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Published: December 26th 2011
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22-12-2011
Second day in Nainital, first thing we noticed is it's so much more relaxed here than anywhere else we've been. I don't know if it's our attitude which has changed or not but people have suddenly started to take no for an answer and we find we get less hassle from the salesmen on the street. It's all good. Here's gotta be my favourite place yet, the town's set in a naturally beautiful location around a green lake and surrounded by mountains and more importantly it's actually even cheaper!!
The couple who checked in with us happened to be staying right next to us in the hotel. I bumped into the guy outside in the morning and it turned out they live in the States as well... Anyway then we bumped into them again halfway up our mountain trek to the second highest peak in the immediate area - Tiffin Top at 2292m. We carried on the rest of the way up and down with our new friends 'Pretty and Harbid' (i'm almost certain i've spelt your names very badly guys!), then we all went and had a bite to eat at a little restaurant, very nice tandoori chicken indeed.
I know we're travelling, but the travelling we've been doing is knackering and just sittin around in the evening doing absolutely nothing has been a nice and welcome change. It's only been a week!! So come evening time we just sat around watchin movies and of course... more room service. We deserve it.
Duncan.
Onwards and upwards
23-12-2011 Waking up (no alarm for the last couple of days, yey!) we decided to skip the half-arsed breakfast they serve in the hotel and got out and about and headed to a small snack place where we worked away a small sandwich, shake and soup. After catching the hiking bug we decided to head to the highest peak around Nainital, Cheena Peak. Because we aren't your sporting idols we decided to take the cable car up half the way (ALSO an experience), and who do we see there in the waiting area, yes of course Harbid and Pretty, referred to from now as HP (to avoid more embaressment with spelling). And we obviously had the same plan. We walked together half-way and then me and Dunc decided to trek on a little faster. It was amazing to see women balanced on the steep slopes with bundles of wood on their heads and bare feet. And when I say steep, I mean more than a 2000m drop to the bottom if anyone stumbles. Finally greatful we took the hiking boots along with us. Up til now just been wandering around, now theres slopes, hills and mountains in the way! The view from the top was amazing, it seems to never tire looking at the mountains around here. The highest Himalayan mountain visibile from the top is Nanda Devi (highest peak in the British Empire). Thirsty and unbelievably hungry we make haste to go back down the mountain and, not bothering to fight gravity, jog down the steep pathways we just huffed and puffed up. After the immense amounts of spicy and curried food the last week we needed a small break and, under the company of a crappy 1-1 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham, tucked into a pizza and chips. We had spotted a pastry cafe when wandering through the town and decided to pop in there for some dessert. We ended up working away 3 pieces of cake. The place is named Sackleys and apparently they have a sister cafe in London (dunno if that rings any bells). The trekking around had taken its toll on our limbs and so we ambled back towards the hotel. After getting the taste of aged rum from a little tipple we had had with Kush one evening, we decided to score a small bottle from the local 'wine shop' (Indian for off liscence). On the way locals were decorating the Catholic church with Christmas lights, first time it has really felt anything like this time of year (got all nostalgic, nativity plays, carols... etc etc. ahhh brainwashing from the younger years shines through). The fight for the place at the front of the queue for the offy (as everything is sold through a little portal kinda thing) came as a good thing for Dunc. Being tall usually is an advantage. Asking for a bottle of rum and waiting for the rupe-off tourist price (we've experienced a couple of times before) the customer next to Dunc hands over 80 rupees for a bottle of McDowell's Celebration Rum (exactly the one we wanted), quick to react Dunc asks to swap and the seller has no way out but to ask for the same 80 rupees (silly europeans 1, tourist robbers 0). The night was spent chucking every blog we've written recently on the net. For as much as possible as the connection is very dodgy. Managed to get a couple of Skypes in, happy birthday's and Merry Christmas's, so all in all not a bad effort. Writing this tis now Christmas Eve, so MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!! I hope you all eat yourselves fat on mince pies, roast dinners, christmas cakes and drink loadsa booze whilst we tuck into a ... n... amazing curry I'm sure! x Becca
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