As I was pulling out suitcases this morning to pack for our Christmas trip to Korea, I realized I had never blogged about our October get-away. (Forehead slap.)

I know many people think teachers get soooo much time off, but let me tell you, that stretch from August to December? Brutal. Many schools offer a much-needed Fall Break for students and teachers to catch their breath. Not ours. We only had a 3-day weekend in October, and we were longing for fresh air and relaxation. My friend Sherry recommended Mussoorie, a hill station in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayan mountain range. The term “hill station” apparently originated during British colonization, when people escaped the heat by heading to towns in higher elevations. Sherry had lived in Mussoorie in the home of an Indian family, who have since converted their house into a bed and breakfast. We were among their first guests.

Mrinal, a teacher in Delhi, was coincidentally visiting her parents over the same weekend we had arranged to stay at their house. She was both a wonderful hostess and tour guide. She led us on a couple lovely walks and told about growing up there. Her parents, Rajen and Manu, shared stories about their fascinating lives working on tea plantations and later settling in the hills. Rajen, a friend of author and local celebrity Ruskin Bond, lent us a stack of his books to read during our stay. Their home was just what we needed: comfortable, clean and quiet. On their deck overlooking the valley, we watched birds and squirrels skitter onto the rice-filled feeders. One morning, we climbed down the steep hill until it met the road and then walked down the mountain in relative peace (other than one ruckus involving a band of macaque monkeys and some mellow langurs).

Unbeknownst to me before this weekend, all hill stations have a “mall,” which is a stretch of shops and restaurants along a walkway. Here’s an interesting tidbit about Mussoorie’s mall (from Wikipedia):

In Mussoorie, the Mall stretches from Picture Palace at its eastern end to the Public Library (shortened to ‘Library’) at its western end. During the British Raj, signs on the Mall expressly stated: “Indians and Dogs Not Allowed”; racist signs of this type were commonplace in hill stations, which were founded ‘by and for’ the British. Motilal Nehru, the father of Jawaharlal Nehru, deliberately broke this rule every day whenever he was in Mussoorie, and would pay the fine. The Nehru family, including Nehru’s daughter Indira (later Indira Gandhi) were frequent visitors to Mussoorie in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, and stayed at the Savoy Hotel.

In my fantasy world, Tony and I would walk along dirt paths, enjoying the tranquility. Only the shrieks of parakeets and whoops of langur monkeys would break the silence. Maybe a villager would pass by occasionally with a smile and a wave, but mostly we would be alone. Well, that didn’t happen. The aforementioned mall was teeming with people. Honking cars backed up along the narrow streets. After more than two years living in India, I should have known better than to expect anything different. Fortunately, Mrinal led us out of the chaos for a walk on Camel’s Back Road one day and up to Landour the next day.

Two nights really wasn’t enough to explore the area. Rajen described tempting daytrips and hiking opportunities that would get us further out into nature and away from the crowds and traffic, but that will have to wait for another visit.

We stayed in the “cottage,” an addition to the main house, because the guest rooms were full with people attending the 150th anniversary of the Wynberg Allen School next door.

Coco clearly ruled the roost.

Our weekend home away from home.

A view of the house from the road.

Walking on Camel’s Back Road.

“The mall” at night.

The view from our balcony. On this day, we walked up to that TV tower.

Breathing fresh air. Ahhhhh.

The langur monkeys seem so gentle compared to the nasty macaques.

The home of actor Victor Banerjee, who was in “A Passage to India.”

We walked to the top of the hill and then stopped in a shop to buy homemade cheese, peanut butter and apricot preserves.

The Kellogg Memorial Church at the top of the hill.

Tony and Mrinal enjoying a snack during our trek.

The snack shop owner carried these pots to the park across the street. He was celebrating the last day of Navratri. Here’s an explanation of the ritual (from the website India Parenting):

The first three days are dedicated solely to the worship of the goddess Durga. During this period, her energy and power are worshipped. Each day is dedicated to a different manifestation of Durga. On the first day, Kumari is worshipped, which signifies the girl child. The second day is dedicated to Parvati, who is the embodiment of a young woman. On the third day, Kali is worshipped. This form represents the woman who has reached maturity. On the first day of Navratri, barley seeds are planted in a small bed of mud. This mud bed is kept in the pooja room. By the tenth day, each seed has sprouted into a shoot which is between three and five inches long. After the pooja performed on the tenth day, the shoots are plucked and given to the attendees. They are said to be a blessing from God.

During our walk, Mrinal stopped to buy veggies and dessert for that night’s dinner.

The smallest auto repair shop I’ve ever seen!

On our last day, we went for an early morning walk.

If you’re interested in staying at the Burra Bungalow at Savitri Bhawan in Mussoorie, please call Mrinal +91-98103-01645 or call the Burra Bungalow’s landline at 0135-2632-744.