I wanted to settle here for a while but was still missing my soul tribe. I knew I had to move. I packed my bags after couple of days and walk towards a nearby village to catch a shared taxi to Almora. It was still pitch dark and I shivered with the chill in the air. I was scared of empty streets and darkness but kept walking towards the village only to find that taxi wont be coming that given morning. I sat there looking at the first ray of sun, exploding the darkness around, leaving behind the orange sky, birds started chirping and I could feel the warmth of sun touching my skin. It was nothing less than a magical experience.
I was interrupted by two people in Van collecting and distributing milk to villages on the way. They offered to ride me till the next village 30 kms away from where I can get a bus to Almora. In the very next moment I was in the back of the van with milk containers all around me. It was a scary ride with literally no visibility and the speed of the van suggested that they just didn’t care about it. They would stop once every 15-20 min to either collect milk from farmers or give some to the shop owners. My fear faded away when my conversation with these two men started getting interesting and deeper. They were the manufacturers of homemade local Kumaon cheese. They explained me the process of making Kumaon Cheese and how they make sure every cow is saved from being victim of human cruelty.
Share
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Whatsapp
Copy Link
Uttar Pradesh
Share
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Whatsapp
Copy Link
Share
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Whatsapp
Copy Link
Last year I took yet another flight, bus, car and bike ride to explore the hinterlands of Uttarakhand, India. Most of these parts were unexplored by me and was excited to unfolds new stories and explore new places over next couple of weeks.
I started with a bus ride from Delhi to Haldwani which the last big village before I would venture into the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. Beyond this point there is no train connectivity and only commercial mode of transport is local buses or shared taxis. I managed to hop into a shared taxi to reach Mukhteshwar, a tiny village nestled in the mountains, and is a famous hill station for people living in Delhi and northern India. I was glad to have made it around the off season with hardly any people bustling in the town. For me it was an instant love with the place and people I met here. I literally did nothing other than making random conversations, reading books, walking deep in the forest, looking at rising and setting sun and played fun games with other travelers and more. The night was well spent gazing stars under the open sky, counting endless shooting stars and living my dreams. The Mukhteshwar valley had a beautiful green cover with dense wine forest on all side. However some shared that the valley turns white during winters when snowfall happens. I could have only imagined the view and drool over it but then also promised myself to come back again someday soon to experience the white valley.
More information
Uttar Pradesh
They dropped me at the village around 7 and I managed to catch the 7:30 bus to Almora. The ride to Almora was scary and yet full of mesmerizing views. The clouds covered the valley and sun rays made the mountains glow gold. If I get to describe it in one word, it would be heavenly. I reached Almora around 10:30 and rushed to find my way to Kasar Devi. I wanted to get out of the buzzing town of Almora to something more quaint and peaceful.
Kasar Devi is a little unknown hamlet nestled deep in Himalayas and is not even in the map for most Indians. I heard about it from a dear friend of mine and on researching more, I knew I have to be there. The place has historical importance with people like Swami Vivekananda, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Timothy Leary living here for months. The energy at Kasar has always invited many eminent creative humans from across the globe. It was also the popular destination during the Hippie movement of the 1960s and 1970s. The Crank ridge got its name amongst hippy circles, after Timothy Leary streaked here in the 1960s.
I reached Kasar Devi just before noon and hopped into a tiny place called Stars and Pine. I chose this place because they offered free bicycle to people staying there and you have the panoramic view of the majestic Nandadevi mountain range right form your room. This place was an instant love for me for its vibes and people. The owner here is a sweetheart and one of the happiest inspiring women I had met in longest time. I felt at home with people from my soul tribe over here. The place is a low-key backpacker destination, with a mellow vibe and clear-day Himalayan views. There's not a lot to do here, but it's a great place to chill. Something I really needed in this point.
I would take the bicycle and ride through the valley. The wind gushing through my face while riding downhill and sweaty body while climbing was all I could have asked for in this little unknown village. I would stop at this place for breakfast everyday in the village and ended up making our own breakfast club over here. Travelers from all over would hop in and join us in one big table for lots of stories, laugh and great food. The place had already started taking over me. On some of the days I even helped locals in the kitchen cooking food, walked endless in pine forest, stayed high on life, people and stories, read books, laughed endlessly, made new soul mates, and rode bicycle, explored temples with my new friends, hitchhiked in a car filled with pine oil, lots of star gazing, rainbow moments and felt happy ever moment I lived here.
There is something magical about this place which creeps on you instantly making it really difficult to leave. And I felt exactly that. It had the magic of Parvati Valley in Himachal, just a bit more pure and untouched. After a very difficult goodbye I reached Almora only to experience one of the most beautiful celebrations of Dushera, a festival celebrating the victory of goodness over evil forces of universe. The entire procession of Dushera is an experience with over 30 life size statues of Ravana, every one dancing on the streets, sharing smiles and festivities. I just looked at them and smiled, feeling ecstatic inside.
I soon hopped on to a shared taxi to Haldwani, to head back to reality and making life. The memories of Mukhteshwar and Kasar will stay with me forever and I left only with a promise to to come back again soon.
