Matheran and Monkeys (Jessica)

Today we traveled to a nearby city called Matheran. We rode the train with a couple of friends which was in itself an experience since we don’t speak Hindi…Note to Self-learn important words in language of country BEFORE getting there.
















Matheran is a huge mountain that people visit because of the amazing views. At a certain point cars can not drive so you either ride a horse, walk, or get carried..see below. We originally planned to ride horses but there, riding a horse means sitting on a horse that is being led by a man on a rope. Not my idea of an adventure. The fact that they were going to charge us 4 times the original price was also a bit of a deterrent.

I actually really enjoyed the hike. It started out following a train track. Along this train track there were monkeys swinging in the trees, homes, local people selling things, other hikers, and lots of dust. We did have a few hiccups along the way though. Being the bright person I am, didn’t bring any tennis shoes so I wore sandals. Sandals+train tracks+rocks+being clumsy is not a good combo. I tripped and stubbed my toe, which then bled the rest of the day. Then the chaos really started. A girl that came with us got a tissue packet out of her bag to stop my toe from bleeding everywhere. The monkeys that were around us thought she was taking food out of her bag and attacked! Six monkeys came out of nowhere and started grabbing at her bag and legs. I was frozen with a bleeding toe (not because I was scared of course ;) as was everyone else. She started to run away which made it worse and eventually just threw the bag of tissues to the monkeys and they ran away with it. The little son of a gun took the tissue packet up in a tree and when he figured out that it wasn’t food, just threw it on the ground. All of that for nothing. I later saw a man with a sling shot…smart man.

The mountain we hiked had 12 scenic points to check out. I think we saw 4 of them and walked around 6 miles. They were absolutely beautiful! I am so lucky and grateful for having an opportunity to visit this beautiful place.

I understand people being private about using the restroom and that sort of thing but when you’re in a foreign country those rules change (not that I ever followed them anyways). I apologize in advance if this is TMI (too much information), haha. So about eight hours in, I desperately needed to pee. I had avoided it the whole day because the public bathrooms there were a bit less than desirable if you catch my drift, and I have a fear of peeing outside (something I’m working on overcoming…I’m hoping being in India will help me get over it, h). There were homes along the railroad tracks while we were hiking back down and I saw an older woman standing outside of one. In my desperation I asked her if I could use her restroom and she said yes! I almost cried. In India many extended families live together in the same area. Sometimes in the same house, just different rooms, sometimes in several houses in a row, sometimes in a big apartment, each sub-family unit getting their own floor. The old woman led me through the maze of rooms and cottages each belonging to a different segment of her family (probably each son had a home for his wife and children) and brought me to a small room of a newly married couple. They showed me her wedding sari that was absolutely beautiful, and then showed me to the restroom. Now toilets in India aren’t toilets at all, they are holes in the ground with two places to put your feet on either side of the hole. It was intimidating at first, but honestly it made so much more sense than a western toilet. I won’t go into detail, but I was very happy with the end result.

Afterwards the whole family gathered and offered me chai tea and food and wanted me to sit with them. It was so sweet and welcoming. I sat with them for a moment and gave them a few American coins to try to return the favor, and went back to where the rest of my group was waiting. The people here are so hospitable and sweet.

At several points, people asked us if they could take their pictures with us. I guess we kind of stand out. This picture is with us and the most adorable baby ever! She was beautiful!

Great day :)