I reached Haridwar after a long and hip breaking bus ride from Delhi, and since then thanks to my friend and colleague, we are having a gastronomical adventure of sorts. I don't think I eat this much in Bangalore, no matter how good the food is. I hope the trek we have planned ahead helps us shed all these extra kilos that we are putting on.
the ride to Haridwar deserves a mention. we reached Delhi airport after a not so great flight and waited for like an hour for our baggage to arrive. it was like receiving an old friend at the airport whose flight has been delayed for days, except that this friend arrived on a horizontal conveyor belt.
so we left Delhi airport instructing the taxi driver to stop at any place that would get us some cold lassi. I can say that was the highlight of the day. we reached the bus stand and get to know there is no volvo (as was said by our dear Vijeta) and the ac bus would leave at 4.30 or maybe later coz its not back at the station yet.
in the excitement of getting tickets to a bus which was not ac but had recliner seats, my friend and I just jumped on to the bus getting the last row. just getting on that bus was like climbing a peak in itself. they should've put a board: not suitable for oldies/ladies in sarees and weak of heart and health. when we entered the bus, it was like a coal mine. pitch dark, hot and sweaty with people trying to get into seats and settle their luggage somewhere. somehow we took our seats at the back of the bus and the ride started.
a word of advice for the unknowing, Uttarakhand roadways buses are not so great and the pathetic condition of the roads makes the ride horrible. if you did not have any back problems, you definitely would have 3-4 at the end of the ride, assuming you will make it to your destination.
so after going through all of this, we reached the mid-way where the driver tells us, the bus does not go via Haridwar. it goes straight to Dehradoon. it was hilarious and sad at the same time. why the hell were we on a pathetic bus, when it does not even go where we want to go!
the driver and the conductor, being the friendly people they were, made a small detour to drop us on roorkee highway, from where we took a cycle rickshaw to the bus stand, found a bus ready to go to Haridwar. we scrambled to the express bus and finally reached Haridwar and at our hotel at 10.30 in the night.
food and sleep were the only thoughts on my mind and thankfully this time I got what I wanted. not the best food and not the sweetest of dreams but I managed.
Haridwar is an interesting place. it reminds me of the walled city in Jodhpur, where there are small lanes lined with shops, open sewers and lots of people teeming these lanes to buy something, to go somewhere, to sell something or generally walk around aimlessly. not that the whole city is like that but the part where we are staying. we start the day with lassi and repeat it twice through the day along with kulfi, falooda, thandai, chole bhature and of course chapati and sabzi. as I write this, I am still to have dinner, so lets see what comes our way :)
everything here is either speshal, famous, mashoor or it is bangali. the streets are full of bengali restaurants and people talking in bengali. maybe its a traveling season for them, or its just a coincidence that I noticed.
the food and drink are supposed to be really famous and really special, at least they make it sound like that. I would like to know what normal is just to compare it to the special and famous.
I think I would remember Haridwar with this specialty.
the only specialty I saw was the river Ganga that flows through the city in full speed. it is a beautiful sight, though I would love it to be cleaner and healthier (but I shall not talk about work here)
after a short stay here, we intend to trek to the glacier, heights upto 7000 feet and temperatures as low as 0.
i'm really looking forward to it.
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