With the Queen of Hill Stations — Mussoorie

While there is more to any place than a tourist’s inattentive eyes can meet, I believe my one-month stay in Mussoorie is just enough to start getting to know the place.

Situated 2,000 meters above sea level and about 290 kms from India’s capital city, Mussoorie is in the foothills of Garhwal Himalayan range — claiming the title ‘Queen of Hill Stations’ by many!

Although my plan of visiting all the hill stations in the world to verify this claim will take sometime, meanwhile I do think the place has more to offer when the tourists activities are low.

Mussoorie: The queen of mountains sometimes look dusty and smells of car engine oil, but there’s more to this than what meets the nose.

Left/Centre: Kempty’s clouds when they touch the mountains. Right: Little houses of The Earth Village may not be the most comfortable but certainly homely and welcoming.

View from the Earth Village. My memories of perfect bonfires and star-gazing from the deck ahead.

Left: Library Road is a place hosting over-crowded and clueless cars. Right: Narrow and squeezed roads leading to the Clock Tower.

Flies-packed Zostel is one of the most nomad-friendly places in Kempty.

Left: Mussoorie is a place with no shortage of flowers on every corner. Right: Sanyukta’s private farms to pluck wild berries.

The grand stairway of The Savoy and its infamous ghost stories which made into Agatha Christie’s novel.

Mussoorie is also a place of cozy restaurants like Paprika’s and Cafe by the Bay pushing hard to grab attention of tourists.

Left: The overly-expensive spread offered by The Savoy for their dinner buffet. Right: Desserts from the much reasonable buffet from Marriott.

My efforts that went into making this video from Aditi’s ode was mountainous — but worth the learning curve.

Left: Kalsang’s Thupka is the best I’ve ever had. Can’t say the same for the momos soup. Right: The journey leading to Landour Bakehouse is better than their amazing pastries and savouries.

Some ‘century plants’ on the off-roads of Luxmanpuri are disguised mammoths.

Although this article’s purpose is simply to remind me things that I once thought would never forget, I appreciate the curious minds who stuck here till the end.

👏 Clap if you were here and thanks for checking in!