R-O-C-K in the USA

It's Sunday night and I've been home since Thursday. Jon's having a bbq and a bunch of people are heading to Meijers, apparently to purchase a kiddie pool and some jello (!). Not sure how that's going to work out - should at least be entertaining.

I promised an update on our trip to Coorg. We took a sleeper train on our way out, and I managed to sleep for most of the 9.5 hour journey. Upon our arrival in Mysore, we ate breakfast (Indian coffee and local bread & dips) and started on a long car journey to a town in Coorg. The car trip was over two hours long and increadibly bumpy. Most of the roads were only one lane and not exactly smooth, so the trip envolved alot of swerving. As I told R right after we arrived in Madras, driving in India basically means ignoring every instinct that you might have while driving in the US. Near death is a normal experience. We finally got to our hotel around 2pm, in time for a lunch of tasty North Indian fare. R was a bit too queasy for lunch, since she sat in the back of the car with all the luggage.

We hung out around the hotel and took in all the beautiful views of the hills and towns. Coorg is much cooler than Madras (70s & 80s instead of the 90s) and less humid (60 percent instead of 80 percent) so we could sit without fans or AC and feel comfortable. We also visited a fantasitic waterfall and several temples nearby. The walk from the car to the waterfall was several miles down steps in a bright, green forest, which was difficult for R's mom and grandma. When we arrived, people were bathing in the sacred (but probably dirty) water at the base of the falls).

On our second day, we started with what is likely the one of the best temples that we visited. There were views of the surrounding mountains from inside the temple, and the wood carvings 0n the roof are quiet unusual. I also managed to check my e-mail at the tiniest internet cafe that I have ever visited. The connection was high speed, but also really slow, and cheap! Irony abounds in all things.

We left the first town and took another bumpy ride to Mysore on our third day. We visited an amazing Budhist temple & school on our way, as well as a lovely woodland resort. The temple, which is not listed in most guidebooks, contained 60 + foot high golden statues of three important Budhist teachers, including Budha himself, along with hundreds of paintings of gods. I started feeling sick the night before, so I started my diet of bland food (which lasted until the end of the trip).

In Mysore, we checked into a great hotel. In India, most of the bathrooms have a drain for the shower, with a bucket and a tap and sometimes a showerhead. Because of this fact, most of the toilets get soaked every time someone washes up. This hotel actually had a bath tub, which made me feel really at home. The hotel owner even sent someone out for toilet paper (most people in India douche) when he saw me. The night of our arrival we checked out the fountain light show in a garden famous in the Bollywood movies of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Like the train station in Chennai, it was increadibly crowded. Like, OhmyGodIcantbreathfromallthesepeoplewhatifIgetlost crowded. But the light show was pretty neat.

We saw the beautiful palace at Mysore the next day. The palace has a lovely temple next to it, along with some rather sad-looking elephants and camels for childrens rides. Being sick meant that (in part from desperation) I used my first India-style-hole-in-the-ground-toilet, which really isn't that bad (doesn't matter if it's dirty, since only your feet touch the thing). We then went to a summer palace of a famous, 1800s Indian warrior king (fought the British). The palace, composed of intricate paintings on every wood surface, is crumbling, but it must have been beautiful in its day. I imagine that some of the great monuments of Europe reached this state before they were revitalised in the last century. I hope that India's riches can be restored, but I also hope that the poor of India recieve the attention that they need & deserve first.

Our train back to Chennai was also a night train. It was good that I decided that Indian toilets were okay, since I had to use another one (with a handle for balance) on the train back. I slept on the top bunk this time, wich was fine, except that the air vent freaked me out a bit (I kept thinking something would crawl out of it, since it was right next to my face).

On our first day back in Chennai, we went to the wedding of R's second cousin. I wore a salwar kemis (spelling?) to the first ceremony. At the second, R & her mom dressed me up in a blue & pink silk sari, along with excellent safire jewlery. I have to show my parents the picture's, since R's mom was excited to hear their reactions. Everyone who saw me seemed amused, and R's mom said that it was hard to drape a sari on someone so tall (I'm only 5'7", but that's tall for South India).

The next day was my last in Chennai. We took care of some last minute shopping (a shirt for my dad, some bangles for a friend). R had to spend the afternoon taking care of her passport so that she can return to the US in a few months. Her mom was really nice, and she took me to the airport in the late afternoon. I had a nice chat with some of the family before I left, along with a renewed invite to visit some really nice people in Dehli if I make it out to Sylvie's wedding this December.

Getting through the airports was a bit rough. I forgot that I had to get my checked baggage examined by security before I could check in and check the baggage for the flight. In the baggage line, several people just walked in front of the people waiting for no explicable people. In spite of only having a few people in line, the check in line took over 45 minutes. A nice guy from Burma, who turned out to be in a group of 6 after I got in line behind him) let me go first with my one bag.

I had to stop in Dehli on my way to Amsterdam. I made the mistake of going through security for my flight right away, so that I had to sit in the area with no shops or magazines of 3.5 hours before my flight (the area just outside had some stuff to do).

I'll write some more about Copenhagen (my next stop) soon. I have mixed feelings about India. It was beautiful and too hot. Eating with your fingers is not so bad (but I had to lick mine off after each bite, while the locals let the food pile on). A motorcycle can apparently fit 3 adult men or a family of five, but that doesn't seem safe to me. I like that they have saved the trees, but I'm not sure that it's worth compromising safety to let them stand in the middle of the (mostly lane-free) roads. I think that, if they can do something about the intense poverty & the disparity between the rich & the poor, and fix the infrastructure (safe roads & public transportation) and clean everything up, South India could be on a fast track to being something amazing. I guess I just didn't realize that it was still so far from being a developed nation.

Oh, and Sylvie's taste is downright subtle by Indian standards (giant plastic rubbies surrounded by fake diamonds are shiek). :)

Chennai to Coorg

All things in India, or at least in the lovely household in which I have been residing these last few weeks, are decided by committee. And these decisions, which require significant time and noise in the making, are subject to change. Without notice.

These requirements led to my staying in Madras without seeing anything for four days. Now, normally I would have gone out to entertain myself. But, I was warned, such an action would not be safe here, as tourist spots are challenging places to get around. So I remained an (increasingly frustrate) inmate of the house for a few days. We finally ventured out on Wednesday for a whirlwind tour of Pondicherry (former French port with Ashram and temple and lovely beach + gandhi statue) and Mamallampuram (decently old damn cool stone carvings). My hosts then informed me that I had seen nearly everthing that Chennai has to offer. So I changed my plane ticket, so that I leave the day after we return from Coorg & Mysore. I will be spending 4 days in Copenhagen, where I can regain my role as a fully independent travelling girl.

After that decision, my trip improved significantly. I spent the day on Thursday at Tamil Nadu's version of Greenfield Village (homes from all over South India). It needs some docents, but the waiters at the restaurant convinced me to order a huge meal, and then teased me when I ate it my own way, which I found amusing. On Friday we went shopping and I bought some nice stuff for my family and myself (silk scarves, silver jewlery that is priced by the ounce, etc). All really great stuff from R's family's favorite stores, some of which even extended the family's discount to me.

I also got to hang out with R's friends and listen to them evaluate the new fiance (via arranged marriage) of one of the girls. And fall asleep on the table at the bar of a very exclusive boutique hotel (my body wants to sleep from 10pm to 6am here - I think that I have adjusted to the time change too well). R and her circle frequently dine at the restaurants of 5 star hotels, where they are guaranteed a clean and overpriced meal.

Things got even better during our trip to Coorg, which I will try to write about in the next few days. I'll be leaving Chennai tomorrow for Copenhagen (via Dehli and Amsterdam). I've had a really interesting trip and I am very grateful to my wonderful hosts. Today they dressed me up in a gorgeous silk sari to attend the wedding of R's second cousin, which was pretty funny. Pics to come!

Two more days in Chennai

Monday, 8 May

Madras is urban and not urban. Brand new flats on one street, fancy billboards all over the place, but then there are piles of debris on nice streets (broken bricks and garbage), and stalls (selling various products) made of sticks all over.

Rasika's house is very nice. Three floors with different parts of her extended family on each floor, and each floor has its own kitchen and living areas. So each family has their own space, but they can hang out pretty easily.

Everything is a bit less modern than I expected, but I guess we all make that mistake from watching movies. We don't live like they do in American movies, and they don't live like the people in the Bollywood movies.Almost no one stares at me - it's less noticable than it was in Italy. Might be because I'm always with lots of locals. But I am the only white person that I've seen.

I think that this all would have shocked me more when I was 18, but at this age, it doesn't seem all that strange.We've mostly been hanging out with Rasika's family so far. They have been extremely nice to me.

I feel bad that I have put out her sister - Rasika and her sister and cousin have been sleeping in the living room while I sleep in their bedroom with her grandma. I'm looking forward to getting out to see more things soon.

Tuesday, 9 May

The technology is all pretty western. Everyone seems to have a flat screen tv much nicer than my used tv/vcr. The new national news channel has borrowed heavily from the bbc in the cut ins & teasers. I think alot of the furniture has to be different because of the climate. No one wants a big, overstuffed couch or matress with this much humidity. It would never dry, and neither would the people sitting on it. The beds I've seen are basically raised boards with a thick pad. I'm so tired that I have no trouble sleeping. I wake up ackey, but the pain faids really fast.

They are feeding me Indian food. Lentils, curries, rice, dosas, chutney, all that stuff. Which I like. In fact, there is too much to eat. I was allowed to go to a family ceremony where they spend the whole day cooking, then eat on the floor on top of banana leaves. Rasika insisted that I use a plate and sit at the table, but I would have liked to sit on the floor like everyone else. All the food was sooo good, and they kept putting more and more on my plate. I could barely eat at dinnertime.

I finally bumped into some food that I didn't want to eat. It was a thin pancake with spices and (big) onions mixed in. I got one down, but I had to admit that I didn't like it to avoid eating another. Too bad - I've been pleased with my ability to eat everything put in front of me so far. Aparently, a lot of Indians who return from the states 1) complain constantly about the heat (thankyou Greenfield Village - a summer spent in a sealed room with a hot stove means that I can stand it) 2) refuse to eat with their hands (I'm not ready to leave silverware behind, but it's fine, as long as I wash first) and 3) insist on eating western food (I'm in India - shouldn't I eat Indian food?)

I still haven't seen much. I feel really dependent on my hosts, who have been busy observing the one year anniversary of the passing of a family member. Usually, travelling makes me feel super independent and self sufficient. I'm not sure if it's because of the signs of poverty, the fact that I'm a lone woman, or the result of arriving on a plane and going straight to Rasika's house (no chance to orient myself) but I don't feel comfortable venturing out on my own. I should talk to Rasika to find out if she thinks I can manage.

We'll be spending 5 days in Coorg next week. It's a hill station, so it should be cooler out, and we can go for walks in the coffee plantions and woods. I'm looking forward to it. We'll also be going to Pondicherry to see the old French fort and the religious sites, as well as Mallampuran for the Tamil Nadu version of Greenfield Village (Indian homes from all over the state) and the ancient stone carvings. I'm hoping that we will make it to Bangalore as well.

India first impressions

after over 30 hours of travel, i'm in madras. it's hot! i feel like i'm siting in front of a fire with the wind blowing the flames in my direction. did i mention that it's hot? i'm waiting for r to take a shower so that i can take one, because 30 hours of travel and this heat make me feel the need to wash.

musings thus far:

families everywhere have the same issues. discussing jewlery, r and her mom sounded just like me & my mom. seriously, i felt like i was in my own house. except for when they spoke in tamul. and offered me chai.

traffic lanes are helpful, but not necessary.

7 meals in 30 hours is too many.

ok, i know, not very many musings. but i just got here, and i haven't seen much outside of r's house

write me some comments so that i feel connected to my home :)

11:30pm

Not exactly late night. Been up for less than 12 hours. And I'm eating toast. Because I'm tipsy. And, since I'm eating the toast too fast, now I have the hickups.

I graduated on Friday, and I said goodbye to alot of nice people, who I may or may not ever see again. Very strange. I bought a nice condo in my new town, and I'm headed out to India this Thursday. Once I get back, I'll have about a week to move and a week and a half before I start my new job. It all feels rushed, but I know that I will get bored (like, sleeping until noon bored) if I don't do it all this way. But still, it's all a bit strange. I got pretty comfortable here. And the rose-colored glasses always come out about this time. I hope that I can make a nice home for myself in C.

Right now, I'm thinking furniture and dogs, since the friends/people part is clearly out of my control. I hate starting over. Maybe I'll have more control over my life now that I'm a tax-paying realt-estate-owning adult. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.

Now I'm drinking water and getting ready to read a bit (Field Notes from a Catastrophe or the Book Theif).

Laundry: Done
Dishes: Done
Ride to Airport: Arranged
Suitcase: Located
Phonecalls: On the to-do list
Packing: Soon