Mukteshwar - a great view of the Kumaon Himalayas

 

The rays of the sun illuminate Trishul and Nanda Devi.  I could see peaks to the left and right of this massif.

Maybe it was so destined and I just couldn’t get my breath back, the complete Kumaon range was so clear.  Complete with Badrinath and Kedarnath to the left and Panchacholi to the right before the range went into Nepal. But then I am getting ahead of myself.

Part of the view from my room

When I reached Mukteshwar it was snowing, actually snowing!! The snow would melt as soon as it touched the ground and it was magical. The next morning it was clear but cold, I got my eyes full of the Himalaya. I then realized that the view from Vineet’s Homestay (where I was staying) and the KMVN rest house was the best.

A langur pondering about its next meal?

Mukteshwar is dominated by the Veterinary Institute, I could not go anywhere without encountering some branch of this institute. The Vet Inst and langurs were all pervasive.

A family of Langur monkeys.
Other hill stations are dominated by macaques, (colloquially bunder) but Mukteshwar has predominantly langurs  

 

Madan, my guide, on the many walks i went for

Madan, came at about 10 am and took me for the first of the “jungle walks”. There are a lot of forests around Mukteshwar and so we went on many jungle walks. Though I suspect he was a "guide" for the many tourists that infest the place in season.

Oak forests abound

Large parts of Mukteshwar were built by the British and so the houses were archaic, with chimneys and corrugated tin roofs. In fact, major parts of Mukteshwar were made by them, though now “modernization” is creeping in. 

Sunset silhouettes the western part of the range 

I could never get enough of the view of the mountain range, whenever it was clear I would go out and look at the peaks. Though a clear view of the peaks meant strong winds and often  inclement weather. Mostly the clouds would rise and by midday obscure the view or make the range hazy. 

Bhaalugaad Waterfall

On two days I did the touristy thing, one day hiring a car and driving to the Bhaalugaad Waterfalls, a major tourist draw in season judging by the cafes and "adventure" activities along the route. Being mostly bereft of tourists at this time, very early and "out of season", I had the waterfall to mainly to myself.  It is a nice place when alone.

Mukteshwar Post Office

Post offices did thriving business in the days that people wrote letters and actually mailed them, now speed post and other schemes have taken over. This post office was made in 1905, I wonder what stories the walls could tell?

A Methodist Church I found along the way

On the second day I walked (with my guide of course), about 15 kms, going to Chauli Ki Jali, Mukteshwar temple and ending at the “organic goat farm” (whatever that is), on the way back we took a small diversion to see a Methodist Church. And yes...they do need donations for the roof...

Sunrise over Trishul with clouds about to obscure the peak

I was walking every day that the weather permitted which was almost five days of the week I was there. When the Great Indian Tourist is not there, making it "a home away from home" it is an achingly beautiful place.

Parvati Valley - snow clad mountains and smoke

The Parvati Valley
Is one of the lesser known valleys near Kullu, however at the beginning there are prominent places like the hot water springs at Manikaran and Kasol, a smoky destination for the Great Indian Tourist.  The areas served by a road are perpetually full of tourists seeking easy reach and harder stuff.  On the other hand the places where one has to walk to are beautifully calm and isolated. 

A sketch of the Valley
A schematic sketch shows the Burshaini bowl, the road goes upto Tosh whereas the other villages are on foot tracks. If one wants solitude, then walk...  There is a large dam being constructed across the Parvati river at Burshaini, I wonder how this will affect the ecology when this is completed. 

Khalga under snow
I found just the village - Khalga which was off the beaten track. Early March offers a very different experience, it had snowed a day prior to my arrival and a carpet of white covered everything. It was cold, most often bitterly so, and some of the treks I did were in knee deep snow or ice. The head of the Parvati Valley is in a bowl surrounded by snow capped mountains. The bowl has Burshaini and Tosh, both served by roads; and Khalga, Pulga and Tulga, three villages on the mountainside are reached walking.

Every house a homestay or 'guest house'
This seems one of the main sources of income for local people.  In anticipation of the impending season, hectic work was on to clean, refresh or add a room or two to each home stay. The whine of power tools often pierced the tranquillity. A homestay can be a single room with a toilet outside in the snow, toilet down the corridor or an en suite toilet.  The rates for each varied as per the location and conveniences offered.  In the smaller places, like Khalga where I was staying expect to pay about Rs 500 for a very comfortable room and a toilet down the corridor. Homestay owners can get friendly and offer services far beyond what one pays for, and at many locations I saw long term associations where guests kept coming back year after year.

Fickle weather and Fresh Snow
It had snowed heavily just before I arrived and on the drive up the hillside was covered in snow. The weather was as fickle as the people were friendly. Of the six days I was there it rained or snowed on three. Generally the pattern was clear, bright, sunny mornings and wet evenings. The clouds would rise by mid afternoon and rain/snow by evening.

 

Cafes Everywhere
The season heralds a flurry of activity in preparing cafes, every trail, be it snow bound or the back of beyond, has a cafe. these are ubiquitous huts of wooden skeletons covered in brilliantly covered plastic; these served the mountain cafe staple of 'magi noodles', omelettes, chips and chai. A menu I have seen almost wherever I have trekked in the mountains. The food here and in homestays is basic but very tasty. In my homestay I made a deal with the host to provide me local food for lunch and dinner.  The menu usually was rajma-chawal, puri-sabji, dal-chappati, with egg bhurji thrown in sometimes to add flavour. Here we see a husband and wife carrying chairs and mattresses to their cafe and the Sun Flower cafe at the start of the Kheerganga climb. Many cafes offer more than food and drink.

Walking in the snow
In the mountains it is wise to spend the first day just getting used to the altitude, walking in the snow and braving the cold. It may not be high altitude, but from sea level (Mumbai) to 3000m in about 24 hours needs reasonable precautions. It had snowed heavily the day before my arrival, and the landscape was shrouded in snow.  The sun is far sharper at this altitude and the reflection from the snow adds to this. I took a guide who knew where to go and the alignment of paths; sometimes ponds and streams are covered in snow and the unwary hiker can end up having a swim at -5°C. 

Icicles on the rocks
It was cold in March, early morning temperature dipping to -5°C or colder.   Each morning when I went out for a walk, the frost would crunch underfoot and the puddles were frozen over. It is important to dress in layers as per dictates of the weather, on any given day I would start out bundled in my warmest wear, gradually removing layer by layer till I was in a single warm T-shirt at midday.  As evening approached I would be in rain gear and clad in my warmest again. The icicles on the way made interesting patterns on the rocks.

Track to the Waterfall
...and on to Kheerganga. There are two routes to Kheerganga, one Khalga-Waterfall-Cafe and Kheerganga and the other Dam-Nagthan village-Rudra Nag Temple-Bridge and on to Kheerganga. I did  not go to Kheerganga as due to the fresh snow and ice, the route was very slippery and I feel, dangerous. So I walked to cafe by one route and returned by another, a hike of about 12 km. The route to the waterfall was snow and ice covered, and the waterfall was frozen, with beautiful icicles suspended from the rocks around. 

Waterfall at Rudra Nag Temple.
I took the Rudra Nag- Nagthan way back from Cafe.  From the cafe the path drops down steeply to the bridge on the Parvati river, a slippery and icy track and shortly thereafter is the Rudra Nag temple with a gushing waterfall nearby. This side of the valley has much less snow and ice, probably due to the increased exposure to the sun.  This is also possibly the reason that it has more population. 

Children playing at a bonfire at Nagthan
This is a large village on my route back, this route has more ascent and descent than the route out. I had to descend twice to the river and climb up again.  Whereas the route from Khalga was more or less along the same height and more scenic. 

Lady soaking in the sun at Nagthan
as soon as the sun went low, it became cold and everywhere I saw people soaking in the warmth of the last few rays. Nagthan too had its share of homestays, most very basic. If one is to go to Kheerganga it might make sense to stay here the first night.

Mountains around Tosh

Tosh is served by a road and much more on the beaten track. It is a popular weekend destination for young kids from Delhi and Chandigarh, hence it is more touristy, more expensive and does not have much solitude. Booming trance music and smoke emanate from most homestays. It is also the start for the four or five hour Kutla trek, I am told that the high altitude Kutla meadows are tranquil and beautiful, alas I got to know too late and did not go.

Main street Tosh
the melting snow made most paths slushy and wet, particularly if a herd of sheep or cattle had used it. There was mud everywhere and sometimes ankle deep. The village paths everywhere were veritable streams and it was important to have water resistant boots  and carry a spare set of socks all the time.

Snow, solitude and bare trees
March in the Valley is beautiful, the Great indian Tourist is yet to descend in hordes, there is a lovely biting nip in the air, there is solitude to be found off the beaten track and the people are not so busy yet and have the time to be friendly.  Bare plum, apricot and apple trees strech their arms out to snow covered mountains over which huge Griffon and Golden eagles soar effortlessly.  

Meghalaya - a Sojourn in the Clouds

The abode of the clouds, so aptly named.  Do not go to Meghalaya with a plan for a hectic ‘been there done that’ kind of schedule crammed with plans for sight seeing.  This is a state which you have to just soak in ( pun intended); rambling through verdant hills, waterfalls and lakes.  The beauty here is a vivid green kaleidoscope of forested hills, water and clouds.

One can arrive at Guwahati by train or plane and then motor up to Shillong, the capital of the state.  This town used to be the capital of Assam in the old days and the layout and buildings are still redolent of the Raj. Using Shillong as a base one should motor around the state as far afield as one desires.  There is plenty of accommodation in Shillong ranging from the budget friendly to the exotic and expensive.

The three hour drive up from Guwahati is a precursor of scenes to come, lush green rain forests, and quaint villages with huts that have woven bamboo walls. It is sad though also to see the number of land slides along the way, possibly caused by deforestation. In winter this far East, the sun sets very early, when we went in November by 4.30 pm it was dark, so if you go in the afternoon, much of the beauty is lost in the darkness, to truly enjoy this lovely drive start early.

Spend a day or two in and around Shillong. There’s the Don Bosco museum and the Butterfly Museum (a privately owned collection),Wards Lake is a nice spot for a stroll. The Police Bazaar is the socially happening place, stroll around and watch a delightfully eclectic fusion of ethnic and west both in music and in dress. Watch the sunset from the Shillong Peak, a view point at the Air Force station, go early as it is a 40 minute drive and there is a crowd to have passes made. Going early also allows time for spectacular panoramic views of Shillong.

Spend a day on and around Lake Umiam, 20 kms from Shillong, this vast lake offers a truly serene experience. There is a facility for water sports, but I recommend you find the slowest boat possible and soak in the ambience.  On an island in the lake there is a hotel and house boat, it appears to be the ideal ‘get away from it all’ spot. Many hotels line the shores of the lake, all very scenically located.  We found the Ri Kynjai to be spectacular, both in the views it offered and the entire interiors done in local crafts, primarily cane and bamboo.

The hotel buildings have been inspired by the local Khasi architecture. Have lunch here, it is worth every penny of a slightly up market meal. For a bit of culinary adventure, try the Khasi food.

Every one has heard about Cherapunjee, the wettest place on earth; just that we somehow landed up there in its driest month!  Locally known as Sohra, it is a scenic three hour drive to reach there. The terrain and vegetation varies sharply depending on the rainfall patterns.  One passes thickly vegetated hills and valleys as well as starkly barren and flat plains in a seemingly random pattern. Do carry lunch as facilities are few and far between. In Cherapunjee there are many view points from where to see the cloud veiled cliffs which drop sharply down into Bangla Desh. 

The best view is from Thangkharang Park where a walk around the rim of the cliff affords magnificent views. In the rainy months the water falls here would be breathtaking, the dry months are Jan, Feb, Nov and Dec. The limestone formations inside Mawsmai cave merit a visit, though not for the claustrophobic; carry a torch though. 

Green and serenity is the theme of a visit to Meghalaya, enjoy the ambience, flora and calm of one of the least troubled of the North Eastern States.

Glimpses of Dharamkot - a photo blog

Blue Whistling Thrush ......

.....greeting a new  day

An iced caterpillar

a juvenile flycatcher contemplates the end of the day

Trapped!
A hungry female beetle trapped in the slime of a slug

Every cloud has a golden lining

a Grey Bushchat female peeks at us coyly......

.....now she gets bolder

a male Grey Bushchat greets the dawn.....

.....looking for an early worm

Reaching out to the sky

....even slugs make out

a Streaked Laughing Thrush flirts among the rocks

A golden end to another day