Saturday mornings are generally welcoming. But last Saturday morning was exceptionally pleasant. So was the weather in Mussoorie early in the morning. Our rented car reached the queen of hills and left us transfixed.
Not every human loves darkness. Many are phobic of it. But I am different. I love darkness that was all around when we started that Friday night. Mystical, all pervasive and sizzling dark covered the front seat window that I had all by myself. On the top of that, sitting by the side of a driver has its own thrill. Back seaters could hardly imagine that. It feels as if I am the vice-captain of the cruise that would take us 2008 meters up above the sea level-the Mall Road, Mussoorie.
Destination is important. But the way to reach a destination is equally important to me. The reason being travelling is all about the way; at the destination, we grow sloth again.
That early Friday night journey took us to places that looked secluded and foreign to me. I thought I had been transported to a small town in Arunachal Pradesh where human in sight were lesser than that of a place in New Delhi.
At the daybreak, we left Dehradoon behind. Moved up and up. By the time we reached Mussoorie, my wrist watch ticked 7:30 in the morning. For an urban denizen like me, the empty Mall Road, the closed shops, and a handful of people at the nooks and corner of the hotel where we would stay, gave birth to a sense of curiosity that accompanies every traveller while exploring completely new places and cultures.
We checked in two hours prior to the official check in time. No extra charge that incurred. We planned to take some rest and warm up for the day. However, Mussoorie had a different plan. It started to rain. Soft, tiny droplets drenched the hills and the valley. Then descended what we all had been waiting for: snow. Though not very dense, witnessing snowfall in itself is a once-in-a-blue-moon experience. And we are among those lucky few.
It rained all day Saturday. We three marched out in the cold in search of some hot breakfast. This was when I came across Cambridge Book Depot where they showed off Ruskin Bond posters. It was written bright that Rusty visits the shop every Saturday. Happy for a moment, I thought I was going to meet him finally. But rain came into the way. The shop owner, a stout man informed me Rusty wouldn’t show up that day. I returned to the hotel room with a grumpy face and then jumped into the kingly bed.
Rain continued almost all day. I slept and rejuvenated.
Takeaway-
While rain has its own charm, it spoils a good many things. Last Saturday, it ruined my plan for a rendezvous with Ruskin Bond. Our sightseeing was called off. Snow falls procrastinated our hangout along the famed Mall Road. Yet, in the evening we managed to go out and caught up with some local delicacies that made the day. I learnt that even a rainy day has its share of fun.
Next day-
The Sun shone bright and warm the next day.The hamlet of Mussoorie woke up to busk in the sizzling yet serene shine. A perfect day for selfie addicts showed up.
Next was the three hour travel upwards along the windy ways that leads to Dhanolti where the last evening’s frost was still unmelted. Along the narrow hilly way, our vehicle moved forward. Unfortunately, the number of cars that invaded the region of snow was more than what the road could bear. And due to this, we had to come down from the middle of the way.
Takeaway-
We missed another chance to touch the peak of a gigantic hill. We missed it again.
On the last leg of our trip, I remember Maurya in J.M. Synge’s “The Riders To the Sea”. And a murmur I heard in my head, “and we must be satisfied.”
Amit Kumar Dey 