Best Western Madhuban Dehradun

Tuesday, May 20 The trip up to Dehradun went well. According to Dr. Eaton, we got lucky and made it out of Delhi in much less than the expected 3 hours, and made it here in about 6. Delhi was shockingly poor, overcrowded, and filthy. The streets are lined with garbage, dirty water, mud, shacks, tires, cows, dogs (alive and dead), scooters, bikes, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, and millions of people doing the daily grind. The daily grind as visible from the bus window: street vending; sorting t...

Wednesday, May 21st (1st whole day in Dehradun): Prof. Eaton decided not to start class yet, so we could get settled in and get our cell phones. We had our first Hindi class after breakfast. The teacher is really enthusiastic about the philosophy of language, and talked more about the power of language as something that is immortal and connects us to God, the cosmos, and each other, then teaching us Hindi. I thought it was appropriate to get us enthusiastic about learning a new language so we...

[very difficult to read handwriting] After an emergency bathroom break, when 5 of our number trooped out to behind a thatched hut into the woods behind, and shortly after a woman in a bright pink sari emerged smiling a big smile, the first boy returned and said gruffly "There's monkeys." Indeed! We are traveling through a national park. More observations-I am, as Sara warned, about a foot taller than anyone here. I often have to duck through doorways and on second floors.

Last Sunday we went to the National Museum. Same old-cultures, eras, broken pottery and frayed textiles of these cultures and eras. It was moderately interesting, but we mostly went to get out of the heat. We went into the theater and dumbly watched a baffling film about a golden statue of Buddha (I think) before Jenny said to me "What are we watching?" which surpassed my favorite thing she said-the first morning, sleepily before we'd said anything else "So...the beds are hard." I may not hav...

Yesterday was mostly spent resting and reading. It was heavenly! I don't know what I would have done if I'd gone to Yamunotri with the group. Saturday we had a nice night at a restaurant the Black Pepper. The food was great (we all over-ate), and having just the small company of Dr. Zonn, Jenny, and Sarah there, too. Most of Sunday, as I said, I rested. A lot. We went back to the Opal Lounge, where Friday's evening out (ostensibly for Travis's birthday) took place. We watched the cricket fina...