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Letter Upon Arrival in India
Namaste friends!
We arrived safely in India almost 2 weeks ago now after a lonnnnng trip
through 5 countries...but it was a relief to get off the plane in Dehli and
step out into the early evening air that was rich with smells and
sounds...Dehli may be one of the largest, most polluted cities in the world
but there are ironic ways in which filth can create beauty...the smog makes
for amazing sunsets and moonrises, the variety of odors, not all of them
pleasent on their own, when mingled together creates a unique sensory
quality in the air...the sheer number and variety of the people and vehicles
and animals and everything in the streets makes for a colorful amazing
carnival....
We spent our first day in Dehli making travel arrangements for the rest of
our trip, luckily with the help of a friend of Vish's family. I know that
some of the fun of traveling is figuring out all of that stuff (fumbling
though the processes of buying tickets, paying drivers, and so on...) but I
have to say that I am thankful for the help and the company of people who
know the ropes... I have always had this notion that 'real' travelers travel
alone, like explorers, pioneers, or people seeking rites of passage, or
pilgrimage...but it is becoming more and more evident to me that it is
foolish either to think that you are ever alone in anything you do, or that
it is somehow better to do things alone than with help or company or
support. I don't honestly think that I could have done this on my own...plus
it is wonderful to have people with whom to share your experiences and
stories with.
We escaped Dehli for a few days and went up to Rishikesh, which is a holy
city on the Ganga in the foothills of the Himalayas...it was peaceful and
slow-paced, and we spent our time walking by the river and sitting in the
sun reading, and sitting around, drinking chai and talking with the people
we met...locals and travelers...we met one man who we spent a lot of time
talking with, he was a doctor who had done many amazing things en route to
coming to Rishikesh to live in a small one room apartment by the river...his
stories were amazing, and he had some interesting insights on religion, on
the way that westerners relate to india, on politics....plus he had a great
dry wit.
Back to Dehli...I got sick and spent a lot of time in our hotel room, but
saw some cool things, like Tiqlaghabad, the ruined 3rd city of Dehli, on one
hand, and Rodeo, a Mexican restaurant where all of the waitstaff wear
big-ass cowboy hats and carry around guns and call you 'pahdner,' on the
other. Totally surreal. Very melodramatic.
I'll skip the details of the rest of our time in Dehli...we hopped on a 40
hour train and headed south to Bangalore, where we are now...the ride was
long but not too bad, as it was neat to see the countryside change. I spent
hours upon hours sitting in the doorway of our compartment with my feet
sticking out over the rails, the wind in my face, and villages and vast open
spaces rushing by. It was good time to just sit and think, or not
think...there is something nice about being on trains or in long lines
because you know you can't go anywhere so you are forced to just stop and be
where you are.
Bangalore is a great city...very friendly and clean compared with Dehli, and
very young...plus the weather is nice and warm. It is so nice to be out of
Dehli...it is the kind of city where I felt unsafe, and therefore had my
guard up always. One of my favorite things about traveling is letting down
my guard, and letting myself fall into situations and conversations that I
might not otherwise fall into. The two weeks that I have been here so far
have definitely been challenging for me in many ways that I can't really
even articulate, but rewarding also, as I see miracles and gods in every
corner. I guess that may be what makes religion flourish in India...there
is so much diversity, so much chaos and beauty and horror and everything
that you have to find the divine running through it all in order for it to
make any sense at all. Not that I am making any sense of it....but looking
at it in that way makes it easier. I have heard so many stories of people
going crazy here, from being totally overwhelmed...
As always I am struck by the funny little incongruous moments, like hearing
John Denver singing "Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas" over the
system in a Chinese restaurant in South India... I read in the paper that
there will be caroling tonight in one of the city parks for Christmas eve...
maybe we'll check it out.
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