How Can I Not Return?

Before this trip I felt somewhat reluctant to go, but now that I have been here, I know I have to come back. How can I NOT come back to this place so close to my heart.

I know I need to see again:

• the snows
• the Doon valley
• the Tehri hills
• the ferns and rocks 
• the bazaars
• the wonderful old friends
• the wonderful mix of peoples - Garhwalis; Nepalis; Punjabis; Tibetans; Indians from north, northeast, and south India,; Indians who are NRIs, PIOs, OCIs;  Caucasians from all over the world; and mixtures of all of these!
• the many houses of worship for  Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Jains, and Christians 
• Cambridge Book Depot

I could do without:

• the pollution rising up from the plains
• the traffic along Tehri Road and the accompanying noise
• crowds of tourists in Library Bazaar
• trash casually thrown - mainly chip packets and plastic bags 
• the spread of kali ghas over the beautiful and abundant hillsides

I am struck by the love of residents for this hill station and the slow improvements made:

• The Mussoorie Heritage Centre
• Jabarkhet Nature Reserve
• the Hanifl Centre and all of its outreach programs
• the volunteer programs of Woodstock students in nearby villages
• the earnest young man who wants to find a way to keep Mussoorie's charm and not have it over taken by crass tourism and by young men on drinking binges
• that merchants are not using plastic bags
• that plastic and other trash is cleaned up somewhat around the top of Mullingar
• more public latrines being built
• the Mussoorie Writers' Conference
• the friendly greetings from all you pass on the road - be it with a nod, a namaste, a good morning or good evening, or a hello.