In the Himalayas, immersed in a cacophony of car horns

Mussorie - sounds sort of like misery. Mussorie is not Western tourist destination (a scattered few - taking a break from Rishikesh - which I hope to visit next time I come to India), which would make one instantly think "How wonderful!". But it is an Indian tourist destination, which is actually worse. Why? Because if something is a destination for Indians, it means that it is LOUD and there are a lot of people. There is a long promenade called "The Mall" that is littered with hundreds upon hundreds of tacky shops and some tastey restaurants (plus a little slice of Western indulgence: the coffee shop called Barista). Lots of Indians, especially Punjabis, roam through the streets. The Punjabis are escaping the 125 degree heat in Punjab. The few motorcycles and cars that do pass through the Mall honk their horns through the entire duration of their drive. BUT, this being said, it is still much more mellow than Delhi and quite a nice escape from the Delhi heat. Very nice.

I managed to find a lovely hotel that was away from the road and the noise - Hotel Padmini Nivas (www.hotelpadmininivas.com). Lovely gardens surrounded it and there was a gorgeous view of the mountains (when the mist/clouds weren't in the way). I was also violently awoken to the sound of a family of monkeys playing on the roof. It was rather amusing.

The second gem in this mildly chaotic mountain town is a promenade called Camelback Road (very different than Camelback Road on Phoenix). This walk was about 5 km of pure peace and quiet. Only a few people, no cars and monkeys! The scenery was nothing short of incredible. At one point, there was a hindu temple high above me with chanting coming from speakers. It was echoing off the mountains. It was really quite spiritual.

Photos will come in a week and a couple of days - upon my return home. This week I'm off the Jharkhand to visit some of the NGOs we help. Then next weekend I plan to SHOP. SHOP. SHOP.

I need to run to catch the train to Delhi now - 5 hours of fun! Actually, its not too bad. Everyone should take a train in India at some point in their life.