Lansdowne

"I awake to what sounds like the din of a factory buzzer, but is in fact the music of a single vociferous Cicada in the lime tree near my window.Through the open window, I focus on a pattern of small, glossy lime leaves; then through them I see the mountains, the furthest Himalayas, striding away into an immensity of sky... The sea has had Stevenson and Conrad, Melville and Hemingway, but the mountains have continued to defy the written word. We have climbed their highest peaks and crossed their most difficult passes, but still they keep their secrecy and reserve, remaining remote, mysterious and spirit-haunted. No wonder then, that the people who live on the mountain slopes in the mistfilled valleys of the Garhwal Himalayas, have long since learned humility and patience. Deep in the crouching mist lie their villages, while climbing the mountain slopes are forests of rhododendron, pine and deodar, soughing in the wind from the icebound passes. Pale women plough, while their men go down to the plains in search of work, for little grows on the beautiful mountains." - Ruskin Bond


That just sums up what anyone would have to say for Lansdowne - that too in the words of its most aesthetic admirer. According to me, its the perfect getaway for delhiites for the weekend or actually, in our case - just a day! :) It was saturday evening, I was sitting with two of my friends, with whom I've explored India over college years and suddenly in mere random conversation we decided to pack our rucksacks and head to this rather mysterious hill station that we had only heard about in Ruskin Bond's writings. There we were standing at ISBT, Kashmiri Gate in an extremely cold February night at 9-Three girls, with five layers of clothes, winter caps, gloves and hiking shoes on -asking for the bus that would get us to Kotdwara - the closest place to Lansdowne by public transport!

We reached around 4 in the morning but were told that the jeeps that go higher up to Lansdowne would be available only by 6! So, we went to a tea stall nearby warmed our hands around a cup of tea and waited for dawn to break..The drive up to Lansdowne is bumpy and the roads are narrow but the breath taking view of the hills, the clouds floating by, the chilly winds along with the soothing morning rays of the sun - felt like a different world all together. When we got off the jeep at the " Gandhi Chowk", we knew we had come to a place that not many people know about - there were no hotels, just a line of kiosks.

With the little research to back us, we asked for where the Church was - we only knew about the church but we were awe-struck by the stunning view of the Himalayan range that overlooked the Church. We just stood there stunned - it was Nature at its best! In between the two is a bench facing the Himalayas, where someone like me would just sit and stare into the wilderness. The peacefulness was deafening - we could hear nothing but the infrequent murmur of the engine of a vehicle passing by or the echo of our own voices.

It had been a night's travel and quite a long walk up to the church, so we chose not to go to the temple that stood another 20 minutes walk away at Tiffin Top. We walked down the hill from the Church towards the larger cantonment area. There aren't many hotels but old bungalows that have been converted to Hotels for the growing number of tourists like the popular Fairy Dale Resort. There is also a makeshift lake called the Bhulla Lake after a steep climb down. Walking back to the chowk, we were tired by now and starving-it was past noon and we hadn't had anything to eat. The Gandhi Chowk is a central place and though there are reasonable eateries, we tried one called "Tipsy" that looked more like a dhaba because we as a group are always running short on money. Also, we generally enjoy the food served in these small joints. So, there we were devouring on Butter Chicken, rice, finger chips, some vegetables, rotis, curd - all for a mere 150 bucks - damn! we were proud of ourselves and full too!!

Then we decided to head back to Kotdwara because we needed to figure out a way to get back to Delhi- it was Sunday and we had to get back by morning to attend classes! We had to find a way such that we wouldn't reach too early because we wouldn't be allowed into the hostel until 6 am. So, we couldn't take the bus this time. It was then that we got to know that there was a train that connected this rather aloof town to the capital - The Mussorie Express. We went to the station but he said we cant get reservation done then, we would have to come back later. So, thats when we decided to visit the ancient Karnva Ashram which was not very far away. We went to the jeep stand- after the initial altercations with a few drivers, we found one who was ready to take us there for a reasonable sum (which i still thought was too much - i don't remember the amount). They were asking for crazy amounts because the road to this ashram is apparently generally attacked by wild elephants - so you gotta keep a watch out and be safe! Legend has it that Shankuntala gave birth to prince Bharat here, after whose name the country is called Bharat Varsh.

Then we headed back to the station, bought tickets for Delhi. Out in the Kotdwara market, into the by lanes which had nothing but basic utility shops. Our train was at 10, and by this time we were hungry again - we found another dhaba where we got egg curry, matar masala, tandoori roti and paranthas for less than a hundred rupees. To treat ourselves, we had "jalebis" as dessert! We roamed around the lanes discussing about everyday issues and at the same time letting the calm brought by the day seep in. At 1o we boarded the train and 7 in the morning next day, we were arguing with the Auto walah about the meter rates!

Interesting Fact: There is a huge cultivation of Cauliflower in Kotdwara during the winters and they sell at an astonishing rate of Rs. 10 for 5 kgs - the rest of the math is unbelievable!!

Lansdowne is known more for the cantonment reasons, but it rates amongst India's best Hill Stations especially due to the fact that the crass commercialization that one sees in so many other hill stations hasn't affected this town yet. This is a great destination in case you are looking for a quiet getaway, away from the energy sapping city life. Take long liesurely walks or just sit on one of the many benches -Lansdowne is a good place to relax amongst the cool mountain breezes and an overwhelming smell of pine and oak trees.