V.I.P – Uttarakhand Part??

The previous parts:

Part 1: A trip to Uttarakhand
Part 2: A trip to Uttarakhand
Part 3: Lake? What lake?
Part 4: Naini Devi was Kind

Delhi and back.

What do you make of honeymooners, single youngsters etc if you see them use up 3 or 4 seats together to sleep in the waiting rooms of railway stations when there are other people with kids, elderly people etc standing or sitting on the floors for lack of chairs? There was this guy who quite romantically kept stroking his bride’s hair (who was trying to have a cozy snooze on his lap) in the waiting hall and ensured every soul there got to see how much he loved his wife!! She, for a moment opened her eyes, saw me carrying varun, Vyas carrying a heavy back-pack besides another small luggage and there were few others. And she promptly resumed her sleep!! There was another family that had lined up their luggage onto 4 chairs and even before I asked, one lady in that group told me that they had a reservation. Did she think I didn’t? No idea! Another girl, must have been around 20, had two chairs empty next to hers and said it was reserved for her dad! Surprising how certain patterns just don’t change through out India- be it in Kerala or Kathgodam!

We were content settling down on the floor and I got busy peeling oranges for Varun while the other 2 went to get some dinner. I think we dozed off the moment we were on the train for I don’t remember much of what happened on the journey to Delhi. Headed back to my friend’s house (it was 5.00 AM) who wouldn’t hear of any excuses about letting us stay somewhere close to the station as we had to take the evening’s train to Chennai.

There still was this one important visit pending… After a quick nap and wash, the hubby, Varun and I went to meet this wonderful woman with, to quote PV, “A bright smile, the only visible indicator of her incredible achievement -a glorious example of the perseverance of the human spirit“. Not for one moment did we feel that we were meeting someone for the first time! It was a warm 30 mins with her, mostly spent talking about several things, including Tamilnadu elections:).. Varun held on to her finger and asked to be led throughout the house hunting for toys and kept threatening to pull down things from racks.. . Bunnu’s toy train came handy and the fellow was busy for a while.. If PV is chocolate, Aunty is mother of chocolates:) We extracted a promise from her to visit us at Chennai and bid adios.

Geetha and I had one more job to do- go shopping.. Her hubby took us to her fav Kurtis shop while mine offered to stay home as his presence would not be conducive for shopping;). Did a quick shopping, resisting mass buying.. Everything on the shelf looked good:) But then, I was not aware of the hefty bonus credited to my account by my employer:( . An opportunity lost. Have vowed to make up for it.. Barely had time to stuff the shopping bags into the luggage and make it to the railway station. To think that 9 days had vaporized in a second… sigh!!!!

Little did I know that the journey back home would give a story I’d keep telling over and over again!!!

Part 6: Delhi to Chennai- Kabuliwala
Part 7: An end and a beginning

Destiny Farmstay – Ooty

It is a miniature heaven on earth. A short team trip and I’d dragged along my two attachments much against the appa’s wishes who had planned a private outing with the elder one! The kutties were royally pampered by every colleague on the trip and never for a moment did I regret taking them with me!

Vyas participated in almost every activity and never once turned to me for any kind of support. In fact he was acting like an adult instructing mommy to take away Varun as he was getting too close to the bon-fire and on another occasion reminding her not to let go off the little brother’s hand even for a moment in the railway station! Amma being the amma, gave him an earful and reminded him how important it is to mind one’s own business and how essential it is for a 9 yr old to act just that age! Ummmm… looks like the bird is ready to take flight from the nest..

He played cricket and other group games, trekked, walked long distances, enjoyed every minute of the trip, and helped me without a fuss. As always, on the day of our return, he wanted to time-travel to the day we reached the resort:)

Varun was soooper cooperative and the emergency baby-food that I’d carried was never used. Of course I carried oranges and he feasted on them! He was otherwise busy posing for cameras and got busy watching the ducks, rabbits, sheep, birds, riding a horse . “Naan ‘pissing’ panne” he says to explain that he went fishing!! The Vs being ardent Ahimsa-vaadhis, never caught a single fish. We waited for the fishes to come and chew away the bait that we so painstakingly put on the bait hook! Varun considered it a brilliant idea to turn the pond water murkey so you have trouble spotting a fish. So he religiously kept digging the fishing rod into the pond for nearly an hour. The Vs are sure that many in the group had put some quick-fix-glue with the bait, the only logical reason explaining how the same people kept catching the same set of fishes again and again and again and kept dropping them back into the pond!

I enjoyed a Tyroline-ride (which made Vyas jealous and Varun cry- ammaaaa pogaaadhe…. – kids were not allowed on this rope ride), good food, horse-ride, long walks, cozy stay, and two peaceful unhurried morning tea gazing at the 6.00AM Ooty Sun, in solitude,taking in every scene around me for a full 100 minutes!!

If you are planning a vacation to Ooty, Destiny Farmstay is worth a visit. You can also try Parsn Valley- an equally quiet and beautiful place. Both these places are a little off Ooty and helps you unwind! There isn’t much habitation for a few kms around both these places. So remember to carry a first-aid kit and some dry food if you are taking kids along.

Leaving you with some pics from the trip: courtesy friends! The trucks you see in the pictures are said to have been used in the Kargil war. The last 2 kms journey to this destination is on this vehicle. The resort folks provide a safe shed to park your vehicle and arrange to pick you up from this point. Regular vehicles will refuse to move on this no-road-only-rocks stretch. This is the only bit that scared Varun and every time he spotted the trucks he kept saying, “amma, lawwyeeele po aenndaa maa” (amma, let us not take the lorry!).

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