I am not much of a writer but i guess “ghumakkar ” is infectious in that way ..you come across plenty of inspiring travel stories , so i have taken this plunge :-) .
Some of the key symptoms of being bitten by the travel bug are easily identifiable. You start thinking hills, towering trees, chirping birds, beaches (actually whatever fascinates you ). You start visiting travel websites, start enjoying the travelogues more thanwhat you usually do and then you take the bait.
I guess it was one of those moments, I, along with my family , decided to visit Ranikhet, one of Kumoan Himalayas hidden jewels, unexplored and serene. It was February; the winter chill and fog still at thier peak.
We started early in the morning for Ranikhet , wanted to beat traffic till Rampur but not to be .The moment we crossed Ghaziabad , fog took over the road completely and nothing was visible beyond the car , no exaggerations, the only thing which kept us going was following a roadways bus !!
We had good hearty breakfast at Tadka at Gajraula , the only nice place to have food on the way but otherwise the journey remained uneventful . Once we crossed the kathgodam, the traffic just vanished, the road remained nice and comfortable. The drive was around 11 odd hours. Barring early morning foggy weather , the day was perfect blue skies, lush green mountains and oxygen-rich air with birds chirping away.
The Great Himalyan Peaks
Ranikhet would always be extremely appealing to any nature lover, the scenic beauty binds you. It still remains an army cantt. area, the roads just unwinds unmindful of the glory it holds.
The hotel that we stayed in was called as Rosemount,a lovely old heritage property with old world charm, the splendour reminds you of an era gone by. It is known to be as old as year 1900, elaborate window frames and the large rooms have preserved the pristine glory in its true form even today. The manager told that one could see beautiful Nanda Devi and entire range from rooms and the garden. Well it was late evening , we could see nothing and rather slept early. Ahem Ahem !! Next day in the morning, I opened the windows to majestic Nanda Devi and other snow covered peaks towering over! It was a view to remember.
Rosemount Hotel
There is nothing much to do in Ranikhet and that’s what you enjoy . There are some nice trails around the resort and went deep in the forests. We were told by some of the locals that seeing a leopard is a common sight, fortunately did not go through that alderine rush.
One for the road
However, saw some pugmarks plus scratches on some of the trees and were made to believe that some of the stories that we heard from the chowkidar at the resort were not completely untrue. There was awesome variety of flora and fauna to be experienced there, a world away from the stress of daily chores that we remain exhausted with.
Went little further to see sunset point, another place where one could see sky changing its hues in settting sun and slowly sun went away.
The sublime views
It was already two days in Ranikhet and next day we started early to go to Corbett on the way but took a wrong turn ( instead of turning left for ramnagar, we went towards kathgodam) and then it was all over, travelled back to Delhi in good 12 hours’ drive back .All in all a wonderful trip.
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Shukriya ! aagaaz zaroori tha ..Thanks for a warm welcome in to the group !
Vikas jee ,
Welcome to Ghumakkar . Short and sweet post …………………wanted more ……………
Keep writing ……………..
Sorry to say but the overuse of some of the keys makes your comments look terrible.
Thanks Vishal .. have traveled a bit but to bring it on paper was as interesting ..will try to add more ..next time round :-)
Hi Vikas, Welcome to Ghumakkar…Its a good start…keep traveling and keep writing…
Thanks Harish. Will be back with more ! I see people have created their own specific writing styles .. lovely stuff !
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Neeraj – Its a lapse from my end. In my quest of motivating Vikas, I probably ignored this. I am hoping that Vikas’s 2nd log comes out to be longer. Thank you for the alert.
A direct mail is always more effective so use that as your first attempt please.
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Sorry Neeraj .. i did not know that it had an eligiblity critaria..par 100 shabd uddhaar rahe ..:-)
Compare to rampant urbanization of Almora, Ranikhet has still its old world charm . In your shares pic apart from Nanda devi, other peaks like Trishool on extreme left is also visible.
Manish – you are spot on .. it is probably because Ranikhet is still a cantt. area and construction is regulated . I was pleasantly suprised with laid back lifestlye out there .. somehow the life comes to a standstill post 5 pm .
On a good day .. these peaks appear quite clear and close ..it is an experience.
Hi Vikas,
Welcome to the ghumakka’s’ fold.
Ranikhet is alluring – we were there last year and the memories just don’t seem to get off us.
Enjoyed reading your post.
And – ‘i guess ghumakkar is infectious’ – fully agree.
Keep travelling and keep writing,
Auro.
Auro thanks .. read some of yours ..exteremely nice control in your writing – i enjoyed reading them .
Ranikhet – the good part is that there is nothing to do :-)
your daughter is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute.
thanks Kostubh..
Welcome aboard Vikas. Very happy to see you here and you look almost same as what I last remember seeing you, 1998 or 1999 I guess.
I have stayed here for a couple of nights. We were initially given rooms in the main old building but those long spiral stairs seemed dangerous for my little one so we shifted to relatively newer cottage in the same hotel. Decent place.
Look fwd to read more of your tales and respond to comments when you get time.
Jha saab ..the sutradhar .. yeah Nandan ..it is been that long ..i am thnakful to you for the oppurtunity to be a part of this lovely ensamble. I love reading the posts . I hope to write some more ..given this encouragement.
On rosemount .. i think there are not too many options still in ranikhet and this presents itself well. The newer part of this hotel is bit more brick and mortar but nicely laid out. The only USP is the location .
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Thanks Manu, you are correct , she is a photo freek , i hope to write again here …for sure !
cheers
Vikas
Hey Vikas,
I believe that that the people who visit quiet hill stations like Ranikhet,Dalhousie,Mukteshwar etc, are the real nature lovers and not “The Mall Wandering” type.
We visited Ranikhet in June 2002,and stayed at the Tourist Bungalow at the Mall Road. Being a Regimental Town,the place is very neat and clean.
Next time you go, then visit the Grass root Canning Factory to pick up fresh fruit jams etc.and visit the shop of Army W omens Association to buy shawls for your lady.
Good write- with fewer the words, better!
Thanks Jatinder , Ranikhet will appeal to anyone who enjoys soltitude . Yes .. i did not pick up Jams but visited the shawl factory , it is a good being doen by AWWA
Hello Vikash Ji…
Welcome to Ghumakkar World….
Very nice & short post along with good Pictures.
Your daughter is looking very cute .
Try to next post should be long.
Thanks
thanks Ritesh ! Will try to add more words next time
From your pics and the description you have given here, it looks like Ranikhet has an old world charm that is hard to resist. Liked the pics you’ve shared too. I also felt that one comment here was particularly useful: It recommends a visit to the Grass root Canning Factory and Army W omens Association to buy shawls.
I am an absolute Ranikhet fan…wifey and I have spent two week-long vacations in last two years – always stayed at Rosemount.
Your post is a welcome reminder of the good times.
it is indeed blissful..hope you go to Ranikhet again soon !
For one, I would love to introduce you to the fact that there is a lot to do in Ranikhet. Some of the activities are listed below:
1. A leisurely stroll on the main market road.
2. A visit to Golf course (Almora road).
3. Climbing higher towards the cantonment which gives you a better panoramic view of the snow capped peaks.
4. Tasting local dishes – Baalmithai on a sweet shop (whose name I’ve forgotten) near roadways bus stand and Momos near SBI ATM.
5. A visit to Doonagiri temple which is an hours drive from Ranikhet towards NH-87 Extension.
6. A careful walk on the pine shed crusted floor of the mountains. Be careful, they are slippery and hazardous; but the views are amazing from amongst the woods.
And you have already listened to some of our old pahadi folk-lores.
Uttrakhand is a beautiful place in North of India. It has so many beautiful paces to see like Ranikhet, Nainital and Pithoragarh etc. these hill stations are complete in itself. if you are also planning to visit these hill stations then you must go for Ranikhet. this small hill station is as beautiful as its name. During your visits you can stay at WelcomHeritage Windsor Lodge. This hotel is a beautiful hotel and provides best facilities to their guests. To know more you can visit here at- http://www.welcomheritagehotels.in/hotel-facilities/windsor-lodge-ranikhet
Nice and informative article. Nice post. I like the way you put each and every word. Ranikhet absolutely is a nice place to visit. I stayed at welcomheritage Windsor palace. It’s a nice place to stay. I enjoyed my trip to the fullest. I would love to visit Ranikhet again and the same hotel.