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Published: October 3rd 2008
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Mussoorie…Queen of the Hills
Mussoorie is a nice hill station located above the Doon Valley. The air is cooler here and of course damper. Everything is damp…a situation I most dislike about India…the humidity and the musty, mold and black filth it creates. It cannot be healthy…I know for a fact, I have been battling dark circles under my eyes and this is most likely due to the mold spores in the air. Again there is no use of bleach nor heaters to dry places out so mold grows and grows…it seeps into everything.
Mussoorie offers incredible vistas of the valley. It was a British get away during the British occupation here so there are still remnants of this in terms of International Schools, Language Schools, Christian Churches and British “palaces.” There is even a bust statue of Queen Elizabeth in the middle of town…no comment. I have run into quite a few tourists taking Hindi language lessons here at one of the schools, so there is a bit of a “diverse” crowd here.
The Himalayas are beautiful here and the views outstanding. It is amazing to see how all this was built on such steep hillsides. The
winding road to Mussoorie is a motion sickness guarantee. I arrived at my first RCI Point Resort…as I am a member and am using some points here in India. This is the most expensive hotel in Mussoorie. I got a “superior suite” which had a great bed, soft, nice sheets, nicely decorated, a huge marble bathroom with tub…I took a bath and felt guilty for the hot water usage. I thought the hot water police would come or at least an alarm would go off for filling the tub…but nothing of the sort. Even at this place, the hot water is shut off at 10 pm till 6 am. After I filled the tub, got in, I relaxed and “soaked it up.” I had a microwave, toaster, kettle and living room area with TV. Still though there was a musty smell…not terrible, but present. I thought my god, for $100 per night, you’d think there would be a solution to the problems the humidity and moisture causes…but I was wrong.
I spent a week enjoying the luxury and service. The hotel thinks I am a “super rich” tourist so they bent over backwards for me. I wandered the town,
felt the energy and relaxed. There are a multitude of small kiosks selling everything from knick knacks, cheap jewelry to many, many stalls selling kids’ cheap plastic toys and magic tricks. Nothing of good quality can be found here. I spent a lot of time in meditation up at Gun Hill…a fifteen minute walk from my hotel. It rained the first three days here then the sun shone through and the brightness sparkled on the mountains. Mussoorie is “clean” compared to all the places I have been…still cows wander the streets, men spit and urinate in public and people litter. There are people sweeping up litter though and the main streets are maintained.
I have been getting my exercise in by walking up and down, up and down…plus doing a few asanas on the marble floor in my hotel room. The town caters to Indian tourists who come from hot, big cities to escape the chaos. I made a few connections with tourists and locals. I met a few people who were either Christian Indians who lived here, or who went to school here when they were young and were of British background. I remember my Aunty Manjit telling
me that her brother, Harjit went to school here for 12 years. This made the town have quite the different feel than anywhere else in India.
I found the best restaurant called Kangra Friend’s Corner..a Tibetan, Chinese specialty restaurant. I ate here many times. There are also some American style coffee shops where I could suffice my coffee addiction in modern style and in total cleanliness.
One day I went on an all day tour of the Mussoorie area. I was the only foreigner on the bus and it was a challenge again. The staring, the 100th man asking for me to pose with him in a photo shot and the persistent fascination with me got to me this day. I saw two main temples, Santra Devi temple and Nag Devta Temple, the Kempty Falls, Mussoorie Lake (a small dirty concrete enclosed pond) as well as the surrounding area. It really is a haven here away from the rest of India. I was followed by an older man and his friends at the Kempty Falls. They ended up in my gondola car to and from the falls. One wanted to kiss me and I was polite enough to
reject his advances. Outwardly, I was calm, but inwardly, I was tired of the harassment…I couldn’t wait to get off the bus and back to my great hotel room where I could relax. The falls were lovely but I am spoiled with the pristine natural environment I live in on Vancouver Island…so nothing really compares. I was not impressed…but for a city slicker from Delhi, I imagine this is heaven.
In the morning, I would have my coffee on the patio in front of the hotel. It was my favourite place to hang because of the monkeys. I would feed them some leftover toast and watch them swing around the trees in front. I just love watching them…I cannot say this enough. I would have loved to be Jane Goodall as I like to study their behaviours and their social structure in the short time I see them. It is fascinating. One morning one monkey decided to climb the side of the hotel and go into an open window…OMG this was hilarious. It caused quite the riot…Could you imagine waking up to a monkey in your room! Anyways, it turns out the monkeys are quite scared of the human
wrath so it was quickly shooed away and boy, oh boy did it run and squeal.
Overall, Mussoorie was a nice relaxing time before I go to Rishikesh and to the ashram. I enjoyed the luxury, but would never pay the amount for this hotel if I had to actually pay it. It is not worth it in India, for one could find a magnificent place for much, much cheaper.
Next stop Rishikesh…the Holy City…Leila
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