A Mussoorie Sunday

  I had a good Sunday, spent all morning looking at online resources for the courses I will be teaching.  Only have a week to prepare a subject I have never taught--rather challenging!  Then I did yoga, took a bucket bath (where you pour water over yourself out of a bucket using a small mug--if the whole world did this we would save a lot of water!), made a banana shake and walked down to the bazaar with stuff I bought yesterday to decorate my little house.  The School took new staff on a shopping trip to Dehra Dun, down the mountain yesterday and out to lunch in a nice restaurant there.  I particularly liked spending time with Sue, the new principal's wife.  They invited new staff for dinner the night before and I was so impressed with both her and her husband.  He is British and she is South African, both have worked all over the world.   Woodstock School is really lucky to have them here.
   Last night I went to a dinner party at the home of Sanjay, one of Mussoorie's most distinguished citizens whom my son had met in Mumbai.  He lives in a gorgeous place right on top of the hill, only one of his many places around the world, apparently.   It was warm, full of light, interesting international people and delicious food.  Who could ask for more?  Walked down the path late last night and couldn't wait to sleep.  I never started my fire all day yesterday.  

     Back to interior decorating, I must be nuts because I am doing this place up all in off white. Even bought an off white rug!  Crazy but I will be here alone most of the time so I guess it can't get too bad.  So today I took all those materials to the tailor, a 20 minute walk downhill with fantastic views along the way.  Enroute I met famous Mussoorie author Ruskin Bond on the road and said good day to him.  I hope it happens again, I might have time to stop and chat.  Next Saturday the Tailor will have 3 throw pillows, 2 bolsters, two long curtains and two window curtains ready.  I will have to pay him about $15. or so for his work.  

     Then I kept walking down down down till I got to the place in town where I was married (now a parking lot, the house was torn down many years ago) and checked out the shops there, to see how they have changed.  It was a trip down memory lane.  Many more sophisticated shops but many of the old ones are still there too, including the food stalls where Jayant and I used to drink hot milk and eat tikkis-- potato burgers.  

     I kept walking up the hill now to the Kashmir Emporium where I had a ball with the owners, bargaining and generally giving them a hard time.  I bought material for 2 curtains, you won't believe it, white wool with embroidery in white, and he only charged me $12. a yard.!  I dropped it off at the tailor's on the way backup the hill, lightening my load considerably.  I also bought a heavy wool robe to wear at home and a firan, one of those long white wool Kashmiri caftans with embroidery around the neck for $20... left two home, should have brought them!  This new one is white with black embroidery.  I wonder what my white kick is.  At least now I have plenty of clothes to layer.  

    On the way back I stopped for a cup of hot sweet milk with cardomom in the place Jayant used to take me, sitting at a table with some locals.  My vegan diet has gone by the wayside for now but I am not eating eggs.  I It was a long walk up the hill again, took me about an hour from the Mall.  It was great catching the scenes of local life:  some boys playing soccer in the street using old cardboard boxes for goals;  old women sitting in what was left of the sun sorting stones from rice;  some rag pickers who live in makeshift plastic covered sheds by the side of the road sitting around a fire, the father scolding and pulling the hair of a crying young gjrl. I stared at them hoping it would stop but then a man walking his dog behind me began to intervene telling the man "Why are you doing that?  It is wrong!"  as the younger man tried to explain why he was "disciplining" her.   It pays to speak the language in order to know what is going on!  

     From the steep path to my house I could see the sun setting over the town.  It looked so nice in the distance as all the lights began to come on.  Now I am making some lentil soup with potatoes, onions and rosemary.  My fire is going full tilt and my little place on the side of the mountain is warm and beginning to feel like home.