It's In The Mail

I mailed a parcel from Mysore the other day.

I'm also proud to say that I was a crazy women doing it.

I started out wondering the streets on my own to find a box, parcel paper, tape and a felt marker.

The box was obtained from the hotel and the other stuff from a stationary store. Great!

The next step was going to the post office.

My choices were air or sea. 2.5 kgs. Air... 1300 rupees.....15 day delivery. Sea... 750 rupees...4 months delivery.

The post guy then tells me that I had to wrap the parcel in cloth as my paper would rip.

How convenient that I had 2 guys follow me into the post office offering me this service.

I followed one back to his shop...after they argued on who I was to follow....and had him try to explain to me what he was going to do. I was going crazy trying to rush him as we were all going to the Palace within 45 minutes and I had to go get this parcel mailed back at the post office.

All I wanted him to do was sew me a sleeve for my parcel. How hard could that be?

Not hard at all if I just listened. He spoke some english and was trying to tell me that I also needed all these other forms....my passport number on the form...AND...my address in India. Of course I could use his if I didn't have an address.

I wasn't listening to him and rushed him along....then ran to the post office to find out I had to do exactely what the guy was trying to tell me at the parcel place.

Once again I was very lucky to have him have followed me and he helped me with all the paper work and the 'sticking' of the paper to the cloth.

I really hope this parcel makes it back to Canada.

I've even splurged to test the 'air' option.

Value of parcel...$15.00.

Crazy Westerners

I'm noticing that most of the Westerners that are either visiting India or living here are crazy.

Yup.

Must be why I am here.

Veg vs Non-Veg

There are tons of vegitarrians here in India.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism

Nite Bazaar

We all went to the the night bazaar last night.

I purchased a lime green purse.

Real leather.......800 rupees.

There were loads of Westerners there.

Jo even had a roast beef dinner for 200 rupees from a booth that was manned by an English couple!

Another Big City

I'm going to Mumbai with Jo on Wednesday for a few days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai

Flight out with SpiceJet (1 hr). I come back to Goa on Friday night.
5,050 Rupees return- 1,000 was flight- rest was taxes ($130.00).

Hotels are super expensive in Mumbai.
We are in a twin room for 3,680 rupees a night.

A room in Goa will be costing us 600 rupees a night.

Big difference.

Add On's

I forgot to mention who the new people were on my tour.

Five new folks joined us 2 weeks ago.

Al & Claire.....couple from Australia. Al is in management with Chubb Security.
Cushla....22 year old from Australia. Paramedic.
Deedra........Irish girl. Just finished film school.
Silvia....Austrian. Social worker. Very new agey.

Bye Bye People

My tour ends tomorrow morning.

It's kind of sad to see everyone go....but.......it's been long enough.

I need my space.

Roasted Corn

They have several spots where you can buy roasted corn on the corn.

Yummy!!!

Creepy Males

The beaches here are very interesting.

There are loads of Indians on the beach today...it's Sunday.....fully clothed. They are wearing their long pants/shirts/sari's.....NOT any beach wear.

The only people wearing beach wear are the Westerners.

The local males then stand in the water...and yes with their clothes on.... and just take pictures of the girls. Some will even venture over to talk to them.

Pretty creepy.

India vs Spain

They say Goa is the Ibiza of India.

I'm in Calangute right now.......Sunflower Beach Resort.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calangute

I plan to check out a few other beach areas.....Baga and Anjuna..... in the next few days.

It's really hot here.

Slap, Slap, Slap

We had a masturbator on the bus the other day while travelling from Mysore to Hampi.

Yup....right across the aisle from Cushla & Lourdes.

Cushla called Shaji over and then you hear Shaji slapping the guy in the face and saying something in their language.

A few of the other guys up front got up to help....but the creep just got out of his seat and moved to another one at the front of the bus.

I'm sure this was a first for our poor tour leader.

Go Shaji go.........

Alcohol and Trains

There is no drinking allowed on the trains.

Of course Jessica doesn't follow any rules.

She found herself stranded on some train platform last night when she got off and the train door was closed.

Good thing she can run and jump.

Why Use Cutlery

The Indians here use their right hand to eat their food. No cutlery.

They NEVER touch their food with their left hand.

The other night Shaji was eating a western sandwich.

He was using cutlery. A fork and knife to cut it up.

He never used his hands....always the cutlery.

Very funny to watch.

This is how and Indian eats ALL our food.

With cutlery.

Hippie Me

I'm in Hampi now.......arrived first thing this morning on an overnight train from Mysore.

We are staying at this cool place......Shanti Guest House.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampi

Kumbaya everyone.

Theatre in India

While in Kochi, we all went to go see one of local dance-drama productions.

Director P.K. Devan's....Kathakali Dance...as Art, Religion & Philosophy.

We first saw the performer apply his make up on....with a commentary on the meaning of the colors and what we would be seeing.

A very interesting show.....all for 130 rupees.

Art is bigger than reality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathakali

Backwaters & Me

We stayed at this great homestay the other night in the Kerala Backwaters!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_Backwaters

It took about a one hour boat ride to get to the home in the village..........Green Palms.

We didn't do much there.....just ate and walked around the plush green village.

Fantastic!

Dirty Feet

I'm presently in Mysore walking around with super dirty feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore

We took an air-conditioned overnight train to Bangalore...then a 3 hour bus to get here this morning.

Jo & I wondered around and found the veggie and fruit market.

I had a great little picnic on my bed.

Cantaloupe, banana, pineapple and kohlrabi.

I've even left dirt marks all over the white bedsheets from my dirty feet.

I love my life.

Next Big City

I decided that I will go to Mumbai for a few days after my tour.

I booked a flight with Spice Jet. Return to Goa. 5,050 rupees ($130.00)

I'll do Mumbai with Jo.

Big cities in India are best tackled in pairs.

Bye Bye Sleeping Bag

I said bye bye to one of my best purchases here the other day.

My sleeeping bag.

It sure was great having it in the cold!!!

I'm sure the guy I gave it to in Kolkata is going to be just as happy with it.

:)

Thought of the Day

"I need to be in control of my own pain." Lourdes

Rodents and Roaches

What do you see on the trains in India besides all the people and the dirt?????

In the North: Mice. YES. Those cute little rodents that run back and forth super quick. Last time I saw one of those was when I was in Amsterdam at one of the local restaurants. No problem that time. I was drunk. I wasn't on the train.

In the South: Cockroaches. YES. Those very ugly little pests. EVERWHERE. Yuck. I hate roaches. Especially when Hanna told me she ended up taking one home to England last time she was here. It was still alive when she opened up her backpack. YUCK!

I will need to STERILIZE my bag before I leave India.

Hot & Sticky South

I'm in Kochi right now. Sitting under a fan. It's super hot out there.

I'm scared to go outside.

The South is very green. Palm trees everywhere. It's also a lot cleaner in this area.

There are Westerners everywhere here. I think this is where most of them come when they go to India. A lot of new age people. Yoga. Meditation. Hippies. Unemployed......oops...maybe I should not be referring to me.

We've done quite a bit already.

Mamallapuram for one day. Madurai for 2 days. Varkala for 2 days.

Not much happening in those places other than going to the beach. I broke down and went in Varkala for an afternoon. An umbrella cost me 150 rupees!

It's expensive in these beach resorts.

Toxics and Me

I went for a massage in Varkala the other day.

Ayurvedic massage. 500 rupees for 1 hour.

You get totally naked and herbal oil is massaged into your scalp, your face and then your full body.

It's not really a deep tissue massage...more like a sweeping motion over your body. It was very interesting.

About 2 hours later I get super sick.

Tummy ache and headache. Horrible. It lasted 24 hours.

I'm convinced it was the massage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda

Valentines Day Sucks Big Time

Tomorrow is yucky Valentine's day.
Yuck.
Yuck.
Yuck.

Uploading Photos

I've been trying to upload some photos on to facebook.
It's taking a good 7 to 8 minutes per photo.
Ugghh..........

My Pea Addiction

I was feeding my pea addiction in the North......EVERYDAY!!!

I find that the South has NO PEAS.

Oh my buddha!!

Women in Construction

I've seen Indian women in the construction business working on the roads in some of the larger cities.

They still wear their sari's.

I find this very odd.

Classified Ads

There is a big section every week in the India Sunday Times with matrimonial ads.

Huge section.

It's organized into never married and previously married/divorced/widowed sections.

Sample:

Engineer. Rich. Alone. Brahmin 48+. 170 cms. Smart. Un-married. Good health. Can relocate. Seeks suitable un-married bride up to 35 years. No dowry.

HIV (+) girl wanted for HIV (+) boy of good family. Unmarried. 33/178 cm. Phy healthy & fit.

Some very interesting reading.

The South and Me

What my next 16 days look like.......

• Chennai
• Mamallapuram
• Madurai
• Varkala
• Keralan Backwaters
• Kochi
• Mysore
• Hampi
• Goa

Kids and Eyeliner

You often see these young Indian children wearing heavy black eyeliner.

It's to ward off the evil eye.

It also makes their eyes look even more beautiful.

South vs North

The South sure is different than the North in India.

Everything is different.

The weather. The food. The people. The language. The dress.

Everything.

The Day After

Back to Varanasi.......

I decided I needed to conquer my sad state by going back to where I saw all the desperation.

I wanted to go by myself.

It had rained all night and there was mud everywhere by our hotel. The rain had prevented us from taking our sunrise boat ride. Everyone was just lazying around.

I started along the Ganges river path noticing that it was the clearest day since we had arrived.

There were little boys playing cricket everywhere. Laughing. They had to stop the game as I walked by...or I'd wait until the ball was nowhere in sight & I'd run by.

The buffalo's were out in their usual spot eating...not sure what...but they were at the same spot I saw them both days prior.

I stopped at the cremation spot to watch some of the burnings. A local guy came by to talk to me. He explained how they burn the bodies for 3 hours. They also have a person go by once a day to find all the burned up jewlery that they resell at the market.

I saw 2 bodies being burned while I stood there. They first put the wrapped up bodies in the river and wet them...later placing them on the fire. If the family has enough money, the bodies will have flowers on them. This is the reason all the goats, cows & dogs are hanging around...they eat the flowers.

I kept walking further down to the crazy spot where most of the action was the day before. It wasn't as busy.

Along the way I had people try to see me stuff....boat rides...puja's.. floer/candle bowls...postcards...jewlert. I would say no thank you and they would just leave.

No one was persistant with me.

I was left alone.

A little girl walked up to me commenting on how beautiful my hair was. She was about 8 years old and spoke in english. She was carrying a box full of the flower/candle bowls but she never once mentioned for me to buy anything. Her name escapes me now, but she asked me what my name was and where I was from. We had a conversation around her going to school and her 'part time' job of selling the celebration bowls by the river. She was so cute.

Of course I asked her if I could buy one of her celebration bowls. She gave me one without even mentioning a price.

She lit the candle and I placed the bowl into the river.

I made my wish.

Passport to Heaven

Varanasi......to die here is to receive an instant passport to heaven and be released from the cycle of reincarnation.

There are more than 100 ghats (steps leading to the river) in Varansi.

It is the holiest of the 7 sacred cities of Hinduism.

Sihiva is said to have poured the river Ganga down from the Himalyas & Buddha gave his first sermon just outside the city.

Boat Rides and Ceremonies

We all went on a boat ride on the river Ganga our first night in Varanasi.

Tej also organized local music on the boat. Sitar and bongos.

http://www.sitarindia.org/

The weather was cloudy so it was kind of spooky on the river as we floated around.

Just before we got off we had a flower ceremony of us releasing all these little bowls containing flowers and candles that we each lit up into the river. One at a time...with us saying a wish each time we dropped a bowl in. We must of had at least 80 bowls in the river near our boat. It looked amazing.

We also took part of watching an evening puja.

Peaceful moments for all of us.

Poor J-O-E

J-O-E got his wallet pickpocked on one of his last days in India.

I wasn't with the group...but a few of them were walking along the river when all of a sudden several young kids crowed them all in asking for money and trying to sell them stuff.

The group tried to keep walking and when the kids finally left....J-O-E was left with no wallet.

Poor J-O-E. All kinds of weird things always happen to him.

He was very quiet on our night train out of Varanasi to Kolkata.

I'm happy to report that his dad wired him some money and all was good on our last night together as a group.

Missionaries

Most of us went to see the Mother Teresa house in Kolkata.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa

It's amazing to see all the work she did. Very moving.

Jo and I then went to see one of her projects....Nirmala Kalighat... a home for the dying and desolute.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missionaries_of_Charity

We took public transportation. A local bus that had men sitting on one side and female on the other.

We found this out when we were told to get up and go sit on the female side.

I asked one of the young local women on the bus why it was like this in Kolkata.

Her reply was......'This is India'.

Surprising Kolkata

I was very surprised to see how clean Kolkata was.

The train station was very clean.

My expectations were to see garbage everywhere...and very disorganized.

Not like that at all.....especially the area we went to.

Dancing in Kolkata

Last night was our last night together as a group with Tej.

We started the night out with dinner and then drinks in Tej's room. From there we headed off to a nightclub called 'Underworld'. ...walking distance from our hotel....Hotel VicTerrace.

The club scene here involves going in as couples. Cover charge is reduced this way....otherwise a single male on his own would pay up to 4,500 rupees to get in. Our covercharge was 500 rupees per male/female...but Tej got us all in for free. Drinks were expensive in the club....250 rupees each.

The club was like any 'Western' club from home. Cool thing was the 2 DJ's...both girls. Music was hip hop and club type.....most in Hindi.

This was the place that Terese had the most fun in India. The Swede couple really did not like India.

I said my goodbyes to Joel & Terese....who are off to Thailand.....then Jenny....who is going back to England (she had a bit of a tough time health wise in India)......and J-O-E...who is off to Vietnam....poor J-O-E...he was pickpocketed in Varanasi.

We had a great group travelling the North!!

Tej made it especially great. He was a FANTASTIC leader.....always going over and beyond.

We will miss him.

Cold to Hot

I'm in the South now. Took an early morning flight from Kolkata to Chennai. Indigo Airlines....3,000 rupees ($82.00).

When I got into Chennai I had to purchase a pre paid taxi service coupon (250 rupees) to get myself to the hotel. A very organized system.

It's pretty hot here compared to the North.

We are at New Victoria Hotel. One night only as we leave first thing for Mamallapuram.

Our new group has a total of 12 passengers.

7 are from the original group and we have 5 new people that joined this leg of the trip.

Our tour leaders name is Shaji.

It's going to be a hot one...........

This is India

India really fucks with you mind.

Desperate Life

There are beggars everywhere here. Hundreds and hundreds of them.

Most are sitting. All lined up in a very long long line. It seems to go on forever. They sit with their bowls and hands out asking for food. Many just use their hands and motion to you and then point to their mouths. You also see some of the local people walking by with big bags of uncooked rice that they give to the beggars by scooping small handfuls of the rice into the beggars bowls.

There are loads of other beggars just walking around. Mostly children or mothers with their babies. They also use their hands and motion to you and then point to their mouths. Some ask for rupees....but most just want food.

A lot of them are very persistant and they keep following you and crowd you in. Some of them even start touching you and grabbing your arm.

I found myself shoving a few of them out of my way yesterday as I was so overwhelmed by the numbers and persistance of them all.

All I kept thinking was how was I going to pick someone to give stuff to. How?

Especially when you do give and they want more. How?

It was a very tough day for me.

I felt like I was losing all my compassion for people.

It was even more harder when I walked by some of the cremations going on by the Ganges river. I witnessed the burning of bodies. The bodies were wrapped up and placed on firewood. The spot I was at had 3 burnings going on at the same time. Around the fire you see all the garbage and then notice that life is still going on while the bodies are burning. Dogs are running around. So are the goats and cows. People are walking by. Boats are stopped with tourists right in front of the burnings. Boys are playing cricket.

I'd never seen anything like this before.

Back at the hotel I spoke about my afternoon to try and understand why I couldn't understand.

Leland tried to help and mentioned that the beggars are desperate people.

This somehow clicked in my mind.

Having lost hope
Suffering extreme need or anxiety

I've never in my life seen anyone in desperation. Ever.

It was a very sad night for me.

Varanasi or Bust

I'm in Varanasi now...Hotel Temple on Ganges...room 38.

Jo has called this room the 'garden shed'. Our last room together was 'the dungeon'.

We have clothes hanging up all over the room as we did some handwashing yesterday. Nothing is dry yet....this place is quite humid.

Varanasi is one of the spots that I'd been looking forward to the most.

Has it delivered?????????

Yes and no.

India has got to be one of the strangest places I've ever been to so far.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varanasi

Top Wonders and Me

I went to the Taj Mahal yesterday! Cost was 750 rupees ($20.00)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal

According to the latest global poll that decided the new list of 7 human-made marvels:

• The 105-foot-tall (38-meter-tall) "Christ the Redeemer" statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• The Colosseum in Rome
• India's Taj Mahal
• The Great Wall of China
• Jordan's ancient city of Petra
• The Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru
• The ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá in Mexico.

I've been to the top 3 on the list...so far!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_World

Taking and Leaving

The only thing you take with you when you're gone is what you leave behind.

Freedom

In love you give total freedom to the other.

More Sugar Please

Indians sure love sugar.

They put tons of it in their masala tea.

I'm addicted.

Motorcyles and Earings

Tej took me out on some borrowed motorcycle. He's not allowed to do this....but this is Tej.

He found a spot for me to buy the gold warrior earrings I was looking for.

Mia and Kiara are going to love them!

Indian Cooking Class

Visiting Pakistan

We were taught a phrase.......

"Have you visited Pakistan this morning?"

This refers to going to the toilet.

Number 2.

Pretty awful saying..........but funny at the same time.

Yoga Class

Dodging Camels & Everything Else

We rented mountain bikes when we were in Pushkar and had a blast driving them out to a few villages to meet the villagers.

The only problem was dodging all the traffic on the busy roads.

Camels. Cows. Motorcycles. Cars. Buses. Trucks. Horse Carriages. Bikes. People. Dogs.

It was insane.

Yet so much fun!

Peaceful Me

In Pushkar we had the opportunity to participate in a Puja ritual......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puja

Drying Out

We spent 2 days the other day at this really holy spot.....Pushkar:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushkar

The spot we stayed at was Hotel Kishan Palace.......2 young guys own it and made us all feel really comfortable.

There are all sorts of rules for these holy cities......from what you can wear to what you can eat and drink.

Volunteer Opportunity

We spent some time yesterday at this one spot that Intrepid supports........

http://www.ladli.org/

This is a vocational training centre for abused, orphaned and destitute girls.

I really liked the way it was run and what they are trying to do.

A great place to volunteer once I decide what area I want to stay in India after my tour.

So many choices!!

Where Am I

I'm in Jaipur right now.....Jaipur Inn.

This place is known as the pink city.

I like it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaipur

Hot Auntie

Yup...that's me!

Luca & Krystal had another baby girl.

It's so exciting to have 2 little girls in the family!!