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Show Resorts in the Orient for U. S. Soldiers Amusements, Sports In Himalayan Camps Equipment Paid For by Reverse Lend -Lease The American soldier in the China-Burma-India theater of operations does not lack a place to rest when he gets a chance for a few days away from battle with the Japanese. He can go to any one of a number of camps in the Himalayas, cool and away from the broiling heat of Orient lowlands, and have free the facilities facili-ties and sports that otherwise only wealthy men could afford. One such camp, situated in the hills near a popular and famous British summer resort, can accommodate accom-modate more than 500 men. It is a former British army rest camp and was taken over this year by the American army. It consists of about 45 barracks of stone and tin roof construction; is some 7,000 feet high and troops there have every comfort com-fort and convenience with absolutely no duties, for these are taken care of by a permanent staff of United States army officers, enlisted men and Indian drivers, guards, bearers, sweepers, cooks and waiters. Isolated Site. The only access to this particular camp is up a winding one-way road which in some places hangs over sheer drops of thousands of feet to the valley. Transportation is so difficult dif-ficult that all possible facilities are concentrated in the camp area: a telegraph and post office, barber shop (with haircuts free) ; a coffee shop run by the army; a laundry; tailor and shoemaker. An army hospital hos-pital takes care of minor illnesses and emergencies; any serious case is cared for at a large British hospital hos-pital in a nearby town. Favorite sport of Americans at the camp is horseback riding. Indians from the surrounding hills bring their horses and hire them for a nominal fee but not until each animal ani-mal and gear is carefully inspected inspect-ed by army authorities to see that both are in good condition. There are tennis courts at the camp with plenty of equipment; and the same goes for baseball and soft-ball. soft-ball. There are facilities for horse- V yx - N S ( - . - V" I N t kv- s ; I . v . 1 I v x ' X l ' - - v A soldier gallantly lends a hand to an army nurse as they hike near one of the army's rest camps. shoes, touch football, badminton, basketball and soccer. Streams not far away abound in fish. Indoors there is pool and table tennis; radios and phonographs and a library. li-brary. There are motion pictures, most of which are American, and the programs change daily. At night, dances are held in the British resort. Attendance requires an overnight pass, for the road is open only to ox-cart travel at night. Camels Bring Supplies. Much of the equipment and most of the supplies for the camp result from reverse lend-lease. Five station sta-tion wagons and five lorries have been given the Americans by the British to help transport men from the railhead to the camp. Supplies come in various ways, perhaps the strangest of all being coal loaded on the backs of camels. Other camps in the theater are much the same as this one. All are located in the coolness of the hills so troops may have a brief respite from the heat of the plains. At one of these . is a nine-hole golf course; and big-game hunting. Many an American home may have a tiger or leopard skin as a decoration as a result of innumerable GI hunts in the area. |