Mussoorie Trip – Part 1

Info- I was going to Mussoorie with my cousin, his parents, 2 aunts, 2 uncles & my parents.

Fun Fact- Mussoorie is also called the “Queen of the Hills.”

Day 1 (The Arrival)-

The alarm went off at 5 in the morning. I woke up, brushed my teeth, bathed, got ready, and set off for the airport. There, we planned to take a bite, but the final call for our plane was announced. My aunt even gave me and my cousin brother a gift. It looked like a joystick.

“I think your fathers would like this more than you,” she said.

Later, we checked in and sat in the bus. We boarded the plane at 7 a.m. sharp and took off at 8 a.m. There was a tablet on the plane. I played online UNO and Monopoly, which was similar to what I had at home, just online. I even rewatched half of a movie. When I got bored, I played a no-WiFi game on my phone.

We landed and entered the airport in Delhi at 10 a.m. You might be thinking—wasn’t I going to Mussoorie? You’re right, we were going to take another flight from Indira Gandhi Airport, Delhi. The takeoff time was 11:20. Then we went to the lounge for a quick bite. While waiting for our call, I was updating my blog.

My dad opened my gift and came to me.

“Wow, these are the games I used to play when I was your age,” he said while playing Super Mario Bros. I watched him play for 5 minutes and then I played too.

In the plane, I sat with my cousin brother and uncle. We played with our controller gamepad that our aunt gifted us. We also played 2-player games on my phone and ate a small snack. After that, the plane landed at Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun.

But you might be thinking—this is still not Mussoorie. Do I have another flight?

Well, no. Since Mussoorie is a hill station, there are no flights going or returning there. The closest airport was Dehradun. From there, we left for Mussoorie and reached at 5 p.m.

If you’re thinking why we didn’t take a direct flight (which would be way quicker), it was to save costs. We even took a lunch break in between.

At the hotel, everyone’s rooms were regular-sized on the 1st floor, while ours was on the G floor, big-sized, with a connected balcony (only G-floor people had that). After reaching the room, everyone went to the main building (with restaurants, a game room, bowling, etc.), while we freshened up and then tagged along.

It was so cold—there was smoke coming out of our mouths!

We ate dinner, did some bowling, and went to the game room. My brother played a claw game and won a toy. Later at dinner, he cut a cake saying it was for its—or should I say his—naming ceremony. He named him Rohit (Sharma) because he wants to collect many soft toys and name them after cricket players.

We stayed by the bonfire, and I played giant chess with my cousin brother and drew the game. We analysed our moves by sitting on the rooks (elephants)!

Day 2 (Play Day at the Hotel)-

We woke up and went for breakfast. Usually, my mom and I are among the first to reach breakfast whenever we go out, and my dad is the last one. But this time, my entire family was late! My mom and I came first, and my dad came after 10–20 minutes.

After breakfast, my cousin brother and I went outside. There were HUNDREDS of activities! There was giant chess (which we couldn’t play, but that was fine since we played the previous day), a playground which wasn’t that exciting, golf (2 courts) for adults, a giant Snakes and Ladders game which I sadly couldn’t play, hula hoops which I exercised with on my hand, and a basketball court—which was my favourite because I love basketball and am very good at it.

Some people were already playing, so my cousin brother and I joined in. Honestly, none of them knew how to play. They didn’t even have teams and snatched the ball from their own teammates! I went back to continue my hula-hooping.

After a while, I returned to the basketball court and played solo with another ball. It was plenty of fun. Later, we took a few pictures and returned to our rooms. We took turns bathing, I updated my blog, and played on my controller gamepad. Then I bathed while others enjoyed the swimming pool (at least that’s what I was told).

We played some UNO (card game) and then went out for lunch at a nearby restaurant… actually, not nearby at all! It took 7 minutes by car and 30 minutes by walking, and we walked (which I really didn’t want to).

When we reached, we ate. I updated my blog and played online games. We then set off, and I went in the first car. My parents were coming later, so they gave me the keycard. While planning to go to the main building, I thought I’d hand the keycard to someone, so I called my parents while I was in the lift—but it didn’t connect.

Everyone went to the 1st floor while I went to the G floor. When I reached my room, I realised the door was open! My parents said they had another keycard, so I could keep it and go. I completed the games I didn’t play in the morning. I played and taught my cousin brother and aunts how to hula hoop (hand hula-hooping, not the normal one). When my aunt asked if anyone knew how to hula hoop with hips, I showed them a trick—you spin, not the hula hoop.

My cousin brother and I played basketball again. This time, it was just us. Later, we had a snack, and my parents and I headed to the game room. My parents played TT while I played the claw game. I got one toy (by accident 🤭) but didn’t get one the second time. I named it Sunny Glow.

I went back to my room and edited my blog. My father said to go down at 7 p.m. (which was in 5 minutes), so I played on my controller gamepad till then. We left the room at 7:30 and headed to the main building where everyone was waiting. My cousin brother had grabbed another toy and named it Virat.

Then we went bowling (which was delayed due to repairs). While waiting, I updated my blog and played online games. The previous day, I got almost all 0s, but this day I started okay—and in the 5th round, I got a FULL STRIKE in the first roll! Only me and my aunt had gotten it since yesterday. It was a REALLY VERY happy moment for me and very encouraging.

After bowling, we went for dinner. Then my cousin brother and I went to play giant chess, but I noticed thousands of stars in the sky and told him. A lady came with an app called SkyView Lite. We saw Jupiter (the brightest “star” we could see) and the Orion constellation. Later, the adults joined too.

Then we played giant Snakes and Ladders. I climbed the tallest ladder and reached 99. I got 2 thrice, but my mom reached first. Then I got a 3, and finally a 1—and I won! Even my dad reached 99. I said if he won, all slots would be filled and all us Bathias would be winners. But my uncle won before that. When my dad crossed, I shouted “Bathia zindabad!”

The bonfire had already started. I felt really bad for my brother because he was the youngest and came last 😔. We then sat by the bonfire and finally went to our rooms.

Wanna read more? Then read my next post: Mussoorie Trip – Part 2! 🌄✨