Relishing the Challenge- Up the Mahasu Peak

I was in my 1^st yr of college, infact it had been about 3months since college began when we came to know there was a trip being planned to the Northern part of India. I was all kicked about it and my parents had also given their consent. It was to be a 12day trip covering Delhi, Shimla, Kulu, Manali and around.  I barely knew my classmates leave alone our seniors, but that dint faze me.

We were given a rough itinerary and told to bring warm clothes as some of the places we were going to visit would be cold or damp. It was the month of October, so most of these regions were just getting over the monsoons. We landed in Delhi and hopped into a bus heading to Shimla. After settling into our rooms, we were told that the 1^st site to visit would be Kufri. It was like the Dodabetta of Ooty, it offers a 360 degree view of the valley below. Kufri was once a part of the Kingdom of Nepal until the British took over the area as part of the Sugauli Treaty. Infact, legend has it that the region remained quite obscure till the British 'discovered' it in 1819. Since then, it has been welcoming tourists from various parts of the world.

Our teachers had consulted with the locals and suggested we make it to the Mahasu Peak before sunset to get this panoramic view. We walked along the winding roads till we reached a path that led up the hill. There were no proper roads, only stones and rubble with cedar trees on either side. As we made our way up the path, through the forests, we spotted quite a few tourist on horses, some going up while others were making their way downward. 

Mahasu Peak is infact the highest peak in Kufri. Took us quite a while, somewhere along the way a few of us thought we would not be able to go further, maybe we should just sit there and wait for others to return, but braving the rough terrain, we trudged on. Now, this was a moment where I truly did end up Relishing theChallenge. We finally emerged atop the mountain and it was beautiful. The flat terrain had a few hawkers; some selling fruit chat while others sold chai and soft drinks. We quenched our thirst, tried some fruit chaat and spent some time resting our tired feet. We also noticed a small spot that was the hub for adventure sports. Apparently, when it snows, the peak transforms into a skiing arena.

Skywatch Friday- Clouds in the Hills

All this work is taking a toll on my Blog!! I've not blogged a travel story since the last .. well the last one!! Hopefully next week should be better..

Onto today's Skywatch post...

A few years ago [Aug 2004], while i was working with a Friend, we decided to take a break and getaway for a weekend.. We were 4 girls and were headed to the hills. If you've been to Chennai or lived here, you know how hot it can get!

We were heading over to Yelagiri Hills, about 240kms from Chennai.. A train journey till Jolarpettai and then a short ride across the 14 hairpin bends in the cab that had been sent by the Resort, well it was more of a hometstay. And back in the days, Yelagiri was pristine, unspoilt, people barely knew of its existence, plus there was nothing much to do, unlike Munnar or Yercaud!

All we did was walk, talk and chill out at the vast expanse of space. The icing on this cake was there was no connectivity- so no mobile phones, and back then we dint have laptops.. The resort did not have Television either! You can imagine how amazing it must have been...

Almost everyday, we would walk past the Punganur Lake, which was a man made lake spread across 57 sq meters. There was a beautiful garden, a play area for children and there was boating offered at the lake. Walking around the perimeter took about an hour, and it was one of the most scenic spots in Yelagiri. On our final day, we did spend an hour boating, with our boatman giving us tales about the place, and also spotted a water snake whiz past our boat... What an experience that was!!

We stayed at the Taj Gardens[no connection to the Taj group of hotels], a family run farmhouse owned by one Mr.Rahman, a retired Leather Businessman.  The resort wass spread about 40 acres or more, most of which was barren, but the area near the rooms and entrance was done up very neatly with beautiful garden, play area and even a small pool. area of course is large, with huge playground, park, plantations, rose garden, etc. 

We were the only guests and the staff was available at our beck and call, and some more. they were ready to cook up quite the storm for every meal-veg and non veg.. Hospitality was awesome!! I wonder what has happened to the place, heard that a Famous Resort company has bought them over... Today, Yelagiri also holds Paragliding events and such...

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