Day 162, Mussoorie [Monday 12th May 2008]
Previous day: Day 161, Mussoorie [Sunday 11th May 2008]
Next day: Day 163, Dehra Dun [Tuesday 13th May 2008]
We head to the west of Mussoorie, beyond The Mall and the Library and the decrepit, decaying hotels. We hike along peaceful, forested roads, with long views over the plains below. It's amazing — you only need to venture a couple of minutes from the town to have the roads all to yourself. We see no one except some milkmen transporting their churns on horseback and some sari-clad women leading a cow by a rope. The adventurousness of the Indian tourists is astounding! They go as far as the tacky shops then stop and turn around. They could be anywhere! Only the cool air tells them they're up a hill. Why do they come all the way up here?
We pass Everest's house, and end up at Cloud's End, a knackered old building on top of a distant hill. It was the 4th building to ever be built in Mussoorie. They have a leaflet, with a list of rules on it which seem quite strict. They charge an astonishing Rs. 3000 for a room, and rule no. 9 states, "Do not come out of your room late at night or early in the morning without first informing the hotel staff."
The road to Mussoorie is lined with signs put up by the 'Eco Task Force' that say things like "Plant a tree. Save the planet," or, "Tree means water. Water means bread. Bread means life." The utter pointlessness of impracticality if these signs is impossible to convey. The average Indian has neither the means nor the inclination to plant a tree. To say the government is merely paying lip service to environmental issues is an understatement.
At the hotel we get electrocuted through the water supply in our bathroom, which appears to be malfunctioning. We tell the staff, who are suitably nonchalant. They come and look around the bathroom, run the tap, shrug and say, "Just small shock, not a big one. It's ok!" Eventually they move us to another room, a bigger one too, and even give us a bottle of sparkling Australian Pinot Noir/Chardonnay.
We watch Punjab beat Bangalore in the IPL, followed by The Namesake on Star Movies.
Next day: Day 163, Dehra Dun [Tuesday 13th May 2008]
Previous day: Day 161, Mussoorie [Sunday 11th May 2008]