Road trip

The five of us along with Goldie had a 6am start leaving Delhi for Uttarakhand. We drove through Noida which looks like a district being transformed through large scale construction towards the outskirts of the national capital region with some interesting architecture. We stopped to eat at a great Punjabi dhaba in Moga, had parathas, pickles and yoghurt with chai served in disposable terracotta cups; so much better than plastic. I kept mine to reuse. After our meal we had sugar coated fennel seeds which are eaten as a digestive after an Indian meal. They were served in this kitsch but adorable ceramic husband and wife duo's baskets. We drove on after lunch through the state of Uttar Pradesh and up the mountain to Bhimtal lake where we arrived at 3pm and had delicious pakoras with mint chutney, sandwiches and a cake so fresh that we had to wait for it come out of the oven and had it warm with ginger chai. We are staying at a lakeside lodge and the staff - Hemant, Rajesh, Chanda and Mr Pandey are very kind and lovely to chat with.