Magnolia Lodge Almora welcomes its first guests
Our first guests to whom this blog is dedicated
Hello and welcome, my name is Sumant Rawat and I’m the owner of Magnolia Lodge. I plan on posting a weekly blog with interesting information about the Lodge as well as the goings on in Almora and Uttarakhand that may have an impact on the Lodge. I’m ably assisted by Rahul Pant, an alumnus of St. Stephen’s College Delhi, our General Manager and the web host.
The house was previously the Rawat family ancestral home and I was fortunate enough to be entrusted by my siblings in creating a more spacious and modern home that would accommodate all the family members who are spread across the globe. We decided to create Magnolia Lodge with the aim of sharing the beauty, charm and serenity of Almora and the surrounding region with all travellers who may be interested in this unique destination. Travel, as the cliché goes broadens the mind and inspires the imagination and at a sentimental level becomes a store of memories that can be relived long after the visit!
The concept of Magnolia Lodge as a Homestay was conceived many years ago and we continue to add to improve its appearance and charm. We were fortunate enough to have our first guests courtesy of Rahul on February 4th and in a way this blog is dedicated to our first guests who are pictured in this blog. They’ve given us some insights and pointers into their preferences which we hope to implement shortly. We thoroughly enjoyed their stay and they clearly reciprocated! Interested visitors/guests may want to look at Rahul’s Facebook posts.
Having been born and grown up in Almora, the beauty of the place had a strong influence on my imagination. A natural consequence was the fascination with the local birds. One of the early morning treats is the sight of the Kalchoon or blue Himalayan whistling thrush with its quick darting movements, the fanning of its tail and its distinctive whistling call. I also enjoy the call of the Mewli or hill barbet which begins with a mournful plaintive repetitive call that prompts another mewli to join in creating a duet which soon becomes a chorus of bird calls back and forth till one of the protagonists throws in the towel! To potential bird-watchers, we have available high quality binoculars and telephoto lens attachments for smart phones.
Early morning shot of a Kalchoon/Himalayan whistling thrush!
What people find charming and endearing is the serenity of Magnolia Lodge. The south side of the house faces Almora town and at night the city lights are something to behold. In the early mornings, the glimpse of pink hued Chaukhamba peak of the Himalayan range with the sea of mist in the kosi river valley adds wonderfully to the entire scene. To future visitors/guests we hope we’ve painted a picture that’s attractive enough to warrant a visit to Almora and the Magnolia Lodge. As mentioned earlier, we hope to make this a weekly post and we would love to hear any of your comments or thoughts regarding Almora and the Kumaon region.
Glimpse of Chaukhambha to the left of the Kasar ridge and the misty sea of the Kosi river valley