It's been a while...

WOW has it been a long time! Went to India for a month - only supposed to be 20 days but last day I got some illness - fever of 101.5 (normal for me is 97) and so a tad delirious and riddled with the "runs" - all while I'm at the airport finding out my flight was canceled due to Mumbai floods (floods=no plane) - so in the mess - and before I made one, I lost my ticket!

Thankfully I had guardian angels in a Dutch family of a window (Marc) and his some and nephew, who also took in an English bird who was panicking about missing her family in Thailand (where the plane stopped first). All of them were able to book a flight on another airline using their validated tickets, whereas I was stuck not able to get validation or reissue since the computers were connected to the flooded mainframe in Mumbai! Ahhh Air India... Since mine was purchased in Shanghai I had to spend much money to call shanghai many times and harass the girl who helped me get the tickets and all-in-all it took a week to finally leave!

A week in Delhi... Not bad for someone with loads of money to live in comfort and who likes the city. For me, I didn't know when I'd leave, didn't have loads of money (though thankfully enough to get by!!), and didn't like the city. It wasn't as friendly as other places I'd been in India. More people tried to cheat me too. I guess my start in the place just set me on the wrong foot or something. Thankfully my friends in Mumbai offered to help out with money (more than my family ever thought about) and another friend got her sister to let me stay the last 2 nights at her place.

So India is beautiful in so many ways - so the ways it's NOT are much easier to list. For most people (Americans I'm sure) these will be reason not to go there, but if you get past this stuff then the rewards are glorious:

Filth - trash, bodily waste (human and animal), dirt, food, and whatever else might go here...

Poverty - every where - not always recognizable because of women in jewelry that makes them look a little bit better off, or because of the smiles on their faces that display the kindness and happiness inside.

Frustrations - for most, it's getting a straight yes or no. I learned fast that the head shake means yes or ok. At worst it means I don't know, but any person with common sense can figure it out. The worst was getting the "natives" to LISTEN or HEAR what you are actually saying. Sometimes I was not understood (nasty American accent) but when I was, if the answer wasn't what they wanted to hear, they just continued with their pre-existing response.

Aggression - not physical for me - though I'm sure it could have been - but visual and verbal. The eyes - THE EYES!!! They stare INTO you, and you can have a stare off and still they keep looking. (They don't understand that once you blink you lose) Then there are the guys who act like they know all white women are easy and try to schmooze you. Or maybe it's just the sales technique and everyone is programmed to act that way in order to lure you into buying something. And if you don't feel tempted they just might even trick you to get you into a store!!

Whew!! Well, if that hasn't scared you off then you might just be able to find the glories that exist there. The religious rituals that are colorful, multifaceted, numerous, and sometimes plain fun. The clothing - conservative is NOT an understatement - is colorful and comfortable. It looks good on every body type and grows with you. No need to replace clothes when you get fat (not many at least). And white will get dirty so accept it, no need to panic! The people are so kind all the time, genuine (even when they use it to rob you if you let them), and the food is REALLY great!

Sizzler is a name I associate with a nasty meat buffet, similar to Ponderosa, if anyone remembers? But there, sizzlers are fahita plates with rice and veggies, cheese, and meat if you want (remember no beef, but the buffalo is delicious, tho the veg stuff is so good you'll never miss meat!). They are huge and can feed many people with small portions or three huge portions. If you are as lucky as me to have a family to stay with, go for a liberal Jain one - they have the BEST veggie food you can eat. Really tasty! And spice is a given though I had to ask for it often. I guess they are used to wimps ;-)

I stayed too long in Mumbai - spending loads of time with my friends who came to see their family, though my time was dominated by the kids (whom I love as though I am a blood relative!). We had such a good time together and I really felt like part of the family (with exception to the odd moments that came up when it was obvious I'm not).

I visited Lonavla - a beautiful town an hour and a half out of Mumbai. There I tried Chikki - a toffee candy using ingredients as common as nuts to unusual ones like fruit. The coconut is the hardest, I found out later. Then I visited Pune, a little further out, known for the University and Military. I met with nuns who run a program to help underprivileged women and children, educating them, and helping them help themselves. It was really uncomfortable - I felt cloistered and it set my feelings against Christianity even stronger. Nice women and a good cause, but I need to help from a distance. A charming guy who I was referred to by a woman I know in Shanghai took me out and I partied with him and a few of his friends for his birthday. The music was great and the dancing too. There the clothing can get more exciting (in Mumbai they DRESS for the clubs).

I went to visit Osho mediation resort- watched the video, saw the exterior, the guards, the copycat guests - all wearing maroon kaftan's. It was the real deal - a bit like hare krishna's, but you know the sex is actually open in this ashram. A mandatory HIV test is required to be a guest there. The grounds looked spectacular, and are award winning even, so if I ever get back there (prolly) I'll take the tour. If I'm lucky I'll get to see some free loving too! I am reading a book by Rajneesh, Osho, and his word is pretty on so I'm into it. But I'm not interpreting it to mean I need to use sex or drugs as many others have done. I'm into the natural, all substance free route to my inner sanctum.

I met a girl who introduced me to a guy who makes independent films and he took my resume and will forward it to some people he knows and so maybe I might possibly get a job which might bring me to Mumbai where I then might get into his films and then maybe exposure to some other films and if I were really lucky, into Bollywood! Wow I think that was my longest run-on sentence ever!!! :-) BTW, he's tall and cute and the first SEMI-"crush" I've had in a while.

I did a helluva lot of shopping. Bought some trinkets for friends even, but splurged on myself. I bought silver bracelets, one pure silver massive cuff, earrings, colorful bangles, and then of course clothes. 5 punjabi suits (sal-war kameez) and 3 sari's. I have 3 cotton punjabi's and 2 synthetic ones. Wish they were all natural fiber, but it'll do for now. Then 3 sari's are all syth I think, being wash and wear. Maybe syth blend? Well I know better than to catch them on fire, as my friends' mom had that happen and is now burned 40% of her body (backside so thankfully she had a good side to recover on). My heart goes out to her, and the family too as it was a very serious scare and trauma.

Other great things in India:
Paan: the shocking breath-freshener made from a paan leaf filled with flavorful spices and seeds, nuts, and fruit (some with silver or gold-leaf coating). Some people put a tobacco paste in it too, and usually are seen spitting until they finish chewing the paan. You can tell those paan lovers by the dark (reddish) color of their teeth. NOT a pretty site, but if they saw a dentist regularly they prolly could enjoy the same and not have that lasting effect.

Architecture: Not much to see in Mumbai, though some is great (hailing from the british period), the best is in the temples, and forts, and palaces - of which I saw none, YET. The Moghul period was VERY influential, so some things make you think Arabia, not India, but the elements can be found and the history is intriguing.

Auto-rickshaw: In Thailand it's a Tuk-Tuk, but in India it's an "auto" and they are just as mad in their driving as the cars and trucks they snake between. This is an experience prolly more enjoyable for the adventurous types, but the ones a little shaky can make it through too. Taking the bicycle rickshaw is for lovers, not thrill seekers...Unless you are a single female, carrying all the valuables in the purse, lost down dark streets in Agra, not knowing where you are or how to get to the hotel, and being watched closely by those on the street and in other rickshaws. Was I being followed or not? I don't know, and didn't let it go long enough to find out! I got off at a hotel I recognized as decent and the guards helped me and it cost more money, but I made it back without any more hitches.

The Taj Mahal: listed separately because my experience was so fabulous! It truly is a beautiful and amazing structure, though it angers me that the fine gems have all been removed, by thieves, museums, or otherwise. Prolly some are on someone's Victoria Secret Wish List underwear! Disgusting waste... Anyway: The feeling is clam, serene, and you see people of every walk of life there, in front of an obviously Muslim place but respecting each other and the grounds. A downpour occurred and I was caught up on the walk around on top, getting soaked to the bone (and going a bit see-through on top!) loving the rain as if it were the first. I wasn't the only one, as many were laughing and loving it as well. Many laid down on the now cool marble to make water angels while the rain poured on them. Others just watched in dryness under in the coves of the building. Hopefully I have good pictures of the event. Not that I ever get to upload them to a web site and link readers to them, maybe special requests can be met!

I could go on and on. Which I have. But really, I missed so many great things and I can't wait to go back. Maybe this winter I won't have to stay in Shanghai and I can really go live in a warm climate and get the chance to experience more of what makes India so remarkable!