Happy Halloween from India

So today is Halloween. The night of Halloween to be precise. But that's only in India. People back home are still at work. I'm so impressed with my friends who have brave enough to wear costumes to work. Way to go guys! I brought my witches stockings all the way to India just so that I could wear them on Halloween.

I knew I would get some crazy looks, and I have indeed gotten some crazy looks.

So, while this sight in America would warrant picture taking and much gawking, here it is just us silly tourists taking pictures of the pigs with piglets that were wandering around the bus stop.

 Meanwhile, I have definitely gotten the "Is she crazy?" looks from random strangers. (Yes, that's a different look than the "Is she angrez?" look that I get much more often)

If I had gone to school today, I would have worn my black skirt and shoes to complete the look, but that's not very practical for traveling in. So instead it looks a little bit like I'm dressed up as a Christmas elf.

They don't really celebrate Halloween here. Not really at all.



So I don't know why this one jewelry store sold masks and fairy wings.

We didn't buy any masks, but Becky bought some bangles to match her red scarf.



But that does bring me to my next point.

Becky and I are travailing. We started our trip this morning in Dehradun, where Becky literally had to jump onto a moving bus - it was going pretty slow and they probably would have stopped if she'd yelled at them, but still...

Then we sat on a bus for a couple of hours and watched the scenery change. Well, really, it didn't change all that much from Uttarakhand to Himachael except that it started getting more hilly towards the end.

Now we're in Nahan.

Before we left for this trip, someone from this area asked us why we were going to Nahan.



He said there was nothing in Nahan despite what my Outlook Traveller Himachal guide might say to the contrary.

Becky and I agreed it was a little bit like visiting Amarillo, Texas.

Interesting, but not really a place for tourists.

 I have to confess that when we first pulled into town, I too was unimpressed at first.

But then we had lunch and met Sangita, who goes by "Sweety". She was so friendly and spoke to me in Hindi. We conversed about what we planned to see while in Himachal. She and Becky bonded because she's a nurse and Becky is studying to be a nurse.

The people here in Nahan were all very friendly. We talked to some women at the park while we were exploring the "lake" in the middle of town. She invited us to take chai with her although we politely refused. 

When we first arrived, several people pointed us towards to the hotel (without having to be asked... apparently they don't get many tourists here).

And tonight, after another lovely meal at Sweety's restaurant, we had chai on our hotel's rooftop overlooking the town.

 The chai was good and the guy at the next table over pulled out his guitar and started singing. I don't know what language he was singing in, but it wasn't Hindi. It was quite lovely.

So really, much like Amarillo, it's the people that make this town a cool place to visit.