Himalyan Home...

McLeodGanj is now "home"...as much as I have felt at home anywhere in the

past few years.

Shopkeepers great me pleasantly when I walk by in the morning. There is

no more pressure to buy souvenirs or "just look" at their merchandise.

I am learning how to be a local. Learning where the best prices on fruit,

snacks, and clothing are. Learning how to speak basic Tibetan (there are as

many if not more Tibetans than Indians here, thankfully, as this IS the home

of the Dalai Lama and the exiled Tibetan government and many refugees.

I am volunteering as a conversational English teacher every weekday with

the Tibetan community at L.I.T. (Learning and Ideas for Tibet)...follow the

link to find out more!

Help stop the human rights abuses the Chinese are inflicting on Tibetans!

There is a real community here, both of locals and westerners like myself who

are getting involved with the Tibetan cause.

Actually, I have been selected to choose the topic for Monday's

conversation class, and I am having a bit of a dilemma, but have a few ideas

which I'll run by some other volunteer coordinators.

In other news, I trekked to Triund 2 days ago with a nice girl from Finland

who I met at L.I.T. We started at 7:20am but had a few stops for tea/snacks en

route. The distance is roughly 5 miles one way, starting from 6831 feet

climbing (steeply at times) to 9514 feet.

We reached the summit at about noon, rested and took photos for over an hour,

and started down at about 1:30pm

We made great time coming down until we encountered a fellow trekker who

pointed back the way he had come and told us it was a "shortcut" to

Dharamkot. By this time we were all for shortcuts, so we decided to go for

it.

The slate ledges were steep and loose in many places, and often the trail led

in several directions, so we were never certain we were going the right way.

I was in tremendous pain and on the verge of a panic attack when we

encountered some Tibetan Buddhist monks sitting in front of simple stone

cottages. We asked "Dharamkot?" and they pointed, and a little white dog

sitting with them suddenly bounded off in front of us. Every time we'd lag behind,

the dog would stop and wait. I am pretty sure he thought we were taking him to

town for biscuits, and thereby showed us the way!

We should have been to the village by 3:30pm but the short cut added at least

an hour and a half, so it was nearly 5, the shadows long and leading into dusk,

by the time we came back to McLeodGanj!

I had my first Tibetan language class yesterday afternoon, and today boldly

introduced myself to the assembled group of Tibetan students in their

language, partially to help the girls in my group who had never spoken

English publicly before feel less awkward! If I could say some phrases in

Tibetan...anything was possible!

After class today, I hung out with two other western volunteer

coordinators and a group of Tibetans at the tea shop connected to the

ex-political prisoners association. Somehow the topic turned to relationships,

and everyone wanted to know if we wanted Tibetan boyfriends.

We all agreed that Tibetan boys are very cute, but one of the other girls

boldly said, "Yes, but I have heard Tibetans are very bad lovers!" so I

said, "Well then we just have to teach them!" Everyone loves to joke and

laugh. And now I have three Tibetans playing match-maker for me!

So cute

Well, life is good, and I can't wait to see how things develop.

Stay tuned!

McLeodGanj...Peace in the Himalayas

After a nightmarish 18 hour journey from Jaipur to Dharamsala via

Delhi, including an over-sized drunk male seatmate who passed out

on me for a few hours overnite after Chandigarh, I arrived, tired but

in decent spirits, to lower Dharamsala at 8am.

A brother and sister couple, Mumbai born but he residing in Texas

with a very US accent, helped me get on a local bus to McLeodGanj

(upper D'shala).

After another brief unpleasant encounter with a cheating guesthouse

proprietor, I got a fellow named Sergei from St Petersburg Russia to

help me carry my bags back up a steep stair to the main street and

found myself a new home at Mount View Guesthouse on Jogibara Road.

I rested about an hour, took a hot shower, and set out to explore my

new environment.

McLeodGanj (pronounced Mik-Klee-owed-Ganj), is best known as the

home of HH the 14th Dalai Lama, affectionately known locally as Kundun

(literally, "presence"...and you can truly feel his presence here), and the

seat of the exiled Tibetan government.

The place is full of red robed Buddhist monks and nuns, often, incongruously,

talking on mobile phones.

People here actually SMILE, and most of the local shops were very low

pressure, totally unlike those I visited in Rajasthan.

I encountered a few beggars, but even they were not over-bearing like the

ones in Rajasthan (who would crawl and claw at car windows at stop lights).

From my hotel room, I can see Triund Peak in the Dhauludar Range of the

Himalayas, plus three other snow capped peaks. It is technically the foothills,

but totally impressive, nonetheless, and I still cannot believe I am here.

The chest cough and sinus infection which plagued me the past month is

almost totally gone, though in the morning I still have a cough until after

my hot shower.

Since arriving, I have started smiling again, sometimes maybe too much.

I like to start the day by turning the prayer wheels at the stupa in the middle

of town, after having tea on the rooftop terrace at my guesthouse.

I have begun reading a daily inspirational guide by the Dalai Lama, as well as

his short introduction to Buddhism text, purchased at the Tibet Museum

bookshop.

I have visited the main temple once, but it is confusing as I know nothing

about the dieties depicted there or the appropriate protocol.

There is amazing shopping here for traditional prayer box pendants (ghau),

prayer wheels, clothing at very reasonable costs, and so much more.

Feeling bolder by the minute, I had my hair cut by a local barber. He did a

great job for only 50 INR about $1 USD), but I had to repeatedly refuse his

offers of a head and shoulder massage!

In the evening, I met a guy who has been voluntering at L.I.T,

Learning and Ideas for Tibet, and he took me to their offices, where I met

Lauren and Mary, western volunteer coordinators.

After a short discussion, Lauren recruited me to come to the weekly Tuesday

Tibetans Talk, where refugees and former political prisoners tell their stories

with an international audience, to take notes and begin writing articles for the

organization's website.

I am also considering an introductory Tibetan language class and also basic

Tibetan cooking (momos!)

fyi Tibetan food is really yummy!

This MAY be my life purpose!

woo HOO

This morning, tired of being stared at and perceived as a young blond, I dyed

my hair back to its natural dark brown color.

I will now let the grey grow out naturally and stop denying my age.

I think this will also gain me greater respect here. Older women are treated

with much more respect than solo young western ladies.

I am now at my new favorite hangout, MoonPeak cafe, a WiFi cafe on Temple

Road, and have finished my pot of lemongrass herbal tea.

Dharamsala is feeling like home. I have random repeated thoughts of

staying on indefinitely, returning annually.

I will be here until at least the end of January, barring any more unforseen

negative experiences.

I will read and write here and walk in nature and do my best to make some small

difference in my own life and that of others (as HH the Dalai Lama advises).

Crossing Rajasthan to Jaipur (rather rambling I fear)

I arrived in Jaipur a few nights ago after an unplanned trip across Rajasthan with my new couchsurfing.org host.

I was introduced to amazing scenes of luxury hotels as well as the wild hair-raising experience of "highways" in India and rural countryside which remains nearly unspoiled.

I asked endless questions and learneda variety of interesting facts about India.

I saw scenes of farming, and rural villagers going about their daily chores.

I saw impossibly over-loaded trucks on the highway, faced traffic conditions that would surely be fatal on the orderly western roads.

I'm really not sure what to express, in this entry, or how to convey my present emotional state.

I do not feel the level of inspiration I have felt in recent days, and as such am more "thinking out loud", so forgive my lack of eloquence.

I am tired, again, in my body and soul, and physically "under the weather" as my cold and cough have returned full force, and I am again experiencing a lot of digestive troubles despite eating mostly healthy (although in the past two days a lot of fried) food.

I have not had much chance to get out on my own and explore Jaipur. I've been relying on my guide, who I have been meeting in the afternoons. I've been afraid of being cheated, ripped off, misled, or otherwise duped if I venture out on my own. I do not understand so much about this place, still, even though I learn more every day.

India remains a truly FOREIGN country. I hate to become repetitive, but I can't express how true that feels to me.

How do you know if you are getting a fair deal, a true price (like a local would pay)?

How do you find your way around without a local's assistance?

I see other foreigners out walking, even young white girls on their own. Where do THEY get the confidence to venture out so boldly, to stand up to touts, to bravely face what to me seems an incomprehensible system of roads and alleys?

What do you do if you get lost? I'm afraid of looking lost and confused because that indicates weakness, which opens the door to being taken advantage of.

Self-confidence is an issue for me even on the relatively familiar ground of the USA.

Here, I am like a helpless child, lost and longing for someone to hold my hand.

And yet, I still feel the need to maintain my solitude, my independence.

I refuse to be tied down to someone else's expectations of how I SHOULD act, or to rely solely on one person for all my needs.

Jaipur seems to be a nice city, relatively speaking. There are many development projects such as modern shopping areas, broad and fairly clean urban streets, and a better sense of organization...insomuch as anything in India is "organized".

Still, there is an old city, and on roads in the outskirts, too, the jumble of bazaars threatens to consume the uninitiated outsider.

If I had a higher (say, triple my actual) budget, I would be less intimidated. I wouldn't have to worry about being overcharged a hundred rupees because a hundred rupees would be utterly insignificant. But for me, a hundred rupees more a day will mean running out of money long before the scheduled end of my tour.

I think it's time to sit down and do some serious recalculation of finances.

Is it really practical for me to stay here til the last week of March, or should I cut roughly a month off of this tour?

I can change or cancel train reservations easily, if need be.

I would ideally like to upgrade to nicer accommodations when on my own in guesthouses.

Right now it is looking like I "should" cut about 4 weeks off this trip.

The issue now is deciding what I can miss and what should seriously NOT be missed.

Perhaps two weeks in Varanasi is more than enough. Possibly the same for Dharamsala.

After all, what's the point in being here if I can't even enjoy getting out and about and exploring/seeing/doing things on my own?

I'd be better off hiding under a pile of magazines and cats in Florida for a few extra weeks til my WWOOF starts in April!

Ahh, Udaipur...

Udaipur…what can I say about the almost magical beauty and yet still jolting realities of this place?

Imagine, if you can, being in a medieval world, where royalty holds sway in palaces (both real and metaphorical) and the common folk struggle to survive in narrow streets teaming with animals and refuse, where open sewage gutters flow in front of luxury restaurants.

Imagine the sounds of dogs, donkeys, cows and common folk echoing off plaster walls competing with motorbike engines and auto horns. Imagine muezzin’s prayer calls resounding from mosques throughout the day and Hindu chanting emanating from lakefront temples, competing with modern Bollywood music blaring from rooftop boom boxes and the sounds of construction.

Streets meander past fabulously painted and ornately carved doors and windows and intricate building facades. Shop fronts overflow with richly colored saris and pashminas, traditional antique silver and semi-precious stone jewelry, hand-tooled leather journals, and statues of various Hindu gods in all sizes, old and new. Fruit and vegetable sellers ply their goods between cyber cafes and mobile phone shops.

From the rooftops, especially at dawn and sunset/dusk, the city seems to float above Lake Pichola, as if emerging from or sinking into a dream. Five hundred year old palace ramparts rise on one side, ghats lined with shops and temples on the other, and in the shimmering lake, the mirage-like Jag Mandir and gleaming white Lake Palace complete the scene.

The incongruities of India continue to astound me, sometimes with laughter, sometimes with fears and tears. You never know what will happen next, here.

Currently I am suffering a deep chest cough (despite two types of medicine “prescribed” by a local chemist).

I have decided, for health reasons mostly, although it is also cheaper, to go vegetarian for the duration of my travels, unless one of my hosts treats me to dinner at an upscale establishment. Food handling standards are iffy and refrigeration often non-existent, so meats are questionable at best. Coincidence or not, my “Delhi belly” has gone away since switching off meats the past two days!

I’ve done way too much shopping here, worn down by the continual haggling of vendors. I am able to bargain, and usually able to walk away, but have become newly addicted to paisley pashminas and printed clothing/fabrics. I bought a bed sheet yesterday, for heavens sake! I’ve managed to avoid the jewelry, with one exception, but it has not been easy, as all my favorite styles and stones are available here at relatively (compared to US) low prices. Still, they are far above my daily budget, and I have another 4 months to survive.

Today is a day of rest, lounging in my cool, marble-floored budget room, happy to have found a local WiFi connection. I am also trying to avoid the guesthouse manager, as he has said some things which have made me uncomfortable regarding purchasing gifts for me….I am uncertain how to express that I am in NO way interested in having anything more than a business transaction and that to accept a gift would be totally inappropriate.

My couch surfing host from Jaipur, the next city on my itinerary, is a tour guide and will be in town here tomorrow. He has offered to take me to dinner then so we can plan my stay in his hometown.

I will have more access to internet after 19 November, and will try to update on twitter and face book daily from there, as well as add new pics to my Udaipur folder on flickr.

Please continue to hold me in your thoughts and prayers. I am especially in need of prayers for good health, good spirits and continued safety!

Thank you.

As I have decided to use my travel experiences in a future non-fiction manuscript, I regret I cannot wax more eloquently or more at length, to avoid not being able to sell the appropriate rights when the time comes. I am sure you will understand...and hope you will look for the book somewhere down the road!

Udaipur Check-In

Just a quick note, reporting I am safe In Udaipur after the 17 hr train journey through the night in the rain of Tropical Cyclone Phyan, for which the warning was posted about an hour before my departure from Bombay.
The cyclone hit in the area of Alibaug, near the beach house I described in my previous post. I have not heard from my friend whether everything there is ok.

The guesthouse where I am staying is called Shiva Guesthouse. The staff is nice enough, though it is surely geared towards a younger, more carefree kind of traveler. I have a nice bed, clean sheets, working electricity and an en suite bathroom with hot water.
My top complaints are that the shower barely emits enough water to wet yourself, and the hot and cold non-shower taps are separate, so if you try to wash under them, its either burning hot or freezing cold! ACK..
The alternative is the local style bucket bath.
sigh
I guess I should be content, some fellow travelers I met in the lobby earlier today declared it was a luxury to have the hot water at all.

It has been cloudy and misty, breezy and very cool, with occasional light showers since my arrival. I went out only briefly, explored the Jagdish Temple, where I made some stupid foreigner gaffs for which a guide (unofficial) duly reprimanded me. I did, however, get some great pics there!
The old city area is a maze of narrow winding streets filled with shops where shopkeepers great you in a variety of languages and do everything short o physically drag you into their shops. The array of handicrafts and souvenirs is mind boggling, and the temptation to splurge on my favorite style of silver and semi-porecious stone pendants nearly broke me down. I asked a few prices, but was not prepared for bargaining.
The streets themselves are, again (sorry India) really nasty. Trash as well as dog and cow dung make it nearly impossible to take a step, and you are wise not to look away!

I had plain ghee pulao (butter rice) and a banana lassi for lunch before taking a 3 hr nap, from which I've just woke. It's 8:10 pm. Some of the hotel "staff" is drinking (secretly but the smell is strong) and chatting loudly in Hindi here in the lobby where the computer is located. Normal everyday life, I suppose. They are still friendly and coherent, at least!

I will finish here, make a few tweets, then see about a light dinner (in the hotel rooftop cafe) before calling it a night, in the hopes that tomorrow is sunny and I can find the boat to get a lake tour and/or go to City Palace.

For an international tourist destination voted world's top city, this place sure doesn't make it easy to navigate or know what the heck is going on!

Here I go, rolling with the punches!

Cool November Rain, and a Train

Cool, breezy rains began yesterday around 11am.

Mumbaikers are all a bit surprised as November rain is virtually unheard of.

Apparently it is also bad news, despite the lovely break in the heat, because important food crops that should be ripening around this time will, according to my acquaintances here, be spoiled with even a few days' rain.

I am loving the coolness but sad for this news.

Hopefully the rains (a tropical storm in the Northern Indian Ocean drifting NNE inland even towards Rajasthan) will pass quickly.

As the storm moves inland toward Rajasthan, so do I.

Today is the big day.

In about 3 hours from now, I'll be heading out in a taxi for Bandra Terminus where I'll board my 17 hour overnight train for Udaipur.

My host had an office meeting and is unable to take me to the station, so he is sending me with his (non-English-speaking) servant who will make sure I get the correct train, car, and so forth.

I have faith that I will be taken care of, but it is still emotionally stressful.

I am armed with two India-versions of well-known fashion/home making magazines for the train as well as my notebook, camera, and old iRiver music device.

I plan to buy bottled water and snacks for the journey at the station as I have heard train food is not good for the belly especially as mine is still very delicate, to put it nicely.

I have done everything I can to make detailed arrangements for my arrival in Udaipur, although in India plans do not seem to count for much.

My experience so far is that you get told a different thing every time you ask the same question!

(yes, even when asking the same person!)

My guesthouse is supposed to have arranged someone to meet me at the station and bring me to their location....first I was told a "driver" would pick me up, but when I emailed to "confirm" was told something to the effect of a "taxi" will be there to guide me to a "stand" at the station where I will be "met" be an unidentified-someone-else.

Uh...what?

So really not sure if there will be anyone waiting there holding my name placard as originally arranged, or if I'll have to take my chances and spend the money getting a taxi on my own.

This rain is giving Mumbai, and my soul, a much needed bath.

Yes, I am still anxious. That is just how I am (for those who are commenting that I need to relax and just let go).

I take medication for severe anxiety, folks. It's not like you can just turn off the wiring and say ok now I'm gonna do it differently. It's chemical!

I fret, I cry, I make detailed plans, I freak out to everyone who will listen.

And then I just do it.

I know that the rest of my travels will be different from Mumbai.

I know that I CAN manage on my own, like it or not.

Undoubtedly there will be much more to report as soon as I can get connected from Udaipur!

My current "plan" is to first get settled into the guesthouse, determine level of safety and room security there, and probably take a nap to settle my nerves.

If I feel up to it, and weather permitting (70% chance of storms in Udaipur Thursday), I may wander the immediate area of the guesthouse before sunset.

I have no set agenda other than a list of places to see, not date specific (even that is a a major improvement for me, folks!)

City Palace, Lake Palace, Jagdish Temple and so forth are my main destinations, plus I intend to sit on the rooftop terrace writing a lot.

If I feel comfortable, I may try to find a spot right on the lake front from where to write, also.

I am scheduled to meet my couchsurfing.org host for my next destination on 19 November and will be going next to Jaipur.

All his references on the couchsurfing site are positive, and hopefully he already understands my p-o-v regarding being a guest not a party partner!

My friend here in Mumbai has his name/contact info in case, heaven forbid, something bad happens.

A reminder, again, that my posts from here on may become far less frequent. The guesthouse told me they had WiFi.

Their listing on hostelworld's website says "internet available".

I am sure there is a cyber cafe there somewhere if I need to go that route.

So, if you do not hear from me on this blog, on twitter, or via email for several days, do not panic!!

If you do not hear from me before the 22nd...THEN panic!

lol

Thanks for following my adventure!

Beach House and British Expats

The past few days in Mumbai have been calm and yet full of interesting occurrences.

On Saturday morning Titu and I taxied down to the docks by Gateway of India and caught a ferry to a rural area north of Mumbai called Awas, where his family owns property. The ferry trip was interesting, with many families going for day picnics or weekends at their beach property. A group of college aged youth sang songs and had a drumming circle on the upper deck. Children played games while the adults snacked and chatted.

We sailed into the morning sun, making it difficult to see, but Mumbai's harbor (such as it is) was crowded with all manner of shipping vessels from around the globe as well as Naval vessels, fishing boats and private pleasure boats.

The trip to Awas takes about an hour, depending which type of boat you book on.

We arrived and disembarked at Mandwa .

Titu flagged an auto-rickshaw which took us away from the docks towards the actual village of Awas. En route we stopped for chai and a kind of battered potato fritter whose name I can never remember!

The rickshaw bumped along the rutted, crumbling road for about 15 minutes til we got out in the middle of what seemed like jungle. Through a gate, along a leaf-strewn dirt drive, we came to a series of arches and patios and the entrance to Titu's family "beach house" (about a 5 minute walk from beach).

As with so many buildings here, the beach house is redolent of former glory. Arched windows and carved elements but cracked walls and horribly peeling paint, utilities shut off or barely functional. The smell of decay...mold, mildew, dust...was literally suffocating.

No one lives there, anymore. A caretaker (husband/wife) lives on the property, but the house is not maintained.

Titu talked about renting it, or maybe turning it into a B&B, and I had visions of moving in, restoring it lovingly one room, one garden section at a time...

Illusions...delusions...

After he talked business with the caretaker briefly, we changed and walked to the beach, which was surprisingly clean and virtually deserted.

I collected a few shells and we splashed and floated in the Arabian Sea for about an hour before heading back to the house, where I was thrilled to be shown how to take my first ever bucket shower/bath!

You literally fill a bucket with water, get a smaller cup for a scoop, and pour cupfuls of water over yourself to bathe! Not highly effective, but good enough for short term purposes!

The trip back to Mumbai was quiet...Titu bumped into an old acquaintance and they talked about "the good old days" when Awas was much less popular with day trippers and the rich/land developers.

Saturday evening Titu left for a social event with some friends...apparently running with the rich and famous. I was invited but did not feel comfortable with the whole production. Reportedly some of the top names in Indian fashion and film (including 2 famous Bollywood stars) were there. Titu's friends, who invited him, are designers and ad execs and producers, if I understand correctly, so he has access to "the scene". (There is still so much I don't know about this man...I only knew him briefly in college and never once thought about him as anything other than a funny frat boy always cracking jokes in the dorm hall).

In ways I regret not having gone, yet now I can say "I blew off Bollywood!" and on yet another level I am just relieved I did not have to stay out til 3am!

While he was at the party, Titu phoned and suggested I go upstairs to meet his British neighbor who's lived in India since 1958!

I thought it would be a good chance to get a different perspective on all this madness, so I agreed.

What a fascinating experience! The man, who's name I'll keep private for him/his family's sake, was born and raised til age 13 in Alexandria, Egypt, moved to the UK during his teens, fought in WWII across Europe (including liberating concentration camps), and returned to India in 1958 with a British-based business.

He met his wife in Calcutta, and eventually they had 2 daughters, both of whom were raised in India.

He can be a cranky old man (well he is 86) but he has so many stories! At times he gets graphic describing war scenes or talks about wanting to die as all his friends are gone...but overall just a fabulously intriguing chap!

I want to write more about him, and yet cannot think of how to encompass it here, now, so will leave it for the (possible) book...

Today is Monday, Titu's at work, and I am locked in my room at his house trying to avoid the cleaning servant who should arrive any moment.

I just don't like to be bothered, and really would rather do the damn housework myself!

It's mostly cloudy today and "cooler" (in relative terms)...though 89, while not as bad as 98, is still pretty darn hot.

Thankfully a storm system is due to arrive either tonight or tomorrow, bringing 60% chance thunderstorms for several days as well as even lower temps.

I leave for Udaipur on the train Wednesday. I still don't know whether Titu himself can get off work to take me or whether I'll be going with one of the non-English speaking servants.

I have no idea how to find the station let alone the train platform!

Terror is setting in.

Next steps after finding the train will include:

keeping myself and my possessions secure during the 17 hr overnight journey,

making sure I get off at the right station in Udaipur,

finding the driver from the guesthouse there who is supposed to meet me with my name plackard at the station in Udaipur, and

getting settled up and settled in at Shiva Guesthouse itself.

In all honesty, I plan to cry a lot between now and Wednesday early afternoon when this next stage of my journey begins.

Titu has spoiled me horribly here in Mumbai, taking care of all my necessities and keeping me safe.

But all this is at an end.

From here on out, I am on my own, armed with only the most basic of Hindi phrases, and virtually no understanding of how to do things in this country.

I am super scared...will I even be able to communicate?

What if I cannot express my wishes/needs?!

Will I be safe?

What about my possessions? Should I leave my laptop here and rely on cyber-cafes the rest of this trip? If I do that...what about my photos? I won't have enough storage on my card for 4.5 months worth of pics. Plus much of my travel info is stored in emails or Word docs.

ARGH

I am also having serious concerns about money...knowing my budget is so limited. Any miscalculation now could be tragic when I get to the later stages of my journey.

This is all so confusing. What the heck was I THINKING, coming to India alone on a rock bottom budget?! Why didn't someone kick my ass before I got on the plane?

Acclimating but Not with Grace

I went out on a walk alone yesterday, once my host (from here on I'll call him my friend or by his nickname Titu) showed me a few places on my itinerary by having a taxi drive past them (he's very thoughtful that way).

Bought two varieties of spiced chai at Tea Centre...had a minor (ok somewhat more than minor) panic attack when I was told at their shop that a significant portion of my money was counterfeit! Out of 1500R they would only accept 1 note.

(long story short, found out later that for whatever reason they said so, this was NOT the case, the bills were fine...)

After leaving the Thomas Cook (foreign exchange) office, I walked to some pret-a-porter womens clothing shops where I purchased 2 kurtas (tunics) in plain earth tone fabrics to match the rest of my wardrobe.

I then wandered past University of Mumbai (fabulous architecture there!) and down one side of the maidan (literally "open field") where cricket matches are held.

I ended up in Colaba in a Indian Navy housing area where schools, a Catholic cathedral and lots of those old Victorian era (for my purposes meaning 1890s-1920s) once glorious mansions are crumbling in the tropical heat.

Great for photography!

I lost some of my fears regarding the people and was able to ask questions and answer people more easily when I was addressed.

I made my way to Leopolds where I had a mango lassi and some jeera pulao (cumin rice) for lunch.

Next, shopping at a few street vendors where I bought some paisley stationery with matching envelopes as well as a fabulous dupatta (type of traditional scarf) that matches my wardrobe.

Made a local pay phone call from a PCO (not sure what it stands for) where you put in a 1R coin for each 30 seconds talk time.

Then, hot and mentally wiped out, I found a taxi near the Taj Hotel and was delivered safely back to Titu's home across town for the grand total of 80R (less than $2).

Today I am a bit fatigued...female issues as well as needing some emotional/mental bounce-back time. I learned that I can do everything I need to do, but it is still a bit of an effort and I need some time to regain my interior fortitude before venturing out again.

Personal space/privacy and being able to live inside my own thoughts & feelings is a major issue for me. I am a quiet private person at my best...so being in a noisy over-crowded busy environment where my time is not really my own is a strain.

I just do not process life like so many other people do!

Conversation, especially with strangers, especially when I feel I'm being judged, is very difficult for me. Trying to relate to others whose thought patterns and social expectations are different is EXHAUSTING.

It's not that I find other people offensive, nor do I want to be anti-social. I just know I am not on the same level, I know I am not going to be understood, and I find having to watch what I say/do instead of just being as I am very draining.

I don't want to make a bad impression, but I can't keep up with certain ways of being/doing that I am expected to adhere to in certain circles!

All in all, things are improving. I do not claim to understand the way people interact here, even those of the same family or social status, let alone between classes/castes.

Which reminds me, I should mention, to give those back in the States or other western countries reading this more perspective, that although legally the caste system is no longer adhered to, it is still very much alive.

One small example:

Titu took me to a nice South Indian restaurant for lunch a few days ago where if it's busy you have to share your table with a stranger. While we were eating, a woman wearing elegant clothing and very nice jewelry came and sat at our table. She was very friendly, but after a few pleasantries she flat out asked him "Where is your family from? What is your caste?" and he answered without hesitation, as if it were the most normal question in the world.

This morning we went into a shop. You know, as westerners we walk into a shop and typically pick up what we like for ourselves and take it to the check-out. This was not an upscale shop, just a walk in bakery/mini grocery. But here, the customer tells the shopkeeper what he wants, then the shopkeeper tells an assistant who goes and retrieves it. We asked for bread, and a loaf was put into my hands. I simply thought it was for me to hold, but learned I was supposed to approve its freshness and then say whether it was acceptable!

So so much to learn! Am I truly up to this task? I hate making blunders! I hate looking like a fool! And yet, surely I can't be expected to know...can I?

Tomorrow, once I have rested and balanced out a bit, I plan to walk through a local shopping district here in Malabar Hill and over to Marine Drive...walk along the sea for a little ways...or maybe have Titu's taxi drop me somewhere along the seafront and walk back most if not all of the way...

Full Overwhelm

Late last evening it really hit me that I am not adjusting very well at all to being here. All the constant stares, even if it is simply curiosity on the locals' part, make me super uncomfortable.

No one smiles, no one looks the least bit friendly. I feel like any minute someone is going to do something bad to me..."bad" being a vague sense that I am not welcome nor entirely safe.

Instead of feeling more comfortable here as days pass, I am feeling more afraid.

Of course, having a bad case of PMS is not helping. So far today I have done more crying than anything else.

Plus, I have caught some kind of sinus/throat infection or cold...coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and in the mornings it hurts so bad I can hardly swallow.

Yesterday my host took me to the Kalbadevi district, a bazaar area of Old Mumbai. If you follow the link you will see a not-very-descriptive overview of the area on wikipedia including a photo from the 1890s.

If you visit my flickr Mumbai set you will see the area as it is today (sample image below).

Besides the oppressive heat (looking for another word which can convey this), the area is virtually incomprehensible to the western mind which has never traveled outside western

nations.

People are everywhere and it seems like everyone is in a hurry. If you stop to try to take a photo you literally need to hide behind a car or door to avoid getting run into or pushed aside.

It's difficult to tell what is what, as most signs are in Hindi and many shop keepers (again, even when speaking Hin-glish) were (to me) incomprehensible.

And the smells.

How can I convey this experience to someone sitting in a safe clean quiet room on the other side of the planet?

Humans and animals alike are urinating and, in some corners, defecating on the street. Litter is tossed without a thought onto road/sidewalk...there simply are no trash bins, no dumpsters, no sanitation provisions of ANY sort (and this is true not just for the old town but for the upscale area where I'm staying, as well).

And open air restaurants are located directly on the street amidst it all.

I have lived in poverty myself...in trashy one room apartments above bars, in insect infested buildings, etc. None of them even equates to the depths of filth here.

Part of what I am trying to express is a lack of privacy and self-respect...or perhaps, lack of shame. Mumbai takes "you gotta do what you gotta do" to a level I never dreamed possible.

What's worse is seeing the rich sit in their gated guarded buildings bemoaning the plight of the country's poor (right outside their doors) while their servants do even the most menial tasks and go home hungry.

I am not a professional on knowing what the rich can do to help the poor. In my country I AM the poor (I've used every penny to my name for this trip, and even every penny would not have kept a roof over my head in the US w/no guarantee of finding another job). But I do know it is WRONG to sit in your air conditioned safety and say you feel sorry for the man on the street when you do nothing to help.

I am not here to judge or preach and do not want to take that route in my writings, but I do want to provide an accurate observation of the way it is, of the things I am seeing.

There is so much more I wish I could write about accurately.

The day we took the "house boy" (cleaning servant) to the hospital...the conditions there...again, lack of privacy in examination room, the rooms being open to the outdoors, dingy mismatched curtains and antiquated file systems (yellowed notebooks as charts).

It reminded me of a 1940s war type scenario.

Also I know a big part of my issue is that I feel really pressured to adapt faster, better. My host does not seem to understand my inability to simply "get over it" and get out and about on my own. It's like to him, emotional/mental health issues cannot possibly exist. I'm a mature physically healthy adult...so what's the problem?

I'm not really sure what to DO. I don't want to be stuck in my room for the next 9 days til I leave for Udaipur.

Maybe once the PMS passes...and once the weather cools a wee bit (even a few degrees will be a welcome change!)...I'll be more capable of facing this challenge.

I'm hoping to be brave enough to go out walking sometime mid-afternoon, today. Hanging Gardens (in reality just a terraced park) is in the neighborhood and I've been told it's a must-see for tourists.

Please continue praying for me, leaving kind encouraging comments, and connecting with me on twitter. Vibes and prayers from afar actually do help!

Edited to add: Important wiki/info on sanitation and water supply in India...this may be urban India's most urgent issue.

What is being done to improve facilities for the common citizen who may not even have a home?

Urgent issues:

*health regulations (if there are any, they surely don't seem to be enforced).

*trash/rubbish/refuse disposal facilities, pick up services, street clean up initiatives are all desperately needed

Pondering if there is any way at all I can get people interested in DOING something about these issues.

Might have to come from volunteer workers sourced from overseas...so far I have not met any locals who are concerned!

Acclimating is a LONG Process

Acclimating to India is a LONG process. Maybe by the time my trip nears it's end I'll feel like I have somewhat gotten used to being here...if I'm lucky.

Everyone keeps asking if I'm having a good time. How on earth do I respond to that? Best to say I am not having a BAD time.

But so many factors come into play...

*Still not 100% recovered from jet lag, feeling better every day but still tired and sore. In addition, the oppressive heat (96-100F daily) and pollution (inc. noise pollution) are affecting my sinuses, sense of balance, appetite, sleep cycle and more.

*I am not sure I will EVER get used to being stared at so boldly with such a lack of friendliness.

On one hand, I am just trying to ignore it, just not really looking at people and doing my own thing.

On the other hand it is virtually impossible to ignore. You can't even walk in the park or to a high end tourist shop without causing a disruption.

*Language barrier...although many of my host's friends speak very good English, it is still spoken quite rapidly and with a very strong accent. Sometimes (I'm embarrassed to admit) I can't even tell when they are speaking English, especially when they mix Hindi and English phrases!

I have learned several words/phrases in Hindi, but don't have enough connective words to move from 'yes', 'no', 'thank you" and (my greatest achievement) "I would like some______", to actually expressing my own thoughts.

Culture barrier...there is no reference point here.

I can't stress enough how difficult this part is for ME, as I am super sensitive, self-conscious and anxiety ridden even in my own US surroundings at the best of times.

Here, now, even if I understand what's being said as far as the WORDS, the meaning beneath them can be vastly different, so I hesitate to engage in conversation.

More than anything else, this barrier makes me feel like bawling like a baby.

I feel like I cannot make myself understood (besides, most of time, with my host) and also cannot understand what's going on.

Other factors are, I am somewhat reliant on my host when he's off work for deciding a daily schedule. We've been napping in the worst heat every afternoon after lunch, sometimes til almost dusk.

I am trying to keep up with my thoughts and process my experiences here and in my written journal.

I am trying to work on editing and uploading my pics.

Still, my time is NOT fully my own. It would be rude not to dine with my host or chat with his friends and so on.

I suppose starting tomorrow I'll have a better perspective how I'll pass my time when it IS my own, as he'll be going back to work and I'll have most of the daylight hours on my own.

I am planning a few more walks especially in his general neighborhood, and also Marine Drive as well as Nariman Pt. and Ballard Estate (more "touristy" areas insomuch as Mumbai has touristy areas).

Time now to run errands...do some shopping...get a cell phone, some salwar kameez (clothing), maybe even buy some BEADS!

Forthcoming: descriptions of a local hospital, the thali lunch we had yesterday, and some typical sights and sounds of the area

Mappi Mumbai

I am here (under the A...zoom out for perspective)

View Larger Map

and you're not.

Happy Halloween from Mumbai.

It is an extraordinarily hot day, around 98F (33C ?).

I have been trying, obviously unsuccessfully, to nap.

I am still not over the jet lag, and my tummy is fussy.

We had lunch at a "street food" style (but higher quality, my host says) shop

called The Sweet People...items ate include panipuri,

samosa, bhelpuri (I didn't like the texture

of this one & let my host eat it), and bhajji.

YUMMY

After returning from lunch we both chose to nap out the rest of the afternoon!

Sunset begins around 15-30 minutes from now and I am pondering a walk in the

park beside the Arabian Sea, just around the other side of this apartment complex area.

Tomorrow the only plans I know of are lunch with host's grandmother and hopefully buy my

cell phone, which I was hoping to do today.

Monday I think we are going (by boat) to the family beach house at Awas, north of Mumbai.