An Outlet - Part 9

13 March, 2024.

Today we were like two couple on a trip of their own.

Steffani wanted to go river rafting, which was not feasible for me given my high eye number so we headed our separate ways for the day.

Ryan and I woke up around 9:30 AM, got ready and left the hostel by 10:30 AM after checking out from our room and shifting our stuff to the other room (Steffani and Yale have a further plan to visit Mussoorie and had extended one of the rooms).

We had maggi, dosa and idli for breakfast at a small joint in front of the hostel and left for the waterfalls. The road got very narrow at a point which made us all the more grateful for our scooter, despite its rugged shape.

We reached a certain point of the waterfall trail where the road started looking risky to ride on. So we left our vehicle at that spot, came across the same alum who we met yesterday and after clicking some of their pictures, made our way uphill.

The stream and mini waterfalls looked very pretty but the walk felt BRUTAL. Our stamina has gone down so much that we had to take out stops every 5-10 mins. We did step into the rocks and take pictures so that's cool. We ultimately made it very near to the top and decided to head into the cafe perched there.

The cafe had a viewing spot and a meditation spot as well. The scenic view along with the slight wind made it seem very relaxing. We sipped on our orange juice and just soaked in the feeling for a bit before heading to the pond nearby. We sat there for a good 15 mins dipping our feet in cold water and then decided to go down hill.

We took pictures at yet another waterfall before reaching our scooter and heading to.... yet another waterfall! Heheheh

The journey to all these places was also really nice, with tree filled mountains on one side and the blue river on the other. We reached another waterfall and started making our way upstairs. We reached one viewing point and then realised that one needs to trek a good 45 mins on a very steep slope to reach the top of the waterfall. Since neither of us has that kind of stamina, we just decided to enjoy whatever was in front of us.

We had some light lunch by the waterfall and then headed back to our vehicle. Our itinerary had another waterfall to visit, however it was already past 3:00 PM by then and I got to know that the Beatles' Ashram, where were supposed to meet the other two as well, would close by 4.

So we decided to skip that waterfall and head straight to the Ashram. There, we met up with the other two and explored the area. There wasn't much there to be very honest for the price we paid to visit. Nonetheless, we took loads of pictures of the meditation domes and the quirky murals painted on some of the walls.

We got done with the place by 5 and then left for Ram Jhula. This is an only-pedestrian bridge and rightly so because even though it looks sturdy from afar, it's literally a hanging bridge which shook slightly with every step we took.

Upon reaching the other side of the jhula, we walked towards a small beach that we chanced upon along the way. We spent some time there and on the benches before heading to a popular dinner spot called Chotiwala.

The reason why this place is popular is because right outside this restaurant sits an intimidating heavy man with a long upright choti. An extremely intriguing crowd pulling strategy.

However, what was even more interesting was that there were 2 restaurants - individually run by 2 brothers - with the same concept competing against one another. Each restaurant literally had an additional employee just to get customers to their restaurant instead of the other. Though for all that jazz, the food was just decent.

Steffani wanted to shop more so Yale and her left. Soon, Ryan and I got done with dinner too and left for the hostel because we needed to change clothes and recharge our phones for our long journey back to college.

In order to kill some time, Ryan, Yale and I went upstairs to the game room and played a bit of pool. I'm still as pathetic at it as ever.

We took our luggage and left the place by 9:30 PM. Yale and Steffani initally came to drop us till we got a rickshaw but the rickshaw stand was a little further so we bid adieu mid way. This will also be the last time I see the two of them until unless we make any plans to meet in the future or meet by chance🥲

Farewell roomie, you've been great!❤️

We reached the bus pick up spot by 10:15 PM. Yale had said we would find a lot of cafes to spend time in but there was legit not even one in sight. This was more or less a deserted chowk with only a handful of shops in sight.

Since our bus was at 12:25 AM, we had no choice but to while our time away there. The bus was on time, before time even. The bus ride was a blur cause I had fallen asleep for the entire ride. But I guess the bus driver zoomed past everything cause we reached our destination more than an hour early!!

We have just managed to navigate our way to the nearest metro station but it's 5:00 AM now and the first metro starts at 6 so guess there's more waiting duty pending for us now.

I'm okay, as long as I have a secure path to reach back to college.