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-   -   The Red OneŽ (TROŽ) Travels: Mukteshwar & Uttarakhand | Our Brass Journey (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/193233-red-one-tro-travels-mukteshwar-uttarakhand-our-brass-journey.html)

Brass is a binary alloy composed of copper and zinc that has been produced for millennia and is valued for its workability, hardness, corrosion resistance and attractive appearance.


21 years of being alloyed together like copper & zinc does prove a relationship to be corrosion resistant as well as attractive. Hence, brass anniversary. Brass, on the other hand, is freely available at attractive prices, in innumerable shapes & sizes and intricate designs, in a city hardly 3 hours' driving distance away - Moradabad. We decided to start off our brass anniversary with a trip to the Brass City, followed by a journey to the mountains after a long hiatus.

But then, even after quite a few earlier trips to Moradabad, I did not remember that Tuesday is a citywide holiday.


The plan, and a weather update




The Red OneŽ had come home over 3 months ago, and we had long been planning to take a roadtrip in it after its conversion to a hardtop 4-seater. Unless we travel on the highways, how shall we compare TROŽ with our trusted steed of the last 8 years, the Hawk-On-FoursŽ?

The day before our planned date of departure, it was a gloomy and cloudy day in Delhi, with prediction of rain in the next couple of days. Well past midnight, I suddenly wake up and check my phone - and am a little upset that Cyclone Ockhi looks quite ominous on the weather radar, and can cause cloudy weather and rain in the hills of Uttarakhand on the next two days that we plan to be there. Oh well, we're committed to go anyway...


Departing after 7 am to travel on the NH24 through Delhi and Ghaziabad, is a really bad idea. I know about it - I've taken that road innumerable times on my way to work, except that I've quit that work at the end of February 2016 - and without factoring in the humongous traffic jams on that stretch, postponed our departure from 5:30 am to 7:07 am!

The stretch of NH24 before Akshardham is foggy as we travel through.


And then, past the Delhi border at Ghazipur, we are stuck in traffic, and it takes us an hour to crawl about 6 km to the bridge across the Hindon river.

Our route for the day: https://goo.gl/maps/77DAbMsPc4G2


The journey

The rest of the journey on the highway is uneventful. We are taking it easy, getting a feel of the Thar on the highway. It's noisier than the Scorpio, and having a conversation or listening to music needs a greater sound volume. There's high turbulence noise at 3-digit speeds. The suspension is noisy as it crashes over road imperfections, not soaking them up soundlessly like the Scorpio does.

Late-morning hunger pangs are taken care of with a quick stop on the highway itself. Not that I like to stop right on the highway, but then these guavas proved to be delicious and was worth it.


Then we turn off the highway on to the major district road MDR49W heading towards Bazpur & Kaladhungi, and the road is excellent, apart from a short stretch of about 2 km just after Moradabad. Our lunch break is at the Kahlon Food Plaza at Bazpur, and we have a leisurely lunch. The bill turns out to be remarkably economical.


The road, indeed, is excellent. Except, there are speed breakers which shake up the Thar at speed - though without any feeling of loss of control.

https://youtu.be/JsYloABk3Fs

Kaladhungi to Mukteshwar, via Nainital

The times we have travelled to Nainital in the recent past, the winding mountain road that comes up on the Mallital side of Nainital has always been a pleasure to drive on. Very little traffic, and an excellent surface.

If, however, one proposes to cross over to the Tallital side via the Mall Road for one's onward journey to places beyond, things become difficult. In tourist season, the traffic inside Nainital is utterly chaotic, and the Mall Road is off limits for motor vehicles in the evenings (6-10 pm). Mercifully, we are travelling in off-season, on a weekday, and Nainital appears deserted. 5 minutes after entering Nainital, we are out of the town and headed towards Bhowali.

It is already getting late, and we try to hurry up. The weather also seems to be closing in, and I don't want to be caught in a downpour in the dark mountain roads. Even then, we stop for a few photos, in honour of BHPian Samba, who had said...

And then we arrive at the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) Tourist Rest House (TRH) Mukteshwar, even as the sun set behind the mountains and the roads turned dark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqY--Bx1jgw

Our destination

KMVN TRH, Mukteshwar

Like pretty much every other property of KMVN, or for that matter GMVN, HPTDC, or any other State Tourism Rest House, the TRH Mukteshwar is located at the best possible site in the area - on the top of a peak at ~7500', with a commanding view to the north over Almora and the snow peaks of the Panchachuli range, as well as Nanda Devi, Neelkanth and Trishul Parvat.



The tariffs displayed on the board at the reception are the regular rates, and there is a 30% off-season discount at this time of the year. But what left us confused while booking online, was the nomenclature of the category of rooms on the KMVN website - we booked Super Deluxe thinking it to be the best rooms, but turned out they were the worst (as well as, obviously, the cheapest), and only called Double Bed Rooms on the board. There was no view of the snow peaks from these rooms, so we chose to upgrade to the Royal rooms at a price difference of Rs.400 per night. Then too, of the 4 Royal rooms available, 3 looked out on to either power lines or trees up close, without a clear view of the distant peaks. Thankfully, there was only one other guest there, and we got to choose 004 as the perfect room with the best view from the bed - and it was worth the trouble!



Note the little 'Free WiFi' sign - yes, it works, but not fast enough for pictures.



The tariff is on MAP (Modified American Plan), which includes bed tea, breakfast and dinner. Once we had settled into our room, we were ravenously hungry - but the thought of climbing down 2 storeys to the dining room was not very appealing! The new dining hall in the picture is cold and uninviting in the evening, but does provide glorious views to the north in the daytime.



Yet, left with no choice of room service (dinner/breakfast is a buffet service), we move on to the inner (older) dining hall (I've lost count of the number of times people in India spell it as 'DINNING' - probably has to do with the amount of noise we make while eating! :D)



The dinner spread. Simple, served hot, and filling, and tasted like heaven at the end of the day!



After dinner, the temperature felt freezing, so we asked for a room heater. A convection heater is provided against an additional payment of Rs.236 per day, and was completely worth it for the extra comfort.

Mukteshwar, the view from our window

When one wakes up in the morning with a view such as this outside one's window, one should be forgiven for not wanting to return to the polluted city that one calls home. And one is naturally also inclined to shoot frame after frame of the same view as the day progresses, for which one should be forgiven. Mercifully, Cyclone Ockhi has dissipated, and the threat of cloudy weather over these parts has been replaced by a fairly sunny day with scattered clouds.



As the sun went down, the lights of Almora sparkled like diamonds towards the north, and the winter line lit up the horizon to the west with its ochre flame.

TROŽ bathes and poses

Oh well, let's start with the bad news first - TROŽ lost a wheel cap on the way to Mukteshwar.



This is one of those rare occasions when I get my car washed during our travels. But this fellow wants a tip, and it would be worth indulging him - he makes the food too!



He cleaned TROŽ so well, this is the first thing I notice...



A few more poser shots at the TRH and around Mukteshwar



A simple but sumptuous breakfast later, we begin our short exploration of the sights of Mukteshwar.



Sightseeing in Mukteshwar

The Mukteshwar temple is situated on the highest peak in the region, at walking distance from the KMVN TRH. From the motorable road, it is a short but steep climb.



This juice vendor is strategically located about halfway up the climb to the temple, and we take a break. He sells the juice of locally grown citrus fruits, and made us a delicious concoction with the juice, club soda and a variety of spices and salts.



We continue with our climb to the temple, and finally we're there...



Blessed and tired...

Chauli ki Jali - and a local folk singer

On the other side of the hillock where the Mukteshwar Mahadev temple is located, a rocky outcrop juts out over a valley, called the Chauli ki Jali. An extremely scenic viewpoint looking out over the Kumaon valley, this site is used in tourist season for adventure sports like rock climbing, abseiling, rope climbing & base jumping.



The path from the temple to the site winds through a trail between conifer trees, now so peaceful and quiet in the off-season.


Suddenly, from a distance, comes a lilting folk tune, and I run to find out the source. At 7500' running is a bad idea. The 100m run leaves me winded, as I point the dSLR at the folk singer (performing to an audience of one!) and start recording with the eye level viewfinder. Unfortunately, the camera picks up the noises of heavy breathing without my realising it, and here's the result. If anyone can download & edit out the breathing noise from the video, I'd be happy - I have very little idea of how to do it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0oN6GDaOOY


The view from Chauli ki Jali is mesmerizing, and the song adds to the ambience.


And then, the peace and quiet of the place is shattered by a politico-religious rally that arrives at the temple, loudspeakers blaring in cacophony.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVZmnvWB9qo
As soon as the road clears, we make a quick getaway.

A Circle of Peace - and excellent 4G network speeds

We come to the town square - more the town circle! - in front of the main gate of the 128-year-old Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI). Not sure whether visitors are allowed inside, I start to look for information on the internet - and soon realize that I have 4G connectivity there which is fast enough to support clear Skype video calls! We forget about IVRI (the closed gate and guard don't seem very inviting anyway - we can explore that later on).


IVRI is not just about horses and sheep and cattle - they take care of the medical needs of people of the local area too. Except, the signboard of the hospital leaves us laughing... :D



We are happy spending some time at the circle, enjoying the silence, speaking with our daughter, and catching up on social media, and the afternoon simply flies by.



The tall trees tower over two men engaged in idle conversation, and somehow I find this to be so peaceful.



The sun goes down slowly - the clouds remain brightly lit, as darkness covers the town of Mukteshwar.



The woman rushing back home with a pile of firewood balanced on her head, suddenly reminds us how long we have been enjoying this restful spot, devoid of sounds and disturbance.



As the sun begins to set behind the hills, we head back towards the KMVN TRH.



Dinner is served, and we climb the two floors to our room, to sit around next to the window again, and enjoy the out-of-this-world view once more.



But wait! At 8:49 pm, the TRH shook. The windowpanes rattled, the ceiling tiles shuddered, the tin roof creaked menacingly, and the bed seemed to have developed a life of its own! The Earth shook! For a minute, we were scared.


Yes, that was really an earthquake: http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...le21284410.ece. For the next hour or so, we surf the internet for further news, and check in with family and friends to tell them we are safe.

Finally, good night.

Tomorrow, we shall need to go back to the big, bad city. We wish we didn't have to...

How many ways to climb down a mountain?

Actually, if one were to consider the options to reach Moradabad from Mukteshwar, there are quite a few permutations and combinations possible.

The first is the one we took on the way up to Mukteshwar, crossing Nainital on the way.

Route via Nainital: https://goo.gl/maps/V811GcB3ej22


The popular route, especially for LMVs, is via Jeolikote, but the road was closed near Jeolikote due to a broken bridge for the last few weeks. We asked locally, and were told that the road had opened a week ago, but closed again 2 days ago, because the bridge was damaged again.

Route via Jeolikote: https://goo.gl/maps/SUVwUMnUjR62


That left us with the option of descending to Kathgodam and Haldwani via Bhimtal, since we did not want to take the same route back as we had used to come up. Once at Haldwani, we had the 3 choices - going to Kaladhungi and retracing our route on the way up, connecting to Bazpur after Rudrapur, or carrying on straight towards Rampur from Rudrapur.

Via Bhimtal: https://goo.gl/maps/1nXQJM1xR642


A decision was taken on the go, to drive to Rampur, and connect to the NH9 there - despite an additional 110-rupee toll on the highway. A really bad decision, this, because the stretch of highway between Rudrapur and Rampur is in a state of disrepair / patchy repair, the traffic was terrible in the middle of the weekday, and we had a very uncomfortable time in the Thar.

Via Rudrapur & Rampur: https://goo.gl/maps/tQ3qYbXoNEG2


Later, a friend who travels to Bhimtal frequently, told us of a rural road to bypass Moradabad and its surrounding traffic, and connecting from NH9 to Tanda and Bazpur more quickly. Got to try this out sometime.

Bypassing Moradabad city: https://goo.gl/maps/Tet7LvynZ9o


Enjoy the drive in the hills...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP7eDJVUQ40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5bECCzECb4
https://youtu.be/fxAcx08OGl0


...as much as we did, along with TROŽ. :)



Remember, we were celebrating our Brass Anniversary on this trip? And all shops in Moradabad were closed on Tuesday, the day we left? So we stopped again at Moradabad on the way back, to buy some brass items for ourselves.



A summary of the experience of driving the Thar

In the hills, compared to the Scorpio that I have driven so many times in the same terrain, is where the Thar excels. With its shorter wheelbase, quicker steering, better turning radius, lesser body roll and better grunt lower down in the rev range, it takes less effort to keep up the pace on winding roads - until the road is patchily repaired, bumpy or undulating. Over such patches, the ride is much harsher than the Scorpio's, and the front suspension is noisy. The overall average was 11.2 kmpl for the trip, but that is perhaps because the AC was off and I kept to speeds under 90kmph most of the time on the highway. Above 100 kmph, the air turbulence is irritatingly loud, and the water from the windscreen washer jets swirls around without actually reaching the glass. However, the car does put a smile on one's face, given that traffic gives way (we took advantage of that feature through the crowded streets between Rudrapur and Rampur). Have topped up with a diet of Reliance diesel from Moradabad on the way back, and let us see how much the FE improves.

OTOH, the lady has complained of a painful lower back after the ride, and is not overtly keen to sacrifice the comforts of the Scorpio in favour of the Thar on drives such as from Delhi to Kolkata.

Yet another lovely travelogue with beautiful pics backed up by great narration. Your travelogue's have its own essence.

Am honoured! The red one really looked stunning in the pics. Its once again proved, Thar is among the best photogenic vehicle's available in Indian. :)

A lovely travel log. Thanks for putting this up. Specially the videos of the moving Thar. The commanding view and bonnet line, make it even more special.

Oh: It is also my home state. UK/UA.

Nice travelogue. Wish you two travel a whole lot more in the coming years. TRO looks fabulous but the pictures of the TRO could have been a little better. Thanks for sharing a beautiful log.

Your travelogues are the ones I read to get genuine feedback on the car, this one is special. This time you should come to meet me with TRO.

Spike:D

Really like the way you approach your holidays -no checklist (these days it's more fashionable to call it bucket list?) of things to do, top ten things to do while at xyz etc. About that part where you just hung around the roundabout just taking in the scene around you - I can almost imagine a tourist taxi innova, bursting with humanity armed to the teeth with cell phone cameras ready to capture 'the sights' slowing down to check what on earth you guys were admiring at the spot, and then moving on remarking disgustedly "dekhne ko kuch bhi nahi tha , woh log bekkar timepass kar rahe the" :)

Thank you. We don't really prepare an exhaustive checklist of things to do or sights to see for most places we visit. It's more about soaking in the feel of the place, talking to local folks, and enjoying the vistas & silence of certain places. Many a times, the locals tell us what's worth visiting, and what's not. For example, there's a waterfall near Mukteshwar called the Bhalu Gaad waterfalls, but the locals told us it would be a 3-km round trip trek including some rock climbing, and the waterfall isn't so majestic at this time anyway - since we're not keen trekkers or extremely fit people, we therefore decided to skip the place.

rl: rl: I'm afraid I've used up my quota of emojis, but I still cannot stop laughing!