Escape to Kumaon

ananda2193

What about Jageshwar?

Nobody really talks about it. IMHO it's one of my fav places in Kumaon. Very few tourists, awesome temples, and a spectacular view from the ridge at Vridda Jageshwar.

ks_bluechip

Hi Rajkumar & Ananda ,... thanks for your leads ... will checkout your suggestions ... I did see the Kaserdevi link ..many possibilities there! ... thanks.

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capt_mahajan

Second ananda on Jageshwar.

Ksb, on Kasardevi/the ridge above Almora... it can happen that in some places a solitary Indian may feel out of place, even unwelcome, amongst 'preferred' foreign clients. Just a word of warning.

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ks_bluechip

Capt .... Thanks! .. I understand very well what you mean! Will take care.

Actually, more than a commercial GH or Resort, would like a Home-stay in the wilderness! A sort of a "room on the terrace with a view" ... let out by a local resident, and who will supply a glass of morning tea ... and cook an extra thali of his regular meals (dal/roti/sabzi/rice, whatever, but vegetarian).

capt_mahajan

I did this in Spiti thirty years ago, by just asking around wherever I happened to be in the evening.

I would advise a similar exercise. Shortlist the places, land up there and ask around.. Cybercafe in 3/4 km walk means you can't be in the absolute wilderness, but places outside Nainital, Kausani, Ranikhet or Almora may fit your need.

3 months is a longish time.. recce before deciding is my advise.

ks_bluechip

Capt ... Thanks, again. I do feel, there must be plenty of such places ........ but as you say, they need to be found/evaluated by a local search and asking around in those places ... In fact I plan to do that, when I am there (in July 2007).

BTW, Capt, I saw your Profile on India Mike .... and noticed you have listed "Retirement!" (including the exclamation mark ) as your first Interest. Wow! That is significant and interesting. Retirement is a favourite (pastime) for me too ... and rarely have I found anyone with a similar interest! I have been so busy, since I retired ... some people (including, my wife) have accused me of "over-enjoying" my work life ... now they accuse me of doing the same with my Retirement!

bhaktijananda

I am planning to visit either Uttaranchal and Himachal from 10th of July to 10th of August. Since it would be raining, can anyone give me any information where to go and stay? My preferance is nearby a river so that I can do some angling (fishing)

Cheers,
Apoo

Dilliwala

HP
Rohru in Shimla district offers trout fishing and is an excellent spot.
Also, Pong Dam in Kangra district.
Here's more from the state govt.

Uttaranchal
Dodi Tal in Uttarkashi district is good, but requires a 22-km walk to get there.
Mohan to Garjiya stretch in the Kosi, outside Corbett Park.
Nainital district's lakes (Naini, Naukuchia, Sattal, Bhimtal).
The Tons river between Mori and Hanol, but that's a lot of travelling to get there.

I'm sure others will add more info.

Dilliwala

This is being covered in this thread as well, so pls take a look there too.

The monsoon will have substantially calmed down by Sept, so it'll be ok to travel. U need to understand that calmed down does not mean stopped - u will still get some rain...

U can fly to Pantnagar, but it's much more convenient to take the train or bus/taxi as discussed in the other thread.

Oh - and welcome.

Dilliwala

bluechip,

If Broadband is one of your requirements, u shud forget Jageshwar, Kausani and even Kasar Devi (and don't worry about the foreigners -it's your country. I think Capt M means Kalmatia Sangam anyway - fancy expensive resort, not meant for real people). It's 7 km from Kasar to Almora centre.

If u need BB within 3-4 km u'll have to concentrate on places like outskirts of Almora, Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla, etc. There are very few places in the hills with BB, some places have Dialup though.
I can tell u that Landour Cantt in Mussoorie meets your reqs. Altho the nearest bazar is only 1.5 km downhill, the Cantt is pretty isolated - u'll see what I mean if u go there. There's a Broadband cafe and a few shops right in the Cantt, max 10-15 mins walk from the furthest point. There are a few people who do pg accom or 3-6 months renting out. Pls search for threads with "Landour" on this site for more.

I don't know a lot about Nainital, but what came to mind is - if u find anything on the bus routes to/from Bhawali and Haldwani, u cud stay further away and bus it into town when required.

PS: I don't know if BB has reached Manali, but if it has, Sunshine Guest House near the Circuit House is ideal. It's 1.5 km from the main bazar (or Mall - nice euphemism for a stretch all of 300 metres long), and a nice quiet setting. Nice big rooms, ours had a dressing-room attached. Also do simple meals (their menu-card is a bit optimistic). The all-year-round tariff was Rs 350/day in Oct 05 - I'm guessing it's around 400-450 now. U cud possibly negotiate a long-term tariff with the owner.

ks_bluechip

Dilliwalla,

Thanks for your suggestions..... will checkout Landour Cantt .. in fact, will be in Mussoorie around 7th July (on my way to Har-ki-Dun) .. so that can be seen first-hand.

BB is not a must really ... Dialup is OK too, if it works reliably. As for 3-4kms away: thats for a my morning walk-trek (of 6-8kms) preferably with good ups-downs, on hilly trails, and not motorable roads.

My mental picture is:

Get up 5 AM, have glass of tea by owner/keeper, put on a sweater (it should be cool enough for that) and by 6 AM start my walk/trek Down or Up to town .... thru pine forested trails, breathe in fresh cool air, see white vapour when I breath out, hear birds chirping, see morning dew everywhere .... On reaching town at 7:30 AM, buy an "angrezi" newspaper (day-before's edition is fine), read that while drinking coffee and wait for the BB-cafe to open up at 8:30AM .... See/reply my e-mails, Surf the Net a bit, Chat-on-line with some friends and by 10:00AM head back to the pad, arriving 11:30AM or so.

Escape to Kumaon .... this thread is named aptly!

capt_mahajan

Actually I meant the entire ridge area near Pappersaili onwards upto Kasar Devi, which would otherwise fit ksb's requirements, well within 3/4 km range of Almora (not to speak of the fact that dialup is available at Pappersaili too, though iffy).

Quite a few budget/backpacker 'guest houses' here. Predominantly foreign clients, some long term and illegal, and some into illegal activity.

Some owners dont welcome Indians, as they are in collaboration with the foreigners, and some foreigners are suspicious that they are being 'checked up' upon...

The problem is not as big as in parts of Himachal, but it is there.

Sadanand Kamath

KS,

You are lucky. Your wife is only accusing you and not preventing you from doing treks/trips. My wife, not objecting to my trekkings during 1984-1999, now won't allow me to trek any more

Sadanand

ks_bluechip

Well actually it isnt all that easy .... lots more "give and take" is involved ... don't want to go into all that publicly

rajkumar

And what would you do after 11-30AM once you come back to your cozy place? Can you pl. complete the picture of your dream life in kumaon?