- PART TWO OF THE FIRST SOLO TRIP SERIES -
This post is a continuation of the last post- Bus Journeys & Beautiful Views - TGV Escape, Kanatal. You will probably be wondering what's going on at least at the beginning of this post if you haven't read the previous post. I suggest you read that first!
Second leg of the trip: Kanatal-Mussoorie-Nainbagh-Pantwari-Nag Tibba
On 29th February 2020, I bid good bye to Pradeep and Sandeep at TGV Escape, Kanatal. I took a seat at Ramola tea stall's bench on the main road at 9:15 am with a rucksack and a backpack. One thing kept running in my mind. I had some unexpected adventures come my way in the past few days, and I was looking forward to what was coming next. I requested the owner and a few locals sitting there to help me find a taxi to Mussoorie.
Maybe the reason was Saturday or something else, but 45 minutes later, I was still sitting at the same place and hadn't even moved an inch. Not even a single taxi has crossed, and I was starting to get worried. The later I left from Kanatal that it would be much late in the evening before I reached my destination. A 2 km trek waiting for me from the last point at Laser Gaon and I didn't want to start trekking once it began getting dark.
At 10:05 am, I saw a car pass by. Ten seconds later, I saw them park their car on the side and walk down the road to click pictures of the snow-capped mountains I was waking up to for the past two days. I don't know why, but I felt like I could trust and ask them for a ride. Once they finished clicking the pictures, they were about to walk back to the car when I stopped them. Introducing myself, I asked them for a ride after I explained my reason. To my luck, they were going to Dehradun and Mussoorie being on the way, and they agreed to drop me off. That is how I met Aprajita, a social media manager and Sriram, a football coach, both of them based out of Delhi.
If someone had mentioned a few days back that I was going to hitch-hike, I would definitely have said, "You are crazy!". But instead, there I was sitting in the back of their rented car and chatting with them. I was thankful to them to have crossed and stopped at the tea stall; otherwise, I wasn't sure how long I would have had to wait there. About an hour and a half later, they dropped me off at Mussoorie bypass where I waved goodbye and thanked them once again. In return, they wished me to travel safe and have fun!
Having to cover another 10 km to reach Gandhi Chowk, where I was supposed to get a bus or taxi to Nainbagh, I was convinced enough to find some mode of transport to reach there. Luck being on my side that day, I once again found a taxi going to Mussoorie parked on the side of the road with 3 other passengers. Putting my bags in, I took a seat at the back. The taxi driver dropped me off at Gandhi Chowk, where I asked the locals to locate the place where I could find transport to Nainbagh. To my dismay, I was told that the bus that leaves from Dehradun towards Nainbagh only reaches Mussoorie at 1:30 pm. It was only a quarter past 12, and I knew taking that bus wouldn't be the best option. I now had to find an alternate mode of transport which was the shared taxi. Walking towards the direction I was pointed to, I stopped and asked again at a tea stall. This tea stall owner asked me to sit down offered me some chai (tea) and said, "All the taxis going towards Nainbagh or Pantwari would cross this route. I will help you and stop the taxi that would probably be heading towards that area." He was so helpful, and I was thankful to have come across such individuals during my trip.
Ten minutes later, a utility van stopped at the stall. It was directly going to Pantwari, the base camp for Nag Tibba, which basically meant that I did not have to change another taxi at Nainbagh. In a 5-6 seater utility van with a huge boot space at the back, we were about 10 people including 2 kids and the van owner cramped in. I was definitely looking forward to the journey. Upon asking, the van owner told me that he took a trip daily from Pantwari to Mussoorie (60 km) carrying milk and back with cylinders for the locals at the village. I seriously wondered how people with motion sickness travelled around the mountains.
We finally left Mussoorie around quarter to 1 pm, and by the time we reached Nainbagh, it was almost 2:30 pm. It started raining halfway through the journey. Stopping at Nainbagh for half an hour, we continued the drive to Pantwari. I was surprised about was mostly everyone in the vehicle knew about The Goat Village, Nag Tibba and had high praises about it. I got to know the reason later and you will too. It was finally 3:30 pm by the time I reached Pantwari, and even though I didn't do anything as such the whole day, I felt drained. I met Anuj, who mans Bakri Chhap's retail outlet in the Pantwari Market. Bakri Chhap is a venture by Green People India where they have tied up with farmers across Uttarakhand to sell Himalayan Natural produce like millets, pulses, cereals, etc. Waiting with Anuj was a Hanumant Ji and his khachhar (mule), which was supposed to carry my rucksack till the property. Anuj's father dropped me off till Laser Gaon, where Hanumant Ji was waiting for me on his khachhar (mule).
From the point where Anuj's father dropped me off, it was a 2 km uphill trek whereas, from the Pantwari market, it was 4 km uphill trek. The initial 2 km was much steeper hence the reason why I took a ride till Laser Gaon. I was precisely 4:30 pm when I started the trek, and with huffing and puffing at every few metres to catch my breath and also snapping pictures, I finally reached Nag Tibba's Goat Village around 5:45 pm. Nag Tibba trek has become immensely popular over the past few years, and every weekend there are thousands of people who come to Pantwari for the trek. While I was hiking, I came across multiple trekking groups who were heading down to the base camp after completing the trek to the Nag Tibba Temple or Summit. I was reminiscing my memory from the Pinak Trek I took back in 2018.
The Goat Village, Nag Tibba is one of the most visited properties amongst the other and has the most number of staff as well. Though a few of them were on leave before the peak season started, there were still five of them. Priyanka was waiting for me outside the glasshouse (the common & dining area) with a tray of hot towels and water. I had chai with snacks before she showed me to my beautiful 'Koti Banal' style cottage while telling me all the necessary information I needed to know during my stay. I was the only guest at the property, and by the time I settled in and freshened up, it was dark. It was a chilly day since the sun did not come out. We lit a small fire in the little sitting area in the kitchen where I sat with Priyanka and Pradeep Ji (Logistics in charge at Green People) while they asked me about my day's journey.
Right before dinner, I was served some soup made of Red Rice, and it was delicious. I never thought I would be so famished, but the moment they served me dinner I dug in. Feeling a little weird that I was the only one eating, I asked them to join me for dinner, which they did after much persuasion. At the Goat Villages, the day is never over if you didn't have a sweet dish and that night, it was Dadi Maa Ki Roti (Grandma's Roti), which is basically multi millet roti's stuffed with jaggery. Priyanka handed me a hot water bag to keep me warm during the night and a solar lamp. I made my way to my cottage, and I slept immediately due to the tiredness.
Wanting to have a head start to the day I woke up early. The sun was out, and the air was crisp while I sat on the stairs of the glasshouse having chai (tea). With Sprouts, pancakes and porridge for breakfast, I felt it was a lot for one person. After breakfast, I sat outside my cottage reading Jeffery Archer's, 'Be Careful What You Wish For'. It started drizzling after a while, and I quickly made my way to the glasshouse. I didn't even know how time went by. Before I knew it was time for lunch. All of us had piping hot Rajma (Horsegram), Sabzi (Dry Curry), Red Rice and Roti.
By late afternoon, our lovely guests from the UK, George and Olivia had arrived, and Priyanka insisted I spoke to them. We once again head to the sunset point that evening along with the guests. Later that evening, the three of us sat down tranquilly around the bonfire, enjoying our surroundings and looking at the beautiful starry sky. I was leaving early the next morning to go to my next destination, and Pradeep Ji had helped in making the arrangements. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. As Olivia, George and I head to the glasshouse for dinner, we talked about their plans about visiting India. I also taught them some essential Hindi words and suggested places to check out in each destination they were travelling to.
It was times like these that made me realise how much I loved travelling, exploring unknown places, interacting with locals and fellow travellers and experiencing life differently. That night while I laid on my bed, I felt like these days were passing by very quickly, and soon I had to get back home and the same routine. It led to the thought that maybe I liked having uncertainty in life and wanted adventures at each step. Like they say, life goes on, and I didn't have much choice but to carry on as well, hoping to find pieces of me wherever I went. Packing up a little before I went to sleep, I dreamt of what was next in my series of adventures.
So, this was Part Two of the solo trip series! New Day, New Adventures! Part Three is also on the charts. Stay tuned for more...
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#lockdown
After lunch, I had a lot of questions about The Goat Villages and wanting first-hand information, I sat down with Pradeep Ji and talked his head off. He was patient enough to answer my questions, and I found out the reason why the locals had high praises of this place. It was because of the generation of employment and source of income in Pantwari and nearby villages. The Goat Village, Nag Tibba was Green People's flagship property, and it took 1.5 years to complete. By the time we finished our little question and answer session, it was evening already. It was still cloudy, and I was unhappy that I wasn't able to catch the sunset. Suddenly, 5-minutes later it cleared up, and I was able to witness one of the most beautiful sunsets in my whole life. To get a better view, Priyanka and I quickly rushed to the sunset point, but the sun had already gone down. She then took me around to show me all the places where they conducted activities for guests during the spring & summer season. Hoping to have taken the trip in mid-march or April instead, I would have gotten to witness the blooming of the plants and trees in Spring.
While having dinner that night, we found out we were going to have a couple coming by to stay for the next few days, and I was excited to have some company. The next day came sooner than expected, and I only had another day before I left for my next destination. It was a lazy day while I sat outside my cottage, working while basking the sun in the cold weather. My clothes were drying on the other side. I was getting used to walking up to such a mesmerising view each day. Though I had the option to go for the Nag Tibba Summit trek, I wanted to have a relaxed trip.