After visiting all of the tourist attractions in Dehradoon, our next trip was to Mussorie on Christmas Day. My friends and I were very excited to spend the Christmas weekend in Mussorie.
We reserved a private cab for 6:30 a.m. from Ballupur Chowk to Mussorie Mall Road for Rs.1500/-. Please keep in mind that you must bargain with private cabs because they tend to quote a higher price first, especially for tourists. Mussorie is a 45-minute to one-hour drive from Dehra, making it an ideal hill station weekend for valley residents. People who suffer from motion sickness (such as my mother) should take their pills 30 minutes before the journey begins.
The best way to enjoy the drive is to open your car window and let the fresh air from the hills fill your lungs, enjoy the scenic views and wonders of mother nature, drink a hot cup of chai (if you have a hot thermos) and listen to travel bollywood songs or chitchat with other passengers. Conversations and genuine human-to-human connections are always preferred by me. During our journey, we did everything mentioned. It was enjoyable, calming, joyful, and memorable.
Due to traffic, we arrived in Mussorie around 8:30 a.m. and exited the cab before reaching the mall road parking zone, taking a detour from a turn below. We walked up the main road, passing through a local Tibetan market. ** Do not shop at this Tibetan market; if you do, you must bargain reasonably. The small size Tibetan flag that you can get in Dehradoon market for Rs.70/- will cost you Rs.350/- here (I do not usually bargain too much because that business is the only source of income for the Pahadi people but if the difference is this huge for anything I indulge in decent bargaining).
We walked towards the mall road, where we had pre-booked two rooms in Hotel Athithi for Rs. 2000/- per room per night. Personally, I thought it was expensive for a budget trip, but because a friend booked it, it was fine. The rooms were fine, and the view of the valley and mall road from a distance was quite nice. We had breakfast at Uphar Vegetarian on Mall Road. Must-try for vegetarians; excellent Punjabi and South Indian cuisine. I enjoyed the Chole Bhatture and Chai here, and the bill for four came to around Rs.850/-, which I thought was reasonable.
After breakfast, we went for a short walk along the mall road before returning to our hotel room for a quick nap. We ordered Chinese from the hotel restaurant for lunch, and the food was adequate but not particularly tasty desi chinese. We stayed in our room until 3:30 p.m., watching TV (Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma) and relaxing. After that, we got ready and left because I wanted to meet Mr. Ruskin Bond (a famous writer from the hills, Landour), and this was my fifth attempt in five years. We walked up to Cambridge Book Depot, where he used to visit every Saturday from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. to meet his fans and readers. Unfortunately, the uncle at the bookstore informed me that he has stopped coming and that fans are not permitted to meet him at his home. Attempt failed again! Phewww
We then crossed the street to eat the best Dahi Chaat before heading down to buy rope way tickets. We bought our tickets for Rs. 150/- return journey per person because we were still early for the ropeway ride [Timings are 10:00 am - 6:00 pm] so walked to a spot on the side of the road where we could take good pictures with the hills and valley in the background until it was time for the ride.
It was now time for our Ropeway ride. These rides never fail to excite me:) When we arrived, we went straight to the Sunset Point, where we watched a spectacular sunset before heading up to the backside for some evening Chai, Maggie, and Pakoras:) It was already quite dark by 6:30 p.m., so we returned to coming down and going street shopping.
We returned down and went street shopping on the street above the Gondola ride ropeway station for some jewellery, decor, and clothes. Please keep in mind that lingerie for women is very affordable and of high quality in Mussorie, and you can find it in your local street shopping. Every year, I buy and replenish my lingerie from Mussorie.
We then stopped for dinner at Belmont Restaurant on our way to Mall Road, which had a very Christmasy atmosphere. The food quality and taste were excellent. Definitely recommended:)
We then returned to the mall road, took some pictures, walked for about 45 minutes, and returned to our hotel room to end the day.
We awoke around 7:00 a.m., and as soon as I opened the window, the cool crisp winter air passing through the valleys and hills brushed softly as a petal on my face. Simple joys are what give our lives the most meaning, and that is what I have admired about Pahadi's simple grounded life, close to nature and their culture.
I then went about my simple morning routine before leaving around 8:00 a.m. for a good 1.5 hour walk in the hill and going to the vegetarian restaurant - Uphar Vegetarian for Chole Bhature and Chai. After breakfast around 11:00 a.m., we returned to our hotel and prepared to check out and return to Dehra.
We took a private cab back to Dehra for Rs.1500/- and arrived home in an hour. This was one of the best Christmases I've ever experienced.