It is the month of May and the queen of hills is gearing up well for the summer tourist season that supports the economy of this hill town. As compared to last month i.e. April, there is a lot of activity here as tourists, specially honeymoon couples, some college students and some business families from small towns, have already begun pouring in. Repairs are underway at some hotels and restaurants. In fact, finishing touches are being given.
Every shopkeeper is trying to put up the best for the expected tourist season. The various games shops at the Jhoolaghar square are being done up. Balloons and guns for the shooting stalls are being put up at the stalls. Photographers at Jhoolaghar are readying the traditional colourful Garhwali and Kumaoni costumes which people wear and get themselves photographed. There is an air of expectation and excitement all over the town. At the beginning of summer, each year, there is a resurgence of hope in the city. Even if the previous year has been lean, the next year brings the hope back.
At the “Garhwal Terrace” of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, things are really looking up. It is well-turned out and already has quite a few rooms full. There is a variety of dishes available. The location is an added advantage with the cool breeze blowing in from the windows overlooking the valley. New style garments are on display at all the readymade garments shops. Mussoorie has always had an edge when it comes to garments, especially woolens. The latest designs and styles are available and if one wishes a coat or jacket to be made to order, one can get it within a few hours. Foreign tourists avail this facility frequently.
Many families from places like Bijnore, Najibabad and lucknow are in Mussoorie these days besides some Maharashtrian and Gujarati folk. Students of colleges where exams are over are also taking a refreshing break. Seen at every corner are young honeymooners enjoying coffee or ice-cream, busy clicking selfies. Mussoorie has always been a favourite honeymoon destination and has hotels known as “Honeymoon Inn” and “The Perfect Hideout”.
Softy ice-cream is still quite popular and new stalls of fruit juices and ice creams can now be seen on the Mall Road. In the Doon valley too, softy ice creams are popular with locals as well as tourists. At the Green Restaurant, new furniture is being made by carpenters. They are almost done as there is hardly much time left for the peak season. By May 15, the town begins to get crowded and remains so till mid-July. Rains no longer deter tourists as they once used to.
The new Nirulas on Mall Road, opposite the old Rialto cinema, is an added attraction, especially for the young tourists. Right next is the Café Coffee Day. Gradual changes have changed the overall look of the hill station down the years. However, there are enough of the old spots and places to make the old time tourists comfortable and happy. The Cambridge Book Depot, Chick Chocolate, Madras Café, Tavern, Four Seasons, Inder Sweets and many other shops have been there for long and people have been visiting them on every trip to Mussoorie down the decades. The wind is cold and refreshing, the town is spreading its arms to welcome visitors So, have you packed your bags to go up to this amazing hill station which is so accessible and so alluringIJ