Pangot....

Husband almost promised it was going to be a birding trip and well indeed birding and much more.

Why Pangot   For people looking for a bit of recluse, some enchanting bird watching and simply be close to the Himalayas.

The Stay     Husband chose Nest Cottages as it gave the best deal. Veg food was a great turn off for me but the hospitality of the staff with their simplicity and some good cooking had me hooked. Hills, Himalayas and lots of birds around and the tranquility....

Red Billed Blue Magpie

                                                   

                                                 Little Scaly Bellied Green Woodpecker                                            

Blue Whistling Thrush

Rusty Cheeked Scimitar Babbler ( Discovering her/his name was an uphill task... thanks to The Book of Indian Birds)

I don't know how i dared when i simply  set for trekking a distance of ten kilometres.  I do love walking and believe me the first few metres when the sound of my own breath was deafening my ears i just swore never again!! And started wondering how people do it.. how my parents made it to Vaishno Devi... But when Himalayas play peek and boo eyes long for more and... no looking back.

                                           
                            Grey Jungle Fowl .... It was a guest appearance and we missed more pics

A clearer view just wiped those exhaustion away.... and there we were taken aback by those mystic peaks....

Flameback Woodpecker

Long walk when we reached Cheena Peak and stared at the peaks... contented, mystified....

And the next view point after Cheena Peak where Nainital just flew beneath... it was breathtaking. We met couples climbing from Nainital groaning, grumbling.... how long....

After a long tedious ten km trek we reached Nainital... i was almost in tears with blisters in heel and walking our way through Mall Road as there was no vehicle from the point we joined highway.

Green Backed Tit

White Throated Laughing Thrush

Streaked Laughing Thrush

                                                           
                                                                          Black Headed Jay
                                                               

Himalayan Bulbul

Me lost in Whats app with intermittent network appearing in between

Kathgodam

White capped water redstart

Great Tit

 

Great that we stopped by at Lees kitchen following recommendation from Highway on my Plate and gorged on some excellent noodles, momos and chopsueys... you name it... excellent food and the lovely ambiance by the river where a variety of birds flocked.... Infact best bird pics were clicked here.

                                                                       
                                                                     Crested  Kingfisher

A great trip.... food , birds, trek... Himalayas... just a bit of  Nainital to add that quintessential shopping bit and finally returned with lots of love for the hills...

P.S. One has to be a bit careful about the roads... as we had a very bad stretch of road near Ramgarh lost way most likely ( from Delhi)... and the return via Kathgodam was much better with the stop at Lees Kitchen.