[Internet not working well here, so can't use my virginia.edu mail, which might be blocked anyway as I went over quota just as I left, and don't know if I deleted enough to be back on quota]
Friday (22nd Oct) first went to breakfast at the school, after I barely arrived in my 6-7:15 drive up from Dehra Dun to the Hanifl House as Jim and Loise, his two grand kids, Helen, and Allan and Yvonne walked off to breakfast; I went in and brushed teeth, took pills, went to the bathroom, and then walked to breakfast. They sat us in front at the 8:30 monthly Parker Hall session, but did not introduced us. Did some Internet stuff.
See a photo album India 2010 #1
Went in a car with Helen and others to see where her brother, George, fell (and then died some weeks later of his injuries). Somewhat emotional for Helen, but she kept asking questions of the driver who had helped, along with the driver's brother, to go down and carry injured George back up the road, so that George could be taken to the hospital, etc. It is locate in the very, very steep ravine which goes from the School, to the west side of Eastwood and down to Hanson Field. The car went back up to the School where we had morning tea.
Around 11:45 am we got in cars and went to a 'development' lunch at Rookbey, a nicely redone house, up and down as a plosh restaurant. I had tandoori cheese salad, mustard chicken, and chocolate mousee (or mouse, as we joked, all non-veg dishes). Several staff were there including the Principal, Anne L, Chris S, Aba (development officer), and others. Leon Dillingham is spending 3 months doing video of the school and area, and since he's also Class of 1960, he joined us for lunch - quite an interesting, knowageable, and funny guy. Rookbey is up near Kellog, near the top of the hill.
I went to Landour bazaar as others went back to Woodstock or Hanifl. Got my hair cut, bought 2 coke bottles and asked how much a car would cost back to Hanifl (Rs 100), bought 2 bottles of beer, checked out a Rs 1300 ($32) cell phone to possibly purchase. Walked on past the now destroyed, gone clock tower and on to Picture Palace. They said Rs 200, I offered Rs 100, but one guy said, okay Rs 150, so came back with him, giving him Rs 170. Tried using the Internet here and got some connection on my laptop, but then they locked both doors to the Center where the computer room is - so I had to open up a window and yell at the chowkidar to unlock one of the doors.
It started raining and then raining hard. Jim let me an umbrella and the four (Jim, Loise, and grandson Steve) of us walked back to school for supper, which was pretty good - varied Indian dishes with rice.
The school kids were in the other room having a special dinner, all dressed up for a Sadie Hawkins dance to follow - but we came back around 7, with it still sprinkling. I left by myself, without flashlight, in the dark walking Tehri road in the dark (no street lights working). I just kept to the hillside and hoped for the best.
Only a few cars blinded me at the beginning and luckily no one came walking for me to bump into. Next day discovered an electric line and fallen down on Tehri, but on the down khud side, so I mixed being entangled and electricuted by it. 5 minutes after I got back, they arrived.
I worked some on my photos uploading them - drank a Haywood, but I was exhausted and soon fell to sleep, under a nice quite in a refreshingly coolish room.
Woke up a few times during the night, but fell back to sleep right away, until around 5 when I couldn't get back to sleep so worked on photos some more, took my first India shower (nice warm water), and did not go with Jim and Alan on their nice walk up to the top of the hill, where they saw a huge oak tree had fallen down just missing a roof and a car, but toppled the electric lines in the area.
See photo album India 2010 #2
Saturday (23nd Oct) We took off for breakfast around 7:30, ate and got ready to get cars to take us to Wyneberg Allen's sport field where there was an Inter-school sports day (5 different schools like Woodstock joined together for the meet. It was quite somthing watching the high schoolers - hurdling, jumping, pole vaulting, running, etc. Tom Alter opened the whole event up and even went down and gave some of the medals to the winners on the victor stand. Alan was quite surprised Tom had such as strong Indian accent. We sat with the Woodstock students at first, and then went to a guest area under a canopy, luckily before it started to rain. But it didn't rain long or hard anyway. We found rest rooms, a different kinds of hot food at stalls.
Had lunch and then went to the bazaar at Picture Palace - I went off with Jim and his two grandkids, leaving staff member Emo to show slow Helen around, but lost them shortly after getting Bengali sweets (two warm gulab jamins). Jim was bent on finding his grandaughter a woman to put hena on her hand. I chased after them, stopping briefly at Bond's book shop, and going almost all the way to the Library, without finding them. Took a Rs 30 rickshaw back, and bought a Rs 80 torch (flashlight). Found Jim getting his shoes shined. His granddaughter had her hena. Then off to Picture Palace to catch a car back to the Hanifl house, and tried this Internet now.
It's almost 6 pm so need to go off and join others for the walk to the Principals house and our WWD celebration.
Nice Wold-Wide Woodstock Day - met some new folks, joined with others for the evening celebration. Good food, good conversations, jovial. Singing some Woostock songs. Sparkling lights of Dehra Dun. Light conversation among us on our way home after a very interesting, full day.
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