Hey guys!
I've decided to write another little sidebar for you all (though I am learning fast that 98% of the blog's readership consists of our blood relatives, and i suspect our mothers check it about every eight minutes. Perhaps the remaining 2% is my Alaskan stalker). I am considering dedicating this edition to Alice, as she kindly provided the vast majority of the material.
So folks, here are some highlights from our (or should I say Alice's) recent adventures...
1) Hell on Wheels
Although Ms. Minor did mention her train sickness, she left out some of the choicey bits. During her delirium/psychosis, Alice did the following:
a) Joyously exclaim "Get Rich or Dit Fryin" many many times. This of course, is the mangled title of the 50 cent album that I once saw in an illegal CD market in Peru. It really struck a chord with Alice. All through the night, I feared "fryin'" would be her final word.
b) Vigorously sing the chorus of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Perhaps, in her seemingly drugged state, she was hoping to avoid substance charges, and figured this song would arouse the least amount of suspicion.
c) Try to make a new friend. Given that she was just emerging from the flailing stage, this elderly gentlemen ran back into the train cabin with nothing but terror in his eyes.
2) Potassium
Several days later, it was Deepa's turn to be ill, and Alice and I were out to dinner. Fruit has been relatively scarce thus far, so we opt for Fruit Night. We each get a banana shake, and eagerly await the two "Seasonal Fruit Platters" we've ordered. It turns out each SFP is a basket containing five bananas. Alone in the restaurant with nine waiters (who are, of course, all staring at us) and 14 bananas (approximately four in the liquid form), we try to make the best of things.
3) The Dinner Buffet
The next night, at the same restaurant where Alice and I got in touch with out inner apes, we branch out to the dinner buffet option. When the bill comes, we're told the shabby buffet will cost us 600 rupees each---ABSURD, as dinner for three at this place costs around 200. Like the scorned women we are, Alice and I fall into a state of buffet-plunder, focused primarily on apples and naan, as Deepa tries very, very hard not to know us. Oh, sweet revenge.
4) Burrs
Driving between Udaipur and Jodhpur, we stop at the side of the road to relieve ourselves. Deepa and I come out unscathed, but somehow Alice emerges from the brush covered in hundreds of small burrs. As our driver begins to help her pick them off, four local teenage boys--many of who have yet to learn the meaning of "inappropriate touch"--help out the effort. Soon, more boys come, and finding no room left around Alice, press their faces to the car and unblinkingly stare at Deepa and I for several minutes. In short, we are a spectacle.
5) Bad Timing
After riding camels in the Rajasthani desert, the three of us disembark by some dunes and a gathering of locals. We walk to the top of the highest dune, at which point Alice decides to fling herself down the slope, with about the amount of caution one would reserve for something unfeeling. Like wood. It goes poorly. Just as Alice stands up to verify her bones remain unbroken two things happen. First, she realizes she has lost her shoe somewhere inside the dune. Second, a massive sandstorm hits. Blinded and caught in a stampede of panicking locals, Alice's right shoe becomes forever part of the landscape.
Well, those are the adventures, large and small, of the past week. It has been wonderful to receive your emails, and unless any of you would like one as a gift, I am continuing to hold off on all offers of whips...
Love, love, love,
Kate
Monday, September 24, 2007
Violent Nausea, Mughals, Forts, and Camels (In that Order)
Hello again! We're back at Ashok's place for the day after a week of Rajasthani travel. Tonight we're headed to Rishikesh via an overnight train. Ohhhh trains. That seems a good place to start with this entry. ALl of our train rides have been at least memorable in their own way.....
Our train ride from Delhi to Udaipur started out innocently enough, but I eventually began to feel a tad queasy. You can probably see where this is going. OR - if you're one of Deepa's many medical relatives - you learned ALL about me that night! (Thanks Dakshi and co.!) I became delirious and all sorts of nauseous.....it was pretty terrifying. I started moaning and flailing and couldn't control myself - I kept telling myself to stop flailing, but my arms waved about anyway and I sort of watched them from afar. It may have something to do with the larium....ahhhh, psychosis!!! SO I changed malaria meds. Deepa and Kate did a spectacular job taking care of me. Kate showed infinitely more motherly tendencies than I knew she possessed. There was a lot of catching me as I collapsed from exhaustion and holding my hand through unsavory times...... Deepa freaking raised the alarm in India!! I was too delirious to know it until later, but apparently half of India was phoning in medical advice throughout the night. Once again, thanks everyone! It's a bit odd that the whole K-family (as Deepa tells me you're called!) knows me through a) my blog and b) my horrific illness. But I'm sure we'll find other ways to bond! Also - thanks to Murali for calling my parents and assuaging their worries. I'll leave the rest of my delirious adventures to Kate to explain because there are some REALLY funny bits and she'd do them justice. :) The Udaipur hotel was actually what I would have imagined heaven would be like while I was on the train. I sat and slept all day and attempted to eat (but didn't...) Deepa and Kate were exhausted themselves (with good reason!) so it was a wonderfully lazy day in comparison.
Rajasthan!!!! It's beautiful. Our guide in Udaipur was a perfect gentleman (Arvind Singh - we'll recommend him to anyone!). He knows EVERYTHING about Udaipur and the whole region and clearly loved sharing it with us. He was also very laid-back and let us set the pace of the day. We saw an active Hindu temple that has been around for hundreds of years. We've seen many temples at this point, but what stands out about that temple to me is the music and worship that was going on while we were there. I was too weak to walk around with the other three, so I sat with the worshipers. I sat off to the side to keep a respectful distance, but a kind lady kept welcoming me closer, so I joined in. The room felt energized and simply, but wonderfully, happy, and I loved being a small part of it. We also visited the city palace.....gorgeous!!! Again, I sat in a nice place while the others walked around. But it really did not bother me a bit - I drew and made friends with a guard and I probably would have preferred that to walking around had I been well. Still, Deepa and Kate gave me an abridged tour on our way out and I was duly impressed. That evening Kate and I took a boat ride on the lake....unfortunately Deepa was starting to feel ill. We saw an island-palace and some brilliant views from the boat. Our guide really outdid himself: he took us to his favorite local coffee place afterwards and insisted on paying for our coffee! Udaipur may have been my favorite city.....much slower-paced than anywhere else we had been, and very friendly on the whole.
The next day we visited the Ranakpur Jain Temple on our way to Jodhpur. 1444 intricated carved marble pillars - each with a unique design! (Deepa and I figured out that 1444 is a special number because......have you guessed it yet, Dad?....it's 38 squared!) The High Priest blessed the three of us because, in his words, "You are students, and the youth is the future of the world!" It's funny how things like that happen to us and we take them in stride. If the High Priest of a Jain Temple wanted to bless me in Seattle, I would be pretty floored! That may seem like a silly/erroneous comment....but wow!
Jodhpur = the blue city for good reason. Ages ago only the Brahmins were allowed to paint their houses blue. The blue paint keeps the houses cool in the heat, so now that anyone can paint their house blue - it's very in vogue. The best view of all the blue houses is from Mehrengarh Fort.
Jaisalmer! Here, everything is Golden instead of blue! WE love how all the cities have their own theme. Our driver is from around Jaisalmer - he was also incredibly good to us.....there are some stories but I'll let Kate tell them because she's hilarious. Jaisalmer Fort is unlike the others we've seen because 5,000 people still live inside the fort itself! It was built 900 years ago and is still active - how crazy is that???? Lots of little windy streets inside the fort and every building is covered in intricate carvings on the golden sandstone....SO many cows. That's truly not a Jaisalmer thing, they just seemed a little more present because the streets are so narrow. Inside the fort there are seven Jain temples - only two of which are open to the public. The architecture was spectacular in both Temples. Unfortunately, we were all quite miffed by the holy men. They were asking for money from the second we stepped into the temple. It made the place feel less like a house of worship, and more like some elaborate show. A couple young boys tried to give us tours around the temples when we clearly wanted to be left alone and we eventually paid them so they'd leave us alone and felt bad about the whole interaction. That's just how it goes sometimes.....Deepa remarked that it's the same everywhere - we want to be the first ones to see the temples so we can see the "real" Jain temples....but we wouldn't come see them unless we already knew they existed. And at this point, holy men asking for money and eight year old tour-guides forcing themselves on you are a part of those Temples. That afternoon we had a loooong rest because we were exhausted by the heat...SO HOT....and we swam in a pool. Which was brilliant. That night we went on a camel ride! YAY! Kate and I were reallllly pumped about it. Turns out, camels are way higher off the ground than horses. Also, they get up jerkily - it's so funny and not at all graceful! When you get on them they're sitting sort of like puppies.....that's a really poor comparison because they are, in fact, very large beasts.....but their legs are tucked under them. You get the idea......I hope....OH! We got caught in a sandstorm! Apparently it's very rare! we had to cut our trip a bit short and drive back in the rain/lightening/sand......My contacts kind of killed. Becky, I could have used your prowess with desert eye-care! I thought of you.
The train back to Delhi was hands down a much more fun experience than the one into Udaipur. PHEW! We read for a while while a group of 18-20 year old Indians were being really loud next to us. Eventually they invited us to join a game they were playing which involved me trying to sing an American song for them and being really excited about it but doing a poor job. We also played telephone - they obviously had a different name for it. It was hilarious!!! They said Hindi words and we mauled their language horribly....We did some English ones too. Deepa started 101 Dalmations (surprise!) and it turned into 101 Donations. Not bad, really, compared to some other attempts. The Hindi ones are impossible to replicate but very, very funny. We talked for a while - mostly being interrogated by Shetu, one of the girls...and it was all good fun. I love making friends with random people on trias etc. so it stands out as a highlight for me.
OH mannnn I'm leaving so much funny stuff for Kate - so you'd better tune in for "Kate's Corner" (Not Korner because, as you know, she's just not into that.)
MUCH LOVE!!!!
~Alice
Book I'm currently reading: Everything Is Illuminated, Jonathon Safran Foer
Next Book: Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Movie I am PINING after: Across the Universe........I'm seeing it as soon as I return with anyone who wants to come with me!
Last Musical I listened to on Deepa's i-pod: The Phantom of the Opera
PS - we're off to Rishikesh tonight (yoga central/the Beatles' place) and will probably be incommunicado for a bit but you still need to email me/comment on the blog because i want to hear from you!!! I'll probably write again when we're at Usha's house in Chennai or at Alampara at the Children's home.
PSS - ew just ordered take out and it's REALLY GOOD
Our train ride from Delhi to Udaipur started out innocently enough, but I eventually began to feel a tad queasy. You can probably see where this is going. OR - if you're one of Deepa's many medical relatives - you learned ALL about me that night! (Thanks Dakshi and co.!) I became delirious and all sorts of nauseous.....it was pretty terrifying. I started moaning and flailing and couldn't control myself - I kept telling myself to stop flailing, but my arms waved about anyway and I sort of watched them from afar. It may have something to do with the larium....ahhhh, psychosis!!! SO I changed malaria meds. Deepa and Kate did a spectacular job taking care of me. Kate showed infinitely more motherly tendencies than I knew she possessed. There was a lot of catching me as I collapsed from exhaustion and holding my hand through unsavory times...... Deepa freaking raised the alarm in India!! I was too delirious to know it until later, but apparently half of India was phoning in medical advice throughout the night. Once again, thanks everyone! It's a bit odd that the whole K-family (as Deepa tells me you're called!) knows me through a) my blog and b) my horrific illness. But I'm sure we'll find other ways to bond! Also - thanks to Murali for calling my parents and assuaging their worries. I'll leave the rest of my delirious adventures to Kate to explain because there are some REALLY funny bits and she'd do them justice. :) The Udaipur hotel was actually what I would have imagined heaven would be like while I was on the train. I sat and slept all day and attempted to eat (but didn't...) Deepa and Kate were exhausted themselves (with good reason!) so it was a wonderfully lazy day in comparison.
Rajasthan!!!! It's beautiful. Our guide in Udaipur was a perfect gentleman (Arvind Singh - we'll recommend him to anyone!). He knows EVERYTHING about Udaipur and the whole region and clearly loved sharing it with us. He was also very laid-back and let us set the pace of the day. We saw an active Hindu temple that has been around for hundreds of years. We've seen many temples at this point, but what stands out about that temple to me is the music and worship that was going on while we were there. I was too weak to walk around with the other three, so I sat with the worshipers. I sat off to the side to keep a respectful distance, but a kind lady kept welcoming me closer, so I joined in. The room felt energized and simply, but wonderfully, happy, and I loved being a small part of it. We also visited the city palace.....gorgeous!!! Again, I sat in a nice place while the others walked around. But it really did not bother me a bit - I drew and made friends with a guard and I probably would have preferred that to walking around had I been well. Still, Deepa and Kate gave me an abridged tour on our way out and I was duly impressed. That evening Kate and I took a boat ride on the lake....unfortunately Deepa was starting to feel ill. We saw an island-palace and some brilliant views from the boat. Our guide really outdid himself: he took us to his favorite local coffee place afterwards and insisted on paying for our coffee! Udaipur may have been my favorite city.....much slower-paced than anywhere else we had been, and very friendly on the whole.
The next day we visited the Ranakpur Jain Temple on our way to Jodhpur. 1444 intricated carved marble pillars - each with a unique design! (Deepa and I figured out that 1444 is a special number because......have you guessed it yet, Dad?....it's 38 squared!) The High Priest blessed the three of us because, in his words, "You are students, and the youth is the future of the world!" It's funny how things like that happen to us and we take them in stride. If the High Priest of a Jain Temple wanted to bless me in Seattle, I would be pretty floored! That may seem like a silly/erroneous comment....but wow!
Jodhpur = the blue city for good reason. Ages ago only the Brahmins were allowed to paint their houses blue. The blue paint keeps the houses cool in the heat, so now that anyone can paint their house blue - it's very in vogue. The best view of all the blue houses is from Mehrengarh Fort.
Jaisalmer! Here, everything is Golden instead of blue! WE love how all the cities have their own theme. Our driver is from around Jaisalmer - he was also incredibly good to us.....there are some stories but I'll let Kate tell them because she's hilarious. Jaisalmer Fort is unlike the others we've seen because 5,000 people still live inside the fort itself! It was built 900 years ago and is still active - how crazy is that???? Lots of little windy streets inside the fort and every building is covered in intricate carvings on the golden sandstone....SO many cows. That's truly not a Jaisalmer thing, they just seemed a little more present because the streets are so narrow. Inside the fort there are seven Jain temples - only two of which are open to the public. The architecture was spectacular in both Temples. Unfortunately, we were all quite miffed by the holy men. They were asking for money from the second we stepped into the temple. It made the place feel less like a house of worship, and more like some elaborate show. A couple young boys tried to give us tours around the temples when we clearly wanted to be left alone and we eventually paid them so they'd leave us alone and felt bad about the whole interaction. That's just how it goes sometimes.....Deepa remarked that it's the same everywhere - we want to be the first ones to see the temples so we can see the "real" Jain temples....but we wouldn't come see them unless we already knew they existed. And at this point, holy men asking for money and eight year old tour-guides forcing themselves on you are a part of those Temples. That afternoon we had a loooong rest because we were exhausted by the heat...SO HOT....and we swam in a pool. Which was brilliant. That night we went on a camel ride! YAY! Kate and I were reallllly pumped about it. Turns out, camels are way higher off the ground than horses. Also, they get up jerkily - it's so funny and not at all graceful! When you get on them they're sitting sort of like puppies.....that's a really poor comparison because they are, in fact, very large beasts.....but their legs are tucked under them. You get the idea......I hope....OH! We got caught in a sandstorm! Apparently it's very rare! we had to cut our trip a bit short and drive back in the rain/lightening/sand......My contacts kind of killed. Becky, I could have used your prowess with desert eye-care! I thought of you.
The train back to Delhi was hands down a much more fun experience than the one into Udaipur. PHEW! We read for a while while a group of 18-20 year old Indians were being really loud next to us. Eventually they invited us to join a game they were playing which involved me trying to sing an American song for them and being really excited about it but doing a poor job. We also played telephone - they obviously had a different name for it. It was hilarious!!! They said Hindi words and we mauled their language horribly....We did some English ones too. Deepa started 101 Dalmations (surprise!) and it turned into 101 Donations. Not bad, really, compared to some other attempts. The Hindi ones are impossible to replicate but very, very funny. We talked for a while - mostly being interrogated by Shetu, one of the girls...and it was all good fun. I love making friends with random people on trias etc. so it stands out as a highlight for me.
OH mannnn I'm leaving so much funny stuff for Kate - so you'd better tune in for "Kate's Corner" (Not Korner because, as you know, she's just not into that.)
MUCH LOVE!!!!
~Alice
Book I'm currently reading: Everything Is Illuminated, Jonathon Safran Foer
Next Book: Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Movie I am PINING after: Across the Universe........I'm seeing it as soon as I return with anyone who wants to come with me!
Last Musical I listened to on Deepa's i-pod: The Phantom of the Opera
PS - we're off to Rishikesh tonight (yoga central/the Beatles' place) and will probably be incommunicado for a bit but you still need to email me/comment on the blog because i want to hear from you!!! I'll probably write again when we're at Usha's house in Chennai or at Alampara at the Children's home.
PSS - ew just ordered take out and it's REALLY GOOD
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Guest columist, Kate Lund.....
Hey everyone! This is Kate, and I think I'm going to start appearing on Alice's blog.....perhaps I will have my own little section, a Kate's Corner (notice that I am refusing to spell Corner with a K...I'm just not into that), if you will.
Though I'm sure the time will come for me to report on impressions/events/ponderings and other things of substance, alice has covered that ground pretty well for the time being, so I thought I'd share with you some of the smaller things. Here are some moments that have gone down in the past couple days that we (we being alice, deepa and I, and not some strange new way of addressing myself) have found funny. maybe you won't. but we still do!
(to the one and only mae rice, I apologize, because the vast majority of this was in that last email...)
1. The Horn Game.
So I know Alice mentioned the monstrosity that was the bus horn in her last post, but there's something else here. In an effort to make ourselves look forward to our very overused piercing airraidsiren-esque bus horn, rather than dread it, Alice and I invented a little game. In the game, we were only allowed to breathe when the horn was sounding. Sadly, we kept this game going for quite a while, and were never terribly out of breath....
2. Whips
So wherever I go in India, men try to sell me seven foot long black leather whips (never alice or deepa, just me!). This really has happened several times. I don't know how to react to this.
3. The Faux Pas.
In the past several days, Alice and I (somehow Deepa has remained exempt) have had several less than ideal public mishaps. Yesterday I was eating in a restaurant, and somehow managed to fling my chai cup/plate in the air from quite a great height. I cannot express how loud the resulting crash was, or how many people stared (and never really did stop staring) at me. Many. Everyone, actually. Also--when you buy a salwar kameez, it is sleeveless, but the sleeves are pinned to the back in case you want to sew them on. So, you guessed it, Alice spent an entire day out in Delhi with a nice pair of sleeves pinned to her neck (not her actual neck, to clarify). oops.
4. Interesting Men
Sadly, there are too many strange and special men to list, but we encountered two of my favorites recently. The first was a tour guide...old, toothless, and incredibly angry/aggressive, this fellow gave us some extra special attention. He forbid us to read any informative signs (No! No! This is no reading tour! You waste time!)....and my personal favorite, suggested that an Indian woman also on the tour give her baby away to Alice to raise in the USA. Let's count the reasons why this is inappropriate. 1) Give you baby away to 2) the American 3) teenager 4)so she can raise him 5) in the US. Alright... the other man of note on this same day was The Living Infomercial Man who stood at the front of our bus and recited rhymes and sang a little song centered around a small metallic juicer. Afterwards, 50% of our bus---i kid you not---bought a small metallic juicer.
Well folks, that's it for now. At some point, I plan on writing something of much more substance. In the mean time, do keep in touch (email me! katelund89@gmail.com) and comment on this bloggy thing. You really should send me/us/especially me (just kidding!) a line for two compelling reasons:
a) I just checked my Lakeside inbox and it contained two emails from people I know and 23 emails in Russian. Huh.
b) I just checked my facebook and 75% of my notifications were from this girl in Alaska who I don't actually know and appears to be stalking me.
Love you all. Hope things are as wonderful and snazzy and just plain neat as you certainly deserve.
love love love,
Kate
Though I'm sure the time will come for me to report on impressions/events/ponderings and other things of substance, alice has covered that ground pretty well for the time being, so I thought I'd share with you some of the smaller things. Here are some moments that have gone down in the past couple days that we (we being alice, deepa and I, and not some strange new way of addressing myself) have found funny. maybe you won't. but we still do!
(to the one and only mae rice, I apologize, because the vast majority of this was in that last email...)
1. The Horn Game.
So I know Alice mentioned the monstrosity that was the bus horn in her last post, but there's something else here. In an effort to make ourselves look forward to our very overused piercing airraidsiren-esque bus horn, rather than dread it, Alice and I invented a little game. In the game, we were only allowed to breathe when the horn was sounding. Sadly, we kept this game going for quite a while, and were never terribly out of breath....
2. Whips
So wherever I go in India, men try to sell me seven foot long black leather whips (never alice or deepa, just me!). This really has happened several times. I don't know how to react to this.
3. The Faux Pas.
In the past several days, Alice and I (somehow Deepa has remained exempt) have had several less than ideal public mishaps. Yesterday I was eating in a restaurant, and somehow managed to fling my chai cup/plate in the air from quite a great height. I cannot express how loud the resulting crash was, or how many people stared (and never really did stop staring) at me. Many. Everyone, actually. Also--when you buy a salwar kameez, it is sleeveless, but the sleeves are pinned to the back in case you want to sew them on. So, you guessed it, Alice spent an entire day out in Delhi with a nice pair of sleeves pinned to her neck (not her actual neck, to clarify). oops.
4. Interesting Men
Sadly, there are too many strange and special men to list, but we encountered two of my favorites recently. The first was a tour guide...old, toothless, and incredibly angry/aggressive, this fellow gave us some extra special attention. He forbid us to read any informative signs (No! No! This is no reading tour! You waste time!)....and my personal favorite, suggested that an Indian woman also on the tour give her baby away to Alice to raise in the USA. Let's count the reasons why this is inappropriate. 1) Give you baby away to 2) the American 3) teenager 4)so she can raise him 5) in the US. Alright... the other man of note on this same day was The Living Infomercial Man who stood at the front of our bus and recited rhymes and sang a little song centered around a small metallic juicer. Afterwards, 50% of our bus---i kid you not---bought a small metallic juicer.
Well folks, that's it for now. At some point, I plan on writing something of much more substance. In the mean time, do keep in touch (email me! katelund89@gmail.com) and comment on this bloggy thing. You really should send me/us/especially me (just kidding!) a line for two compelling reasons:
a) I just checked my Lakeside inbox and it contained two emails from people I know and 23 emails in Russian. Huh.
b) I just checked my facebook and 75% of my notifications were from this girl in Alaska who I don't actually know and appears to be stalking me.
Love you all. Hope things are as wonderful and snazzy and just plain neat as you certainly deserve.
love love love,
Kate
Helllllloooo....how are YOU?
Hello again!!!! I love you ALL - especially the ones who have emailed me ;)
There is far too much to say....I'm definitely going to have to pick and choose some stories.
Since my last blog we took a whirlwind tour of Jaipur and Agra. Jaipur is the capitol of Rajasthan, which is a state to the west of Delhi. We boarded the bus early in the morning and tried to sleep. Somehow Kate and Deepa managed to rest but I was not gifted enough. There was a loud Bollywood movie blasting from everywhere (or so it seemed) and an unearthly, warbling (that's really the only word for it!) shriek coming from somewhere. Sadly, I didn't actually know what the shriek was. It seemed so supremely random that I thought it was just meant to keep us on our toes and I didn't really stress about it. It was the next day before Deepa informed me that it was the horn. Oh dear, I have much to learn. Honking horns are a little different here....they're used to warn people that you're coming, not just when you're angry....I didn't really get that at first. It makes complete sense because roads in general are a bit more free-form in India. Sometimes there are lanes, but lanes are almost always kind suggestions, not rules. Anyway - step one on the tour was being introduced to the horn. See, this is the problem - I could write a whole blog about five minutes over here and have quite enough to say!
One of my favorite sites so far is the Birla Temple - a Jain Temple in Jaipur. It was simply gorgeous.....white marble with very little other color used. We visited it at night and the white marble was incredible against the black sky. After we all walked around for a while I sat alone on a balcony while Kate and Deepa wandered. I'm fascinated with the massive range of religions that are everywhere in India. More and more I'm noticing huge similarities between all the religious sites and religions we've dappled with....I've also drawn many parallels to Christianity without difficulty. I'm sure these things will continue to come up in my mind throughout this trip and I'll write more when my thoughts are more fully formed.
I'm much more homesick than I thought I would be. My mom is probably glad to hear that - aren't you!? You needn't worry about me forgetting home. Being away makes it plain how comfortable I usually am....and it makes me appreciate my loved ones even more.
Paloma! I don't know if you've read this, but I thought of you the other day when I was a bit low. The poverty and begging children has been incredibly difficult for me to deal with. I'm not able to ignore them when they beg or try to sell their wares. Because I answer their questions and allow myself to be engaged, it's harder for me to tear away, and makes me even more attached to the tragedy of the situation. Kate and Deepa are trying to help me understand that I can't help and I'll only hurt them and myself more if I engage.....but that message hasn't sunk in yet. When I boarded the bus after a particularly difficult experience with some begging children I thought to myself, "If anyone could offer a ray of sunshine here, it would be Paloma Pineda."
The Taj Mahal. WOW. WOWOWOWOW. It's probably best that I don't try to describe it, because I WILL fail. I can say, however, that I had a very ironic moment at the Taj. I was drawing the backside of the Taj Mahal and having a marvelous time when I realized I had a small crowd circled around ME, watching ME draw the Taj Mahal instead of watching....the Taj Mahal. The crowning moment there was when a pair of guys asked to take a picture with Kate and I facing directly away from the Taj Mahal.....oh goodness. They could have at least had the Taj in the background! Though it was supremely awkward to have people ask to see my drawing (it wasn't THAT great, I only had one pen!) it was nice to be stared at for something besides my hair. It's weird how quickly I've stopped really noticing/caring about the stares...
Margot! We're going to see the Mosque in Delhi tomorrow that you recommended to Kate! We're all very exciting. It will be nice to see Delhi from above because it's such a HUGE and winding place and I can't fathom what it will look like!
Thank you again to Deepa's family! We love you all!
LOVE,
~Alice
There is far too much to say....I'm definitely going to have to pick and choose some stories.
Since my last blog we took a whirlwind tour of Jaipur and Agra. Jaipur is the capitol of Rajasthan, which is a state to the west of Delhi. We boarded the bus early in the morning and tried to sleep. Somehow Kate and Deepa managed to rest but I was not gifted enough. There was a loud Bollywood movie blasting from everywhere (or so it seemed) and an unearthly, warbling (that's really the only word for it!) shriek coming from somewhere. Sadly, I didn't actually know what the shriek was. It seemed so supremely random that I thought it was just meant to keep us on our toes and I didn't really stress about it. It was the next day before Deepa informed me that it was the horn. Oh dear, I have much to learn. Honking horns are a little different here....they're used to warn people that you're coming, not just when you're angry....I didn't really get that at first. It makes complete sense because roads in general are a bit more free-form in India. Sometimes there are lanes, but lanes are almost always kind suggestions, not rules. Anyway - step one on the tour was being introduced to the horn. See, this is the problem - I could write a whole blog about five minutes over here and have quite enough to say!
One of my favorite sites so far is the Birla Temple - a Jain Temple in Jaipur. It was simply gorgeous.....white marble with very little other color used. We visited it at night and the white marble was incredible against the black sky. After we all walked around for a while I sat alone on a balcony while Kate and Deepa wandered. I'm fascinated with the massive range of religions that are everywhere in India. More and more I'm noticing huge similarities between all the religious sites and religions we've dappled with....I've also drawn many parallels to Christianity without difficulty. I'm sure these things will continue to come up in my mind throughout this trip and I'll write more when my thoughts are more fully formed.
I'm much more homesick than I thought I would be. My mom is probably glad to hear that - aren't you!? You needn't worry about me forgetting home. Being away makes it plain how comfortable I usually am....and it makes me appreciate my loved ones even more.
Paloma! I don't know if you've read this, but I thought of you the other day when I was a bit low. The poverty and begging children has been incredibly difficult for me to deal with. I'm not able to ignore them when they beg or try to sell their wares. Because I answer their questions and allow myself to be engaged, it's harder for me to tear away, and makes me even more attached to the tragedy of the situation. Kate and Deepa are trying to help me understand that I can't help and I'll only hurt them and myself more if I engage.....but that message hasn't sunk in yet. When I boarded the bus after a particularly difficult experience with some begging children I thought to myself, "If anyone could offer a ray of sunshine here, it would be Paloma Pineda."
The Taj Mahal. WOW. WOWOWOWOW. It's probably best that I don't try to describe it, because I WILL fail. I can say, however, that I had a very ironic moment at the Taj. I was drawing the backside of the Taj Mahal and having a marvelous time when I realized I had a small crowd circled around ME, watching ME draw the Taj Mahal instead of watching....the Taj Mahal. The crowning moment there was when a pair of guys asked to take a picture with Kate and I facing directly away from the Taj Mahal.....oh goodness. They could have at least had the Taj in the background! Though it was supremely awkward to have people ask to see my drawing (it wasn't THAT great, I only had one pen!) it was nice to be stared at for something besides my hair. It's weird how quickly I've stopped really noticing/caring about the stares...
Margot! We're going to see the Mosque in Delhi tomorrow that you recommended to Kate! We're all very exciting. It will be nice to see Delhi from above because it's such a HUGE and winding place and I can't fathom what it will look like!
Thank you again to Deepa's family! We love you all!
LOVE,
~Alice
Thursday, September 13, 2007
delhiiiii
we're in delhi! I'm using ashok's computer....we had a LONG train ride. in the Chennai train station kate and i both independently decided that deepa\s great-aunt reminded us of the grandmother in Mulan.....she foraged ahead, brandishnig her cane and if anything had threatened us at ALL were sure she would have beaten it to a pulp.
in other news we toured delhi today! SO much to see.....Qutab Minar and the Red Fort were two crowd favorites. Yesterday we went to the national museum with Ashok, Deepa's cousin.
New Indian food of the day.....Rava Paneer Dosa! new things all the time and as Ashok told us, "Whatever you ay about India, the opposite is also true."
love,
~Alice
in other news we toured delhi today! SO much to see.....Qutab Minar and the Red Fort were two crowd favorites. Yesterday we went to the national museum with Ashok, Deepa's cousin.
New Indian food of the day.....Rava Paneer Dosa! new things all the time and as Ashok told us, "Whatever you ay about India, the opposite is also true."
love,
~Alice
Sunday, September 9, 2007
We're in Chennai!
Hi! The travel adventures were wonderful to be sure (we viewed a short special called Meercats: family squabbles and love affairs). The highlight was, however our trip into Kuala Lumpur during our eight hour layover there. It was two two days ago (though time is really bendy right now....) but all three of us agree that it seems VERY long ago.....highlights: not dying, being in an Islamic state for the first time (for Kate and I), nice food, people asking to take our picture not because of our charming personalitites but because of the pigmentation lacking in our skin. (phrasing on that sentence can be credited to Kate).
The thought about India that kept returning to me yesterday was that it cannot possibly be put in a box. Deepa's family has been absolutely wonderful to us. Her Aunt Usha and cousin, Ram, met us at the airport and ushered us to greatly appreciated beds......Kate has never been that tired in her life and Deepa and I were also delirious.
Yesterday we woke up earlier than we expected. The tea (chai!!!) and breakfast food was REALLY excellent....I thought I was going to die from spice before we came but I'm actually doing just fine! Ram took as around town and later on Ram and Usha took us to Mahabalipuram (an ancient Hindu temple that has been recently excavated.) Usha answered any question we could possible have had before we asked it. We learned all about Hinduism, temple customs, and ancient daily life. (The pictures are from two of those sites....the rock is absurdly large and balanced on a rock slope - it has been for as long as people remember. It's called Krishna's Butter Ball which relates to a story about Krishna's childhood)
Today we went to a Tamil movie......WOW WOW WEE WOW! (that's something one of Deepa's cousins said to us in an email) It was absurdly loud, dramatic, colorful, musically charged, and FUN. Ram was yelling plot points to Kate and I throughout. Tonight we're off to shopping for Indian clothes for Kate and I mostly. Another highlght - Jasmine! Deepa's great aunt pinned some to each of our heads before we went to the movie. I've been talking about smells a lot - the smell of INDIA, for example - I' ma lot more into it than anyone else. It's earthy!
None of us are really able to think about anything but the present moment because everything around us is so dynamic and overwhleming - and I'm glad that's the case. Love to you all! I don't know when I'll write again, but I hope to hear from you in the future.
A special hello to Bonnie! (pet her for me)
Song stuck in my head......Oh Darling! by the Beatles
The thought about India that kept returning to me yesterday was that it cannot possibly be put in a box. Deepa's family has been absolutely wonderful to us. Her Aunt Usha and cousin, Ram, met us at the airport and ushered us to greatly appreciated beds......Kate has never been that tired in her life and Deepa and I were also delirious.
Yesterday we woke up earlier than we expected. The tea (chai!!!) and breakfast food was REALLY excellent....I thought I was going to die from spice before we came but I'm actually doing just fine! Ram took as around town and later on Ram and Usha took us to Mahabalipuram (an ancient Hindu temple that has been recently excavated.) Usha answered any question we could possible have had before we asked it. We learned all about Hinduism, temple customs, and ancient daily life. (The pictures are from two of those sites....the rock is absurdly large and balanced on a rock slope - it has been for as long as people remember. It's called Krishna's Butter Ball which relates to a story about Krishna's childhood)
Today we went to a Tamil movie......WOW WOW WEE WOW! (that's something one of Deepa's cousins said to us in an email) It was absurdly loud, dramatic, colorful, musically charged, and FUN. Ram was yelling plot points to Kate and I throughout. Tonight we're off to shopping for Indian clothes for Kate and I mostly. Another highlght - Jasmine! Deepa's great aunt pinned some to each of our heads before we went to the movie. I've been talking about smells a lot - the smell of INDIA, for example - I' ma lot more into it than anyone else. It's earthy!
None of us are really able to think about anything but the present moment because everything around us is so dynamic and overwhleming - and I'm glad that's the case. Love to you all! I don't know when I'll write again, but I hope to hear from you in the future.
A special hello to Bonnie! (pet her for me)
Song stuck in my head......Oh Darling! by the Beatles
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Hi Everyone!
I've never made a blog before....I'm not much of a tech person...but my mom's friend, Mary McGilvray suggested I make a blog to update people on what I'm doing during my year off between High School and College. I'll write more once I'm actually in India.
Love to you all!
~Alice
Love to you all!
~Alice
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