Lansdowne Travelogue
Lansdowne is a small cantonment town in the Garhwal Himalayas. It is 40 kms from Kotdwara on Pauri road. This was our third visit to Lansdowne. But this journey (9-10 June 2012) was special in many ways.
It was our first venture of overnight driving. I
love to drive but strictly follow the ‘sun-rise to sun-set’ rule while driving
on highways and in the hills. However, there is always a first time. I came
around 7.40 pm from office on Friday. I asked Divya and Chaitanya about their
programme for week-end. Prompt came reply that ‘chalo kahin chalte hain’.
Where? Lansdowne was the unanimous call. At 8.40 pm I rang up Colonel Rawat at
Oak Groove Inn where we had stayed during last visit in December 2011. Fortunately,
accommodation was available due to walk out of some snobbish and cribbing
guests who could not perhaps get out of their zone of synthetic urban comfort.
Anyway, some one’s loss is some one’s gain. We got accommodation. I said we
will reach at 5 am in the morning and Col. Rawat gave mobile number of one of
the attendants who would receive us.
We started from Sarita Vihar, Delhi at 10 pm and
by the time we filled petrol tank and left Kalindi Kunj it was 10.30 pm. We
took the following route – Sarita Vihar-Noida-NH24 Bypass Hapur
Road-Modinagar-Meerut-Mawana
Road-Bijnor-Najibabad-Kotdwar-Dugadda-Jaiharikhal-Oak Groove Inn. Upto Najibabd
it was a routine highway drive except for that it really gets spooky at times
while driving in the night. However, after Najibabd the road is nicely paved
with fluorescent markers which make you feel that you are driving through a
river of bright earthen lamps (Mitti Ke
Diye) or you are on a run way. All my driving fatigue vanished. It was a
beautiful experience which was possible only due to night drive.
We reached Kotdwar around 3.30 am. It was too
early for petrol pumps to open but we woke the guards at 4-5 petrol pumps of
Kotdwar albeit without success. Disappointed but we started uphill drive. This
was the most beautiful part of this journey. At 4 am, the hills were looking wrapped
in serenity basking in the bluish grey light of gibbous moon. As we drove
further, shades of blue changed gradually and then quickly and finally merged
into bright shades of dawn. Added to this, the songs of birds would make this a
divine morning raga. This was an experience no words can describe. We reached
Oak Groove Inn at 5 am and called Pradeep who received us with a smile (despite
that we woke him from sweet early morning sleep), showed our room and obliged
us with hot ginger tea, quintessential of Oak Groove Inn hospitality.
It was 5.30 am
by the time we settled. Chaitanya and I went to the ‘Hang Out’ to listen to and
watch birds. At this quite hour we could spot many beautiful birds which are
difficult to spot at any other hour. We went for a leisure walk across the
village and had soft and sweet buns with yummy omelette in a village café at
6.30 am. Though we drove the whole night, my mind was fresh and rejuvenated. We
returned to our room and took a nap of 3 hours. I woke up at around 10 am and
it was time for breakfast, extended one for me and Chaitanya after our early
morning buns and eggs.
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