The call of the mountains

I had been to the Himalayas in just January and they are calling me again.So off we go again, Ma , Biga and me on 19 March after winding up class 1. We reach Delhi on 20 March, on the day of the Holi and put up at the Ginger hotel. In the evening we take the metro to meet Bipasa auntie and her parents.

The next day we board the overnight train which takes us to Kathgodam at the foothills of the Himalayas. Kathgodam is a very sweet little station surrounded by mountains and is very clean and green. The total number of trains which arrive/leave from here can be counted on fingers. The trains normally arrive early in the morning ( like our train Ranikhet Exp) and again depart in the evening. The whole day the station sleeps in the sun along with the trains in the yard.

From Kathgodam we go to Ramkrishna Ashram Almora. It is situated on the slope of a very green hill, amidst armies of pine trees. The head Swamiji is an old man, who calls me Chaandgopal with a lot of love and affection. He asks me what I like to eat and when I mention burgers and pizzas, he tells me that in the ashram they too make rice burgers for lunch. I am very excited and happy on hearing that. But when I realize what he means by rice burger ( hard boiled unbroken mounds of rice) , I am quite disappointed.

From Almora, we go to Chaukori where I see the Himalayan snow peaks in their full glory. It is a tiny place, but very sweet and full of rhododendron trees. The KMVN tourist lodge, where we stay, seems to be at a shouting distance from the snow peaks. Just see below! What a view! The peak in the centre with a rounded top is Nanda Devi,

Munsiyari, the next place we go takes us to a different world altogether. The journey from Chaukori is through some very steep winding mountain roads with forests of rhododendrons on either side.
Munsiyari's guardian seems to be the Panchachuli snow peak, always towering over the town day and night with a watchful eye. Just look!!!!!!

These five peaks ( count them) together are named Panchachuli. My mummy captured this view just before sunrise.

At Munsiyari, we stayed at Rekha auntie's house in Sarmoli village, where I had great fun playing with the children and the dog and the cat.

We also trekked 4 kms to Mehsar Kund on the hill top. It was a hot day and we often splashed water from the stream which accompanied us all the way to Mehsar Kund.

Mehsar Kund is like a place you read only in fairy tales- a deep little wishing pool in the middle of a dense forest full of rhododendron trees. As this was the time for flowers, all of them were bursting in red and pink blooms. What a sight! It was so cool and quiet and we felt as if we could almost see fairies, gnomes and pixies running around and rolling on the velvety green grass near the pool.

Our stay in Munsiyari got extended as the day after trekking to Mehsar Kund, I caught a cold and developed fever. One full day I was confined to the hotel room with Biga who was only too delighted at the God-sent chance to watch the India-Pakistan cricket match of the World Cup. Ma was out with Pushpa Auntie all day for her own work. I too had a nice time, sleeping a lot, and painting this view from the hotel room.

When Ma returned in the evening, she was simply delighted at the drawing. The fever too had subsided and it was decided that the next day, we would begin our return journey to the plains. You too see for yourself both God's handiwork and mine and judge for yourself which is better!!!!!!!!
Do let me know!

Photos- Pramatha Nath Saha