India

I have settled into a comfortable routine, quite unlike my usual one. I wake early in the morning (7 AM or so), and usually have some time to myself. I stumble into the kitchen of my hotel, mumble that I want ginger tea without sugar, and go find a place to sit in [...]

Either I’m becoming jaded, or there are just so many things one can find new in a month. I have to keep reminding myself that the things I’m seeing would be completely new to people at home. I think at some point my mind just gave up and decided to accept everything at [...]

On Sunday several of us headed down to see the procession and celebration for the god Ram’s defeat of the Demon Ravana. Of course it started much later than we’d been told, so we stopped for tea and then wandered around the bazaar.

A friend snapped this picture on my way to get the cloth for my pajamas. Mr. Pritam Singh tells me he is the oldest, and one of the best tailors in town. He was an excellent bangra dancer in his younger days, and as an old-timer here told me, he was quite the [...]

I have to admit to missing coffee. I spent my first two weeks in Mussoorie trying to find a Madras coffee filter — people mostly just laughed at me. The “South Indian” restaurants here only serve Nescafe. For the most part, I have surrendered to morning Chai.
Recently I found a Western style [...]

This is the week of the Autumn Festival in Mussoorie. Every night there has been a different presentation of music and dance. Three of us went to see the “Boogie Woogie” show on Monday night. It was held in the “Rink” an old skating rink.

I spent this weekend traveling to and from Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna river. It is nestled at the head of a mountain valley, high in the Himalayas. You can take a car up the bumpy dirt road to a village about 6 km from the temple. From there you can [...]

The majority of people here in Mussoorie with motorized transportation, have scooters. Several weeks ago, i bought one. I wanted to spend more time down in town, but the hike was very long and tiring, so I found myself staying at the hotel where everybody spoke English.
A friend, Andy, took me to look [...]

I had my first Indian haircut yesterday. Friends had been recommending it to me, as you also get a head massage. I have been looking a bit shaggy, and two days ago I decided it was time.
I went to a ’shop’ that a friend recommended. An older man started with my haircut. [...]

Last night was Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. In many respects it is like Christmas in the U.S. Shops are all decorated with golden tinsel, and are overflowing with ‘mithai’ (fresh sweets). The bazaar is packed with people, as this is a day that people buy new clothes, and housewives should [...]