Oh! To be blessed to have the rest that only solitude in the lap of nature gives!
“We have asked the maids not to disturb guests unless they
specifically ask for them”,
said the hostess, Shubha...
And this is so much the essence of this place.
The only
words I have are ‘silence, beauty, leisure and concentrated work’. Beyond that
it is hard to describe! Rural and rustic, what touched me most was the complete silence. One could just sit in the veranda and look at the Himalayas or
immerse in a book or work quietly. And that is what I did mostly!
...except for
going for walks. I walked and walked for hours. Simply soaking in the silence
of the forests so away from the crowd.
She was walking through the forest with a pile of sticks on head through the forest.
I asked, “Coming from work?”
She said, “What is the point coming through the forest and not get something useful?”
Intelligent indeed!
Her daughter had got work in a bank in Delhi and she asked if it was ‘safe’ for her. City dwellers for them are always more informed I guess!
Pradeep and Shubha, the hosts are great people to spend your
evenings. Shubha runs a garden full of herbs while Pradeep heads the local NGO,
Aarohi. Volunteers from all over the world come here to work. Their apricot
products are a best seller! (Click for details)
You can buy food stuff on the way and cook for yourself. Thereby stay
away from seeing another person for days if need be! Or you can befriend fellow travellers and discover them to
be soul mates!
The rooms are very comfortable and cater to the quiet traveller. You have the choice to be left alone or mingle with the hosts or the villagers...or both! I had few lunches with the hostess and spent the rest of my time cooking or eating at the local dhaba. You get the quintessential "maggi"!
Caution!
- The Dak bungalow is quite far from the kathgodam station. Takes half a day. The roads twist and turn. Be ready for the adventure!
- The food at the home stay is homely, but expensive. The hosts encourage guests to prepare their own food or eat at the local dhaba for kitchen help is hard to get.
- There are no restaurants etc close by.
1 comment:
Since we also share memories of the fascinating Peora Dak Bungalow like you do, Permit me to give a slice of our experience in the following link:
http://cloudscape-travelunbound-aroundalmora.webnode.com/
click on it someday, you won't regret, I promise.
Regards,
Somenath
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