Mussoorie

On the 10th of April, my flight from Bangalore landed at Dehradun at around 4:30PM, almost half an hour late. I met my friends Divyesh and Ganesh outside the airport. Divyesh and I were about to do our 5th trek together. I had first met Ganesh in 2015, in Huston, through a common friend. We had travelled together to Galveston during Mardi Gras. After that, we had rarely been in contact. Last year, Ganesh called me and shared his interest to do a trek in the Himalayas along with me. When I made this plan, I informed him and he was more than happy to join. 

We took a taxi and headed towards Mussoorie. The taxi fare was Rs 2500. We reached our hostel - GoSTOPS on Library Road, by 7:30PM. Our dormitory had the view of Dehradun city below. 

Divyesh had got me some wheat Bakhri and Thepla. We had our dinner at the balcony. With nothing else to do, we decided to go to bed early that night. After all, it had been a long day for me. 

 

Next morning, I woke up at around 6AM and took a walk to Library chowk, 1.5km uphill from the hostel. At the chowk, I found a middle-aged lady who agreed to make some black tea for me. By the corner, there was another stall selling omelette and bun. It seemed popular as there was crowd gathered around it. Apart from these two stalls, everything else was closed. The day begins very late here. After having my tea, I walked back to the hostel. 

We were ready by 8AM. We had hired two scooters for Rs600 each to explore the surroundings. First, we drove to Sir George Everest's house. We had to park our scooters down and walk up a small hill to get to the property. The house and the museum were closed. We decided to hike up to George Everest peak beside the house. It is a short 30-minute trek but steep enough to tire you. The views from the summit is beautiful. At a distance, we could see the snow-capped mountains. 

We next rode to Kempty falls. We had lunch at a dabha before heading to the waterfall. The place was really weird. By the road,  there are several empty shops which allow scooters to park for a nominal fee. We then had to walk a flight of steps with shops on either side all along the way. The shops were renting clothes and towels. They also had changing rooms.  

The waterfall is magnificent but the place was extremely crowded. We stayed there for some time and returned back. 

 

On our way back, we stopped at a beautiful temple that I had seen on my way. Santura Devi temple is situated on a small hill on the way to Kempty falls from Mussoorie. It is believed by the locals that she saved the people from the earthquake of 1991 by reducing the damage. The place was almost empty and had a peaceful vibe. 

 

At the base, the trust runs a shop which sells local products; mainly clothes. I bought a shawl and a shirt for myself and a saree for my wife. Though a bit expensive, the quality here is excellent. 

 

We retuned back to the hostel to relax for a while. Though the weather was pleasant, the scorching sun had caused heavy dehydration and sunburn. At around 5:30PM, we rode to Buddha temple. 

 

Near the temple, there is a path leading to Dalai hill. This is a good place to view sunset in Mussoorie. 

We next drove to Mall Road. This is the most popular road in Mussoorie filled with shops. The approach road was all dug up as some major repair work is in progress. Underground cables are being laid. We tried some pain poori with poori made of sooji (semolina). It was crunchy and tasty. 

Next morning, I walked again to Library chowk for my morning tea. Ganesh joined me. We walked to Mall Road after that. We had an interesting discussion on politics. Most of the shops in Mall Road were closed. We retuned back to hostel and got ready. 

 

Ganesh and I went back to Library chowk to have breakfast - Chole Bature and hot gulab Jamoon were tasty. We met Divyesh at Mall Road and headed to Camel rock view point. The walk was a waste as the rocks are on a hill opposite to were we stood. A few men had set up telescope to view the rock and other attractions. 

While Divyesh had his lunch at a dabha that served him food without onion and garlic, Ganesh and I, headed back to Library chowk. We had seen a restaurant that serves Garhwal food. The  Garhwal thali came with Ragi (Finger millet) roti, Bhang (Hemp seed) ki chutney, Jhangora (Barnyard millet) ki kheer and Himalayan red rice. The food was absolutely delicious. We had some Akrot (Walnut) halwa for dessert. 

 

After a good meal, we returned back to hostel and I took a short nap till 4:30PM. In the evening, I went to the balcony and began sketching. I summarised my visit to George Everest hill. 

 

A young boy came by asking us to join him for a game of cards. We played a game and then decided to head to Mall Road again. We had some tasty samosas, paani poori, jalebi and Gulab jamoon for dinner. 

 

There isn’t much to do in Mussoorie. You can rent a scooter for a day and explore the surroundings. It is however a good place to sit and relax a bit. I badly needed this break. Now, I felt ready to go on a trek. 

Checkout My Video on Mussoorie: