Uttaranchal, November 2007... Nainital, Kausani, Binsar

In  2007 , the husband  suggested a winter vacation destination... Nainital and places around it - Ranikhet , Ramgadh - Mukteshwar , Kausani and Jim Corbett.

Of these , I hadn't heard about Ramgadh-Mukteshwar and Kausani.  Kausani, I confused,  with Kasauli.

Ramgadh- Mukteshwar and Kausani were locations from where we could have a breathtaking  view of the Himalayan range, starting with the peak of  Trishul and ending with Panchachuli.

Mid  November saw us take a  flight to Delhi and  an overnight train  to Kathgodam.  Nainital is about 40 kms away froom Kathgodam

Alighting at Kathgodam, in  the very early hour of  a winter morning...the chill,  the mountains, the quaint railway station.. beautiful !!

Nainital is like any other hill station,  a pretty town. The  lake, the promenade, the people walking past you , wrapped in woolen, the colourful little stores.

Nainital has its share of must see destinations and attractions- the 'points', the governor's bungalow, , the temple, a zoo - the attraction being the rope way access to it and the white tiger.  The 'points' can be given a miss.

I am always on the look out for local handmade products/handicrafts when travelling.  Nainital has its candles.  Candles shaped like fruits, candles embellished with dried flowers.

Nainital also has a huge fruit market  on its outskirts,  a sort of a wholesale fruit traders market. Do indulge!

While in Nainital, we happened to visit a Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam office where they insisted we add Binsar to our itinerary, along wth Baijnath and Bageshwar… “Kausani se Trishul, Binsar se Nanda Devi aur Munysari se Panchachuli ka nazara dekhte hee banta hai. Bahut kareeb nazar aatey hain”, they said. Jageshwar, Patal Bhuvaneshar, Choukori and Munsyari were must-see destinations too. . We had only planned for a 10 day holiday and we could not pack in so much , in our schedule.

Eventually we ended up visiting Nainital, Ranikhet, Ramgadh Mukteshwar, Almora, Binsar, Kausani , Baijnath and Bageshwar. Jageshwar, Patal Buvanehswar, Choukori and Munsyari.. we bookmarked them for another vacation, another time.

Ramgarh Mukteshwar...

Ramgarh was the place  from where we got  our first good view of the Himalayan range.  From here one can spot the  Trishul,  Nanda ghunti and the Panchachuli peaks  at  a distance in the horizon.

The 'must visit' destinations  in Uttaranchal are Kausani for  a spectacular  view of the Trishul.. Binsar for Nandaghunti and Munsyari for Panchachuli.

Mukteshwar is one of those idyllic villages that you hear of.  The Tudor style houses, with their sturdy stone chimneys ..the pines, the firs.  It sort of  recreates a Grimm fairytale set up

Ramgarh Mukteshwar Almora and Ranikhet  are easily covered in a day. Ranikhet is another pristinely beautiful location.  The town  is a military cantt.  'Must visit' places here include the Jhula devi  temple and a 'must do' activity is a leisurely drive through the town.  Stop where you want to, step out, stretch out on the grass...Life is beautiful !

One afternoon,  we started for Kausani via Almora.  .

When in Almora do not forget to try the Bal mithai,  a sort of a barfi covered with tiny balls of hardened sugar syrup.  Also available is a sweetmeat called toffee.  Both, the  bal mithai and the  toffee are highly recommended treats.

Uttaranchal has it's typical metal kitchenware, mostly copper.  Almora is a good place to look for them if interested.

Also, the Uday Shankar Dance Academy is in Almora.

The KMVN resort at Kausani,  offers independent 2 room cottages as an accommodation option. The resort is well maintained and the rooms are equipped  with room heaters..    Stepping out of the cottage,  right ahead is the Himalayan range with the Trishul  in prominence.

Soon it was evening and we geared ourselves to watch  nature  unfold her spectacle.

The sunset... From where we were, the sun wasn't visible.  but the setting sun cast a golden orange shadow on the snow white mountains.   It was as if  the range was on fire.. the mountains - a pile of burning embers.  It was an exquisite sight. Ethereal

In the glow of the sunset and of the sunrise the next morning, the 'trishul' outlined on the peak is clearly visible. The name is justified.

 

 

The KMVN resort staff offer to  arrange for  a bonfire outside your cottage at an extra cost.  Later, in the chill of the night, it was more than a welcome option.

From Kausani, the next day we drove to Baijnath, Bageshwar and then Binsar.

The winter of November of 2007…. the weather was simply perfect for a clear viewing of the Himalayan range from Uttarakhand. Winter is the best time to visit Kausani, Binsar and Panchachuli.   The skies are clear.  In the summer months, condensation creates clouds in the sky ..the clouds sometimes simply shroud the peaks

We reached Binsar around lunch time.  The KMVN  resort at Binsar is located inside a forest.  There is no electricity.The generator is switched on in the evening from 7 to 9pm. The KMVN office had mentioned this to us, and had made it sound thrilling too. “Yeh anokha anubhav bhi kar lijiye”, they had suggested.

Binsar was beautiful.  As mentioned by them, the view was breathtaking. The sunset, even more so. .But when the sun set around 5.00 pm, one is left shivering. No light, no heat – it was a painfully bad experience.

KMVN offers  excellent accommodation options at all these places.  Binsar had one too.  Just one catch though.  The resort is located in a forest and is devoid of electricity.  It operates on generator from 7 pm to 9 pm .  After 9 pm, one  is in the dark - literally !

"Yeh anokha anubhav bhi kar lijiye ", the KMVN staff at Nainital had   insisted.

The rooms.

We were in Binsar in November.  It was cold. The Binsar KMVN resort has rooms on two levels.  the lower level is more like a basement level.  The rooms are huge with an even bigger bathroom.

The rooms on the upper level have wood paneled walls,  wooden panels mounted  on the brick and cement wall. That much more insulation against the cold nights.

The resort has a huge terrace.   And from here one gets an unobstructed, uninterrupted view of the same Himalayan range.   The Nanda ghunti is right ahead ...staring at you. The peak really looks as if a face has been carved into it.  There are the many  little dark mountain ranges between the Binsar resort and the range...but they are simply dwarfed.  Nandaghunti rises, in all majesty

The evening hour approached as did the sunset..The terrace buzzed with activity.  Cameras were set up. Chairs were drawn. and soon there was pin drop silence. The sunset, a repeat of the sunset of the one at Kausani.  Breathtakingly beautiful.  The crowd on the terrace was drinking in the sight, in pin drop  silence, according the moment its due respect.

The last traces of the gold on the peaks disappeared and they lay there, bare,  again.  White.. a bluish white.  The chill set in. A first lesson mankind learnt is that the sun brings warmth.  The truth of this statement is proved so very right here in Binsar

We move into the resort.  It is cold inside.  There is no power.  The mugs of piping hot tea and the hot chocolate are more than welcome.

Soon it is 7 pm and the whirr of the generators is heard.  The lights in the resort and in our rooms are  glowing and our faces light up too

The staff urges everybody to have dinner before 9 pm which is when the generators are turned off.

Candles are handed out and flasks of hot  water are placed in all rooms. The staff is generous when handing out warm woolen blankets. The thermals, as they call them are light in weight and  great in warmth.

It's 9 pm and  torturous times await us.  The lights go off.  We had underestimated the warmth that a regular 40 watt bulb could provide. The chill sets in, almost immediately.    It is really very cold.   The sweaters, the body warmers, caps, gloves, socks, none of these help soothe us. The candles are lit.. a sip of very warm water.. and we snuggle into bed. The kids are excited at first. We huddle together while we play rounds of 'family' Uno.  But it is unpleasantly cold..and everybody is soon very restless and irritated. . Sleep evades us.  The candle stick melts away darkening the room, bringing shivers to the bone. Each time a candle extinguishes, the temperature in the room dips.

The night passes looking at the clock which ticks audibly but moves painfully slow and in lighting candles every few minutes. There remains  the added fear -  the room has wood on the walls.

It was one long night.

The winters in Uttarakhand are cold. To the average Mumbaikar, it is unpleasantly cold. Like all govt resorts, KMVN resorts too have enviable locations. But at least in Binsar, it would be prudent to stay elsewhere, where there is electricity and generator back- up.  Especially if one  happens to be there in winter.  There are other accommodation options available at Binsar outside the forest area. 

  Mahindra, was one of them. These resorts have electricity and thus offer room heating options.   As for the sunset and sunrise, there is the zero point.. a vantage point from where one could view the sunset and the sunrise.

Binsar was beautiful  As mentioned by the tourist office, the view was beautiful. The sunset, even more so.  But the late evenings,   with no light, no heat – it was a painfully bad experience.

That apart, I think it was this trip which got us hooked to the Himalayas. A sight of a snow peaked mountain range.however far in the horizon , still generates  a  huge excitement.

So this year, when it was time to plan a vacation..MUNSYARI was the common consensus.

It was the month of May. We knew we were really taking a chance.. the clouds could  affect visibility. We  would not be able to see the Panchachuli 'on fire',  in the evening hours. Yet we zeroed in on Munsyari.   "Ek baar dekh toh lein... we could always come back."

And what a trip it was... we are definitely coming back again