Living the Madrid-ian life

In 2020, I spent a few weeks in Madrid during fall when the pandemic had slowed down a bit but most places around were still closed. The main reason to go to Madrid was just to get out of London for a change, so even though I did not get a chance to explore Madrid a lot, it was ok. I still got to see how it would be like living in Madrid and I enjoyed it totally.

Funnily enough, Madrid was shutdown, and travel to and from the city was not allowed, other than flying in! The flight there was an interesting experience for me too as I was flying for the first time since the lockdown and had to kind of re-learn it all. Some things were the same, but a lot had changed too.

The airport had more people than I expected, though there were boards everywhere telling people to be careful. In the airline lounges, only table service was allowed. So one could order food to eat on the table using the app. It actually felt quite luxurious rather than inconvenient. Also I had reached the airport 2 hours before the flight as I wasn't sure how many checks there were. That was something that hadn't happened for a long time. But turned out, I didn't really need to come in so early. Also, the flight turned out to be quite empty, with everyone sitting at a distance from each other (at least that used to be the case in fall 2020, it's changed ever since).

Autumn in Retiro

The views from the air felt very refreshing and almost freeing. After so long. And then I was in Madrid, where I spent the next 3 weeks. It was already getting cold and rainy as it was October, but we had some really sunny warm days too which were a welcome relief. It was a relaxed and comfortable stay for me. Most of the days, I went out for a daily walk to the areas around and just experienced how living in the city would be like.


Museums

The only touristy thing I could do was to visit some of the museums in the city. You could visit them only if you made a booking in advance. And given my new-found love for painting, it was the perfect activity for me 😊. There are many famous museums in Madrid, and I visited 4 of them - Thyssen Bornemisza, Reina Sofia, Sorolla and Prado. The Velazquez Palace, Crystal Palace and MAN museums are also worth a visit but I couldn't get to them.

Each of these museums had some evenings when they were free to visit, and I mostly booked my trips during those times. Because of the pandemic, they were all less crowded than usual and that gave me more time and space to enjoy them at my own pace. They all turned out to be quite different from each other too and that made it all more enjoyable.

Thyssen Bornemisza: The museum has paintings from the personal collection of the Thyssen family and it was my favourite of the lot. It housed paintings from medieval times to the modern ages. Given it was a personal collection, it had a wide variety of pieces, and was a nice way to see how art has evolved over the centuries. My blog on it is here.

Sorolla: This is the private house of the painter Sorolla which has been converted into a museum, full of his own paintings. It was a nice small house with a beautiful garden. And the paintings were just my type - bright and happy. My blog on it is here.

Outside Prado museum

Prado: I have visited Prado earlier but on this visit, I was able to explore only a part of the museum with limited paintings, as only one floor was open to visitors due to the pandemic. The museum is huge and has a lot of impressive art collected by Spain over the years. It also has the Botanico garden nearby which was full of autumn colours and nice to walk through.

Reina Sofia: This was my least favourite museums of the lot as it was a modern art museum. It is famous for its Dalis and Picasso's Guernica. And I liked a few of them, but for the most part it was too abstract for me. Walking to this museum was fun though. It seems like it is in the older part of town, and the streets around it were very pretty - old style cobbled lanes, with wooden grill windows and some very cute small bars and cafes all around. I wanted to come back there later someday, on the next visit. My blog on the museum is here.


Parks in Madrid

Autumn in Retiro

Retiro Park: We spent one of the sunny weekend days in the Retiro Park (Hyde Park of Madrid) and it was gorgeous. As it was fall, there were a few autumn colours and it looked extremely charming. With its yellow and orange tree lined avenues. There was a large lake in the centre but we stayed away as it was too crowded (Which by the way got completely empty during lunch and siesta time!). 

Lake in Retiro park

There is also the Crystal Gallery and Velazquez Palace within the park which houses an art collection and some sculptures. We however just walked around enjoying the views of the red and yellow leaves on the trees and taking in the beauty of nature all around, as it was a rare sunny day after a few cloudy and rainy ones.

Berlin Park

Parque de Berlin: One of the days, we walked to another nearby park, the Berlin Park. It was a usual park but near one of the fountains, they have remnants of the Berlin Wall - a few huge parts of it that were brought here when the wall fell. It was quite an interesting sight to see, especially at night with the twinkling lights coming on.


Shopping areas

Central Madrid

I spent a lot of time walking through Central Madrid when visiting the museums, and ambling through some of the shopping areas like Serrano street, Paseo del Prado, Paseo de Recoletos and the Colon area. There were tons of shops there, open air cafes and people enjoying a nice day out. 

 

Central Madrid

All the museums were along on these streets, one after the other. It was always fun to walk here, up and down (as Madrid seems like a hilly city), through wide boulevards with grand buildings on both sides, churches, monuments and other things to do. Sometimes you would run into random art structures on the sides, sometimes into benches to stop and stare, sometimes through grand architectural marvels and so on. It was a fun experience by itself and I always found something new to admire everytime.


Impressions of Madrid

Madrid from the top

I was staying in the Chamartin area and we had a rooftop apartment, so we enjoyed the views from the top everyday. On some clear days, we could even see the mountains at a distance and the small villages on top of them, which were lovely.

The area we were living in felt very modern and there were loads of new apartments (unlike many other European capitals), with some really stylish ones too. Some streets had some huge bungalows, all in different shapes and sizes. It was all very cosy and pretty, especially when walking along the small streets. There was a very fresh and open feel to the city everywhere, especially after the rains. The roads were wide and lined with green (and then yellow) trees. But there weren't a lot of parks around, which I missed a bit.

Streets of Madrid

I went a few times to the local Chamartin Market, which had lot of fish and fruits and meat. It was a small place and everyone in the market knew everyone. It was like coming into a small little town. We ate outside a few times too and terraces were most popular given the corona rules. They were covered though as it was already quite cold.

Everyone wore a mask when outside, which I found quite impressive. It was nice to interact with the locals too. And even though not everyone spoke English, people did try to speak in English and were extremely warm and friendly. I really liked that. Overall, I enjoyed my time there exploring the city and its museums. And almost feel like I know the city.

Even though it was all shut down, a friend did send me a long list of things to do, so here are a few from the list in case its helpful (and things are open!)

• Puerta de Alcalá
• Plaza Mayor
• Royal Palace
• Crystal Palace at Retiro Park (and the rest of the park is cool too, but it's a park...)
• Circulo de Bellas Artes
• Temple of Debod by sunset
• Stroll in Gran Vía. Start at Plaza Cibeles and go up and down till Plaza de España
• Walk around Justicia neighborhood
• Local Markets: Vallehermoso, San Gines (near Prado)
• Breakfast at San Ginés (churros with chocolate)
• Tortilla at Juana la Loca or Casa Dani (located inside Mercado de la Paz)
• Lunch at Ten con Ten - book a table or on the bar
• Dinner at Casa Lucio (ask for the eggs)
• Drinks at the City Hall's terrace

Some weekend getaways from Delhi

Tijara fort, palace and hotel

This year I spent a few months early in the year in Delhi. Things were improving on the pandemic front but they were not safe yet. So we ended up doing a few day trips to outdoor places where the risk was lower. And surprisingly, we discovered more than a few gorgeous lakes and palaces we hadn't been to yet which was quite a pleasant surprise. Here are a few of those:

• Damdama lake and Lost lake
• Hidden lake
• Safdarjung Tomb
• Sunder Nursery
• Tijara Fort-palace hotel
• Neemrana Fort-palace hotel
• Chandigarh

Damdama lake and Lost lake

Way to Damdama lake

This was our first day trip out of home after a very long lockdown. I had heard a few times about the Damdama lake before and finally we got a chance to visit it. The drive there was quite quick, about an hour or so from home, and through villages which felt so far from Delhi. But the lake turned out to be a bit of a downer. It was quite dry, with just a little bit of water in the centre. We walked all around it, where there were some of the Damdama village houses plus some farmlands where there were some plantations. The vegetation was dry all around except in the farms. 

There were some local fair rides and boat rides available for the lake but it felt too small to do that. So we didn't do those. There was a government tourist resort located right on the lake which had a few rooms and a restaurant. The restaurant wasn't working yet. There were some green grounds around too, so we just sat outside under the trees and had our lunch, enjoying the sounds of the birds and the openness around. 

After that, we drove to the Lost lake which was a bit tough to get to as there was no marked or clear google maps road to get to it. We could see it on Google maps and then kind of had to figure out a way to get there. We drove through a small village where our car got stuck in the sand for a few minutes! (There is a walking path from Damdama too, to get to the Lost lake but as we had a car, we didn't take that route)

The lost lake

The road was also almost missing, so we had to drive the car through the gaps in the ridge forest, through small ravines in the ground. It was a bit of an adventure ride, but somehow we made it there. The lake was a small one, surrounded by the ridge forest all around. There was no one there at that time. It was a pretty place and with the dusk lighting, looked even better. Just the dry vegetation all around on all the hills. We stopped for some time there before heading out before it got too dark. I realised that it would be more fun to trek up here than drive. Will keep it in mind for the future, as I can see myself visiting it again.


Hidden lake

Morning at Hidden lake

Apparently there are a lot of lakes in the Ridge forest, most of which I have never been to. So one of the other mornings, we went 'trekking' to another one, the hidden lake this time, near the village of Mangar. We walked about 30 minutes through the forests, up and down some small hills, making our way through all the dry vegetation to reach this lake which was picturesque in its own way. There was no one around and it was a nice calm way to spend a Delhi winter morning. The hike felt a bit too easy though.

Hidden lake

After a short stay there, we stopped at a hotel nearby - The Lalit Mangar to have breakfast. It felt like a nice place to come to for a staycation in Delhi. We had a nice long breakfast and soon I was back home to start work. After this walk, I was quite surprised by how there were so many interesting places nearby (albeit small-ish) which I didn't even know of before.


Safdarjung Tomb

Safdarjung fountains

One of the days, I was able to visit the Safdarjung tomb in Delhi, for the first time. It is quite a surprise given I have been in an around Delhi since 1997! Anyways on a nice sunny winter day and we spent some time exploring the area around. The tomb is a huge gorgeous monument built in typical Mughal style. With the red sandstone, the domes and minarets, the grand symmetry, it reminds one of all the other Mughal buildings of the era. And as expected, it is surrounded by a huge park, with the long rows of fountains and water on each side. 

Safdarjung fort

Safdarjung was a king of Oudh and a minister to one of the kings. He was apparently so powerful that he was able to construct such a huge tomb for himself, paying for it out of his personal wealth. But he had got so powerful that he wasn't allowed in the city while he was alive. This building is very similar to Humayun's Tomb (which I have not been able to visit yet!), but apparently is more flawed than that one. But of course, my eye couldn't see its flaws 😊.


Sunder nursery

Intricate ceiling carvings
 of Sunder Burj

I had heard about Sunder nursery quite often when in Delhi and I was very curious to see what it really was. So another winter morning, we went there to spend an afternoon in the park. It is a huge arboretum in old Delhi which has been opened relatively recently. It is owned by a private foundation which over the last 10 years has been trying to conserve the monuments as well as the parks in this area. 

There are about a dozen or so old buildings from Mughal times which had fallen into disrepair and now have been restored, for Delhites to come and enjoy. And the gardens around are well maintained to spend time, especially during winter. 

Sunder nursery

We walked around a few of the buildings and the Sunderwala Burj was the most impressive. The highly detailed workmanship on the ceiling was quite impressive. The gardens have also been landscaped with a lot of effort and look refreshing. There were loads of playgrounds for children, a few small ponds and canals to provide some coolness, a local farmers market for shopping and a few eating places, all making it a fun place to spend some time. We ate at the Fabcafe by the lake (Fabindia's cafe) within the nursery which has an impressive (though vegan) menu. Even though it was winter, it soon got hot and we ditched visiting Humayun's Tomb (again!). But I enjoyed the day out and can see myself visiting it again too. 


Tijara Fort-palace hotel

Tijara fort is one of three forts near Delhi which have been converted into hotels by Neemrana group of hotels. Surprisingly I did not even know about it till we decided to go there, and I loved the experience.

Fields on the way to Tijara

We left Gurgaon early morning and had planned for lunch at the fort, spending the day enjoying the warm Delhi winter sun and just exploring it. The fort is a 3-4 hours drive from Gurgaon, partly along the Gurgaon Jaipur highway and the rest through country roads. On the highway, the fastag wasn't working at the tolls and we saw a guy manually charging the fastags 😂 (so much for digitisation). From the highway, we took a turn at Daruheda and then the road was not as great as the highway. 

First look at Tijara fort

This hotel is located near the village of Tijara and we drove through some small villages on the way. It felt like a completely different world, driving through sarson khet and small town roads. I was again struck by the colourful clothes of women everywhere. And then we came by the fort on top of a small desert hill, in the middle of nowhere. From the bottom of the hill, it is still a 2km drive through a completely non existent road to get to the fort. And once on top, it is a completely different place.

Lunch location

The fort is on top of a cliff and made up of 3 separate parts (the reception and two rooms sections, one of which is called mardana section), a central dining and a whole side full of balconies and walkways. Each section is currently at a different phase of restoration. In fact the hotel was opened only in 2016 and is still being renovated. We spent some time exploring it all and loved it. The main reception building has the lunch place which overlooks the fields below with tractors, the village and faraway hills. And it was breathtaking. The food buffet was yum and the service excellent. It also has the hawa mahal which is a very well aired floor and a good place to spend some time.

The rooms

View from Hawa Mahal

Inside the hotel sections

The first section has half of the rooms and has mostly been renovated. There is lot of greenery around and there are lot of open spaces to sit on every floor. Each of the rooms has a name of its own, a mahal in its own right. Also the views from the top are stunning. 

Mardana mahal

The other rooms section, Mardana mahal, is still being completed. It has a huge courtyard in the centre, and has some good artwork and paintings all around. This is also the place where the evening tea is served every evening. We sat around the gardens for some time enjoying the calmness and the views around. We also took loads of photos as it was so gorgeous anywhere you looked. We hadnt realised earlier but it took us the whole day to just walk around all the areas in the fort.

Birds eye view

This whole fort-palace has been painstakingly redeveloped over the years and you can see remnants from the time when it was derelict. Some people's names are still written all over the walls. And there are photos from the time when it was bought to be developed. I really liked this place as it was like an oasis in the desert, a heaven away from everything. It is a place worth spending some time at.


Neemrana Fort-palace hotel

Neemrana palace isn't an unknown place but somehow we never managed to go there as it was always too close to Delhi to go to. But for this pandemic time, it was perfect. We did a day trip to the hotel, leaving early in the morning and were back by sunset, spending the day and lunch within the palace complex.

The fort-palace is located on a hill near the village of Neemrana, in Rajasthan. The drive is a bit long, about 2-3 hours and depending on traffic could get ever longer. The whole drive is on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, and when you come to the village, you just take a right and go through the village go up to the fort.

View of Neemrana village

Firstly, the village felt rich relatively. Most of the houses were pucca and one could see many huge houses. I guess being a tourist place definitely helps the economy of the neighbouring regions. And the first views of the palace from the village are stunning. There was music playing in the village the whole day (probably at a marriage) which felt like a good Rajasthani musical backdrop to our visit.

Neemrana fort

The hotel involves a lot of climbing, as it is built on a cliff. The king (or nawab) here was a small king without a huge kingdom, so his palace was also relatively smaller. The original fort was in ruins some years ago when the owners decided to buy it and they have built most of the buildings again, but in the old architectural style to make it look authentic. The original parts left are quite few. The architect and builders have to be commended though, the whole place looks original, as if it has been just been renovated. 

Jharokha

The hotel consists of the main reception area, and multiple room sections with a few pools and loads of open areas with outside sitting to just sit and enjoy the view. We spent the time before lunch just exploring it, and it was breathtaking. Every angle of the palace was pictureworthy. There is a lot of climbing involved though as the rooms are all at different levels, 10 floor equivalent actually. We walked around through a few of the areas, sat on some of the towers and took loads of photos. It felt exhilarating to be there.

Dusk time

The lunch buffet was average though, unlike Tijara fort who had authentic Rajasthani food which was quite tasty. After lunch, we sat in the gardens till sunset when the palace was all lighted up and you could see beautiful colours in the horizon. It looked really ethereal.

Lights at Neemrana

And by that time, the weather became very pleasant too. Some birds also came out and we saw two peacocks on the roofs. It was good to see the sunset from there, and slowly the village below got fogged a bit too. And by then, it was time to say goodbye and leave. We had a good day out there and enjoyed the service at the palace too, its (again) definitely a place we will come back to some time.


Chandigarh

This was not a weekend trip but I felt I had to write about it. I visited Chandigarh again after almost 25 years and was so impressed by the city. There isn't any other city like this in India, and it felt like I had come to a new country altogether!

We drove from Gurgaon in January early morning, and as expected there was fog to start with. The road along the way was much better than I expected. We first took the KMP and it was amazing, a whole bye-pass to delhi, built up above the ground, to avoid local traffic, it was amazing. And rest of the way was the GT road passing through all the big towns in this area - Sonipat, Panipat, Karnal and Ambala. At Sonipat, there was some construction going on but the rest was all done - with flyovers everywhere. All along the way there is continuous development and there were no empty patches. There were some amazing dhabe along the way. We did not stop there though as it was still the time of pandemic. The drive to Chandigarh felt like a breeze and the quality of driving was also quite good.

As it was the time that farmer protests were still going on near Delhi, we could see a lot of movement. Small groups of farmers driving back in tractors from Delhi and the new shift going to Delhi to take their place. It was quite impressive to see their motivation and organisation, given how cold everything was at that time.

And then Chandigarh was amazing. It is such a well planned city, with wide roads, service lanes everywhere, roundabouts, greenery and basically a lot of sense in it. There are sectors setup in squares and each sector is well planned, with a market and houses lined next to each other. The huge houses were also quite lovely. It was built completely from scratch after independence and you can see it. I just fell in love with the city.

It felt like such a relaxed place. The police is more active and less corrupt here. The rules for driving were quite different in the city. And I actually saw the locals all following driving rules which I have never ever seen before in India. It was quite a revelation to be here, and driving felt enjoyable and convenient.

Chandigarh ki galiyan

I also liked the vibe of the city. Great shopping. Outstanding food. Loud dressing. Fun loving people. People spend a lot, so the shops and all were also quite well stocked with good quality shoes and clothes. I even ended up buying some blingey things from there, which were still classy:). The food over our few days of staying there was to die for. Everywhere. People were relaxed as Chnadigarh has more retired people than working people. And the well planned greenery everywhere just blew my mind. It was like a dream to be there for the few days and I loved it.

Some of the days, we also visited the other similar areas around - Panchkula in Haryana and Mohali in Punjab. They have also been developed in a similar design but were not the same, the same vibe wasn't there. And 10 kms away is the area called Zirakpur, which was as much of a mess as anything else in India:).

There are a few touristy places in Chandigarh too - Sukhna lake, the rock garden and rose garden. But we did none of these. Just visited our friends, lot of who stay in Chandigarh and love it there. I really enjoyed the visit, and though it wasn''t a holiday, it felt like one because of the green and relaxed vibe of the city.

Exploring Kumaon hills near Nainital

Spending more time exploring the Himalayas has been quite a long cherished dream of mine, of doing treks in the interiors, away from civilisation and admiring the raw beauty of these grand mountains. As the Himalayas are best explored in summer, and since I haven't visited India in summer for decades now, the dream is still a dream. But as I was here this year in the start of summer, I decided to go there for a few days at least, to get away from the heat of the plains, and to experience what I love (and miss) always about the mountains- the cool, calm and fresh air.

Nainital at night

We visited Nainital for 5 days in the beginning of March and experienced all the mountains have to offer. Relax, walk and breathe. As it was still corona time, we stayed away from the crowds and the town, preferring to go on a few short treks which were devoid of people completely. And just had a slow relaxing time. Nainital is a beautiful location, which becomes even more attractive when there are no tourists. Which is ironic, as that's where we are. Wanting to be a tourist, but preferring if there weren't others around 😂.

Our itinerary was as follows:
Day 1: Drive from Gurgaon to Nainital
Day 2: Drive to Pangoot and do part of Kunjhakarak trek
Day 3: Visit Bhimtal
Day 4: Trek to Tiffin Top, explore Naini lake and walk all around it

Day 5: Drive back to Gurgaon


Getting there

One of the reasons we picked Nainital to go to was its proximity to Delhi. It was less than 7 hours away which made it quite convenient to get there. We had to cross all of Delhi though which may have been half the journey 😋. So we started early and after a 8.5 hour drive including breaks, we reached Nainital well in time before 4 pm to enjoy a bit of the views and feel of the place on that day itself.

The drive overall was much better than I expected, as I had been to Jim Corbett a few years ago and that road had been tough to drive on. But either that was a different road or these have been built in the last few years - this route was a nice highway drive for most of the way, with only a 1 hour patch which had broken roads and took an hour to cover 30 kms!

Most of the way, we passed by small towns, skirting most of them through by-passes and sometimes driving through their bazaars. Even though close to Delhi, these towns felt years away from the metropolis. Some were rural, some tier 3 towns. It felt as if life is still going on in a different era here. It all feels so rusty and dusty here, so surreal.

The upside of this drive were the beautiful fields and orchards that we drove through. There were miles of wheat and sugarcane crops surrounding us. There were some mango orchards we crossed which would soon bear fruit. We even stopped a few times on the way, to have our meals in the fields or buy local fresh fruits. It was quite green along the way, but in terms of development, most of the area didn't seem to have much. It felt rural, in a different era totally.

Fields of Bazpur

And just after Moradabad came the town of Bazpur where it all changed. The standard of the shops went up, people were more richly dressed and the general economic prosperity was clear. The road also suddenly improved out of nowhere and the potholes vanished! We passed fields full of crops and hundreds of large farmhouses dotting the area. 

Apparently lot of farmers from Punjab had moved here many years ago and developed this whole area into a rich and enterprising place, completely disconnected from the rest of UP we has just passed. We even stopped at a local farmers market here which had an amazing variety of products. We ate one of the tastiest jalebis ever from this local market. And also we stocked up on fresh vegetables to cook during our stay.

Right after Bazpur, we started going up the mountains, from Kaladoongi. It was a short one hour drive, and there was a sudden change in the air and temperature. There were forests on all sides and we could feel the air improving slowly. Apparently this is tiger region and we saw lot of danger signs warning us of potential wildlife, though all we saw were the usual langurs and monkeys on the way! Even though we stared hard, trying to spot a tiger somehow 😊. It was sunny and warm that day and a nice short mountain ride got us to Nainital very soon.


Our accommodation

View from window

We were staying slightly before Nainital, in Sukhatal in a friend's holiday home. It was a typical mountain house, built along the mountain, with a steep climb of 80 steps leading to it. Given space constraints in the mountains, there was no parking space. So I had to quickly learn how to park a car very close to the side of a mountain, so that it's not hit by passing vehicles! It was quite a learning for me, how to use every inch of available space, without the luxury we have in the plains.

The apartment was built in wood, cosy and comfortable for an enjoyable mountain stay. Like all the mountain houses are. The view in front was captivating, we could see the mountain in front filled with houses all the way up. And it twinkled brilliantly at night.

Given the existing pandemic we were cooking at home and avoiding going out much. Our home was self-sufficient. So we cooked and ate at home mostly, while appreciating the view of town from the window. And it was a totally away from the crowds kind of holiday. Also life in the mountains is very different, very slow. We got into it very quickly, and just lived like that over the next few days.

The first day we walked out to the the nearest hotel to ask if we could park our car there, and also ask them for a few tips on where to trek nearby. They had no clue! It was surprising, but not so much too. Clearly most tourists who come here don't trek, so there isn't a lot of information available.

Nainital in the hills

We also went to the nearby market in Sukhatal to buy milk. It was a nice short walk, just going down the mountains. Walking on the road among the trees was pretty, but tough too because of the coming and going cars. In Sukhatal, there were a few small shops and buildings. But it felt like there were too many people there, so we came back up quickly. (After corona, just seeing crowds is enough to scare you off).

And every night, we would retire to our mountain home, eating and sleeping early, while enjoying the twinkling lights of the town across the valley. The days got dark and cold very quickly. It was tough to imagine how cold it would get as soon as the sun set, given how warm the days were, but it was so. We even had to sleep wearing thermals! So an early night in was always the best option. And it was charming to watch the twinkling lights in front, as the day ended.

About the town

Nainital is quite a small town, settled around a small lake nestled in the mountains. The lake is the life and soul of the town. Tallital and Mallital are its two ends. One side of the lake has the Mall road, as usual built by the British. And the other side there is a walking path called thandi sadak. All the way up the mountains, are the hotels and houses of the residents. On one side of the lake the population is much more dense (Where the sun shines all day) while the other is quite sparsely populated. The Raj Bhavan is on the less sparsely populated side of town. And the mountains beyond the lake on both sides are more populated too, all the way to the top. They just don't have a view of the lake from where they are.

Nainital was settled by the British, as another spot for their summer holidays and you can see all the signs. The main road in town is called The Mall (like in Shimla, Mussoorie, Dalhousie and all the other Indian hill stations settled by the British). And it is lined with old colonial buildings and loads of gorgeous churches. There are also famous British schools, like the Sherwood school in Nainital. All from British times.

This place would have been like heaven more than 50 years ago, but now is not as pretty as then. Its become more crowded and definitely dirtier. The administration try to manage traffic well, making it one way and later on only pedestrian for some time in the evening. Its still well managed but seems to be growing without control. As we were there on weekdays, it was quieter than usual, so I ended up liking up. But I can imagine it not being as fun in the peak tourist season. Of course, if you can stay away from the city (like we did) in the mountains, then you can actually enjoy what the mountains have to offer - peace, quiet and calm. And go in to the crowded town only if needed.

We didn't explore Nainital much though, as we were staying away from crowds. One morning we drove by the lake, and one evening after finishing a trek to Tiffin Top, we went for a stroll in town, after sunset. We walked to the city centre given how crowded the traffic is. We first walked next to the High court (which was an old British building) all the way up to St Thomas Church - in the wilderness. It was a charming little church, in the middle of tall coniferous trees. It could have been the one I had photographed in Scotland! I could have been in Scotland. Except that there was garbage around, which reminded me that I was in India (after being in the West for so long, the lack of cleanliness on the streets, especially in the mountains in India hits my eyes too much!)

From the church, we walked down to the city center which is all around the lake. At Mallitaal, there is a Jama Masjid, a huge gurudwara and a mandir. It felt nice to see it all next to each other peacefully. And next to it was a cricket ground (clearly all religions are represented here 😂). There was a cricket game going on there - what a place to play cricket, isn't it?

In the Naini lake

We then did the typical touristy activity done by all tourists in Nainital - took a boat ride all around the lake for 20 mins, taking in the feeling of the city from down below. The temperature had dropped by then and there was a chilly freshness in the air, with a light breeze blowing above the lake. It felt like we were floating in a surreal space, as we boated around. We also took in views all around, with the twinkling lights switching on one by one all around. And once the lights came on, we realised that a lot of the green forests all around hid a lot of houses under them.

View from below

We also talked to the boatsman who told us that during lockdown, all boating had stopped. But lot of construction activity had started there. And all the boatsmen had taken to construction work. Its kind of what we've seen at a lot of places, where when people were locked inside, they all started looking at their houses carefully and getting work done. Interesting...

Naini lake

After the boat ride, we walked all along the lake, along the path called thandi sadak. It was a fully pedestrian path, all along the lake on the north side and dotted with lot of ancient temples. (There is something about mountains and temples, they are full of it. Apparently mountain people are always more religious than others, given the level of difficulty and nature's moods they need to deal with).

Then we walked back all the way along The Mall which had been made pedestrian only for the evening. We started with a break at the Army rest and recoup centre at the start of this walk. Just walking into the campus felt like a breath of fresh air, so open and relaxed all of a sudden. Being in army areas does that to me. Also, we had stayed at this place about 25 years ago, on our first visit to Nainital. We were kids then and had great memories from here, it felt nice to visit the place again after decades. 

We then walked on the mall, all along the south side of the lake. It was mostly empty, and was a fun walk. Towards the end we shopped for the famous Nainital handicrafted and scented candles. Similar to the ones we had bought 25 years ago.

One of the evenings, we walked to Sukhatal which was 5 mins from where we were staying and went in for a walk into the Kumaon university campus. From the outside, it looked very inviting, full of nicely built buildings, spread along a valley. But once we were inside, it was completely different. It was a very small campus, full of run-down buildings. I really wondered if was really a university? Especially when you compare it to some of the larger campuses elsewhere.

Overall, I found Nainital less touristy than I expected, but that could be just because of Covid. We went in March when things were at their best, but it was still too cold for tourists to go to the mountains. That being said, the town is dirty and I seemed to notice it all the time. There was just so much plastic, everywhere. Even on the trails in the middle of forests! Its heartbreaking to see that. I wish someone would clean it. And people would stop making it so dirty. Then such places could rival any of the European places we visit in the Alps.


Around Nainital - Trek up Tiffin Top

One day we decided to do a short trek near our accommodation and picked up Tiffin Top. It is one of the peaks which have a panoramic view of the Naini Lake. It has a few routes up and we picked the walking path, away from all the touristy pony ride ones. 

The way up started from Bara Patthar, near where we were staying and first passed through a few lanes with huge bungalows, hidden in the trees. They felt like a good place to live in the hills, away from everything else. And then there was a steep rocky path up the mountain, surrounded by trees on both sides. The path was mostly empty and shaded all the way. We did pass a few trekkers going up but very limited. And there were a few rhododendron trees along the way too. With the shade from the trees, it felt very fresh to trek up.

From top of Tiffin Top

When we reached the top, there was a viewpoint with a 360 degrees view of the hills around. We could see all the developments along the hills, the city, the lake, Sherwood school, Raj Bhavan, and the villages on the other side. We could also see the snow covered Himalayas including Nanda Devi much beyond as it was a clear and sunny day. There was a cool breeze flowing and it felt exhilarating to be there there. 

The peak had a few small snack shops and lot more people who had come on ponies from the town. As expected, the peak was a lot dirtier than the unused track we went up. After spending some cool moments on the top, we headed back to civilisation. It took us total of 2 hours to go up and be back. It was a nice short trek, totally worth doing. For its glorious views and the fresh walk up.

Panoramic view from Tiffin Top

Trekking in Pangoot

I had a bit of a tough time finding treks to go on near Nainital, as most visitors who come here don't do trekking at all. Anyways after researching a bit online, I was able to find a few which were easy and looked fun. And as expected, they were all empty. The first one I found was the Kunjhakarak trek.

It starts in the village of Pangoot, which is about 40 mins from Nainital. The whole trek sounds amazing - it is about 36 kms, takes two to three days to complete and takes one through dense deodar, rhododendron and oak forests. A part of it also follows the Kosi river which sounded fun. And the best part was that it was mostly a downhill walk or through the plains and the valley. We did just a short portion of this trek, but it was fun nonetheless. It also turned out to be quite a well maintained trail too.

First we drove towards Pangoot village. The first 10-15 mins of the drive were a bit painful. Also because it was my first time driving in the narrow Indian mountain roads. And the roads were full! I soon realised that the local taxis here were the worst drivers. They were so used to this kind of driving, that they felt more comfortable than us. So they were rash and always honking - always in a hurry. It was as if they wanted to jump over the car in front and get ahead. I found the ones driving personal cars, especially from the plains so much more better drivers here. Even the ones from Delhi (and that's saying something!)! Clearly they were scared of mountain driving and driving much safer than the locals.

Naini lake from above

There were a few points of interest on the start of the way. We saw a bird's eye view of Naini lake and it was quite captivating. The day was a bit cloudy though, so we couldn't see the faraway snow covered peaks of the Himalayas from the Himalaya Darshan point. But once the sights were over, the roads were empty and there was no one. We soon drove into the Naina Devi bird reserve and there were just empty jungles all around. Huge tall trees shading everyone.

On the trek

Once in the village of Pangoot, there were a few forest camps around. But it was still quite empty with very few people. And no one knew about treks even there! So we just found a path and started walking, assuming it was the Kunjhakarak trek. By this time, the sun came out and everything looked gorgeous. All around us were trees. Lots of rhododendrons, some full of red flowers high above. (The rhododendrons trees were all bunched together). At some parts of the trek, there were loads of bamboo plantations all along the cliffs. And the rest were all deodar trees.

Also the place was full of birds. At one point we could see 10-15 birds flying. But mostly we could just hear their constant chirping all around continuously. We also saw langurs and monkeys but they were again high above on the treetops. I observed a few jumping from tree to tree, showing us their antics. There were also a few empty streams and waterfalls on the way which would be full of water during the rainy season. And we came to a bridge where one way went up to a temple and one to a village.

Village from far

We decided to walk up to a village that we had seen when we were on the other side of the valley. On the way, we ran into a few mountain dogs which we thought were kept there to bark and intimidate any visitors. The village was on the side where there was full sunlight. We walked up, and found the huts in a clearing and there were many bungalows there. It turned out later that it was not a village but a resort. All these bungalows were still being built. And I just thought to myself, after that this area will become polluted too, and lose its charm.

We walked a bit beyond the village and the vegetation was changing from deodar to pines. I also picked up a few cones from here, for home decoration. At this point we finally ran into a few people who were on the trek, away from the madness of the city. Anyways, this was the point where we turned back and walked back to the Pangoot village. We ended up walking about 5 hours total and enjoyed the time in nature, healing and refreshing as always.

As we walked through the village, we saw that there was a lot tourist hotels coming up on the other side. But there were less crowds than Nainital. We had tea at the Himalayan Cafe, with a view of the mountains in front. And started the drive back to Nainital.

Tibury forest guest house

On the way back we stopped at Tilbury rest house. It was built by the British, in 1921. The forest rest house in an old style bungalow, on top of a hill, surrounded by wild forests on all sides. You can even trek there from Pangoot village. It has 2 rooms available, and a guard who cooks for you if you come to stay here. And its easily bookable through the Uttaranchal forest website. We saw 5-6 honey badgers there, called bijju or maten by the locals. It turned out they were yellow-throated Himalayan martens. This is definitely the place to stay, the next time we visit. On top of a hill, in total seclusion. Surrounded only by raw nature, nothing else.


Bhimtal

One of the days, we drove to Bhimtal to meet some family friends there, do a small trek and generally spend the time around that lake as it was expected to be less crowded than Nainital. And the day turned out to be completely different. And better 😊.

It was a short drive to Bhimtal. We passed through the whole town of Nainital for the first time after being here for 2 days. We stopped just for a bit at The Mall, to take a few photos. It was busy, but still not too crowded. After crossing the town, we came to the other side of the mountain, which was less crowded. It was definitely the poorer part of town too, as the few houses there were too close to each other.

Bhimtal lake

And then it was a drive through the mountains, to Bhimtal. It was an easy drive. We passed through a town called Bhowali which was quite big. And then at the bottom was Bhimtal. It had got very very hot by the time we reached. We walked a bit around the lake but felt it was too hot. 

We also passed through a small temple on our walk. Later we realised this was a 1000 years old mandir which was next to the lake when this place was not even inhabited. We saw a photo of what it would have looked like then. It felt so soothing, and look what it has become now. A thing of beauty, destroyed forever. 

Then we visited our friends who lived on one of the hills around the lake. Getting there was a bit tough. There was no way to understand the route, so we continuously talked on the phone to them while driving. And it was tough - it was a steep narrow one way road up a mountain, through villages and under construction places. And at times it looked like we will never get there. 

And once when we reached there, it felt like heaven. It was a gorgeous bungalow in a huge space, overlooking the lake at its feet, with a 180 degree view of the valley. It was magical! We ended up cancelling the trek and spending the whole time at their place. The next few hours were just surreal - sitting with this view, seeing the sun set down. And floating away to a different place altogether. It made me question what we are all doing with our lives. Very few are actually able to live the retirement life we all want to. At least some people we know are living it

We had planned to do the Karkotak trail up the mountain, but left it as we found lounging at the bungalow so much more enjoyable. It was tough to leave the place. But we had to, and drove back while it was still daylight. While crossing Nainital, we realised it became less crowded and pedestrian only at night. So we planned to come here the next day. The visit to our friends place was definitely the highlight of this trip.


Coming back

Coming back was similar and uneventful, though we stopped at Khurpatal which was a small lake on the way where there were a few houses. It was so hot that we didn't wait there too long. And on the way back in UP, we had one of the best sugarcane juice I've had in my life. We ended up drinking many glasses of it, the taste still imprinted in my mind. And just like that, the short sojourn to the Himalayas was over. I do want to spend more time here than I have done till now.


Map



What more to do

There are lot more things to do which we didn't get a chance to do. There are a few more shorter treks to do to get good views of Naini and the mountains - Naina peak (also called China Top), Himalaya Darshan Point and Snow View peak. And if you go further from Pangoot, you can do the Guano hills and Lands end trek. Nainital is also famous for the Phool Dei festival which happens in the spring time.