sweat, patience, and the Taj Mahal

India is tireless, insistent, hot, smelly, filthy, impoverished, beautiful and culturally rich. As much as we have worn ourselves out we are so glad to have come. I've imagined this place my whole life, watched the documentaries, looked at the picture books, but nothing is ever like actually being here and experiencing it myself. As cliche as it is the most apt description I find is that India is a multifaceted experience that plays itself out on your every sensory level in excess.

For example: a simple walk down the street-- It's hot, you step out of your guesthouse and exchange a friendly smile with the guesthouse worker who you were arguing with over prices an hour ago. Grudges don't hold out here too long, everyone is after your business/money at all times, you stand up for what is fair and move on. Did I mention it's hot? You're already dripping with sweat. A rickshaw driver jumps to attention and insists on driving you wheverever you want, you insist on no over and over and stop making eye contact quickly so he isn't too hopeful. And repeat that with the 30 other people with a saleable service you pass until you reach the end of the block. You're at a roundabout, a huge cow is leisurely picking his way through the traffic that anticipates it's movements and swarm around it like bats using sonar navigation. While refusing a dozen more drivers you dodge the traffic yourself which is coming in all directions at all times. Since people never use them lanes are often not even painted on the street. People drive en masse on the wrong side of the road so long as a huge vehicle isn't staring them down. The distinct smell of human defecation fills your nostrils, you've come to recognize it. You look down at your feet in flip flops wondering where not to step but the whole thing looks like a mess, just keep walking. A woman who must be young is looking at you with a dark leathery face, a small child is draped over her shoulder so it's bottom is facing you. She lifts its badly scarred leg in your direction, you look away and keep walking. Soon you figure you're probably lost. You haven't seen a street sign yet, you look for a rickshaw driver and finally can't find one.

Other interesting things about India are:
There are animals everywhere. Cows really are king here and they're everywhere. Besides them there are hordes of dogs, cats, tourist areas have elephants giving rides on the sides of the highway, camels are in common use for carting and tourists, monkeys are everywhere, we haven't had any bad encounters with them yet but everyone here is pretty freaked out when they get too close, pigs, huge oxen, donkeys, mules, and horses absolutely overburdened with huge carts of stuff, i've seen a couple peacocks, and one night i saw a leopard! Hernando doesn't believe me because he's jealous. We were driving back from a remote hilltop fort on another awful road at night and i saw it peek out from behind a rock! That was awesome.

Men are very affectionate with one another though be clear this is still a homophobic culture. I believe they don't acknowledge homosexuality to exist therefore it's ok to hold hands with one another, walk with their hands around each others waists. They look like items...

And oh so joyfully I can now say I know what it feels like to be a celebrity. Everyday a number of men ask if they can take their picture with me. For the first 2 weeks Hernando and I tolerated this odd anomaly until it was no longer that. Actually the deal breaker was when one of them tried to hold my hand, and all Indian men from here on out have to suffer because of him. I'm serious, I am literally being hounded for my picture. To the point that where despite the Indian desert heat I prefer to go out with a shawl covering my hair and I wear sunglasses indoors and I shoo people away like Princess Diana with the paparazzi.

Our patience is definitely being tried. Sometimes it feels like we are persevering to have fun, but we certainly are. I can't expect you to go on but if you have another free hour I'll go on about where we've been!...

We spent two days in Dharamshala, a hill station in the himalayas famous for being the home of the Dalai Lama in exlie and thus scores of Tibetan refugees. I can't say much for the place, the weather was dismal and all the buildings were so dusty and moldy I felt like I could hardly breathe. The pillows we were given were so thouroughly infested with black mold, I couldn't believe it. And when I asked for new ones there wasn't much of a difference so we went pillowless. As a place it also wasn't very special though we enjoyed the Tibetan Buddhist temple, prayer wheels are so lovely, and we enjoyed the museum commemorating the plight of the Tibetan people. Well you can hardly enjoy learning about a people's collective torture and suffering but we were glad to walk away with a better understanding of what they have gone through. Tibetans are openly discriminated against and marginalized in Tibet and are paid lower wages for the same jobs. If you're interested the Dalai Lama has a website: dalailama.com.

Amritsar is also hardly a pleasant city but it is perhaps the most fascinating place I've ever been to. It is home to the Sikh holy place, the golden temple. It is so beautiful but what I like most is that unlike almost every other place you visit as a tourist this place is very much in use. And when you visit you take part in the traditions whether or not you are sikh. You take holy food with your hands after you leave the temple, you touch the holy water, you can also drink it but I'll leave that to the Sikhs. They even host anyone who needs a place to stay for free in a huge room with hundreds of mattresses on the floor. You can eat there for free 24/7, they are always serving. We had some good dal, rice pudding and chapatis there. The craziest cultural activity we've witnessed was the daily retreat ceremony at the border with Pakistan. Everyday thousands of people drive out to the border after it closes on both sides to watch their guards do a bizarre show. They're dressed up with fans in their turbans and hats, they stomp their feet, they rally the crowds, girls and little boys dance in separate groups to bollywood hits in the middle before it starts. For part of it both sides throw open the gates and charge one another right up to line where they throw out their arms and chests and like-- what you gonna do?-- and the crowd goes nuts shouting Hindustan, or Pakistan depending on what side you're on. What strikes me most is each side gets so into it as though they are making their stand to one another but in order for it to work it has to be so highly choreographed between the two armies. A bird above would see thousands of people doing the same things on either side of a closed gate. I have never heard of this anywhere else in the world, it obviously speaks volumes of the tension between these 2 countries despite everything Gandhi fought for.

This morning at 6 we saw the Taj Mahal. It is so incredible nothing else is like it in the world, it is worth all the hype. I think everyone should make an effort to see it and experience India at some point in their lives.