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Girl, eating in Kumaon.

"The mountains are calling... and I must go" - John Muir, naturalist and conservationist

If it is indeed true that the mountains have a call, it was indeed a persistent one for me last year. Memories of trekking the Himalayas at Kashmir had hardly faded when I found myself looking at the mountain range from the other end in Assam. (Check out my posts from these trips, if you haven't already!) And close on its heels was this trip to Nainital, Uttarakhand, where, once again, I was awe-struck by the majestic snow-clad peaks of the Kumaon Himalayas.

Ac'quaint'ances in Haldwani
My stay was in Haldwani, a town in the Nainital district, where the mountains appear in the backdrop everywhere you go!
Exploring Haldwani on foot on a typical North Indian winter evening, I found myself the comfort of a perfect cup of chai at ChaiLok. I would rate them 4.5/5 just for the ambience and their playlist! That's my Saunf-wali Chai in the pic below. Yeah, Starbucks! You're not the only one who can write names on the cup! And the complimentary two-rupee Parle-G was the cutest thing, almost an apology for the tax paid on a fifty-rupee chai! 
One Tall Saunf-wali Chai, please!
I made myself cosy in one of their sofa chairs with 'Things to leave behind', by Namita Gokhale. Two charming elderly gentlemen who ran the 'Just Books' store next door had recommended it to me. A piece of fiction set in Nainital in the 1800s, it transported me through time while I explored the geography! A total recommend!

Dinner at 'The Woodpecker', one of the legendary restaurants of Haldwani, was a continuation of me slipping into an alternate realm of old-world charm- exposed stone walls, an unused fireplace in the corner and men in their sixties chancing upon old friends. The French onion soup was good given the chill of the evening air. But the lack of description in the menu, and my curiosity, led to my disastrous order of 'crispy monton'- a sizeable portion of honey chilli potato that I struggled to finish.

Naini Taal, queen of the lake country
I took a taxi drive up to Nainital, the hill station the British had fallen in love with over a hundred years ago. A stop at the Botanical Garden en route saw me downing hot poori sabzi. It instantly took me to winter days on campus at Kanpur. Was it just the hot food in winter air or is there a secret ingredient, I still don't know.
Nainital delivers, for all its hype.The lake is almost an emerald nestled between the mountains.  
Local oranges with a dash of masala at the Lake View
A drive to the 'Himalay Darshan' point grants you a breathtaking view of the snow-clad peaks. From here, you can even see Nanda Devi the second highest mountain in the country. 
The town is literally built around the lake. Take a boat ride and you will see around you Naina Devi temple, the Tibetan bazaar and the Mall Road dotted with restaurants.
The momos and hakka noodles at Tibetan bazaar are worth a try.
    
It got foggy early in the evening, adding to the beauty of the lake view from the Mall Road. An interesting find on the street was Paneer Chila- quite simply, chila (like gramflour dosa) with a stuffing of aloo masala and a block of paneer. 
One couldn't say no to the chila vendor's offer of hot chocolate- the fog  convinced you it was the right way to end the day. I left Nainital with a tinge of regret at not trying to find and try its famous bal-mithai. But more enduring was this question in my mind after seeing the green waters of the lake and the snow-capped peaks- how magical it would be to live amidst such beauty and not have to leave.

Comments

  1. Work in ProgressJanuary 21, 2019 at 8:59 PM

    Awesome! An interesting read !!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJanuary 28, 2019 at 2:25 AM

    I have been planning to go to Nainital which keeps on getting postponed every year. You gave me a taste of your experince and i miss it already. Good one!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gayathri AnanthJanuary 28, 2019 at 2:39 AM

      Thanks a lot, Shweta Anonymous! :D I do hope you manage to plan a trip there soon!

      Delete

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