winding down.

I apologize in advance for the rushed and jam packed entry: I am in a bit of a time crunch right now, and need to get through winter break travels before summer break arrives...

Regaining strength and reacquainting ourselves with life in the fast lane, we were able to make it into Rajaji Park with almost normal energy levels. It was Forest's birthday, and we really wanted to see worthwhile wildlife, so we went on not one, but two safaris. We weren't able to see any leopards or tigers, but we did see elephants (although the picture isn't very good at showing it), along with loads of other wildlife; we also made good friends with our personal jeep drivers, both named Manoj. They told us about a wedding that night, and of course we thought it would be a great idea to crash it... making the celebration all the more epic for the guests. The bride and groom weren't there yet, so after about an hour, we left, gearing up for the final leg of our journey: Rishikesh and then Mussoorie.

We rode in style in the safari jeep to Rishikesh, drawing even more stares than usual considering our conspicuous vehicle.. It was as peaceful as always and we did the usual Rishikesh routine, eating Western food, buying hippie clothes, people watching the Israelis, soaking up the sun on the banks of the Ganga and beginning to breath and process the entire journey. One afternoon, after deciding to return to nap, barely even able to properly move our legs, we had the pleasant surprise of stumbling upon some sort of political parade, which we got stuck in the smack middle of. At least it did provide for a bit of motivation to move fast: get out before being hit by an auto rickshaw full of 13 riled Indians yelling obnoxious Hindi into ridiculously large megaphones.

Returning to Mussoorie, we were more than welcoming of the fresh mountain air; however, we found ourselves without wood for the bukhari, which wasn't going to fly. Luckily the caveman was able to push down the dead tree in our front yard for a few logs, and the next day we were able to track down a few quintels from the local coolies. Problem solved.

Staff meetings began the day after we came back, and Forest found plenty of ways to occupy his time. Saroj gave him daily cooking lessons, which resulted in way too much good food, and he bonded with the local hooligans, going on hikes, playing basketball, seeing the local hot spots, and resorting back to childhood for 5 days.

Buffalo Burger: talk about a life milestone

Forest had a splendid visit, and the journey to drop him off in Delhi went without hitch (which usually doesn't happen). It was weird to have time to myself, after so many weeks with guests, but I fell back into the pace of Woodstock life pretty quickly. I leave in a few hours for a week long jaunt in a nearby village with 15 ninth graders, so will be a bit out of touch for a bit, but will soon be back at it, hopefully with an abundance of stories to share.