On my way to Nainital

Packing my bags, loading them into the car and zipping off to the hills with dad. This wasn't the first time I did this and I hope there will be many more trips in the future.

The destination this time was Nainital. I last visited the place years ago. Memories included a lot of walking, some fighting in the hotel room, spicy food, the smell of Iodex, a photo session in a beautiful park(A picture of sis and me from the session was enlarged and put up in our house for quite a few years. People have often pointed at me in the picture and asked mom about her "son"). The most beautiful memory, however, was of the sun rays glistening on the surface of the lake. And to see that sight was what I was looking forward to the most.

We began our journey from home early Thursday morning. Unfortunately, when I go for such long car journeys and start early in the morning, I tend to fall asleep in the car. When it's just dad and me, it results in a sleeping front seat passenger: something that is a big no-no for both mom and dad. Despite pinching myself to keep awake (tea doesn't work on me and at that time I didn't drink coffee) , I occasionally slumbered off while dad drove on. Highway driving is quite fascinating. It looks (can't say feels since I have never driven myself) like one of those car race video games we used to play and still do on the much less exciting cellphone. You MUST overtake all the cars in front of you. But, there are a few differences : the jerks on the rough patches of the roads make the food that you have had threaten to come out, there is traffic coming from the front and the fact that no one sticks to their lanes and there is no divider ...you get the picture!

The scenes outside were beautiful. The huts, the fields, the trees planted in neat rows...the sight of fields full of sunflower !

Riding uphill or downhill can be quite tedious. But these journeys are always a pleasure with dad driving. The race ends and the slow and steady drive gives plenty of time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the place. As fate would have it, we met with a hailstorm on our way up Nainital. Driving becomes difficult as the visibility is poor. However, we reached safe and sound and yes, wet! The hotel reception and the parking were separated by some thirty steps and that resulted in us getting drenched. The storm had reduced to a drizzle, thankfully!

My dad prefers the government tourist bungalows for accommodation. Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam's Hotel Sarovar at Tallital was where we had booked. It may not have all the modern facilities but the cleanliness of the place and the warmth of the people is guaranteed.

Tired after the long journey, we slept. Coming soon is an account of some of the fun things I did in Nainital! (which is what this post should have been about...but, whatever!)