the flu and the fog

I'm still in the hill station of Mussoorie, but booked a train ticket for Monday evening that goes to Bikaner, in Rajasthan State. That's a 16 hour train ride, but it's an overnight sleeper train, so I'll have a bunk to sleep on. And although it'll be a narrow and hard bunk that's still much better than sitting upright on a bus, and not getting any sleep at all...So, not too much has happened here in Mussoorie due to the fact that the day after I got here, I came down with a pretty bad cold. Nothing wrong with the stomach (which is what you would think would happen to me one of these days in India, but not yet miraculously), just the usual running nose, sore throat, stuffy head, etc. But it was the best place to get sick, since I have a hot shower and, even more importantly a TV. So I've definitely caught up with the news (can't wait for my $800 check from the government, even if it is Prez. Bush handing it out, that will be nice timing if it's waiting for me when I get back) and watched plenty of movies and music videos. But as it turns out I didn't miss much while being in bed the last couple of days, as Mussoorie got hit by this crazy fog that hasn't lifted the entire time I've been here. I'd mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing the views of the Himalaya from here, but at times the fog is so thick that I literally can't see the trees that are about 20 feet away from my window. So, this evening I was feeling a lot better and went out and walked around a little before it got dark, and got some great photos of the town engulfed in the fog. But I'm hoping that by either tomorrow or else Monday morning before I take off there will be some clear skies so that I can hike up Gun Hill (right in the middle of town and an easy hike, but has the best views around apparently) since this will be my last chance to see the mountains for a while. Otherwise, at least I got those photos from the bus. So the next time I write will probably be from Bikaner, in the desert of Rajasthan (where I'm hoping to heck it'll be warmer, the forecast here is a low of around freezing tonight....I know that doesn't sound so terribly cold, but you just have to imagine seeing your breath everywhere you go, even in the restaurants and your room, and then 40 degrees or so gets pretty darn chilly)....