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I was fortunate enough to have been invited to a kind gentlemans house, named Rauhl. Tyagi and I ventured up in Nikhill's car, being a painful 11 hour journey, for a music festival held in the foothills of the mountains in a small town where you can still see the past presence of the British colonisation. The music festival was a mix of everything and extremely laid back, a perfect way to end the first day of our adventure here. The next day we lounged around, went for a short walk, had a BBQ and generally just 'chilled'. This pretty much set the pattern for the following two days as well. I feel completely rejuvenated!
I'm coming across opportunities here that I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams would have come along. Instead of hanging around in the tourist spots with other travellers, I'm staying in real Indian families homes. Although I'm keen to do the touristy kind of travelling too, it's amazing to get an insight into their lives. The family here are amazing. They invited me to stay with them in their plush holiday home before even meeting me! Do you ever see such generosity in England?
They wouldn't let me pay for a thing, drove me everywhere, fed me until I was bursting and gave me my own room with an ensuite in a beautiful home in one of the most remote areas. I basically was sharing their holiday with them. Incredible. I could get used to this! Although, I'm not sure I could get used to having many servants around me. I know it's normal here, even amongst those not as filthy rich as Rauhl, but I still feel uncomfortable with being waited on hand and foot! I'm quite capable of pouring my own drink, making my own snack, cleaning up my own drink that I've spilled, etc.
Not only did they put me up for these past few days, they've also hooked me up with contacts all across the country, including one in Haridwar, my next destination, staying with a guy who owns an ashram and bamboo huts right on the riverside of the Ganges. So it seems that the fun is not stopping here. Despite being sad to be leaving the heaven that is Nainital, I'm excited for the next journey!
About Nainital, I cannot describe the relief I felt when
we could finally turn of the A.C in the car, open the windows and feel an actual cool breeze. Unlike the hot breeze, if any breeze at all, that you find in Delhi. So we'd gone from around 45 degrees to 25 and I couldn't have been happier. Even better was the amount of green we were suddenly surrounded by. I get quite depressed if I don't see green for a while and in Delhi it's pretty much all beige, apart from the city parks that must gobble up unthinkable amounts of water dotted around. We drove alongside the Corbett Tiger National Park, spotted mischievous monkeys along the way and finally ended up in the foothills of the mountains. A beautiful sight.
I spent most of my time perched on a wall reading and chatting away, just soaking up the serenity of the place. A world away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi. I say Nainital, but really we were in Pagot, which is just shy of an hour away from Nainital, the nearest town. We were in such a remote location that none of us had phone signal, no internet, the village main street was 3 buildings
long either side and the only restaurant was more like a hole in the wall. I get stared at wherever I am, but the stares here were unreal. I wonder if any of them have actually seen a white person before. I hope they know how lucky they are to live in such a remote and pristine area. One I didn't expect to find in India. Am I actually still in India? Really? This was a question I had to ask myself over and over. So I've found the India that I could really fall in love with. Infact, I think I have already! I doubt I'll be leaving the mountainous area after discovering how beautiful it is.
So next is on to Haridwar to indulge in some yoga lessons... (Hello flexible Jess) and to discover why this is the most holy Hindu city in Uttakharand with the help of Vivek Ji, a dear friend of Nikhill's who is going to 'hook me up' apparently.... ciao for now!
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