Woodstock — by Claire

Woodstock — by Claire

Today was our first, and only, full day in Mussoorie. We started the day early, waking up at 7 to eat breakfast and go on a hike to Jabark Het, a nature reserve not too far from the Woodstock School’s outdoor center, where we are spending the night. We began our hike on a fairly flat stone covered path, the view was stunning, we were able to see the surrounding mountains. About ten or fifteen minutes later we reached our first stop. There were tree stump seats, surrounded by large rocks, and fluttering above our heads were a few lines of prayer flags. Our second stop was at the top of flag hill. From the high view point we were able to see the Himalayas, which compared to the surrounded mountains looked small, very far off in the distance. We took a short break, but quickly started walking back to the outdoor center to prepare for our next outing.

We went to part of the Woodstock school campus for lunch. The environment of the dining hall was very similar to that of a ski resort. The outside was extremely different, the vibe of the campus was very similar to Catlin’s, however, it looked like an old building in Europe. We took a short tour of the school, visiting the gym, the teachers’ lounge, and several outdoor quads.

While we only have one day in Mussoorie it is already very clear to everyone how different each place is. In a matter of six hours we went from a crowded, honk-filled city to a remote mountain town. The air quality has also changed drastically, while the mountain air is thin it is much cleaner and very refreshing compared to the air in the center of Delhi. We all are looking forward to what tomorrow, and the rest of the trip, holds. —Claire