The hills and the rain!

The Next Chapter: Mussoorie

The 24-hour train ride progressed smoothly, with only minor delays here or there, but for India not so bad. We arrived in the city of Dehradun on Tuesday morning on schedule, but when we arrived it was discovered that the bus/van we had expected to pick us up was not to be found. Our program director went and found us a trio of taxis to haul us up the one and a half hour ride to Mussoorie. 

The pleasure of arriving in a city where the temperature was cool and damp cannot be over exaggerated here. Having spent three weeks on what one of my program mates termed as the “Hot Dusty Plains” of India, it was simply one of the most refreshing moments I have had in a long time. This city we came into appeared to be in a different India. With the large hills, or what we would call mountains in the US, surrounding us on the East and West, it was hard to imagine another I had seen in this country that was quite as beautiful. 

On the taxi ride up, I not only had to listen to one of my classmates calling out, “OH MY GOD, THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL,” over and over the entire car ride to no avail, but we had to pull the taxi over so that my Hindi professor could throw up out over his shoulder out the passenger side window (on the left in India). The sounds this 60 some odd year old heavyset Indian man made, should never be replicated... Ever! After the queasiness of the car ride, and the thoughts of strangling my classmate, I found myself in the city of Mussoorie. 

Quaintly located on the side of an hill range at the foot of the Himalayas, this city is by far the cleanliest place in India I’ve yet to encounter. Staying at the hotel Shiva Continental with a fantastic view of the valley, I have been able to travel the local bazaars and practice my Hindi with the local shopkeepers. In Mussoorie, as compared to Benares, the silence is almost deafening.  Shopkeepers are not yelling out to you hawking their wares. 

.... After a few more days in Mussoorie, I still enjoy it ever so much, but I have once again come down with Diarrhea and stomach cramps. Ugh... It is like India takes you one step closer to falling in love with her, and then she takes a huge shit on you.... I couldn’t come up with another way to state that, but it comes close to the truth. Hopefully I will soon start to get used to the food here and stop getting sick, because it really is not fun.

After feeling a little bit better this morning, Saturday the 18th, I finally decided to get my haircut. The young man that cut my hair must have been about 20. He did a fantastic job on the cut as well as the shave, and all of this was all under $2.50 USD. However, when I go to a western styled cafe later, called Cafe Coffee Day, I find that the seat I have chosen, above it, there is a leak in sealing... Kind of amusing. 

On Thursday my friends and I went for a walk. We got to see a lot of amazing things. On this walk we saw, for the first time, the magnitude of the area we are in (pictures to come soon!!! I promise). Absolutely amazing! We went to a look out and, even with moderate cloud cover, were able to see other hill tops that are at least 100 km away. I also saw some street puppies who were living underneath some plastic and wood, mother pooch no where in sight. A little bit up the road I helped this gentlemen cut some firewood. The first real physical labor I have been able to do here, and I hope I can find some more to do as well. I miss cutting wood, or building stuff, (like bookshelves that roommates don’t want) or shoveling my sidewalk. I will have to make a trip this year if I actually want to see snow... :’( 

The allure of physical labor in a nation that won’t let me change my own bed is quite overwhelming. In fact, I hate the idea of riding in a cycle rickshaw, but how else would that man make money? I hate having some other person do my laundry, but how else would she support her family with a disabled husband? These are things that I have only begun to cope with, and it will be an uphill struggle. 

Well, it has been raining for 24 hours now. Kind of dreary, and makes me want to curl up with a good book, so I think I will. Take care! Pictures to come later today.

~Craig L. Koller