(see the photos under links in the right hand column - New Nanital, India)
We went away for the cousins half term to a place called Jeolikote near Nanital which is 320 klms due east of Delhi in the state of Untaranchal in the foothills. We chose this place simply by choosing the only place where we could actually speak to the proprietor and determine their level of hospitality. The lady I spoke to at the Cottage, Bhuvan Kumari, was exceptionally welcoming and seemed to be keen to host a couple of British families with lots of boy offspring. So we chose to go there.
We had booked some train tickets to travel to Kathgodam at the very base of the foothills. But when I was boasting about how cheap they were (£7 for a family of four to travel 320 klms over a six hour journey) someone suggested I check which class of ticket I had. When I did this I discovered that it was "cattle class". Several people in the know said it would be impossible for us to survive this level is discomfort for six hours with 2 children. Although Julie and I were willing to give it go just for the heck of it (and to prove a few people wrong) we finally gave in to their advice and joined the others (less my sister) who were going to travel down with Shashi in the car.
So the 7 of us and Shashi took off for the hills on Monday 28th March. The journey was surprisingly easy with 4 boys in the car for 6 and half hours. Perhaps the only time we have been grateful for Gameboys. Sammy spent alot of the time listening to the iPod. It now has 1,000 tunes on it and a loads of story tapes.
We were pleasantly surprised by the place when we arrived. The journey up the mountains (we were staying at an altitute of 4,250 feet) was very reminiscent of the south of france with one exception; the indian drivers were far worse than the french. Imagine that on blind hair pin bends? The mountains had many of the same structures and colours to those that we so dearly love in France.
The temperature started to drop as well. When we arrived the temperature was probably 15 deg C lower than what we had come to expect in New Delhi. Frankly, it was a welcome relief. In the evenings as we sat on the balcony, we even needed to put on a light jumper to ward off the chill in the air.
The accommodations were fine except for the beds which were wooden planks with a blanket on them. We were dreading the possibility of uncomfortable nights but somehow we had become quite used to hard beds at my sister's house and we all seemed to sleep well. The Cottage was built at least a 100 years ago and although it was a bit rickety, for what we have come to know of India, it was top class. The food was also excellent (after we had told them please to use no salt for us) and they cooked indian and western style food every night for us and the kids. Breakfast was omlettes or eggs and toast and cereals. We were well catered for.
This is what we did whilst we were there:
Monday: Drove to Jeolikote and established ourselves in the accommodation. We then took a walk up the hill and discovered an amazing Catholic Mission on the top of the hill. It was a girls school with 120 boarders and 500 day pupils. Many of the boarding pupils were taken in from local villages from parents who could no longer afford to look after or educate their children. Others were fee paying. The fees for day pupils were 70 to 100 rupees per month (£1 to £1.50 yes that is correct) - to encourage the poor to put their children in school. The fees for boarders ranged from nothing to 7,000 rupees per year (£85) depending on the individual's circumstances.
We met with one of the sisters who told us a lot about the school and invited us to come back to meet the Mother Superior any afternoon after 3:00 pm which we assured her we would endeavor to do.
This is what we did whilst we were there:
Monday: Drove to Jeolikote and established ourselves in the accommodation. We then took a walk up the hill and discovered an amazing Catholic Mission on the top of the hill. It was a girls school with 120 boarders and 500 day pupils. Many of the boarding pupils were taken in from local villages from parents who could no longer afford to look after or educate their children. Others were fee paying. The fees for day pupils were 70 to 100 rupees per month (£1 to £1.50 yes that is correct) - to encourage the poor to put their children in school. The fees for boarders ranged from nothing to 7,000 rupees per year (£85) depending on the individual's circumstances.
We met with one of the sisters who told us a lot about the school and invited us to come back to meet the Mother Superior any afternoon after 3:00 pm which we assured her we would endeavor to do.
Tuesday: We drove further up the mountain to the town of Nanital which is nestled by the side of a 3 klm lake and is at an altitude of 4,800 feet. It is a popular Indian holiday destination and it was rather like an Indian version of Brighton Beach but with a certain charm from another era. We literally bumped into a herd (yes we looked it up; it is herd) of horses. About 15 in total that had just deposited their riders and were looking for fresh customers.
The horses were with their owners (boys) and as soon as we got out of the car they were all over us trying to physically put us on their horse (rather than their mates). There was lots of screaming and shouting as we chose the horses we wanted and negotiated through Shashi to get a good deal. We finally managed it and we all (except Julie and Rob) set off up the mountain on our steeds. See the photo further along in the blog or click on the New Nanital, India link on the top right side of the blog.
It was in the deep end as far as learning to ride was concerned. We had 5 horses and they come with four men (really boys) handlers. The handlers led the horses on foot but this does not mean you get an easy ride. These horses climbed up steep rugged paths that were barely suitable for a mountain goat. Now we understood why we needed the handlers. It was not for the fainthearted as the horses found it difficult getting their footings and the riders found it difficult not to be scared about falling over one of the sheer drops that we were riding right next to.
We made it to the top and Julie, Rob and our driver Shashi walked up and got to the top sometime later. I told Julie not to struggle to keep going after we saw the mountainous task that was before us but there is just no keeping her down. The view from the top was glorious but unfortunately there were no views of the snow capped Himalayas as it was far too hazy.
It was in the deep end as far as learning to ride was concerned. We had 5 horses and they come with four men (really boys) handlers. The handlers led the horses on foot but this does not mean you get an easy ride. These horses climbed up steep rugged paths that were barely suitable for a mountain goat. Now we understood why we needed the handlers. It was not for the fainthearted as the horses found it difficult getting their footings and the riders found it difficult not to be scared about falling over one of the sheer drops that we were riding right next to.
We made it to the top and Julie, Rob and our driver Shashi walked up and got to the top sometime later. I told Julie not to struggle to keep going after we saw the mountainous task that was before us but there is just no keeping her down. The view from the top was glorious but unfortunately there were no views of the snow capped Himalayas as it was far too hazy.
In the evening I discovered a glow worm in the garden of the Cottage after thinking it was a burning cigarette. It was very bright and had twin lamps on the back end.
Wednesday: After having missed her original train at 6:00 am from New Dehli (she was doing a re-enactment of our run to the station when we went to Agra) Suzanne caught a later train and arrived in Moradabad at 12:00 noon. We had sent Shashi to collect her (as she couldn't get a train directly to Kathgodam) and she arrived at Jeolikote at 3:00 pm.
We all took off for a walk across the valley, meeting an incredible number of people. Many of whom would stop their scooters or come directly up to us and engage in conversation. We were even invited back to a teachers house for tea. We politely declined. The boys got a ride on a scooter and spotted children bathing in the stream along the valley bottom. We saw people carrying all sorts of things on their heads and walking barefoot up the winding mountain paths.
After we got back we took the 2 boys to a little barbers shop up the mountain and much to the delight of the local girls, they had their blond hair chopped off.
Wednesday: After having missed her original train at 6:00 am from New Dehli (she was doing a re-enactment of our run to the station when we went to Agra) Suzanne caught a later train and arrived in Moradabad at 12:00 noon. We had sent Shashi to collect her (as she couldn't get a train directly to Kathgodam) and she arrived at Jeolikote at 3:00 pm.
We all took off for a walk across the valley, meeting an incredible number of people. Many of whom would stop their scooters or come directly up to us and engage in conversation. We were even invited back to a teachers house for tea. We politely declined. The boys got a ride on a scooter and spotted children bathing in the stream along the valley bottom. We saw people carrying all sorts of things on their heads and walking barefoot up the winding mountain paths.
After we got back we took the 2 boys to a little barbers shop up the mountain and much to the delight of the local girls, they had their blond hair chopped off.
Thursday: We all took off back up the mountain in the car and headed for Government House. In the summer all of the government of India (and in this case the governor of the local states) headed up into the hills to escape the oppressive heat on the plains. There was a time when the whole of the government of India could be accommodated on 4 rail carriages for this annual exodus.
The house we went to visit was completed by the British around 1915 and is the grandest building I have seen in India. Unfortunately no photographs were allowed, as it is still used for official business by the State of Uttaranchal. It had an indoor badminton court (doubled up as a ballroom with a fantastic sprung floor), huge conservatories and massive staircases. They certainly knew how to do things in those days.
We went around the gardens to look at the viewpoints across the mountains. In it's day it must have been the most extraordinary experience. Such luxury and opulence right in the middle of such poverty.
We then went back and found the horses again and made another ride up a different mountain. The boys were all getting alot more adventurous now and the handlers let the horses go off cantering and galloping (not quite sure of the distinction here). They loved it.
Later in the afternoon Julie and I went back to the mission and met the Mother Superior. They laid on tea and every sort of cake and biscuit imaginable. There were 6 nuns in attendance but only Julie and I and the Mother Superior were partaking so it felt a bit odd with the others watching us tuck into the lovely food. There was one young sister who was in the 18 to 22 year old bracket and I questioned her intensely about the lifetime commitment she had made to forsake her life to serve God. It was an amazing testimony. Her parents did have reservations about her doing it though.
In the evening we sat on the balcony and they lit a fire in a metal dustbin type thing that warmed up from the chill. Watching the lights on the surrounding hills, looking at the stars and being with the boys was perfect.
The house we went to visit was completed by the British around 1915 and is the grandest building I have seen in India. Unfortunately no photographs were allowed, as it is still used for official business by the State of Uttaranchal. It had an indoor badminton court (doubled up as a ballroom with a fantastic sprung floor), huge conservatories and massive staircases. They certainly knew how to do things in those days.
We went around the gardens to look at the viewpoints across the mountains. In it's day it must have been the most extraordinary experience. Such luxury and opulence right in the middle of such poverty.
We then went back and found the horses again and made another ride up a different mountain. The boys were all getting alot more adventurous now and the handlers let the horses go off cantering and galloping (not quite sure of the distinction here). They loved it.
Later in the afternoon Julie and I went back to the mission and met the Mother Superior. They laid on tea and every sort of cake and biscuit imaginable. There were 6 nuns in attendance but only Julie and I and the Mother Superior were partaking so it felt a bit odd with the others watching us tuck into the lovely food. There was one young sister who was in the 18 to 22 year old bracket and I questioned her intensely about the lifetime commitment she had made to forsake her life to serve God. It was an amazing testimony. Her parents did have reservations about her doing it though.
In the evening we sat on the balcony and they lit a fire in a metal dustbin type thing that warmed up from the chill. Watching the lights on the surrounding hills, looking at the stars and being with the boys was perfect.
Friday: We headed out early to a nearby resort (don't get carried away with the description resort but that's what they called it) called Sat-tal. Basically a place with some more lakes but surrounded by lots of forest land. We had read that there was a adventure camp in the area and we tracked it down and asked them what they could offer us. The had a small rock for climbing and abseiling and they had kayak on the lake. We booked up for both activities for a cost of virtually nothing.
We went for a drink and a packet of crisps and then all headed over to the rock climb. The boys and I have done 3 or 4 of the pre-fabricated climbing walls and we enjoyed it immensely. Real rock climbing is another matter. There are no proper grips and they are not spattered about so that you can reach them. However we all managed to get up including Suzanne my sister and Julie and we all abseiled down afterwards. It was perhaps only 25 foot climb but we all arrived at the top with our muscles shaking.
We then went for a kayak in the lake which was fun except that all the fibreglass kayaks had leaks in them so water accumulated in the bilges and we got wet bottoms. Lots of fun.
We went for a drink and a packet of crisps and then all headed over to the rock climb. The boys and I have done 3 or 4 of the pre-fabricated climbing walls and we enjoyed it immensely. Real rock climbing is another matter. There are no proper grips and they are not spattered about so that you can reach them. However we all managed to get up including Suzanne my sister and Julie and we all abseiled down afterwards. It was perhaps only 25 foot climb but we all arrived at the top with our muscles shaking.
We then went for a kayak in the lake which was fun except that all the fibreglass kayaks had leaks in them so water accumulated in the bilges and we got wet bottoms. Lots of fun.
Saturday: Shashi took us to the station at Kathgodam as we had been assured that our return tickets were at least in air conditioned carriages (which are always too cold). We had also acquired Suzanne, so there was not way 8 of us could fit in the car with Shashi. The train journey home was 6 hours but not too stressful. Getting out of New Delhi station was very stressful and we got into a taxi and drove through all that noisy traffic again. Oh for the peace of the hills.
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