Did I tell you guys that swastikas are everywhere? Well they are. Everywhere. On fabrics, hats
, tattoos, painted on cars, and welded on to the sides of buildings. These swastikas were here before the Nazi's(thousands of years before), and Indians aren't too happy about Hitler using the symbol to represent hate. Here it means completely the opposite. Actually, there are many meanings--from a Chinese symbol to indicate 'vegetarian' to a Hindu symbol to indicate stability and groundedness, but all the meanings are positive. It is shocking to see a woman draped in a shawl embroidered with swastikas though....After the awesome time with Julie Jules (who we already miss) on the houseboats, we headed to a wildlife park a few hundred kilometers north of Fort Cochin. I learned a few more things on the train ride there. One, I now know for sure why it smells like the inside of a Rotor Rooter tank almost everywhere we go. On the train ride up the mountain, I realized I had to squat in the bathroom....yup the ol' numero 2(Something you really try to avoid on a moving train--but I figured if I could do it in that environment, I could do it anywhere-so I thought it'd be good practice). After I finished, I naturally turned around to see how things had gone---and I saw an open hole with railroad tracks zipping by the same speed as the train! I couldn't help but think that there are 1 billion people in India-all who probably ride the rails and most who drink alot of chai tea as they ride. Second, I found out what Paan is. I have been smelling this stuff since the airplane ride here. It smells like a mixture between windex and tobacco. What it is (I think) is betel(spelled correctly I think) nut mostly, but they sell it with tobacco mixed into it. Its also called Paan masala. There are many different ways of eating it--you can buy a whole bunch of it wrapped in a leaf that ends up being half the size of a fist in which people shove into their mouths, or just buy packets of it that go right in that area under your lip like tobacco. Its supposed to be like a nicotine effect but a little smoother. Tons of people chew it and spit the red juice everywhere. Yes it does sound nasty, but after smelling this stuff everywhere and sometimes avoiding a red loogey coming my way I decided to join em instead of fight em. I wanted to see what this stuff was all about.....plus it came with a high to boot, why not?
On the same train on our way to the wildlife reserve, we were all seating on our backpacks in between cars because of the lack of seats--and this cop motioned me over to share a seat with him. Normally, I would offer this seat to Eliza but I wasn't sur
e if she would want to be seating with this guy -and I am intimidated by these cops (we saw a bunch a cops whip this guy in Goa on New Years--they all carry bamboo sticks)...so I sat down facing him. Once again-the Indian compassion....he was very very nice and interested in where I was from and where I was going. He gave me advice along the way--like where to stay and how much rickshaws would cost when we got to our destination. He then offered me some Paan. I thought that this was great- not only did I get to try Paan but this guy would be able to show me how to chew it. He even showed me how to take it out of the package and grind it with your thumb -and then for some reason when he had a mound of it ground up in his palm he smacked it three times (not s
ure if that is required). So I put some under my lip as told and then ran into a big problem. Our windows were open, I was facing him with the train going the direction that my back was facing. Where was I supposed to spit? For him it was easy- he just loogeyed over his left shoulder and the wind took it and hid it....you could barely notice him spit he was so good. I on the other hand now had a newby mouthful of red Paan juice with no where to spit except directly out the window that was basically a wind tunnel to his face. While I sized up his bamboo stick for occasional whip sessions, I had no choice but to goober out the window--my mouth was full there was no other option. He politely wiped his neck and arm off with his free hand and didn't say anything. I said I was really sorry and I pretended like it was a suprise to me that I spit on him. He said really genuinely, "No, no, no, do not worry, not a problem."The wildlife park was cool. It is a totally different experience seeing animals in their natural environment---completely wild. I can't believe elephants just hang out in the forest and live. We went through a number of areas where there were tigers, but we never saw one. Just to be
there was fascinating. As the jeep crawled through the bush, I was overwhelmed with a feeling that I was not on the top of the food chain anymore. There were tigers out there that ate large live animals everyday for lunch.From Kalpetta we went to Mysore. A city that is known for its silks, a maharaja palace, and a ton of hassel. We rolled in on the bus the day that the Maharaja Palace was lit up with 97,000 light bulbs. This palace is amazing----also gigantic. We checked in to our hotel and watched the lights all get shut off at 8pm exactly. We shopped and bought beautiful silks--we even saw three women in black head to toe burkas(sp?) looking through piles of gorgeous silk dresses(would anyone ever see them wear these fabrics if they bought them?). We were hasseled by shop owners, rickshaw drivers/ sweet shop owners/ t-shirt venders/ and everyone else trying to get some duckies off the rich westerners....Oh what a pain in my f-ing ass--were our thoughts by the time of our departure.
Maybe thats what fed t
he fire under the idea of going to Banglore. It was suppose to be everything it was-- Western/modern/ have malls/ have Mickey D's and Pizza Hut/ good coffee(yes!)/ more pollution etc....and we loved it and hated it for what it was.....got damn those were the best fries I ever had. I must admit, I love Indian food - but there isn't much variety....and I'm the last person you'll see at the golden arches but those fries rocked my world in Banglore. I thought it was funny that I was one of those Americans in a Mickey D's in a foreign land. But hey give us a break--its not like we went to one in Belgium, France or Italy ok? And when we went to Pizza Hut, the host tried to tell me what was on the menu...my first thought as I was looking at this 18 year old Indian girl was----Sweety, I know whats on the menu, not only did I have my fifth birthday party here 8 years before you were born--I am American and I own this place. We all died laughing at the many things we could say to the staff (if you know teddy and I you know how long this went on for) ........Ted and I went out one night to a Banglore club and i have to say that it was truly dope. The club's ambience was straight out of the meat packing district in NYC (think CIELO) and the mnusic was good. T-lo and I danced all night (although he was dancing in sandales with white socks--cuz they allow sneakers but NOT sockless sandales!)
Like Zazzer said we are now in a beautiful french town on the ocean called Pondicherry. We took a bus here after our rickshaw driver crashed into a motorcycle. Was anyone surprised? No. Even the guy who got hit only argued for like a minute and then just passed it off as collateral damage. I just had half a dinner and a few beers with a Bollywood producer because I couldn't wait to eat. He joined my table
cuz he was alone. He was refreshing. He moved to LA in 1968 to go to UCLA film school--I guess his dad was big time here before he was. He had a really interesting perspective on everything. He loved India, knew the U.S. and Americans, was wealthy, and was a wise ass. I liked him alot, we made fun of American cheesy comedies and Bollywood cheesy dramas. He also told me that it snowed in LA the other day...what the hell are you gu
ys doin over there?We might go to a Truffaut (sp?) film tomorrow he invited us to if we have time before we catch a plane to Delhi.North India... I can't wait. The temperature is supposed to be cold, and the villages we want to end up in have mountains that top 20,000 feet and are neighbors to Mt. Everest. We have two friends that we met in Goa that we are staying with in Delhi--Kursten and Ben.
Wel
l, sorry if this was too long, I just want to tell you guys everything even though I didn't include anything. And by the way, i do not spell check these or even look them once over so bare with the bad. I miss everyone......gg
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