Kumaon stories part I: Askote -When the king hosted us
An Introduction King Bhanu Raj Singh Pal -the ceremonial King of Askote with Tejas Askote was one of our most awaited destinations during the Uttarakhand -Kumaon roadtrip. It is a small village of about 2500 people, 30 km from the Indo-Nepal border. The main attraction here is the Jauljibi mela -a 103 year old market where traders from China, Nepal, and India come together to sell their goods and the confluence of Kali and Gori ganga rivers...not to mention the mesmerizing mountain views. While planning, Yogesh Sarkar of bcmtouring.com suggested that the current ceremonial king of Askote -Rajwar Bhanu Raj Singh Pal offers accommodation. We called him up and he agreed to give us a room. He refused to take any advance booking amount and reserved the room for us on just sending our name and address. No details of the accommodation -photos, description, or first hand experience were available on the web. And we were too awkward to ask the king for pictures or th...