Skype is available at limited places in Almora so we decide to do the walk back up to Kasar Devi following emailing a few people the day before. It is also not much use trying to access specific non food businesses in India before 10am as there is no guarantee that they will be open. Compensates for late close, the only variant on this appears to be the banks and GPO which still close on a fairly standard schedule at 4.30 or 5pm.
The decision is made to investigate the route we came down last night in the dark. Many things look different in the morning sun. It is so warm have chosen to wear shorts,though plenty of people around us are beanied and scarved. Young guys call namaste but almost as a show off to their friends so instead of returning the greeting or alternatively giving them the finger we wave and move on. (we are feeling frustrated due to a lack of return communication from Firefox to date leaving our timing uncertain) Most focus on Soph so I leave the replies to her and focus on the older guys etc who are more genuine.
We pass morning trash piles generally located around collection devices whether small wheelbarrows, concrete semi walled squares or green dump bins. All are open to the elements and the animals of whom we see plenty looking for breakfast. Once spread very little local attention is focused on the mess, much of which takes on the appearance of the lead in road to a dump. Don't want to over dramitise, there is plenty of beauty and interest but it is there, to the degree that the places where it is not really stand out.
One of the colonial houses we passed the night before has a sickle painted in red and identifies communist party of India on the almost sandstone rock work of the bottom floor, but the building is semi open and the red markings aged so it is difficult to determine how frequented or supported it currently is.
Further on we pass rock walled army encampment on one side and stores, houses on the other. At a fork we take the higher road which curls us up past an open fronted butcher. It looks like some mutton hanging in the store. It is not unusual to pass where live chickens are either under the store roaming around or in cages out the front. Admittedly caged, and would push me towards greater vegetarianism but you can't get more fresh than that. Most butchers definitely don't look like they have refrigeration and even if they did the infrequent blackouts would surely wreak havoc on the circuitry. Still since being in Almora we have eaten more meat than last in Australia.
Outside are some of the sickest looking dogs that we have seen. Many of the street dogs look like they have had close calls with motorbikes and cars but these are scrawny and some appear to have mange. Many in the bazaar are some of the best looking dogs that I have seen, with thick coats, beautiful expressive faces and curled fluffy tails. At the junction where we asked directions last night opposite at a dhaba opposite a fine looking veggie store. Some of the best food and chai is to be found near good veggie stores, not always a sure sign but dhabas are like books, you can't always tell from the cover. As predicted great fresh Aloo curry and chai. Great value too 5rup per serve.
Foot falcon up the hill passing initially small cluster of houses and stores, including one festooned with prayer flags and one with Christmas decorations, then increasingly wooded areas with spread out guest houses and resorts. The difference between resorts and hotels can be in the eye of the beholder. Generally guest houses tend to be a step below a hotel, but again what is in a name. The road crews are in action with pick and shovel digging a trench following the near side road edge laying green and orange conduit. The trench is not solid rock but there is enough to question how many picks and weeks the trench thus far has consumed.
The mountains are looking pretty specky (Sophs terminology, picked up from one of my brothers). Stop in at the Dolma restaurant / hotel for chai and toast with jam. The service is good but the jam is a fluro pink (not unusual) and the chai not to dhaba standard. Soph has her first squat toilet experience. I am not a fan, forwards no problems, but backwards seems too challenging to try when other options are within a days walk. From the Dolma we walk up to a Buddhist Ashram on the road leading to the Jungle Resort. Interesting name given the closest jungle is as far as I am aware a day away towards Corbett Tiger reserve.
Back to Mohans for Banana Porridge and espresso coffee, whilst blog writing. The numbers of os tourists has grown overnight nearly equaling the number of locals. Soph uses the facilities to Skype some of the fam based in Toronto NSW great to see and hear, but unfortunately the only computer without webcam. Meanwhile I discuss Uttarakhand travels with a guy from Northern Europe whilst having a scan of Kim a novel written Rudyard Kipling based in the Northern Himalaya closer to Lahore once a key Indian city prior to separation in 1947 to Pakistan. Would love to read, but uncertain of the library rules for non guests of Mohans.
Repeated attempts to contact Firefox by mobile unsuccessful and no confirming email received. Ahhh so frustrating. This means that we will need to convert to an international retailer who due to freight distance will be a further five days from order. At least it is viewable, quantifiable, specifically priced and trackable through the order / freight process.
We decide to walk off the frustration and so leave the cafe and walk to the next village from where a Forestry viewing tower is located. Nothing terribly exciting so we loop back post being helloed by several kids then asked for ten rupees. The kids giggle on the resulting neigh (no) and drop off after a while. Walking back to the village we pass grass skirted trees and farm houses. Two girls siddle up and start with the ten rupees, then swap to a banana as that is what we are eating. Post offloading some banana they follow us through town one fluffing loudly then giggling back at us. Nice.
Through the village we continue past Kasar Devi and back down the road on the ridge towards Almora. The sun is setting turning the Himalaya pink whilst streaming over the opposing valley ridges through a cloudy darkened sky. Feels like rain, cloudy and comparatively warm. Nice to walk back to town in the half light rather than no light. Back down at the stores the ditch team are still going. On the way up I noticed an old second world war American styled jeep that had seen better days and with a coating of dust parked haphazardly opposite a general store and just before the entrance to an eco park or reserve on the high side of the road. The ditch guys instead of moving the vehicle have curled the ditch around it and proceeded on.
Back in town we power up through the Bazaar to cafe Malla Mahal for veg chowmein, mutton momos and a veg burger. Unfortunately the server is down so we relocate to si-fy web cafe to place our order with Jenson USA, choosing over Chainreaction or Aus based web bike suppliers due to Christmas/NY shut down or anticipated weather effected freight. The cafe guys are fleecers though as the hour and three minutes we utilise the Internet is charged at 25rup when an hr is 19rup. Small amount but it is the principle of the matter. Again avoid the urge to give the bird to the smiling attendant.
Back at the hotel, type whilst watching cable until the day sends me off to sleep. At 2.50am I wake to Soph nudging me and pointing at a silhouette on our balcony before Soph yells at the top of her lungs in the most menacing voice she can summon, "Get away Get away" whilst I am still coming to. The beanied figure moves back from the window as we make for the balcony door interested in protecting our washing on the balcony. By the time we slide the three bolts and get out onto the balcony our late night visitor has scrambled down a down pipe and disappeared but without our washing. We had noticed when we arrived that the windows did not shut properly and the balconies were linked but were reassured by the metal bars across the windows. Our silhouetted visitor had opened the window, but would have only been able to grab anything left within reaching distance through the bars. Still not what you want to wake up to. It is difficult to shut down in the following hour due to adrenalin but eventually sleep comes.