Memorable Mussoorie Moments

We are now in Agra, where it feels very cold this morning. The  temperature here is 3, and our Accuweather app tells us it is way up at 4 in Mussoorie! It's supposed to be warmer down here on the plains!!! 

We left Mussoorie on Monday afternoon, and we hope there will be a post soon about our travels since then, This post shares images of some of the wonderful times that we enjoyed together in Mussoorie. There are also pictures on this slide show of a side trip we took last Saturday.

There is a little more commentary than usual on this slide show.

Riding an Elephant and Shooting Tigers in Corbett Park

Our time with Aaron, Isaac and Annika has been way too full and busy for us to keep up with blog posts! The highlight of the past week was without doubt our trip to Jim Corbett National Park. This involved a drive of about 300 km in each direction, but Corbett was well worth the drive. We also learned that Aaron seems to have been born to drive in India! He handles the crazy traffic "like an experienced Indian", and he drives so safely that he never causes his passengers to feel at risk.

We stayed overnight inside Corbett, at a the 1928 vintage Bijrani forest rest house. We were up early for our 7:30 ride through the jungle on "Asha", a 40 year old female elephant. Sharif Khan, our mahout and guide, made every effort to track down a tiger for us, but there was none to be found. The ride itself through unspoiled north Indian jungle was more than worthwhile.

Since it was Christmas Eve, we had intended to return to Mussoorie immediately after our elephant ride. We had been looking forward to Lynn's Christmas dinner on the 25th. Instead, we decided to postpone the dinner until the 26th and stay a little longer in Corbett. We are very glad we changed our plans, and lined up an afternoon "jeep safari" with a driver named Sajid. He told us the chances of seeing a tiger were good, and he did not disappoint.

We were privileged to come within about 50 feet of a gorgeous female tiger and two of her two-year-old cubs. As you can see in the slide show, the mother posed beautifully to be shot by our cameras! So, here's the slide show of our memorable Christmas Eve visit to Corbett Park.

Riding an Elephant and Shooting Tigers in Corbett Park from paulhami

Drive to Moriana Top

Mussoorie, where we are based, lies along the top of the first ridge of the Himalayas. 'Moriana Top' is the local name for the point at the top of the next ridge. where a road crosses and descends to the Ganges River. The spot affords a magnificent view of the Great Himalayan Range. 

We took a drive to Moriana Top with Aaron, Isaac and Annika on Saturday. It was a picture perfect day, and the views could not have been better. The video embedded immediately below shows the breathtaking panorama we enjoyed at our destination. Below the video is a slide show of a most memorable day together.

At Home at Pine Point & Walking in Landour

It was more than exciting to bring Aaron, Isaac and Annika home to our little Pine Point apartment. Our home is suddenly full of life. The small flat is definitely full, but there still seems to be plenty of room. Fortunately, the weather has been dry, and the children have been making creative use of our gravel front yard.

On our first morning together in Mussoorie, there was high cloud in the sky, but the air was unusually clear. That afforded exceptional views in all directions. So, we decided to spend the day walking the Landour hillside. Landour is forested part of part of Mussoorie where we live. It's also where Aaron spent his earliest years.

The slideshow below shares our Landour walk, as well as a little of our time at home. As you'll see, our resident Landour monkeys featured prominently in our first day together in Mussoorie.

Walking in Landour from paulhami

Aaron, Isaac and Annika Arrive in India

It's good to dream! This week, a long held dream has at last become reality. Lynn and I traveled from Mussoorie to Delhi on Monday to meet our son Aaron, along with our grandchildren Isaac and Annika. We first brought Aaron to India when he was 5 months old. Mussoorie was his home for most of his first 10 years. Now Aaron is back for a visit--for the first time since 1990!

The Lufthansa flight landed early, shortly before midnight on Tuesday. All 3 travelers were extremely tired after flying almost non-stop from Vancouver. After part of a night's sleep at Kabli Hotel, the three weary travelers did well and seemed to enjoy themselves as we took the Delhi Metro to Janpath and Connaught Place for some exploration and shopping. 

We were up by 5:30 on Thursday morning to catch the Shatabdi Express from New Delhi Railway Station to Dehradun. And now at long last, Aaron is back in Mussoorie... The slideshow here shares some of our time together in Delhi as well as on the Shatabdi Express. Stay tuned for posts about Aaron's re-discovery of Mussoorie and environs...

Aaron, Isaac and Annika Arrive in India from paulhami