Scout's journey

The train to Ramnagar from Old Delhi station was late. I must say, Ramnagar is the nicest station I have ever been to. I headed to the Corbett office to ask about evening safari when a nice looking chap called Sunny came up to me and said that a safari could be arranged now. After some bargaining, he charged me 1500 for a 2 hour safari, "I have to bribe the officials’ madam" he explained. We immediately left for Sitawadi gate in a four wheel drive. The guide took me into the dense forests; it was so quiet we were afraid to even talk to each other. We stopped for a bit, listening to the birds’ caw-cawing wildly, awestruck by the beauty of the forests. Apparently, that was where Lord Ram had abandoned Sita. We drove around for another hour without any sight of the tiger, we were disappointed. We rushed back and took the bus to Ranikhet. The bus-journey from Ramnagar to Ranikhet is absolutely beautiful; the scenery en-route is simply magnificent. I was travelling on the roads that encircled the hills of the Kumaon range. The roads were narrow and the bus-driver relentless. My heart was in my throat for half the journey as the driver drove like there was no tomorrow. People seemed to get into the bus from the nowhere and they seemed to get off in the middle of nowhere. As we climbed higher and higher, the fantastic patterns of the terrace farms looked as though a child had scribbled on this wide canvas that was the Kumaon valley. The weather in Ranikhet was fantastic. From the balcony I felt as if I could touch the clouds. Next morning I explored this small town, its sloping streets, small houses and the wonderful fruits that I have never heard of (kumaoni and khafal). The place is so under-rated, it is just amazingly beautiful. Two hours later I was in the bus back to Ramnagar. I bumped into my guide, Sunny again in Ramnagar. He dropped me to the railway station and told me to visit again. I reached Delhi at 5am; it was getting hot already, I so missed Ranikhet!