The Curious Mamma

After visiting the Eco Park in Dhanaulti , we headed towards Surkanda (सुरकंडा) devi temple . The temple is at an altitude of approximately 2700 meters. One can enjoy the panoramic view of the surrounding valleys and the Himalayan ranges from the top. From the motor road, one can either trek for around 2-3 kms to reach the temple or can avail the ropeway service from the station located just a few steps away. The ropeway ride costs  ₹ 250 per head for a round trip.  The ropeway ride As mentioned in my earlier post , you can skip the Bhatta Falls ropeway if you plan to visit Surkanda devi temple by ropeway, which is longer and provides an amazing bird's-eye view of the lush green valley.  View from the ropeway cable car It was quite sunny when we started, but as we started moving upward, the climate kept getting cloudier and colder. Riding back to the base in the cable cart offered a wider view of the surroundings, as seen in the video.  The temple Surkanda devi temple is one of the

Howdy, folks! While I eagerly wait to see the results of the ongoing work, by our much anticipated and rigorously researched helper, Mr. Dishwasher, hired in order to ease  the effects of 'maid induced stress' syndrome, typically found in Indian women,  let me start this yet another page of my Uttarakhand diaries, to divert my attention towards something that's truly pleasant!     On our way from Mussoorie to Kanatal, we visited a couple of places, the first one being Dhara Eco Park, Dhanaulti . Dhanaulti is one more quiet and beautiful hill station in Uttarakhand and has many tourist places. Talking about  Dhara Eco Park, it b asically is a hillock covered with Oak and Deodar trees, and is developed into a tourist spot by the Divisional Forest Office (DFO) and the natives of Dhanaulti.  The atmosphere of the park was tranquil. There were hardly any visitors when we reached there. We started following the trails leading to the top of the hill. Kids enjoyed playing under the

 Hello, how are you doing today? If the day has been good so far, nothing like that! But if that's not the case, I hope to bring a good cheer to you with the second leaf of my Uttarakhand diaries.  After spending a memorable time in Mussoorie, we left for Kanatal around 8.30 a.m. As our vehicle started spiraling down the Mussoorie hills, we started beholding the heavenly views of the valley covered with a thick white blanket of clouds. It literally felt like being on cloud nine. Here are a couple of stanzas of the poem ' Sea of Clouds ' by Kaila George which precisely capture how I felt:  The wind blew so softly around as I sat and gazed at all the beauty of Mother Nature's wonderful grace The endless sea of clouds as they drifted on by made me feel like I was floating on cloud nine As we climbed further down, our car started moving through the clouds. This jogged my memory of my mom's reminiscences of her childhood days in Lonavala, a beautiful hill station in Maha