Doon Society

As the only one of our scheduled evening speakers to actually show up, the members of the Doon Society came and spoke about their work with protecting the environment of the Doon Valley around Dehra Dun, as well as the forest of the Rajaji National Park and the livelihoods of the people who were traditional forest dwellers in the area. They discussed the challenges in India of working to protect the sustainability of natural resources in India, while also trying to improve the situation of poor populations dependent on harvest and livestock grazing in the forests. The Doon Society talked about the strategies they’ve used, including establishing villages for the forest dwelling communities where they each receive two acres for grazing their animals as well as extra income from small crop plots. Hilary and Constance were both impressed and excited to talk to the members about their work, although Hilary wasn’t very encouraged by the woman’s recommendation that she marry an Indian man to justify working in the country…

Travis’s Birthday at the Opal Lounge

No trip is complete without an adventurous night out. For Travis’s birthday, we made reservations at a pub, Opal Lounge. We had no idea of what to expect. The place was really nice and could have been in any U.S. city. There were plenty of foreigners there to make you feel right at home. So all 25 of us ordered food and started drinking. Our budget was 15,000 rupees or $360 USD. We spend almost all of it. The pub was expensive but had a wonderful ambiance and music. You just couldn’t keep our group off the dance floor. A little 50 Cent and everyone was on the dance floor. That DJ must have had the CD, Dance Party from the 90s, because we heard music that night that has not been played in the U.S. since 1996. We ate it up. We danced so much that the DJ refused to play bangara for fear of the place getting too rowdy. When looking around the room, it was unsurprising that only our group was really dancing. Since we made up about a quarter of the restaurant population, it did not faze us at all. Everyone else there just starred at us aside from the few shady men who tried to dance with our women.

The DJ and owner are both Sikh. I guess those Sikhs knows how to party because everyone had an incredible time in spite of leaving by 10:30pm. Even our favorite tour guide, Ram got up and danced with us. It was a great night out and Travis really enjoyed his birthday in spite of being slightly ill.

Tibetan Buddhist Stupa

Much to our surprise, Dehradun is home to perhaps the largest Buddist Stupa and a thriving Tibetan Buddhist community. The Mindrolling Monastery hosts a large college for Buddhist monks and a five-storey Great Stupa. It is over 60 meters high and contains shine rooms displaying relics, paintings of every single Dalai Lama, and a huge tiny remake of an ancient Buddhist Temple that the Chinese government destroyed.

The Monastery and surrounding area was incredibly peaceful. We removed our shoes to enter the Stupa and walk around (clockwise only) to experience the exquisite artwork that covered all the internal walls. It was incredible. The bottom floor is dedicated to a Buddhist prophet and is monitored by a Buddhist monk who prays in the corner as observers leave and enter the room.

Outside of the Stupa are two enormous prayer wheels. Krys, Hilary, and Becky turned one of them in hopes of Buddha hearing theirr prayers for safe travels. After the wheel, we checked out the tiny food store and adjoining clothing stalls that were filled with women’s bras and underwear, seriously. When we ventured into town, we found a store with Tibetan artwork and prayer wheels where everyone found something to their liking. Our Tibetan experience ended with a little Hannah Montana watching at a small Tibetan restaurant where we snacked on some questionable momos. We hopped on a local bus and arrived safely at our hotel after countless stops along the way.

Sherry is sick.

Sherry and many others on our trip have been suffering from a mysterious stomach illness that causes endless trips to the bathroom and rather small appetites. Due to her fluctuating health, Sherry did not participate in our visit to the Stupa, Dune Society speakers, and Yamunotri Temple.

Mussourie & Jaypee Residency Manor

Mussourie is a pleasant town located in the lower portion of the Himalayas. It is only 20+ kilometers from Dehradun but takes a good hour and a half to reach due to the winding roads.

Our first stop was the Lal Bahadur Shastry National Academy of Administration where the most important civil servants in the Indian government come for training each year. The site was amazing with a very nice library and breathtaking views of the Himalayas. The gentleman showing us around, Dave-Soma, was not too bad looking either.

Next we were given some free time to walk around Mussourie. We walked from the Gandhi Chowk to the Kulri Bazaar on a lovely pedestrian only walkway. Along the way were tons of shops with clothing, sweets, and the opportunity to wear local clothing and take pictures. Becky couldn’t help herself and paid 40 rupees ($1) to try on some local attire and take some random pictures with this guy who insisted on being in her pictures. Along the way, we watched a little boy get briefly chased by a monkey as Sherry screamed and took off running. Hilary and Sherry also took a fabulous picture next to the larger than life picture of a lion. By the time we reached the group, we had enjoyed this very pleasant town and were ready for bed.

Bollywood

When in India, there is no shortage of Bollywood films to watch on the big screen. One evening Sherry, Hilary, Krys, Constance, Amanda, and Becky ventured to the Krishna Palace to watch Race. The feature song of the film, Touch me Touch me, is everyone’s caller tune thanks to Vodafone (the Indian cell phone company). We were curious to see what this song had to do with two brothers trying to kill each other for their family fortune. The movie was a cross between Matlock, MTV, and Days of Our Lives. It was rather ridiculous and entertaining. We were not disappointed with the rather inappropriate, confusing lyrics of Touch me, Touch me. The movie ticket cost 55 Rupees ($1.25) and included a sticky seat in the balcony that reclined. I guess the chatty family next to us was just part of the Indian Cinema experience.

Rishikesh & Haridwar Continued

We had no idea of what to expect in Haridwar. We were told that the night ceremony is amazing. So we reluctantly followed our guide to the Har-Ki-Pairi (The Footstep of God) Ghat. Unfortunately, no one told us that Haridwar is one of the most sacred cities in Hinduism where people come to wash away their sins in the Ganges River. Therefore, our first impressions were rather fierce and confusing. People were everywhere. This child was trying to sell you milk to pour into the river while another was trying to reach your forehead to put some paint on it. Another guy was trying to explain the ganga aarti (river worship ceremony) for a nice price. The sheer amount of people was indescribable. People were bathing, others were waiting for the ceremony to start, and others were trying to reach the Har-Ki-Pairi. This was the crowded India we had been expecting.

Several of us bought an organic basket of flowers to place in the river for the river ceremony. Every night people flock here to leave an offering to the Goddess Ganga. (Every river in India is considered a goddess).

As the sun set, the bells rang and the prayers began.. Then huge flames were lit and everyone lit their puja (offering- for us, it was the basket of flowers with a candle) and places them in the river. There must have been hundred of flowers in the river. It was mesmerizing. Several of us also poured a little milk in the Ganges River and washed our feet in the river in order to wash away our sins. Becky hopes it worked!

The final event of the night cannot be ignored. Before venturing back to Dehradun on the dark, rather dangerous roads of India, we stopped to use the bathroom. Just about every girl on the bus got out and lined up at the facility. Some kids behind the gas station kept yelling something at us. No one understood them. One child grabbed his older relative who told us that we were using the men’s bathroom. Our guide had misled us yet again… oh well… Only Krys had actually used the men’s bathroom. The rest of us ventured to the women’s toilets on the other side of the gas station.