Google had informed me that there are 2 picnic spots in Dehradun - Maldevata and Lachhiwala. When I inquired at the hotel Front Desk I was told that Lachhiwala is usually crowded so we decided to go to Maldevata instead. Of course, I had ascertained that the place was safe.
After we left Sahastradhara, the driver retraces his steps a couple of times. How typical of Indian men – they won’t ask for directions even if they know that they are wrong. I called the hotel and had them guide the driver. Finally we were on the right track, sorry road! And it was a pleasant one – we passed tiny squares of green fields (wheat, if the driver was to be believed!), small neat bungalows, locals going about their business. All around us bare hills stood guard in the distance - the driver even pointed out hilltop houses in Mussoorie.
Finally he stopped the car in front of an ancient temple. Instead of going there first, we walked for some distance up ahead and then sat along the roadside looking at the vast empty expanse, the blue sky, the clouds gathering along the horizon and listening to the sweet sound of silence (a luxury no longer affordable in Mumbai!) occasionally punctuated by the muted thunder somewhere miles away. A plump little bird with hues of red kept us company but flew away when I tried to capture it in my digicam. Perhaps it wanted us to remember it only in our collective memories. :)
It was hard to tear myself away from there. I could have happily sat there till the sun went down but we were tourists with a limited time on our hands. So we walked back to the temple only to find that the sanctum sanctorium was locked! I don’t know if it was because we were too early (it was definitely past 11am!) or because it was a Sunday. Whatever the case, it was a huge disappointment. We paid our respects through the barred door, clicked a few pictures and turned back.
After we left Sahastradhara, the driver retraces his steps a couple of times. How typical of Indian men – they won’t ask for directions even if they know that they are wrong. I called the hotel and had them guide the driver. Finally we were on the right track, sorry road! And it was a pleasant one – we passed tiny squares of green fields (wheat, if the driver was to be believed!), small neat bungalows, locals going about their business. All around us bare hills stood guard in the distance - the driver even pointed out hilltop houses in Mussoorie.
Finally he stopped the car in front of an ancient temple. Instead of going there first, we walked for some distance up ahead and then sat along the roadside looking at the vast empty expanse, the blue sky, the clouds gathering along the horizon and listening to the sweet sound of silence (a luxury no longer affordable in Mumbai!) occasionally punctuated by the muted thunder somewhere miles away. A plump little bird with hues of red kept us company but flew away when I tried to capture it in my digicam. Perhaps it wanted us to remember it only in our collective memories. :)
It was hard to tear myself away from there. I could have happily sat there till the sun went down but we were tourists with a limited time on our hands. So we walked back to the temple only to find that the sanctum sanctorium was locked! I don’t know if it was because we were too early (it was definitely past 11am!) or because it was a Sunday. Whatever the case, it was a huge disappointment. We paid our respects through the barred door, clicked a few pictures and turned back.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment