“Beautiful memories are like old friends. They may not be always in your mind but they are always in your heart.”
Susan Gale
After quitting my job I had a decision made very clear about what “NOT TO DO” ; but about my passion for travel the plan of action was not ready. I took some time out to travel and understand the problem that I wanted to solve.
And as mentioned even in my previous blogs “Its the destination and the roads that choose you most of the time rather than you choosing them”. So an impromptu plan was made to Haridwar, which also happens to be the starting point for most of the tours in Uttarakhand.
With my first visit to Haridwar I had an instant connection, it seemed as I have been living here since ages with the sages 😉 . Haridwar is a holy town which welcomes one and all with its randomness, hustle and chaos as well. But you have to plan the trip to feel the real Haridwar.
If planned properly even one day in Haridwar can provide peace( shanti) and calmness lasting a lifetime. If anybody want to enjoy Haridwar you will have to start the day as early as possible, preferably before sunrise. My personal favourite is catching the sunrise from Neeldhara.
One may go early to Mansa Devi temple before the ropeway starts to have a panoramic view of Haridwar overlooking Har Ki Pauri. As the sunrises you should find the perfect spot for the holy dip other than the world famous Har Ki Pauri, where the morning and evening aarti takes place. The only problem is that it is very very crowded all day long, but still it is worth it as they say that it has the most pious water at Har Ki Pauri which cleanses your mind and soul. I would suggest a clean and a little less crowded ghat which you may choose by walking along the Ganges.
The Ganges river is revered as mother “Ma Ganga” for all of the inhabitants of Haridwar. The water as per many studies has unique healing powers as it runs all the way from the Gangotri glacier through various himalayan herbs of medicinal values.
Food in haridwar
I would suggest everyone to try the street food in Haridwar as it presents you with various choices.
- Kachori/ Poori – Other than Hoshiyarpuri , Mathurawale and Chotiwala, my personal favourite is Kashyap Kachori bhandar at Gau Ghat
- Jalebi- Must try this mouth watering dish at Raju Bhai ki Jalegi at Vishnu ghat
- Lassi- Prakashlok , Vishnu Ghat
- Rasmalai and other sweets
- Moong ki daal at Ranipur more
- And not to forget Chhole Bhature at Bhagwati Chhole Bhandar..
For vegetarians foodies Haridwar is a paradise
Coming back to my story…
So when I arrived early morning the day before Shivratri, I just prayed to Lord Shiva and Ma Ganga to guide me and show me the way forward. The next day on Shivratri I met who became a life long friend, guide, elder brother and my navigator/driver, Mr Jaisingh Panwar for many future tours. We had an instant connection as he says “Dil Mile ka sauda hai”( its a heart to heart connection).
With his unique looks he might come across like a very tough guy but once you know him you will understand that this man is a gem. He has a permanent tattoo of a trident ( Shiva’s Trishul) right on his forehead. A father of 4 very sweet and talented girls are like family to me every since. The family have given me their unconditional love which is just priceless.
Now just to tell, I left my job in the year 2012 and then I bought a good condition white Ambassador, the royal wagon made by Hindustan Motors. 1850 CC with 6HP power and weighs 1650 kg. I bought this from the PF and Gratuity money got from my previous job.
My Ambassador was an amazing friend and it did help me explore the unexplored regions of Uttarakhand.We went for amazing impromptu tours to places like Jhilmil gufa, Chhota Kailash, remote viilages in Kumaon, Patal Bhubaneshwar and many such places where we crossed rivulets, mountains, dusty roads, far flung temples and Char dham. My ambassador was always reliable and never let me down. With the royalty that it exhuberated and the comfort it provided with the extra legroom for me sitting on the front seat is unmatchable. I cannot thank it enough for showing me the way forward. Even now whan we have a strong fleet with luxury vehicles I still sometimes miss it badly.
Travel Like you belong there 