शिमला

I'm in Shimla! Sorry there hasn't been a post recently. We don't have internet in the hotel, so I have to use spotty/sketchy cybercafes. The upside is they charge about 50 rupees (a little more than $1) an hour.

So I guess the most exciting news is that we hiked to the Jakhu Mandir (Monkey Temple) yesterday. The hike is extremely steep and strenous. BUT I made it to the top first. All of those years of walking instead of owning a car are finally paying off! There was a beautiful temple at the top, which is for Hanuman the Hindu god. He's part monkey, so they don't shoo the monkeys away from the temple. That means that outside of the temple there are at least five monkeys at any given moment. For the most part they are quite harmless. Sometimes they bite/scratch. So I kept my distance and used my zoom on my camera. I went into the temple and received a blessing from the guru there. Then he gave me some "snack food" which was nuts and little sugar balls. It's actually the same food they give to the monkeys. So I hate half of it and took the other half outside. A monkey came close, so I put the remainder of my snack on the ground. He ate each piece very carefully. I took a picture. Sharing a meal with a monkey by Hanuman's temple on the highest point in Shimla, in the Himalayas, was probably the coolest thing I've done thus far.

Now I need to go figure out dinner. The peaches are in season here, so I'm eating lots of fruit and naan (bread). Trouble with the protein in take. Getting a little thin. But I promise I'll make it home to share my pictures! (WHICH I still cannot upload because the computers in cybercafes don't have USB ports...)

Thanks for checking in. I love the comments!
Elizabeth