On January 2, three days after arriving in New Delhi, we went on a four-day trip north of the city to the Jim Corbett National Park & Tiger Reserve and to Nainital, a lake town in the Kumaon Foothills of the outer Himalayas.
We hit the road in a hired mini-bus by 7am for our journey up north.
It took us about 10 hours to go 300K (186 mi) from New Delhi to the hotel in Ramnager. The traffic in Delhi is intense and slow and we stopped for chai and lunch. We were also delayed by a parade just before reaching our destination.
A snapshot of the morning traffic scene as we drove through New Delhi.
Mrs. Chakraborty, Sulakshana, Kris, Angshuman
Snacks!! Mr. and Mrs. Chakraborty packed snacks, fruits, and sandwiches for the drive. This is nimki- fried dough strips.
Another snack during our mid-mornding chai stop.
Even though I was sleepy from an early morning departure, I was too excited to see the countryside to nap for any of the long trip. This is a short video of a town we passed about half way between Delhi and Ramnagar.
Our hotel in Ramnager. We stayed here for three nights and made day trips from here to the Jim Corbett park on January 3 and to Nainital on January 4.
The first house is the bungalow Madhurima, Kris, and I shared.
It was way too chilly to swim but it looked awesome.
Sulakshana befriends every puppy. So did these kids also staying at the resort.
7am the next day, January 3 Waiting in line at the entrance to the Jim Corbett National Park and Tiger Reserve. We're ready for our jungle safari!
You could also take an elephant instead of a jeep for your safari.
We did see some wildlife but as all my photos were taken with my iPhone, I did not get any good photos of the langur monkeys, barking deer, or sambhar deer. This video is the closest we got to a tiger.
Madhurima, Kris and I in Nainital on January 4. The town is 1,935 m (6,358 ft) above sea level and the drive up was steep, winding, and narrow.
Nainital was a British hill station and is now a popular tourist destination with many food and handicraft markets.
nimki and somosas
Lake Nainital
Mrs. Chakraborty and me
Sulakshana, Angshuman, and the boatman
We had Indian style Chinese food at the "Hard Rock Cafe" :)
The white building with the tower is a gurudwara (Sikh Temple)
The return trip wasn't nearly as exciting as the fog was dense and the traffic became nearly still when we entered Delhi city limits. We crossed the Ganges on our route and in this video clip you can hear us discussing how much longer it will be until we reach home.
Naps for everyone after the long return trip!
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