After Amritsar, I took an overnight train to Dehradun, where I then hopped on a bus (or squeezed in) and headed for the hill station, Mussoorie. The first signs of traffic the amount of people on the bus gave me the impression that I was not the only wanting to escape the strong summer heat. I was right.
Mussoorie is a popular vacationing spot for Indians, especially those from Delhi (it's only 7 hours away). That being said, the hotels were very expensive by Indian standards and I ended up in a guesthouse at the end of town with a great view, but primitive facilities. It's all part of the experience I think.
I found that Mussoorie was nice for enjoying the weather, taking walks, and people watching, but it has become very congested and I think some visitors have forgotten to take care of the beautiful landscape. Although some steps have been taken accross many cities in India to reduce the use of plastic bags and to better manage waste, it's still evident that the problem is not solved. By Wednesday, I returned to Varanasi, after spending about 20 hrs. on the train and began teaching again on Thursday.
This is a picture of the class I teach in the village. More pictures of them later.
June is almost over, which is very surprising, yet I feel like there is much more for me to discover in this city. The school will be much different once their summer is over, which is the first of July, so I am looking forward to meeting more of them. I'm signing off until later, maybe I can post some pictures :).
This is one of the Buddhist temples in Sarnath
No comments:
Post a Comment