I can't believe this is my last week in Bangalore!!! The time has gone by so fast, but I think the timing is perfect because one by one, all the wonderful people I have met here have been starting to move on to new places and new things. I thought that by traveling after I moved away from Chicago I would be escaping from the sadness of saying goodbye to people you love, but it turns out I'm just saying goodbye all over again to a whole new group of wonderful people!! I just didn't anticipate this! I thought I would be doing more traveling, not necessarily settling down like I have done. It's been a different kind of experience than I at first imagined that I would have. I thought I would be doing all kinds of traveling and seeing all kinds of places. But instead I have adopted Bangalore as my home away from home, and have ventured out on a few occasions, but mainly have stayed here, taking yoga classes and volunteering at the hospital and hanging out with friends. I just met an Australian girl who is going on a tour of northern India next week. For 21 days she will be with a tour group, accommodation and some meals provided for and will get to see all the major sites of northern and northeast India in the safety of a group. When I heard her plans I had a pang of remorse for not planning ahead like that. If I had, I would have seen a lot more of the country than at this point I have. But I think that staying in the same place, you get a different perspective. You don't see the place briefly, as an outsider, and you certainly don't see it as a local would, but you do get aquainted with a place and know it with a little more intimacy. And, of course, if I hadn't settled down the way I did, I wouldn't have the chance to do this yoga class which I am loving, or work at the hospital, or meet all the fabulous people I have met. All in all I have loved my time in Bangalore. Once you get past the possibility of sudden death by collision with oncoming traffic, you get into the rhythm of the place and learn to appreciate it. You bring a scarf with you whenever you ride in an auto to block out the smog that flies in your face from the exhaust pipes of the other cars on the road. When you are walking you assume that nobody looks behind them before backing out and you act accordingly. When crossing a river you grab a big gulp of fresh air before you cross the bridge so as to avoid the smell of sewage. You learn how to bargain your way to half the price of a still overpriced auto ride. And these things make life here fun and exciting and most of all, new and different every day.
Next stop is the Andaman Islands. I've been reading in my guide book about them, and the sound fabulous. There is a whole group of islands in the area, the Nicobar islands, that aren't open to foreigners. After reading though, I can see why; the indiginous tribes of the Andamans and Nicobars are all but extinct at this point. Colonialism and the diseases and vices brought with it (commercialism and alcohol, mainly)wiped out the Indiginous tribes in no time at all. Globalization comes at a cost, which is apparently quite steep in some of these remote areas. On that terribly depressing note, we will be staying at a beach hut on one of the islands there...and taking diving lessons with a certified diving instructor! I am excited, but I have to admit, that I am a little clausterphobic when it comes to breathing through a tube underwater. However, I know that I'll be really upset with myself if I don't do it, so I'm going to. It's all booked at any rate, too late to chicken out now. I'm not expecting to have reliable internet service while over there...so it will be a while before I can report on how terrifying it is.
After that I'll be in Dehli and Agra to see the Taj before heading out to Thailand to be with my dearest Julia!!!!! I'm sad to be leaving, but so excited for the next step in the journey! And by the time I get to Thailand, I should be able to post some pictures to liven up this overly-verbose blog! Until next time...
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
7.26.10 Hampi, Part 2
7.26.10 - Hampi
Hampi, I've decided, was just what I needed. And somehow I can't believe it's taken me this long to get here and why I've stayed in Bangalore as long as I have. Part of me wants to just go straight to Goa from here and continue this relaxed, vacation-travel vibe I have going here. But I've already bought my return ticket (I knew I shouldn't have done that) and I have also bought yoga classes for this week and I am too practical to just throw away money like that. So I'm going to go back to Bangalore, have a few more yoga classes and save my money, visit the hospital and the clinic once more, and just generally be a responsible person. Ugh, the whole point of traveling was to get away from responsibilities and be able to fly by the seat of my pants. But I guess no mater how far you go, you can't get away from your own type-A personality.
I'm spending my last few hours in Hampi sitting on my rooftop terrace, looking out over ruins that span from the 7th to the 16th century in origin. There are monkeys playing on the balcony, eyeing me with what could be either suspiscion, animosity or curiosity, i'm not sure which. One of them had his hair parted down the middle and looked strikingly like one of the Three Stooges. The sun is about to set in front on me, sinking behind a landscape strewn with temples and boulders that look as if they have been tossed there carelessly by some giant god, and a strong wind could at any moment begin an avalanche. Given that the landscape has looked like this for centuries however, I have determined that it is not as unstable as it looks.
Today I slept in, having stayed up later that I should have reading an Agatha Christie novel (my newest guilty pleasure), had some breakfast, and headed out to see some more ruins. I walked down the path that I had started on yesterday, in search of the Vitalla temple (the one with the resounding columns). Now, either I am really horrible at directions and I never found it, or it is not nearly as impressive as Lonely Planet made it sound! I walked down the path that pointed me towards the Vitalla temple. And I kept walking past the ruins that I thought for sure couldn't be them because they weren't cool enough. And I kept walking and walked around the boulders, and over some temples that were obviously off the beaten path and were no longer used for religious or tourist purposes, some random rocks with ancient carvings in them that were just lying there amid the boulders by the river. Strange, I thought for sure I would have found it by now. So then I wondered if it was indeed the temple I had seen earlier, and I was getting hungry from all my rock jumping so I decided to head back. On my way I passed by a family selling peanuts and asked them. He told me that it was right up the path from which I had come, just go straight and you can't miss it. Now I don't know if this is one of those instances where they either didn't know what I was asking, or they didn't know the answer to my question and so they just told me something that wouldn't be too discouraging. For example, the other day I got in an auto at 5:20 pm, and when we got to our destination I asked for the time. The auto driver didn't have a watch either, but instead of saying he didn't have the time, he looked around him and then said, "It's 5;o clock madam." I knew it wasn't 5 so I just payed my fare and got out. So, with that in mind I speculated what the possibilities were of the directions being that, well, direct. They both seemed very certain, and their English was good so I was fairly sure we both knew what the other was saying so I guessed that maybe I had seen it and not realized. I also have no sense of what a kilometer is like (as in I know I can walk a mile in 20 min on flat terrain, but I have no idea how long it takes me to walk a kilometer, and for that matter I have no watch so it wouldn't do me any good anyways). As I'm sitting here a few hours from leaving Hampi, I'm wondering if somehow I missed it, the trail being obscured by lots of expanses of rock, and should I go back and try again? But as I mentioned before, the sun is setting and I don't have time before dark to get there and back, especially if it involves more of the jumping from boulder to boulder that I did earlier today.
After my (possibly unsuccessful) journey to the Vitalla temple today, I went to see the sacred center, which is a conglomeration of temples spread out across the top of a hill. Some of these date back to as early as the 7th century A.D. There are is one temple that dates from the 15th century that enshrines a huge sculpture of Ganesha, the Hindu diety that takes the form of an elephant with multiple sets of arms, carved entirely out of a single stone, measuring 4.5 meters high - that's about 14 or so feet for those of my American readers like for whom the metric system holds no meaning without translation. You can see where all the landscape has a played a big part in the art and architecture of Hampi - there is so much stone and rocks here that they probably had to build temples just to clear out a place to put a house up. Anyways, so you walk into the beginning of the temple, and in the back room where there are no windows, there sits Ganesha. The enclosure probably accounts for the amazing condition the sculpture is still in, but still I couldn't help but feel a little creeped out by the way this giant figure loomed out of the darkness of the back room, with a creepy little smile on his face and something different held in each of his four hands. It got me thinking about the strangeness of religious icons and symbols. I feel like I could no sooner worship an image of an elephant with 4 arms and human character traits than I could worship a photo of my first dog Tweed. But then, from another perspective, how much more believable is it to worship a death-defying man who was born to a virgin impregnated by the Holy Ghost? And yet, for centuries people have not only believed these things, but devoted their lifes to them; built magnificent temples and churches and mosques and shrines to worship their respective dieties in; sacrificed animals and children, food, money, time and logic at the feet of these gods. It's interesting to imagine how the religions of the world developed, why they confined themselves to particular regions of the world, and what would have happened if Christopher Columbus, Magellen, Alexander the Great, Attilla the Hun, and all of those such men had left well enough alone and everyone else followed suit. Think of the wars that would have been avoided if everyone had just kept to themselves and minded their own business, not tried to convince others that their way was the right way. But then I guess that if that were the case, I wouldn't be sitting here halfway across the world, looking out over the remains of ancient Hindu temples, marvelling at the sculptural beauty and the sheer manpower it took to build these shrines. I also wouldn't have eaten badam paneer pasanda (an almond-cheese-yogurt-curry with cashews and raisins) and cumin-rice with chapati for lunch, which I think was life-changing. And I wouldn't be listening to the breeze rustle through the palm trees, and the cows mooing in the background and the autorickshaw put-putting up the nearby hill. I wouldn't be watching white and black-faced monkeys jumping from bush to tree to my balcony and back. I also would not have spend $80 on hand crafted Rajastanian silver jewelry today, but that's a cross I'm just going to have to bear. Well, I guess I could do without hearing the auto, but you can't really have all this without that, so I suppose I'll just have to take it.
Well, that's probably enough speculation for you all my readers, and even if it's not that's enough speculation for me; my brain hurts from the use of it. And the leftovers from lunch are calling to me and I wouldn't want to keep them waiting. I had better do some serious yoga before my 10 hour bus ride as well, otherwise I won't be able to walk when I get back to bangalore. Ahh, and I need to buy postcards!!! I didn't realize I had so much to do, so little time. More later...ciao.
Hampi, I've decided, was just what I needed. And somehow I can't believe it's taken me this long to get here and why I've stayed in Bangalore as long as I have. Part of me wants to just go straight to Goa from here and continue this relaxed, vacation-travel vibe I have going here. But I've already bought my return ticket (I knew I shouldn't have done that) and I have also bought yoga classes for this week and I am too practical to just throw away money like that. So I'm going to go back to Bangalore, have a few more yoga classes and save my money, visit the hospital and the clinic once more, and just generally be a responsible person. Ugh, the whole point of traveling was to get away from responsibilities and be able to fly by the seat of my pants. But I guess no mater how far you go, you can't get away from your own type-A personality.
I'm spending my last few hours in Hampi sitting on my rooftop terrace, looking out over ruins that span from the 7th to the 16th century in origin. There are monkeys playing on the balcony, eyeing me with what could be either suspiscion, animosity or curiosity, i'm not sure which. One of them had his hair parted down the middle and looked strikingly like one of the Three Stooges. The sun is about to set in front on me, sinking behind a landscape strewn with temples and boulders that look as if they have been tossed there carelessly by some giant god, and a strong wind could at any moment begin an avalanche. Given that the landscape has looked like this for centuries however, I have determined that it is not as unstable as it looks.
Today I slept in, having stayed up later that I should have reading an Agatha Christie novel (my newest guilty pleasure), had some breakfast, and headed out to see some more ruins. I walked down the path that I had started on yesterday, in search of the Vitalla temple (the one with the resounding columns). Now, either I am really horrible at directions and I never found it, or it is not nearly as impressive as Lonely Planet made it sound! I walked down the path that pointed me towards the Vitalla temple. And I kept walking past the ruins that I thought for sure couldn't be them because they weren't cool enough. And I kept walking and walked around the boulders, and over some temples that were obviously off the beaten path and were no longer used for religious or tourist purposes, some random rocks with ancient carvings in them that were just lying there amid the boulders by the river. Strange, I thought for sure I would have found it by now. So then I wondered if it was indeed the temple I had seen earlier, and I was getting hungry from all my rock jumping so I decided to head back. On my way I passed by a family selling peanuts and asked them. He told me that it was right up the path from which I had come, just go straight and you can't miss it. Now I don't know if this is one of those instances where they either didn't know what I was asking, or they didn't know the answer to my question and so they just told me something that wouldn't be too discouraging. For example, the other day I got in an auto at 5:20 pm, and when we got to our destination I asked for the time. The auto driver didn't have a watch either, but instead of saying he didn't have the time, he looked around him and then said, "It's 5;o clock madam." I knew it wasn't 5 so I just payed my fare and got out. So, with that in mind I speculated what the possibilities were of the directions being that, well, direct. They both seemed very certain, and their English was good so I was fairly sure we both knew what the other was saying so I guessed that maybe I had seen it and not realized. I also have no sense of what a kilometer is like (as in I know I can walk a mile in 20 min on flat terrain, but I have no idea how long it takes me to walk a kilometer, and for that matter I have no watch so it wouldn't do me any good anyways). As I'm sitting here a few hours from leaving Hampi, I'm wondering if somehow I missed it, the trail being obscured by lots of expanses of rock, and should I go back and try again? But as I mentioned before, the sun is setting and I don't have time before dark to get there and back, especially if it involves more of the jumping from boulder to boulder that I did earlier today.
After my (possibly unsuccessful) journey to the Vitalla temple today, I went to see the sacred center, which is a conglomeration of temples spread out across the top of a hill. Some of these date back to as early as the 7th century A.D. There are is one temple that dates from the 15th century that enshrines a huge sculpture of Ganesha, the Hindu diety that takes the form of an elephant with multiple sets of arms, carved entirely out of a single stone, measuring 4.5 meters high - that's about 14 or so feet for those of my American readers like for whom the metric system holds no meaning without translation. You can see where all the landscape has a played a big part in the art and architecture of Hampi - there is so much stone and rocks here that they probably had to build temples just to clear out a place to put a house up. Anyways, so you walk into the beginning of the temple, and in the back room where there are no windows, there sits Ganesha. The enclosure probably accounts for the amazing condition the sculpture is still in, but still I couldn't help but feel a little creeped out by the way this giant figure loomed out of the darkness of the back room, with a creepy little smile on his face and something different held in each of his four hands. It got me thinking about the strangeness of religious icons and symbols. I feel like I could no sooner worship an image of an elephant with 4 arms and human character traits than I could worship a photo of my first dog Tweed. But then, from another perspective, how much more believable is it to worship a death-defying man who was born to a virgin impregnated by the Holy Ghost? And yet, for centuries people have not only believed these things, but devoted their lifes to them; built magnificent temples and churches and mosques and shrines to worship their respective dieties in; sacrificed animals and children, food, money, time and logic at the feet of these gods. It's interesting to imagine how the religions of the world developed, why they confined themselves to particular regions of the world, and what would have happened if Christopher Columbus, Magellen, Alexander the Great, Attilla the Hun, and all of those such men had left well enough alone and everyone else followed suit. Think of the wars that would have been avoided if everyone had just kept to themselves and minded their own business, not tried to convince others that their way was the right way. But then I guess that if that were the case, I wouldn't be sitting here halfway across the world, looking out over the remains of ancient Hindu temples, marvelling at the sculptural beauty and the sheer manpower it took to build these shrines. I also wouldn't have eaten badam paneer pasanda (an almond-cheese-yogurt-curry with cashews and raisins) and cumin-rice with chapati for lunch, which I think was life-changing. And I wouldn't be listening to the breeze rustle through the palm trees, and the cows mooing in the background and the autorickshaw put-putting up the nearby hill. I wouldn't be watching white and black-faced monkeys jumping from bush to tree to my balcony and back. I also would not have spend $80 on hand crafted Rajastanian silver jewelry today, but that's a cross I'm just going to have to bear. Well, I guess I could do without hearing the auto, but you can't really have all this without that, so I suppose I'll just have to take it.
Well, that's probably enough speculation for you all my readers, and even if it's not that's enough speculation for me; my brain hurts from the use of it. And the leftovers from lunch are calling to me and I wouldn't want to keep them waiting. I had better do some serious yoga before my 10 hour bus ride as well, otherwise I won't be able to walk when I get back to bangalore. Ahh, and I need to buy postcards!!! I didn't realize I had so much to do, so little time. More later...ciao.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
7.25.10 - Hampi, Part 1
Bangalore has sucked me in! I have been planning to go to Hampi for two weeks now, and I finally just up and went. Well it's a little more complicated than that, involving lots of investigation and sleuthing to determine how to buy a ticket. I arrived today at 7:30 in the morning and thought I was only 9 hours outside of Bangalore, I felt I had entered another world. I stepped off the bus amid the throng of would-be-porters, trying to cajole me into coming to their guest house...we all have to make a living I guess, and these pushy young gentlemen make a commission from the number of tourists they bring to their respective employers, so I understand the urgency. But they are just so damn annoying!!! I spotted a hostel just across from the bus station that I had read about in my guide book, and bee-lined it there. Luckily she had a room, otherwise I would have been at the mercy of the porters who were waiting outside. The room wasn't ready yet, but I was able to drop off my bag and go exploring.
I walked through the town, past the 15th century temple, down to the river to sit and read my guide book to determine what I should do with my day. It was a cool, misty morning, raining intermittently, and people were bathing and doing laundry in the banks of the river. I had read in the guide book that Lakshmi, the temple elephant, was brought down to the banks of the river every morning for her ritual bath. But I don't have a watch, and I was absorbed in my book, while the kids around me were absorbed in taking my picture on their cell phone cameras while they giggled and pushed their friends towards me, so I was taken off guard by a jingling noise from behind me. I thought perhaps it was a cow feeding on the hill next to me (some of them have decorated horns with bells and other metal jewelry), but I turned around to look and there she was! I was face to face with an elephant! I've seen them in the zoos, but somehow this was entirely different...She was dark grey, almost black with beauiful pink mottled markings on her trunk. She had a bell hanging around her neck, and chains around one foot, which gave her depressing appearance of being a slave. I suppose, in essence, that is what she is, so I guess it was fitting. She had white and red painted markings down her trunk and such long and beautiful eyelashes she looked as if she were smiling.
She was lead down the steps to the banks of the river, and brought into the water. At this point she very unceremoniously pooped into the water, to the delight of the little boys standing behind her. The man lead her into the water while riding on her neck, brought her out into the deep portion of the river and gave her head a good scrub down. Then she turned around and came back. While all this was going on, the Hindu priest was performing ritual cleansing while his alter-boy was chanting. When he was done with his series of annointings and washings, he called some people who were standing on the side of the river into the water with him. They made their way out till they were waist deep in water, and then Lakshmi bathed them! She gathered water in her trunk and sprayed the priest and the others in the water with him, and repeated the procedure a few times. After she was done, she was lead back up the stairs and back to the temple. I went a little overboard with the picture taking, but it turns out that was a good thing because when I went to see the temple, there she was chained up in between the columns, with a big sign written in Hindi and English "No Photo of Elephant". She seemed content enough, munching on the coconuts given to her by visitors, looking calm and serene, very much unlike the uninvited guests that were present: monkeys. They were jumping around, eating her leftover coconuts, trying to steal things from people and just generally creating mischief. I've decided that monkeys here are the equivalent of seagulls on the beach back home; they wouldn't be so rude, bold and obnoxious if people didn't think it was cute to feed them. The only plus side of the monkeys is they can't fly over your head and shit on you while you are relaxing on the beach.
After visiting the temple in town, I hiked through the old ruins, the bazaar where shoping was done and the temples by the river. It stayed cloudy, raining on and off all day which made the rocky climbs really slippery, but otherwise was a very pleasant day. Most of temples that I saw today date from the 16th century. Tomorrow I will go to see the Vitalla temple, which according to my guide book was started but the construction never was completed and it was never consecrated. One of it's coolest features is reverberating columns that were designed to ring with different intonations, like a giant stone-carved xylophone. Unfortunately in the name of preservation, you are no longer allowed to play them.
At the very end of the night, as if to perpetuate the other-worldliness of Hampi, I was sitting drinking my chai and I heard from down the road a trumpet, then clarinet in succession, getting closer and closer to me. As I sat there watching, a ensemble from the temple was walking down the street carrying a covered wicker seat of sorts, filled with something I could not see. There were torch bearers, a drummer and the two instrumentalists, as well as someone who was at intervals breaking coconuts open on the road and spilling them out onto the road. I'm sure I could have asked someone what the signifigance of the ritual was, but I prefered to leave it a mystery, and as the music faded away back towards the temple regular night life in Hampi resumed and I finished my chai.
I walked through the town, past the 15th century temple, down to the river to sit and read my guide book to determine what I should do with my day. It was a cool, misty morning, raining intermittently, and people were bathing and doing laundry in the banks of the river. I had read in the guide book that Lakshmi, the temple elephant, was brought down to the banks of the river every morning for her ritual bath. But I don't have a watch, and I was absorbed in my book, while the kids around me were absorbed in taking my picture on their cell phone cameras while they giggled and pushed their friends towards me, so I was taken off guard by a jingling noise from behind me. I thought perhaps it was a cow feeding on the hill next to me (some of them have decorated horns with bells and other metal jewelry), but I turned around to look and there she was! I was face to face with an elephant! I've seen them in the zoos, but somehow this was entirely different...She was dark grey, almost black with beauiful pink mottled markings on her trunk. She had a bell hanging around her neck, and chains around one foot, which gave her depressing appearance of being a slave. I suppose, in essence, that is what she is, so I guess it was fitting. She had white and red painted markings down her trunk and such long and beautiful eyelashes she looked as if she were smiling.
She was lead down the steps to the banks of the river, and brought into the water. At this point she very unceremoniously pooped into the water, to the delight of the little boys standing behind her. The man lead her into the water while riding on her neck, brought her out into the deep portion of the river and gave her head a good scrub down. Then she turned around and came back. While all this was going on, the Hindu priest was performing ritual cleansing while his alter-boy was chanting. When he was done with his series of annointings and washings, he called some people who were standing on the side of the river into the water with him. They made their way out till they were waist deep in water, and then Lakshmi bathed them! She gathered water in her trunk and sprayed the priest and the others in the water with him, and repeated the procedure a few times. After she was done, she was lead back up the stairs and back to the temple. I went a little overboard with the picture taking, but it turns out that was a good thing because when I went to see the temple, there she was chained up in between the columns, with a big sign written in Hindi and English "No Photo of Elephant". She seemed content enough, munching on the coconuts given to her by visitors, looking calm and serene, very much unlike the uninvited guests that were present: monkeys. They were jumping around, eating her leftover coconuts, trying to steal things from people and just generally creating mischief. I've decided that monkeys here are the equivalent of seagulls on the beach back home; they wouldn't be so rude, bold and obnoxious if people didn't think it was cute to feed them. The only plus side of the monkeys is they can't fly over your head and shit on you while you are relaxing on the beach.
After visiting the temple in town, I hiked through the old ruins, the bazaar where shoping was done and the temples by the river. It stayed cloudy, raining on and off all day which made the rocky climbs really slippery, but otherwise was a very pleasant day. Most of temples that I saw today date from the 16th century. Tomorrow I will go to see the Vitalla temple, which according to my guide book was started but the construction never was completed and it was never consecrated. One of it's coolest features is reverberating columns that were designed to ring with different intonations, like a giant stone-carved xylophone. Unfortunately in the name of preservation, you are no longer allowed to play them.
At the very end of the night, as if to perpetuate the other-worldliness of Hampi, I was sitting drinking my chai and I heard from down the road a trumpet, then clarinet in succession, getting closer and closer to me. As I sat there watching, a ensemble from the temple was walking down the street carrying a covered wicker seat of sorts, filled with something I could not see. There were torch bearers, a drummer and the two instrumentalists, as well as someone who was at intervals breaking coconuts open on the road and spilling them out onto the road. I'm sure I could have asked someone what the signifigance of the ritual was, but I prefered to leave it a mystery, and as the music faded away back towards the temple regular night life in Hampi resumed and I finished my chai.
Friday, July 23, 2010
7.23.10
I totally forgot to mention perhaps the coolest part of my bike trip... I saw monkeys!!!! In the wild!!!! They were sooooo cute, just hanging from the banyan tree branches, eating, watching the happenings of the town. I was warned not to ever feed them and to keep my bag close by as apparently they are accomplished pick-pockets!!
This week I've been doing yoga classes, which have been awesome! I'm going out with friends tonight to celebrate her last weekend in Bangalore, and then tomorrow I'm travelling to Hampi to see the ruins. Will have more, hopefully with picutres, soon.
This week I've been doing yoga classes, which have been awesome! I'm going out with friends tonight to celebrate her last weekend in Bangalore, and then tomorrow I'm travelling to Hampi to see the ruins. Will have more, hopefully with picutres, soon.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
7.20.10 - Biking in Bangalore
So this weekend I had some choices to make; I was invited by a friend of a friend to go to Mysore with her as she had to visit her family anyways and would have liked the company. But as I was contemplating this, a few of my friends in Bangalore decided they were going to go on a biking trip to the surrounding countryside for a day. I thought that going to Mysore would have been great, especially with someone who knows the city. But then again, biking in Bangalore would be something that I could never do on my own, and might not have the opportunity to do again. So I decided to go with the bike trip, and I was far from dissappointed!
We began the morning a little later than planned, as one of the group had a flat tire to begin with. But once we were on our way it was wonderful, weaving our way through Bangalore traffic, trying not to get hit by an autorickshaw till we made it to the outer limits of the city and then on into the country side. It was a perfect day for a bike ride, sunny but not too hot (I even applied sunscreen although I was worried I wouldn't get a tan), breezy but not too windy. Even the cows seemed to stay out of the way as we were riding through the streets. Our destination was a little over 30 km out, we were going to the site of an old man-made lake, designed by a famous Indian engineer to supply water to Bangalore. A few of the guys went on ahead and made it in really good time, but most of us took our time, stopping for coconut waters and to climb trees and enjoy the view. By the time we got to our destination, it was in the afternoon and we were hungry! We stopped at a roadside store and had the best rice dish I have had thus far in India, which is probably due to the fact that I have yet to be this hungry! We hung around for a while, resting. One of the group wanted to catch the bus back, but we waited and waited to no avail...the bus going in the right direction never came. So we decided to head back with the whole group as it was getting later and there were some ominous dark clouds forming above us, planning to stop at a bus stop on the way if we saw one.
Soon after we started back, it began to rain. Then one of our members had a little accident on the slippery pavement, so we made it to a bar to stop and clean off his cuts, and while we were there we decided it would be prudent to have a beer. After 30+ km on bike, our butts were severely sore...it gave me a very new appreciation for the butts of professional bikers. Serious Lance Armstrong, how do you do it??? We were all in so much pain it was hard to focus on getting home. After the beers though we felt refreshed and the cuts were cleaned and bandaids applied, and we headed back on the road. It had stopped raining for the time being, and I had developed a theory that the faster I rode, the less time I would have to spend on the bike seat, thus decreasing my discomfort exponentially. So I went on ahead of the group with one other rider. We were making really good time, not stopping for breaks, speeding through the back roads, around herds of goats and cows, past rice fields and getting closer and closer to the city. And then the real rain came. We took shelter at a bus stop for a few minutes, which rapidly became full of people who were also trying to get out of the rain. A quick scan of the horizon revealed that this was not like the passing shower of earlier in the afternoon...the entire sky was full of black clouds, with no clear sky in sight. There was no thunder or lightning, just a constant downpour. We decided that we were not going to be able to wait it out, we might as well just continue so we could keep warm by exercising instead of shivering in the bus stop. So on we went, and in no time at all we were soaked, head to toe, with a nice spray of dirt up our backs from our muddy tires. By the time we got back to Bangalore, it was dark, raining, and we looked like two wet rats, blown in by the storm. The restaurant we went into to get some warm food was packed...everyone stared at us, but we were so grateful to sit down for a tea and some food that we didn't care.
Today I am still sore, but recovering. I am taking yoga classes this week, so we did a lot of streching last night I think that really helped. The instructor asked me where I got the huge scrape on my arm and I had to tell him that I got it while climbing a tree. He had a good laugh at my expense, as did the other women in my class! I'll go for class again tonight, and I'm really excited out it. The instructor was just doing some introductory work with me and the other beginners, but every now and again he'd throw in some fancy, advanced move and be like, "okay, now you try", and then he would laugh at us. He made it look so easy, it was almost believable that we would suddenly be able to manipulate our bodies that way. Alas, it is not as easy as it looks. That is the thing I don't appreciate about experts...they make it look so effortless, that you don't realize how difficult it is, until you try and realize what a failure you are!
Sitting here in the cafe, I have been listening for a few hours now to horrible American 1990's dance music. I think it's time for me to be done here...until next time!
We began the morning a little later than planned, as one of the group had a flat tire to begin with. But once we were on our way it was wonderful, weaving our way through Bangalore traffic, trying not to get hit by an autorickshaw till we made it to the outer limits of the city and then on into the country side. It was a perfect day for a bike ride, sunny but not too hot (I even applied sunscreen although I was worried I wouldn't get a tan), breezy but not too windy. Even the cows seemed to stay out of the way as we were riding through the streets. Our destination was a little over 30 km out, we were going to the site of an old man-made lake, designed by a famous Indian engineer to supply water to Bangalore. A few of the guys went on ahead and made it in really good time, but most of us took our time, stopping for coconut waters and to climb trees and enjoy the view. By the time we got to our destination, it was in the afternoon and we were hungry! We stopped at a roadside store and had the best rice dish I have had thus far in India, which is probably due to the fact that I have yet to be this hungry! We hung around for a while, resting. One of the group wanted to catch the bus back, but we waited and waited to no avail...the bus going in the right direction never came. So we decided to head back with the whole group as it was getting later and there were some ominous dark clouds forming above us, planning to stop at a bus stop on the way if we saw one.
Soon after we started back, it began to rain. Then one of our members had a little accident on the slippery pavement, so we made it to a bar to stop and clean off his cuts, and while we were there we decided it would be prudent to have a beer. After 30+ km on bike, our butts were severely sore...it gave me a very new appreciation for the butts of professional bikers. Serious Lance Armstrong, how do you do it??? We were all in so much pain it was hard to focus on getting home. After the beers though we felt refreshed and the cuts were cleaned and bandaids applied, and we headed back on the road. It had stopped raining for the time being, and I had developed a theory that the faster I rode, the less time I would have to spend on the bike seat, thus decreasing my discomfort exponentially. So I went on ahead of the group with one other rider. We were making really good time, not stopping for breaks, speeding through the back roads, around herds of goats and cows, past rice fields and getting closer and closer to the city. And then the real rain came. We took shelter at a bus stop for a few minutes, which rapidly became full of people who were also trying to get out of the rain. A quick scan of the horizon revealed that this was not like the passing shower of earlier in the afternoon...the entire sky was full of black clouds, with no clear sky in sight. There was no thunder or lightning, just a constant downpour. We decided that we were not going to be able to wait it out, we might as well just continue so we could keep warm by exercising instead of shivering in the bus stop. So on we went, and in no time at all we were soaked, head to toe, with a nice spray of dirt up our backs from our muddy tires. By the time we got back to Bangalore, it was dark, raining, and we looked like two wet rats, blown in by the storm. The restaurant we went into to get some warm food was packed...everyone stared at us, but we were so grateful to sit down for a tea and some food that we didn't care.
Today I am still sore, but recovering. I am taking yoga classes this week, so we did a lot of streching last night I think that really helped. The instructor asked me where I got the huge scrape on my arm and I had to tell him that I got it while climbing a tree. He had a good laugh at my expense, as did the other women in my class! I'll go for class again tonight, and I'm really excited out it. The instructor was just doing some introductory work with me and the other beginners, but every now and again he'd throw in some fancy, advanced move and be like, "okay, now you try", and then he would laugh at us. He made it look so easy, it was almost believable that we would suddenly be able to manipulate our bodies that way. Alas, it is not as easy as it looks. That is the thing I don't appreciate about experts...they make it look so effortless, that you don't realize how difficult it is, until you try and realize what a failure you are!
Sitting here in the cafe, I have been listening for a few hours now to horrible American 1990's dance music. I think it's time for me to be done here...until next time!
Friday, July 16, 2010
7.16.10 - Pondicherry & More
I think I need a planner...I can't keep track of what day it is anymore, and the date has totally eluded me. This is a bad sign. I haven't even had a chance to get on the internet recently! So, I now have a backlog of events to write about, and I'm afraid that it might just result in one long, boring entry. Ah well, here goes nothing.
Pondicherry seems so long ago even though it was only a few days! I'm still adjusting to the way that time moves here, strangely slow and fast at the same time. I was correct in assuming that the overnight bus ride would be the most interesting and adventurous part of my Indian experience thus far. Until I got charged by a cow, but that story will come later. So I arrived at the bus station with Tara and her friend, who was visiting from Mumbai, and the girls who booked the tickets for us were meeting us there. We found our bus, found our friends and got in our seats. Then, the excitement began. We left Bangalore a little after 10pm, and shortly after that we were outside of the city, driving through the rural countryside. The roads are small, unlit by anything that would resemble a streetlight, and lined by jungle on either side. And the bus driver is hauling ass, like the police are trailing him or something! We are not talking about a small bus here; this is one of those busses that you see in NYC with loads of tourists on them. It's long and tall, and not designed for speed racing on the pot hole ridden back roads of southern India. Every time the bus driver took a turn I could swear the bus was just going to tip right over into the palm trees that lined the side of the road. It was dark, and every time I fell asleep I would jolt back awake when I was certain I was going to plummet to my death off of a mountainside in the jungle. The combination of the darkness, and my not having a window seat to be able to see where we were going just exaccerbated my anxiety about tipping over. Listening to the soft snores of other passengers, I was pretty sure I was the only one who was this paranoid. We arrived at Pondi just in time to see the spectacular sun rising over the Bay of Bengal.
After we had gotten situated in the flat we were renting for the two nights, we organized a taxi to take all 12 of us to the beach. With the help of "the Frenchies" (3 friends of Pablo's who were visiting from France) we found a great beach that was kind of secluded and there really weren't any other tourists. Now, this is usually what I look for in a beach; something remote, where you can spread out and read, or play volleyball, or have a beer with out some snotty-nosed kid spraying sand in your face as they run around your blanket screaming. But the corralary to this remote, non-touristy beach is that there are a lot of locals there, all men, and all sitting around watching. No, scratch that. Not watching, staring. For godssake, we went in with all our clothes on so as not to attract unwanted attention, and yet, there they were, sitting on the sand, on the benches, under the palm-thatched huts, staring at us. We were a big group of girls with a few guys with us as well, and the group was mostly Indian people with a handful of foreigners, so it's not that we felt unsafe at all, just annoyed at being subjected to such obvious voyuerism! The water was so warm, and the waves were wonderful, so we spent the majority of the time bobbing around in the water, playing in the surf, getting knocked over by the waves and just generally having a good time. The most ironic thing about it was that here we were, swimming in our dark colored t-shirts and shorts so as to maintain some sort of dignified modesty, and the men who were at the beach were swimming in anything from a pair of old, hole-y tighty-whities to a traditional indian cloth-thong-diaper thing! Why is that ok??? I will just venture a guess that any one of us girls would have looked better in their swim-wear than they did, but of course we were all covered up trying to avoid the attention we were getting anyways! The second day I was a bit more relaxed about covering up every inch of skin possible, seeing as how no matter what we wore we were going to get stared at. Ah, the joys of India!
Pondicherry is an old French colony, and we made ourselves very at home in the Alliance Frances, were we had breakfast and afternoon snack. It was such a lovely atmosphere there, we could come back from the beach and plop our sandy wet-clothed selves down on the lawn of the cafe and just hang out to eat, talk, and drink cold coffees. We also experienced a little bit of Pondi night life on Sunday night at a place called Satsanga were the finals of the world cup was being projected on a large screen. It was a great game, and the place was packed with people from all over, rooting mostly for Spain so it was a very exciting win. The best part about Pondi was the escape from the craziness and business of Bangalore. At nights we could walk down the middle of the street without having to worry about getting run over. On our way home after the match we stopped for a chai at 3 am, sat around under the trees drinking chai and laughing.
The main street in Pondi overlooking the beach is a promenade in true old European fashion, and one of the nights we went for a walk along the promenade and happened upon a dance festival. There was a makeshift stage set up in the middle of the sidewalk, on it was a live band playing a classic Indian dance, and a group of girls performing. They were dressed to the nines in embroidered sarees, bangles, earrings, noserings, and belled anklets with which they kept the beat; it was a really beautiful thing to have wandered to spontaneously. The last day we were there a few of us went to Auroville, which is a commune-like place that was started initially with the idea of being a self-sustaining, non-religious community. Eventually though, people began to worship the man who started it, but the ideals about self-sustainibility remain, as well as commitments to environmental responsibility, including organic farming and recycling. They also had some great post cards there, which made my day.
And of course, no trip would be complete without a little shopping, and a little harmless display of aggression by a cow. We had parked the car and got out to walk down to the shopping district, and right next to our car was a cow, feeding on the old onion skins that were lying on the side of the road. It's not like this is the first cow I've ever seen. Even if I hadn't seen one in the states before (which of course I have) by this time I have become accustomed to seeing them sauntering down the middle of the road here in Bangalore. I've been dying to get a picture of this though, and I don't ever feel comfortable taking my camera out like that in Bangalore, because after all I am staying here for a little while, and I have to walk the same routes frequently. I wouldn't want anyone to know how big of a tourist I am if I might potentially be buying mangos from them later on in the week. So I've waited till I got out of Bangalore to snap some pictures of the signs on the walls saying "Do not urinate here" and the cows. And this was my perfect opportunity: I would never be back in Pondi, and here was this cow, serenely chewing her onion leaves right next to my car. So I get my camera out and walk over to get a good angle, and just as I'm snapping the photo the cow decides that I have no business taking pictures of her eating and she charges at me with her head down ready to send me flying into traffic! I had no idea cows could move that fast!! Fortunately, I was lighter on my feet than she was, and I got out of the way in time, but she really did spoil my photo-op. As I was sitting on the bus ride home contemplating my imminent death by bus driver, I was amazed that I started off that weekend as a stranger, and completed it with a whole new group of friends...the people I've met here have been so warm and welcoming, like I have known them for so much longer than a week, and already I feel like I'm missing out by not spending more time here.
Now I'm back in Bangalore, back to the grindstone of one day of work per week. Today I went on my second outreach to the village with the team from the hospital. This time was much more exciting, as there were three doctors doing consultations, and I got to sit in the room where they were examining patients as well as dispense medications from the pharmacy. Tomorrow I will go early to the hosptial to go on rounds with the doctor and observe his consultations in the office, which will be obstetric as opposed to the general practice that takes place in the outreach clinic. I am really looking forward to that, but before that I have a goodbye party to go to for the Frenchies who are headed back to Paris tomorrow! Well, enough for now... more later!
Pondicherry seems so long ago even though it was only a few days! I'm still adjusting to the way that time moves here, strangely slow and fast at the same time. I was correct in assuming that the overnight bus ride would be the most interesting and adventurous part of my Indian experience thus far. Until I got charged by a cow, but that story will come later. So I arrived at the bus station with Tara and her friend, who was visiting from Mumbai, and the girls who booked the tickets for us were meeting us there. We found our bus, found our friends and got in our seats. Then, the excitement began. We left Bangalore a little after 10pm, and shortly after that we were outside of the city, driving through the rural countryside. The roads are small, unlit by anything that would resemble a streetlight, and lined by jungle on either side. And the bus driver is hauling ass, like the police are trailing him or something! We are not talking about a small bus here; this is one of those busses that you see in NYC with loads of tourists on them. It's long and tall, and not designed for speed racing on the pot hole ridden back roads of southern India. Every time the bus driver took a turn I could swear the bus was just going to tip right over into the palm trees that lined the side of the road. It was dark, and every time I fell asleep I would jolt back awake when I was certain I was going to plummet to my death off of a mountainside in the jungle. The combination of the darkness, and my not having a window seat to be able to see where we were going just exaccerbated my anxiety about tipping over. Listening to the soft snores of other passengers, I was pretty sure I was the only one who was this paranoid. We arrived at Pondi just in time to see the spectacular sun rising over the Bay of Bengal.
After we had gotten situated in the flat we were renting for the two nights, we organized a taxi to take all 12 of us to the beach. With the help of "the Frenchies" (3 friends of Pablo's who were visiting from France) we found a great beach that was kind of secluded and there really weren't any other tourists. Now, this is usually what I look for in a beach; something remote, where you can spread out and read, or play volleyball, or have a beer with out some snotty-nosed kid spraying sand in your face as they run around your blanket screaming. But the corralary to this remote, non-touristy beach is that there are a lot of locals there, all men, and all sitting around watching. No, scratch that. Not watching, staring. For godssake, we went in with all our clothes on so as not to attract unwanted attention, and yet, there they were, sitting on the sand, on the benches, under the palm-thatched huts, staring at us. We were a big group of girls with a few guys with us as well, and the group was mostly Indian people with a handful of foreigners, so it's not that we felt unsafe at all, just annoyed at being subjected to such obvious voyuerism! The water was so warm, and the waves were wonderful, so we spent the majority of the time bobbing around in the water, playing in the surf, getting knocked over by the waves and just generally having a good time. The most ironic thing about it was that here we were, swimming in our dark colored t-shirts and shorts so as to maintain some sort of dignified modesty, and the men who were at the beach were swimming in anything from a pair of old, hole-y tighty-whities to a traditional indian cloth-thong-diaper thing! Why is that ok??? I will just venture a guess that any one of us girls would have looked better in their swim-wear than they did, but of course we were all covered up trying to avoid the attention we were getting anyways! The second day I was a bit more relaxed about covering up every inch of skin possible, seeing as how no matter what we wore we were going to get stared at. Ah, the joys of India!
Pondicherry is an old French colony, and we made ourselves very at home in the Alliance Frances, were we had breakfast and afternoon snack. It was such a lovely atmosphere there, we could come back from the beach and plop our sandy wet-clothed selves down on the lawn of the cafe and just hang out to eat, talk, and drink cold coffees. We also experienced a little bit of Pondi night life on Sunday night at a place called Satsanga were the finals of the world cup was being projected on a large screen. It was a great game, and the place was packed with people from all over, rooting mostly for Spain so it was a very exciting win. The best part about Pondi was the escape from the craziness and business of Bangalore. At nights we could walk down the middle of the street without having to worry about getting run over. On our way home after the match we stopped for a chai at 3 am, sat around under the trees drinking chai and laughing.
The main street in Pondi overlooking the beach is a promenade in true old European fashion, and one of the nights we went for a walk along the promenade and happened upon a dance festival. There was a makeshift stage set up in the middle of the sidewalk, on it was a live band playing a classic Indian dance, and a group of girls performing. They were dressed to the nines in embroidered sarees, bangles, earrings, noserings, and belled anklets with which they kept the beat; it was a really beautiful thing to have wandered to spontaneously. The last day we were there a few of us went to Auroville, which is a commune-like place that was started initially with the idea of being a self-sustaining, non-religious community. Eventually though, people began to worship the man who started it, but the ideals about self-sustainibility remain, as well as commitments to environmental responsibility, including organic farming and recycling. They also had some great post cards there, which made my day.
And of course, no trip would be complete without a little shopping, and a little harmless display of aggression by a cow. We had parked the car and got out to walk down to the shopping district, and right next to our car was a cow, feeding on the old onion skins that were lying on the side of the road. It's not like this is the first cow I've ever seen. Even if I hadn't seen one in the states before (which of course I have) by this time I have become accustomed to seeing them sauntering down the middle of the road here in Bangalore. I've been dying to get a picture of this though, and I don't ever feel comfortable taking my camera out like that in Bangalore, because after all I am staying here for a little while, and I have to walk the same routes frequently. I wouldn't want anyone to know how big of a tourist I am if I might potentially be buying mangos from them later on in the week. So I've waited till I got out of Bangalore to snap some pictures of the signs on the walls saying "Do not urinate here" and the cows. And this was my perfect opportunity: I would never be back in Pondi, and here was this cow, serenely chewing her onion leaves right next to my car. So I get my camera out and walk over to get a good angle, and just as I'm snapping the photo the cow decides that I have no business taking pictures of her eating and she charges at me with her head down ready to send me flying into traffic! I had no idea cows could move that fast!! Fortunately, I was lighter on my feet than she was, and I got out of the way in time, but she really did spoil my photo-op. As I was sitting on the bus ride home contemplating my imminent death by bus driver, I was amazed that I started off that weekend as a stranger, and completed it with a whole new group of friends...the people I've met here have been so warm and welcoming, like I have known them for so much longer than a week, and already I feel like I'm missing out by not spending more time here.
Now I'm back in Bangalore, back to the grindstone of one day of work per week. Today I went on my second outreach to the village with the team from the hospital. This time was much more exciting, as there were three doctors doing consultations, and I got to sit in the room where they were examining patients as well as dispense medications from the pharmacy. Tomorrow I will go early to the hosptial to go on rounds with the doctor and observe his consultations in the office, which will be obstetric as opposed to the general practice that takes place in the outreach clinic. I am really looking forward to that, but before that I have a goodbye party to go to for the Frenchies who are headed back to Paris tomorrow! Well, enough for now... more later!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
7.13.10 - Pondicherry
I want to write about my weekend in Pondicherry, but I'm so exhausted I can't keep my eyes open any more!! So, for a quick preview: the ride was crazy, the sunrise gorgeous, the mosquitos voracious, the food delicious, the beach captivating and the company made the whole weekend wonderful. Will write more later!
Friday, July 9, 2010
7.9.10 - On to Pondicherry
Today I embark on what I anticipate to be my most exciting Indian experience thus far: an overnight bus trip! Will there be bathrooms? If there are bathrooms, will there be toilet paper? Will I get motion sickness? Will there be a convenient little paper baggie in the back of the seat in front of me? Will I get a window seat? And most importantly, will the person sitting next to me be wearing deodorant?
Hahaha...I have answers to pretty much none of these questions. I guess I'll just have to wait and see! I'm going with friends, some of whom have taken busses like this, but it would spoil my fun to ask questions. I'd rather be surprised.
My first night in the new place went wonderfully. In fact, it was more than wonderful. The couple who owns the house has lived in the states for 7 years in California, so we are able to communicate very well, not just linguistically but culturally as well. And they have a daughter my age, so the wife has kind of taken me under her wing. They have been so accomodating, kind and generous. They gave me a cell phone to use while I am here! They've invited me up for tea any time, offered to help with everything. All in all, I was just undone by how wonderful they were. She prayed for me too and told me about her faith...it figures that I would come all they way around the world, surrounded by people of all different religions and ethnicities, and end up with the Indian version of my parents. Ironic, and comforting.
Alright, well I'm off for my night bus trip...wish me luck!
Hahaha...I have answers to pretty much none of these questions. I guess I'll just have to wait and see! I'm going with friends, some of whom have taken busses like this, but it would spoil my fun to ask questions. I'd rather be surprised.
My first night in the new place went wonderfully. In fact, it was more than wonderful. The couple who owns the house has lived in the states for 7 years in California, so we are able to communicate very well, not just linguistically but culturally as well. And they have a daughter my age, so the wife has kind of taken me under her wing. They have been so accomodating, kind and generous. They gave me a cell phone to use while I am here! They've invited me up for tea any time, offered to help with everything. All in all, I was just undone by how wonderful they were. She prayed for me too and told me about her faith...it figures that I would come all they way around the world, surrounded by people of all different religions and ethnicities, and end up with the Indian version of my parents. Ironic, and comforting.
Alright, well I'm off for my night bus trip...wish me luck!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
7.7.10 - Bengaluru
I am no longer homeless!!!!! I found, well actually Sarah found this great apartment that an older couple is renting out to a single female. Enter: me. So we called, and then we hopped in an auto and went right over to see the place. After a little bit of confusion (because what would a day in India be without some confusion) we found the place. And it is huuuuuuuuge!!! I have the entire bottom floor of the house to myself! I thought it was just going to be a room off to the corner of their house, which would have suit me just fine. But it's an entire two bedroom apartment for just me!!! I have a dining room, a kitchen (no gas for the stove yet but they said they would help me with that), a sitting room, my bedroom, and another bedroom too...they said they won't be renting that one out. Seriously??? And guess how much this beauty is costing me? $220 for a month, plus utilities. I am moving in tomorrow. It was really wonderful because I was looking in all the wrong places, and was getting frustrated, thinking about not staying here for long, just continuing to travel and vio-la...Sarah found it online.
After that we walked to the market from my new place, bought some food, and walked back to Sarah's. Apparently it's all within walking distance, but I was so hopelessly lost that I would never be able to find it again. Thank god for auto-rickshwas. The trip to the house in the auto cost about $1. But I do have a lot of time on my hands and I love to walk, so I find myself wishing my trip to India came with a GPS. It's very humbling for me, because I've always considered myself to have a fairly good sense of direction. But then maybe that's only because I've lived in Chicago for the past 6 years; whoever planned Chicago was organized and sensible. It is based on a grid system, and I could always determine the cardinal directions based on the lake, and therefore always knew where I was. It was the English who established the primary road systems in Bangalore, and it shows: nothing is direct, everything is round-about-this and garden-that, with the roads going around the gardens and then in spider-web fashion branching out from there. Of course the chaotic traffic, the cows standing in the middle of the road, the piles of burning garbage, the stench of urine eminating from the sidewalks(making them uninhabitable which is why all the pedestrians walk on the road, adding to the chaos), the stray dogs wandering around, and the constant need to be looking down so as not to fall off the raised sidewalks or step in a big pile of cow shit (which is liquidy and slippery and would result in a total wipeout) doesn't aid my attempts at keeping track of where I am. I'm more focused on staying upright than where I am going. I'm sure eventually I'll get the hang of this. Sarah complimented me on my street crossing skills today, so I know there's hope.
I don't think I have painted a very beautiful picture of India so far, and for that I'm sorry. But, truth is, you have to be able to look past this to see the beauty in the city, and I'm too absorbed in trying to survive that I haven't had the chance. But for me, I love the chaos; I love it because I don't understand it at all, but it works. Everybody here in this city thinks nothing of it - and here I am, bewildered, dumbfounded, and amazed. I describe it as chaos, because to me that's what it seems like, but it's not. There is an order to it, and everyone except me knows aobut it. I don't think three weeks will be enough time to decipher this encrypted code of life that goes on here, but at least it should be enough time for me to be able to walk from point A to point B, without getting lost, getting run over, or wiping out on a pile of cow shit. Here's hoping!
After that we walked to the market from my new place, bought some food, and walked back to Sarah's. Apparently it's all within walking distance, but I was so hopelessly lost that I would never be able to find it again. Thank god for auto-rickshwas. The trip to the house in the auto cost about $1. But I do have a lot of time on my hands and I love to walk, so I find myself wishing my trip to India came with a GPS. It's very humbling for me, because I've always considered myself to have a fairly good sense of direction. But then maybe that's only because I've lived in Chicago for the past 6 years; whoever planned Chicago was organized and sensible. It is based on a grid system, and I could always determine the cardinal directions based on the lake, and therefore always knew where I was. It was the English who established the primary road systems in Bangalore, and it shows: nothing is direct, everything is round-about-this and garden-that, with the roads going around the gardens and then in spider-web fashion branching out from there. Of course the chaotic traffic, the cows standing in the middle of the road, the piles of burning garbage, the stench of urine eminating from the sidewalks(making them uninhabitable which is why all the pedestrians walk on the road, adding to the chaos), the stray dogs wandering around, and the constant need to be looking down so as not to fall off the raised sidewalks or step in a big pile of cow shit (which is liquidy and slippery and would result in a total wipeout) doesn't aid my attempts at keeping track of where I am. I'm more focused on staying upright than where I am going. I'm sure eventually I'll get the hang of this. Sarah complimented me on my street crossing skills today, so I know there's hope.
I don't think I have painted a very beautiful picture of India so far, and for that I'm sorry. But, truth is, you have to be able to look past this to see the beauty in the city, and I'm too absorbed in trying to survive that I haven't had the chance. But for me, I love the chaos; I love it because I don't understand it at all, but it works. Everybody here in this city thinks nothing of it - and here I am, bewildered, dumbfounded, and amazed. I describe it as chaos, because to me that's what it seems like, but it's not. There is an order to it, and everyone except me knows aobut it. I don't think three weeks will be enough time to decipher this encrypted code of life that goes on here, but at least it should be enough time for me to be able to walk from point A to point B, without getting lost, getting run over, or wiping out on a pile of cow shit. Here's hoping!
Monday, July 5, 2010
7.5.10 - Bengaluru
Today was my first full day in India. I arrived yesterday at 9am to the airport, after a night of traveling...two 3.5 hour flights with one 3 hour layover in between. Time seems to go by in such a strange way while traveling...it's not just the time change, and I don't think it's all about the overnight trips either. For some reason one day passes and it feels like a week; and then other days seems to drag on forever. Maybe the new-ness of everything keeps my perceptions confused. Arriving at a friend's house after days of traveling alone also was really refreshing.
I don't think I really had any expectations for India...I have never really dreamed of coming here, it just happened that the timing seemed perfect and the opportunity arose so I took it. I wasn't sure what to really expect so I didn't have any expectations. And I didn't know what I would be doing here for the two months because I decided I wanted to wing it so I really had no clue what it would be like. But it turns out that this was the smartest thing I could have done. Tomorrow I will go out with my friends scoping for long-term housing situations, and also I will go to the hospital that I will be volunteering/observing at. As fate (or God or whatever external force you would subscribe to)would have it, my friend Rebecca was working with the head Ob-gyn of the local hospital...and I want to go back to the states to get my masters as a certified nurse midwife, so really it couldn't have been more perfect. And the neighborhood is really great...an interesting mix of nice houses, broken side-walks, piles of cow shit, and crrrrazy traffic...autos (glorified scooters with seats in the back to carry passengers...taxis for local destinations), mopeds, cars, cows, people walking. Except here they drive on the opposite side of the road. I finally got used to crossing the streets in Cairo, and now I have to train myself to look the other way!
The food is incredible...we had some southern Indian fare last night: crab ghee roast (best crab I've ever eaten and I'm from the East Coast!); fish curry; prawn sukka which is like a curry-ish paste made with coconut; gal, a creamy delicious lentil dish. It was to die for. I've also had homemade biriyani (a slow cooked baked rice dish) that is flavored with cardamom and cloves among other things. I drank coconut water from a young coconut today, and then when I finshed they cut it open and scraped the meat out for me to eat. Food here is cheap, flavorful and delicious. And if I ever have a craving for home, there is a Dominoes down the street that delivers!
Alright, that's enough for now...until next time!
I don't think I really had any expectations for India...I have never really dreamed of coming here, it just happened that the timing seemed perfect and the opportunity arose so I took it. I wasn't sure what to really expect so I didn't have any expectations. And I didn't know what I would be doing here for the two months because I decided I wanted to wing it so I really had no clue what it would be like. But it turns out that this was the smartest thing I could have done. Tomorrow I will go out with my friends scoping for long-term housing situations, and also I will go to the hospital that I will be volunteering/observing at. As fate (or God or whatever external force you would subscribe to)would have it, my friend Rebecca was working with the head Ob-gyn of the local hospital...and I want to go back to the states to get my masters as a certified nurse midwife, so really it couldn't have been more perfect. And the neighborhood is really great...an interesting mix of nice houses, broken side-walks, piles of cow shit, and crrrrazy traffic...autos (glorified scooters with seats in the back to carry passengers...taxis for local destinations), mopeds, cars, cows, people walking. Except here they drive on the opposite side of the road. I finally got used to crossing the streets in Cairo, and now I have to train myself to look the other way!
The food is incredible...we had some southern Indian fare last night: crab ghee roast (best crab I've ever eaten and I'm from the East Coast!); fish curry; prawn sukka which is like a curry-ish paste made with coconut; gal, a creamy delicious lentil dish. It was to die for. I've also had homemade biriyani (a slow cooked baked rice dish) that is flavored with cardamom and cloves among other things. I drank coconut water from a young coconut today, and then when I finshed they cut it open and scraped the meat out for me to eat. Food here is cheap, flavorful and delicious. And if I ever have a craving for home, there is a Dominoes down the street that delivers!
Alright, that's enough for now...until next time!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
7.3.10 - Goodbye Cairo
I stayed up until 4am playing backgammon last night with the hostel worker...who unfortunately got to experience my competetive side. Embarassingly enough, I am known among my family and friends for being so competitive that I have alienated people from wanting to play games with me! It doesn't matter if it's badmitton, dominoes, cards, volleyball, or even something I'm hopelessly bad at like pool...I love to win, and I get really angry and mean when I don't. It's something I'd like to think I'm working on. Anyways, so Yaseem works the night shift, and my body clock is still all thrown off (partly due to mid-day napping, partly due to time change and late night tea) so he told me he would teach me an Egyptian game. Now I have watched my mother play endless games of backgammon on our computer at home as a kid, but never did I know that it was of Egyptian origin, and I also never knew that there was so much strategy involved! I was soundly beaten about three times in a row, until I finally started to use some of the tactics I was seeing used against me. Yaseem was very patient and didn't seem upset by my occasional use of explitives, for which I am grateful. I have to say that I did win three rounds of my own (I won't say how many rounds we played).
So I went to bed at 4:30 am...just shortly after the first call to prayer. And round about 6:30 am each morning the flies come in and bite my legs. I can't tell you how they know this is prime time to annoy the sh*t out of me, but they do. And then by 7:30 they're usually gone. It's a very strange phenomenon. I spent the day wandering around Cairo, sightseeing and working on the awesome tan I have going on my nose and forehead. And then in an hour I leave for the airport, hopefully this time without any flat tires, to travel to India.
So I've made it through the first country of my around the world trip. I haven't lost my passport, credit cards or camera. I haven't been robbed (unless you count unanticipated, uncontrolled jewelry and perfume shopping as a form of self-inflicted robbery). I have not, thank god, had to pull out the huge can of mase someone gave me for my trip. And aside from the leering and staring and cat calling and other typical "manly" behavior, I have experienced nothing but kindness from the people here. Am sad to be leaving Egypt, but so excited for what's next!!! On to India...traveler's diarrhea, malaria, motion sickness...nothing can hold me back! I've got a pouch full of medicine and am ready for anything!
So I went to bed at 4:30 am...just shortly after the first call to prayer. And round about 6:30 am each morning the flies come in and bite my legs. I can't tell you how they know this is prime time to annoy the sh*t out of me, but they do. And then by 7:30 they're usually gone. It's a very strange phenomenon. I spent the day wandering around Cairo, sightseeing and working on the awesome tan I have going on my nose and forehead. And then in an hour I leave for the airport, hopefully this time without any flat tires, to travel to India.
So I've made it through the first country of my around the world trip. I haven't lost my passport, credit cards or camera. I haven't been robbed (unless you count unanticipated, uncontrolled jewelry and perfume shopping as a form of self-inflicted robbery). I have not, thank god, had to pull out the huge can of mase someone gave me for my trip. And aside from the leering and staring and cat calling and other typical "manly" behavior, I have experienced nothing but kindness from the people here. Am sad to be leaving Egypt, but so excited for what's next!!! On to India...traveler's diarrhea, malaria, motion sickness...nothing can hold me back! I've got a pouch full of medicine and am ready for anything!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
7.1.10 - Giza
Today I have discovered the meaning of "walk like and Egyptian". Allow me to expound: I went to see the pyramids today, and of course being the ridiculous tourist that I am (as I feel okay about being because I am only here for three days) I knew that I wanted to ride a camel. So we arrive at the government certified location for camel and horseback rides to the pyramids. My driver told me that I shouldn't take a ride on any one's camel who wasn't government certified because they would agree on a price, then get you out into the desert and demand more money from you. And then what could you do? You were in the desert on someone else's camel! Point taken. Anyways so we agreed on the price and then set out. As we were walking up the dunes toward the pyramids, my guide tells me that today I will learn what it means to walk like an Egyptian. I didn't realize he meant this literally... fast forward to me six hours later, and my ass and inner thighs are so sore from riding that damn camel that there is hardly any way to walk like a normal person! I'm not sure if this is what The Bangles meant, but it is definitely what my guide was talking about, of that I'm sure.
Also today, I learned how to cross the street like and Egyptian. I was on my way to the Museum, which is right down the street from my hostel, but I had to cross the insanity that is the main road that runs right by it. So I walked around the block once just to get up enough courage to cross the street, which involves stepping out into the traffic and putting your hand out as the cars weave around you. When I finally manage to do it, I find myself in the center of a round-about instead of on the side of the street that I want to be on, which means that I have to cross the street again! Needless to say, since I lived to write this, I did not aquire any fatal injuries, and I feel like I'm getting the hang of it.
Cairo is intriguing and wonderful, and I find the chaos of it all strangely attractive, although I'm sure that if I were to stay longer, I might be less enchanted. For now though, I am perfectly content to sit and listen to the traffic out the window and watch the moon rise, orange and glowing over the city scape. More later...
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