GrrrlTraveler’s Postcard Diaries: Sunrise on the Ganges, Varanasi, India
(2min video)
…My boat cruise down the ganges at 6A felt beautifully special …and not, with reason that at least a 100 of other tourist boats were out on the waters racing to make the length of the Ganges before sunrise! By boat is the only way to see the overall bathing ghat life, morning sun salutations, chanting, meditations, yoga postures and people washing their clothes on Ganges. Man, woman and child are there- a dip in the Ganga water is considered holy and purifying, so many lather up and take a baths in it too! Most are so devout and absorbed in their water ritual, they can be nonchalant about the 100+ tourists boats observing and photographing their every move. [Excerpt from "Varanasi's Humorous Underbelly"-- Click here for actual blog...]
Yes, its finally happened! Wi-fi has taken to the wings and for a small fee, you can surf the internet while in midstream to your destination. This has some people excited while others lesser so and it will give us all, an extra acknowledging to the fact we may potentially need to amp up our cellphone and computer battery power for the long hauls.
There are obvious cons to this pro. Such are: 1)In-flight was one of those safe havens where we couldn’t be reached and had the excuse to be cut the office leash! Now, that may no longer be the case; 2) Making cellphone calls is still restricted due to its interferences with the flight navigation system (Thank God or we’d have to suffer the annoying yap of our neighbors!), but currently Skype, being a VOIP is under the radar of policing and phone calls can evidentally be made; 3) the long-term heath hazards of exposure to raditation waves (ever seen the YouTube videos on how a cellphones pop popcorn kernels? Ha ha…who knows..) and how exposure may intensify while flying in a metal vessel (metal being a conduit)… For everything Wi-fi offers in in-flight freedom and productivity, it also equally seems to take away.
As of date, all we’ve heard is that Virgin America and Southwest Airlines have been offering this service on some of their flights, while Delta and American are still in testing. The going rate for this service will be in the $10 range for 3 hrs. More airlines ka-ching!
How can you find out if your plane has wi-fi? Check out SeatGuru.com for latest information of whether your flight is supported. Not interested? Then throw on your headphones, close your eyes and dream of an airways without wi-fi.
Today I got up late and am awoken by Dev at Shahi Palace in Jaisalmer who is calling to check in and see how my trip was going Post-Tour-Scam experience! This means that my India Vodaphone SIM finally works again… a little late but better than never! My flight leaves at an odd red-eye hour of 1:15A tomorrow morn and my hotel is allowing me a late checkout.
. Last breaths:
This may be my last day in India and its been hard to decipher whether I want to extend my stay and continue on. I want to experience more and find more redeeming qualities about it. But the fatigue of constantly scrambling to find my bearings is getting to me. Its not easy to travel solo 24/7 with last minute preparations & my annoyance is primarily a wish that I planned for myself better! Right now, I seek an oasis of calm, “a moment” of beauty and a bit of spoiled privilege to rejuvenate myself. None offers itself within the Delhi madhouse of honking horns, zig-zag driving, near death collisions, dirt, bugs, haggling, outdoor urinals and the constant visibility of poverty.
. Everything is a Negotiation
As a tourist, most of the time you’re uncertain of whether a smile means you’ve just been scammed or if someone is going to ask you for rupees for it! Places with ‘fixed prices’ are a godsend because if nothing else, its a honest foundation to base your dealings upon vs that constant feeling that no matter how earnestly you haggle, you’re bound to be a victim of a hiked up tourist price!
Haggling for my Taxi:
There is no “ART” or playfulness to my method of haggling a taxi. I simply- ASK a local what the going-rate is for my destination before hailing the auto!
Armed with my new Indian vocabulary…
1- the“swivel-bob” action with your head that looks like you’re saying NO but means “Yeah, sure why not?” and
2 – what I personally call “Chalo! hands” (a “Go” or “Go away” flicking of a hand as if shooing away flies or as if saying “There’s no more left”)
I have two points to my closed negotiation with taxi drivers:
1) I state the rate i’ve been given by a local upfront OR
2) I tell the taxi driver I want to use the meter! (something most want to avoid )
….
Last day for gift-getting is a scramble & i’ve done nowhere NEAR the amount of shopping as I hear M&D are doing on this trip…
Chandni Chowk (or Moonlit Avenue) is a congested and historic marketplace of in the heart of Old Delhi with dilapidated havelis and small, winding streets and souks crowded with worker traffic, pedestrians and merchants specializing in a specific commodities.
Saris! Saris! Saris! spices, jewelry, books, grains, sweets,… you name it (I got my dad a kurta and dhoti here). Here, the traffic of people, workers & rickshaws is a swarm as it is everywhere else in India, and while there are a handful of famous neighboring tourist landmarks, what makes CC the mother of Delhi markets and bazaars is what I call, “THE HUMAN PLOW”!
Firstly, the cargos of product or produce are transported via 1) being strapped on the top of one’s head or 2) via “pullcart wagon” with one man up front pulling, followed by two men behind pushing! Secondly, these cargo loads are LARGE & seemingly BEYOND NORMAL HUMAN CAPACITY and these men DO NOT make it look easy! Their sweat pours physical strain and uneasy facial winces.
Cows are considered sacred in India, so it’s a bold sight to see men doing the mule work, strapped to the yoke as the cows lazily look on. I’ve an immediate respect for The Human Plow. IT IS WHAT IT IS in extreme manual labor and a hard day of honest work! And despite the discomfort and the strain of their work, most of these hard-working men will make the time and energy amidst their work to lend a smile to my camera. These men love the attention of having their picture taken & why shouldn’t they?…What they do is phenomenal.
Like worker bees and ants- each man is necessary to literally, pushing the great wheel of daily commerce- his insignficance and greatness of his destiny is enslaved to arduous manual labor and the daily contract of…a few rupees!
. Street Food
I’ve been progressively bolder about eating foods from local shop vendors . Today I pull out all stops. I admit, a part of me foolishly believes that i’ve NOT experienced TRUE IN-D-I-A until i’ve experienced Delhi-Belly, so I go crazy with sampling those foods off the streets sold in “the newspaper envelopes and banana leaf bowls”! Street food is a common & inexpensive fast food restaurant substitute …but without a roof! A chai stand could lend a table & bench for people to “sit & sip” or it may consist of only one person, squatting on a mat while brewing cups for willing squatters. Food vendors sell a range of things- chaat (like Indian Chex Mix or mixed plates & you choose the mixings), puris, samosas, jalebis (a deep-fried breakfast pretzel soaked in sweet syrup), curries, etc… Anywhere nearby is ‘squat or stand’ real estate for patrons taking their meal-on-the-go.
The cups, packages and bowls that hold street food is a novelty! No plastic knifes, forks or paper plates – everything is biogradeable trash. Small packages holding samosas and burfis, etc… are made from newspaper, while bowls are constructed from banana leaves. In Bhaktapur, Nepal, one chaat vendor had made scoops from folded paper and cups were made from composition book pages containing someone’s homework on it. Crazy. I love this way of creative resourcefulness!
I’ve hired a driver for a day to sightsee Delhi. For 700Rs (a little over $10 and equal to a OW cab trip from Soho to my apt in Hell’s Kitchen ) this is a bargain! Both Sandeep and Regina have arranged to join me. Sandeep was generous to offer the use of his car for this, but I had booked my car in advance, so I’ve asked him to tag along instead. Also, it’s Regina’s last day to sightsee Delhi and she wanted to see things as well.
Tourist sights:Lotus Temple, Hanumayun’s Tomb & Quatab Minar (both to drop R off), the government sector full of government building & the port of India & the Red Fort.
For me, the BEST attraction of the day was where Sandeep took me for lunch, a favored diner & bakery in Greater Kailash where he gave me the 101 commentary on the popular (and his own favorite) foods in India- puri, Thali, pakoora and kulfi. I love having a friend here and its been great getting to know Sandeep- he’s a totally fun guy!
Sweets…how did Sandeep know what my weakness was?…
I LOVE that i’m here during festival time- today is the holiday of Dusshera (“Victory Day”)! All week I try my best to follow the festivals from Nepal’s Dushain to Varanasi’s celebration of Durga Puja and now to Delhi.
(Durga floats on their way to Yamuna River for their releasing)
(Makahna seller outside of a Shiva temple)
(Dussehra festival near the Red Fort in Delhi)
Regina & Sandeep in front of giant Ramlila dolls that will be burnt as part of the festivities
Today is the apex of the festivals- an overlap of celebrations. Durga Puja floats will be set into the river to kick off Dasara while giant tower-sized of dolls Ravana will be set on fire in effigy for Dusshera in memorial of good triumphing over evil. The festival excitement, is of that of a football tailgate party and you can witness it at carnivals, on the freeways as truckloads of people are shouting and jeering, faces painted with the red paint of Holi, as they take the floats to their releasing in the Yamuna River!
According to Sandeep and my driver, the hotel I had booked in Manju-ka-Tilla (a Tibetan colony up north near the sacred Yamuna River) is “not in a good area and is far from Central Delhi” & though I had booked it to be near the festivities, I doubt myself and scramble to find a hotel in a more convenient and safer location. My Vodaphone SIM card is still not working and it’s hard not having a phone in India and its a standard form of communication. Without it, I’m forced to hit the streets in search of STD booths (aka calling booths!). While calling within India is relatively cheap however- 1rupee a minute or free if you’re calling a local number from a landline- I am thankful to Sandeep for offering his mobile phone. I promptly called hotels in or near Connaught Place (its a huge mall) and had my driver take us there to check them out.
STD shops allow you to use the phones to place calls for as little as a rupee/minute
I’ve always stayed at mid-range and higher hotels. My stars, while they curse me in other areas, endorse me w/ a healthy portion of luxury glamorousnesses in my career & life so that I don’t need to be mega-rich to enjoy the privileges of a 5-star resort! Thus, I can deliberately toe-dip on the side of dirty bedsheets, guest houses and budget hotels, knowing its not my curse in life! Afterall, i’m in India!!! How many everyday local people and lifestyle am I going to see and experience at an expensive HOTEL other than the local people working there? And how many of those kinds of hotels are going to let their employees sleep on a blanket in the lobby after all is closed down?…
(some employees sleep on the rooftop of their workplaces too)
The budget-guesthouses to low mid-range hotels have been pretty consistent throughout. They run roughly $6-20/night and if the sheets or towels don’t look dirty, then they’ll charge you for toilet paper or the pillows will tempt smells of someone’s “man” head (as i imagine ALL of India- and its predominant population of men- passes through!) Also, while the bathrooms have- to my relief- a western toilet, it also comes with an ugly version of a handicapped shower stall w/ lukewarm water, a floor drain and what I haven’t enough curiousity to figure out the need for in a large plastic tub and pouring cup. (I’m part Japanese, so I know what one of them is for…as for the cup, i’ve used to pour water to flush the toilet if it hasn’t worked).
Situated in South Delhi in a town called Bhogal, the City Center Inn Hotel is on the mid-ranged side of $30 USD/night! While my room has AC, a color TV & a balcony, it doesn’t convince me it’s a $30 room. Still, according to Sandeep, the neighborhoods are better in the south and at least there’s no waft of urine .
(definitely no Bulgari soap or designer shampoo)
A pleasant surprise is that my hotel is accidentally located next to a marketplace and although I missed the launching of the Durga Puja floats… a block away, a huge crowd is gathering in celebration of Dussehra where giant Ravana dolls are about to be burnt ablaze!
those aren’t monkeys in the tree but children trying to get a front row seat of the fireworks and flames.
Back in Delhi. This second time around (post scam tour), I am CONVINCED I will make it better!
First stop: Tourist Freak Shows- It is Regina’s birthday and Regina’s Indian friends, Ramina and Reena hosting a lunch in celebration and our travel squad has been invited. I am excited! A trip to a foreign country doesn’t have much bearing if you’re always seeing things from a tourist’s perspective. Often, you’re trying to acclimate yourself to the differences in cultures, climates and lifestyles. You have to take a picture of EVERY oddity that is not in your cultural vocabulary. EVERYTHING is a novelty or an untrained circus act to you. ie… I saved my MacDonald‘s wrapper because it said “Paneer Salsa Wrap” (its the equivalent of a vegetarian breakfast burrito but with potatoes!) Retarded stuff like that, you know? I was even taking pictures of my food for a while, until I realized- Hey, unless there’s a lamb’s head (god forbid) propped up by a stake or wiggly things on my plate, then I can probably get this shot at any Indian restaurant in NYC! But being new to this culture, it’s hard to find the cut-off point between shooting “novelty freak & sideshow acts” vs “worthwhile memories” accurate to experiencing a true India.
Applying for Visa-like SIMs: I met R at the Vonnage store in Connaught Place. We needed to report that the SIM cards Regina had purchased for us were NOT working and we’ve been without use of our phones since. The store gave us the run-around & it’s true that anything dealing with the purchase of SIM’s in India is a real hassle & more strenuous than applying for a Visa! Proof of residence or hotel stay (a written letter on letterhead stating exact dates of stay) IS REQUIRED. This is difficult for a traveler that plans from day-to-day. But Regina wisely brought her Hawaii driver’s license for proof! Hah! After straightened out confusions, we were off to the metro and the district of Dwarka, a serene residential sector in Delhi with clean town houses, apartment complexes with not a visible stain of poverty!
Finding your way can be hard: The auto-rickshaw driver may NEED to ask SEVERAL people along the way for directions or may “choose” NOT to pick you up if you’re not going to an area he doesn’t feel like. I had a rickshaw driver who took all of 15 min + several neighborhood inquiries to drive to a place which was located 5 min on a direct semi circle of the same street. A cheap and efficient alternative is the new Delhi metro- you’ll save time, money and haggle energy! The metro system is still new and its surprising to see a different life exists on it. The facilities are clean, people are better dressed and overall, the environment is degrees cleaner (yet still predominantly male)! There is NO eating or drinking on the metro and at approx. 19Rs (a little under 25 cents!) it’s cheaper than a cab or rickshaw.
Indian Hospitality & New friends : Lunch at Reena & Ramina’s apartment in Dwarka was wonderful! Our hosts made a delicious rice biryani, daal, chicken curry, veggies, dessert, etc… It was a large spread to feed us all- Regina and a bunch of strangers they’ve not met before. This was Indian hospitality! While Team M&D had to rush to jump on the itinerary again, Regina and I stayed for a longer chillax time with the sisters. Nearing their 30′s, the sisters Reena & Ramina come from a class of Modern Delhites. Dressed leisurely in tank tops and shorts, they are both, beautiful, single, working career gals on their day off, with very warm and earthy demeanors. And damn- can they cook!… Hailing from Manipur (where Regina thinks we might be able to pass ourselves off as being from in order to blend in, as the features we hear lend toward an Asian-Pacific Island look), the sisters have made their home and careers in Delhi- one in advertising and the other in non-profit, conservational wildlife. The girls are genuinely chill people.
Lights Off Rock-n-Rolla : With our new friends, Ramina & Reena and my new Delhi Facebook friend, Sandeep (whom I met that eve) we were at Cafe Morrison, a hip rock-n-roll bar in Greater Kailash, south Delhi. Sandeep, in his 20′s, is born and raised in an affluent Delhi family and took his college schooling in the States. He is jovial and fun and immediately I know I will like him as a friend. Rock-n-Roll bars are a funny thing to me and even funnier when it’s a rock-n-roll bar in India. All of it is rock-n-roll America, music, dancing, drinks, bar food … NO India. (This feels odd when you know you’re in INDIA). The young Indian hipsters come out from the crack in ceiling and remindi you that Delhi is capable of being modern.
Delhi shuts down at around 12A and Sandeep, a true gentleman, kindly offered to drive me back to my hotel in dreadful Paharghanj. He knew it was unsafe for me as a female & I felt unsafe returning at this late an hour! We waited for Birthday Girl, Regina to hop her cab to the Sheraton & were off! While Sandeep had lived in Delhi most of his life, places like Paharganj were far removed from his vocabulary. So we had to stop occasionally to ask for directions on how to get there. India– the poor can’t get out and the rich have to ask directions as to how to get in!
Most of the hours I’ve seen Paharghanj, it’s been bustling with human traffic, so I wasn’t expecting there to be a CURFEW. To my surprise, after 12A- all was pitch black and sleeping!!! Most of the small streets & alleys were as dark as they were nameless. There were no streetlights and everything was deserted except the outdoor bed cots speckled with employees of establishments. I was thankful for Sandeep. There was NO WAY I would have found my hotel in any safe manner and I definitely, would NOT have found a cab or rickshaw driver to take me through those streets at this late an hour! When we finally found my $12/nite budget hotel Cozy Inn located in a winding alley, Sandeep escorted me in and knocked on the glass door for one of the hotel employees to open up. Upon hearing the knock, one of the hotel employees unrolled himself from his blanket on the lobby floor and wearily got up to unlock the door to let me in.
Tues 9/30 NEPAL- Finding my way from Chobhar Village to Dakshinkali…and back.
Chobar Village
Today i awoke to Le Chobhar Village Resort and a breath-taking 360 view of the unspoilt Taudaha Valley. It’s a grand feeling- I have full run of the resort ; momentarily, I am its sole guest, so the resort and this view is all mine! The resort house is an old 3-room renovated ancient Newari house.
Chobhar Village is not like a quaint French village, the hick farm regions of Virginia Beach or the backwoods territory of Upstate Catskill in New York. Instead it epitomizes the barest sentiment of the word “village” in its most medieval understanding of country living and simplicity. Perhaps even then i am being too generous- the word i’m really searching for is closer to “poverty” although its doubtful that the hearty villagers see themselves that way.
The conditions here appear …”lesser“. I’ve met many soulmates in bad teeth and people’s clothes can be as brown as their sun-tanned skin. Most things like laundry are done by hand and laid out to dry upon neighboring bushes, rooftops, balcony rails and anywhere one can create hanging room. A boy gets his haircut sitting in a chair in the middle walkway between houses. An old woman sits on the porch while a neighborhood friend applies henna from a bowl over her graying hair. Little babies and children with runny noses run around barefoot and bottomless. Baskets off chilis, lentils and corn bathe in the streets in front of open-door abodes. Meanwhile, the older men of the village seem to pass time by not paying attention to time pass. Each seems, if not at home or busy at work, to have his own lounging spot amongst fellow male companions either at the local “cafe” or in pairs and threesomes under shaded areas where it is cool. Village animals – ducks, dogs, chickens- aren’t nearly as concerned with staying cool but sun-bathe where there is comfort and companionship, oblivious to each others’ differences. Every man, woman, child and animal lives in harmony with its surroundings, crossing borders of space and living a life without invisible walls.
There are regular power outages from 6P TO 9P where you live in darkness or by candlelight (this is general of Nepal). I too am affected by this – nothing operates at this time and the resort provides me with an electric lamp which allows me an extra hour of light.
Catching a Nepalese bus to Dakshinkali
It is the first day of Dusshain (or Durga Puja) and there’s an air of festivity to the country roadside. Many are making pilgrimages to Dakshinkali whose temple holds regular animal sacrifices (each Tuesday and holidays). Today, in lieu of Dusshain, the temple is said to be “flowing with the blood“. Family- packed motorcycles, passenger-crowded trucks and festively-flagged country buses all decorate the Taudaha roadways. like sparkling Christmas lights. I too am pilgrimmaging out to Dakshinkali and want to take the local bus! Why? The fronts of country buses are painted in festive design and when over-crowded, there is the secondary art of passengers hanging out from the sides and riding on rooftop.
Observation #1: There are NO bus stop signs & buses along the countryside won’t stop unless you “hail” them down. People forget to tell you these important things when they give you directions …and “hailing a country bus” is NOT a passive activity. It is like hailing a NYC cab- you have to make it apparent you want them to stop for you- wave, flag, whistle if you can… Local Nepalese more “practiced” at the art of boarding a bus have another alternative – when the bus slows, the person runs with it and hops on!
Beside Ring Road, next to a roadside shack selling ice cream, 2 cows reclined up against motorcycles & a couple of sari-clad women hanging out, waiting to see what I would do… I stood and waited up to an hour baffled as to WHY buses were driving past me but not stopping. When the only boy waiting for the bus with me boarded it via the “run and hop” method, good ‘ole Ring was taking on circus quality I wasn’t sure I wanted to participate in.
Fortunately, enlightenment to my dilemma arrived in the form of Sanjju, a handsome 4’10″ – 5′ tall NLRN (No-Longer-Residential Nepalese) who took up rest from his “dare-devil mountain bike wheelies” upon the Ring. Sanjju, now living in Santa Barbara, CA was gearing up as a star biker representing Nepal in a big October bike race. While waiting for his entourage of press friends to catch up, he disclosed advice as to how to hail my bus. After some time chatting with Sanju and meeting his press, I hailed and boarded my bus! Over-crowded with passengers, I had to hold onto the side rail to keep from spilling out…finally, I was enroute and living a dream!
Bus Observation #2: All that crazy Indian/Nepalese decoration you see on the outside front of the buses… Continues INSIDE the bus too and is accompanied with bollywood music blasting from loudspeakers! I call this the “Nepalese Singing Bus” and at the cost of 25Rs (a little under a 25 cents USD), I don’t know why I didn’t try this sooner! The driver section of the cab is decorated with fake garlands and hanging cha-chas which jiggle a dance to the bumps and turns of the bus’s Bolly-roading. Additional cushion seats and an open view of the road are available in the front cab with the driver. Turn around to the back and you’ll see a sea of beautiful brown faces clothed in an array of colorful saris, bangled hands and fez-like cloth hats staring wide-eyed back at you.
Bus Observation #3: The Nepalese Height Limit
Dan’s observation about the standard height of Nepalese people seems true. The average male ranges under 5ft tall in height, while the women average 4ft. As a 5’8″ Asian/Pacific Islander, i cannot stand to full height in a Nepalese bus and thus, …cannot blend. Instead, I stand hunched over, which is why the whole bus has now focused their attention upon me for their viewing entertainment.
Observation #4: Friendly Seats to Strangers, Cargo & Livestock. Nepalese passengers can transport all kinds of cargo and livestock- via back of the bus or on rooftop! How they get them in, on or out during peak crowd conditions, I’ve no idea… My “particular” bus had a back door for secondary exits.
But the Nepalese are friendly and accommodating people in general. Standing out as “obviously awkward”, people were thoughtful to offer me seats. The first seat offered had baby vomit on it, so i declined it and opted to stand. Next, I was offered an arm rest to sit on, which i was grateful but still hunched as I wanted to peek out the window (a funeral procession carrying a body wrapped in white cloth, crossed the road to the local river). My third seat was at the back of the bus on a heap of grain-filled bags. Ironically, with all the courtesy codes of UNCLEAN : “NO eating with your left hand, NO sharing food/drink which has touched your lips (to share drinks, you would “pour” the water into your mouth vs sipping), NO blowing your nose while eating”, etc…, i was a bit surprised that sitting on someone else’s grain bag was not considered offensive and breaking some kind of “NO Ass to Mouth” rule.
It was on the heap of grains that 2 young girls, Latika & Reiju (approx 11yrs) adopted me. At first they whispered to each other, pointing and giggling at me, while looking at my New Balance shoes as if trying to decipher my country. Finally, Reiju leaned over to ask me where i was from. The girls (along with their mothers and Latika’s little sisters) were going to Dakshinkali for Durga Puja. Following their mothers through puja, they pulled me along, while each girl gifted a part of her own puja with me.
(Reiju & Latika)
(Latika, her mom & sisters)
(Women performing puja at the main temple)
the blood of sacrificial goats is the red you see…
(ringing the bells)
(the mischevious one!)
Latika asked if she could place a red tikka on my forehead then gifted me her garland rope tie, while little sister #1 placed her garland tie around my neck & little sister #2 fed me a piece of her food prassad (in this case, a homemade sweet given by the priest for taking puja). Reiju gave me her red garland tie as well. Such was my initiation into puja, into their family-friendship and them, into my heart. I in turn, entertained the girls, letting them take pictures with my camera. Latika and Reiju went crazy taking pictures of us, me, flowers, their mothers… and more flowers…. At one point the girls all started picking flowers and gifting me with them. This day is going to be one of fondest and most defining memories of Nepal.
And to Karina Kapoor- you are their favorite star!
Quick Tip: Always pack a flashlight.
Observation #4: Aside from power outages, everyone will tell you that its NOT safe to travel at night and to be home before dark… but you don’t understand it until night actually falls and you’re trying to find your village in the dark! The economy in Nepal is said to be in bad shape and have been many cases of foreigners & women being robbed or kidnapped. Now having survived the Watts Riots, L.A. earthquakes and NY’s 9-11, I’m part risk-taker, part street-smug cocky and part stupid; meanwhile being from Hawaii, I’m part-naive too. With all those factors, its difficult to say which is the part that manages to ellude danger each time.
When I left Dakshinkali under the wing of my new friends and their mothers on the last bus out, it was still daylight. But sunset came swiftly and before i knew it, night fell and it was very very VERY DARK. (PITCH BLACK to be specific) Panic #1: Street lights seem as uncommon to country villages as are bus stop signs, and not thinking to have left a bread crumb “count trail of stops” along the way, I wasn’t sure where or if there would be a Chobhar stop. Panic #2: IF there was a Chobhar stop, there was an 10 minute obstacle course up a winding hillside road to the village and then to my resort stay. I poured thru options – each feeling either flawed or fucked depending upon the equations of inadequate information. Translations to english were weak which didn’t help & somewhere along the lines i was charged 125 Rs bus fare due to a situation of “communication failure” (or tourist extortion). Panic was setting in. Man, woman or child- NO ONE on that bus thought it was safe for me to get off of the bus alone to find my way in the dark. Finally, communication breakthrough- the fare collector/extortionist eventually affirmed a Chobhar stop!
When the bus left me at my stop, all the light had left with it. The night sky and the stars were a brief consolation (If you can see the stars then all is not completely dark & stars don’t move, so you can navigate by them…that’s what the Ho’okulea did). Fortunately, the hillside wasn’t as deserted as I’d thought- occasionally, a car or motorcycle would drive by and shed light to the path ahead. Another handy tool was my free keychain mini flashlight that I remembered I brought for such emergencies (never discount free- it can sometimes save you). Scared shitless and briskly hoofing it up that hill, i made it back to my hotel and into the safety of a concerned resort manager and an electric lamp with 1/2hr of light left to it.
Avoiding unavoidables
Having a low immune system sometimes makes me a hyper-HYPOCHONDRIAC. Traveling in countries where the water is considered unsafe and leads to bad-baad stomach problems, I adhere to strict “Safe Food Rules” as if it were an ass-tight religion. BUT there is NO EASY WAY, NO ALTERNATIVE to declining questionable food if it’s a friendship offering. Some people have no problem maintaining strict NOs in their eating standards despite risking hurt feelings to goodwill efforts. I am NOT one of those people. When my little friends, excited to have me join them in Durga Puja- offered me a portion of their own prassad; begged me to take chai & roti (bread) with them from a sit-down run-down-shack café (BTW- much to my dismay, their mom paid for us all, despite my offering), etc… there is no way to pretend to eat it and then secretly toss it out when you have 4 beautifully eager pair of young eyes awaiting your response! What can you do?!… Well, you do what any polite person would- you silently pray “God Bless Germs, please”, then you open your mouth and insert sickness.
Who can say what it really was- bad food, pollution (which there’s a surprising amount in Thamel such that some wear masks), mosquitos, a reaction to the massive quantities of deet i’ve sprayed on myself or all my obsessive paranoia to the food i’ve just taken… I feel myself coming down with a cold. Its mostly in my throat. For now, I take an Airborne & leave it up to Durga.
Team M&D left at 5A to get an early start for their week long trekking tour of either the Pokhara or Anupurna Trail, so I can sleep in and take my time. I met with Theo, the head of my resort in Le Chobhar and he’s sending their driver over for me. i’ve already negotiated with the driver, a rate for him to take me around sightseeing..
Today is my tourist day. I usually dedicate one day to knocking the entire TO SEE List off, so that I can concentrate the rest of my time wandering, experiencing and creating unique experiences. When you’re traveling with others, I’m always at the compromising whim of other agendas & with Team M&D, I (more…)
Sleeper Trains in India
We’re taking the train from Jodhpur to Delhi. Shahi hotel has gotten us a driver to take us to the train station in Jodhpur. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any of the blue architecture of Jodphur city but arrived just in time to settle into our station and just in time for me to use the bathroom. The station bathroom was scary-disgusting and I was forced to bring out The Freshette. It is my new travel weapon! Oh yes!- a cup with a spout allowing women to pee standing up like a man. Holding my nose and my cup presented a weird feeling. It seemed so wrong to cross Adam, but overall a genius female James Bond device- I’m grateful to the inventor!
Time to board, we took the SLEEPER TRAIN to Delhi & finally, I got to experience public transportation! I loved it.
The sleeper train compartments house 6 births (bottom, mid, top on both sides) and one mirror. Riding on it, I could finally meet and talk with the local people who were sharing our cabin. This is their advice…
Train ettiquette- When you start out, all the bunks are folded up and you just have the 2 rows of seats and everyone sits in their assigned ones. Then, there is a time when the people in the cabin all decide to eat- the food vendors on the train periodically go around selling food but most of the locals in our cabin bring their own food.
Dentist Dan offers me an interesting travel device to brush my teeth with, which is better than the local twigs.
A little later in the evening, there is a silent agreement amongst your “cabin mates” that it is sleep time and everyone pulls down their bunk and sets up their beds. M & I wiped ours down with baby wipes. I couldn’t sleep immediately, so I brought out my iPod and split my time between looking out the window (it was near my head) and watching some Bollywood music videos I brought along. The young boy was sleeping in the middle bunk across of me, recognized one of the videos that I had from the movie, Guru. He leaned over and I shared a bit of my iPod with him.
In the morning looking outside of the train,
the poor paint line the railway tracks in a LONG procession. Shack housing stretched out for miles! Most are going through their morning routines- brushing their teeth with the twig of a tree, bathing with buckets of water taken from a community faucet, doing the ritual of sun salutations, or…
taking a squat dump by the side of the train tracks. Yeah… squat dump! Sometimes, you see a procession of men squatting with their pants around their ankles. I didn’t see any tissues. Most housing accommodations don’t boast much, neither a bathroom nor running water, but a public /community facet to share. Men are walking to and from along the train tracks… I think it’s to do their morning business.
I accidentally got this shot- the men squatting on the side are taking a dump. (their faces are blurred for confidentiality)
the track houses run one long procession… that goes on for miles….finally, we arrive at the New Delhi station
All has been VERY hectic here with this itinerary… We haven’t had much access to internet ever since we’ve left Delhi.
My Drive by shootings: Seeing the Rajasthan region through a plate of glass while flying itinerary-speed across the highway is a blur and only as romantic as the music in Kul’s car. Itinerary: we are on our way to Jaipur- Bikaner/Deshnok (to see the Rat Temple)- Jaisalmer! The desert landscape and passing villages are a blur and while I am excited about the newness of this all, I DO spend half of the time sleeping sandwiched between someone’s body and the door, with my ass pinched tight into the back of a little Tata car. Shitty idea to take this tour. Myself, Regina and Dan (the biggest and tallest of the group) co-mingle sweat in the cramped backseat while tiny Margaret assigns herself to the freedom and luxury of the front seat AC. Don’t ask me the logic… The car (vs. the train) is supposed to offer more time and freedom to our travels, but it doesn’t feel that way for some reason. It offers us sights but not “experiencing”.
Rajasthan is desert region, farming and camels. Camels pulling farm carts share the same road with cars and women with baskets on their heads.
