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  Tattapani, India
Sunday, May 20, 2007

Keefe and I began our "detour" through Himachal Pradesh at the Dehra Dun bus stand, trying unsuccessfully to catch a bus up to Shimla.  The situation was looking decidedly inauspicious, and after missing the first bus, then waiting around for a few hours with our newfound friend Neo, the next bus arrived with only two available seats.  So we did the Indian thing and shared two seats amongst the three of us.  It was a painful, jarring, loooooong Himalayan bus ride, but we made it to Shimla by late that evening. 
 
Neo liked sharing a seat with us so much that he opened his bed to us after we tried unsuccessfully to find a room for the night in Shimla (all filled with Indian honeymooners).  After enjoying Neo's stellar hospitality and a brief tour of the town, we were off again the next morning-this time on a local bus to Tattapaani.  This ride was also a bit painful and jarring, but fortunately not as long, and the scenery was such that one could easily get distracted.  By early evening we were nearing Tattapaani, our bodies crying out for relief from endless bus rides and for the reward that waited on the other end.  There was a bus accident blocking the road only a few miles short of Tattapaani, however, and after a long time standing out in the street with all the other passengers trying to figure out "kya hoa?!?" (what happened), we finally grabbed our bags and started walking for it-praying that we were as close to our destination as we estimated.
 
Shortly after dark, we'd made our way to the guesthouse and plopped our stuff down, and Keefe was gleefully reunited with his lovely Greek lass.  I settled for a Kingfisher beer and a big ol' plate of comfort food (pasta!).  I could tell immediately that my luck was not going to run as Keefe's had, as the "she has a friend" that he'd lured me there with was a pretentious Canadian teenager, barely legal and even less tolerable.  Instead I consoled myself with more Kingfishers and a dip in the sulphurous hot springs that give Tattapaani its name.

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Tattapaani II: the mighty Sutlej	Tattapaani III	Tattapaani IV: the Shiva cave	Tattapaani V: my new homies

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