My trip to Lansdowne was and will always be, 'The Trip of my Lifetime,' as after this only I realised, understood & learned the different depths of life.
Going to Lansdowne was my first ever experience of a self-driven road-trip. Many of us know how to drive a car on plains, but driving on mountains is a no-kid-job. A mountainous road offers you a raw & rough terrain, there are blind curves, hair-pin turns, slopes, downhills, and most importantly; one needs to follow the driving rules very diligently and religiously. And even after all of this, the most difficult part of driving on mountains would be a night-drive. I thank THE ALMIGHTY for letting me experience all of this & much more, which I believe would be hard for me to express in words. Some feelings in life are better when only felt & not expressed/shared.
Lansdowne is a weekend getaway from Delhi/NCR, as if you're short in time & still want to experience the serenity of nature and the calmth of the mountains, you could straight head towards Lansdowne without a second thought. It takes approximately 7 hours by road to reach, 'The Land of Veer Garhwals' as it is also known.
On the way to Lansdowne, the first point at which you start seeing the mountains is Kotdwara. From Kotdwara, there are 2 different ways, one leading you straight to Lansdowne & other taking you towards Tarkeshwar Temple. The Tarkeshwar Temple is one of the popular nearby places to visit when one is coming to Lansdowne. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and it is beautifully situated amidst forest of huge pine and oak trees. The road for Tarkeshwar is rough, rocky, raw and very untouched.
In main Lansdowne market, I found a decent rooftop bamboo cottage stay for Rs. 2200/- per night. Rested for the night, and next day explored some other places like, St. Mary's Church, Bhulla Tal, Tip 'N' Top, and Thandi Sadak.
The mountains teach you infinite things, it's upto you what you are willing to learn. They taught me the value of patience and calmness. They taught me, that in Life, whatever is troubling you, the problems, the difficulties, the so-called 'Mountains of sorrow', they are all very small, it's just that we create them big enough and give them the right to hamper our normal being and happiness.
Some basic things which I would like to share with my fellow travellers, who are planning to go on a road trip to mountains:
*Double-check the basic vitals of your car before starting any trip. If required, take the vehicle to the workshop and get everything working properly.
*When on mountains, follow speed-limits. Your life is worth more than the adrenaline rush you're getting from speeding.
*Be extremely careful while over-taking. Never over-take on blind curves.
*Sometimes, due to cold weather the engine temporarily breaks down. In this condition, you would have to start the car by taking help of some people in pushing the car and bringing it in-movement.
*Try finding a place where you could park the car front-facing down hill, and don't forget to fit-in some brick/stone near the tyres. It gets easier to start the car that way if in-case there is a temporary break-down of engine.
One thing is for sure which each and everyone of you would experience. The localities on the mountains are very helpful & warm-hearted. They use the terms such as Bhaijee/D'yaju/Daju/Daa to show the respect towards each other. Try to learn the local slangs and show respect to them as well. For sure you'll experience the mountains like the locals & not like visitors. Make friends with them and go hike & explore hidden places which would be hidden from a visitor's eye.
