Hi Everybody, after an 8 hour taxi ride from Delhi where I spent two days with my environmentalist friend Vikram, I made it to Mussoorie. A lot has happened so I am copying here the message I wrote my mom a few days back...Things have actually improved since I wrote this, I got my wood stove going and actually have water now... As I write I can hear a pack of coyotes outside my door howling...yikes, glad I am not on the trail tonight!
Monday Jan 23: Am here in the mountains freezing my butt. Actually it's not that bad during the day, it is about 30 at night and when you sit in the sun it maybe feels like high 40's or so. It snowed before I came but now most has melted. Been here 3 days and the place they have put me is a little cottage type thing that resembles the level of a migrant worker's camp. It has three small bedrooms, a long narrow sitting room with windows all along one side, a kitchen that is not half bad and a bathroom with tiles and a mouldy shower curtain (they said they would give me a new one). (See photos attached below) I have had no water from the time I arrived as the pipe had broken. For 2 days no bath, yesterday could not even wash my face. I made a cup of tea from bottled water and ate peanut butter on white bread.
The night I arrived I was surprised to find no electric heater. There is a rusty small woodstove in the room (who knows when the chimney has been cleaned if ever) and thank god the first night I was there a couple showed up because she wanted to nab me as an employer...Sunita is her name and she will clean for me five days a week, an hour or so a day. They found me freezing with my coat, hat and boots on trying to unpack. So right away that night her husband went and got wood and leaves, etc and started up the woodstove so I didn't freeze. Otherwise I would have just gotten into bed around 7 in order to stay warm. There was not much wood so by morning it was again freezing. I had to go outside in the sun to warm up.
When I woke up and looked out the window there was a family of monkeys on the roof next door staring in at me. Yesterday I got in wood (many pieces too big to fit in the stove I am afraid) and myself collected a few twigs for kindling. Today I will try to get some pinecones because the fire won't start with such big chunks. Anyway one more month of this cold weather and then it will be beautiful. Just have to survive it... it is not that bad, kind of like camping. They are fixing my water today and I will be able to turn on the water heaters and have a hot bucket bath.
I also plan to buy some rugs, a bedspread and a hanging to brighten up the place. The walls are bare. I moved my bed into the main room (it will double as a couch although no one will be fooled... just looks like a bed in the room!) and made a little empty room for yoga (wish someone could have filmed that... Sunita the woman who is working for me and me wrestling this heavy bed, we finally had to rope in the plumber. After several unsuccessful tries to get it around the corner of the narrow hall we had to flip it on end and almost took out the flimsy ceiling. It was hilarious.) But now my little yoga room is great.. just big enough for me to do my asanas, it faces due East and the sun comes straight in and warms it up to the point I can do yoga with the window open. Best of all I am looking over the rooftops to a fantastic view of the valley. The scenic views are spectacular. To walk to school I have to go about 25 minutes on something akin to Buttermilk Falls trail down the steep hill. The uphill walk home takes more time as I can literally feel my heart pumping. But somehow you don't mind all the climbing when everywhere you look it is so beautiful.
We walk along the mountain trails to get everywhere. Last night I was invited to the Wildman's, Dot who teaches religious studies and her husband Peter, the head of development. They have been here 10 years, retired British teachers, and they have transformed their cottage into a beautiful home with TV, stereo, great kitchen, washing machine, etc. They made veggie lasagna (forget being vegan when you are starving) and soup and I found out he plays guitar and mandolin and all kinds of string instruments. I showed him David's website. He had not heard of HIpshot but was checking it out, seems like a good musician. I like Dot very much, she has been so helpful and even lent me a hot water bottle to heat the bed up at night. After dinner I had to walk home alone along the mountain trails and tried not to get lost. After I got to my door two big dogs ran down the trail. I was glad I didn't meet them on the way. Monkeys too can be a problem but not at night. I think they sleep in the trees. You can hear them settling in around sunset.
All the people here at the school seem very nice. I met Amy who is head of academics and we hit it off great. She told me about the classes I will be teaching and about the kids who sound quite extraordinary. Everyone raves about them. Amy knows my son as do some of the others here. One of his friends told me they have been friends every since Kapil beat him in a class election for class president. Everyone here is so nice to me, offering if I need anything I can contact them. Hot shower anyone? Somehow the idea of showing up at someone's house with my towel and clothes in hand doesn't make a good impression. I should have hot running water pretty soon.
Well that is all for now from the Himalayas. Here are some photos:
This is my little house called "Uncle Tom's Cabin" from the outside...
Monday Jan 23: Am here in the mountains freezing my butt. Actually it's not that bad during the day, it is about 30 at night and when you sit in the sun it maybe feels like high 40's or so. It snowed before I came but now most has melted. Been here 3 days and the place they have put me is a little cottage type thing that resembles the level of a migrant worker's camp. It has three small bedrooms, a long narrow sitting room with windows all along one side, a kitchen that is not half bad and a bathroom with tiles and a mouldy shower curtain (they said they would give me a new one). (See photos attached below) I have had no water from the time I arrived as the pipe had broken. For 2 days no bath, yesterday could not even wash my face. I made a cup of tea from bottled water and ate peanut butter on white bread.
The night I arrived I was surprised to find no electric heater. There is a rusty small woodstove in the room (who knows when the chimney has been cleaned if ever) and thank god the first night I was there a couple showed up because she wanted to nab me as an employer...Sunita is her name and she will clean for me five days a week, an hour or so a day. They found me freezing with my coat, hat and boots on trying to unpack. So right away that night her husband went and got wood and leaves, etc and started up the woodstove so I didn't freeze. Otherwise I would have just gotten into bed around 7 in order to stay warm. There was not much wood so by morning it was again freezing. I had to go outside in the sun to warm up.
When I woke up and looked out the window there was a family of monkeys on the roof next door staring in at me. Yesterday I got in wood (many pieces too big to fit in the stove I am afraid) and myself collected a few twigs for kindling. Today I will try to get some pinecones because the fire won't start with such big chunks. Anyway one more month of this cold weather and then it will be beautiful. Just have to survive it... it is not that bad, kind of like camping. They are fixing my water today and I will be able to turn on the water heaters and have a hot bucket bath.
I also plan to buy some rugs, a bedspread and a hanging to brighten up the place. The walls are bare. I moved my bed into the main room (it will double as a couch although no one will be fooled... just looks like a bed in the room!) and made a little empty room for yoga (wish someone could have filmed that... Sunita the woman who is working for me and me wrestling this heavy bed, we finally had to rope in the plumber. After several unsuccessful tries to get it around the corner of the narrow hall we had to flip it on end and almost took out the flimsy ceiling. It was hilarious.) But now my little yoga room is great.. just big enough for me to do my asanas, it faces due East and the sun comes straight in and warms it up to the point I can do yoga with the window open. Best of all I am looking over the rooftops to a fantastic view of the valley. The scenic views are spectacular. To walk to school I have to go about 25 minutes on something akin to Buttermilk Falls trail down the steep hill. The uphill walk home takes more time as I can literally feel my heart pumping. But somehow you don't mind all the climbing when everywhere you look it is so beautiful.
We walk along the mountain trails to get everywhere. Last night I was invited to the Wildman's, Dot who teaches religious studies and her husband Peter, the head of development. They have been here 10 years, retired British teachers, and they have transformed their cottage into a beautiful home with TV, stereo, great kitchen, washing machine, etc. They made veggie lasagna (forget being vegan when you are starving) and soup and I found out he plays guitar and mandolin and all kinds of string instruments. I showed him David's website. He had not heard of HIpshot but was checking it out, seems like a good musician. I like Dot very much, she has been so helpful and even lent me a hot water bottle to heat the bed up at night. After dinner I had to walk home alone along the mountain trails and tried not to get lost. After I got to my door two big dogs ran down the trail. I was glad I didn't meet them on the way. Monkeys too can be a problem but not at night. I think they sleep in the trees. You can hear them settling in around sunset.
All the people here at the school seem very nice. I met Amy who is head of academics and we hit it off great. She told me about the classes I will be teaching and about the kids who sound quite extraordinary. Everyone raves about them. Amy knows my son as do some of the others here. One of his friends told me they have been friends every since Kapil beat him in a class election for class president. Everyone here is so nice to me, offering if I need anything I can contact them. Hot shower anyone? Somehow the idea of showing up at someone's house with my towel and clothes in hand doesn't make a good impression. I should have hot running water pretty soon.
Well that is all for now from the Himalayas. Here are some photos:
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| Inside my main sitting room, this is the "before" photo. Stay tuned for the "after"! |
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| View when I start down the path to school. That is the school in the distance... |
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