Spending some time in this internet cubicle while we wait for our midnight train to Geo...er, Jaisalmer, the Golden City. Rajasthan has this tourist schtick (okay, okay, they might have some historical significance) of naming its cities after the predominant color of the houses. Jaipur is the pink city, Jodhpur is blue, and Jaisalmer is golden. Here are a few stray crumbs of thoughts from over the past few days, in not particular order. No new pix posted yet, since this is a really slow connection (and old computer!).
-Had an interesting conversation on the busride to Nawalgarh with an overly-earnest (but very sweet & kind) 22-yr old guy by the name of Peeyush. Among many truisms that he spouted about India and its people was that Indians take inter-personal relationships and connections very seriously. While this is a wonderful trait (and something I hope to comment on more in another post), it also makes for little privacy or anonymity in the public arena! Perhaps in the US, we are overly concerned with our privacy, but the flipside is a bit of an overwhelming sense that all the world wants to speak to you and will...such as the 2+ hour conversation we had with this guy, straining to hear over the car horn and road noise.
-There are religious ascetics roaming the streets in varying states of dress all over this land. These are folks that have cast off the trappings of society to dedicate themselves to attaining enlightenment. In the US, we might call them crazy and lock them up or, even more likely, let them roam the streets. Now, I don't mean to say that all ascetics are lunatics or conversely, that all US homeless are relentlessly pursuing enlightenment, but the contrast in the way we treat these folks here and there is striking. There seems to be a certain recognition of grace accorded the ascetics here that is totally lacking in the 'States. Much like the famous sacred cows of India, the ascetics are cared for by the community, their basic needs provided for by what we might call begging...
-There is a brand of car (I think is) exclusive to India called the Ambassador. It was the kind of taxi we took from the airport in Delhi and the car our guide had on our haveli tour (see Amberly's post). Besides being awfully cute (picture to come later), they seem uniquely suited to negotiating teeny alleyways not meant for four-wheeled motor vehicles.
-Some thoughts on the traffic going to and around Shekhawati: Best not to look out the window on the buses! It's a perpetual game of chicken being played on the center divider between the larger, faster moving vehicles--cars, buses--with the horn strategically (read frequently) blown to get the slower traffic--camel-carts, donkey-carts, bikes, scooters--out of the way. Lots of camel-carts! Also, trucks carrying a bulging load (twice the width of the truck) of a giant burlap sack stuffed with what seemed to be hay.
-Walking the side streets in Jaipur's old city recalls similar walks in Siracusa (Sicily) or Marseilles: people living their lives and conducting business much as they have for generations past.
-There are many people here engaged in seemingly senseless tasks designed to keep them employed (or perhaps deliberately under-employed, depending on your view). A few examples: man cutting grass with a pair of scissors, eight waiters in an empty restaurant, woman sweeping trash from one side of an alley to another.
That's all for now. I have some more stuff to tell you about, but it'll have to wait!
February 24, 2006
February 20, 2006
February 19, 2006
February 18, 2006
Baksheesh & Brahman
This is the title of a book I was reading before I left. It is a travel memoir by Joseph Campbell (the myths guy) about his travels in India. I didn't finish it before we left, but the gist was that he had come in search of Brahman (the holy, the one-ness of the universe) and had come away with the downside of the baksheesh culture, that is, "tips" for everything you do. From how I understand the word, it is used for everything from "buddy, can you spare a dime," from women with babes in arms, to the 'greasing of the wheels' that is so common in the developing world.
My lesson about baksheesh & brahman was a bit more subtle that what I have gotten from the book so far. Perhaps Campbell arrives at the same conclusion, who knows! It has to do with our first full day in Delhi. Amberly & I were wandering about Cannaught Pl, the heart of downtown, taking in a few sights and struggling with our jetlag. We were approached by a number of of touts and beggars, as is common elsewhere in the world.
We were also, however, encountered by a couple of folks who saw us wandering a bit confused and blinking at the dust and smog of the city. They offered assistance in finding what we were looking for (a tourist office and a restaurant, alternately), even walking with us to make sure we didn't get lost, talking all the while. My antennae where up a bit, as I don't like strangers following me, and anyone talking to me must be wanting money. Both of these guys' exclamations to the contrary did not convince me. I did my best to brush them off and get on my way. I wanted to do nothing that would result in having to pay some baksheesh.
A little later, we went in to the tourist office to get our free map of Delhi. We were led to a back office by a middle-aged man named Farook. He asked us similar questions to the previous two: where are you from, when did you get here, how long are you staying, etc. Again, I felt a little pumped for information and like a mark for some sale I didn't want a part of. I remained standing and motioned to Amberly to do the same. At one point, I interrupted the questioning, asking if the map was indeed free, and whether we were free to go.
Farook said, "of course, the map is free. You can take it and go. But I have one piece of advice: I have met many many people, Canadian, Australian, European, and all of them say the same thing - the people make the experience. When somebody is offering free advice, sit down and share with them. Of course I need to make money. You make money at your jobs; everybody needs to make money. But you need to give a little rope to get some enjoyment."
A little shamed, I sat down and we talked some more. He showed us pictures of our next stop and offered us some tea the next time we came back.
It took me a few hours and a nap to grasp the meaning of the morning's experiences. I pride myself in being a saavy traveler, in haggling for prices and not getting sucked into scams. We had heard a lot about scams in India, so I was doubly prepared to foil them. What I wasn't prepared to do was seeing the humanity in the potential scammer, which is an ideal I often espouse at home. In my effort to avoid baksheesh, I was cutting myself off from the potential for brahman, the oneness of humanity we all share.
The standard greeting in Hindi is Namaste, which roughly means, "I ackowledge and honor the diety/spirit (humanity) within you." As we were walking around today, I tried the opposite approach to dealing with people offering rides or goods or whatever: I smiled and made eye contact. What a difference THAT made. More than other places I've been, I got a smile back every time. I am a bit embarrased by the way I treated the folks earlier yesterday. I wish now that I had asked some questions back, acknowledged their humanity.
Maybe baksheesh and brahman go together, instead of standing in opposition to each other. You have to give a little rope in the form of baksheesh OR brahman to get some brahman OR baksheesh back. I'm still chewing on that one.
My lesson about baksheesh & brahman was a bit more subtle that what I have gotten from the book so far. Perhaps Campbell arrives at the same conclusion, who knows! It has to do with our first full day in Delhi. Amberly & I were wandering about Cannaught Pl, the heart of downtown, taking in a few sights and struggling with our jetlag. We were approached by a number of of touts and beggars, as is common elsewhere in the world.
We were also, however, encountered by a couple of folks who saw us wandering a bit confused and blinking at the dust and smog of the city. They offered assistance in finding what we were looking for (a tourist office and a restaurant, alternately), even walking with us to make sure we didn't get lost, talking all the while. My antennae where up a bit, as I don't like strangers following me, and anyone talking to me must be wanting money. Both of these guys' exclamations to the contrary did not convince me. I did my best to brush them off and get on my way. I wanted to do nothing that would result in having to pay some baksheesh.
A little later, we went in to the tourist office to get our free map of Delhi. We were led to a back office by a middle-aged man named Farook. He asked us similar questions to the previous two: where are you from, when did you get here, how long are you staying, etc. Again, I felt a little pumped for information and like a mark for some sale I didn't want a part of. I remained standing and motioned to Amberly to do the same. At one point, I interrupted the questioning, asking if the map was indeed free, and whether we were free to go.
Farook said, "of course, the map is free. You can take it and go. But I have one piece of advice: I have met many many people, Canadian, Australian, European, and all of them say the same thing - the people make the experience. When somebody is offering free advice, sit down and share with them. Of course I need to make money. You make money at your jobs; everybody needs to make money. But you need to give a little rope to get some enjoyment."
A little shamed, I sat down and we talked some more. He showed us pictures of our next stop and offered us some tea the next time we came back.
It took me a few hours and a nap to grasp the meaning of the morning's experiences. I pride myself in being a saavy traveler, in haggling for prices and not getting sucked into scams. We had heard a lot about scams in India, so I was doubly prepared to foil them. What I wasn't prepared to do was seeing the humanity in the potential scammer, which is an ideal I often espouse at home. In my effort to avoid baksheesh, I was cutting myself off from the potential for brahman, the oneness of humanity we all share.
The standard greeting in Hindi is Namaste, which roughly means, "I ackowledge and honor the diety/spirit (humanity) within you." As we were walking around today, I tried the opposite approach to dealing with people offering rides or goods or whatever: I smiled and made eye contact. What a difference THAT made. More than other places I've been, I got a smile back every time. I am a bit embarrased by the way I treated the folks earlier yesterday. I wish now that I had asked some questions back, acknowledged their humanity.
Maybe baksheesh and brahman go together, instead of standing in opposition to each other. You have to give a little rope in the form of baksheesh OR brahman to get some brahman OR baksheesh back. I'm still chewing on that one.
February 17, 2006
We're here!!!
...and pretty exhausted. Today is the first full day in Delhi. I have lots of thoughts and observations, which I will share soon. Meanwhile, go to our Flickr page to see some of our first India sights.
ps - look, I buzzed my hair!
ps - look, I buzzed my hair!
February 12, 2006
A small step...
Our apartment is completely barren now. Okay, except for all of Melissa's* furniture, kitchenware, linens, and the cat... But the rest of it is all in storage, thanks to an heroic effort by my brother-in-law, Parker P, who happened to be in town this week. He worked for a taco dinner - how great is that?
It took a bit of maneuvering and all our combined spatial reasoning skills to get everything to fit in our 10'x12' storage unit. It's stacked to the rafters. Literally. Interspersed are some pictures from Parker's camera phone.
Even with a bare-bones apartment and plans in motion for all the little details you need to tend to when you go away for two and a half months, it still doesn't feel like we'll be in India 3 days from now! We're getting there, one step at a time.
* the gal from whom we've been subletting our apartment
It took a bit of maneuvering and all our combined spatial reasoning skills to get everything to fit in our 10'x12' storage unit. It's stacked to the rafters. Literally. Interspersed are some pictures from Parker's camera phone.
Even with a bare-bones apartment and plans in motion for all the little details you need to tend to when you go away for two and a half months, it still doesn't feel like we'll be in India 3 days from now! We're getting there, one step at a time.
* the gal from whom we've been subletting our apartment
February 08, 2006
Where are we going?
That's the second most popular question we get! Don't know if you'll be able to see much on this map... We have some fun plans for visually showing you where we are, but we'll keep those secret - until we figure it our ourselves!
First off, our itinerary is fairly loose. The point is that we don't want to get caught up in he hustle-bustle of a strict schedule. If we love a place, we'll stay a few extra days. If we don't, we'll book the next train out! With that in mind, here's the rough outline:
New Delhi: land, stay a couple of days to settle & get over jetlag
Rajasthan: 3 weeks, give or take, visiting Jaipur, Pushkar, Shakawati, perhaps Udaipur and (if I can talk Amberly into it) Jaisalmer near the Pakistan border.
Agra: a day or two to see the Taj Mahal and get out.
Orccha: a nice-sounding place to chill for a bit.
Khajuraho: erotic temples, here we come!
Varanasi: the holy city on the Ganges
Bodhgaya: site of Buddha's enlightenment
Darjeeling: tea, anyone?
Sikkim: for a little trekking in the mountains
(fly back to Delhi and make our way to)
Srinigar: a little houseboat action in a forbidden land
McCloud Ganj: to get patted on the head by the Dalai Lama and hopefully find the secret Passover Seder...
As I said, a rough sketch. We'll see what gets cut or added on as we go!
First off, our itinerary is fairly loose. The point is that we don't want to get caught up in he hustle-bustle of a strict schedule. If we love a place, we'll stay a few extra days. If we don't, we'll book the next train out! With that in mind, here's the rough outline:
New Delhi: land, stay a couple of days to settle & get over jetlag
Rajasthan: 3 weeks, give or take, visiting Jaipur, Pushkar, Shakawati, perhaps Udaipur and (if I can talk Amberly into it) Jaisalmer near the Pakistan border.
Agra: a day or two to see the Taj Mahal and get out.
Orccha: a nice-sounding place to chill for a bit.
Khajuraho: erotic temples, here we come!
Varanasi: the holy city on the Ganges
Bodhgaya: site of Buddha's enlightenment
Darjeeling: tea, anyone?
Sikkim: for a little trekking in the mountains
(fly back to Delhi and make our way to)
Srinigar: a little houseboat action in a forbidden land
McCloud Ganj: to get patted on the head by the Dalai Lama and hopefully find the secret Passover Seder...
As I said, a rough sketch. We'll see what gets cut or added on as we go!
February 05, 2006
Why India?
It's a question I've gotten a lot, so I suppose it's worth examining as an introduction to, or a jumping off point for, this trip and this blog.
The easy, conversational answer is that one of the many amazing coincidences of Amberly's & my courtship was our common interest in India as our next major travel destination. It seemed like an appropriate delayed honeymoon and a last hurrah before "settling down," or whatever euphemism you want to use for "starting to have babies". That answer begs the question a bit, though, and isn't entirely satisfactory.
Like many things in my life, the idea came first while my reasons evolved some time later. As we've been getting ready (I'll spare you the mostly-boring details of that), I've been thinking about that question, and I think the subtitle to this blog cuts to the heart of it.
Byways
Most of all, it's about getting out and travelling independently. It clears my head, being out in the world, going down little side streets in foreign towns and getting on a bus with all my belongings on my back. Of course, you can do this lots of places. I suppose part of India's allure is the intensity of the experience: the crush of humanity and the assault on the senses.
A fellow traveller once said to me, "You don't change India, it changes you." Perhaps in a literal way this isn't true - I'm sure I'll find plenty of physical evidence of westernization in parts - but what I think she meant is to check your preconceptions (and your ego) at the airport gate and be open to what is all around you. Getting lost in a place means letting go of a bit of yourself - always a humbling experience and necessary.
Brahman
Some ask me if this is a spiritual journey. The answer is yes and no. There is no doubt that India is ground zero for spiritual questing. From the Buddha to the Beatles, people have wandered that land looking for meaning. It's inevitable that the part of me that shares the same questions and the same quest will be piqued. The more I explore spirituality, the more it becomes clear that all our paths point to the same few truths. To the extent that this seeking is heightened by something in India (it's in the water, DON'T DRINK THE WATER!), I want to tap into that during our journey.
At the same time, I am comfortable and happy with the Jewish trip I'm on. I don't need to find a swami and join an ashram to find enlightenment. That doesn't mean I won't consider a meditation course along the way, but I'm not looking to jump paths. My sense is that enlightenment comes from the depth of your path, not skimming from a bunch of different ones. Brahman, in my limited understanding of Hinduism, is considered at once to be the source of all and also within each individual being. If that's the word we're going to use while in India, so be it.
Myself
Ultimately, this is a trip about me. Taking an extended break from work and "the real world" recharges my batteries in a deep way that a two week vacation never can. The time to hold extended internal dialogues on long train rides while only really worrying about where to eat my next meal is nourishing to my soul. It is a time to tap into my creativity and check in with myself. I think this trip will also be a great venue for Amberly & I to unplug from the daily stresses and just be.
So that's that. I expect the entries here will roam between these three aspects, and hopefully not be as earnestly (and boringly) introspective as this one!
The easy, conversational answer is that one of the many amazing coincidences of Amberly's & my courtship was our common interest in India as our next major travel destination. It seemed like an appropriate delayed honeymoon and a last hurrah before "settling down," or whatever euphemism you want to use for "starting to have babies". That answer begs the question a bit, though, and isn't entirely satisfactory.
Like many things in my life, the idea came first while my reasons evolved some time later. As we've been getting ready (I'll spare you the mostly-boring details of that), I've been thinking about that question, and I think the subtitle to this blog cuts to the heart of it.
Byways
Most of all, it's about getting out and travelling independently. It clears my head, being out in the world, going down little side streets in foreign towns and getting on a bus with all my belongings on my back. Of course, you can do this lots of places. I suppose part of India's allure is the intensity of the experience: the crush of humanity and the assault on the senses.
A fellow traveller once said to me, "You don't change India, it changes you." Perhaps in a literal way this isn't true - I'm sure I'll find plenty of physical evidence of westernization in parts - but what I think she meant is to check your preconceptions (and your ego) at the airport gate and be open to what is all around you. Getting lost in a place means letting go of a bit of yourself - always a humbling experience and necessary.
Brahman
Some ask me if this is a spiritual journey. The answer is yes and no. There is no doubt that India is ground zero for spiritual questing. From the Buddha to the Beatles, people have wandered that land looking for meaning. It's inevitable that the part of me that shares the same questions and the same quest will be piqued. The more I explore spirituality, the more it becomes clear that all our paths point to the same few truths. To the extent that this seeking is heightened by something in India (it's in the water, DON'T DRINK THE WATER!), I want to tap into that during our journey.
At the same time, I am comfortable and happy with the Jewish trip I'm on. I don't need to find a swami and join an ashram to find enlightenment. That doesn't mean I won't consider a meditation course along the way, but I'm not looking to jump paths. My sense is that enlightenment comes from the depth of your path, not skimming from a bunch of different ones. Brahman, in my limited understanding of Hinduism, is considered at once to be the source of all and also within each individual being. If that's the word we're going to use while in India, so be it.
Myself
Ultimately, this is a trip about me. Taking an extended break from work and "the real world" recharges my batteries in a deep way that a two week vacation never can. The time to hold extended internal dialogues on long train rides while only really worrying about where to eat my next meal is nourishing to my soul. It is a time to tap into my creativity and check in with myself. I think this trip will also be a great venue for Amberly & I to unplug from the daily stresses and just be.
So that's that. I expect the entries here will roam between these three aspects, and hopefully not be as earnestly (and boringly) introspective as this one!
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