Back From the Mountains

Last week was a pleasant respite from the heat of the plains, as I made my way up from the heat and dust of Uttar Pradesh to Mussoorie, a cool and misty hill station about 40 minutes outside of Dehra Dun in Uttarkhand. I desperately needed the break, and even though my wallet was stolen (in Dehra Dun), I felt remarkably unburdened up in the hills. There's something oppressive about the heat of the pre-monsoon summer that makes it hard to exist. Cooling off, needing the geyser (ie, hot water tank), using blankets (Blankets! Who remembered that they even existed?) and getting a nice new shawl (thank you, Dan) all seemed very novel. I was definitely feeling like I was on vacation. Even though I did a lot of Urdu work, it was leisurely, over coffee, and I had the time to look up every word, which felt like a real indulgence. Our last morning, we had apple pie or breakfast, which was doubly indulgent because of the number of places where I've had good apple pie in India, ever (2, including this place and Vaatika pizza in Banaras).

The whole trip was wet -- this is not Mussoorie's high season, partially because panoramic mountain views are completely obscured by heavy fog and cloud cover in the monsoon season. This was especially nice, and we had no problem wandering through the clouds along damp wooded paths for hours. The picture isn't super, but I hope it gives a sense of the foresty shade, the coolness, the mist, and the moist mossy smell of the trails. The hydrangeas were in full bloom everywhere, accompanying the incredible greenness that the monsoon brings. Even the light rains on our wanderings were pleasant.

On the morning of our last full day in the hills, Dan and I agreed that we weren't up for any hiking or, really, anything other than laziness. We were spared the guilt of wasting a beautiful day when it proceeded to pour down rain for the next twelve hours. Water ran down the steep streets in sheets several inches thick. Everyone took refuge in coffee shops and video arcades. I spent most of the day in Barista, one of India's classy espresso-bar chains that are so popular. I cannot explain the degree of pleasure I took from that day of reading, drinking coffee, and doing homework.

I also can't resist noting my bird sightings: from a blurry bad photograph, I have been able to deduce that one of them was a Himalayan woodpecker (Dendrocopos himalayensis). I have no idea where this slight obsession with identifying birds has come from; obviously the complete pocket guide to every South Asian bird species (nearly 1300, the back cover proclaims) is a huge enabler in this pursuit/problem. I'll spare you the rest of my conjectures and sure sightings.

Luckily, I've come back to Lucknow rejuvenated, and Lucknow has indulged me with proper later-monsoon weather: almost cool and windy enough to make me feel like I never left Mussoorie. At the very least, I've been using my sheet at night. It't not a blanket, but it's reminiscent.