The Naini Retreat (Nainital)

We’ve been up here on the Ayarpatta Slopes for quite a while now. It’s a bit of a climb from the main part of Mallital, but the air is a lot fresher once you get away from the crowds down by the lake. This place used to be an old residence, and honestly, you can still feel that in the hallways. The wood floors creak sometimes when it’s quiet, and the monkeys like to run across the roof in the mornings, which can be a bit noisy if you aren't used to it. We spend a lot of our time just keeping up with the garden and making sure the fireplace is ready when the fog rolls in during the afternoon. It gets cold fast here. Most of us grew up around Nainital, so we know the shortcuts down the hill, though walking back up always takes longer than you think. We don’t have fancy speeches or anything. It's just a big old house on a hill where people come to sit and look at the trees. Sometimes the power goes out when it rains hard, but that’s just how things are in the mountains. We keep some candles around for that. We focus on the basic things, like making sure the tea is hot and the blankets are heavy enough for the winter nights. It’s a quiet life up here at the retreat, just watching the seasons change and the mist move through the valley.