Motorcycle Story - 3 (Visit to Mussoorie)

On 09 April 2019, I undertook a trip to Mussoorie on my byke. I had been wanting to visit "The Queen of Hills" since a considerable period of time but couldn't do so as my trips to Dehradun were few and far between during my tenure at Muscat. This may be construed as a lame excuse, and rightly so, since Mussoorie is just 45 kms from my house in Dehradun. Anyway, I was visiting Mussoorie after more than 9 years and was looking forward to catch up with old friends and acquaintances.  

The total time taken to reach Mussoorie, which is at an elevation of 6000 ft above MSL, was 90 minutes, half of which was spent in getting out of the nightmarish traffic of Dehradun.  Negotiating the twists and turns of the familiar road, I was appalled to see that every turn which used to serve as a vantage point to admire the scenery earlier, was full of small makeshift cafes and fast food joints. The whole stretch has been commercialized which is a blot on the erstwhile scenic mountainside. On reaching Mussoorie I found the place full of tourists and vehicles causing jams on the road. A lot of construction (mostly unauthorized) has come up since my last visit making the place very congested. 

It saddened my heart to see the sorry state of the town which, in my childhood, was truly the Queen of Hills. With haphazard commercialization, migration from other parts of the state and a floating tourist population, the quaint and quiet little town I once knew has transformed itself into an ugly melting pot of cultures vibrating with a cacophony of raucous sounds which jarred me to the core. I wonder how punishing it would be to visit this place during peak season. 

Having gotten over the initial jolt, there was more bad news in store when I came to know a few old and familiar folks had passed away, some of them untimely. This was a grim reminder that all of us are mortals and will have to pass through the pearly gates when our time is up.

I went out of the town a bit to click photos of areas that are still unspoilt and resemble the Mussoorie of yesteryears. These and some other pics shot during the trip are as follows (click on the photo to enlarge) :

                                           View of Mussoorie from the midway point.

                                        View of Camel's Back Road (nearer ridge) and
                                           Landour/Sister Bazaar area (farther ridge).

                                             Zig Zag Road leading to Mussoorie

                                   View of MPG College from where I graduated in 1976.

                            The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep......view from Kempty Road.

                             View of the snow capped peaks of the Gharwal Himalayan Range.

                                         Selfie with my old friend Ramesh outside his shop.