Hills and Mountains

Though the title may strike few this is something that I can’t help myself out. I’ve been to the different mountaineering region from short to medium followed my high rise. But, never enjoyed rather I would like to say I didn’t love my trips to those places. If I’m given with the options – Sea, Mountains, Forest: I would go for sea. No doubt I’m in still love with the oceans.

But, I’m falling in love with mountains too, despite manifold tries, which made me up for writing about all my trips involving around MOUNTAINS !!!

My first mountain trip was Mirik and Darjeeling. It was back on the year 2007, I was in 5th Standard. It was a short trip for seven days. We halt for 3 days in Darjeeling and for 4 days in Mirik.

From New Jalpaiguri Station it takes 3-4 hours to Darjeeling and 2 hours to Mirik. It’s completely your choice which one to choose first. But, according to my sense, I would tell to go for Darjeeling first coz after exploring the mesmerizing beauty of Mirik you won’t be enjoying Darjeeling much. IMPORTANT: I’m not suppressing the beauty of Darjeeling. It’s way more beautiful than you can picture. Darjeeling is a busy city, whereas Mirik is the peaceful one, with low population. So I would be doing injustice if I start analyzing these two places. As we all know the best time to enjoy the mountains is from October to mid-December, the timing remains constant for all the place in the mountains.

When in Darjeeling you should not miss the outstanding points like –

• Batasia loop
• Ghum Monastry
• Peace Pagoda
• Tea garden
• Tiger hill
• Toy Train

And, from Mirik you can go for diverse points tour like Swiss cottage, suicide Point etc. The great lake in Mirik is a great source of beauty to add up to the eye-catching spots.
The lake not only feeds the temptation of the tourist with its natural beauty but also it allows us to witness the most vibrant fishes of all the times.

Last, but not the least, while traveling to Darjeeling or Mirik don’t forget to halt 1 or 2 days in Jalpaiguri. With vast tea estates followed by a huge repository of wild animals and birds, you can enjoy the blend of wildlife with nature.

My visit to Haridwar was back in the year 2009, two years later my trip to Darjeeling and Mirik. Haridwar is one of the ancient city and one of the busiest hub of Hindu pilgrimages, where the River Ganges exits the Himalayan foothills. The largest of several sacred ghats (bathing steps), Har Ki Pauri hosts a nightly Ganga Aarti (river-worshipping ceremony) in which tiny flickering lamps are floated off the steps. Worshipers fill the city during major festivals including the annual Kanwar Mela. Hindi is the official language of India and in general, the Hindi term of water is “pani” but here, in Haridwar, you’re prohibited to use “pani” for the water of Ganges. The natives worship the water and referred to as “jal”. Haridwar is believed to be the Gateway of God. You can cover Rishikesh, one of the most attractive tourist spots. Rishikesh is a traffic-free, alcohol-free and vegetarian enclave city. The popular fascination here is Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula. which is a huge suspension bridge that connects two towns across the river Ganges.

Mussoorie, don’t you get any mind soothing tone from the word, if you say that you don’t then I must say that you’re lacking joy in your life. The name of the place gives an enormous amount of mind soothing and blissful feelings. It is said “What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”, but this place will surely oppose the statement.

Mussoorie was included by us along with our Haridwar trip in the year 2009. Also nicknamed as Queen Of Hills, Mussoorie is located at a distance of 35 km from Dehradun, an astonishing hill station in Uttarakhand situated at a height of 2005 meters above the sea level at the foothills of the Himalayas. This place is famous for a weekend getaway, honeymoon destinations, Himalayan views, and Mall Road. If you wish then you could halt for 1-2 days here but we chose to cover it up within a day.

Mussoorie as the name suggests, kissed by nature is an ecstatic getaway for any nature enthusiast.
You can’t stop falling in crush with this place if you’re a mountain freak.

The country of the famous Indian Folk song Bihu and the largest tea exporter state in India is none other than Assam. The rich cultural state is endowed with various tourists spots. In the west, Guwahati, Assam’s largest city, features silk bazaars and the hilltop Kamakhya Temple. Umananda Temple sits on Peacock Island in the Brahmaputra river. The state capital, Dispur, is a suburb of Guwahati. The ancient pilgrimage site of Hajo and Madan Kamdev, the ruins of a temple complex, lie nearby. Assam is greatly famous for Indian One-horned rhino of Kanjiranga Forest.

From Assam, we planned for Shillong. Shillong was a 4 hours journey from Assam. Our first halt was the top point of Shillong also referred to as View Point, from here the whole city can be appreciated.

Though at the age of 14, surely I was not in a desire to relish the bliss of nature. I dropped out of my car as far as I remembered, I seized a mug of instant Maggi and enjoyed my meal at the top of Shillong, with two of my other siblings.

When we drove to the main city, I was startled by the beautiful peoples out there. I must say, whether male or female, I was in love with them.
The journey was quite restless for me and for all of us because what we did was misplanned. So my advice, If you’re visiting Shillong then you must stay there for one or two days, coz it’s a long hectic journey if you decide to return on the same day.

My next trip to the mountain was Gangtok

Gangtok, a tiny little town of Sikkim with the human population approximately 98,658. No industries, no high rises and no factories with the giant smoke developer. Surrounded by mighty mountains, lies the safeguarded town of north-east Sikkim. 

Surrounded by Kanchenjunga, the elegantly decorated city has its unique ideas of nurturing their nature. When in Gangtok you can’t escape the wonderful places you can visit from there – from clear pristine water of the tsomgo lakes to the beautiful temple of Baba Mandir. From calm rumtek Monastery to energetic Ban Jhakri, a pack of all in one. For much greater details, you can give a little tap here.

I must say, I disliked the mountains so much. It’s unduly twisted and turns of the hilly routes and deep cuts of the valleys freak the hell out of me. I get sick and nausea was common above all. But, when I say, to sum up, my tour then I recognize that I’ve covered up almost so many mountainous regions and they never disappointed me rather gave me an absolute level of achievement. If you want a fun loving enjoyable vacation then go for Oceans, sea beaches and if you want relaxed peaceful holidays then switch to Mountains. Ocean will extract the inner child out of you whereas mountains will lure you with its serene ambiance. So, on my last trip, I took several precautions like – Not traveling empty stomach, Not traveling in a full stomach. I started my journey by having a butter toast. Just one. Followed by medicine to keep my sickness away. And, sat on the front seat of my car to save me. I enjoyed my last vacation to the fullest and didn’t let my motion sickness to dominate me. I relished the artistic sight scenes, the fresh air, snowflakes in certain places and famous Tibetian dishes on the go. It didn’t take much time for me to realize that what I’ve missed on my last trips to mountains. So now I need to say, that I started to fall in love with the mountains and their beauty. And, ready to go once again. If not for the nature then surely for having my ideal dish.