Jilling Estate Part III: Things to do

So, what does one do with a day in the Himalayas? A pictoral essay.

First, you wake up and get stuffed with breakfast masala eggs, homemade apricot jam and chai.  Pictured below is the first serving of like, four that you will eat. 

Then your farmer host grabs you by the hand and introduces you to the cow, who has clearly put on her best shrubbery to make your acquaintance. (This cow happens to be pregnant so I wasn't able to milk her, but Pavati did make me put my hand on her stomach to feel the calf kicking).

Your host also introduces you to a pair of bulls who swear their "just friends".  When you ask which bull knocked up the pretty little heifer above the answer is a bit confusing: the doctor. After further inquiry the situation becomes clear--little Bessie apparently has been getting fertility treatments from the local vet, including daily sperm injections via syringe.

Then, your host, aged 55+ and clad in a sari, scrambles up a plum tree in order to harvest the final plums of the season. You very helpfully hold up the box to collect the plums in and eat some when she's not looking.
 

It's time to eat again. The below pictured food is just one of the many plates being served during the lunch. (My favorite was this amazing fresh mutton dish because most Indians in Delhi seem to be vegetarians so the non-veg food options are fairly limited--and somewhat hygienically iffy)

You're too stuffed to do anything much after lunch, so you make friends with a delightful adolescent who is also an excellent photographer and enjoys listening cheesy country music almost as much as you do. 

Once you've woken up from a mini siesta in the sun, your friends take you for a hike, pointing out the various birds and wildlife as you go. In one brief but exhilarating moment of danger you watch a pine martin stalk and almost kill a pheasant, who makes a triumphant escape by flying away. Sadly, in its panic the pheasant flies directly into a clothes line where it snaps its neck and explodes into a ball of feathers. (No gruesome pictures, I run a family-friendly blog here, folks).

At the top of the mountain, your friends show you a deceptively steep hill referred to as "the rolling place". You all give it a go (Nandini, the best roller of us all, pictured below)

 

 

On the way back you notice small shrines spread throughout the forest (below, a Christian shrine, as Nandini's paternal folk are Christians).

Then, somehow you, your friends and a dog end up on the roof.

And finally, as the day wears down, you eat a ton of more food, check your room for shrews and scorpions (finding none present, fortunately) and drift off to sleep.

Man, what a tiring day. But wait, there's still more to come tomorrow . . . .