Gunjed & Confused : The McCluskiegunj Files
Three days. Two valleys. One ghostly Anglo-Indian hamlet. And a journey where every turn whispered stories of a forgotten era…
🗓️ Day 0 – Friday, 14 August 2025,Thursday: HWH 2130 hrs - Kriya yogi express : The Midnight Express to Nowhere
📌 Howrah → Ranchi | Kriya Yogi Express | 21:30 hrs
The adventure began with the rhythmic clatter of wheels as our train sliced through the inky darkness of Bengal. Packed with snacks, a deck of cards, and a questionable playlist titled "Gunj Vibes", we dozed off dreaming of misty hills. Little did we know McCluskiegunj would feel like stepping into a sepia-toned photograph—half-alive, half-lost in time.
🗓️ Day 1 – Friday, 15 August 2025 : Ranchi → Patratu Valley & Falls → McCluskiegunj – Patratu’s Curves & McCluskiegunj’s Ghosts :
🌄 Ranchi → Patratu Valley
The Ertiga’s AC : +91 8789 710 832 hummed as we wound through Patratu’s serpentine roads, dubbed "Jharkhand’s answer to Scotland".
At Suicide Point, the valley yawned beneath us—lush, silent, and faintly menacing.
💦 Patratu Falls
A short hike led to the hidden cascade, where water thundered into a jade pool. We dipped our toes, half-expecting a colonial ghost to photobomb our selfies.
🚙 McCluskiegunj Bound
The 110-km drive was a time warp: dense sal forests, crumbling Anglo-Indian bungalows, and eerie signboards ("Dugdugi River: Where the British wept").
🏡 Check-in at the Homestay
👻 Twilight Walk
We wandered past rotten pianos in verandahs and the graveyard of the Raj. The golden light made everything look haunted—or Instagrammable. Hard to tell.
🗓️ Day 2 – Saturday, 16 August 2025 : McCluskiegunj → Netarhat → McCluskiegunj - Netarhat: Where Time Stood Still
🌿 McCluskiegunj → Netarhat (6:00 AM)
A fog-kissed drive later, we reached "Jharkhand’s Shimla".
At Magnolia Point, the clouds rolled beneath our feet like a vengeful spirit’s blanket.
💧 Upper Ghaghri Falls
We slipped on moss, cursed, and then gasped—the waterfall was a veil of liquid silver. A tribal vendor sold mahua liquor in unmarked bottles. When in Rome…
🍲 Lunch at Netarhat Forest Lodge
Dal-rice with a side of 1940s vibes. The lodge’s walls had portraits of officers who probably died murmuring, "Bloody good chutney."
🌙 Return to McCluskiegunj
Back "home", we ate junglee murgh under a sky so starry, it felt like the British had left the celestial lights on.
🗓️ Day 3 – Sunday, 17 August 2025 : McCluskiegunj → Ranchi→ Hundru Falls→ Jonha Falls/Sita Falls→ Ranchi - Waterfalls, Churches & Goodbyes
⛪ McCluskiegunj’s Anglican Church (7:00 AM)
The church’s broken stained glass cast rainbows on the pews. A caretaker muttered, "They still sing hymns here. Sometimes." We left a biscuit. Just in case.
🚗 Ranchi Detour (10:00 AM)
A pitstop at Ranchi Press Club (₹1000 for a shower—worth every rupee) and a gluttonous lunch at Kaveri Restaurant (where the litti chokha could revive the dead).
🌊 Hundru, Jonha Falls & Sita Falls / Dasham Falls - if time permits
Hundru’s roar deafened us, while Jonha’s stairs nearly killed us. At Sita Falls, we sat silent—maybe the ghosts were tired too.
🚂 Howrah Express (9:30 PM)
As the train pulled away, I scribbled in my journal: "McCluskiegunj doesn’t haunt you. You haunt it."
No comments:
Post a Comment