Feb 28 - Mar 1 Guwahati, Bangalore, Kodaikanal

Feb 28 The road most traveled: Shillong to Guwahati, here getting another couple of lanes and minor straightening. The construction covers about a third of the length. Winter is the time for road construction – dry and mild temperatures – but Gail and I feel sorry for the folks and the plants living next to the dust. In the 30 km stretch of construction we saw heavy equipment in only about four places.
The airport is small and the gate area chaotic. We stopped in Calcuta, but saw only this, from the plane window. That's tarmac, not the Ganges. We stayed at a very nice hotel (nearest the airport) in Bangalore (Bangaluru here).
The airport is very new, and quite lovely: these fellow fliers agreed that the food services were just fine. We were met at the Muderai airport by a Kodai cabbie, who had been doing the 100 km trip for 23 years and shared his wide knowledge of the route with us. Ann Peck, our Vermonter host, hand picked the driver. Her husband Bruce, who has been equally gracious and helpful, grew up here in a missionary/academic family. We get excited as the mountains come into view. Kodaikanal is at 7,000 ft. first settled by Americans in the 1840's, then built up by the Brits. It is now a favorite resort for wealthy and middleclass Indians from all over.
Monkeys are finding harder to survive in the forest as more land is given over to agrabusiness and housing, so they frequent the roadside for jetsam – OK: trash. The actual climb, here nearing the end, is 50 km through mountain passes and edge-hanging roads, winding up the back side to town. I knew from Google Earth that there's a five thousand foot drop at the edge of town: I didn't know it started at Bruce's studio – pics later. Here's the Google image, looking north. We're staying back of the crest in the central valley of this hilltop city, near the small river that starts yet higher to the west. Ann found us this lovely cottage, two rooms and a bath, all the amenities. Here's the living-dining-kitchen room. Next up, Grace Creche and smokeless stoves.