Kumaon Diaries – Nainital and Sattal

Again the golden rays rejuvenated the valley as the sun rose, presenting a glorious view of what was around. It was the third day of our vacation, the mall road in Naintal and the delicious pastries at Sakley’s mountain cafe had enamoured us enough, so we decided to visit Naintal again. The route to Naintal was well sorted now with the misadventure of the previous day. Although we were there quite early the activities on the mall Road had begun. The view from one of the ends of Naini Lake as your stare at the hills on the far side was beautiful. Already there were a few people enjoying the boat ride, and Mall Road only became busier by the minute.

One of the best ways to absorb any place is to take a walk and the one on the Mall Road is engaging as you walk pass souvenir shops, street side vendors and restaurants .There is colour and vibrancy on the street to complement the magnificent natural ambience all around it.Add to it some of the vintage buildings which have stood the test of time and the canvas is complete.

We spent a couple of hours strolling up and down the road, stopping  at shops which interested us and bought some souvenirs to take back home. Thrown in between was another visit to Sakley’s for their pastries and coffee.

By afternoon the entire Mall Road had become very crowded so we decided to the head towards Sattal which means Seven Lakes. A few kilometres downhill from Naintal these are seven lakes supposedly interconnected with each other, all within the natural enclosure of the hills of Kumaon .Sattal was a stark contrast to the buzzing Mall road, secluded amongst the hills it was definitely the most serene of all the lakes in the region. There was a small food court next to the banks of one of the lakes; you could take a boat ride which would take you around all the seven lakes. We enjoyed Maggi and gave the boat ride a pass because we needed to get back before it got dark .Sitting there and marvelling at the amazing natural beauty was however an experience in itself.