Mesmerizing Mukteshwar & Nainital

The options were Chitkul/Kalpa and Mukteshwar/Nainital. As always, the destination was finalized at the eleventh hour. Mukteshwar/Nainital it shall be.

I went home early from office from where Sunil picked me up. Topped up the car with CNG and petrol. Then we picked up Amit from his place. At 12:30 AM, we started the journey.

Day 1

Delhi – Ghaziabad – Moradabad – Rampur – Milak – Bilaspur – Rudrapur – Kathgodam – Bhimtal – Bhowali – Ramgarh - Mukteshwar

News has just broken about Eid ka chaand being spotted, so there was a huge rush on the road with people trying to reach homes and hometowns. We got caught in numerous traffic jams on the highway till Moradabad.

From then on it was a pleasant drive. We followed NH24 till Milak (8km after Rampur) avoiding the Rampur – Bilaspur stretch which has craters the size of Sunny Leone’s ass. The 33 km drive from Milak to Bilaspur is super picturesque – sprawling lush green farms and a narrow but superb road. Just before entering Uttarakhand, it started raining, which continued till Mukteshwar. I took the wheel from Sunil just after Milak – he drives beautifully till there is CNG left in the tank. After that, it’s a little bit scarier than The Evil Dead. Once I let him drive in the hills from Manali. I don’t give second chances.

A couple of kilometers from Kathgodam, you have to turn right for Bhimtal and Mukteshwar. Monsoon was in full flow. There were the ghosts of recent floods in UK in our minds. It was raining continuously. The forecast was for 3 days of heavy rains. I was starting to get scared shitless. Then came the scenery.

We forgot everything about the monsoons, about the landslides, about the floods, about the fears in our hearts, and just soaked ourselves in the beauty. The reasons became clear. This is why I love the mountains more than the sea. Everything changes with a turn on the road. One minute you are in the middle of a super green forest and another minute you are staring at the clouds weaving through the hills and going down a valley.

We reached Mukteshwar at around noon. It’s not a 12 hour drive (Delhi to Mukteshwar is around 340km). The reasons for the delay were the initial traffic jams, the frequent breaks in the hills for gawking at the views and taking photos, and an ATM gobbled up Amit’s 4500 bucks at Bilaspur after deducting the balance of his account, due to power failure. We tried the PWD guest house here but as expected they denied giving us a room. It’s supposed to have the best view of the snow laden mountains. Then we tried the KMVN guest house. They showed us a room with no TV, reeking of moist smell and with a view of a freshly built non-plastered, non-painted wall. We declined. Then we found the Sunrise Inn. The view from the balcony was breathtaking. But that was the only good thing about that inn. Service was slower than India’s GDP rise, TV didn’t work, food was abysmal, and the owner was a brat. We had a spat with him in the night. He was ready to throw us out at midnight. All he wanted was his advance.

Chauli ki Jaali is a 300m trek from the road. It is a natural formation of rocks jutting out from the mountain with spectacular views of the valley below and ranges far away. Clouds made it impossible to view the distant ranges but we weren’t complaining. 

The sky cleared somewhat during sunset and we were blessed with some divine scenery. 

Day 2

Mukteshwar – Ramgarh – Bhowali - Nainital

After the bitter spat with the owner the night before, we left early from the hotel (read 9 AM). 33 km to Bhowali and a further 10 km from there took us to my favorite hill station – Nainital. 

There was a huge rush today. The permanent parking was huge but full. We parked a little distance away from there and went in search of a hotel. I have never stayed in Parshant hotel but the view of the lake was excellent. 

After freshening up, we went for stroll on The Mall, had delicious momos, and went towards the ropeway. It was booked full for the day so we booked next day’s ticket in advance. The hotel had parking facility so we took the car from the public parking and went back to the hotel.

We left the hotel again for boating. But halfway through the Mall it started raining, forcing us to buy umbrellas at double prices. Nevertheless, we hired the boat after the rain subsided. But then again, in the middle of the lake, it started raining again. Clouds and rain engulfing us, the umbrellas open, in the middle of the lake trying desperately for shore – surreal and scary. 

Day 3

Nainital – Kathgodam – Rudrapur – Bilaspur – Milak – Rampur – Moradabad – Ghaziabad - Delhi

Driving away from hills makes me sad and frustrated. Driving away from Nainital makes me sad, frustrated and angry. I drove the 35 km hilly area and gave the wheel to Sunil at Kathgodam. After that I was continuously bitching about his driving skills. It was his character and a mark of our friendship that he took it all in his stride (or may be he’s just thick-skinned). At Rampur, for reasons privy to Uttar Pradesh Police, we were forced to leave the highway and enter the city. After re-entering the highway, the opposite carriageway was closed till Garh Mukteshwar and all the traffic was plying on a single carriageway. This added to our frustration.

We reached Ghaziabad at 9.30 PM, dropped Amit, and then I was dropped at my place 15 minutes later. Half an hour later, I dropped dead in my bed.