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September 5th We ended up in Ranikhet and settled in to the Royal Mountain Lodge. Here, we got our last cooked dinner, bed, and use of toilet paper... We spent the entire day resting and enjoying the food at the hotel, overall it was pretty chill.
September 6th We watched the sunrise over the mountains and ate some more incredible indian food. We got the rest of our equipment and divided into our tent groups, then spent the last part of our day in town. The original description from my journal is "culture shock day"
It really is crazy how much trash is here. Especially crazy that piles and piles could be right next to a sign boasting India's conservation efforts; and all of that right in the middle of a random golf course with a major road running right through it! It's also strange how strong the military presence is here and how there's not the slightest intermission between the military base camp and a neighbor's house. I bought film in the city and I'm already awful at bargaining since I paid the same amount it would cost me in the US. Alas, I do need it since I brought nothing but black and white film which won't be able to show one of the most amazing aspects of India: color. Nate didn't buy anything the whole trip, but right before getting back on the bus bought everyone a banana for only 30 rupees.
September 7th We loaded up the bus for the last time and was again shocked and amazed with our driver's agility and daring around some of the narrowest roads and steepest cliffs I've ever been on. It's amazing that he still has the balls to pass traffic in the opposite lane and avoid other vehicles by nothing more than a centimeter when we pass through cities. Driving really is more than a profession here, it's an art.
One thing that will ground you through such turbulance is the glimpse of life outside... "Village women on vibrant colors balancing a stack of bricks on their head, four high and two wide. A weight I'm sure my neck would break under. A man sitting in the road hand sawing a log two feet wide and the air filled with the smell of fresh cut pine. The scenery is truly beautiful, especially after an amazing environmental speech from a gentleman in Ranikhet. So many hillsides with tiered farm land, fog cascading over the land and brightly colored houses, monkeys and water buffalo lining the streets."
As we unload the bus and move all of our luggage into jeeps for the last few miles of our journey, I jot down a phrase from a passing bus "love is life" -such wisdom from the public transportation.
We got out of the jeeps only 20 minutes later as it started to rain and everyone put on the Goretex; we had no idea how long it would be on for, but it would be days before we wouldn't need it anymore. I put my pack on and graoned suspiciously at the uncomfort as we start the steep ascent from Loharket to Song using steps that must've been a foot and a half tall. I may have backpacked for 8 days at a time in Utah, but I never set foot on a stairmaster in preperation for this course and man, was I feeling it.
After only an hour or so of agonizing back pain, we arrive and my pack slams down on the porch and I'm thankful for the awning that we'll be sleeping under. Though we have shelter from the persisting rain, I sincerely wished that we would have set up tents as my fear of Malaria grows with the buzzing around my head and the bloody dog lingers in the shadows, licking his wounds and hungry for the food in our packs. We did have our last home cooked Indian meal that night and the next morning, which I was very thankful for.
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