Shimla

Sorry for the delay friends. It’s been a troublesome week not to mention one with very limited internet. I went to Delhi last weekend and though I was hosted yet again by my wonderful friends I felt terrible for most of the time. I had 3 days of headaches- literally woke up and went to bed with them, and by the time I was back in Janauri (after a pretty rough 11 hour trip) I was sick. Sore throat, exhaustion, aches, and stomach problems. I was frustrated because I was ready to get the ball rolling with our recycling project and ended up having to sleep and rest for a large portion of the week. Though I ended up getting in touch with a couple of NGOs about partnering with us on our project. What I’m currently trying to figure out is 1. Which recycling plant to partner with and 2. How to actually get the waste to the plant. I’m trying to see if we can figure out a way to partner with migrant workers here to give them some income or if we could actually make a little money from this project (which we desperately need) by partnering directly with the companies. Olivia, the new god-sent intern, has basically finished our presentation (she’s the powerpoint queen) for the villagers and various schools and we’re aiming to make our first presentation on October 4th. So hopefully this next week will be a productive one where we’ll create some real partnerships and get this thing movin!

I’ve reached a new stage in my adjustment here. I feel much more relaxed. Even when, for instance, our bus broke down the other day, leaving us semi stranded. At the beginning of my trip, a situation like that would’ve resulted in a major stress out for me but this time I was able to shrug my shoulders and say, “eh, the adventure continues.” I’ve had enough challenging experiences now to know that things really will be ok. There’s always someone here willing to help and even if there’s not, you can use basic words to get what you need. It’s really been an exercise in letting go of control. The more I leave things to fate, the better things seem to go for me. The key seems to be making sure I have back up plans.

This weekend we’re in another mountain town, Shimla. I’m so incredibly happy to be back in the mountains. Shimla is especially interesting because it was a haven for the British during the raj and still has a lot of the colonial architecture/layout they established. Recently I’ve been trying to imagine what these towns and cities must’ve been when the paint was fresh and cars were few. Globalization has brought so many evils to this country. Of course without it, I very well could not have been here, not to mention a myriad of other benefits we've all gained from it. But still, what an incredibly exotic and natural place this must’ve been. Even 30 years ago it was probably a different world. I wish I could’ve seen it. Anyway, our hotel is pretty funny. The first night we stayed in a damp but relatively comfortable place. It was a little too expensive for what we were getting so we were on the lookout for a better option as we meandered through the city yesterday. We were approached by less obnoxious touts (as far as touts go) who showed us a different hotel in a more central location. Some of you may already know this but for those that don’t (cause I didn’t before I came here) touts are people who try and get you to stay at certain hotels or use certain tour companies and get a commission from the hotel for taking you there, which is often actually tacked on to your rate. In general I’ve avoided them but now that I’m beginning to gain a better understanding of what prices should and should not be here and also because they gave off a better vibe than most I’ve met, I listened to them. The guy who talked to me of course pulled out the Indian charm in the process, “You know, I love your accent and your smile, so you get a good price.” Sure buddy. Yeah that’s right, I’m sure you get the best rates in town. Mmmmhm. But we looked at the first hotel they wanted us to stay in, declined because it was overpriced and crappy, and then they showed us the good stuff. We managed to get a hotel that, listed in my lonely planet for 2500 rupees a night (around 60 dollars) for 1000 rupees a night (about 24 dollars). There’s three of us in the room so split three ways it’s not so bad. But man, we are in the LOVE room. Mirrors everywhere. I’m trying not to think about it so much. I’ll try and post pictures if I can figure out this whole blog thing. My fellow bloggers are really putting me to shame. Alright, well I think that pretty much sums it up!! Hopefully I’ll have some positive updates about the project in my next post. Cross your fingers for us out here!