BOLLYWOOD!

The top grossing film in Indian history, and an EPIC (3 hours including intermission) bigenerational tale of love, loss, anger, fear, deciete, forgiveness, reincarnation, family, and every other possible human emotion. Oh and musical! And the fact that the whole movie was in Hindi...didn't matter. I can see why Indians love their cinema: an afternoon spent in the cool A/C as temperatures soar outside, munching on sweet cardimon flavored popcorn and running through the entire gambit of human emotions, and then ending it all in an extended, upbeat dance number!

And yes, all us four of us white Amerians left the cinema singing....OM SHANTI OM!

Last blog in India

Wow, I simultaneously thought that this trip would never be over, and the three weeks friggin' flew by! Three weeks ago seems so far away now...a totally different world. It is REALLY strange to me to think that all my friends and family are doing the same things that they were when I started the trip. My life has been so effected and altered it is hard to imagine going back and things being the same....

So yesterday we arrived in the mighty city of Bombay, after a three hour sweaty ride in a cab, getting lost and getting into an arguement with the cab driver (ah india, the country were nothing runs smoothly!). This city has a life of its own. The wealthiest city in India (and it is still the wealthiest even though 55% of the population lives in slums!), the home of Bollywood, and a city where Britan distinctly left its mark. Again the Europofile rears its ugly head, but I think this has been my favorite city so far, and the place I feel most comfortable. That may simply because they have side walks and I don't have to fight traffic/people/cow dung to go for a walk.

I am going to keep this short though, and sign off from India, because this is our last day (and the last few days it rained so much and we were stuck inside) and I want to get out there and enjoy it. Do some strolling, some shopping...and go to see a bollywood movie in the cinema, a fitting end to the trip I think! We are going to go and see the film that is sweeping the nation right now (just as we just swept the nation...see the parallels!), called Om Shanti Om.

Namaste from India, but keep any eye out because we will up load photos and videos when we get home! We CAN'T wait to see you all!

Enter...the Dravidians

The most startling thing about the south, besides the constant rain (though it is not monsoon season) are the spectacular temple complexes, built in a southern indian or Dravidian style. This is the one that rises above the city we are currently in, Madurai.



These temples are like NOTHING we saw in the north, and like nothing I have ever seen before in my life. This may start to sound westernist (and doubly bad because I am an anthro major....), and totally naive, but I did grow up on a western education. Because all of Europe and the Americans and all the Jewish and Muslim world is monotheistic (or basically...though I have given a lot of thought to the saints of catholicism, just "secret" polythism? Ah the blasphemy I speak...) I had this idea of polytheism as gone. The great polytheistic religions of the ancient world are gone, the Egyptians, the Greecians, the Romans etc. I had this really ass backwards idea that polythism was some how pushed to the sidelines. And then I came here.

The temple complex here in Madurai is a Hindu pilgramage site. For one, it is MASSIVE, 16 acres I do believe....and there are tons and tons of people there. I forced the boys out of bed at around 6 in the morning so that we could get there before some of the crowds, and it was still busseling. Lots and lots of people in Khadis, which are the orange home spun robs that Ghandi wore, and that many pilgrams wear. In fact it is said that it was here in Madurai, in 1921, that Ghandi decided to shead his normal cloths and only wear Khadi. But I digress. This massive temple complex that was thronging with people even in the early hours of the morning was simply amazing to behold. So many alters to different gods, so many different prayers, ash on people's heads, red dye touched between their eyes, kissing the ground....there was even an elephant blessing people. Yes you read that right. This is probably the first pilgramage site I have even been too, and the whole town is centered around catering to pilgrams and helping them to fulfill their religous rights.

Amungst the massive towers covered in colorfully painted gods and goddesses (I can't wait to get bryan's pictures up, the artistry is fantastic!) and all the colorfully dressed pilgrams, it is an amazing site to see: polytheism alive and kicking!

Ode to the Head Bobble

Oh ambiguous head bobble
What is the meaning? Amam (yes, in Tamil), Hamz (yes, in Hindi)
or is it ilai (no, in Tamil), inakar (no, in Hindi)
I ask a question...
Answer: Head bobble.
Will I get the item I asked for?
I am never sure. I look for some clue on his face.
I ask, "okay"?
His head weaves side to side with fluid abiguity.
What does this mean? Is his head loose and going to fall from his shoulders?
Why does it move so?
Like the plastic hula dancer on the dashboard of my car.
I wait for an afirmative...a negative.
But all I get is a loosened head and neck, a slight roll of the eyes.
Will I get what I asked for?
Only lord Ganesh knows!

Food

I haven't addressed the issue of food at all during these blogs. I totally appologize for that, and thanks Steph for bringing it up!

I mostly haven't brought it up, because it is rather uneventful...and I mean that in the BEST POSSIBLE way. Because the country is mostly Hindu and Muslim, and cows are sacred in Hindu (hence the roaming the streets) and pigs are concidered dirty animals in Muslim tradition....well, most of the country is vegetarian. Which make ME extremely happy. Since I am about to embark to Argentina, to the land of beef, where people are going to not understand me when I say I don't eat meet...it is so nice to be somewhere where my eating habits are more like the norm.

Most places say Vegatarian, or Pure Vegatarian, which means with no eggs...since to eat an egg is preventing a life. The spices here are wonderful, tons of cilantro, corriander, ginger, cumin, anise, masala etc. And you can tell all the ingrediants are fresh, the markets here are beautiful. In the north we ate lots of Aloo Palak (potatos and spinach), Gohbi Masala (Coliflower Masala), Channa Masala (chickpea masala) and stuff with Paneer (which is cheese curd). Then you eat that with Chipatti bread or naan...and you eat it all with your hands. Down here in the south we have been having lots of Dosas (which a big pieces of "bread" stuffed with various things....like I had an onion dosa for breakfast...poor bryan!) and there is much more cuisine yet to explore!

Unfortunately I don't have any really weird crazy food storys to relate. Haven't eaten anything terribly strange, accept for the large amount of cheese curd. I mean how weird can vegitables get?

Sick Boy

I woke up in Puduchery and ran to the bathroom. My first time catching something real, not the cold we all shared, in India was about to start.

Lots of diahrea in the morning and I was still feeling ok by 10am. I drank water and hung around the hotel room instead of going out anywhere just so I'd have a bathroom nearby. Upset stomach and lots of trips to the bathroom plagued me until noon but luckily I wasn't vomitting.

Around noon Jen and I ventured out to get something to eat, I had been drinking lots of water but my stomach was cramped and I wanted to try eating since I hadn't lost anything from my stomach yet. Slightly dizzy in the heat, with all my blood feeling like it's in my gut, we made it to Rendezvous Cafe. And after a fun trip to the bathroom I could put down only a couple of bites.

I slept the greater portion of the afternoon away and was ok enough to join everyone and our new friends for a dinner at L'e Space Cafe. My mango chicken was excellent even though I still couldn't eat more than a couple of pieces. Only one small trip to the bathroom now.

The next day things were back to normal, my stomach still wasn't up to speed but I hadn't used the bathroom and was feeling better than the day before. However, I have little red spots on my arms and neck and a few on my face.

The red spots on my skin look like bug bites but they don't itch. After a couple days there were more red spots than before and the original ones had become darker than when they first arrived.

I did lots of searching at an Internet Cafe in Trichy when we had some downtime due to lots of rain. From what I can find using a lot of different sites attempting to self diagnose I'm assuming I've aquired some kind of mosquito borne virus.

The top 2 viruses that match my symptoms are Chikungunya (a new comer to the virus world) and Dengue Fever (classic break-bone fever). Both viruses are common in the areas we've traveled, trasmitted via mosquito bites, and can't seem to be treated with anything but lots of rest. If this is what I really have I'm assuming it's a mild case or I haven't hit the worst of it yet because it's been much weaker than the flu (for which I'm vacinated).

I wish I could upload pictures ( this internet cafe doesn't allow that ) so you can seem my lovely red spots all over my arms and neck, with a sprinkle of them on my face as well. Hopefully I'll still be alive by the time I get home and spot free!

Uneventful?

So after a very pleasent evening with our English friends, and a good midnight puke (yes, my first one....it may have been because I left some of the ice in my drink....i thought I was tough....I am not so tough) we got a late, lazy start this morning. Just as a side note, the south is WAY more laid back than the north. People are not attacking us with the same determination...but also NOTHING is in English, it is ALL in Tamil, which presents a problem, since none of us have even SEEN the language prior to this trip.

Headed to the bus station, found out there were no direct buses to our next destination, Trichy (check out the wiki entry, it has the Tamil "spelling"), and had to take a local bus to Villapuram, which was quite a trip! I mean we had our massive back packs on our laps, and where squished in with people filling the isles and spilling out the doors. And let me tell you, the Indian (even the ones sitting right next to you) are not shy about STARING! So that hour long trip was crazy, hindu techno music blaring, flashing neon Ganeshes, and bangles hanging from everywhere....

But eventually we arrived in Trichy, honestly with very little eventfulness....and honestly, we are all kind of nervious. Nothing is ever that simple...where is the hassel, the challange, the unasked for adventure....Honestly, what is India doing to us to make us think this way!

For some pictures of what we are going to see tomorrow and in the next few days, take a look at my southern india post from earlier.

alcohol

I felt like it wouldn't be complete if I didn't have a short entry about alcohol. First, the drinking age is....25. Since Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol, it is actually illegal in many cities. It is sold at some restuarants, and only ones that cater to westerners, and it is usually not on the menu, you usually have to ask for it. Honestly, as Abe put it, it is like being in High School again. Sneaking around. Brown paper bags. When you do get a beer at the restuarant, you are usually the only person drinking it, and they are giving you dirty looks. There are occassionally "wine shops" but they are always unlabeled, unmarked and you have to know they are there and go in and ask for the beer/liquir. And most of the time along with the alcohol, they will try to sell you drugs. Hey, you want beer? You also want some weed/opium? Shady shit man. I really do feel like I am doing something illegal. Oh wait, I AM!

THE SOUTH

And we are done with the north. And I wash my hands of that part of the country. It was interesting, and I enjoyed seeing it very much....but the south has a much slower pace, and the their are less tourists in general so the people are less agressive. To the point in fact were getting things done is difficult. Then it becomes the question of, would you rather make decisions and try to do things when people are constantly standing over you, crowding you in and offering you things...or would it be better to make decisions when people won't help you and give you the information you need. You decide!

So right now we are in the city of Puducherry (Pondicherry when it was a French colony, which it was all the way up until Indian independence), in the state of Tamil Nadu. Where they speak Tamil and write in this really crazy curly-que looking language, you should take a look.

This honestly has been a breath of fresh air. The town has a very European feel to it, and there are lots of Europeans and Indians who vacation here (especially in the month of december), the steets are wide, they are clean they are sort of quite. There are even white people driving themselves around (that is honestly unheard of here....in fact the state department web site advises against foreigners renting cars, because if you accidently hit and kill/injure a cow, it is likely a mob will pull you from your car and beat you to death. It happens.) It is just a breath of fresh air to walk around for a day with out being approached and hasseled (or not that much...). And we really lucked out on our housing. The whole city is booked up, and we actually called ahead and books two rooms, but then arrived a few hours later than we said we would, so they had given the rooms away. They had an axillary building however, which was more down town and it is this nice narrow creol building in the French quarter. We rented two of the rooms, and there is a kitchen and a balcony...and no one else is there. They just gave us the keys to the front door to the house and left. We have the whole house to ourselves! And then yesterday we were walking down the street and ran into this british couple who had been on our bus with us from Chennie....and we had dinner with them, went back to our house and drank some beers on the pourch...and today they are going to rent out on of the other rooms in the house! PARTY! They are super nice. They are teaching gym/geography at an international school in Hyderabad and are here on christmas vacation.

It has been a really relaxing last day or so...and I am tempted to talk the boys into staying another day or so. I am real tired of moving constantly, but it is hard because there are so many things that people want to see. But I am finally giving into my need for a little bit of western culture and a break from the Indian hubub.

Tranportation

Now we have all officially used just about every type of transportation here in India, and each and everyone of them has incured a new and unforseen adventure.

1) By foot. Everything is soooo spread out, especially in the big cities, that we do very little traveling by foot. Unlike those beautiful European cities, where it is fun to just leave your hotel and walk around and gaze at the many treasures....here, you have to plan your attack when you leave your room. If you wander out into the streets with out a look of pure determination or if you hesitate for a moment....they will decend on you to sell you things or tout you. Or they will just stare. Alot. Oh and remember to look the correct both ways before crossing the street....

2) By bike-rikshaw. This is a really fun away to travel short distances, especially when you don't know where you are going. I kind of feel like a bit of an imperialist when I am on one....like the darky pulling the whitey....and let me tell you that Bryan's imperial still mutton chops don't help! But really it is alot of fun, accept when you attempt to cross a large intersection (see driving entry below) and you realize that you are the smallest thing on the road.....

3) By auto-rikshaw or tuk-tuk. Almost as fun as the bike rikshaw, only you go a little faster, and you are no longer the smallest thing on the road. Though TWICE now, our rikshaw has run out of gas in the middle of the road and our driver has had to pull rikshaw to the nearest petrol station...I guess that is normal.

4) By car. This is probably the most terrifying way to travel. Because these people seemily have no rules (accept maybe that the biggest one wins)...and in a car you are not the biggest one on the road! But unlike the much much smaller rikshaw, you can go on a highway in a car (yes they pass each other at breakneck speeds on the high way too) and you can get going really fast. And oh did I meantion that NONE of the cars have seatbelts. By far the scaries way to travel.

5) By bus. Phew, finally the biggest thing on the road. But also the stinkiest! These nice crowded buses, with no AC...well when you get going on the high way the windows are open and you are sticking your head out like a dog, they are a pretty good way to go. And definitly the cheapest. Our 4 hour trip to Pondicherry only cost 2 dollars. But alot of the roads are unpaved and pretty bad, so it can take a while.

6) By train. Only taken the over night ones, and we have put down the money to get the nicer sleeper bunks instead of just the crowded seats in the back of the train. Wanted to feel like Dargeeling Limited...though there train was way nicer than these ones....and I kind of get that imperialistic feeling again....seriously bryan, you gotta cut the chops!

7) By boat. A nice hand rown morning cruise to see some burning bodies....the only thing that terrifies me about the boats is being that close to that water (which which they throw there garbage in, scatters peoples ashes in, bath in, wash their cloths in, empty their sewage in, oh wait....and drink. Pass the purell please!

8) By Plane. The service on the planes themselves are SPECTACULAR. They still feed you a full meal with EVERY flight! Even if it is only an hour and a half! But the airport is something else. It involves having your bags tied shut to ensure that it isn't broken into AFTER you check it...there was a sign that said, "Airline not responsible for items lost AFTER check in"...um...okay. And there are two different lines as securit for men and woman, because the woman have to go behind a screan to go threw the metal detector, because they can't be seen being touched. And then...you have the ever present inablity for Indians for form lines. They just sort of mob...so you can imagine what queing up to get on the plane is like. Think of a cattel stampead....

So just like everything else here, every form of transportation we have been able to take has been an adventure and something unexpected. The only forms we really have missed are motocycle (of which there are MANY!) horse, horse drawn cart, camel....and of course elephant. If we get the pleasure of any other those, I will keep you updated!

Agra - supposedly the city of love

But really the city of smog, tourists and touts.

So we finally made it to see the Taj. THE TAJ. One of the seven new wonders of the world. The Taj itself was beautiful, a marble dream castle (well tomb...) pearched on a cloud...on no wait, it is actually just surrounded by a think smog, that makes it LOOK like it is floating on a cloud. We got up super early to see the sun rise over the Taj, but there was no sun rise, it had problems getting through the haze. In fact there was a little counter at one of the sites in Agra that informed us that the particulate matter in the air (whatever that is....pieces of holy flying cow dung) was 7 times the safe level. 7 times. Every time you breathed it was like smoking....only probably worse for you. If there is anything this trip has taught me to appreciate, it is snot. Man, that little runny stuff that filters my nasal passage is LITERALLY saving my life here.

You like that? I related the Taj....to my appreciation for snot. What has this country done to me! :)

So we rented a car, and took a crazy whirl wind tour of Agra, which included the Taj, the Red Fort, some other fort, some other mosque and the Baby Taj. Remember how I said a few entries back that I was forted out...well now I really am! But the tour was whirl wind, the touts were in super aggressive form, the air was impossible to breath, and for the first time, I wished I weren't in India. LUCKILY, our driver took us off the beaten path to an Indian truck stop for dinner. Which was amazing. The only white people for miles around, and the truck stops are NOTORIOUS for amazing food. They are called Dhabas. The truckers were there, sleeping, taking a break to eat...and of course drinking their heads off! It was an amazing site to see!

After a night train we find ourselves in Varanasi, the city on the Ganges. The whole city is situated in a long strip along the Ganges, and littered with ghats. Including the burning ghats, where funeral processions bring their dead down to the river and burn them on the ghat. We are going to get up early tomorrow and go on a sunrise boat trip down the river, to see the pilgrams at morning prayer and the city as it wakes up. Then it is off on a plane to the south! A whole new adventure!

We are all in pretty good spirits. And no one has really gotten sick, though we have been passing around a nasty head cold. I have even ventured to eat a few raw vegetable bites, and I have survived. Everyday I try something more that the boys think I am crazy to do....some unpealed tomatoes...a lassi with a little ice in it...street food! YUM! My culinary experience has been amazing! Long live Aloo Palak (Potato Spinach!).

Tout

Tout - "In British English, a tout is any person who solicits business or employment in an importune manner"

Back in New Delhi, just before Chris arrived, we met one of the best touts of all. In the Tout Olympics this guy would have gotten at least Bronze. The Lonley Planet guide had warned us of touts who try to lure you into taking an over priced rickshaw ride downtown at a scam tourist office which claimed to be the government one that every tourist is actually looking for.

So on our way up to the New Delhi train station we were slightly unsure of the entrance and more uncertain where the Tourist services office was. As we approached a smallish entrance where many people were going in and out there was a man standing at the wall checking people as they came in.

"Tickets?", he said. We looked at him puzzled since we had come to the train station looking to buy tickets. We read of a Tourist Boureau there that would plan rail travel and sell tickets. However this guy motioned that we needed tickets to enter the rail station.

"You don't have tickets?", he said after looking us over. "We coming to buy tickets", Abe said back to him. "You can't get in without tickets, you need to purchase them at the tourist office.", he replied.

We looked more uncertain as we thought the tourist office was in the train station and were dubious of his explaination. "Come with me. I'll show you.", he continued as he walked us away from the entrance.

"You need to purchase tickets at the Tourist Office, you know where that is right?", he asked us and looked around at each of our faces. "Let me see your map, you have a map right?", he motioned to give our map over to him and we pulled it out of our bag and looked on.

"You need to go down here to N12 (in Conaught Circle) and purchase your tickets at the tourist office, then come back to the train station.", he said as he pointed on the map to a downtown location that was probably a quick rickshaw ride away from us. "Just take one of the government rickshaws downtown there. You know which ones are the government ones, right?", he looked at Abe who was grinning and proceeded to motion us towards an area of rickshaw drivers who were waiting.

"Tomorrow is an Indian festival, the offices will all be closed all day and are closing soon today, so you have to hurry and buy your tickets in the next half hour.", he said with some excitement in his voice. We frowned at each other and looked back at him.

"Come on, over here are the government rides", he said pointing to rickshaws that looked just like any other ones. Government rides, acording to the book, are white and require a prepaid ticket from one of the boothes around train stations and airports. The man talked quickly to the rickshaw rider in Hindi and then turned back to us.

"Ok, this driver will take you there for 10 rupees, just hop in.", he motined to get in the car. We all looked at each other at this moment since the more this guy talked and the more he pushed us to go downtown we realized what was actually happening.

"Our friends are over there though.", Abe pointed back towards the train station. "We're meeting them in a minute and then we're going to the Tourist Office, but thanks", he insisted to the man and we moved quickly away from the guy turning to each other to remark how amazing a Tout he was!

He found us at a confusing point, the entrance to a large building we'd never been to before. He was seemingly helpful and spoke english very well. He seemed to make sure that we didn't get stuck at any point by pushing us along to each step. The dead give aways were that tomorrow was an Indian festival, "so we had to hurry", and the tourist office was downtown but not where our map said it was. Anyway, it was pretty fun to see in person after reading about them and I can see how many people are taken by them, this guy was so convincing.

Last days in Rajasthan

So I have a 7th rule for driving in India, which I forgot in my previous email.

7) Honking here does NOT mean "get out of my way", it means "hello, I am going to pass you now." And with over a billion people, it is a veritable cacophany of hellos! They say that people buy cars, not for how nice they are, but for what kind of horn they have!

So today is our second and final day in Udiapur, we are taking an over night train towards Agra tonight. Yesterday we totally and completely museumed and forted ourselves out. I can't see another one for at least a week....at least. But last night we made it to a demonstration of typical Rajasthani dance, including women dancing while balancing fire on their heads and a woman balancing 9 pots (while she stood on broken glass....I wasn't sure why she needed to torture herself for our viewing pleasure...but then there are many things I don't get here).

Today however was eye opening. We got up and stumbled down the street to break fast at the roof top, Sunrise Restaurante, and while being served our jam and butter toast (that means a jam sandwich and a seperate butter sandwich) and our prerequisit morning pot of chai, we were told about a cooking class held by a lovely woman in her home under the restuarant. We had no plans, and we all like food, so why the hell not.

We went in expecting to learn how to cook some amazing Indian food, and we came out with an immensely enhanced understanding of India and its people. Shashi, the woman who ran the cooking class in her kitchen told us her story as she conducted the 4 hour class. She is a widow. Of the Brahman class, which is one of the highest casts. They are the priest cast, and are not allowed to work normal jobs. So when she was widowed, about 7 years ago, she was forced into one year of mandatory solitude where she wasn't allowed to leave the house. After this forced morning period she found herself and her two young sons with no money, and no source of income, since she was a Brahman. She explained that previously Brahman women were thrown into the funeral pyre with their husbands if they were widowed, but that is now illegal. But she said she actually thought that her fate was worse. She managed to get by washing cloths for near by hotels secretly, since it was not allowed in her cast. Eventually one lucky day a few years ago she met an interested Irishman who gave her the idea of setting up a cooking school. She struggled to teach herself English and has been giving small private lessons out of her one room house ever since.

Her story of sorrow however was heart wrenching. Her husband was killed by his best friend over a mere 30,000 rupees ($750), and the perpretrator only went to jail for one year, while she was in a physical and mental prison for many more. No one would talk to her, because widows are concidered bad luck, no one would help her, and she had to work extremely hard for VERY LITTLE money. Her husbands family (whom she lived with, miles and miles from her home village) rejected her, and she continues to live a floor below them and hasn't spoken to them in years. But NOW, she is perfectly happy to not talk to them. She is a sucess story of the most touching kind, and each of us was inspired by her perseverence and determination. AND it was a damn good story!

It made us all realize just how lucky we are.

Udiapur

I know I know, I posted these at the exact same time, but I thought that I would break up your reading a little.

The plan we finally came up with was to hire a driver to drive us from Jodhpur to Udiapur (god if these computers were better I would draw you guys the sweetest google map...). And yet again, driving was an insane experience. I mean I had driven around the city in the rickshaws and in a car a little bit...and I thought that people were crazy divers...but this surpased it all. Let me break it down for you:

1) Best way to drive in India. Good horn. Good breaks. Good luck.

2) When it is a two lane road, it is actually a 6 lane road (the dirt sholder counts as hald a lane).

3) Feel free to enter on coming traffice or drive on the other side of the road if it is more convient for you.

4) There are no traffice signals, and if there are any don't worry about them at all.

5) Cows are sacrad, they can go where ever they chose and if they are crossing the road/HIGHWAY! you had better not hit them (but also you had better not slow down.) Our driver told us that cows, donkeys and goats are the Indian traffic police.

6) And the NUMBER ONE RULE......the biggest vehicle wins. That is the main rule of the road, you move out of the way for the biggest (including the elephants).

So we embarked on a 7 hour car ride, which probably took about a year off my life. In fact I am going to venture to say that this trip (between the harrowing experiences and weather forcast of constant smoke) has taken 3-4 years of my poor little life. The video game like car ride was broken up by a peaceful stop at a Jain temple, Ranakpur. Jains, even more than the Bishnoi beleive in the sanctity of all living things and wear masks so they don't breath in bugs and sweep in front of them so they don't step on bugs. It is a hindu religion STRONGLY influenced by Buddhism.

The day was great though. And I surived. And now we are in Udiapur. The lake city. THere are two huge palaces in the middle of the lake, and all the city surrounds them. It is actually where James Bonds "Octopussy" was shot, and they are showing it at the guest house tonight. It might be a possibility since all of us are so tense from todays adventure...

Oh and as an aside...all the people here are obsesed with Bryan's chops. He kind of looks like a British empire army comander amungst well...a bunch of Indians! They all seem to love it though :)

Jodhpur

So finally I think I can safely say that I am enjoying India. The first few days were so hair raising and so terrifying, I really did not think I was going to dig this country. But since I have gotten out of the congestion that 16 million people in one city causes, I can officially say that I enjoy this country! Though honestly, I learned a lot about myself and my limits and about traveling in the third world, and I wouldn't have changed those first few days at all.

So we spent 2 days in Jodhpur, in Rajasthan. This is a beautiful city, called the sun city, and clad in a indigo blue. When we first got there we went to the (official) tourist office to find a guest house to stay in, and they (of course) knew someone that had some spare rooms. Everyone one just happens to know someone who wants to sell you something. Let me say something about this country. This is capitalism in its most RAW form. You place the value on goods (haggeling) and everyone is trying to sell you things. Instead of having advertizements all over the place, every time you go on any tour/use a service....you have to go and visit the shop of one of their friends (people who are paying you commission). It is very raw and in your face all the time. You are constantly being sold to and ripped off, NOBODY is just being "nice" to you. They even rip each other off constantly! It is pretty amazing to watch. It took a while to adjust, because the product placement is much more in your face here....

But anyway, enough of my discussions of levels of capitalistic endevour, you want to hear about places. So the first day in Jodhpur we took it easy and just walked around, had a few beers and went to see the fort that towered above the city. It was fantastic. The fort was like a kick ass fort in Europe, but it put them all to shame. Much more intricate, much more evolved. They had been fighting fuedally between small kingdoms for 4000 years longer than the Europeans. They got it down pat! Then yesterday we left at 8 in the morning with two American women we had met the day before for a Bishnoi village. The Bishnoi are a tribe/religion who don't believe in creating waste or harming the environment in anyway. They live through out the deserts of Rajasthan. We saw some traditional crafts (and of course were sold some things...of course) and went to a village and had Chai and millet bread. It was really nice to get out side of the cities all together and we saw some cool animal life and such.

We then came back, and spent the rest of the afternoon doing what we seem to spend ALOT of time doing. Planning for the next stage of the trip. Do we rent a car? Do we take the trains? Buses? Where to stop, where to skip, how long does it really take to get between places.... really there are so many unknowns, and everything in this country is NEVER what we expect...that the real question is: When do you take a chance on something, and when do you not take the chance? When do you risk a risk? It is an interesting question....maybe my philosopher brother can explain it better than me.

A taste of India in photos

The Main Bazaar near our Hotel

Catholic Church in New Delhi

Inside a rickshaw ride

Jen and Abe at the India Gate

Kids on their way to school near our Hotel

Vacationing right?

That is what we are doing right? Yes, finally we are (sort of) on vacation.

Two days ago Chris arrived in Delhi at about 1 in the morning (that is 2 in the afternoon your time) and we dragged him out of bed at about 6 the next morning for a car tour of Delhi. We may have deprived him of sleep, but we all "deprived" him of the experiences of learning how to get around the city.

So we took a car around the city, some of the sites were over 12 kilometers out the city center, and we saw all the forts, temples, tombs and touristy stuff we could stomach. It was nice to not be hassled for most of the day. Accept for the driver constantly trying to sell us tours....and then getting kind of lost in old Delhi.

We ended up near the biggest Mosque in India RIGHT AFTER the sun down prayer. So we hoped on a rikshaw, which can't travel on main roads, and wound us through this insane maze of a pedestrian market. Man, those rikshaws are the way to travel! Sitting above the crowd....caught in a pedestrian/motorcycle/rikshaw back alley traffic jam...and watching the people pass you on foot. But you can't get off, because honestly have you no idea where you are, and are trusting the driver (cycler) to take you to the right place! It was really fun though...some of the best window shopping of my life!

So we took an over night train last night to Johdpur, which arrived 2 and a half hours late. We then found a guest house, arranged a village tour for tomorrow and a car to take us around the rest of Radjasthan. THEN...THEN....THEN....we went up to the top of our guest house, with an amazing view of the city (which has houses painted mostly blue, because the Indigo paint helps keep desert bugs away) and the fort towering above us....and had an amazing home cooked lunch and a few beers! We breathed clean air, didn't argue with anyone, weren't josseled, and weren't stared at. BRILLIANT! I needed a day like that!

Tomorrow a village tour and then on we go!

Hey, and all you amazing people out there, feel free to leave comments if you want, I love to hear back from everyone! We miss you all a lot! This is amazing, but don't they say that you go on vacation so that you appreciate home more? Miss ya'll!

Harrowing experience

Well it is official now...we are no longer virgins of fear.

Harrowing. Definition: "Extremely distressing; agonizing: a harrowing experience."

Circumstance: middle of Delhi, night, don't know where we are, can't get a cab....wow.

So today started off well. With all of us telling each other that yesterday had been hard, and trying, but that today it was going to be simple. And it was...We ran into a few VERY CLEVER touts at the New Delhi train station....we ALMOST fell for them. I feel like I have seen every trick in the book, and these guys are really something. Then we went to the National Museum (which has on exhibit right now the largest diamond in the world....I was just waiting for bryan to steal it for me....OR NOT!), and to the Delhi gate, which kind of looks like the Arc de Triomphe.

And here it began. We grabed an auto-rikshaw to Ghandi's tomb. That ride was a trip, we went on the high way in a tiny, ricketty, three wheeled vehical....and combated the normal Delhi traffic by squeezing between cars with inches to spare. We arrive at the tomb, and the sun is setting. We decide that we don't feel comfortable entering a park after dark, but by the time we turn around our rikshaw is gone. We literally found ourselves in the middle of Delhi, during late rush hour, walking along a busy road and we couldn't get any one to stop for us.

I don't think I can put into words. But I have been in a bunch of places, in a bunch of circumstances....I almost went into panic attack mode. Out of my comfort zone doesn't even begin to describe it. I know I can't describe it better in words, saying I was lost on a dark, busy street in Delhi may not evoke the fear that I felt...but it is the best I can do.

But here I am, not out there on the road somewhere. Eventually we hailed down a bicycle rikshaw, three of us packed in there (the man should do tour de france, because we was hauling all three of us through the city like it was nothing....man those French got NOTHING on these Indians!)...and made it to the train station. I almost promised that man my first born son.

Chris comes in tonight. Tomorrow we are taking a CAR tour of Delhi (we have decided to spare Chris all the "learning experiences" we have had). And tomorrow night we are catching a night train to Jodhpur.

Delhi has been well....eye openning, to say the least. My anxiety and my lungs (the forcast is STILL smokey/hazy) will thank me :) I hope I didn't tell anyone that I was going on a "vacation"! To RAJASTHAN!

Little late start

I think we're starting to get used to the change in time. I feel a little tired this morning, but mostly because I didn't sleep too well. The hotel is a bit noisy starting at 5am and progressively more so until 10am when everyone has left.

This morning we took it easy with a slow breakfast and are looking to get moving into the city soon. However we need to plan out the next couple days first. Right now the plan looks like an overnight train to Jadhpur and hiring a car from there, taking us all the way to Agra with another overnight train to Varanasi.

Chris arrives tonight at 11:30pm, we've setup a pickup for him at the airport through our hotel service. The man running this hotel is a bit pushy and trying to get us to purchase a package trip through him; thus the investigation of other venues for tours and hotels.

And we made it

After 1 hour to Newark, 4 hours in the Newark airport (yeah Maui Taco!) and 12 friggin' hours on a plane we have arrived in Delhi.

We have arrived in Delhi....

Delhi....

OH MY FUCKING GOD! This place is so ridiculously intense. All the time, everywhere. And this deciding to do everything on our own, wow, we will survive but it is going to be creative.

So we arrived at the airport, and it had that (amazing, at least to me) third world smell. Like smoke, exhaust, moisture, weird plants, and poverty (I will allow you to disect that smell for yourself). After an crazy car ride on the wrong side of the road, we arrive at a dark alley which we are lead down to an even smaller darker alley....to a completely not lit passage where you have to turn sideways to walk...and into our hotel. We are staying the main bazzar, Paharganj, in between Old and New Delhi.

After a half an hour long lecture about how we should take one of the tour guide lead tours through India, sponsored by our hotel (NO ONE ISN'T TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING...sorry about the double negative and the shouting) we ventured out into the relatively quite/empty main bazaar. I don't know what is more intimidating...it full... or empty. We tried to find food and a place to sit and wrap our heads around the whole, the whole, the whole...well we still can't wrap our heads around it.

We ran into two people (Americans) from our plane flight (weird huh...), which was nice because there is comfort in numbers right? We ended up finding some food with them...and the food was fantastic. It was interesting eating only one handed, with your fingers. Ever tried to rip bread with only one hand? But the food was great and the biggest sucess was me managed to NOT get sick...yet.

So we ate, and crashed at about 2 in the morning. And our poor bodies...well they woke us up at 6. The time difference is 10 and half hours ahead and we were being seranaded by pigeons out our window...so Bryan and I decided to get up and take a walk through the bizaar in the early morning....with the sun shining weakly through the smoke (yes, the forcast calls for haze...see for yourself). It was amazing. The bazaar was mostly empty accept for the cows and the people sweeping the trash into the middle of the street and burning it. It was actually almost serine....we then headed back to the hotel slowly to the yells of children running to school (how do they manage to keep those uniforms so white?)

Later we ventured out for the day, and to sum it all up quickly. We got lost, pestered, followed, begged....and ended up walking all over the place and not seeing much. I am tired. It is only the end of day one, and I need a break from haggeling with people, telling them to go away, or conciously ignoring them. I have not made eye contact with anyone in like 5 hours because I don't want to attract attention to myself...but my blond hair kindly does that for me.

Today we did manage to see Laxmi Natayan Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple, and Connaught Place, with all the city's government buildings. Tonight we are meeting up with the Americans we hung out with last night....to go get goat? Tomorrow Chris catches up with us....but have no idea what we are doing during the day!

So thanks for listening....and we will try to keep this as updated as possible, though these here internets will surely get harder to come by!

Peace out
-jen