On the recent trip to Nainital that I told you about here, we travelled a further 2 hours to see the land. About halfway through, we took a pit stop at a small town called Garampani (literally translates as hot water). The speciality of this little town was that it had a fresh spring which supplied hot water in the winter and cold water in the summer.
Despite the blistering heat (yes it was at melting point even in August), we decided to have some chai (tea). As any North Indian would agree, no road trip is complete without multiple stops for chai. The highways and towns are littered with tiny chai stalls and dhabas, providing many an option!
Now mind you, this chai is very different from the delicate brew we typically consume at home. Instead of the timed brewing of tea leaves and the drop of milk and tiny teaspoon of sugar (or none, in my case), this chai is a lethal concoction of milk, water, tea leaves, ginger, cardamom and sugar – ruthlessly over-boiled way beyond the life of the tea leaves (often re-used for sake of economy, something we would NEVER do at home!).
But by God, nothing tastes as delicious on a road trip, specially when served in these “cutting” or half glasses!
Every glass leaves me yearning for another…