The Himalayan segment of my journey is over - I've returned to Delhi to consult with various experts and government officials, and will be moving south, to my field sites in central India, at the end of next week. I thought I'd share a few pictures I took my last few weeks in the Himalayas.
The monsoon brought incredible displays of clouds, light, and rain.
And lush growth of everything, including these beautiful dahlias in my landlord's garden.
When it rains, it really rains. If you can see white stuff, that is a thick layer of hail. It was so dark in the midst of this storm that I couldn't take a picture until the rain let up a bit. Everything was water & noise.
But the storms lift to incredible sunsets...
Mountains shrouded in fog...
At the bottom of the river valley (which took 3 hours of hiking straight downhill to reach) were small rice paddies, fed by irrigation works diverting the warm water of this little river. While the heights of Mussoorie were temperate, the vegetation down here - I forgot to bring my GPS but it must be at least 1000 m lower in elevation - was very tropical.
The irrigation canal, a well maintained concrete structure. Women are transplanting rice out of nursery beds and into the main fields.
This plant was growing wild all over the place. It looked and smelled quite familiar... Apparently the Himalayas are its native habitat.
There was a small water powered grain mill. Apparently farmers come from at least 10 km away (and in these hills, 10 km is a LONG way) to grind their wheat into flour here. My Hindi wasn't good enough for me to find out who owns it. I imagine this is similar to the grain mills, now ruined, that I find along New England streams.
Everything is lush and green
and clouds roll in and out.
Another sunset.
A mountain village. You can see both traditional and modern homes here. This village is a one hour walk from the nearest road so the concrete in the modern houses has all been carried here on the backs of donkeys.
More rain. It was so damp that the mattress in my room started to mold, and I woke up every morning with a sort throat (I'm allergic to mold). This made it easier for me to return to the hot and arid plains - maybe they are hot and humid, but at least you can dry your clothes!
Maize seems to be the major crop in the uplands.
And
the main cash crop is milk, carried up the mountain to the city, from buffaloes such as this beauty.
A cute local dog, for those dog lovers in my audience...
The 4th of July!
The monsoon brought incredible displays of clouds, light, and rain.
And lush growth of everything, including these beautiful dahlias in my landlord's garden.
When it rains, it really rains. If you can see white stuff, that is a thick layer of hail. It was so dark in the midst of this storm that I couldn't take a picture until the rain let up a bit. Everything was water & noise.
But the storms lift to incredible sunsets...
Mountains shrouded in fog...
At the bottom of the river valley (which took 3 hours of hiking straight downhill to reach) were small rice paddies, fed by irrigation works diverting the warm water of this little river. While the heights of Mussoorie were temperate, the vegetation down here - I forgot to bring my GPS but it must be at least 1000 m lower in elevation - was very tropical.
The irrigation canal, a well maintained concrete structure. Women are transplanting rice out of nursery beds and into the main fields.
This plant was growing wild all over the place. It looked and smelled quite familiar... Apparently the Himalayas are its native habitat.
There was a small water powered grain mill. Apparently farmers come from at least 10 km away (and in these hills, 10 km is a LONG way) to grind their wheat into flour here. My Hindi wasn't good enough for me to find out who owns it. I imagine this is similar to the grain mills, now ruined, that I find along New England streams.
Everything is lush and green
and clouds roll in and out.
Another sunset.
A mountain village. You can see both traditional and modern homes here. This village is a one hour walk from the nearest road so the concrete in the modern houses has all been carried here on the backs of donkeys.
More rain. It was so damp that the mattress in my room started to mold, and I woke up every morning with a sort throat (I'm allergic to mold). This made it easier for me to return to the hot and arid plains - maybe they are hot and humid, but at least you can dry your clothes!
Maize seems to be the major crop in the uplands.
And the main cash crop is milk, carried up the mountain to the city, from buffaloes such as this beauty.
A cute local dog, for those dog lovers in my audience...
The 4th of July!
