I hadn’t done any exercise in four months, and it was showing. A mildly warm day, and several kilometers of hiking ahead. I was already tired, and I knew I was going to continue to feel that way for a long time. It didn’t help that I was wearing jeans too.

We were staying at an upscale lodge a half-hour’s drive above Nanital. Nanital is on the Kumoan side of India’s Uttarakhand state. It is a land of hills and mountains that eventually give way to the Indian and Nepali Himalayas.

Saturday’s itinerary had been much easier — sleeping. After a nightmare Friday night bus ride, we had finally reached our destination. Night transportation is supposed to be for the traveler’s comfort. The bus driver drives, and the passengers sleep. But on this non-AC bus, the bus driver did nothing, and we all watched.

Turns out that the bus owners didn’t want to incur a double toll tax, so they kept us in Delhi until after midnight. If they left and returned to Delhi during the same “day”, they would only have to pay once.
We, of course, were the ultimate victims. What could have been a six hour trip grew to twelve hours in length.

But now I am breathing mountain air and traversing up mountain lands. And once again, a funny thought occurs to me. I could be back in California’s Sierra Nevadas. I could be back in Yosemite. Pine trees, cool(er) air, stone, rocks, dirt.

Only difference? The locals selling chai. A sign outside also offers tooth extraction, STD treatment, and other health-related services.