"I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenary...air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, this is what it is to be happy." ~ Sylvia Plath
It was December 2012.
I was working in New Delhi during that period. Cubicle life was frenzily hectic and we were buried neck deep in our respective editorial work. My teammates and I were looking like zombies.
Out of the blue, our boss Rohit Sir proposed a quick weekend getaway trip to a small cantontment town of Lansdowne in Uttarakhand. The surprise look on our faces lasted a few seconds upon hearing about the proposed trip...and then in quick succession it turned to jubilation. My teammates agreed unanimously. We desperately needed a break from all the work pressure, deadlines, and the frustratingly mundane monotonous life.
The date was decided. The guesthouse was booked. The vehicle was booked. Everything was done and arranged by the seniors. The rest of us eagerly waited for the day of the departure. The day came, but at the lightening speed of a tortoise. Friday dawned. The whole day passed away as we frantically tried to finish our work.
We were to depart for Lansdowne from our Noida office around midnight. Three of our teammates went home after office to join us later. The rest of us stayed back at office. We still had 5-6 hours to kill before departure. So Rohit Sir treated us to a Hindi movie "Talaash" that was being screened at a hall at that time. The movie was terrible. We returned back to office after the evening show. We just whiled away our time in the office compound. Three of our colleagues who went home joined us when it was time to board the vehicle. It was a white minivan. We were eleven of us including the driver. Sometime around midnight we set off...everyone were in high spirits and the atmosphere inside the minivan was abuzz with constant chatter and laughter. I kept wandering if anyone would fall asleep, but it looks like none were in the mood to sleep though their faces said some other story. 😬 I kept dozing on and off throughout the night drive. Somewhere on the highway (I have no recollection where exactly we were that particular night) we stopped to have refreshments. Can I request you to visualize this scene:
A hot cup of tea on a cold December night at a dhaba on the side of a highway. You got it, right? Refreshments done. Nature calls done. We once again hopped into the minivan and huddled close together on our seats to combat the cold as the vehicle sped through the smooth foggy highway in the silent night. I could hardly keep my sleepy eyes opened...😴
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| clicks at the office compound before boarding the vehicle |
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| somewhere at a dhaba |
Blissfully asleep with my small head against the window, I was woken up suddenly at the crack of dawn by the excited high-pitched voice of my teammates who were admiring the beauty of the hills from the window of the moving minivan. Everybody were calling me, "Hema Hema wake up. Look at the hills. Look at the beauty all around. We are almost reaching Lansdowne." I opened my still sleepy eyes and looked at my excited teammates. They were in morning spirits and I was still in my sleeping spirits. But when I opened the window pane and the chilly wind mercilessly hit my sleepy face, I was reborn. My sleepy spirits left me and I became more zinda. Have you felt more awake and alive when cold/chilly wind hits your sleepy/tired face?
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| Ekata clicking us as the driver looks on |
I realized how the small minivan manouevered the winding mountain road. Tall pine trees and other trees hugged the slopes of the hills. The hills and the landscape looked beautifully fresh at dawn. The minivan stopped by the side of the road near a riverpoint. We limped out one by one out of the van and stretched ourselves. We climbed down a short and steep narrow trail to reach the river bank. Small pebbles made the river bank. Water was less in the river. It was more like a skeleton river snaking its way through the hilly area. Since it is winter and so less water. Monsoon will definitely be a more different picture of this particular river. There was no one except us. The quiet moment got interrupted by our chattering, the chirping of birds, and the occasional vehicle that zoomed passed by the road. The early morning rays filtering through the gaps between the hills and trees on a clear and crisp morning presented a visual treat. Some of us walked up and down the pebble strewn riverbed. The river water was too cold to touch. Phew! Fingers almost froze on touching the water.😆 City slickers like us welcomed the stillness of the place and we loved being present here in the midst of nature. We retraced our steps to the main road after spending some time here.
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| early morning rays filtering through |
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| the winding mountain road and the river |
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| nature at its best early morning |
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| the white minivan and us |
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| a group photo at the riverbed |
The white minivan carefully drove through the winding mountain road. My colleague, Anita got sick with motion sickness.☹ That generally happens when city bred folks come to the hills. We had to stop the vehicle at frequent intervals for her to recover and that the condition doesn't worsen. She drank water and sprinkled her face with some water. Thankfully her motion sickness lasted only for sometime. Rohit Sir looked at me and asked, "Hema, are you okay or are you feeling sick?" I replied, "Sir, I am a mountain girl and am used to such mountain journey."😀 As the vehicle drove on, we could see houses popping out one after the other as civilization neared. Imagine my sheer joy when I had my first ever glimpse of the distant snow capped Himalayas!😍 My silly heart danced. The minivan crossed the town centre and by 8:30 a.m. we found ourselves at the compound of the GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam) hotel. This is a govt. run guesthouse. It has spacious rooms and big compounds. We had a good and comfortable stay here. The eleven tired souls carried their small luggage from the minivan and walked up the stairs to go to the first floor of the hotel; walked the long corridors, and took occupancy of their allotted rooms. We were six girls and we got the same room. Once we reached the room, some of us just crashed on the bed. Everyone rested. Sunlight filtered through the big windows of the room and brightened it up. It made the room cheerful. After an hour or so passed, we freshened up and got ready for the day. Just mentioning...it was showering with ice cold water.☹
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| GMVN in Lansdowne |
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| views from GMVN guesthouse |
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| a winding road near GMVN guesthouse |
We had breakfast at the big compound of the guest house. Upenderji, our senior colleague, brought home-cooked chicken curry. We relished the delicious curry. The compound was beautifully landscaped with seasonal flowers that enhanced the beauty of the not-so-good looking govt. guest house. Once we were done with the hearty wholesome breakfast, all of us were raring to explore this cantonment town.
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| breakfast at the hotel compound |
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| a flowery beauty in the hotel garden |
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| Upenderji, Adil, and I ready for the day |
We walked from the guesthouse taking a winding road upwards. As our leisurely walk progressed, we noticed how clean was the town. Towering tall trees shaded every stretch of the road. Some stretches were a bit dark since sunlight couldn't filter through the deep foliage. Our city bred ears accustomed to the constant honking and noise, took immense delight in listening to the chirping and twittering of the many birds, the hush silence of the hills, and our city weary eyes looked up with childlike wonder at the azure sky with clouds floating across. We were not in a hurry. We took it slow and easy. Even the town was not in a rush. It wanted us to stop and to stare. Though we started walking in a group, but after sometime some were far ahead and some were far behind. And some were in the middle between the two groups.😂
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| the clean forested winding road |
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| signpost showing direction of landmarks |
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| towering pine tree in Lansdowne |
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| Army Public School in Lansdowne |
Thus enjoying our walk in the sylvan surroundings, we made our way to
Bhulla Tal. It is a small man-made lake maintained by the Indian Army. It is set amidst thick oak forest and a perfect picnic spot to be enjoyed both by young and old alike. The lake has a few ducks swimming around the lake. There is a small red-coloured steel bridge across the small lake. A small rabbit enclosure near the entry gate will delight the kids. You can enjoy boating facilities in the lake, too. A few of my teammates went for the boat ride. The rest of us simply lazed around the expansive well-maintained grassy grounds basking in the mellow December sunlight. Peace!!!
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| Bhulla Tal in Lansdowne |
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| Bhulla Tal in Lansdowne |
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| the small bridge across Bhulla Tal in Lansdowne |
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| Rohit Sir relaxing at Bhulla Tal |
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| Tripti, Ekata, and Anita enjoying boat ride at Bhulla Tal |
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| wonder what was I clicking |
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| a group photo of the editorial team |
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| Anita and her smiley pose |
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| geese frolicking at Bhulla Tal |
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| rabbit enclosure at Bhulla Tal |
We left the park. Sushil, Upenderj, and I climbed a hilly slope through small trails to explore the other side after exiting the park. The climb was a good workout for the three of us. The smell of pine trees filled the air. The tall pine trees towered over us and the slopes were littered with pine cones. As we came down the slope, a big tree with yellow coloured leaves caught our attention. What a beautiful tree!
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| climbing the slopes |
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| a forest of pine trees |
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| a pine forest |
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| pine forest and winding mountain road |
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| pine forest in Lansdowne |
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| let's take the mountain road |
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| beautiful tree |
Our small group strolled the almost empty road. Some road unexpectedly took us to private properties or sometimes we came to a dead end.😀We again had to retrace our steps and go by some other path. We hardly encountered any humans or aliens during our leisurely stroll through the winding road filled with pine and oak trees.😛 By late afternoon, we arrived at
Tip N Top viewpoint. This particular viewpoint is the highest point in Lansdowne. It offers sweeping views of Garhwal hills and the distant Shivalik Himalayan Range. Having my first glimpse of the distant snow peaks, my silly heart was beyond rapturous. It's my
pehli nazar.
Pehli nazar ki baat hi kuch aur hai.
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| Himalayan peaks as from Tip N Top viewpoint in Lansdowne |
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| a closer view of the Himalayan peaks |
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| Himalayan peaks |
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| Himalayan peaks and surrounding views |
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| cemented sit out at Tip N Top viewpoint in Lansdowne |
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| as I sit alone in silence |
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| one for the memories at Tip N Top viewpoint |
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| sunlight filtering through the trees |
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| a colonial era house in Lansdowne |
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| hut house at Tip N Top viewpoint |
A couple of hut house under GMVN is available for stay here. By the time we had our feel of the Himalayan peaks, it was already getting dark. It was getting chilly as cold. We sauntered on the dark forested road that was brightened with occasional street lamps here and there, and lights coming from people's house. We arrived at the town square to fill our empty stomach. All the walking and the cold made us super hungry. The small square was made up of a handful of restaurants, some hotels, and a market place. Locals were lounging around. Cabs and other vehicles were parked all around in an orderly way. In short we could feel the hustle and bustle of a small hilly town.
On entering a restaurant, we ordered variety of eatable items and had our fill.
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| Tripti and I reading the menu |
We made our way to the guesthouse from the town square. After some rest, we assembled at the compound. It was a chilly night. A bonfire was lit. All sat around the bonfire. The fire blazed and roared in the chilly night. The clear night sky was a vision of hundreds of twinkling stars. Oh the healthy benefits and perks of living in a pollution free small hilly towns! Time whiled away around the bonfire with good conversations, friendly banter, smiles, laughters, some more eating, a few drinks...and some ghost stories of the hills narrated by the caretaker of the guesthouse. Ghost stories on a chilly night as we sat around a bonfire!!! Take that!!! The quiet night was witnessed to this little party going on. We then retired for the night after the fun and frolic of the day. Upon returning to our room, one of the girls started crying. At first I had no clue why she was suddenly crying. When the rest of the girls enquired, we realized she got frightened by listening to the ghost stories.😟 We tried to pacify the crying girl. Once she stopped crying, we all slept immediately.
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| the bonfire is lit |
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| warming around the bonfire |
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| a warm bonfire on a chilly night |
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| remains of the bonfire next morning |
Day 2 dawned. It was bright and sunny. Lazily got up from the cozy bed to freshen up, to pack our bags, and to get ready for the day. We spent the last few minutes lounging around the compound of the guesthouse. We all kept our luggage into the same minivan and got into it. It was 9 in the morning. We drove to
St John's Catholic Church. The church was built in 1937. As per the info on the notice board in the church, it said that the beautiful church was "intermittently used as a godown, a school, a horse stable, and so on. In 1951 the church was handed over to the Government of India." It is located on Mall Road on the way to Tip N Top viewpoint. From the main road, we had to climb a few concrete steps to reach the church compound. Once you reached the top of the steps, a pebble strewn path led to the threshold of the church. Shoes needed to be removed before entering the church. The interiors of the church are beautiful. I have always loved visiting churches and feeling the peace and quiet of the holy place.
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| St. John's Catholic Church in Lansdowne |
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| inside St. John's Catholic Church |
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| Nasreen and I putting on our shoes at St. John's Catholic Church |
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| one for the memories at St. John's Catholic Church |
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| the editorial team |
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| Sushil and Upenderji at St. John's Catholic Church |
We returned back to the town square to have a wholesome breakfast. Some of my colleagues made a few purchases. We spent the last few minutes strolling around the square. And as always it was time to say goodbye. We hopped into the minivan and drove through the winding mountain road on our way back to Delhi. Slowly and slowly the pine and oak filled hills disappeared from our view; and that got replaced with dust and noise and crowd. Sigh!!!
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| a moment captured after morning breakfast at the town square |
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| the town square of Lansdowne |
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| the town square of Lansdowne |
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| Lansdowne is the home of Garhwal Regiment |
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| views of Lansdowne from the moving vehicle |
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| the road on the right goes to Lansdowne |
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| one for the memories with the sign |
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| minivan manoeuvring the winding mountain road |
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| a moment captured in the moving minivan |
Halfway through the drive, we saw a sea of yellow flowers of mustard plant growing in a field on the side of a highway. We immediately got down to click a few pictures with the yellow mustard field to recreate some Yash Chopra movie moments.😂
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| mustard plants field |
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| Adil and his sarson ka khet moment |
We arrived in Meerut around 4 in the evening and had a late lunch. Our trip finally came to an end when we reached congested and crowded Delhi around 7/8 at night. It might be the shortest trip, but we were happy we could enjoy and spend a few precious moments together outside office.
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| waiting for lunch to arrive |
To sum it up, Lansdowne is one of those quaint and quiet hill stations that has not been overtaken by noisy and unruly crowds of tourists. You will be surprised to know the cantontment town got it's name from Lord Lansdowne, the then Viceroy of India. It being a military garrison town is clean, well-maintained, and less commercialized. The sleepy cantontment town is dotted with a few British era colonial architecture. Its quiet small town charm is still intact. You can unwind your vacation time in the midst of tranquil nature walking in the winding forested road and embracing the serenity of the place. Infact walking is the best way to explore the small hilly town.
Due to paucity of time, we missed to see the other attractions of the town: St Mary's Church, War Memorial, Military Museum, Kaleshwar Mahadev Temple.
So what are you wanting for? Pack your bags and some woollen clothes, and head to this little unknown gem tucked away in the corner of Garhwal hills.
How to Reach Lansdowne:
Air: Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun is the nearest one. Lansdowne is 152 km away from there.
Train: The nearest railway station is at Kotdwar. Lansdowne is 41 km away from there.
Bus: Buses are available from ISBT Kashmere Gate Delhi to Kotdwar. From Kotdwar vehicles are available to go to Lansdowne. The drive from Kotdwar to Lansdowne is steep and scenic. Lansdowne is 250 km away from Delhi, a journey of 7-8 hours.
Where to Stay:
Besides GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam) guesthouse which is govt. run, there are a couple of hotels in the town square. A few resorts are located on the outskirts.
When to Visit:
Lansdowne is an all year round destination. Though precaution should be taken during heavy monsoon.
Thank you for stopping by!
Happy Travelling feet!
Travelled on: December 2012
©All contents and images are copyright of Hema Hazarika (thehaflonggirl).
