Part II
In my previous post, I shared with you how I was just on the verge of meeting one of my favourite authors in Mussoorie. Here is the concluding part of my journey to Landour, which made me realize that disappointments are necessary pit stops in life before moving towards in an amazing journey.
Mountains are Kind to the Writers
As I was capering down the road from Landour to Mussoorie an unusual thought occurred in my mind. Once I meet Ruskin Bond, all these years of imagining him as this mystic puppeteer will no more exist. My steps slowed down with the trepidation of what was coming. On the way, the lure of bakeries selling homemade chocolates and the earthy fragrance of “garam doodh” from the Mussoorie Sweet Shop distracted me for a while. I stopped on my way for this divine intervention and soothed my restless soul with the luscious cardamom scented glory.
The roads were getting crowded and the mall was beginning to come back to life with its plethora of offerings from dry fruits to winter wear. For a while, my senses travelled into a world of a mystic frenzy of handmade trinkets and craft works. I have always run after “what next?”. Never truly enjoyed what was being offered at that very moment. Instead, I took a decision, I would stay one day longer in Mussoorie and explore it even further. I wondered if they had any clue as to what I was going to do. I was literally going to live one of my dreams.
Along the way, the vivid variety of humans, as well as flora and fauna, was reminiscent of the book. The trees and flowers became lifelike characters and the people whom I met were merging into the world of pine trees. After a while, to my surprise, I found myself at the gate of Cambridge Book Depot. To my utter disappointment, the store owner informed that Mr. Bond was visiting Kolkata for the Kolkata Literary Festival. What a cruel twist of fate.
At times of despair, food is what I run to in search of comfort. On my way to the hotel, I stopped at Lovely Omelette Centre to try the heavenly cheese omelette. With its buttery goodness and melt-in-mouth demeanour, the omelette was a trip to and from paradise.
As I lay in my budget accommodation later that night, I scribbled a few lines in my journal. It had been few months since I have not been able to write properly. The words failed me, until that night. If someone would have mentioned a week ago that Landour would be the remedy to my struggle, I would have dismissed it with a chuckle. Landour, you have been kind to me. I hope to see you soon.
Time to Close The Window
The next day, I wandered around the quaint hill station to pack as much of memories and anecdotes from this magical land. I gobbled on the finest chocolates, slurped hot chocolate by the cup, and gulped momos and thukpa. If only life would have been this simple. Eat, create, sleep and repeat. It was time for me to leave this happy abode and head to the busy city life. The winding road from Mussoorie brought me to Dehradun. With a heavy heart and a lot of memories stacked in my backpack, I went to my pre-booked hotel. This was my first experience staying with Treebo Hotel. I was so impressed with the hospitality that I almost forgot the fact that I had to leave the next day.
This was a small anecdote from my ten-day journey to Uttarakhand. Hope to come back soon with more such anecdotes from around the country. Hope you liked it. Let me know about your favourite part of a journey and the small events during the journeys that brought about some change in your life.
By Soumita
Of Maps And Trails 