Travel
It was November 2019. My boyfriend and I were going through some difficult times, mostly because we were caught between hectic jobs and family pressures for marriage. It was straining our relationship, so we decided to take a break quietly, without telling anyone. For people living in metro cities, taking a weekend escape from city life means true rejuvenation. And we chose Mussoorie – the queen of hills – for this escape. I’m going to tell you how we both made this first-ever weekend trip together and came back clear-headed. Although, right from the start, the trip gave us bumps and little tiffs, showing us the real picture of our relationship and how ready we were for a lifetime of tripping together.
Bookings all done!
We first booked a bus for our trip via RedBus – an online ticket booking platform for trains, buses, etc. I had booked a Volvo AC sleeper bus for the overnight journey, starting around 9:30 pm IST on a Friday night and reaching Mussoorie around 6:30 am the next day.
So, it was a weekday = workday, and we had to start our journey after 6:30 pm after completing our work. And voila, we hadn’t packed our travel clothes and stuff yet. So, my boyfriend, who is a precautionary preparer (he is well organised and never wants to be late for anything), started nudging me to leave the office a bit early so I could reach my place and pack for the trip, as we had to leave by 7:30 pm to catch the bus from the starting point anyhow, which was at least an hour away from both our places.
And I was late (according to him, at least).
So, a bit annoyed by his minute-to-minute pestering, I left my office at 5:45 pm, reached my place at 6:30 pm, and started packing. It took me around 30–40 minutes to pack properly, and I left for the journey at 7:40 pm. We met around 8:30 pm at the starting point mentioned on our tickets – Akshardham Metro Station.
We were an hour early for our bus… so we waited.
Starting the journey…
At 8:10 pm we received text messages with updates on our bus, and around 8:20 pm, a call from the bus conductor asking for our whereabouts and telling us the next update. Around 8:30 pm, the bus arrived and we boarded it along with other passengers. We both took our reserved spot and began the journey in about 10 minutes. But a couple of stops later, our conductor informed us that our bus had some trouble and could not make the journey, so we would be transferred to another bus.
We were both okay with it, as it was only a little inconvenient. But to our shock, they gave us a mini bus, informing us that only mini buses could make it to Mussoorie due to the hilly roads and that big buses would face some trouble. Annoyed, yet we got to our seats and resumed the journey.
But an hour or so later, we were a bit uncomfortable in our seats. Of course, it was straight up with little to no leg space, and we were kind of in a tight spot. And not being able to sit comfortably, my boyfriend started getting annoyed—for the right reasons. We had to sit through the day at work, didn’t rest in between, and were now sitting uncomfortably for around an 8-hour journey.
He was kind of getting angry with me because I booked the tickets (and it was my first time booking online tickets). I somehow tried to make his seating position comfortable by managing some leg space. Nevertheless, we took bio breaks after a couple of hours and tried falling asleep but could only manage 15–20 minute naps every hour. It was uncomfortable as hell.
We reached Dehradun
Alas! We reached Dehradun, the last major city on the route, around 4 am, and from there we began a hilly journey.
We started feeling the cold breeze. AC was no longer required, and we were almost awake, hugging and seeing the lit-up hills. It was a spectacle—dark hills and sky, but twinkling lights on both.
And the best part? In an hour the sun would rise, and we would witness our first sunrise together.
And the sun rises
Around 5 am the nautical twilight began, and in a few minutes the sky turned reddish-orangish. We saw the sun rise between the hills and smiled looking at each other.
The sun was up in the sky in the next 20 minutes, and we were reaching Mussoorie in the next 10 minutes.
Mussoorie, Mall Road… The chills
We were officially on our secret trip together—it hit me the moment we reached Mussoorie Mall Road and I stepped down from the bus/van.
I felt chills as the temperature was down to 5°C, which is almost 25 degrees lower than the November temperature in Delhi, and I was wearing normal clothes accordingly. I started shivering. And it had been a while since we took a bio break, and the cold made it even more urgent.
Before I could properly check out Mall Road, I was looking for a restroom/public washroom. My boyfriend stepped down, collected our luggage, and gave me a shawl. Soon we spotted a Sulabh Toilet (thank God) a couple of steps down on the side of Mall Road.
Relieved, we started navigating our stay that we had booked – Hotel Crystal Palace Mussoorie. It showed a couple of kilometres up the hill, and we were clueless about how to reach there. Should we walk in this cold weather?
So we called the hotel reception, and they sent a driver with a Maruti 800 car.
Early check-in…
In a few minutes, we reached the hotel. Because it was still quite early for our check-in time, which was officially 11 am, we requested if they would help us with an early check-in. The reception staff was kind enough to allow early check-in without any extra charges.
We checked in and made some videos while checking out our room, which was standard but good for INR 1500 per night. Remind you, it’s 2019 — pre-COVID era — and travel and stay were not that costly, and you could even book a 4-star hotel for that reasonable charge.
So, after entering the room, we crashed on the bed, so tired from that uncomfortable journey through the night that we just wanted to straighten our backs by lying down comfortably.
A couple of hours later…
We woke up and went for breakfast on the terrace and ordered aloo-pyaaz paratha and chai. For North Indians, especially Delhiites, this breakfast (if made well) is everything.
We got our breakfast in a few minutes, and the sun was bright. In that cold, it felt like God was blessing you directly. We checked out the neighbouring area—up the hill, down the hill… everything was mesmerising. Soon the clouds were flowing low and we felt the cold clouds on our cheeks.
Let’s go exploring Mussoorie
After breakfast, we returned to our room to get ready and explore the queen of hills.
One by one, we got ready to head out. But first, we needed to figure out how we were going to explore Mussoorie and which places to visit.
So we went to the hotel reception to enquire about our options and set our day. It was already 11 am. The hotel manager at the reception told us about how we could rent a bike or scooty and explore places like Company Garden, George Everest Peak Trek, Kempty Falls, Bhatta Falls, Cloud’s End, Camel Back Road, Lal Tibba, and more.
He also arranged a scooty via a vendor, and we rented it for our entire stay for INR 500 per day (extra INR 100 because we were keeping it overnight with us).
The sprinkling Kempty Falls
So our first visit of the day was Kempty Falls. Of course, all the thrill was about it.
Helmets on, completely packed, we started the journey—driving through the hills, warmer where the sun shined and chillier where the sunrays couldn’t reach.
We reached the spot, parked our scooty, and trekked down to the falls.
For Kempty Falls—those who have been there already know—it is divided into two parts: a lighter fall at the top and a heavier and more commercialised version at the bottom.
We headed to the bottom falls first, and for that we had to go down at least 1 km, walking slowly through lanes decorated with temple items and artefacts that tourists could buy as souvenirs for their family and friends.
We reached Kempty Falls. It was scenic. It was beautiful. The water was freezing—we could feel the sprinkles on our cheeks even 100 meters away from the fall.
We clicked pictures of us but didn’t dare to even put a foot in the freezing water. People were enjoying the falls—swimming, bathing, and eating Maggi and sweet corn from stalls nearby.
We didn’t carry extra clothes, so stepping into the falls didn’t even cross our minds. Though there were stalls renting out swim costumes, we felt it might not be hygienic. Even before COVID we were cautious about these things.
So we clicked pictures, strolled to the backside where there was an enclosed swimming pool, and sat there on the benches. We saw the stream flowing down at the back, saw small birds trying to catch fish, and talked about us a bit. It was only the start of clearing up things we were going through.
After a few minutes, we decided to go back up and explore the top part of Kempty Falls.
At the road dividing the falls, there were vendors selling boiled corn, Maggi, hot chocolate, and coffee.
But without giving in to the temptations, we started walking up the hill to the top of the falls.
Walking about 300 meters, we reached a point where the water was controlled so visitors could rest, eat, and enjoy the water. They had tables and chairs inside the man-made pool—safe enough. But we decided not to stop and headed up.
Just 50 meters more, we reached the top. It was again very beautiful—scenic falls. We clicked pictures. There were boulders that we could easily step on and stand. Then I asked my boyfriend to pose like Shah Rukh Khan, and I captured his videos (which he perfectly did) with the falls right behind him.
After spending some time there, we headed back down and decided to eat Maggi and chai at the man-made pool.
In 30 minutes or so, we headed to Sir George Everest Peak, which is approximately 30 kms from Kempty Falls.
En route to Sir George Everest Peak
The route was mesmerising in itself — the snow-peaked mountains, the cone-laden pine trees, green pastured hills, and cute little monkeys on the roadside.
The route was almost an hour long. And we reached the parking spot at the base, and the peak was a 3–4 km trek up the hill, which is approx. 2,000 meters above sea level and roughly 20,000 steps.
We parked our scooty and began our trek. At the base, there is enclosed private land with heavy green pasture and a stream flowing down between the land and the path to the peak. It was scenic, with horses and cows grazing around.
We continued our trek holding hands. One by one, people started climbing alongside us, and it took us 30 minutes to reach midway, to an adventure camp and restaurant. We paused for a couple of minutes, and then continued our trek and reached the top – Sir George Everest’s House – all white, very beautiful, with panoramic scenery and a stunning 360-degree Himalayan view.
Built in 1832, the house, now serving as a perfect museum, overlooks the tranquil and beautiful Mussoorie Valley, offering spectacular views — with the scenic Doon Valley on one side, the river valley Aglar on the other, and majestic Himalayan peaks to the north. But sadly, it was not open for visitors that day due to some official reason. So we climbed to the top of the peak to enjoy the views and were mesmerised to the core.
We sat there on the hills and clicked a few pictures but were not able to capture what our eyes saw. Sitting between clouds, we could view Doon Valley, river valley Aglar, and majestic Himalayan peaks with just a turn.
After spending some time there, we got down and were feeling a bit hungry from all the trekking, so we decided to eat the very authentic ‘pahado-wali Maggi, bread omelet, and chai.’ We shared our meal with a stray Himalayan dog, whose appearance was much like a husky.
We then trekked down to the base of the hill, and it was already 4:30 pm. So we headed back to Mall Road and decided to explore the Company Garden, which was less than 10 kms from there.
We reached the Company Garden near around 5 pm. However, we were not allowed to enter because it was almost closing time. So we just took a stroll outside the Company Garden, which is a highly guarded area, to enjoy the views.
Around 6 pm, we decided to head back to the hotel, rest a bit, and then go have dinner on Mall Road.
Mussoorie Mall Road
Around 7:30 pm, we decided to stroll on Mall Road until dinner time.
And my my… what a beautiful Mall Road, still carrying the colonial aura. When we arrived in Mussoorie early in the morning, I couldn’t take a look around. But now, I did a 360-degree checkout — the library, the old handloom shops, the colonial tavern, the imperial square, the bakery — everything green, red, and rustic beauty. The golden structure in the centre and the canopies on the side overlooking the hills, with a sunset, were all so beautiful.
We strolled on the pedestrian-only path, exploring the handlooms and enjoying hot chocolate in that chilly weather, holding hands.
We called it a day after dinner on Mall Road, ready to restore our energy for our next adventure about 40 kms away.
