There is an abundance of chicken eaten in north India. Also fish and mutton (goat). We decided to try cooking chicken ourselves at home. This is a bit more complicated than just going to the grocery store and buying a package of prepared chicken, but much more interesting! We have to walk about 15 minutes to the small chicken shop; wait in line; tell the man (with gestures) how to we want him to cut the whole skinless chicken; carry the plastic bag home; wash the meat in the sink in cold water (no hot water in the kitchen); chop and fry onions, garlic, ginger, and spices; add water; add chicken; and wait an hour. The results are wonderful, and worth all the work!

Walking on a back street to buy vegetables, we suddenly came upon a parade of sorts. A family probably hired the buggies and band to celebrate some family event. A few people dressed in the likeness of Hindu gods and others did worship rituals at an accompanying cart.

There are many Christians in our neighborhood. Many houses have lights strung and stars on rooftops, and a few pipe English and Hindi Christmas music into the streets. On each of the four nights leading up to Christmas, groups of young people stopped at houses along our street to sing Christmas Carols in Hindi. Here's a sample. If you want to skip the first song, the other song starts at 3:29 and is very lively!

Through a new friend who recommended a small apartment to us, we have found a place to live temporarily. This is not a permanent situation and we will have to find another apartment in a few months. For now it's home, and is furnished so we don't need to buy any furniture or appliances... a blessing!

After staying a few days in hotels, we found an inexpensive guest house owned by a Christian man. It is very comfortable and cheery and is in a conveniently located neighborhood where we want to live.

The city where we are located is in the northwest part of India, in a valley near the foothills of the Himalaya mountains. The high peaks are not visible from here, but the foothills are beautiful. There is a city located at the top of these hills which you can see in one of the photos below. It's about an hour away, and from there the snow-capped peaks are visible.