Night journey

Down to Dehradun, not as easy as you might think. An hour and a half in a ticket queue for a bus down the hill, each batch sold upon the bus's arrival. Third bus, next one in ninety minutes, enough time but not wanting to spend it here, doing this. Luck. The last ticket. 
Down the hill, a traffic jam, a head on accident but only one vehicle, a gap in the roadside barrier, don't look. 
Helped out by a couple of locals, the bus up cancelled, a tuk tuk taxi to the bus stand at a cheap rate and a roadside thali. 
The bus on time, comfortable, seats not sleeper, off to Mandi and then back up to Rewelsar. Space. Time to think, work out what this trip's about if I'm lucky. 
G&L heading there also, cheap room found and only nine hours. 
Midnight at a dhaba, Ghandhi in a corner, on through the night, up into the hills and then back into Mandi and the local bus up to the lake. 
113 steps later a room, a bed, a rooftop looking across the lake. Familiarity and comfort, more unreliable memories to wander through.