Monkeys and Monsoons

After braving the dangers of Delhi’s rickshaws, bureaucracy, and pollution (otherwise known as utter craziness), all the EAP students took a bus to Mussorie. Mussorie is a town in the Himalayas (6,000-7,000 Feet) where we will be participating in an intensive language program for Hindi. It is a beautiful setting in which to learn the language. Everyday, we wake up to beautiful view of the Himalayas. It is a Shangri-La… almost…

While Mussorie may seem like a utopian community, yesterday all the EAP students had an orientation giving us some friendly advice. A local gave us some warning on the local dangers. He described to us how we are entering monsoon season. The rain will be heavy but sporadic. He told us tales of how leopards roam the hillside and eat the stray dogs. He said they especially like the fog (which is frequent here because we often are in the clouds); he said we should be careful of them. But wait, there is more, bears also frequent the area. Yet danger comes in all shapes and sizes though. He warned us of the scorpions, giant poisonous centipedes, and the spiders. His advice was to, "shake all our clothes and shoes before putting them on." As if this was not enough to watch out for, monkeys are everywhere. While they may look cute, they can be very aggressive (they can beat people with their long hard tails) and go to great lengths to enter rooms and steal food. A friend and I sat watching a monkey eat her chocolate in the tree which he took from her room. And finally, sine this is the monsoons season, leaches can also be a problem. But not just any leaches but striped leaches which can be particularly dangerous if left to their own devices. To recap: 1) Leopards, 2) Bears, 3) Spiders, 4) Scorpions, 5) Giant poisonous centipedes, 6) Monkeys, and 7) Leaches.

Nonetheless, I love Mussorie. I really shouldn’t give it too bad a portrayal; it is a wonderful place. I was sick for the first 4 days but it is an amazing place with breathtaking vistas and a wonderful vibe. I guess I can brave the monkeys and monsoons…