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Writer's pictureharvindersp

A Beautiful Town Hides Behind the Hill-Station

The town of Mussoorie (fondly remembered as 'Mansuri' by the old-timers) undoubtedly has a split personality. She may come across as a brash upstart to some, while others may see her as a coy village belle! Believe me, she can be both. Like a room lined with glass icicles, she has many facets, reflecting a new persona everywhere you go. As elsewhere in life, travelers only find what they come looking for. So the question to you is - 'What are you looking to find next time you come to Mussoorie?'


Yes, she has amazing weather. The local adage - 'Bombay ka fashion aur Mussoorie ka Mausam....' is more true of Mussoorie than of Bombay. It can get sunny, misty, cool, breezy, wet and hot in a span of few hours. Drive up to Landour and you will find yourself zipping up your jacket to keep the draught out. Come down to the Mall and it can warm and balmy. A 5-minute walk to Camel's Back Road, on the other side of the ridge, exposes you to the buffets of the Northern winds. During the monsoon months, the mist comes rolling in without warning and within minutes covers everything in white floss. As quickly, it can recede and give way to a shower which washes the hills before abruptly stopping to let the sun shine in all its brilliance. It can all happen quite quickly, I assure you.

But any visitor can enjoy that by default.


No hill-station worth its salt will not have good momos! Doma's is a fantastic place to try authentic Tibetan food. It is located on the way up to Landour, where the road splits but comes together again further up the hill at Char Dukaan. The old favourite for Tibetan food - The Rice Bowl - has shut shop and is now only a memory for generations of youngsters for whom enjoying genuine Thupka or Tsampa was no less than a Sunday outing ritual. The Mall also boasts of umpteen places offering pizzas, pastas, desserts and the whole milieu of gastronomic delights. (I'll do a separate blog on the must-visit eating joints in Mussoorie.)


She has good hotels to stay at, good pubs and bars to quench your thirst, and her streets are lined with shops selling souvenirs of all kinds - socks & scarves, hats and handbags, keychains & cards and every trinket under the Himalayan sun.


As a reminder of a more genteel past, when her beauty was simple and elegant, there are gaming stalls which now look childish and out of place. But back in the pre-mobile phone days, the prizes won and lost there made nostalgic memories. Shooting balloons with an air-gun, throwing hoops over sundry things, throwing darts for baubles et al are vestiges of a culture which has traveled far along the digital highway and has no use of them anymore. Kids nowadays turn up their noses on these queer games. She carries these like the fading rouge on her once ruddy cheeks.


As in every hill-station of British vintage, Mussoorie has churches, cemeteries, an old library, colonial bungalows, hotels, restaurants and shops all strung together on the Mall like pearls on a necklace. She also has a couple of schools so old that they have become part of her, like mole on a chin. She also has some shops trapped in a time bubble that have not changed since ages. But that is a story for another day, perhaps.


What the majority of the tourists don't do is take a walk on her less-trodden roads. Everyone wants a piece of the action on the Mall Road. So they end up spending their holiday eating, shopping and seeing the sights. Mall rats! Very few actually venture out to meet the real Mussoorie - the Mussoorie beyond the Mall; the town beyond the hill-station; the woman behind the veil. That is where the soul of Mussoorie resides.



One such less-trodden path is the Pari Tibba trail. Walking the Pari Tibba trail will give you a glimpse of the secrets that Mussoorie hides so well. The trail is an easy day-hike up the ridge flanking the eastern end of the Mussoorie ridge beyond Woodstock School. Vibhav Bisht has an interesting piece on how to get there (https://www.tripoto.com/india/trips/pari-tibba-the-witch-s-hill-4631)


You can also start your hike from Oakwood Forest Retreat where we offer you a guide and a local naturalist who will help you identify the various birds, trees and the odd animal. The trail winds through thick forest of oak, pine, fir and deodar with the stony path covered in a thick layer of the autumnal fall. The trees are alive with numerous birds, yet strangely quiet in a foresty way. Himalayan Drives has captured some beautiful pictures of the trek here https://himalayandrive.com/2020/04/10/pari-tibba-a-haunted-hill/ . You may see the Long-Tailed Himalayan Magpie, the Great Indian Barbet, the Green Treepie or even a Bluejay. The bird-life here is truly astounding. Though it has never gained prominence as a bird-watching destination, I can vouch that Pari Tibba is a birders' paradise.


But that is a secret she will keep close to her heart. Until a traveler comes along looking for the beautiful woman and her many secrets. Coz you'll only find what you come looking for.





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