The sun is shining...

...except when a pre-monsoon comes through. We have had 3 times today when the rain and wind lashed the house and the thunder rumbled and echoed off the mountains. Within minutes it all stops, the sun comes out, birds sing. It is dramatic and fantastic.

At dawn (before the rain) I heard a monk chant and a cow moo back. This is India.


We traveled to Palampur today. From Wikipedia:"Palampur is a fascinating green hill station and a municipal council in the Kangra Valley in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, surrounded on all sides by tea gardens and pine forests before they merge with the Dhauladhar ranges. Palampur is the tea capital of northwest India." Visited a tea factory and had a wonderful lunch.

We are nowhere near the bombings, but read about them in the paper everyday.

Ah our day off last week: Buddha's Birthday is the major Buddhist festival of the year honoring the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha on the first full moon day in May. The celebration was not limited to Buddhists - everyone was off!

Listing things we miss (other than family): pets, highspeed internet, hot shower, cooking in own kitchen, convenience stores, beef, acessible water and ice. Funny no one mentioned American Idol.