Kempty Falls Adventure

Phil did not tell the story of the Kempty Falls adventure. We had ended up walking all the way down to the far end of the Mussourie market and were trying to decide whether to head home or do something else when Phil suggested going to Kempty Falls. He thought it was only an hour walk from where we were - more walking was not something I was interested in with the heat. A quick conversation with a vendor revealed a taxi was a better option - he said it was a 3 hour walk! One way! We eventually found a taxi willing to do the trip and headed off. It was a long drive! Way around the back of the mountain and down, down down. No way this would be a 3 hour walk! We finally reached the destination which was a jam of parked vehicles taking up half the road, and madness on the other half as uphill traffic tried to take turns with downhill traffic using the single remaining lane. It is very interesting seeing a bus trying to back up along this sliver of road while people are walking all around it in all directions. The Falls were less than impressive, probably because it is the end of the dry season so the water is at its lowest. James described it as a good view of all the garbage - there was garbage strewn all over the hillside that the 'tourists' simple throw. About 15 minutes and we were ready for the return journey. This is when the flat tire occurred. Our taxi had 2 spares - unfortunately they were also both flat. A few vehicles stopped to see what was happening and one was a taxi just like ours. He volunteered his spare for us to use - I don't know if I have ever seen a tire with less tread than that one. As shown in the pictures, Merv assisted, and before long we were on our way again. It wasn't long until we heard this rubbing sound coming from the 'new' tire. After sticking his head out the window a few times while he drove, the driver declared it fine. I think the tire may have been separating or had a big bulge that was rubbing. In any case we continue driving along this winding MOUNTAIN road just waiting for something to go wrong. At least we were mostly going uphill where there is more control than driving downhill braking (That is another quirk they have - drivers shut off the motor to conserve gas and just ride the brakes going downhill. Their brakes have to be cooked!) It didn't help our state of mind that the road barricades along the side the road (separating us from the cliffs!) all looked like coffins. We finally made it to the top of the mountain where we were staying - one ride I was VERY glad to have over.

This picture actually looks way better than the tire did!