Up in the hills

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Vegetarian meals and Bollywood movies on the flight - we must be going to India.

Delhi
Back home, parks have a swing set. In Delhi they have tombs / mausoleums built during Sikandar Lodi period 1489 - 1517, and buildings such as the old Bara-Gumbad Mosque (arabic script borders) They provide a nice atmosphere for people to sleep and hang their laundry, couples, myna birds, hawks, and bag ladies.

A relaxing train ride later we arrived in Dehra Dun. Miles of rice and corn fields and people, always people.

English is widely spoken here, between us foreigners and between people from the various Indian States. Even the local radio stations have a funny mix of English and local words. Lots of British influence still apparent, especially in the army and security dress - spats and bagpipes - and the older architecture. The books are cheap, and the food is nothing to write home about (I lost a few pounds) and you have to specify if you want the non-vegetarian version. And where is the beer - it is not to be found at the hotel or on the train! Do not stand still unless you want someone to talk to you.

Some road signs (up in the hills north of Dehra Dun.

- Horn Please, Blow Horn, Use Dipper at Night. (on the back of each truck) but what does it mean.
- These hills are barren, lonely, and steep. I have miles to go before I go to sleep. 127 Inf BN
- Speed thrills, but kills.
- Mountains are a pleasure if you drive with leasure.
- 3 enemies of the road - speed, liquour, and overload.
- Swastika on Temples, trucks etc - sign for total health in mind, body and spirit - Swasthananda fitness center

The roads are amazing up in those hills and in the towns themselves. A surprise (scare) around every corner. Compare driving through hills and back alleyways(while the driver talks to his buddies on the 'sidewalk') to getting a camel through the eye of a needle. Roads and footpaths snake and cowpaths cover the hills like a net. Big buses are dwarfed by the hills when distant, but when they appear suddenly in front of you just around a hair pin corner they fill up our windshield. Of course big = right of way. Old men in yellow - pilgrims- walk along the road. Rain = washouts, falling rocks, fog and mist on the windshield. I even discovered the roots of techno music in a Dehra Dun traffic jam.
Honking is more annoying than effective in town, but in the hills it should be done more (although not as useful if the driver is listening to his tunes). I saw a guy driving a motorcycle on hairpin turns talking on cell phone.

Years ago I heard the term 'Appropriate Technology' Here it translates into plowing with cows, sow seeds from a basket, harvesting with a hand scythe, and small people carrying heavy loads. Big guys don't carry anything.

Road construction crews seem to have the worst, living in tarp cities with the extended family, using fire to heat gravel and tar, ladies in saris carry gravel, and water the wheels of the steam roller (while moving).

But up in the hills the air is fresh. Birds, cows (in the strangest places), monkeys, butterflies, people, and no Delhi smell. One of the locals said that 'Leopards are available'. One of the guides I read said Chakrata was a nice town, but foreigners are not allowed - Tibetan special forces base? so we had to take the bypass road. And a stop at Rishikesh to throw money and flowers into the Ganges. In Khotkhai after a 15 hour trip (delays were caused by the gods) we stayed at a farmers house (a chalet decorated like an Afghan bus). We had to take off our (cow leather) belts before coming inside but we had the best meal of the trip there. Guttu is another busy mountain town. The dress gets away from sarees, and there are some Tibetan faces in the crowd here, but relatives working in Dubai make this a prosperous place. There is lots of time to sit, talk, watch the cow and enjoy the panoramic view from the top. The hotel (guest house) is cheap (250 rupees/night) but reading and dinner by candlelight really is not that romantic during the long power outages.

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Comments

[vaishali garg]

my view
hi think u came to india we some negative thought in ur mind ,may u founded some of them right . india is not sophiticated but cultured ,i think u observes very well.u came to uttranchal i guess u camme to dehradun and near by only , uttranchal is much more than those cities . delhi is hell i hav a same feelin abt delhi u need more than 1 yrs to see real uttranchal well i m not inviting to uttranchal i ur wish ,u r not a true travllers well i saw ur blog on http://diggindianews.com/