Luminous Skies and Undiscovered Mysteries

Sundown and Overcast Sky – Terrific Golden Hue

How much more the same run-of-the-mill hill stations can offer anyway? This thought was clouding my mind when I decided to head for something as commonplace as Mussoorie that too during summer break!

But wait, my story had a twist. By a series of serendipities, I was heading towards a quite-quaint corner in that part of the hills which is otherwise off-limits for others and too beauteous!

Grey Langur – posing with pride!

Oh, the Serenity of it!

So in the vicinity of bursting-with-people Mussoorie (I wasn’t disappointed in believing that the entire Delhi-NCR would be parked there) lies JhariPaani!

Though except a lesser-known but ‘great gushing’ waterfall in Jharipaani, there’s nothing else to experience. But the estate where I got to stay – it just thrums with life!  Being perched on a cliff one could witness the most amazing sunsets, sometimes sheltered by clouds, from its verandahs and alleys.

Petunias on the Cascading Walls

Blooms

It’s got carpets of seasonal flowers – hydrangeas, petunias, bougainvillea and wildflowers – blooming in such vivid colours as to make one’s heart fill with myriad emotions.

The amateur birder in me too got satiated by first-time spotting Wedge-tailed Pigeon! Ah the joy of spotting newer species — you can only feel my excitement if you too are a birder!

Wedge-tailed Pigeon – My First Spotting

A Thing of Beauty in Ruins

The best thing about travel is that no matter how much you research, there always are serendipities thrown your way. Mine was discovering a palace-ruin (not anything grand) which a native royal-family man built for his sister. The family moved to this place called jharipaani (it roughly translates as drizzling water) because the air is so clean.

Reddish-pink bougainvillea draped all over the ruin’s parapet, its old-world architecture looked more dreamy and charming under the overcast sky.

Ruins of the abandoned Castle – check this one at my insta @rang.birange 🙂

So posting some pictures from this weekend trip of spectacular sundowns and more!