1 post tagged “mountains”
Come long weekends, we all head out in the rush to make the most of the snippets of time that work affords us. That is exactly what we all did when we headed for the hills on the April 6th weekend. We had 4 days on our hands and nowhere to go!! In retrospect, I think that was the best thing to ever happen to us.
We took an eicher map, a subscription to MapMyIndia.com on AirTel Live, a car and 4 willing souls who just wanted to get out of there. To see the green hills, smell the pine, feel the chill etc etc.
So we took out the map and marked the road, which is marked here on the left, and headed towards Kasol. Till Dharampur it was a normal, everyday simla trip. But the moment we crossed the turn, the roads grew emptier and narrower, the scenary grew more beautiful and the villagers grew friendlier. We crossed amazing territory, untouched valleys which had nothing in them.
It was a journey of discovery. Of finding that there are still untouched places in the himalayas if you just take the path less taken. Did you know that there are at least a hundred national parks in the Himachal belt? It was a time to take your time and smell the pine, to pee by the roadside supposedly hidden by the car doors. To stop where you want to stop and discover places that you had never heard of.
We discovered a ruined fortress. The kingdom of Arki. We felt like Columbus! Stayed at a palace. We met a real live Raja. And we felt like the raja must have felt every morning when he looked into his small little kingdom tucked away in the valley below the palace.
It was the perfect opportunity to explore the ruins of the ancient Deewan-e-khas and stables. Of meeting the King and hearing of days long gone. We too have stories to tell. Stories of moonlight walks and slick roads on a rainy night. Stories of how a king is struggling to restore his palace in its former glory.
We have cameras and phones full of pictures which cannot hope to capture the magnitude of the beauty we saw sprawled before us. The private gardens of the king with trees whose names we had never heard. the history that hung on the walls of each room in that house. The paintings on the walls of the Deewan-e-khas, on each arch! How can you hope to capture at least 50 different paintings, each as intricate as the next one? How can you even hope to do justice to the pictures when each angle through the ruins looks just as enchanting as the other.
It was a trip back in time. To hear a raja boast that he never had to hang anyone in his time. To hear the talks of long walks with Sardar Patel and the indian freedom struggle. To feel the dampness and darkness of the karagaar, so dark that the darkness seems to settle around you even on the brightest of days. I almost missed the open sky in the few moments that I was inside!
It was a journey of excitement, of grabbing the opportunity when it was found. Of plummetting toward the centre of a rope strung across the river and then pulling your way back to the shore. Hanging on for dear life above a river which sped under you. To feel the world slipping away. To repent the time when you found the bridge and convinced the others of the wisdom of 'Trying it out'. And then the victory of managing to pull yourself back to the ledge and to dear life!
A great trip. A great drive across the most sprawling valleys. Through the most amazing 3 km tunnel cut right across the belly of a mountain! On the slickest of roads and the bumpiest snakiest paths on which only one vehicle passes. Of finding settlements where the river runs and yummy treats on the menu. Of finding little cottages at the edge of a cliff. Of paying as little as Rs. 150 a night and still keeping a straight face while asking for a discount!! (Not me - Nupur!!)
Kasol is little settlement on the way to Manikaran where the Israelis have run off to after the Puppies took up Dharamshala! Right next to Malana with access to the best Malana cream you can get your hands on! Where you can take a walk through the quaint little eateries and little pathways sneaking next to the river. Where you can discover restaurants in the middle of nowhere. The forests have hand painted signs that lead you to Banofi Pie and Apple Strudle!!
And Kutteer Cottage is a beautiful set of 2 cottages set in a garden, perched at the end of a cliff. Here, you can come home to wood pannelled walls and a tiny little patio which shields you from the rain. You can ask for Aloo ka paranthas when you are sick of the pasta, and the baguettes dished out by the restaurants! You can cook in the kitchen set on one terrace of the three level garden! And you can pick gorgeously red blooms off trees!!
I came back with a soul full of memories. Memories of walks from Kuteer to kasol when I saw the sun tumble down a dry creek where water used to be and I saw a snow capped mountain framed perfectly by two green slopes! Of a walk in the forest looking for Malana cream and finding the perfect wading spot next to the gurgling river. Memories of the most elaborate breakfasts. One in the sun at a restaurant called Sasi - that served Snakes instead of Snacks and Brushkeeta isntead of bruschetta! One sheltered from the rain in our patio, sitting at the edge of a cliff. gorging aloo ka paranthas with amazing wild fruit achaar! And one on the terrace of the Arki palace with the moutains spread out before me instread of paranthas and sandwiches!
Check out: http://hotelpalaceretreat.com/ for the Arki Palace
