Uttarakhand's clear lakes and hills

A young traveller reaches beyond his urban experiences across the hills, valleys and lakes of Nainital and introspects on the quieter and deeper joys experienced My recent visit to Uttarakhand turned out to be an eye opener. Until now I had seen the hills and the clear lakes only on television. After hours spent on treks from one lake to the next, a completely different perspective of vacationing is now embedded in my system. It was thanks to my visiting uncle, a Ph.D. in mathematics, a professor but also an amateur ornithologist, and cousins from the USA. We took the Ranikhet Express till Kath Godam in Uttarakhand. Our resort, The Mountain Club, was near Bhimtaal. The itinerary was decided. Saat Taal: With a guide rather than a map, we set off. The mountain trail went up the hill and then speared downwards towards the valley where the lake was centered. Going on a mountainous trek for the first time, it took a while for my body to adjust to the slopes. An hour was spent going uphill and from the hilltop, a two-hour trek downward commenced. The whole region has a thick forest cover housing a rather exotic fauna. A hundred feet below us, assisted by its characteristic bark, we managed to spot a barking deer and various birds. It started getting cooler and windier as we neared the lake. Upon reaching flat lands, we quickly made our way towards the lake, where an hour's worth of boating progressed. Nainital: After paying our respects at the Naina Devi Temple, we made our way to the ropeway. The plan was to reach the hilltop, take photographs of the valley and come down walking, visiting a monastery on the way. During the descent, my uncle pointed out a Blue Whistling Thrush. Bird sightings were comparatively fewer than the previous day, partly because there was less tree cover compared to the Saat Tal region and partly because we were too involved in preventing a fall triggered by our weight as we trekked down slope. After 45 minutes, we reached the monastery. The shrine housed a thousand bronze statutes of Buddha; bowls of water were lined immaculately across the wall. Scripts written in Sanskrit were being translated by the monks into Chos-Skad, the Tibetan language, and vice versa. The monks spoke broken English but were surprisingly fluent in Sanskrit, which I discovered when one of the monks tried to get his point across. Naukhuchiya Taal: Approximately nine km west of the resort, located two km east of Bhimtaal, lies the nine edged lake, Naukhuchiya Taal. The lake shared roughly the same altitude with Bhimtaal. With most of the route being flat and metalled, the trek was physically less demanding. Gifted by a scant population and very low traffic density, calmness reflects in their gait. The route to Naukhuchiya Taal presents a view of the whole valley. Rice plantations and step farms are common. The trek lasted a good four hours. Naukhuchiya Taal was relatively empty. Boating commenced, its clean waters harboured a chill and facilitated a gentle breeze. We unwillingly headed for the shore. After a long relaxed lunch we ambled towards the resort. We waited for dusk to cloak the region. The village had lit up and the streets were buzzing with evening activities. When the trek finally terminated, the sun was almost down. On the fourth day, I forced myself to introspect while reading a book on the resort lawns. I have been on a dozen trips but never did I do something different. I never engaged in an activity which couldn't be done back home. The very outlook towards a tourist spot was based upon a foundation of lethargy. With every outing considered a punishment imposed by my parents, I had only managed to limit my own exposure and experience. Contained in a car, visiting only malls and restaurants 500 km away from home is a criminal waste of time, I realised. This trip turned out to be an eye opener because I understood the meaning of joy of walking in the hills for the first time. And my first tete a tete with nature is now recorded for posterity because I had the foresight to carry my digital camera. And that is truly experiencing the best of both worlds.