To Captain Young an adventurous military officer goes the credit of laying the foundation of the hill resort of Mussoorie in 1827. Mussoorie (2000 metre/6500 feet) with its green hills and dales commands a view of snow covered Himalayas to the north east and the Doon valley and lower Shiwalik ranges to the south. The town has an old world charm about it. During the British Raj it was a favoured summer destination. Lots of old colonial style cottages and summer Palaces of erstwhile Maharajas bear testimony to this.
Mussoorie's second highest peak Gun Hill got it's name from the Gun mounted here which was fired at mid-day to enable people to adjust their watches. A ropeway carries tourists here, though the adventurous trek up the steep path. The view of the Himalayas is spectacular particularly, of Bandarpunch and the Gangotri group. You can stop at a Dhaba (roadside shack) for a welcome cup of tea and a snack.
Mussoorie Lake is a few miles down on the Mussoorie Dehradun road. Pedal boating on the lake is fun. 15 km/9 miles from Mussoorie on the way to Yamunotri at 1370 meters are the famed Kempty falls, surrounded by high mountains.
Carry a picnic lunch to Lal Tibba Mussoorie's highest peak and enjoy the views of the snow clad mountains. For people who love to trek there are other falls in the area such as the Bhatta falls near Bhatta village You can even bathe in the pools here.
Park Estate 6 km from Ghandi chowk was the office and residence of the first Surveyor General of India Sir George Everest after whom the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, is named. It commands a panoramic view of the Doon Valley on one side and a view of the Yamuna Valley and snow covered Himalayas on the other.
There are a number of old hill temples close by. The Nag Devta temple is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Jwalaji Temple dedicated to Goddess Durga on top of Benog hill (2104 meters/7000 feet) is surrounded by thick forests. Both the temples provide beautiful views and a place to commune with God and nature.
Cloudsend a charming bungalow built in 1838 by a British major, was one of the first four buildings of Mussoorie. Today it is restored and converted into a resort surrounded by a thick pine and deodar forest. The quaint sounding, Camels back road (from the Rink at Kulri Bazaar to Library Bazaar) gets its name from the rock resembling a camel. You have to walk down this road to meet people or view the Himalayas by sunset. The hub of Mussoorie however is the Mall which joins Gandhi Chowk and Kulri Bazaar. Walk down the Mall or stop for a cup of espresso and a snack at the Meeting Point cafe, midway between Gandhi Chowk and Kulri Bazaar.
Go to the Savoy Hotel for dinner, for old time=92s sake and a bit of nostalgia. Maybe you will be rewarded with a glimpse of Lady Gore Hornsby's ghost!! Mussoorie is easily accessible from Delhi with the nearest railway station at Dehradun and the airport (Jolly grant) 24 km/15 miles from Dehradun.
LUOYANG Luoyang in Henan Province is considered the cradle of Chinese civilization due to its location, south of China's Yellow river. Luoyang is famous for its Longmen Grottes 12 km/7 miles south of the city. First sculpted and chiseled around 473 AD when the Northern Wei dynasty shifted its capital to Luoyang, the grottoes are truly unique. Where the Longmen Grottoes are located, two mountains east Hill (mount Xiangshan) and West Hill (mount Longmen) stand as a pair of gate towers, so the name Yi Que. During the Sui dynasty the Palace Gate faced Yi Que hence the name Longmen meaning Dragon Gate. The Longmen Grottoes were declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The White Horse temple is supposed to be the first Buddhist temple built (68 AD). Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty sent his minister to India to learn about Buddhism. He returned with 2 eminent Indian monks and a white horse and a figure of Buddha. To immortalize the white horse's contribution the Emperor ordered the construction of the White Horse Temple. The Fengxian Temple is the largest cave in Longmen carved over 1300 years ago. It once had a roof but today the sculptures are exposed to the elements. The most extraordinary statue is the Grand Vairocana Budda, (17.14 metres tall), sitting in the middle of a niche with a gentle facial expression and an enigmatic smile. The Guyang cave is regarded as the earliest of the grottoes (495-575 AD). The chief Buddha sits meditating on an alter while 2 lions sit at his feet. The Lotus cave has a lotus flower on its ceiling. A statue of Sakyamuni, as the chief Buddha is enshrined here and is shown in a standing position.
The Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum is located on Mang Hill where an ancient city was located. Many imperial burial tombs were built here. The museum covers 8.6 hectares and has two sections. The western part houses the exhibition halls where excavated artifacts are displayed and the Eastern part is the tomb site of the Northern Wei emperors. Nearby the internationally acclaimed Shaolin temple on Shaoshi Mountain was built in honour of an Indian monk Boddhidharma (Chinese Da Mo) founder of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism known as Chinese Chan (or Zen). The Shaolin temple is famous for its martial arts Kung Fu and for its monks who travel the world (UK, Europe and USA) displaying their prowess in a stage show. It is this which brings tourists here. As you enter the mountain gate of the Shaolin Temple you enter the Devaraja Hall guarded by figures of Vajras. The Pagoda Forest which lies to the west of the temple has 243 stupas of different architectural styles with the first built in the 8th, century the last in the early nineteenth century. Today the Shaolin monks help guide visitors around. Some purists are critical of the number of tourists visiting Shaolin as they feel it destroys the peace and meditative quality of the area.