This is the first of a three-part series on Mary Budden Estate. The second will be about the estate and the third on the food here. Hope you enjoy the series.
The mountains are spread out before me like a painting we would make in school, layers and layers of them, remote, mysterious, yet so close and comforting. The strong sun tinges the pine trees with a silver glow.
It’s been less than a week since I got back from Mary Budden Estate and the city madness is already getting to me, but when I close my eyes, I can still see those majestic peaks. There is so much I have to tell you about this luxury homestay in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand and I want to get it out while I am still in that zen mode – because this is what Mary Budden does to you.
My last day captures it all. I decide not to step out of the estate. We have just eaten a heavy lunch and I feel like snoozing – but afternoon naps are not for me so I wander into one of the gardens. I ask one of the staff members for a pen and paper and start writing. I could have done this on my phone but I did not want to stare at a screen - who can, when the scene before you is so entrancing and soothing?
The mountains make me feel as if I am on top of the world. The sky is a deep, deep blue of the kind I have not seen in years. I can feel the warmth of the sun kissing my cheeks and hugging me. The birds are tweeting and I watch all kinds hopping from one branch to another – but I do not want to find out their names – not because I am indifferent, but because it will take away from the experience. There are three beautiful dogs - Bobo, Laila and Rufus on the estate and five adorable puppies. Rufus comes up to me and almost hugs me as he gets onto my lap. It is the most beautiful feeling in the world.
The mountains here are talking to me and the wind is whispering something in my ear – it is telling me to chill and relax. If life is a race, then Mary Budden is that break you need to rejuvenate your soul. I see an eagle fly high above the mountains – looks majestic. When I look at the mountains, I am happy, thankful, grateful and I truly feel blessed. Who else gets to experience snow, sunshine, sunset, sunrise and such a wondrously blue sky on one trip? The Himalayas make you feel humble and move something inside you as they stand pure and pristine, untouched by the rat race of cities.
I am tempted to start clicking but thankfully I’ve left my phone in the room. In just a few hours the sun is going to set and as many of you know I love sunsets.
A few of my fellow travellers are working and I feel bad for them. But in a way I am working too – when I am counting the shades of green or the layers in the mountains to tell you about it. And I absolutely love my job. I get to do what I am passionate about for a living and I feel blessed.
I encourage you all to come here and disconnect. Mary Budden's motto is #disconnectoconnect and it is so apt. If you can, leave your laptop behind and try not to use your phone much. Let go of all that you have been through in the past year and be one with nature. It is pure therapy.
Women, I urge you not to carry make-up or branded clothes. Get ready to lounge in your track pants, run after puppies, hug the resident dogs, exchange real stories over a bonfire and not Insta stories. Read a book, paint – do something that you haven’t done in years. This is an extraordinary place and if you truly connect with it, then it will heal you. Mary Budden has done that for me and I cannot thank that lady enough for finding this place and MRS Hospitality for keeping it the way it is.
I hope when you come here you get healed – just like I did because you get unconditional love here. I end with what I wrote on Instagram recently because it truly came out from my heart.
No rush, no agenda, no alarm bells and no traffic noise!
You leave the mad city rush when you come to Mary Budden Estate.
Mary Budden is not a place for the faint hearted.
Mary Budden is not for those who want a holiday.
Mary Budden is not for those who want a quick weekend getaway.
Mary Budden is for travellers and not tourists.
Mary Budden is for those who want to disconnect with the world.
Mary Budden is for those who love silence because all you hear is birds tweeting and dogs running around.
Mary Budden is for those who love to just gaze at the mountains for hours and hours and enjoy the sunset and sunrise.
Mary Budden is for those who want to sit quietly and read a book for hours.
Mary Budden is for those who like to take it slow!
Mary Budden gives you the luxury of doing nothing!
Mary Budden is not just a place - it's a feeling that cannot be explained. You have to come here to experience it! For me it was like the warm sunshine on a cold day!
