It's kind of weird to be dropped off in a place that looks totally unfamiliar but totally familiar. Especially so early in the morning. Roadside stands, cars, rikshaws, cows and people people people. Rishikesh is easy though. You just have to find the river.

I had the luxury of reading at breakfast. It's the first time this entire trip that I've had time to pick up a book. One of my clients recommend "Holy Cow," and promised me that I would totally appreciate it after a week or two here. I did. I laughed so hard. I can pretty much stop this blog and refer everyone to the book. Everything I've tried to describe, she's done, but better. Much more entertaining.

My aimless wandering was constantly interrupted by people wanting my picture. Yesterday was my busiest photo op day. I had people hanging out of cars to take my picture. One guy kept showing up everywhere I went with a camera, but would pretend to be capturing the scenery. I do that too, I just don't follow one person doing it. I'm the weirdest thing these people have ever seenCarie had been in the next town over doing an interview for her research project, so we met up around 4:00pm. She got a massage and I frantically bought mounds of stuff for people back home. I set yesterday as my last day to buy stuff. I'm so glad I don't have to do anymore shopping.

We almost died several times on the way home. Our driver was especially aggressive. When we got back it started pouring. I was covered in sweat and dirt, but we jumped right back into a rikshaw for a nice dinner which Dr. Zon paid for. (score!) I felt like such a vagrant in there. I was starving and filthy and it was such nice place.

I slept late this morning and am still in bed at noon! It's awesome. I think I'm gonna get dressed and read at cafe coffee day. I'm going to an orphanage later with one of the girls. Tomorrow it's back to the coal mines with school.

Indian Disco

Did that seriously just post half of a title?  This blog page is silly.  We went out to an Indian Disco tonight. With a sikh d.j.  I didn't know such places existed.  It was pretty good.  But if you're gonna walk home from a disco at night, watch out for the open sewers.   I didn't fall in.

We had an Indian professor from UT meet up with us today and she was late because her train from Delhi was held up by Gujjars!  I thought it was exciting.  But I'm obsessed and rooting for them.  I'm so impressed with the cohesion and level of team work among such a large group of people with no cell phones or modern communication.  There was a picture in the paper this morning of a group of women in their colorful saris blocking train tracks in large masses.  It was awesome.  The government is trying to cut off their food supplies but tractors keep coming in and people from other villages are contributing.  Are you guys getting news about it back home?  I didn't figure you would be.

  My professor keeps trying to talk me into staying on and do an individual research project the second month.  That would be a kick ass research project.  Don't worry mom.  I'm not going to.  But I might come back next summer to work with a different group of nomad gujjars  in rajaji national park.  I'd need to learn some Hindi.   

I'm waiting for all that stuff to die down around delhi to make sure I can get to the airport, and then I will be buying some tickets to Nepal.  Yeah-ya!

I have to actually get some sleep tonight. I have a 6:30 am cab back to rishikesh tomorrow.  All those other fools who we left drinking at the disco are leaving at 6:00 am for the Himalayas.  I am going to pass on that 9 hour nightmare of a bus ride for a relaxing weekend.  I haven't had one day off since I've gotten here.  They are going to be so hung over.

I'm pretty sure I'm watching an American Idol style lip synching competition in hindi.  It never gets old.

Gujjars mean some business

They've managed to block all of the roads in and out of Delhi.  hmmm. That's where the airport is.  Most people's tickets home are next week.  I'm glad mine are further out.  It looks like the roads to Agra are blocked as well.  I'm headed that way next weekend.  They're calling it "riots" in the news, but I'm not sure about that. I think it might just be more protests where the Gujjars are being killed.   Either way, I hope it clears up before I get there.  

I'm watching the Jetsons in Hindi right now. FYI

It's crazy how fast things change around here.  I was supposed to leave for Punjab tomorrow with 2 other people, but it looks like the government is talking about temporarily shutting down religious sites because of riots, or violence, or both, or something.  So I guess we won't be going.   We were planning on buying our tickets to Nepal today.  But it looks like they are pushing to dissolve the monarchy by the end of the week.  And the monarchy is not wanting to be dissolved. It could end peacefully, but it could get scary.  It would be bad if the airport shut down.  

2 of the girls invited me to go to Rajisthan with them.  But it looks like the Gujjars are fucking shit up.  Everything is really up in the air right now.   Jenny and I were going to try for Bhutan if Nepal didn't work out, but evidently it takes months of paper work etc. because the government only approves a certain number of outsiders a year.  I might end up having to take some malaria pills after all and head south.  It's about to get pretty wet.  I'm glad I packed my rain jacket.  I've got a week and a half to figure something out.

I really can't even remember what I did today.  The evenings have been really nice.  Last night a few of us took our "Royal Challenges" up to the roof and listened to Clay play his harmonium.  the monkey size fruit bats I told you about were flying over us.  It was pretty surreal.  

 I am happy to report that I tried the Indian Pizza Hut tonight.  It was actually better than our pizza huts.  And they give you ketchup and horseradish mustard as condiments.  Im always up for weird condiments. It was actually pretty good.  Afterward we walked down to a street vendor in search of a sprite for our sick friend, and ran into some of our group.  We ended up with a round of chai and fresh, hot nan.  It was so good and fun to watch them make it.  But we are wondering 2 things:

1.  Where are the kids getting all the same heart balloons to sell?  Are they being pimped out and expected to bring back a certain amount?

2. Why would a person who looks like they are starving leave a bag of food on the side of the road?

Ritika, our new friend here in Derha Dun asked me some questions yesterday that I thought were interesting.  (I ask her questions constantly.  I will ask her the 2 up there tomorrow) She wanted to know how many kinds of bread we have in the U.S.  I wasn't sure how to answer.  I said a lot.  But she thought that meant, like, 5 or 10.  I tried to explain Whole Foods to her.  She's never been out of North India.  She also asked me if it were true that we throw our money on the ground.  I wasn't sure what she meant at first.  One of her cousins came to the U.S and told her that he picked up $10 in change while he was there.  "We would never do this here, throw our money on the ground." hmmm.  we don't so much throw it down, but I guess sometimes we don't bother to pick up a few pennies or nickels when they fall.  She always kind of looks at me funny when I try and answer.  It does seem wasteful.  She also thinks it's incredibly funny that sometimes I put rice in my broth, or broth on my rice.

ok, i can't keep my eyes open.  I know I had more to say...

ode to pepto bysmol

So much excitement in such short periods of time make it almost impossible to keep anything documented.    We went to Rishikesh yesterday.  As soon as we got off the bus it started to pour.  I mean really, really pour.  This time of year is really busy with the pilgrimage scene so the whole town was packed, but almost entirely with Indians from other states.  Any time we go to a touristy area where people have cameras it's a non stop photo op.  I'm gonna come home and be like, "why don't you bitches want my picture?"  I'm getting used to it but every time you look up someone is snapping your picture.  If I can catch it I try and make funny faces or wave.  sometimes they think it's funny and take more, but sometimes they get embarrassed.   

Anyway, Rishikesh.  We bought plastic tarps and trudged through the narrow street ways- which seemed to be all stairs.  We were so packed in and moving so slow.  At one point Jenny(my T.A who happens to be my age or slightly younger) fell into a huge puddle which lead to much laughter and an invitation for us to a family's home.  We didn't have much time so we had to decline, but it was neat the whole light hearted spirit of the place and the people.  Everyone was all smiles for us.  Even in the pouring rain.  It was really refreshing after a week in Derha Dun.  

We got to the Ganges but it was raining so hard that we huddled with the rest of the hundreds of people under small tarps and overhangs.  It was such an amazing sight.  We were standing looking out over the Ganges at a mountain side and a huge temple.  The rain was sweeping through the mountains in sheets.  It was beautiful.  When the rain slowed we started across the bridge.  I don't know if you'd call it a sway bridge, but that's what it did.  the wind was blowing extremely hard. I later found out that people have gone over the sides from wind.  Or that's what my Indian friend told me anyway.  The bridge was just as packed as everywhere else so it went slowly.  It was really dramatic and cool with the rain and wind and the Ganges swirling below us.  It moves really fast.  I saw a total of 8 other westerners in town which is the most I've seen anywhere on this whole trip.  We went into an upstairs cafe called The little Buddha, which I'm sure was built especially to cater to hippy backpackers, but I loved it.  And I had the most appreciated coke from a glass bottle.  I haven't been eating much other than plain rice and nan so it tasted especially delicious.  i haven't talked to one person that isn't having issues.  We're all poppin' pepto tablets like we won a championship game.  I had a few bites of pasta there too and felt like a new woman.  I plan on going back after the program is over.  At least for a little while.  I've already found one willing travel partner for that trip.

We made it to Haridwar in time for the evening Ganga ceremony.  I know I've used the word "intense"several times, but this was the intense-est.  There were just so many people.  And everyone came at you from all sides to get money.  So you had to have at least 5 streams of focus at once.  I wasn't going to buy a flower basket for the prayer but I was given one.  That was one place I didn't care to be singled out as a money target, and I didn't plan on spending anything at all.  Don't let anyone touch you or bless you because they will expect money.  I did give a little girl 1 ruppee because she got the bindi thing on my forehead before I could shoo her away, and I had to give her credit for that.  That negative stuff said, it was really amazing and visually spectacular.  I put my feet in.  But ended up covered in it by the end of the night anyway.   I got in late and braved a cold shower to scrub myself head to toe several times.  My pants were soaked so I just threw them in the tub, filled it with soap and left them overnight.   I'm not even going to tell you about the squat toilet experience. I will just tell you that I will never ever complain about any public restroom in the U.S ever again.  It was the only public restroom for all of those people.  Imagine the smell. And the piss and shit you had to wade through. Ok, I guess I'll tell you a little about it.  I'm the only one in our group that went through with it.  I came out feeling like I survived a bloody battle.  I think I might just throw those shoes away.  

I spent today in Musoori.  it was a terrifying 2 hour bus ride up the side of a mountain.  but it was totally worth it.  It's the most beautiful place I've been so far.  It was so clean and everywhere you looked was a beautiful view surrounded by mountains.  we had dinner at a 5 star restaurant.  I have never been anywhere so fancy in any country.  Our table was set outside on the mountain in a courtyard.  It was amazing.  It was just totally beautiful and amazing.  I can't believe I'm having this experience.

my new morning ritual

My favorite thing to do is get my toast and chai (no milk), go back to my room and read the matrimony section of the paper.  "Matrimony" in place of our "singles"section.  For example:

"High profile educated Jat Family with sound financial status seeks alliance for professional fair slim daughter.  Boy should be an engineer/high profile status business man 25+."

 

Being fair seems to be extremely important.  there are so many skin bleaching commercials.  My favorite one is a girl trying to hook up with a guy and he's like, "nu huh." and runs to a light skin girl with a rose.  I talked to a woman here about how weird it is that we spend so much time trying to tan and get dark.  Another thing I've noticed is that almost all the back ground boodie dancers in videos are white.  

But being fair isn't always good I guess.  i got "harassed" in the market yesterday, but nothing that actually bothered me.  Just interesting.  I think I've said before how tiny most guys are here, so I have total confidence that I could take them if need be.  I honestly expected more harassment than what I've gotten.  Some other girls have had bad experiences, but most of them have been at night.  That's kind of a given.

there's always going to be a bad one in the bunch.  Last night at dinner we talked about all of the good experiences and interactions we've had and they far outweighed the negative ones.  

I need a hair cut.