2019 was all about offbeat travel, remote destinations and getting to check off small towns that were on my bucket list since a long time. I think I can safely say that the year was dedicated to unknown little places that struck a chord with me. From the wilderness of Dasada to the ancient university of Nalanda, from spotting a million fireflies at Purushwadi to the ruins of Dhanushkodi, the lost port town – I traveled the length and breadth of the country this year. As I gather my thoughts today, I realize 2019 has been a great year; it gave me so many stories that are yet to tell. Today, I’ll begin with one from an unknown little Himalayan hamlet called Jhaltola, where we were hosted by The Misty Mountains.
Jhaltola is a small village situated between the now quite famous hillside getaway of Chaukori and still unknown Patal Bhuwaneshwar , in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. It is quite a trip from Delhi to reach this small village, and that is one journey not as beautiful as the destination. The three part journey began with the first lap in the Shatabdi Express from New Delhi to Kathgodam, and the second, a road trip spanning almost 8 hours from Kathgodam to Jhaltola. Before the third lap began, I saw the most gorgeous sky I have seen, with stars glittering away in all their glory, and not a soul to be seen around. It was pitch dark and super-cold, but the night sky warmed up to me and revealed the shimmering Milky Way. I just wanted to sit there and stare at it for hours. Soon, better sense prevailed and the third and the most adventurous lap began, which was an off-roading experience. It was almost 3 km on a jeep, cutting through the dead of the night, on a long, winding path that didn’t seem to end.
A bunch of strangers who started from New Delhi reached Jhaltola by the end of the day, tired and worn out, but almost friends by the end of this long journey. We were being hosted by The Misty Mountains, the lone property in this village. It was dark and chilly and we retired to our rooms that were much too cozy and seemed to be very tastefully done. We all seemed to cheer up with a spread of home-cooked meal, very graciously served in our rooms. A wonderful dinner later, we decided to call it off for the day.
The electric mattress provided the much needed warmth and I slept like a baby. Given how I hate cold, I loved this bed as much as my newly made friends. 🙂
Although against popular opinion, I decided to wake up for the sunrise. It was a chilly morning and as I pulled the curtains aside, a dash of white materialized in front of my eyes. The fact that we reached while it was pitch dark outside made this morning surprise even better. It was unbelievable. As I stared at the Upper Himalayas from behind the glass window, they cast a spell on me. The cold couldn’t deter me from venturing outside; armed with a jacket, a cap and a camera – I was on the other side of the window now, still trying my best to believe that this wasn’t a dream. The Sun took it’s own time and arranged for a color play with the snow clad mountains, unaware of the fact there was an on-looker today, watching the glorious day break.
Knowing I had the whole day to stare at these vistas, I decided to go back to sleep. Dreaming of snow clad Himalayas overlooking me while I read a book of poetry, it was another few hours till I woke up. A gorgeous sun-kissed morning awaited all of us. With not a hurry in the world, a lazy, scrumptious breakfast and conversations from around the world, this day began with a realization of how travel brings out the best in people. A cup of honey-ginger-lemon tea for warmth and snow clad mountains for the view- it was perfect.
The Misty Mountains spans through a thousand acres of layered Kumaon mountains and we decided to spend the day exploring. The vegetation all around caught my attention and I realized I could spend a day wandering around the path ways that were blooming with flowers. Though it was already the start of harsh winters, the last of the flowers and maybe a few late bloomers were still around. I spent hours wandering through the path ways, stopping every now and then to close my eyes and smell these flowers.
It was soon time for a traditional Kumaoni lunch. We started with home-made Rhododendron juice which brought such a smile because it hadn’t been artificially sweetened. With the flowers picked from the trees growing around the mountains, the syrup was made in house by the lovely Ambika, who was our host. It was her labor of love which set the mood right for a lovely meal that followed. It was soul-food, organically grown, traditionally cooked and served with love. The fact that we could have it while staring at Nanda Devi and Panchchauli Range of Himalayas made this meal all the more special. A special shout out to Ambika’s range of chatnis that I fell in love with, almost instantly. They were so great, so great, that I asked for them with every meal I had at The Misty Mountains.
A delicious meal later and another couple of hours of lazying around later, we decided to walk up to the village. It was hard to find where the boundaries of The Misty Mountains gave way to a small village. The walk was a memorable one, giving us a chance to interact with the simple village folk. They all asked how long we’ll be in Jhaltola, where we came from and how did we like the place. Surprisingly, even in this remote village, everyone seemed to be aware of the pollution levels in Delhi.
I guess even a lifetime of staring at the Himalayas isn’t enough, I still can’t get enough of that view. The next few days at The Misty Mountains were dream-like, and need another blog post. For now, let the Himalayas cuddle you in the lap of nature.
For more details about The Misty Mountain, check out their website.
Love reading the blog thoroughly. This is perfect place for staycation goals.
Wow, the mountains are so beautiful, you’re lucky to have travelled there, thanks for sharing.
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