Morning walks in Mashobra

Looking out from the fire escape of Gables, where we stayed.

A lot of people think of vacations as the time to sleep in as a way to counteract the daily routine of waking up early. I'm not one of them. The reason is that since I am a freelancer, I can wake up whenever I want to, so I don't have any pressure on me. Waking up early for me is a way to view the world differently, a way to gather my thoughts, a way to spend some quiet time.

I have been waking up early on all of my recent vacations, not entirely for a walk, but more to explore the surroundings, to take in the fresh air, and to get a better feel of the place. Our trip to Mashobra in June 2009 was no different. Even though we were watching the T20 Cricket World Cup matches late into the night, I was waking up early for a relaxed exploration of the area.


The bazaar road is hopelessly broken. Beware on puddles on rainy days!

Like so many other small towns in the hills, Mashobra is decaying. The old buildings in the bazaar are disappearing quickly and are being replaced by apartment blocks for weekend visitors. I'm not saying I'm against it, just that the style of most of these blocks is better suited to the plains and they look like misfits in the hills.

Lions at the gate of one of the private developments.

Even the most dilapidated of buildings looks nicer in the morning light, and that's a nicer way to see them, I feel. A gentler way that might make you imagine how they actually looked in better times. In Mashobra, there a just a handful of these buildings left in the bazaar, as most of the buildings being made now are boring concrete structures on stilts.

Looking down into the garden and orchard around a house in Mashobra.

There is only one road in Mashobra, that goes through the bazaar, so there really isn't much choice in where to walk. The road meanders through the bazaar, climbing towards the village's larger and best maintained homes.

I loved stopping at a different bench everyday on my way back, to stop and listen to the stillness, to try and remember the moment so that I could pull it out when I need it most, and to notice all the little things around me. Often I got to notice more than I wanted, like the guys from the military camp who stopped to pee on the roadside while on their morning jog. They sure were very surprised to see me!

One of my favorite spots on the walk. The wall is of the house that I like most of all in Mashobra and this shady stretch was always nice and cool on my way back.

Well, that's how life in India is, always surprising you, sometimes blindsiding you, but always a memorable experience.

More photos from my trip to Mashobra in June can be seen here.