[faithless_1984]

Its clichéd but its true ...`The mountains are calling and i must go`.

A couple of years went by since i took a proper vacation so the itch was becoming greater day by day. This along with the fact that we had to complete some property related work laid the foundation for this mega roadtrip.
Munsiyari is our native place, i kept hearing about Munsiyari from my dad and grandfather on regular basis. It made me feel both jealous and intrigued. Finally realized a long pending dream of seeing the Himalayan peaks up close and personal.

Am not a good writer so i`ll just let the pictures do the talking. This was my first time ever with a dslr so please excuse the amateur results. My editing skills are just as bad.
Some phone pics also included.

We (me, my wife and my dad) left from Delhi on 27/9/16 at 7am. Reached Kausani by 7pm and stayed overnight. Left for Munsiyari the next day at 7am and reached there by 6 in the evening. The route we took was Delhi-Kathgodam-Bhowali-Almora-Kausani-Chaukori-Thall-Munsiyari.

First sight of the mountains from Haldwani. I start feeling excited from this point always.



Stopped over at the famous Lee`s Kitchen after Kathgodam for some Momos. Decent food but awesome view.



The real climb begins.



Crossing Bhowali, its a proper town now. Looked very commercialized and congested.



Stopped at Kainchidham for a break near the temple.



Had the best lemonade ever made from these fresh pahadi lemons and special masalas/chutney. Can kick the famous Jain Shikanji`s behind any time !



Encountered a landslide a little ahead of Kainchidham.



Then the road got better.



Almora, concrete jungle. Thank god for the bypass.



Forest Foliage. Dad was driving so i was busy clicking random pics.



Continued......

[faithless_1984]

I love black and white images so please bear with me.



En-route Kausani.



We reached Kausani around 7pm so it was dark, we stayed at Nature Valley Resort, its one of the best in Kausani in my opinion. VFM rooms with great views and amazing food. Took the following pic from our terrace, was surprised to see so many lights, its getting crowded for sure.
Sorry for the horrendous quality, forgot to take the tripod.



Stepped out the next morning and was greeted by this view. This was the first time i was seeing the himalayas and they took my breath away.



Another B&W attempt, need to use a better editing tool.



The huge terrace, our rooms were on the topmost floor.



Valley View.



Enroute Munsiyari.



Some roads were butter smooth.



Customary Car Pic.



Continued......

[faithless_1984]

Almost zero traffic which was good as the roads are narrow.



Numerous such bridges on the way.



The mighty Birthi Falls. We stopped here for a cup of tea at a stall run by a friendly local woman. A short story - I forgot my sunglasses here which i realized when we reached munsiyari. While coming back after 2 days as soon as we stopped our car near the stall she came running outside with the Sunglasses ! Even though i avoid junk food i bought 5 packets of chips from her in return.



Zoomed pic, we didn't go near its base as we were getting late for Munsiyari.



There`s a woman in this pic, see if you can spot her. I was told they can go even higher easily.



The roads got worse...



But the views got better.



The drive was scary but the scenery made up for it.



Met this handsome fellow near a temple just before Munsiyari.



Pahadi traffic jam.



We finally reached Munsiyari in the Evening, checked out KMVN first but it was not in a good condition plus the balcony was too small to chill out comfortably.
We shifted to Bilju Inn which was my dad`s choice as he had stayed here before. I wanted to stay at Milam Inn as they have more open area. I agreed after i saw the room and mainly the attached private terrace at Bilju. View from the terrace.



We checked in, freshened up and sat outside to finally see the Majestic Panchachuli peaks. But they were playing their fav game of hide and seek. Still it was a sight to behold.



Zoomed.



After it got dark we headed inside and ordered a big local meal as we were famished. Food tastes so much better in the hills for some reason. I totally wrecked my diet and gained a few inches on the trip.



Continued....

[faithless_1984]

Got up very early the next morning to witness the Sunrise event. No more hide and seek, they decided to show their beauty. I just sat and gazed.



The first rays hitting the top.



All five.



The town started to wake up too.



Went for a walk towards the helipad and took these pics. Munsiyari Town, not as crowded as the others.



Got a better view from the helipad field.



Came back to the hotel and had a soul satisfying breakfast with this view !



Imagine seeing this while lying in your bed.



After getting ready we headed towards our relatives home. This is a pic of our property. We are still deciding how to use it. Would love to make a summer cottage or a small resort but dont have the time to focus on this currently. Hope to realize this dream in the near future.



This crystal clear stream runs through the plot.



The popular Munsiyari college ground is also nearby, all local events take place here.



After our work got over me and my wife headed towards the famous Nanda Devi temple. Its a 10 min drive from the main town. The walk towards the temple...



Lead towards a vast open ground with the temple in the middle.



It was closed as the caretaker/pujari was not available.



Best seats in the house.



The sun was too harsh and this was the only saving grace.



Continued.....

[faithless_1984]

We then headed back to the helipad for some pics. Chopper services were started by the gov some time ago but due to lack of demand and high prices it has been stopped. Too bad as its much needed in this area.



Local kids play cricket here, lucky fellows to have such a play ground at their disposal. Live Young Live Free indeed.



Clouded valley view.



Got back to the hotel and it started to drizzle which gave this magical view.



Woke up early again the next morning as i couldn't get enough of the peaks. Tea for the missus and lemon water for me with this in the background.



Yours truly. This is how close the peaks felt they were from our room.



We took both the rooms on this side so the whole terrace was at our disposal. A college group was staying on the opposite side and created a ruckus the previous night for which they got a mouthful from me and my dad. Why come to a place like this to blast music and party like its a club.



We started our Journey back to Delhi early in the morning. Took some parting shots on the way.



Last shot of the peaks which i took with a heavy heart.



Stopped near this stream to have our packed breakfast.



We took the Ranikhet route instead of Almora this time as we wanted to check out the future settlement options there. We spent some time near the golf course as seen in the pic. The army area is well maintained and i feel their is still some hope left for Ranikhet as a destination for serious travelers or people who want to settle nearby.



We again stayed at Kausani mid journey and left for Delhi the next day.
The weather got wet on the way down, Bhimtal never looked better.



Rest of the drive back was uneventful and boring. Always feel slightly depressed while heading back to Delhi from such a trip. The dream to stay in the hills is still alive. Someday.

THE END.

[Jaggu]

Moving out from Assembly Line.

Thanks for sharing the picture log, quite liked it. I am envious of you guys up north with such fantastic access to Mountains!

[earthian]

I like this one even better. You have got me planning for a trip during March/April next year.

[faithless_1984]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Thanks for sharing the picture log, quite liked it. I am envious of you guys up north with such fantastic access to Mountains!

Thanks, its the only advantage of this region for me.

Originally Posted by earthian

I like this one even better. You have got me planning for a trip during March/April next year.

Hello !! Its a small world eh
Made this one more detailed according to the forum. Good luck with your plans !

[snan]

That view and that break fast. All I can say is thanks for sharing this. Makes me want to hit the hills asap and also have some of those yummy looking food ! Snow covered peaks, great weather, good roads, special mountain air ! Can close my eyes and feel them !

[faithless_1984]

Originally Posted by snan

That view and that break fast. All I can say is thanks for sharing this. Makes me want to hit the hills asap and also have some of those yummy looking food ! Snow covered peaks, great weather, good roads, special mountain air ! Can close my eyes and feel them !

Thanks, trust me apart from the views the food is another big plus point of such areas. Try the local cuisine, its amazing.

[sunny310c]

It's travelogues like this that make me want to do this myself someday. I enjoyed viewing the pictures you posted so can only imagine how being there must have felt. I share your dream of living in the mountains. These pictures bring back memories of my time in Kashmir as a kid. Spent a good 3 years there but was too young to fully appreciate the beauty around.

Thanks for sharing.

[faithless_1984]

Originally Posted by sunny310c

It's travelogues like this that make me want to do this myself someday. I enjoyed viewing the pictures you posted so can only imagine how being there must have felt. I share your dream of living in the mountains.
These pictures bring back memories of my time in Kashmir as a kid. Spent a good 3 years there but was too young to fully appreciate the beauty around.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, going through travelogue on the forum is the perfect imaginary getaway for me too.
Coincidentally my next trip in Dec is planned for Kashmir itself if things settle down there.

[dr_rdey]

Beautiful, enticing.
Can an old alto make it all the way to Munsiyari?

[faithless_1984]

Originally Posted by dr_rdey

Beautiful, enticing.
Can an old alto make it all the way to Munsiyari?

Thanks and yes it can be done. Infact in most of these places people have smaller cars in their garage. Saw lots of brand new eons, altos, kwids etc there.
The roads on this route are generally good except for some bad patches which can be managed with some careful driving.

[Unavowed_X9]

@faithless_1984.
Very well written and paced TL.
Im looking forward to make a trip to those nearabouts sometiime soon. Will pick on your ideas when the possibility realizes! Are there any homestay options with a more remote location in the interiors that will require using a 4x4 to reach? Would want to explore that option. Thanks in advance.
Warm regards.
Unavowed_X9