A memorable road Trip

A journey by road is always thrilling, exciting and enjoyable. We are our own masters. We can select the route and time according to our convenience.We are not bound by any fixed time of travelling as by air or rail. We can stop anywhere en route and laugh, sing or or exchange  seats at will. All this is possible because we are not surrounded by strangers.
                 Last Summer vacations we decided to visit Narendra Nagar, in Uttarakhand. It is about fifteen kilometres from Rishikesh. Situated  in the mountains it is a  very quiet and peaceful  resort. Far from the madding crowd, it is a famous destination for Spa.  Our family of six, my hubby, son, daughter-in-law, two little grand daughters and myself  started from Delhi at about 8 'o clock in the morning. It was a cloudy and pleasant morning. Soon after we started, my grand daughter remembered that it was my nephew's birthday . We dialled his number and all six of us  started singing 'Happy birthday to you' at the pitch of our voice. It was great fun.  We had not taken breakfast and  carried some nick knacks. Every one started feeling hungry. We started with roasted  shakkerkandi(sweet potatoes)At home no one even touches shakkarkandi, but that day  everyone enjoyed eating it with great enthusiasm.  Hardly fifteen minutes passed and  we all felt like munching, so we ate  spring rolls, which were prepared early morning.  My son stopped the car and we had some hot coffee . The kids took their favourite Thums Up. The weather was unusually pleasant. We took some photos.
         

                             A cloudy morning view.


 My son announced that he would not stop the car till we reach Moorthal , a resort .It was 1'o clock when we reached Moorthal. It was extremely crowded. We bought some hot Pakoras and proceeded.  The girls were  now in a mood to recite poems.  Once they start, they become enthusiastic. We were enjoying and clapping. 
             We reached Rishikesh at about 4 pm. The drive from Rishikesh to Narendra Nagar is  very exciting.  It started raining. Moving up hill in rain was  an amazing experience. The car was moving quite slowly  and we were enjoying the beauty of the mountains. We drove for 45 minutes before we reached Narendra Nagar.  We reached Ananda Spa. It is a magnificent hotel.The PRO of the Hotel accompanied us to the Palace  Annexe, where three rooms were booked for us.  This small town  was the residence of Maharaja Narendra Shah of Tehri Garhwal  who shifted his capital to this picturesque  place. Ananda Hotel was the palace of the Maharaja.  The Palace annexe was added  for the special guests  of the Maharaja, who included the late Smt Indira Gandhi, Sh Lal Bahadur Shastri, Prime Ministers of India and Lord Mountbatten
  The rooms were exquisite, spacious and regal.A  photo   given below shows  the scenic beauty of the place.
   

    This is a view of the Himalayas from the Ananda Hotel

 This is a view of the Hotel Ananda where we spent the evening.
 The next day we went to Rishikesh for  the famous Rafting. The children enjoyed  rafting. Truly speaking I was very much scared.

       This is a view of the Rafting site. The water splashing high up  was enjoyable for the children.
                             
                                           
                                 A view of the Arti .

The whole day we spent in Rishikesh. In the evening we saw the Arti,  which  was  a treat for the eyes. We returned to Narendra Nagar in the evening. All of us had a special body massage, which we liked very much.I had never experienced such a soul stirring massage. The whole body felt totally relaxed!
 The next day morning we had a round of the town. After lunch we we started back  for Delhi. It was a memorable journey by road.







 Photos courtesy google.