Monkey + Rain ATTACK!!!!!

Part 1:

Attacked in the Lair of Lord Hanuman:

In the mountain town of Shimla (Queen of Hills; Hill of Queens), we ascend a steep path towards the famous Jakhu Temple, dedicated to the Hindu monkey deity, Hanuman. As we approach, a wise woman and her daughter advise us to hide our belongings: her glasses have been snatched away by a devious monkey!

We trek on, Virginia blind (having stashed her glasses away) and Callie shrieking in terror, as hoards of monkeys surround us on all sides, scratching their bellies in nearby trees, swinging over temple gates and darting up the path towards the temple.

Summary: we survive, but not without the help of several locals and a stick which we are forced to pay to rent for the fifteen minutes we visit the temple.

Part 2:

Drenched! A Three-Fold Story of Rain and the Quest for a Waterfall:

We befriend two lovely Israeli women as we head westward from Shimla on a drizzly Saturday morning. The rain begins to fall more heavily, but after an hour of walking, we are sure that we are near the famous Chadwick Falls.

Signage disappears, and we are forced to ask locals (in Hindi) for directions. No one seems to agree.

We follow a loquacious lady down a steep, rocky path (still raining), hoping that she knows best the way to the waterfall.

Rain pours on our heads, and we seek shelter with local boys under an old concrete overhang in the middle of the hills. Finally, the water relents and we continue.

Again, downpour. We enter a small school and befriend the teachers on their lunch hour. Then, onward!

But only moments later, MORE RAIN. We hang with the only shopkeeper for miles and his teenage son. We drink tea. Finally, finally, the rain relents (sort of) and we get to see the waterfalls.

Which are pretty cool. But cumulative volume of water that had fallen on our heads was probably greater than that of the 90 foot falls. And we got a taxi back-- the true victory.

NEXT STEPS: To try to avoid rain, we are rerouting to Jaipur and Rajasthan! Southward tomorrow!