Short work trips to European cities

In 2019, I had to make a couple of short work trips to some cities in Europe (and around). As they were for work, I spent most of my time between the hotel, office and the airport. But I did manage to snatch a few hours here and there to go outside, explore a bit of the city and walk around. And it felt awesome. At least I got some feel of the world outside, even if just for a few hours 😊. And so here are snippets of what I saw during my few hours outside, in Istanbul, Cairo, Asturias, Madrid, Dusseldorf and Milan.


Two days in Istanbul

I was in Istanbul for two days for a conference and I must say, even the two days were enough for me to again fall in love with the depth and variety of experiences in Istanbul. As soon as you land here, you feel a vibrancy in the air, which is difficult to explain. My flight landed past midnight but still I could see the city, alive at night all the way till the hotel. With its low and high lights, its teeming millions in the streets, the small hills in between and the mosques on top of those. Just the drive in brought back all the energy to explore the city all over again...

Our take-off point

The first day, we had a yacht ride on the Bosporus. We got into the yacht from one of the palaces on the side, and then were in the water for the next few hours. We went up and down the Bosporus during this time, almost till the end. The weather was sunny and warm. The sky a deep blue, dotted with clouds. And there was something very heavenly about the whole surrounding, the deep blue Bosporus on a sunny summer day. I remember thinking, that this is life, this is what bliss must feel like.

Holiday homes on the side

As we floated on the Bosporus, we initially passed by the busy city, then all the mosques looking majestic, on top of the hills. Then came some forts on the banks. And then many grand houses on the sides of the Bosporus, which looked like holiday homes. It just felt so relaxing, fun and uplifting. Just to be there. And seeing all I did on the boat ride encouraged me to read about Istanbul when back in London.

Then we walked back to our hotel, taking in the colours and life of the city. It felt like such a vibrant place with so many layers. You walk past high end shops, then roadside vendors, then a green park, then a mosque and then the Bosporus. Everywhere there are people, smiling and going on with their lives. Everyone with a different story to tell.

In the evening, I was to meet a friend near Galata Tower, and decided to take the public transport there. So I first took a tram and reached a bridge. There I got out and saw a guy selling the Indian butta, which I wanted to buy. But I decided to then take the train up the hill to Galata, called Tunel. This slow moving one stop train takes you up the hill to the Galata tower. At the Galata, we had dinner at a market place, with green plants growing all around, bringing a lot of coolness to the restaurant. And there were lots of people sitting around just chatting. I loved it all again, I don't know why.

We then walked on Istaklal street, doing a bit of window shopping and then went in to a restaurant to sit on the terrace and eat Baklava. The Baklava were too heavy to eat a lot, but from the terrace, we got a good view of the street at night. It was so active even so late. So clearly nothing much has changed since I was here last, in 2006...

Blue Mosque at night

At night we saw the Galata tower and the blue mosque. And both looked scintillating. We also walked to the Galata bridge on top of which people were fishing. And under the bridge, there was a long line of restaurants, each with a brilliant view on the Bosporus. The restaurants had people standing outside, trying to lure in tourists. We sat there at one of those for a bit, just enjoying the feeling of being between Europe and Asia, with a grand water body below and the vibrant city around.

Istaklal street at night

While walking back, we saw people on Istaklal street late through the night. And shops were open even at 1 am! There were some people begging and a few singing on the sides. It was tough to get by with English though. As the shops were open so late, I bought some Turkish sweets and finally said goodnight to such a long day in such a vibrant city.

The next morning, after our morning sessions, we had a few free hours before our flight. So we decided to walk till the Hagia Sofiya. We couldn't reach there as we got lost a few times 😊. But we did experience Istanbul again. The streets sometimes feel rich, sometimes have a European feel with outside sitting, sometimes feel Middle Eastern and sometimes just feel downtrodden. And all of it exists right next to each other. People are different everywhere and seem to be from different countries and backgrounds. And all seem to be going somewhere.

I finally got to the butta place again and bought butta. It turned out that the vendor was Pakistani, and he spoke to me in Urdu. So clearly Indian style butta isn't made by anyone else! Anyways, after randomly exploring the city and never reaching the Hagia, we came back to our hotel to be off to London. It even started raining while we were going to the airport, just after it was so hot and sunny all day. The city never fails to surprise me. Flying out of Istanbul was a bit of a surprise though, given how many security checks you need to go through! I had to go through 3 baggage checks and 3 passport checks before I got to the plane. Clearly, things are more fragile here than I remember from before.

Anyways, I was so impressed by this visit that I came back and read two books about Istanbul. It is such a deep and layered city, with so many cultures merging in a mosaic, it always feels like a mystery to be understood and solved. Again and again.


An evening in Cairo

My work trip to Cairo was one of the shortest ever. I barely got 24 hours outside the airport - I landed there early morning and flew out the next morning. From the air, I could see how huge the whole city was. The lights extended till where my eyes could see. Apparently 30% of Egypt's population stays in Cairo and around.

Once I landed there, it felt like having come to a different place. Everything was written in Arabic and it was not as easy to get by with English. I got an on arrival visa at the airport from one of the bank stalls and then in 10 mins, I was out of immigration. It looks like the airport is open all night, unlike European airports which shut down at night. I was staying in the airport hotel itself given the early flight timings and took a hotel shuttle rather than walking there, which was convenient. The hotel though could have been anywhere in the world, it didn't feel like I was in Cairo at all.

The first half of the day, I was in the New Cairo part of the city. It was very near the airport and felt like any other modern financial centre. The traffic felt much busier, but more on that later. After my meeting, I had a few hours left in the evening and decided to make a rush for the Giza pyramids, to at least see something of the city as I was there. The pyramids are on the other side of New Cairo, in the city of Giza, and traffic getting there is expected to be bad. I was discouraged to try to see the pyramids, but I did anyways.

Yellow houses of Cairo

It took me almost an hour to get there and it was quite an interesting drive. I could see the desert everywhere, all yellow and empty rocky landscape outside the city. Inside of course, the city was very densely populated. The driving wasn't that bad, as there are a few highways which literally take you over the city of Cairo, to Giza. It was all so crowded everywhere and you could see the city below the highways. Shops, houses and narrow lanes. Filled with people. And in between, I saw some very pretty mosques and churches.

There were high rises everywhere. All in yellow. It felt like a sea of houses everywhere I could see. It was almost like a bombardment of yellow on the eyes. But lot of these buildings looked only partly completed. They all had this yellow sandy shade to it and felt as if stuck in time. People were staying in them, but they had not been completed. I am guessing those were the poorer parts of town.

On the way, I also drove over the deep blue waters of the Nile. And realised why it is known as the lifeline of Egypt. It was all so green and alive next to it, while the rest of the city was so yellow. There was also something spiritual about the Nile, something worth exploring on a longer trip to the country.

The pyramids

I reached the pyramids much later than I expected and they were closed. So I was only able to look at them from the outside. As grand and magical as they looked, with the setting sun behind them, I do think they lost a bit of their shine as they are literally inside the city. But their grandness and peacefulness was quite impressive. Standing as testament to the movement of time... I had been super warned to stay away from the hustlers there, so I avoided going into any of the shops I around. I found a Pizza Hut right in front and walked up to the third floor to get a good view of the pyramids. And the view from there is something I would totally recommend.

View from Pizza hut

After this quick view, we drove through the city to come back. By then, the sunny and warm day had also turned colder, just like it happens in the desert. Inside the city, we drove next to the promenade next to the Nile, which was very active again. Lots of people were walking there in the cool air, and the road was lined with tens of nice restaurants. I drove by Tahrir Square too which didn't really have much. But I could see all the liveliness there. My drivers didn't speak English well and were surprised when I wanted to stop and see things on the way, like walk next to the Nile and eat at one of the restaurants there. They kept discouraging me and just kept driving me around!

I was surprised by how much everyone was scared of driving into the city, as if the traffic would dissolve them! The distances surely are huge. You can keep on driving and still be barely far from where you started. But it wasn't as bad as I expected. Definitely better than Bombay traffic 😀.

For dinner, we went to the Lakeside club which was in New Cairo. Driving there I saw how different New Cairo was to the old city. It had very wide roads, green trees all around and houses which looked like palaces. And the restaurant was next to a swimming pool surrounded by lights. The food was good, but again the restaurant could have been anywhere in the world. Its not fun to eat at such modern places when you are in an ancient place like Egypt. I would definitely like to see more of the country and its culture sometime. But Cairo I may want to stay away from 😊. I found it very tiring somehow, don't know why.

At the airport in the morning, I saw some people wearing the choga, but not a lot. So it felt like I was in the Middle East. And I saw men kissing when greeting each other, which was super weird. Anyways the trip ended quite quickly, but I am happy that I saw something of the city, and not just the hotel, airport and office!


A weekend in Oviedo, Asturias

The trip to Oviedo was a personal trip to attend a wedding. So it wasn't work but it was still very busy and I wasn't able to see much of the area. I loved what I saw of it though. And plan to go back sometime for sure 😊.

Asturias is a principality in the north of Spain, neighbouring Galicia and Portugal in the west, and Santander and Basque country on the east. It has the coast and the mountains on either side and boasts of a different heritage and weather from the rest of Spain. For one, it is always cold and rainy there. It is greener than the rest of Spain. And the people here have Celtic origins and believe in some different motifs and symbols.

There are two main towns in the region, Gijon and Oviedo, and both share the same airport. While landing at the airport, I saw the area around the sea, and it looked fabulous. I could see the sea waves lashing against the cliffs, the clouds on the top and this huge green area in between. The whole area had small green hills, dotted with wooden houses like in Switzerland, but colourful like in Italy 😊. The colours looked resplendent against each other, and very welcoming.

After landing, it was a one hour drive to Oviedo which was through stunning countryside. It was sad though that the entire three days I was there, it was raining very heavily. So we could not explore much of the outside but I could see its potential for sure. Oviedo looked like a nice quiet modern town. And you can see high snow covered mountains all around. No wonder, this place was cooler and greener, very different from the Spain across those mountains.

The first evening, we had an event at a traditional Asturian cider place. They are famous for their apple cider, made from apples grown locally. The place had a very fun and casual feel about it. With huge barrels kept like decoration, inside the restaurant. And the apple cider was served by the waiters in the traditional manner, after tossing it into the glass from a height, so that it splashes everywhere. It was fun to see this show before every glass being served 😊.

View from Meres Palace

The wedding next day was at the Meres Palace which was a lovely venue. It also suddenly stopped raining that day which was welcome, as we got to see the lovely bright countryside for a bit. The views from there were stunning. Of green mountains, orchards, beautiful wooden colourful houses on the hills and so on. All around it, it had apple orchards (for the cider 😜) and within the Palace, they had a chapel, a lovely ballroom and a grand interior to host the wedding. They also had amazing food and of course the traditional apple cider, being served by the waiters in the traditional manner. We had a great fun time at the wedding. I also noticed that everyone here dressed up in much more subtle colours and clothes, even to weddings. Especially given how much being an Indian I love colours, everyone around felt very very sober 😊.

The chapel

The next day we had some time, so we walked a bit around town as there were some places to see. But it was raining so much, that we just stopped and had lunch at La Corte de Palayo. Which turned out to be an amazing choice. The food there was outstanding. And I must say, Asturians love their food. They have so many tasty dishes, even vegetarian. Both at the wedding, in the restaurant and my friends place, the food was so yummy and tasty. I loved it!

And very soon it was time to leave. I found Asturias to be very different from the rest of Spain that I have visited. People are very friendly here. And happy. As family living is still quite a large part of their life. Its tough to get by with English though. Its definitely a place am coming back to sometime.


Two days in Madrid

Lunch at the casino

I spent two days in Madrid recently on a work trip. The first day was at the conference in a museum - Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. It was an impressive location. We explored the museum a bit between sessions and the paintings were impressive. Our lunch and dinner was at the Casino de Madrid nearby, which was even more grand. The lunch room was gorgeous, with its painted roof and huge chandeliers. And the dinner on the terrace was lovely, with cool wind blowing all around and a view of the bustling street below.

View of Madrid streets

During the day, we took a quick break and walked out in the sun to the Sol market place. The area was quite charming, with small streets, boutique shops, painted buildings, and lot of street artists in the square. Some of the street artists tableaus were much better than I have seen elsewhere. And it was so hot and sunny, it felt awesome to just walk outside. At night, we walked to one of the party areas near our place and spent some time at Salmon Guru. All around, the place was very active, and full of people even after 11 pm.

The next day, after the conference, I spent a few hours with a friend where we walked around the Central area. We also walked to one of the local markets and saw the local fish being sold. Madrid has such a green and open feel to it, with its wide tree-lined roads, its sun and its laziness. I always miss this in London. And there is so much to do in the city too. I feel it is not really a touristy place but a stay-worthy city.


An evening in Dusseldorf

I spent a couple of days in Dusseldorf on work where I barely got to see the city. But one of the evenings, I had a few hours to explore the place, and I liked what little I saw. I walked to the central area where I walked around the cobbled streets of Altstadt. There were lots of shops and restaurants there and some churches and other grand buildings. It felt like the downtown of the town.

Houses on the Rhine

The highlight for me though was the walk along the Rhine river. From Alstadt, I just walked to the river and walked along it for a kilometer. It was a sunny day and people were siting outside at one spot enjoying concert music in the sun - such a European thing to do.

As I walked along the promenade, I was impressed by the huge houses on the other side of the river and the greenery there. Plus the row of trees all along the river. It felt like a lazy calm place where walking along the river feels like coming to a different place altogether. I enjoyed the calmness of the city, and again felt that it is a non-touristy, but worth-staying-in kind of place.

Summer concert

The Promenade

A couple of hours in Milan

The carving

Milan was a very short and busy work trip for me. I only got 2 hours before my flight to explore the town, and so I took a tram to go to the Duomo, the Cathedral. The Duomo is the heart of Milan, everything is concentrated around it. All shops around are named after it. And that's the place everyone tells you to go to if you have time in the city.

The stained glass

I have been to Milan before and have seen the Duomo before too. But this time, I went inside and was amazed by its grandeur and detailed work. I especially loved the stained glass windows inside. They were huge with some very detailed work on them. And the carvings on the outside are fabulous anyways. It suddenly got sunny for that one hour we were there and it felt like the Duomo was suddenly shining...

We also then walked into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele arcade nearby and that was shining too. All the gold paintings and lighting all around. And I left Milan again feeling how grand even a market in Europe can be...

The enchanting Himalayas (2)

The enchanting Himalayas (1)

Day 4 - Drive to Renukaji lake, stop at Paonta Sahib on the way, stay at the HPTDC hotel "The Renuka"

Today we drove from Uttaranchal to Renukaji lake in Himachal, and it took us most of the day to get there. We also realised that we had taken good roads as a given, when it is not always so. And sometimes, it can take much longer to get somewhere if the roads are not what Google Map expects them to be.

On the way to Renukaji, the first part of the drive was going down the mountains; then a bit in the valleys, and the last part was back in the mountains. The drive down was stunning as before, but it did get too hot and sunny and we didn't get down the car much. Except at the maggi point 😁.

In the valley drive, part of the drive was next to a huge river canal. We also drove by a place called Asan Barrage which was a huge lake next to the canal and offered water sports during summer time. We stopped near there to have the Chakotra, a local fruit of the citrus orange family. Apparently it is known as Pomelo in English. It is much much larger in size than an orange, has a very thick skin (up to an inch or so), pinkish and longer slices and tastes yummy with sea salt. It took 5 of us 10 mins to finish one of those fruits! We also bought a few for the rest of the journey.

Paonta Sahib gurudwara

We next stopped at Paonta Sahib on the way, which is a huge gurudwara made of white marble, on the banks of river Yamuna, its history linked to the history of Sikhism. Guru Gobind Singh, the last Guru of sikhism had stayed here and planned some of his resistance against the Mughals from here. His weapons from that time are also kept in this gurudwara.

Banks of Yamuna

We had a quick langar there, and bought some local ber from town. We also did a short walk to the Yamuna which barely had any water flowing through it here. What was most appealing about this gurudwara was its location, right on the banks of the river and with the mountains surrounding the Gurudwara from all sides. I think its location added to its spirituality.

After a bit of drive in the valley, we reached Himachal and were back to driving through the mountains again. We got some grand views of the valleys below and the villages across the valley during this drive. The mountains were greener and covered in forests. The road was much narrower this time though.

We stopped at a chai stop on the way, where there was an old style khat kept outside, to enjoy the views below. The weather had got very hot and sunny by then too, so we were very happy to take a break and walk around. The route we had followed was through Mandara. We soon reached a dam, which had a huge lake next to it and from there, the last 4 kms to the lake were the worst ever. It was barely a road, very muddy and barely there. We started to have doubts whether the place would be worth it or not.

Renukaji lake

We were thankfully pleasantly surprised when we reached the lake. It almost looked heavenly. The lake is in the middle of the mountains, though not in a valley. Just surrounded by mountains. It sparkles, like a green emerald, all due to the reflections of the forests from all sides. There were loads of tourists there in the evening by the time we reached. But still it felt away from it all...

Renukaji lake is named after the temple of Renukaji, who was Lord Parshuram's mother. Legend says that Lord Parshuram used to stay in this area, in his father's ashram. His mother had once jumped into the lake to save herself from a king who was trying to abduct her. But once a year, she appears at this lake, to meet her son. And that's when a grand mela is held at the lake, every year. To celebrate the meeting of the mother and son. I think religion and mythology also added to the heavenliness of this place, somehow.

The Renuka

We were staying at the Himachal Pradesh government's HPTDC hotel called "The Renuka", right on the banks of the lake. It was a nice newly built hotel, spread over 2 floors, with simple, cheap and convenient rooms. Service though was quite average. We quickly checked in and then started exploring the area. There weren't many buildings there, just the Renuka, a few forest guest rooms, the Mandir, and an ashram. There were loads of tourists initially when we reached, some of them boating and the rest walking around. But they all left by 5 pm as they may have been driving back home the same day.

We first walked around the lake, along the pedestrian path which went all around. On one side were deep woods, and the other side was the lake. And at some places there were enclosures of the local zoo. We saw the barking deer, sambhar and spotted deer, all eating away to glory in their enclosures. Then we came to two of the black bear enclosures, one of which was walking around and entertained us. The second one was sleeping in its cave. And last were the leopards but they had been locked in their cages by then.

The zoo had closed by then and there was no one else on the walk other than us. But it turned out to be quite a refreshing walk for a few kilometres, right when the sun was setting. The lake was like a wetland and it had an interesting flora and fauna. It was full of birds, some of which migrate here during some seasons. We saw lots of monkeys and langurs in the forests around. And I heard there are leopards too. There were loads of grasses in the water and many types of trees on the side. The view around had everything - high mountains covered in forests, a lake, wetlands and tons of animals and birds. With no humans around, it felt like we were in the wild.

Ashram on the banks of the lake

Towards the end of the walk, we came to a small temple to Renukaji, which has a water spring right next to it. It is supposed to be holy and healthy, so we drank some cold mineral water from there. All along the walk, the lake reflected the green of the forests all around. And towards the end, the reflection of the local ashram. Every scene on this walk was breath-taking.

After the walk, and after layering ourselves with many other warm clothes, we went to the Mandir next door for the aarti at 630 pm. It had gotten very cold by then and it was tough to make oneself go out for the aarti, but we somehow did. There are three small temples here, one dedicated to all of Lord Vishnu's avatars, one of which is Lord Parshuram. Second is dedicated to Lord Parshuram. And the third is Renukaji's temple.

The old statue from
Treta Yug

The aarti happens in Parshuramji's temple and we all sat there while the panditji got the aarti ready. We talked to him during this time and it was a knowledge increasing and inspiring discussion. Apparently Parshuramji is not allowed to be in many places. So he has temples or can exist only here at Renukaji, in Orissa, at Mahendargarh (where he is said to have retired) and the Konkan. Panditji said that his last 9 generations have been praying at this mandir which was impressive. He also said that the statue of Parshuramji at this temple is from the Treta Yug. It did look old, but maybe not that much.

Another very interesting part about this mandir was that the prasad and dakshina that the Panditji gave us, included some money too. I've never seen this before! I was somehow very impressed with all I saw. We found the aarti to be quite a spiritual experience. Being in this remote place in the mountains, with barely 3-4 buildings and very few people around. And praying to God. It felt ephemeral and eternal at the same time.

After the aarti we were back to our hotel and had a Pahadi dinner. The local dishes of the state include dishes made in curd. All of which the hotel had run out of! But whatever they made was extremely tasty. Or we felt so after the long and cold day. Again, we called it a night soon as it was so cold; all we wanted to do was get into our blankets and go off to sleep.


Day 5 - Drive back to Dehradun and visit IMA

Morning at the lake

We had asked the hotel to get breakfast ready by 8 am and they had been surprised. We realised in the morning, why that had been the case! The morning was very cold, and no sunlight came into this gap till about 930 am as the place was surrounded by high mountains. And it takes a long time for it to reach the lower reaches of the lake. So everything and everyone wakes up late here. Also in the morning, the lake was lined with a layer of vapour which was blowing the whole time. It was quite a magical view. I tried capturing it on my camera and managed to capture a bit at least.

Morning at the lake

We had been unable to see the leopards last evening, so we went for a walk around the lake again in the morning. Around 9 am. And the leopards were not out then either. We waited a bit and then the handler let them out. There were two couples of leopards there. And they were majestic. One of the leopards jumped onto a branch and gave us nice poses. I hate seeing animals in constrained spaces. But I must say, I still enjoyed looking at them for some time. Lazing in the sun, ignoring us. But being alert at the same time. I still feel if I could keep any pet I want, I would want a leopard. I just love their eyes, and how they move. So royal and majestic!

We then spoke to the handler for some time. He told us that they only fed the leopards once a day in the evening. And fasting happens for all animals on Tuesdays (looks like they are also Hindus 😜 ). All the animals in this zoo are those that were found injured in the areas around and brought here to revive. He was also saying that these leopards don't come near the cage edges as people poke them with sticks. Also the bear stands on its feet entertaining people, as people then throw him food. Both are such wrong behaviours from the tourists, it pains me to hear such stories.

Parshuramji's mandir

As we were walking back, the sun had finally come out and the whole valley had brightened up. It had definitely become warmer. Back from our morning walk, we went to the mandir again. The whole place felt even prettier in the morning as the sun was out and everything looked brighter. I was surprised by how big and clean the mandir was, definitely an inspiration for other mandirs.

After the visit, we bought some rusk to feed the fishes in the lake. And we had just started when the monkeys around picked up our husk packets and made good with them 😮.

Overall I really loved the place. It had a very serene feel to it, especially in the mornings and evenings when no tourists were around. It was very peaceful, very quiet, very immune. I am sure this place can be made more tourist friendly, with more hotels and restaurants. But selfishly, I didn't mind not having it all then. We had the place to ourselves. And I definitely did not mind it. The lake did get busy after 11 am. But by then we had left, so it didn't matter to me 😊.

While coming back, we could have gone to Jamu peak from where you can get a good view of the lake and the ashram where Parshuramji's father used to reside. But we didn't have time. So we started back. This time we wanted to avoid the 4km broken road we had taken going in. So we took the route through a town called Sataun. The guys at the HPTDC hotel had told us to take this road. It was definitely a shorter route but much worse for much longer. And not as enjoyable as far as the driving was concerned. So clearly asking the hotel guys didn't help us much. (They had told us the wrong time for the aarti and leopard feeding too in fact). The road was broken for at least 40% of the time, till we got to the plains. The local drivers though are more used to these tough roads and drive very fast. They would swoosh past us while we were trying to avoid all the potholes.

This route was also along a huge valley with some stunning views of the villages on the opposite sides. There were large green terrace fields on the other side, next to the villages. We saw lot of locals out and about that day given how sunny it was. They were all smiling and wearing Himachali topis. They were dressed in the typical Pahadi clothes of this region and spoke in a singsong accent. This area is known as Sinaur, and the people are easygoing, relaxed and happy in their lives. Even though they lead quite a difficult life. We saw lot of women and children also walking on the road carrying huge loads of leaves on their heads. There were also lot of small schools on the way, so this place wasn't as godforsaken as it initially appeared.

During the drive, we ran into a person standing near a bridge in a village, asking us for a lift. We stopped to tell him that our car was already full. He said its ok, he will find another ride. Then he asked us where we were from, and so on, starting to chat with us as if he (and us) had all the time in the world to talk about normal topics 😊. It felt very weird, as no one just generally talks to people anymore. We are always in a hurry, aren't we?

Sataun

Sataun was the last village before the plains and it was on a plateau on the opposite side of the valley, where you could go using an aerial ropeway, across the valley. Like Henna did in the movie Henna.

This route was definitely shorter and then we were soon in the valley, on our way to Dehradun. The valley road was lined with litchi and mango trees and we bought some very tasty and huge local guavas from the roadside vendors. There were lot of river beds on the way which were full of trucks picking up the stones. My guess is they are all taking the rocks illegally? Coming down the plains felt like a downgrade, back to the heat and dust and too many people. And driving also felt much worse today. We also noticed people were on their phones more often than not, even on two wheelers :))

The rest of the day we spent in Dehradun, visiting some of the places we had lived in in the 90s. All the time feeling, how the city has changed since then. Dehradun has always been famous as an education centre, for its schools and universities. This has been the case since British times but even since then, there are newer institutes opening up all the time. And you can't miss it, with all the noticeboards put up everywhere. The entrance to Dehradun was full of trash, lining both sides of the road. For a couple of kms. It is a scene which stayed with me for a bit. What have we all done to such a beautiful city?

After entering town, we first went to IMA - the Indian Military Academy, which trains the officers of the Indian Army before they join the forces. This institute is a small standalone campus which was built by the British and it still retains some of the old buildings from those times.

Chetwode Building

The most famous of these is the Chetwode Building, where the graduation ceremony, called the passing out parade (POP) happens. Even after so many years, I found the building impressive. And it brought back memories of waking up at 7 am to go and watch the parade there in the cold winter mornings. We then drove around the campus to look at all the places we used to stay when we there. And again, I was again super amazed by the wide tree lined roads and the greenery all around. Memories from old times, and the trees are still there.

FRI main building

Right next to IMA is FRI - the Forest Research Institute - where the IFS officers are trained. The main building of FRI is grand and it too brought back memories of old times. And the icing on the cake were the Mussoorie hills right behind. They provide such a captivating background. The grounds at this building are huge and you can see it is very popular with the locals. There were 100s of people walking in its grounds, out for a picnic.

The FRI campus is full of forests and trees, and I remember us cycling here as kids. It feels like a different world all together, the safe and green life of cantonments! The accommodation in both these campuses include some massive British bungalows which stand tall and strong even till today. And it was a pleasure to see it all again.

After that, we went to visit one of the resorts in nearby areas and saw how wide and far Dehradun has extended. The road kept on going and there were tons of huge houses, located on the river beds. The govt just keeps selling all the land. Turning this hill side place to a normal huge city. The resort though was located in the lap of greenery and it felt like a good place to come away from the city for a short break.

In the evening, we celebrated 2020 New Year party in town, army style. And I again loved the twinkling lights of Mussoorie in the background. They are just so serene and calming. And being in Dehradun also made me miss the small town living in India, which Delhi and Bombay cannot offer.


Day 6 - Drive back from Dehradun to Delhi

The last day was quite lacklustre, as it was all about the drive back to Gurgaon. The weather was sunny and data connections were back, so that was helpful. We again took the Deoband road to Meerut. In Meerut we took a rural road to get to our friends' place for lunch which was through the back lanes through villages and sugarcane fields. It was a narrow road and felt interesting to drive through. Sometimes I am surprised how close to cities, life still goes on like it did many years ago. These villages were 2-3 kms from town but still felt years away from any city life.

Traditional kohlu

The highlight of the drive back from Meerut was us picking up a few sugarcane stalks from one of the farmers on the way, so we could eat it raw. He gave us more than what we wanted, and refused to take any money for it. How big hearts farmers have? We also saw a kohlu on the way which is the traditional way of making gud (jaggery). This is how gud was made in the villages before the sugar mills led to its downfall. The whole process looked quite unhygienic, though my parents insisted it was hygienic due to multiple rounds of refinement that the juice goes through. We also drank many glasses of the sugarcane juice while waiting to buy the raw gud and it was one of the tastiest juices I have had in a long time.

Diving back to Delhi was full of traffic jams and it brought us back from the mountains to the plains life very quickly. How people drive, are always in a hurry and that isn't changing anytime soon 😊.

We had a lovely time in the mountains, bringing back memories, but also a lot of peace and simplicity in our lives. I also reflected on the life of the people in the mountains. It felt awesome to be there, because it was so disconnected from the plains. But the downside is the Pahadi people still live their lives in relatively low modernity. What is development for them, should they or should they not change their lives? I don't know the answer to that, but would tend to go with - let them live their lives like they are living. And not corrupt it was the busy-ness we all have in our lives.


P.S. I know the state is now known as Uttarakhand, but the name Uttaranchal sounds so much more soothing to the ears that I prefer to use it 😊.

The enchanting Himalayas (1)

(This is my 200th blogpost. And I am happy I wrote it about the magical Himalayas 😊)

This winter I got a chance to visit the Himalayas after many years. We went to Uttaranchal and Himachal for a few days and enjoyed warm sunny times even though it was winter. The temperatures during the day were warmer than in Delhi and the sun was out everyday, which made the experience even better than expected. We spent a few days driving through the hills and enjoying the raw nature of the Himalayas. And being there brought back all my childhood memories of time spent in the mountains.

Gorgeous Himalayas

As a kid, I have spent some months every year in the mountains of Kashmir, Himachal, Uttaranchal, Sikkim and Arunachal. And those were fun times. We would just drive for hours, stop and picnic wherever we wanted, spend time walking up and down through forests and just enjoy the fresh air every day. It was also the time of no phones and internet, or sometimes even regular electricity. So when we were in the mountains, we spent all our time just exploring nature, as there wasn't much more else to do.

Things have definitely changed now. You can use your GPS in the mountains, there is internet and data everywhere, and you can research and see photos beforehand of where you are going. But a lot remains the same, which I really valued on this trip. Being in the Himalayas still feels like being far away from civilisation, they are so pristine and untouched even now. This simplicity comes from its people. People in these areas still stay in beautiful remote villages and have uncomplicated relaxed lives. It felt so refreshing to see all the simplicity and calmness there. And of course the air was refreshing too, definitely a well deserved change after the unhealthy air of Delhi. And we all totally loved our time there.


We spent a few days in the Shivaliks, one day in Renukaji lake in Himachal and some time in Dehradun where we had stayed for 3 years in the 90s. We also spent a few days going to and from Delhi to Dehradun. Our itinerary was as follows:
Day 1 - Drive from Delhi to Dehradun
Day 2/3 - Drive to Shivaliks, stay there; trek, explore the town and enjoy the sunset
Day 4 - Drive to Renukaji lake, stop at Paonta Sahib on the way, stay at the HPTDC hotel "The Renuka"
Day 5 - Drive back to Dehradun and visit IMA
Day 6 - Drive back from Dehradun to Delhi


Day 1 - Drive from Delhi to Dehradun

Our first day was spent mostly driving from Delhi to Dehradun. The drive takes about 6 hours as per Google maps. And in reality, much longer given the quality of roads and driving in India. As we got out of Delhi, we saw markings of Meerut Expressway, and got very excited given the amazing quality of the road during the first hour. But that happiness was not to last long, as the expressway was only till Ghaziabad. The rest of the way, there was no sign of any expressway at all 😂.

Also, this was the time of the student protests going on in the country and the government had stopped data services in many districts in Western UP, expecting problems. So as soon as we entered Ghaziabad, there was no signal. And we had to use the original Indian navigation systems on the way - stopping and asking passersby for the way 😜. So a lot of times we wondered if we had taken a wrong turn and missed the expressway but turned out we hadn't.

The route we were taking was Gurgaon -> Ghaziabad -> Meerut -> Deoband -> Dehradun. And as soon as you leave Delhi and other such big cities, you realise the rest of India still retains its relaxed small town living vibe. Which is so different than life in these big cities. I feel it every time. And I don't think it is only because I don't live in India anymore, I think even in India, so many people are very far from life outside their metros.

We reached Meerut within 3 hours and stopped there for lunch. Meerut is my and my brother's birthplace but we have never been there after the first 3 years of my life. We drove through Meerut Cantt, which was green and spaced out unlike the rest of Meerut. Driving through any Cantt area always feels like being home and it felt the same here too. We stopped at a friend's place for lunch and then were off to Dehradun. We took the toll road from Deoband which had been recently constructed and was almost like an expressway.

All along our drive there were loads of very small towns. And there was literally no empty area between them. Uttar Pradesh is really the densest state in India and it was quite visible during the drive. Driving was all over the place, with all kinds of vehicles moving together on the road at their own speeds and their own rules. All along the road we saw miles and miles of sugarcane fields. And the roads were full of trucks carrying sugarcane to the mills, as this was harvest season.

The road to Dehradun was mostly good after Meerut. A lot of places, the road circuited the towns and crossed them from the outskirts. In Deoband, the expressway literally went over the town. We also saw loads of huge mosques from the road which provided a nice skyline over the town.

Towards the end, we drove past some 30 mins of small hills, right next to a river, to get to Dehradun. They were not high at this point but you start to get the feeling that you are leaving the plains and off to the mountains. And right when we were out of the mountains, we got our data signal back too as we were now in Uttaranchal.

Even in the small mountain patch, there was so much trash thrown around, it was depressing. This green area is known as Rajaji tiger reserve though I doubt there are any tigers left here. And the road was lined with monkeys, thousands of them all along (this hasn't changed in the last 25 years when I was last here). They sit next to the roads, waiting as passengers throw them food all along the highway.

Dehradun doesn't feel like a mountain town anymore though. It used to be a nice small town when I grew up there. Green, clean and cold, given it was in the foothills. That has changed now. It felt so much bigger now, it looks like there has been a lot of uncontrolled development for the last few years. It still has the narrow roads of old. But the traffic has increased multifold.

One thing about Dehradun hasn't changed yet though, you can still see the twinkling lights of Mussoorie in the background at night, and the mountains during the day. And that is still the same. (Apparently the town is now dirtier but can't see that from down below 😁). The twinkling lights brought back scenes from my childhood again, when so often we would sit outside and just enjoy watching the twinkling lights of the mountains at night.

We drove a bit in town and visited St Josephs Academy where my brother had studied for a few years. It was started in 1934 by the British and had a very huge campus. I don't think we build such schools anymore. Just walking in there felt like having come to a different era. Dehradun was a popular place with the British and the Europeans during the British Rule given its cooler climate. That's why there are so many old educational institutes here, famous schools like Doon school and Welhams but also government institutes like IMA and FRI (which I will write about later).

We also then drove past the Ghanta Ghar which was the centre of town and a memory from my childhood as our schoolbus used to drive past it everyday. It felt weird to relive memories from a different time. Scenes I remembered which had been put in the back closet of my mind for so long.


Day 2 - Drive to Shivaliks, see sunset

Today, most of the day was spent in the drive from Dehradun to the Shivaliks. In the evening, we just enjoyed a magnificent sunset and called in an early night. Google Maps showed the drive would take us about 3 hours but given how we were back in Himalayas after many years, we stopped a lot and took our own sweet time to reach our destination. The weather was perfect, the sun was out and the sky was blue. It definitely helped in taking spectacular photos.

The first half of the drive was in the Doon valley itself. It was a wide valley with wide river beds next to the road. It was green all around with lot of sugarcane plantations and litchi trees on the sides. The road was lined with villages all along and was densely populated throughout. And all of them had similar names, a pre-fix and then 'wala'. Ranging from Suddhowala, Jassowala to Dharmawala and so on. And you can also see the overhang from the British times, with a lot of places still having very English names - like Herbertpur.

There was a lot of traffic there though and it still felt like being in the plains. The villages did not feel like mountain villages at all as they had huge houses and even buffaloes there. The residents looked like they were from the plains, and were a mix of Hindus and Muslims. They were also selling lot of local fruits on the roadside which looked very inviting and healthy. After Herbertpur, we slowly moved into the mountains, and as soon as we got up there, everything changed. The air got cooler, the people simpler and the views captivating.

The roads on the mountains were quite good. They were narrow though and at times it felt scary looking down. Again it brought back memories of the 80s. When we used to drive so much in the mountains. For hours at a stretch. And in much less comfortable vehicles! So this time we stopped quite often to take photos, or just stretch our legs.

Villages in the mountains

Every turn was so picturesque, with the bright sun, the bare mountains and the imposing villages on top of them. The mountains were huge, sometimes forested and sometimes bare. And on most of them you could spot some picturesque villages. I was very impressed with all these majestic views of villages on every turn. It felt almost unreal that in today's age, people would live such isolated lives, in places which seem almost unreachable to us. We also passed by a few locals on the streets, lot of them wearing the Himachali caps and all walking slowly. Smiling at us, when we passed them.

Village on a hill

Each of these villages had terrace farms around them. Sometimes all the way down till the valley. And you could see some goats and cows grazing around them. I also noticed that the cows here were of smaller size than the typical cows from the plains. We stopped at a maggi spot and I came across a small village which was made up of just a few houses on the mountain (spot them in the photo). And the only way to go up was walking. With all your luggage! This was just the starting of my fascination for these picturesque villages in these mountains. And I stopped everywhere to click a photo. I felt these are more captivating and natural than the alpine ones. But they don't get their due.

A tough trek down

At some point on the drive, we stopped at a spot to take a few photos. In a few minutes a passing vehicle dropped an old man. And then we saw him pick up his huge heavy bag and walk down to his village which was quite a walk down, on the cliff far away. Walking on the mountains has to be a slow moving activity, and he kept walking down, slowly. Everyday life in the mountains is tough. And I wish I could be as healthy as that old man I saw, who walked down the mountains, with a huge load on his back. One day I would like to go and live in one of these villages to actually experience how people can live like this even today...

There were tons of bikers on the road, all coming here for a weekend away from Delhi. Going for biking trips (especially on Bullets) is definitely something that has picked up in recent times. We also passed a few areas where there was snow and sleet on the road, left in the wake of the mountains where there is no sun. A biker group had skid there too before we came.

Villages in the mountains 

Before reaching our destination, we stopped at a picnic spot which had a hut to sit under and eat lunch. And I was saddened to see the trash next to it. Overall the mountains were so clean, but at places where tourists would stop, you can see so much trash. It pained my heart to see how heartless people can be with their own country. At times I picked up some of the trash to keep in the car, but it was too much for me to be able to do much.

View from our accommodation

Soon after the picnic spot, we came to a greener part of the mountains. There were pine covered mountains here unlike the bare brown mountains most of the way. And soon we came to our accommodation. It was an old English bungalow on top of a mountain peak. And had spectacular views of the mountains all around. We could see till 100s of miles, at range after range of smaller mountains in front. And there were trees all around. It totally felt like being in a fairytale. And our relaxation on the trip started here.

Sunset from the peak

We had reached our destination in time to see the sunset there, and were mind-blown with the view from the sunset point, which was on top of a peak. We could see snow covered ranges on one side and the sun setting on the other, over 10-15 different mountains of varying height. It was a magical feeling being on top of the mountains and watching this 360 degrees surreal scene. As the sun set, more and more colours came out in the sky - pinks, oranges and reds. And the colours varied depending on whether it was on the setting side or the other. This view lasted for at least half an hour, and felt really magical.

The snow covered peaks far off

As soon as the sun set, the weather changed and it got very very cold all of a sudden. In the mountains, it is customary to call it a day very early. So we came back and had our dinner early. Food feels tastier when in the mountains, and you eat a lot more when here. We were all guilty of that. We then spent time indoors playing cards and called it a night soon. The temperatures outside were around -10 degrees and the bungalow was quite cold inside even with the heaters. So it felt nice to be tucked under the blanket as early as possible.

Things have definitely changed here since we used to travel in the mountains around 20 years ago. We had no electric heaters then, or even electricity. We used bukharis, a locally made device for heating, known quite often for killing people with too much carbon monoxide if someone forgot to close it down before going to sleep. Also, we used to have generators only for a few hours in the evening to do all we wanted to do. But now there is electricity and cable tv all day. It felt different and more convenient now. But still it felt magical to be in the lap of nature, and feel that for a bit of time you are disconnected from the fast pace of life in the plains.


Day 3: In the Shivaliks, a small trek and the sunset again

The day today was quite a relaxed one. We just spent time casually exploring the areas around, as the main aim was to just be in the woods and take in the fresh air. We were lazy that day but my dad woke up early in the morning to see the sunrise at the same peak where we had seen the sunset the day before. And the colours were even brighter than the sunset the day before (we know it as we all saw the photos later on).

Spot the village

After a heavy breakfast, we all set out for our trek - we were going to visit one of the caves in the region, said to be linked to Mahabharat, which were an hour's drive from where we were staying. On the way, we again saw some magnificent views of the majestic mountains around, the deep valleys below and the dangerously perched villages all around.

The roads were of good quality, though quite narrow all the way, and every turn got us to a new viewpoint. It was very tough to not want to stop everywhere and just take in the scene. The sky was coloured a much deeper blue here, the hills more green and the sun very bright - it all felt very refreshing. Also, some of the mountains were fully forested but a lot of them were totally brown and bare too. It might have something to do with the wind or the sun direction I guess.

Villages in the lap of mountains

We gained height on the drive and started to encounter snow, on the road and in the forests. This was from the snowfall which had fallen a bit earlier in the starting of December. This was all the leftover snow, in the shadows wherever there was no direct sunlight.

The trek we were going on started from a forest rest house, but as we were driving towards it, we saw some of the cars had stopped and parked much before the resthouse. We were thinking of still taking our cars ahead, but then decided to park and walk the 3.5 kms till the resthouse. And it turned out to be a good idea, as soon we saw a lot of snow on the road, and there would have been no way we could have driven on it!

Snow on the trail

So we started walking on the snow and it was fun. The trail was wide enough and flat as it was still the road, and there was a lot of snow there, on the road, on the sides, on top of the trees, everywhere. Some of it had also turned to sleet. It made the walk quite interesting as at times, we were all slipping and falling (but not too badly). The whole trail had high deodar trees all around. And far off, we could see high mountain ranges (Himachal ranges I think), with their peaks covered in snow. The blue, white and green all around made for some very bright photos.

After walking around 3.5 kms, we came to the forest rest house which was from the British times (built in 1848). We stopped and had our picnic lunch there. We ran into a few local goatherds on the way and then some locals who were walking back to their village. They were carrying supplies on their head and mentioned that the next few weeks, they would be doing regular trips to the plains to stock up their groceries for the winter months. As the roads will soon close and make it tough for them to get out. It's a life most of us can't imagine, right? They also spoke Hindi with a Pahadi accent, and in a singsong voice. I really liked the accent, it was so calming, so friendly and cheerful to listen to.

Snow covered Himachal range

From the guest house, there was 2.5 kms of steep climb to the caves, but as we had already walked a lot, we decided to call it a day and walk back. While walking back, we ran into a lot more tourists on the trail, some of them walking in heels! Clearly they were tourists from Delhi, here for the weekend, with no idea what to expect in the mountains! And some had come here just to see the snow. Once they walked 5 mins in the snow, they were ready to walk back. Also as expected, we saw a lot more trash on this route too. It was quite disappointing to see it all. In fact, I decided that going forward, every time I go to the mountains in India, I will always carry a few plastic bags with me, to clean up as much trash I can.

We finished our trek in about 3.5 hours and then drove back to our accommodation, enjoying the grand views of the mountains all the way back. Again, we could see the multiple mountain ranges till where the eyes could see, with haze in between. And there were a few hotels on the way too, though most were in the large towns nearby.

I also learnt a bit more about the Pahadi people of these regions. The Uttaranchal region is made up of mostly the Kumaonis from the Kumaon hills, the Garhwalis from Garhwal and Jaunsars from this Jaunsari region. They lead simple lives living in the mountains, graze animals and farm one crop in a year in their terraced farms. They do have tough lives and are generally not rich but are still laid back, content and happy people. Religion is quite important in these mountainous regions and there are lot of temples all around. Dahasu Devta is the most revered devta in this region.

The evening sky

Once back, we went to see the sunset again as we had missed it by a few minutes the last day. And it felt as magical today as yesterday. Snow covered mountains on one side of the peak, and layers of mountains coated in hues of orange, yellow and red on the other. And this lasted for almost an hour after sunset. It was truly a spectacular show.

Our guide then told us, that in these mountains, there was some wildlife, like langurs, monkeys and leopards. The leopards generally come out at night, sometimes to eat the local dogs. Our guide told us to not fear them though and just walk back if we see one. I've heard this so many times, but I don't really know if I can remain calm at such a time or not. Either because of fear or even the excitement of seeing such an animal out in the wild! Am not looking to test it out soon though 😝.

Picturesque villages

After that, we walked into town for a bit. Most of it looked new and only one of the buildings seemed to be original, made of wood. To deal with the growth in tourists I suppose. The streets were all full of eating places and some hotels. We did come across one unique shop here though. It was selling some 10 different types of rajma, and many other spices and lentils which were local from this region. I found it quite interesting, to see all these different varieties available. And stocked up on a few too. I am sure, if nothing else, this is more organic than what we get in the plains.

The town looked quite touristy, and quite dirty I must say. Walking through the town, it did not even feel that the place was in the mountains. Seeing scenes like this I wonder, as much as I and everyone else enjoys exploring such new places in the mountains, we also bring so much trash along with us. Very soon these places lose their charm. Is it worth it?

At night, from our accommodation, we could see a lot of the twinkling lights of the villages till far away. That is when I realised there were lot of villages here. All far away and distributed, but still this place was more populated than I expected. Till quite late at night, there was still some moonlight and we could see the contours of the mountain ranges till very far. It looked especially scenic, with the twinkling stars and the moon in the sky. And we could also see more stars in the sky than usual. This was all so captivating, I loved the time I spent outside in the night sky that day.


continued... The enchanting Himalayas (2)