May Seems to be so Far Away ...

I am going to miss these roads all through April

By my standards I have traveled a lot since December 2006. First there was this college trip to Khurpatal, then we went to Sikkim at the end of the month and were in a train on the new year eve (loved it!). Then in Feb we went to Shringi Vatika and then I went back to Shringi Vatika again in the beginning of March with my younger nephew to get my cell phone back.

Now there are no trips planned till mid May (hopefully we will go to Prashar Lake in May). And there is lot of work to be done in between. How am I going to survive in April? Well, maybe by taking it out while playing table tennis.

Not Good Technically But I Love the Picture Now

Sunset at Khurpatal

We were coming back from Nanital to Khurpatal in December 2006 (this was a college trip) when I noticed this glorious sunset and took the picture (Nikon Coolpix 3200) from a moving jeep.

Obviously, at that point of time the actual scene was crystal clear in my mind and I was pretty disappointed with the picture. But now after 3-4 months, this picture reminds me of the actual sunset and I am much more forgiving about its technical flaws (don't ask me what they are, I just know this one looks flawed).

PS. A damn busy week ahead (even till now it has been very hectic). Not sure how much I would be able to blog, worst still, I have not been able to read much (blogs or otherwise).

A Trip to Khurpatal, Nainital and a Stay at Dynasty Resorts in Uttranchal

I went on a short trip to Khurpatal, 10 km ahead of Nainital on a college sponsored trip. We stayed at the Dynasty Resorts which is secluded and next to a small lake but I feel their normal rates are a bit too high.

I visited Nainital again after ages. Last that I can remember is when I was in standard 8th. And of course, places change in so many years. I was pretty apprehensive about the Khurpatal trip. I have traveled a lot as a student for various sports meets but this was my first trip as a member of faculty! And now that I am back in one piece, I can say it is pretty OK to go with 18 year olds! And you get to interact a lot with your colleagues too, not a bad thing at all.

I am sharing a few photographs of the trip. The one below was taken from a walk through a forest near Dynasty Resort. It was a short 30 minutes walk and this view of the valley was one of the best I got in the entire trip.

A View from a Walk through the Jungle near Dynasty Resort at Khrupatal

While we were freezing to death in Nainital

Our entire group made a short trip to Nainital and I clicked this picture while we were waiting for our cabs to take us back to the resort at Khurpatal. I wish I could make the cars vanish from the picture but they are very much the part of all the popular hill stations in India.

It was damn cold and I don't know why I did not take a thick jacket! Actually, I finished the major part of grading by 7 in the evening of our departure date to Khurpatal and then went home to pack. No wonder my packing was stupid. And all this while I was cursing myself and wondering if I was finding Nainital so cold in the beginning of December what made me decide to go to Sikkim at the end of the month? I am sure I am going to freeze to death there.

Khurpatal Lake

By comparison to Nainital, Khurpatal (tal means lake in Hindi) is so peaceful, I was the only person around when I took this picture. But people at home say it looks more like a pond than a lake and I will have to agree. But for me, any day give me peace and quiet by a pond rather than loads of people by a large lake.

In the far distance you can see the Dynasty resort (Khurpatal). By the lake, one could not guess that the resort contained 40 screaming teenagers!

At Naini Lake, Nainital

I have seen so many pictures of boats taken from above that when opportunity came I had to take one myself and I am pleased with the result. These boats were resting at Nani lake.

On our way back the bus got a flat tire. That and a lot of traffic, and we took nearly 14 hours to get back from Khurpatal to Gurgaon. I also realized that if bad music is played on the music system of a bus it messes up the thought process and sets my teeth on edge. But all said and done, it was a much needed break from grading, grading and some more grading.

Some more pictures of the trip are here.