We travelled in our trusty car from Rishikesh on to Dehredun. It was a short but absolutely beautiful drive, through the Himalayan foothills. If this was only the foothills, I can’t even imagine what places like Mt. Everest must look like! We were up so high one moment, then we would travel down through a small town nestled in the valley, then up again on beautiful roads which had the most amazing views. Unfortunately the roads didn’t appear to have any guard rails which are everywhere in Australia, but it made for great sightseeing as there was nothing between you and the cliff edge! We had what had become the obligatory Chai tea stop and as usual I wasn’t disappointed. Indians are so good at making Chai and it always tastes delicious. The views from the tiny little Chai shop were brilliant! We sat on the steps and sipped our refreshing brew soaking in the enormity of these mountains and the views below. We reached Dehredun quite early in the afternoon and travelled on to a town called Shastradhara. It appeared to be a tourist area for Indian people and had a real holiday feel to it. Shastradhara was nestled in a valley, with a very pretty river running through and surrounded by more mountains. It was lush and green and so much cooler than Delhi, still warm but not uncomfortable. People holidayed alongside the river and there was a damned area which was used for swimming. Alongside this area we saw some brightly clothed Buddhist monks travelling home, they seemed a little out of place and I suppose there must have been a Buddhist monastery somewhere closeby. 
After all we are not too far from Tibet here! I spotted a cable car and knew I had to check it out. It lead up to a Theme Park at the top of one of the hills. It was quaint, a little tired, but the views down the valleys were awesome! It had a little bit of a Disney feel to the park area and I am sure little children would have loved it. It wasn’t very busy though and I had the feeling it had seen better days. This area had a really playful and peaceful feel about it, there were young couples and families all seemingly on holidays with time to enjoy the warm weather. 
Next we went to our hotel, it was so quaint and had the most panoramic views out the back, our room had a 180deg view, we left the curtains open overnight so that the next morning we would be greeted by the sunrise. It proved not to be disappointing. We also had a gentle thunderstorm rock us to sleep that evening later on, a God made sound and light show, always a winner in my eyes.
After we had checked in, Tarun and Lehku knew of some falls that we had to visit. Again up a questionable road with no guard rails past ‘to die for views’ (literally) and arriving at a place that looked as though no one had seen for a few decades or more. Maybe it had once been a tourist attraction? I am not sure how Tarun finds these places, but I do love them! Barely any other people, definitely no other Europeans! We follow the trails to the top of the falls which were nice, dotted with a little rubbish which did spoil them and the track was a little tired too but still pretty and well worth the visit. Of course at the end of the trail next to the falls, there was a tiny kiosk, Tarun said they made great Chai, and, of course they did! Once again we were in the middle of nowhere enjoying a refreshing drink, a place which I don’t even know the name of but it was another one of India’s little mysteries.On the way to the falls we passed a very big and very red Hindu temple, it had an interesting sign I thought….please no donations! 
Back to the Rajpur Heights Hotel for a quick internet session followed by some Australians teaching some Indian guys how to play cards, with a very picturesque souvenir pack of cards from Rahjastan! Sometimes its hard not knowing the language, however it is always fun trying to teach and learn new things! We followed with dinner under the stars and yes chicken was back on the menu, we had left the spiritual vegetarian centre of India and so we were no longer devout vegetarians any more. Although from memory Lehku didn’t eat chicken on Tuesdays, but I am not sure why? Personally I found it good to eat chicken again!
indiahighsandlows 