In Quest of the Lark

India, February/March 2025

(Click for map)

In early 2024, Mag and I had completed a trip to Chile, prior to my routine trip to Canada for their summer. For this year we have also planned another trip to Turkey and Eastern Europe in April and May. But, conscious of advancing age, and still in reasonably good health, I decided on filling in some time with a quick trip to India in February/March 2025. I would spend some time with my Sikh friends in Punjab, and then explore some destinations in the Indian state Uttarakhand that I had not yet visited.

As such, early on 17 February, all arrangements in hand, I had made my way to the airport, and was on a flight from Sydney to Delhi via Bangalore. I had a few hours in Bangalore, during which I transferred from International to Domestic, and tried and failed to find a place to procure a sim card for my phone, both in Bangalore and in Delhi. Ultimately I never did get a sim card, and did OK without it. A word of advice for other travellers: you may want to invest in a newer mobile phone which enables e-sims; it is so much more convenient.

On to Ghandi Airport in Delhi, where I took a loooong shuttle transfer from Domestic to International, from where I could find a bus (curiously named the Indo-Canadian bus company), to get me from Delhi to Khanna, Punjab. Noticeable are the many tan-coloured stray dogs hanging around the airport, appearing to be all related. After about a 6.5 hour bus ride, I arrived at the edge of Khanna at dawn around 07:00. I couldn't call my friend Tinku without a sim card, but had a pleasant 2.5 km walk through the city to get to my destination Gill Villa. Nice to see the town again, as it brings back good memories.

I spent the next five days or so with the Gill family. The villa is in a bucolic semi-rural setting about a km or so from the centre of town. My congenial hosts Inderdeep (Tinku), his father Gurmeet, Jasweed, Karm and the others looked after all my needs and ensured I had a marvellous time. Meals were all home cooked by their cook Niha, mainly from home-grown ingredients, and totally safe and delicious. I would spend much of my time doing walks around the town and surrounding countryside. Pleasant and picturesque, there are some areas with the usual Indian-style garbage, but generally clean enough.

One day I was invited to a wedding. Tinku was to go to an acquaintance's wedding in Jalandhar, up past Ludhiana, over a 2-hour drive away. It was a long but pleasant drive up past Ludhiana on NH44; semi-familiar scenery and moderate traffic.

The wedding itself, in and around a Gurdwara (Sikh temple), was a VAST affair, maybe 500-600 people. It was massively and opulently set-up, carpeted and tented, a whole field as a car park, countless vegetarian food-service stations, many waiters, decorations and so on. Mostly we had lunch in the tented food court (far too much selection for me to try everything, even a Pizza Hut stand), and later sat in a group table/chairs area to meet other guests. The actual wedding ceremony was underway inside the Gurdwara, with a video screen outside on which we could watch the proceedings. It looked to be a lengthy, and maybe boring, process. I was struck that there seemed to be two main functions, the guests on the outside and the ceremony inside, with little interaction or meeting between the two. Tinku said that they all meet together on subsequent days at the groom's and bride's places.

We had arrived around noon, left sometime after 3pm, and drove back toward Ludhiana. Somewhere we encountered a go-slow traffic jam, which took a while to get through. Oddly when we got to the end of it, we saw it was caused by a few vehicles coming the other way down our side of the highway. There was a kilometres-long traffic jam going north on the other side of the highway, and all along cars were trying to escape by crossing and going north in the southbound lanes.

on another day, Jasweed's family was hosting a 15th birthday party for their grandson Dilnoor. It was quite an elaborate affair, maybe one or two dozen guests, no gifts or cards, but a big western-style cake and LOTS of Indian food. A curious custom is that after cake cutting, each of the guests in turn feeds the birthday boy and gets a picture taken, sort of like feeding a baby.

Tinku was invaluable helping me get train tickets for later parts of my trip. We booked trains for Khanna to Dehradun (in Uttarakhand), Haridwar back to Sirhind (near Khanna), and Khanna back to Delhi. Train tickets can be unnerving, in that they are never confirmed on the spot. You have to wait, sometimes until near departure time, to know if you even can get an e-ticket (though they generally do come through).

So on the evening of 23 Feb I was on a train to Dehradun via the junction Yamunanagar Jaghadri. The coach was very crowded, chaotic, smelly and had a "lower class" feel. I had a wait of nearly 5 hours in YJ to change trains, tried to snooze on a bench but it was miserably chilly in the middle of the night. Once on the train it through Haridwar (where I would later visit) after dawn and proceeded up through forest and villages to Dehradun. Going through the forest, I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of wild peacocks and several spotted deer near the tracks.

In Dehradun, I took an auto-rickshaw the 5 km or so to my Hostellers Backpackers, a clean and nice enough place in a not very pretty city. The Hostellers is a chain, and I would stay with them in Mussoorie and Rishikesh as well.

Dehradun is not a very exciting place; there's not a lot to see or do there. On the main intersection is the city's British era, I think, iconic clock tower, sticking up in the centre of a chaotic traffic-tortured roundabout.

Around the area to the west is a large and quite interesting market district, with countless shops with the usual assortment of wares, especially clothing. There are a number of temples and mandirs and other religious sites shown in the info and on maps. But the ads belie the actuality. A small Kali mandir (temple) seemed to have its door closed, a smallish Buddha statue was being totally ignored in the middle of a roundabout, and a Shiva mandir was undergoing restoration, as was a Buddhist temple. Along the edge of a closed-off "park" is a long Tibetan market, many stalls selling heavy cold-weather Tibetan clothing.

After three nights in Dehradun, I was on a bus up to the hill station Mussoorie. It was a bit confusing regarding buses to Mussoorie, but a nice young Indian girl Tikta was also going there and she helped me sort out the correct bus and helped me get my tickets (Rs100 each). The bus ride was about an hour or two up a long winding road, a test of how well one can hang on when barrelling around sharp bends. Rain had been starting in Dehradun, and worsened as we went up. Mussoorie, about 2 km altitude, was wet and foggy, and would stay as such for a day or two more. It's wet, chilly and miserable here, so I didn't go far the first evening.

Rain then eased for a bit later on the following day, though it was still foggy/cloudy. I wandered over to Library Bazaar and beyond, exploring shops, restaurants and side/onward streets. There was quite a lot open, a fair amount of activity and people, many leaving or arriving. A few macaque monkeys wandered around on the sides of the streets and fences, one having a staring match with a dog.

I came across a movie cinema, that was showing a "historical" battle epic movie called Chhaava at 3pm. I decided to give it a go to pass the time, can't lose for Rs100 and miserable weather. It went for nearly 3 hours, had lavish near-impossible battle scenes, and had no English and lots of dialogue with no English subtitles, but I followed most of the narrative anyway.

Next day it was brilliant out, rain completely gone and mostly sunny; GREAT! I decided to do the Camel Back Road loop while the weather's good. It's a winding road that starts from the Library end, goes around the north of the town, with views of the mountains, valleys and forest to the north, around to the Picture Palace end, then returning via Mall Rd. All up it was an enjoyable maybe 3-hour excursion, easy walking and great views.

Later that day, I did the walk up to Gun Hill, a high point in Mussoorie, and so called because the British used to daily fire a 6pm gun. It was a slow but manageable climb up a walking track to the top. But it was quite disappointing up there. The top was simply a couple of flat courtyards surrounded by amusement-park-type stalls and restaurants, mostly closed, and very little access to viewpoints on the outside. Views were mediocre, though I could see some white Himalaya peaks.

After more exploring and relaxing around Mussoorie, I was on my way to the mystical city Rishikesh. I think I'm starting to get a touch of moon river; surprised it took so long. It was a 1.5-hour bus ride back to the Dehradun train station, a shortish Vikram rickshaw ride to the Dehradun interstate bus station, and maybe an hour or so by bus to the Rishikesh ISBT.

Transport to my hostel in the Laxman Jhula district was unhelpful and confusing. I got on the vikram with a number of women, who got off a short distance before the Ram Jhula Bridge. The driver wouldn't (couldn't ?) go any farther, charged me Rs100, and I was left to walk with my pack the 2 km or so across the bridge and along to LJ suburb. It was hot and I was weak/tired from the gut ailment. I took my time and got there eventually, maybe mid-afternoon.

Not hungry at all, I only went to a shop and got a tub of curd to eat.

Rishikesh is a highly spiritual town on the banks of the Ganges. Temples, ashrams and meditation/yoga classes are everywhere. The Beatles history, from 1978, I think, is well advertised; there's a Beatles Lane along the river. Also, a big presence is "adventure sports" places, particularly river (inflatable) rafting, zip-lining, bungee jumping and the like. There is a constant stream of inflatable boats paddling through rapids and down the river, the occupants making noise and shouts (probably encouraged by the managers for advertising). The city is typically crowded and congested; pedestrians, scooters and cows competing for space in the narrow streets. There are many food and market stalls, restaurants and more expensive cafes. This is the first time I've seen a significant number of feringhees (I've been almost the only one so far), though still vastly outnumbered by Indians.

While in Rishikesh, I explored upstream to view the many inflatable rafts full of Indian tourists making their way down the river. Later I took a walk downstream to check out the Ram Jhula Bridge area. Like LJ, it's a vibrant district of market and food stalls, cows and crowds. Past RJ Bridge I came across a Shiva temple on the river. There was a puja or, I think, they call it "Aarti" (an act of worship), with a large crowd and much singing, chanting and even dancing. It went on into the dark, longer than I wanted to stay, and I went on to look at the nondescript Beatles Lane. There were also a number of other smaller religious ceremonies in different locations; they seem pretty ubiquitous, and maybe are daily.

Next stop, on 6 March, was Hardiwar, 20-odd km downstream. I walked back to and across Ram Jhula Bridge, and to the Vikram area where I could get a lift to the bus station for a bus to Haridwar. But the touts there were offering me a lift on a shared Vikram directly to Haridwar for a reasonable price, so I jumped at it, arriving there around noon. I set out walking along the street where my hotel "Hotel Best Stay Near By Bus And Railway Station" was located. But I couldn't find it. Frustrated, I went into one of the hotels nearby, the Hotel Hari Ganga, to ask. I showed them my booking, and they said this was the place and they checked me in. So the name was different.

I arranged my gear and rested a couple of hours. The hotel guy told me the religious ceremony at the Ganga Aarti Athal, a couple of km up the river, is on daily at 6pm and goes for about 15 minutes. (From Wikipedia: "Arti is a Hindu practice of waving a lamp or flame before a deity or an object to express love, gratitude, or respect. It is accompanied by hymns and symbolizes the removal of darkness and the connection with the divine.") I was tossing up whether to go there today or leave it for another day, and decided to go now. It was about a 40-minute walk along the relatively straight streets near the riverfront to the aarti site. The streets were nearly entirely markets and shops and restaurants and all manner of businesses with the usual crowds and congestion and atmosphere.

When I arrived at the site about 17:40, It was already crowded. When I removed my sandals and found a place to sit with many others, the music and chanting had already started. It wasn't quite as expected; there seemed to be no central spot that I could see where the activity was focused. The area consisted of a shore part, where I was, a branch of the river below, and an island across where many other people were. The chanting, music and talking went on till well after 18:30, longer then the predicted 15 minutes. Toward dark they started to wave the flame lanterns around, the essence of Aarti. It was very worthwhile, but not sure I'd go again next day.

The walk back home was more like a night bazaar, very interesting and atmospheric.

My runs seemed to be getting better now; I'm thankful that they only lasted about 3 days. But at the same time I've been developing one if these brutal and persistent Asian colds, which would fatigue me and plague me for virtually the rest of my trip.

There was not a lot else to see and do around Haridwar. In my tired condition I undertook some shortish walks around looking at a few "ordinary" parts of the city, and along the Ganges River. There is a "park" (at least it shows up green on the map) near the river, but the actuality belies the map. There was little green there, more like brown dirt, motley shantytown-type tents, dusty kids and dogs. Along the river was long stretches of promenade with ghat (steps down to the river), very active with people going and coming from bathing in the river. The river seems to have a fairly strong current, and all along the edge are chains attached to the bank, which the bathers can grab to avoid being swept away.

On 9 March I take a train back to Sirhind, near Khanna. In the station, I looked up where my train left from (platform 7) and had some trouble figuring out where it was. I eventually found someone who could take me there, in sort of a Harry Potter location in a totally separate area of the station. The 4-hour train trip, in a plebeian seat-only coach, had me in Sirhind at 18:45, with Tinku waiting for me there. We also picked up Karm and Tinku's son at the Sirhind Gurdwara. We drove at night a longish back-road way to Khanna, with many twists and turns and many difficult-to-see dark-clothed people on unlit bikes.

I have about 5 days here before moving on to Delhi. There's not a lot of activity planned, and my cold is precluding any long walks or bike rides. A typical day would be a breakfast sometime before 09:00, Tinku and Deepinder go to work a bit later, Gurmeet, Karm and myself spend much of the day and evening relaxing in chairs in the courtyard or me going on short/medium walks, doing computer things and notes, lunch early afternoon, maybe drinks early evening, dinner around 20:30 or 21:00, and to bed shortly after. Spring is coming and weather is getting generally hot now, with little or no rain.

I had a birthday while in Gill Villa. Tinku brought around a birthday cake, as well as some samosas, pakoras and rice-ball sweets. How thoughtful! I had a nice little celebration with Gurmeet and Tinku's family. There was a small dinner later, but I was too full to have much.

On 15 March, it was sad goodbyes to the Gills, and on the train back to Delhi. Slightly crowded but OK trip via Ambala etc, with the usual scenery, to Delhi. The New Delhi train station was its usual self, very crowded and chaotic at the entrance, many rickshaw touts etc. I walked over to the Main Bazaar road and started along it. It was as expected, also crowded and somewhat chaotic. Not a lot seems to be changed from previous trips.

I found my way to my old haunt Major's Den. This hotel seems to have been improved since I was last here, considerably cleaner and nicer.

I filled in the rest of the day with an exploration of the Paharganj market district and Connaught Circus, both little changed from previous trips. The next day, my last full one in India, I'd been thinking about walking over to the Red Fort area, but was intimidated by the distance and the heat. I passed the Amjeri Gate, through Chawri Bazaar, and as far as Jama Masjid (Mosque) before running out of time and steam. I would have been beat if I'd gone onto the fort and spent time there.

On 17 March, I was on the way home. My flight was at 11:45. I checked out and left about 07:00, leaving a reasonable amount of time to get through the inevitable hurdles and hassles to get to the airport. I find that now, in main train stations and airports, you have to have a ticket to enter. So, I couldn't go through the train station to get to the metro, and instead had to walk around via the road and over the fly-over.

At the metro station, it was a crush. So many people I asked about where I needed to go gave me wrong directions about how to get there; I really have to be selective about the advice. I also had to get help to jump a queue to get a ticket to the airport, a paper ticket with a bar code that I can scan to get on/off the train. Another crush (reminiscent of those lethal incidents you hear about on Indian news) to get my pack through the scanner. Then it was a fairly crowded but normal 1/2 hour journey with one transfer, to Ghandi Airport T1D, arriving maybe 2.5 hours before takeoff.

I had a bit more hassle and run-around to get in to the airport, then get my boarding passes and checks etc. (seems like an additional security check at the boarding gate, for which each party blames the other). On board in plenty of time anyway, and off to Bangalore, routine transfer, and onward to Sydney.

Landed before 11:00, near on-time in Sydney next day. Routine passage, onto train and bus, and to home as normal; good to be there.

The trip generally was OK, but maybe not quite as exciting as I might have expected. Maybe something to do with it being my 6th time there, and it's all a bit deja-vu. However I enjoyed the stay with the Gills and exploring new cities etc. Overall it was a worthwhile trip.