And Since There’s No Place to Go, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

20 years of being a resident of this planet and this self-proclaimed author still hadn’t witnessed what is so often sung of and written about- the phenomenon of snow. This winter, I made a resolution: I would gratify my wishes to witness it, no matter what.

To that end, I convinced my cousins to accompany me to a hill station so we went to Nainital, the biggest of the seven tals in the area. We set off after the advent of the New Year and soon we reached our destination. To my utter mortification, the ten days-old snow had by then been cleared off, and I was left with my dreams shattered. I took solace in a steaming cup of hot chocolate so abundantly available on the Mall Road and boating on the lake which was then covered with clouds and fog, so much so that I couldn’t see my fellow passengers, making the trip seem eerily like riding off the edge of the world. The night was spent laying lakeside on the solitary road, gazing at the innumerable stars, with a drink or two to battle the cold.

The next day, we decided, fortunately, to take a trek up the surrounding mountains, for what do I find but a few kilometers from where I started off, but the very thing I had gone hunting for! Snow, snow everywhere, covering every surface; pure white, untouched snow! My excitement threatened to overwhelm me as I lay down on the ground, almost freezing my butt off in the process. We hastily proceeded to fill each other’s jackets with snow, making snowmen, angels, and playing cricket with snowballs, the consequence of which was that 6 soaking wet teenagers found their way shivering back to hotel, and spent an hour defrosting in front of the heater. A better experience was never to be had!20 years of being a resident of this planet, and this self-proclaimed author still hadn’t witnessed what is so often sung of and written about- the phenomenon of snow. This winter, I made a resolution: I would gratify my wishes to witness it, no matter what.

To that end, I convinced my cousins to accompany me to a hill station in the height of winter, and we zeroed in on Nainital, the biggest of the seven tals in the area. We set off soon after the advent of the New Year, and had soon reached our destination. To my utter mortification, the ten days-old snow had by then been cleared off, and I was left with my dreams shattered. I took solace in a steaming cup of hot chocolate so abundantly available on the Mall Road, and boating on the lake which was then covered with clouds and fog, so much so that I couldn’t see my fellow passengers, making the trip seem eerily like riding off the edge of the world. The night was spent laying lakeside on the solitary road, gazing at the innumerable stars, with a drink or two to battle the cold. The next day, we decided, fortunately, to take a trek up the surrounding mountains, for what do I find but a few kilometers from where I started off, but the very thing I had gone hunting for! Snow, snow everywhere, covering every surface; pure white, untouched snow!

My excitement threatened to overwhelm me as I lay down on the ground, almost freezing my butt off in the process. We hastily proceeded to fill each other’s jackets with snow, making snowmen, angels, and playing cricket with snowballs, the consequence of which was that 6 soaking wet teenagers found their way shivering back to hotel, and spent an hour defrosting in front of the heater. A better experience was never to be had!

#snow #thetravellingfoodie #travel