer pleasure of the idyllic place.