Mussoorie, Dhanaulti, Rishikesh & Haridwar Trip in 8 days.
Travel slow
When you have a lot of free time and don’t travel harshly, you feel you are not traveling right. but it’s good to travel light sometimes, soak in the place and relax your soul. Revisit how you have been feeling lately.
Sept 15 – Sept 17 | Mussoorie: –
Mussoorie is 7500 sqft above sea level, Queen of the hills & land of Ruskin bond. We landed at Dehradun airport and hired a cab straight to Jharipani Castle, our stay at Mussoorie. Outside the airport, there were pre-paid cabs which you can book on the spot. It was late evening, and everything was quite hazy. The driver took a short route which was like circles around the mountains and chills down the spine.
Day 1:
Stay away from hustle and bustle – If you want a peaceful stay away from the Mall road crowd, I suggest staying at the Jharipani castle, approx. 7 km away from Mussoorie Mall road. A hotel with breath-taking views, wooden interiors, and hospitality in terms of food & other amenities at its best.
Landour is a must-visit – We hired a taxi from Jharipani castle to Lal Tibba, the highest peak of Mussoorie. We walked downwards from there to Sister Bazaar and then a halt at the Landour Bakehouse, a very charming bakery with its English feels. As we were heading to Char Dukan, it suddenly started raining. We made our way inside a church close by, waiting for the rains to subside. The pleasant earthy smell and the trees dancing to the tunes of heavy rains had no signs of stopping. We rushed to Char Dukan to savor the Veg Momo, Maggi, and Tomato soup. Just as we were finishing, I overheard a girl talking about Ruskin Bond’s house which was nearby. We shopped an umbrella and made our way to his house. Steep slopes and incessant rain made it difficult for us to walk, so we took a stop at Domos Inn to sip a cup of Masala tea and dry ourselves. Finally, we made our way to Ruskin Bond’s home. We knocked at the door with eager eyes to see him. A domestic help opened the door and we were disappointed when we heard that he is going to Calcutta late night and will not be able to meet anyone. After pleading numerous times, we made our way to Mall Road.
Explore Mussoorie market – We took a halt at Café de Tavern at the Mall Road, to cheer our drenched souls and body. Dindori Sula white wine with Baghdadi sandwich and Kandi valley salad was an absolute delight. Still blinded by our childhood love for Ruskin Bond, we headed to the Cambridge bookstore in hopes that being a Saturday, he might come to visit his readers. Similar response from the bookstore manager was that as he is leaving for Calcutta tonight and hence, he would be not visiting the bookstore, which he does every Saturday. Seeing our dismay, the manager advised us that we can get our favorite books autographed and couriered to our places with minimal extra cost. Agreeing immediately to the offer, we choose “A book of Simple Living” and “Lone Fox Dancing”. We then ended our market visit with a sip of hot chocolate, red velvet cake, and assorted chocolates at Chick Chocolate.
