Wednesday, August 24, 2011

My Contrariness and other travel tales

I realize that I am far more difficult to please than I ought to be. On our recent break, we spent some time near Nahan, at a resort in Jamta, in Himachal Pradesh. Believe me, I love being in the mountains, or hills, as these were. What I hate is getting to them. Driving on hilly roads is, to me, utter torture. I no longer get car sick, but I hate swerving as each bend approaches, and the narrowness of the hill roads scares me no end. It so happens that in the past year or so, we have been to Bhutan, Darjeeling, and now Nahan. Ideally, I'd like a helicopter or a cable car to take me directly to whichever mountain resort we are visiting! I marvel at the people who live in the hills, also at the people who carve roads out of sheer mountainsides. The SRE has my profound sympathies- he had to deal with my (I insist) uncharacteristic grumpiness!

Actually being in the hills, though, is a different story. It is cool, and tranquil, and beautiful. The air smells fresh and lovely, and the people all seem gentle and courteous.
Lotuses in Renuka Lake
The turtle enjoyed his snacks, as did the big fat fish in the lake!
A glimpse of heaven!
Badolia Falls- a temple in a waterfall, between Jamta and Renuka Lake.
Did I tell you I love pine trees?
The colours of the lantana- Nature is so generous here.

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8 comments:

  1. BannoAugust 24, 2011 at 10:17 PM

    I sympathize with you in your travel woes. I too hate driving up the hills (or walking up, for that matter :) But once you get there, the beauty is breath taking. This place looks lovely. I'd never even heard of it before this.

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  2. dipaliAugust 25, 2011 at 10:06 AM

    @Banno: Carting my bulk up any slope is painful:( I huff and puff most disgracefully. I'm aware of Nahan only because the SRE's father was posted there some decades ago- will do another, nostalgia post, on Nahan soon:)

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  3. R's MomAugust 25, 2011 at 12:02 PM

    The pics are so beautiful..even I hate driving a car up the hill..makes me so sick :( and I dont even drive it..its like sitting next to RD and cursing :)

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  4. yasmeen saitAugust 25, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    I am sure you forget about all the pain once you get to the top.This looks like another exotic place. Lovely pictures!

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  5. GayatriAugust 25, 2011 at 5:03 PM

    - Beautiful place...Amazing :)
    - Haven't done much driving uphill so I don't know if I'd ever get sick of it
    - The only time we've done the hills ..is to kodai and a few places in kerala...was too excited to realise anything ;b

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  6. radhaAugust 26, 2011 at 12:49 PM

    I sympathise. But look at the rewards. I too love to travel, but the effort, the actual travel is not something I look forward to.

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  7. bird's eye viewAugust 26, 2011 at 3:53 PM

    Hey, we went to Nahan a few years ago - I agree, getting there was tortuous. It took us 9 hours from delhi!!! With 2 kids in tow!

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  8. dipaliAugust 29, 2011 at 7:14 PM

    @R's Mom: We had a very good driver- although the SRE did drive us there about nine years ago.
    @Yasmeen: I wish I did, I tend to worry about the return trip too, which is usually not so bad. Scariest mountain drive ever was from Thimphu to Paro at 4 a.m. in the pitch dark. We had done it earlier in broad daylight, so I knew exactly how sheer the drops were. But yes, being in the hills is lovely.
    @Gayatri: Wish I was that excited!!
    @Radha: Soul sister- the travelling is the hard part!
    @bird's eye view: I can feel your pain!

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