Well today turned out to be anything but a day of rest. The weather was peculiar to us but probably normal to folk who live here. It is the foothills of the Himalayas and we are quite high up with mountains a stone's throw away. All we really wanted today was for our rooms to be cleaned and our linen changing. It doesn't take long to be reminded we are in India and things are different here. To cut a long story short, we did get what we wanted but it was in dribs and drabs.
Now here's where things went a little off piste. We decided to walk down the hill so that Sylvia could book a whole body massage for tomorrow. We then decided to take a tuk tuk to Lachsmanjula bridge and have a look around. I wanted a Judy Dench top
. The streets were packed with sellers of just about anything under the sun except Judy Dench tops
. We were amongst shops, stalls, cattle, cars, bikes, beggars and dogs. We saw some things that interested us and bought a few bits and bobs. Both of us are clearing out at home so don't want to buy anything unless it is very special. We have a singing bowl each and that is our treat.
So anyway, we walked and walked. It became windy and I felt chilled and Sylvia felt hot. We asked someone where the Ramjule bridge was and he said 1 km. we thought it would be quicker to walk to that bridge and get a tuk tuk home. We walked.....and walked.....and walked. It was getting darker and darker and there was no sign of the bridge. The stalls were closing down, the beggars had gone, the homeless were wrapped in blankets from head to foot and were either sleeping or about to. We passed a pack of dogs running and barking wildly (like in the book Shantaram)
We then entered quite a rural area which was quiet and devoid of any activity. We passed a western couple and asked them how far Ramjule bridge was and the guy said "just up that hill round the corner - about 5 minutes". We were relieved and we walked......and walked....and walked and about half an hour later we recognised the area and we still had quite a walk to get to the bridge. In was colder and Sylvia was hotter. We crossed the bridge which seemed to be swaying in the wind. Everyone was in a hurry. It was completely dark at this point. We then had to walk and walk to find the tuk tuk stand and it was a long walk.
When we got to our hill we had to climb it and it seemed easy after all the walking we had done. We stopped at our hotel restaurant and had a hot drink. Neither of us planned for such a trip so we didn't have our iPads with us for photos. Jan, Nitram and Izzy will be pleased
Oh I've just remembered this morning. Whilst it was raining and thundering and lightning, about 8 or 9 monkeys gathered in a fairly bare tree outside our windows. I took this photo but I don't know whether it will come out clearly. They were very close but I think they may look distant.
Another adventure
Love
