With eyes half closed, I lay on my bed early morning watching the rays of sun slowly change colours from blue to orange to yellow and then white. From the cracks in the white curtains, the rays stream on my bed. I wake up to the fresh air and look at the red Rhododendrons blossoming in the balcony. And that’s how I start my cozy little affair with the White Peaks Homestay.

After all the noise of Delhi and that of driving, it is a bliss to stand in the balcony with eyes closed and feel the orchards in the valley below and listen to the sounds of birds. Kumaon is indeed beautiful. The snow covered Panchchuli mountain range and Nanda Devi peak is visible far off as if calling me to it.

 

Mohan, the house caretaker calls us for the breakfast which he has prepared. He makes sure that it is always served hot and is even willing to wait for few hours if we ask him to. He shares his story of how he came to work here a year ago. He shares that due to lot of unsustainable construction in the mountains, the natural water sources are getting dried up. Never before has there been a drought in the mountains.

He then shares that how White Peaks ensures that no wood is cut from the forest. Instead of making a new house, this one was bought from previous owners thus reducing another dent on the beautiful canvas called Kumaon.

 

I travelled to Gagar to explore The White Peaks. Usually, I have the urge to venture out during the day and explore nearby areas whenever I travel. But this time, I wanted to relax all day, put my feet up and sip wine in front of the fireplace.

While Delhi has started to heat up, cold winds still blow in the valley. I love the feeling of walking barefoot on a wooden floor and feel the little cracking noise that it creates. I cuddle up in the bed and watch the moonlight outside every night.

 

‘What’s your idea of the smaller pleasures of living?’It has been my dream to make a wooden house in the mountains. My love affair, which has just started will one day manifest into a house of my own in the middle of woods. It will have a fireplace, stock of Red Wine, and dogs. In that house, I will sit and either paint or do poetry.

How to reach White Peaks: Take overnight train (Ranikhet Express) from Delhi and reach Kathgodam by 4 AM. It is a 2 hour journey from Kathgodam to Gagar via Bhowali.

Note: This story is produced is association with White Peaks Homestay. All the opinions are unbiased and are based on personal experience as on April 2015.

 

Gaurav Bhatnagar Software Engineer turned Travel Writer, Photographer, and Public Speaker on Responsible Travel. Entrepreneur in Responsible Rural Travel @ www.thefolktales.com