Desire is the root of all unhappiness

A complete time adjustment has finally been made, it is before 6am (local time) and I am awake and have been conscious for an hour or so. However, I now have an appreciation for the torment friends have had with barking dogs. I am not sure what made this one bark, but I am sure glad that it stopped, well for a few hours anyway. Now the birds are starting to call each other, but no HORNS, although I did hear an engine start a few minutes ago.

It is a little chilly right now, (I suspect mid to high teens), but the air is crisp, and clean which really helped with sleeping once the dog stopped. There is also something about waking up in the mountains, at around 6200 feet. I understand that the highest part of town is at 8000 feet, probably a little more than I want to climb on my first day or two, but I would not be against taking a cab. I also hear this is where the Monkey god resides, or at least his representatives on earth. Fortunately, they are vegetarian, and very smart, so it is possible to bargain for your stuff back.

This weekend is a big holiday for Hindu's the world over, even President Obama has attended celebrations in Washington, so I suspect that the market will be jam packed. I expect that we will be venturing out into the crowd for the experience and to pick up firecrackers. If last night was any indication, tonight the valley will be filled with enough booms to make it sound like Thor is using his hammer to tenderize a tough steak. We did journey to the mall, where the tradition of boys chasing girls and girls letting them be chased is still going strong. This street mall had some amazing views of the Himalayan’s and even though it was relatively flat we were still able to look down on one part of the mall, from another, so I guess you could call this a two story mall. While there was another level, since it was outside the "no traffic" gates, I don't think this other street counts.

Like malls everywhere, there was a delivery system in place to bring your goods home. Although in this case it was a single independent contractor or store employee who carried the good on his back. After our climb of 1000 feet to the mall, (I suspect that my legs will be a little stiff tomorrow), I was not sure I could keep up with this fellow, even though I was only carrying whatever I could fit in my pockets. In fact, after I snapped a quick picture, he disappeared into the crowd; I don't feel so bad, because I think he left the person who bought the whirlpool fridge behind also. We also went to the official tourist office, where we booked and paid for our tour on Sunday, which will be cancelled if six other passengers don't show up. If our tour gets cancelled, we will probably hire a taxi and follow the route as given in the brochure.

I have to mention that I was asked by "Ruby" (Which is Sharanjit's official nickname, and not "Duck", as he went by at Laurier); if I was in good enough shape to walk up hills to the market. Well, .... I have to admit that I am not in the best shape of my life, but I am not sure if I would have ever been in good enough shape to hit these "hills" with the ease everyone seems to. There were many times when a picture taking break was needed, although there were a few times when I tried to get a few different views of the same building. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be here long enough to improve my cardio condition enough to do it without breaks, but I sure hope (Desire) to reduce the number of breaks.

Next: How quick can I throw away a lighted firecracker? OR Are acts of stupidity covered under my insurance policy?

PS: Don't worry, part of the solution is recognizing that there is a problem.