Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Of Siguri trip and Bareilly





Boating in the famous lake was the last thing in my mind when we had planned a trip to Nainital.I wished an enjoyable trekking trip.'Any mountain would do'I sighed.

I'd never thought that I'wd be praising the city of Bareilly so much, where we stayed for a couple of days on our way to Nainital.Bareilly, I found clean, prosperous and spacious.Even the lanes (galiyaan) were broad enough for two cars to pass at a time. But my friends think that after staying in the most polluted city of India( thanks to its tanneries, mills and whatnot...) any city wd look good to me.But no regrets I love the city I live in :-)

Nainital was fun.In the month of June we were using quilts.We strolled in the Mall road.Ate bhuttas (corn cobs)Visited zoo.A trip to observatory.Before my lil ones felt homesick (thanks to TV and PC)we met a person who was a "tour and trekking operator".So next morning we started for a place called SIGURI which was a two hours drive from the city.

CAMPSITE: It was an isolated place.Around ten tents,surrounded by tall holly-hock flowers.A big tent which was the kitchen. Toilets, wash-basin with a mirror, dining table and any such things made us feel at home.( but did I want to feel at home?? :-)
A big group of school-children also arrived there.Which proved a very good company for us. After the very tasty lunch we started for the top of the mountain.For a km or 2 there was a proper road,after that(3 kms) we just walked through the forest. The trek was so steep that in some places we were slipping backwords.One slip of foot and the person cd fall many feet down the hill.

The company of the school children and their teachers was relly good.I must say that they all were good singers.
After two hours, around 5 kms, we reached the summit.It was a great feeling and a wonderful sight. Rested for a while and started back as time was running out.Coming back took less time.
Dinner: In the middle of jungle we didn't expect party food which included chinese dishes and sweet dish too...Yum yum.
After dinne back to Nainital in our lakeside hotel.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Camping, trekking, partying means you had fun unlimited. Holidaying in June, that means you are too late in making this post :-)

It seems it was a nice picnic.

Every city has a character, an identity. The way you were suprised in Bareilly, I was suprised in Jhansi. Same story - Broad roads, clean city and minimal traffic. A decade before, that was true for Allahabad as well. Not any more.

I find it very difficult to call Kanpur a city. Apart from IIT, there is nothing planned about it.

Officially, Ahemdabad is most polluted, followed by Kanpur. Another 'official' figure says Pune is fifth most polluted city in Asia.

Personally, I have seen both of them. Kanpur is not a patch on Pune in terms of pollution. Pune is way way ahead. Just that it's more greenliness, and a better weather makes us bear that :-)

Anonymous said...

love hollyhock flowers.i used to have them in my lawn.thanx vandy for the picture.barielly used to be one hell of dirty,crowded & polluted city but as u described it seems to have a makeover...red

vandy said...

@Manish
yes 2 months late :-0
It was a nice trip.
Jhansi.....a fren of mine is never tired of praising Bhopal, Hyderabad with so many flyovers etc looks like a foreign country.It means all over India things are improving.How nice....

'Rave'is something nice abt Knp.Hv u being there?

Ahemdabad ...city was clean...and ppl more cultured.They must be having other criteria while grading the cities.
Pune and polluted? I've heard only good things abt pune.
rgd mail :I sent u one but it bounced back.I wanted to ask how to post pics.but with trial and error I cd do it. :-)

vandy said...

Hi red
I went there for the first time.Otherwise Barielly was me just a city where Sadhana lost her jhumka :-)(Jhumka gira re...)

First time posted a pic in my blog...you liked it....thanks yaar!
Bye

Unknown said...

Bhopal has clean roads, and less traffic too. Indore is much more modern.

Rave came up after we passed out from IIT :-(

Actually, they check out SPM as main pollutant. Pollution, traffic, and bad roads are the bad stories of Pune. Safety and prosperrity wise, the city is best.

My good old Lucknow is smarting under the politics. They have just taken over that nice & peaceful place :-(

Anonymous said...

I hv been to Nainital - good place, but also getting too commercialised like Mussorie and Shimla. I prefer quieter hills like Kasauli. But then, if u r with a group, any place is pure fun. Seems u had loads of it.

Blankets in summers - ha ha , i use them here too :)

Mridula said...

Nice trip you had. I am a bit taken aback by your praise of Barielly, but I went there when I was in school.

I have spent such a long time at Kanpur getting my Ph.D.

I went to Nanital ages before. Now it will take courage to go there. Places become just too crowded for words and somehow I picture nanital like that.

vandy said...

Hi deepak
Ya the trip was great.
:-)

vandy said...

Hi Mridula.

Nainital was not that crowded as we were expecting it to be.Unlike Mussorie, here the roads were broader.

Garhwal and Kumaon hills are full of lovely and quiet treks.the one I'd being to and loved is CHOPTA.

Tarun said...

I am homesick........u shouldn't tell me to read this post.....it reminds me of all wild trekking experience of my college days......

vandy said...

@ Tarun.
Don't want to feel more home-sick so don't read my another trekking post "tiger tiger burning bright"
:-))
****************
@Iconoclast
Our host packed a box of 'KIPPS'sweets for us
and the mithai was real tasty and fresh.
:-)