For a change, we were traveling in AC III (Sesha loves the sleeper class) and the train deposited us at Kotdwar right in the morning, when it was not even daybreak. In fact, the Kotdwar station is so small that for a few minutes we did not know the train has actually stopped at the platform.
And then we got down, zonked and sleepy because we took the Avomine before, thinking it may wear off soon if we took it the night before instead of taking it just before the jeep ride from Kotdwar to Lansdowne. And I anyway wakeup like a fish out of water in the morning.
And that is when that morning cup of tea is all that you can think of. We headed out of the station looking for the tea and were immediately surrounded by shared taxi drivers heading to Lansdowne. We promised one of them that we were coming back after a cup of tea. Ten meters outside the station, there was the chaiwala and we headed straight to his thela. Then the ritual started. There were three other people waiting for their morning cup of tea. The chaiwala poured already hot water in the pan. Then came his own masala (and I believe it is this that makes every corner tea shop different from the other) that would go into the tea. A little milk and tea leaves and the magic drink was ready. As I started sipping it, the day also started breaking over. As I finished the tea, I had started feeling almost human once again. And soon enough we were inside the taxi, heading to Lansdowne.
Wow! I always love to have tea with you. 🙂 the usual Dwivedis’ ritual. 🙂
Oh Great!! Metro from Dwarka was wise move. Waiting for remaining log 🙂
tea from the small corner shops are such a god send ..amazing how they are masters of their craft 🙂
I would have done exactly the same ! There is nothing like a good rejuvenating cup of morning tea.Waiting eagerly for your post.
Right Alka :DMadhukar it was from now on it is always going to be this way for to Delhi as well as to Old Delhi.Backpakker, tea is life saving.Thanks Cuckoo.
I am yet to travel by a metro … waiting for it to come to noida, i guess :-)I love to have tea at the roadside stall owners in these small hill towns … taking in the nature, and the street life …
I wonder if they are going to rename Lansdowne any time soon. :DI was horrified to find that Ooty, for instance, is not even Ootacamud now. It is Oodhagmandalam!
I agree Sigma and the tea tastes even better (if that is possible) in the hills!Sidhu, I can’t even pronounce the last one, Oodhagmandalam! Some name for Ooty!
Look where I found my morning cup of tea while traveling this weekend :)http://www.soumya.org/genesis/2008/03/airport-chai.html