Nainital - Jilling Estate, My trip to this haven! Options

[Nimii]

This travelogue is long overdue!!! Let me key it here before I leave for yet another adventurous trip to Sikkim!!!!!!!!!!!

The trip to Nainital was to celebrate my birthday in the mountains. It was a weekend and my aunt juz decided offguard, without any prior plans. She knew an ICS officer whose son lives up the mountains and she wired a message to him about our arrival. We had a rough sketch of the way up to the cottage where he lived. We were driving down from Delhi - Muzzafarnagar - Nainital downtown - Bhimtal and finally way up the mountains to Jilling Estate. Never realized that the trip was going to be an adventurous one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I presumed that the drive was a cool one up the mountains on a motored road!!!!!!!!!! We followed the "katcha" map that we had and reached a place called Mathial! There was small chai ka dukkan and we queried him about the location. He said that the place our vehicle stopped is Mathial, and we need to go by foot to reach Jilling Estate which is about 2 km!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor me in my kolhapuris and a casual clothes - a pair of jeans and a loose cotton top! I had a shawl in case I felt cold. Since we had to climb, we took our overnite bags and started the climb. Initially the climb was on mud path and was not so tough. It was about 5 p.m. when we started off.

We kept moving on as I passed I got stung and started itching away! I wasnt aware that the nettles on the mountainside can be so venomous!! My aunt showed me the way to handle that itch. Nature's bounty, beside every nettle plant there is always a dot plant - dot leaf when rubbed over the place where nettles have stung give immediate relief. So much you learn in your journeys!!!!

We moved over the path .. the climb was not very steep rather a gradual one. There were some girls who were filling water in their vessels from the running stream and we asked them if we were on the right path and showed to move on..

More tomorrow .................

N

[rom]

Off to Sikkim now? Lucky you!

[Nimii]

[Chitralekha]

Lucky girl! hamaare liye photos jaroor kheechna. So we can also see what the place looks like sitting thousands of miles away.

Have tons of fun and safe trip.

Enzoy!

ps. wanting to read next episode about Nainital now.

[Lata]

[Nimii]

Contd...

The sun was climbing down and we could see lights far off on the mountains... not many people inhabiting and since it was in the month of September, the rains had left rather a slushy path and we could hear all kinds of night insects and croaks from different night creatures :| I was sweating and tired as we were not getting anywhere despite sticking to thin path upwards. As we moved on we saw a faint light and managed to reach the door step of two huts. We called out - koi hai? And an old man came out with a small wick lamp in his hand. We told him that we wanted to get to Mr.Lal's place and he informed that we were on the wrong side of the mountains!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost flipped hearing that!! (I am not very courageous when it comes to such shocking news!! ha ha ha!) My aunt told him that we were coming from Delhi and we didn?t know where it exactly was. He directed us a small path and said there is a short climb and we can reach in no time. We informed me that since it was getting darker (no moon light either to sing chand raat tum ho saath ). He offered to make a mashaal for us. He brought out a stick wrapped at one end with a cloth and dipped in oil and lit. With the mashaal we could see where we were going. At that moment my chappal gave away!! What a stupid thing I did, instead of wearing my keds I wore kolhapuri chappals !! Dumb indeed. My aunt told me not to worry and she took out her spare chappals and gave me. As we moved on there was a gust of wind and the mashaal blew out!! We were at our wits end. My aunt consoled me and said at the most we can sit by side of the rock and snooze it early hrs of the morning! My mouth fell open as I heard that! I said no way we are spending the night there!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She said then we better walk on till wherever it leads to. Another 1/2 hr walk we finally faced a huge wall ahead and there was no more path.

At that moment I lost my cool and began to scream *HELP HELP KOI HAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!* After almost 5 mins we could hear a feeble voice from about 15 ft above our heads over the wall. A woman standing with a wick lamp asked who we were. We called out and told her that we were looking for Mr.Lal and she said we can climb the wall as there were steps - it was actually projections on the wall which can be used to climb up! We told her that we have no lamp or torch with us and we are unable to see any steps. She informed that she would come down to help us up. Another 3 mins wait and we had this pahadi woman draped in a saree with an impish look smiling warmly at us. We told what had happened and she said we were lucky that she had stayed back home, else usually all at her home go to Mr.Lal on Sunday to watch the movie on the telly tube. But since she had not completed her cooking she had stayed back. She was like a guardian angel to us and we thanked her profusely. She made us some khadak chaai and we drank and felt much better. She said she will take us to Mr.Lal and we felt that our day finally had ended safely and well.

Mr.Lal's residence was about 50 furlongs from Seeta home (Seeta is the lady who entertained us with the chaai! our saviour) and we reached Mr.Lal. Out come a big bearded burly man in khaki shorts and a t-shirt. My aunt introduced herself to him and told him that we had wired him of our visit and how we had lost our way up the mountains. He said that he had not received any cable and he was very apologetic that if he had known he would have sent someone to bring us up there. He was furious that the man in the tea shop in Mathial didn?t offer to take us to his place. We sat at his place and felt so much at home. It was quite a large cottage. Mr.Lal - a Doon School product was for sometime in army and took a voluntary retirement and settled in the mountains. He is married to a Pahadi woman and has two kids. The boy was studying in Delhi, while his daughter - a very cute kid (he named her Cherry Blossom - as he was born during the season of cherry blossoms!!!!!!!!!!!) - stayed with them and studied in the local school. He offered us home made rum (made from sweet potato!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) We were exhausted and the small peg was good enough to hit us strongly!! We sat around till 10.30 p.m and he said that he will take us up to the guest cottage which was about couple of feet about his place. He picked up his shotgun and his dog Butta (a lovely mountain dog) followed us. We panicked seeing the shotgun and asked him why he was carrying that!!!!!!!!!!!! He quietly informed that at times a leopard or mountain bears do come our way!!!!!!!!!!!!! I looked aghast and my jaw literally dropped open! Oh god !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was neat climb and he told to keep close to the mountain side as at times there are landslides .. O gawd this was some trip indeed! By the time we reached our residing cottages it was almost 11.15. Mr. Lal said that dinner would be sent in another 1/2 hr and we can take rest. I didn?t realize when I fell asleep. Butta sat at the end of my bed keeping vigil.

Around 12.30 am Mr.Lal's wife arrived with tiffin carrier of hot hot food. It was dal, rice and beans cooked in gravy. All of it home grown stuff. We walloped the food in no time and she showed us where the bathroom was. She said when we go out to the toilets we should take Butta with us as sometimes the bears do come close to the cottages. I quickly used the bathroom before Mrs.Lal left hehehehe! Couldnt possibly take a chance!
In no time sleep returned and I was out like a light.

Around 6.30 in the morning the next day - hmmm it was birthday too! my aunt shook me awake and she said Nimi get up and have a look outside. WIth a sleepy head I got off the bed and walked out forgetting where I was! Butta followed me outside. The sun was just beginning to rise and what I saw was something out of the world. I could see the snow tipped peaks of Annapurana and some other mountains. It was a sight that made me forget all I went through the previous day. It was so beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hugged my aunt and thanked for giving me such a beautiful gift !!

After a warm wash we were dressed to go back to Mr.lal's for breakfast. We were going back to Delhi the same day! (a weekend trip ) We came down the path and only then I realized the drop on the side of the path - eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks one wrong move and it is sure death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My heart was tight in my chest as I came down finally to Mr.lal's. WE had nice parathas and excellent tea. Felt so refreshing. Cherry blossom was such a sweet child. She took me around her garden and showed me the place around her home. She showed me her favourite hen which had laid an egg just then. The egg was still warm hehehe I clicked pictures of her and promised to send it over to her. We were all set and finally the pahadi man servant of Mr.Lal arrived to take us down to our car. A half hour climb down was all it took to Mr.Lal and a lost path made it 4 hrs of pure worry and fear!!!!!!!!!!! Back in our car we thanked the man and left for home. The drive back home was easy. On way down we stopped at the museum of Jim COrbett. I took pix with Jim Corbett's statue hugging him hehehehe!!!!!!!!! 5 - 6 hrs drive and by night fall we were back home in Delhi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next my trip to Manali, Kulu and Rohtang Pass.. (Summer 2003!)

[rom]

Good work Nimi! Very very readable. Quite an adventure.
I've lived in the hills most of my life, and only when I had to leave (for work) did I begin to realize how close to heaven I'd spent my life.
And don't worry about nazar lagna... please don't believe in that sort of stuff!

[vivekpm]

Amazing!!!!!!!! Must have been great to be in Nainital...Great description too NimiiJi...


Cheers,

[Nimii]

[Lata]

Dont forget to visit Durpin Dara for a breathtaking view of the majestic Kanchenjunga. I bet it will be far more beautiful than the Alps. After all Hind ki khushboo jo hai us mein Koi pahadi music bhi saat mein le aana

BTW kab jaa rahi ho? And yes, you have a very cool aunty yaar

[Nimii]

[Lata]

[Chitralekha]

Wow Nimz that was some exciting thrilling weekend trip!! Thanks a lot for sharing. May be I should type up about my Yosemite trip. I havent taken many vacations in quite a few yrs so dont have much to write any ways.

Have fun @ Sikkim! Take care.

ps. Hope the foot's better now.

[Lata]

[Chitralekha]