4 fantastic(o) places being an army wife made me travel!

They stay away for long, make you pack your bags again and again, but they also know how to make the best of the times spent together and make memorable memories. Travelling from one place to another due to postings and courses is a boon as well as a bane. Though the very thought of packing gives me the jitters, it also gives me the chance to see places I never knew existed.
Today, I shall share with you the 4 places I would never have seen had I not been an army wife.

Chakrata
A beautiful cantonment town, belonging to the British era, is a lesser heard of yet absolutely mesmerising place. If you are the one who loves going to hills to actually enjoy the beauty of mountains and valleys, this is the place for you. If you go to a hill-station to see the ‘raunak’, don’t even read further. The small town is situated at an elevation of over 7000 feet, about 90 kms from Dehradun. The drive to Chukrata took us two hours and the journey was just as beautiful. The hill station itself boasts of unadulterated, virgin nature.
The cantonment is a highly restricted area that is out of bounds for the general population. Foreigners cannot even enter the town without a prior permission.
There is a serene calm in the place and we woke up to a misty valley beyond our guest rooms, a view that one would have to pay through the nose for in any hotel.

The fact that there is no crowd of selfie-crazy eager tourists adds to the charm of the place, at least it did for me, It is an ideal place to relax and rewind.
There is a small market in the town where Chandana’s, a small food joint, serves yummy momos and we ate to our stomach’s fill and carried some back to the room as well.
Tiger Falls is a must-see feature of Chakrata, a waterfall that requires a trek of 5 kms. Our daughter,four years old then, could not be asked to walk as much or be carried by either of us. Moreover, we made the mistake of visiting in the month of August, when the rain Gods were pouring with all their might, we had to drop the idea. We did enjoy sitting and picnicking at various points where the view is simply breath-taking.
After rejuvenating ourselves over the weekend, we started back. On the way, we spotted Blue Canvas Resort and decided to stop, just to have a look. It is a decent camping resort with tented and built-up accommodation. Weirdly, my phone’s camera got set to blue tint by some strange quirk and all the photos turned out blue! Too much co-incidence? I don’t have a clue!

Tuting
Never heard the name, have you? Tuting is a small village in Arunachal Pradesh. This seldom heard of place is by the river Siang and like the rest of North-East India, is richly endowed with natural beauty. A foot suspension bridge over the Siang, connects it to another village by the name of Jido.
Though the government is making serious attempts at increasing connectivity in the region and aid development, there is still a long way to go. Yet, the culture is unique and you see a matriarchal society where the women cultivate crops and even run shops. Most of the food consumed is grown locally.
Tuting is not a tourist destination but the beauty of the place gives true meaning to the term Íncredible India’. There is beauty in our nation at places we don’t even know of.

Sunderbani
Nestled at the foothills of Peer Panjal , is a small, lesser known town in the district of Rajouri, Sunderbani. Much akin to its name, the place is a beautiful one. It Sounds much like Sunderbans , and no one gets it right the first time . The town has no malls, restaurants or cafeterias but it has mesmerizing & awe inspiring scenic allure. There I saw after years , woodpeckers and parrots and sparrows of all kinds and butterflies , a sight we seldom see in the cities anymore . A river passes by. apparently cutting through the mountains and lends a treat to the eyes.

Deolali
This name makes army wives go ‘Wah!’ and the ‘civilians’ go ‘What?’
Deolali is a small hill station in Nasik. It was set up as a cantonment by the British army and still remains an important station for the army where various courses are conducted.
The name of the town went on to become a British slang-doolally – a term used to refer to the eccentricities of men waiting for ships to go back to Britain after duty.
The markets of Deolali flaunt affordable,yet beautiful bedsheets, silk sarees, shadow work suits, smoke work frocks and fabrics of various other types at rates you find anywhere.Besides that, the availability of aluminium moulds of all shapes and sizes and things like sizzler trays make the place an army wives’ heaven and anytime anyone mentions the name, he/she is handed a shopping list by all others.
Not only that, the weather of the place is lovely and evening walks make you realise why the place was such a hot favourite with the Britishers too.

I have always loved travelling and my husband’s profession takes me to places I may never have explored otherwise.
I do fret a number of times that the constant shifting and moving makes me feel like a gypsy and that I don’t belong but when I experience fantastic(o) places as these, I understand…..