Perkielski's in India, a Comedy in Three Acts

Act I

There is so much to update an so many adventures that have happened!
I met up with Joshua in Delhi, an extremely dirty hectic city with tangles of electrical wires shadowing trash filled alleyways. We spent his first day sight seeing in Old Delhi, a way to ease him into the insanity-if easing is possible here. The next day we headed out to Jaipur in the state of Rajastan-west of delhi. Rajasthan has a desert as we got closer we saw more and more camels on the roads. Jaipur is a beautiful city- with monkeys, old archetecture and a beautiful fort right outside of town. I also has some of the most tenacious touts that i have yet encountered in India. It is low season now and the bazaar shopkeepers were out desparate. Often times they would physically block the sidewalk in front of us to prevent us from walking past their stores. But there were beautiful things to be had and we made an amazing bargaining team-Joshua is the best! I'm sure that we still overpayed but we were able to cut the prices by 70-75%! So much fun!
At my insistance we ate in jaipurs newest building with a revolving restaurant-i thought it would be kitschy and funny but really it was kind of nausiating.

Act II
Having our fill of big cities we caught a bone rattleing bus to Bundi-a smaller town 5 hours from Jaipur and absolutly fell in love with it-definetly one of my favorite places that i have been. Still dirty and full of goats, cows (one of which head butted joshua-sending two men across the street into hysterics) and trash Bundi has so much old charm. Most of the buildings in town are painted Brahmin Blue and there are monkeys everywhere. One morning while eating breakfast a monkey walked into the room.
Looming over the town on the hillside is an enormous abondoned palace and fort. Every evening bats would pour out of the doors and windows. The town is small enought that foreigners still attract curiousity and shouts-children followed us through the streets begging to have their pictures taken (also adults) everyone liked to see themselves on the lcd screen. It was a great place just to wander and abserve daily life-like the barbershop-open in the front with a goat wandering in- really funny to see goats and cows walking up and down stairs in and out of stores and houses. We have a great picture of a cow licking the side of one of the huge street woks. (no wonder my stomach has been off...)
Many of hotels were just locals houses and the restasurants just part of their homes. We went to one "rooftop restaurant" and the family was thrilled-we were led up narrow dark stairs to the empty roof asked to wait and then they brought up a table and 2 chairs. The very proud mother cooked our food while the kids and their friends sat all around us staring and chattering. Then the mother came up to hang out and of course everyone wanted their pictures taken. The younger boys striking poses and sandwiching their faces against mine. The whole situation was hilarious. At another similar place the 11 year old daughter waited on us, after we ordered we saw her take off on her bike to the vegtable market for the ingredients. The food was fabulous!
We spent a day exploring the old palace and then further uphill to the abandoned fort area. This was amazing, a bunch of old buildings with elaborate marblework and mural painting just left to nature-it was like something out of a movie. The monkeys have claimed it as their own and can be seen hanging out in the windows, lounging around the courtyards and swimming and diving in the stepwells. We decided that this would be the perfect place to leave Josh Simpsons marble (http://www.megaplanet.com/site/index.php?page=infinity-project) and placed it on a path and waited. Sure enough two curious baby monkeys ventured out. We have some amazing pictures of them playing with it.
Act III

The entire time that I was traveling alone in India I was very careful to book my train tickets ahead of time, for the time that Josh was here I decided to ease up on the planning-a decision that did agree with the India transportation system. We knew that we wanted to go to Agra and see the Taj Mahal, On our last morning there Joshua ventured out to the train station for a solo adventure. Well anyone who knows Josh knows that this story will end up with him lost and running. This is possibly the first time though that he has been chased by goats(they gathered behind him as he ran). At one point a teenager on a motorbike offered to help him-but first he wanted to take josh to the school around the corner to "impress a girl". The girls wasn't there so Josh left and was next picked up by truckers who through some miscommunication drove him in the opposite direction that he wanted to go in. After all of this the train was full and we were waitlisted.
To be continued.....

Pictures on Flickr!

I finally was able to upload some pictures on Flickr-they're a bit disorganized but at least it can give you all a taste!

Here is the Flickr link, someone let me know if it doesn't work, Thanks!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/perkielski/sets/72157600922697063/

My First Bribe, I'm Practically a Citizen

I am in Hyderabad and what a city of contradictions it is. My bus arrived here 3 hours earlier then scheduled landing me here at 5am. A horrible time to arrive anywhere new-especially after a sleepless night on a pitching bumpy bus ride. As soon as i got off of the bus i was surrounded by blood thirsty rickshaw wallahs. One man grabbed onto my arm and started pulling me towards his rickshaw and a fight almost broke out. I paid about 3x what was fair just to get out of there and into my hotel. At the hotel I was told that they didn't have a single room available but I could pay for the deluxe...this after making a reservation with deposit online. I told the man that if that was the case then I would just sleep on their front stoop until it was light enough to find a different hotel. Miraculously a room became available. Not the best introduction to Hyderabad!
Fortunately things have gone up from there. Many people speak Hindi here and I really have enjoyed trying to use what little I know. It's great for bargaining and telling people to get lost- very effective and laughter inducing. I am getting better at the bartering-complete with throwing up my hands- "Bahout Zayda he! Mera Ooloo neheen! Kam kijiye!" -loosely translated to mean- " That's too much! I'm not an owl. Lower the price!" (If someone is an owl they are a fool)
Yesterday I went out to see the sites, Hyderabad has one of the largest mosque in the world, Mecca Masjid and right next door is the Charminar a four towered structure with amazing views over the city. Because of the large Muslim populations here many women wear the full black robes and veil over their saris-leaving only their eyes visable. I find this to be disconcerting-not least because of the heat. It's strange to not be able to see someones facial expression while they are talking.
I also went to the zoo park-Indias 1st open enclosure zoo. I was skeptical but had heard good things and i was craving a bit of green scenery. It wasn't that bad-not amazing but I think a good effort. I had heard there were four 8month old bengal tigers and offered the zoo keeper a bit of baksheesh to let me in the back to see them. Who have I become? Bribing indian zoo keepers! I have never been that close to such scary animals , tigers,jaguars and leopards literally inches from me roaring and hissing. It was thrilling and terrifying, I quickly questioned my judgement and the security of the cages. I am shuddering now just thinking about it.
Today I went to find a travel agent to book my ticket to Delhi. I got lost, as usual and ended up wandering around-my favorite activity here. Up and down side streets, dirty, crowded and often smelling of sewage. I turned the corner and in front of me was a lare modern mall-complete with McDonalds (thankfully the first that I have seen here so far, it's nice to know that they haven't taken over yet). I just can't understand the dichotomy of a plush modern mall surrounded by poverty and broken power lines.
Tomorrow I am flying to Delhi and will be meeting with Joshua! It seems so unreal, I've been on my own for what seems like forever i'm so excited to share this experience with him.

Pondicherry-Mamallapurum-Hampi

I can believe that I haven't written on here for eight days, eights days is a lifetime so much has happened. My internet access has been spotty the electricity has been out for over 24 hours-i'm working off of a generator right now.
So picking up where i left off... I loved Madurai, the temple was amazing, my hotel fantastic with a wonderful rooftop restaurant with lovely views. Next I took the bus to Pondicherry looking forward to the beaches and french flavor (pondi used to be a french colony). I was promptly disappointed, within 15 minutes i couldn't wait to leave the place. Everything was overpriced, my hotel, on the beach but without windows and french tourists everywhere on motor scooters.
I scoped out the sites and left after one night-took a bus north 2 hours to the beach town of Mamallapuram. The town is famous for its stone carvings and caves, unfortunately this also draws lots of tourists from Pondicherry. I checked into a n extremely seedy hotel-half of the time there was no water or electricity (but you couldn't beat the price) and spent the first day lounging on the beach-the part that isn't being used as a public toilet. The next day I went to see the carvings-oputstanding! Unfortunately this was a a very high pressure tout-filled town. Literally every ten feet I was accosted by someone, asking for money trying to get me to buy something or go into their shop. By the end of the day I was irritated and exhausted. It makes me cringe to think what the north is going to be like, at least josh will be with me. I'm pretty good at keeping my temper but i have to admit I stared being pretty bitchy.
Next I caught a bus up to Chennai, a large city where i would be taking a train to Bangalore and then to Hampi. Talk about a shock, the train station was modern-with chairs and fans and tv screens with departure information wow it was like being in a completely different country. There were no animals roaming around, many women had short hair and some were even travelling alone.
I met a really nice man on the train-he and his wife are living in Bangalore and he is riding the IT wave that has hit the area. Mahesh gave me the low down on indian politics and translated some of the funnier conversations around us, (also pointing out that the man selling Lays chips going up and down the isle sounded like he was calling out Siphillysis). In return he was stared at just as hard as I was which amusingly enough irritated him to no end. He has a blog- the address is on the comment page of my last entry if you all want to check it out.
Bangalore was just as modern as Chennai- I never left the train station but was pleased to be in a place so easy to navigate. I caught the overnight train to Hampi and when I woke up it was if I had dreamed everything. The Hampi station had a large sand pit in the center oif the floor, the street out front strewn with goats, cows and mangy dogs.
and that is one of the many reasons why I love travelling in India-you never know what you are going to wake up to.
So finally, I am in Hampi and it is my favorite place that I have been so far. Hampi is a small town surrounded by hills covered in large boulders-absolutely covered and on top and in between the boulders are ruins of a town from 14-1500AD. It is enchanting beyond words. The hills are so peaceful I have spent hours wondering along old paths coming upon old temples, bazaars and amazing rock carvings. I'm staying in a homey little guest house with amazing views, everyone is very laid back-my kind of place. Oh and there are monkeys everywhere!
Unfortunatly I need to hit the road tonight. Hyderabad is next on the schedule- a city that is supposed to be split down the center between old and new india.
I'm dying to upload some pictures-hopefully Hyderbad will provide the oppurtunity.

Ferries, Saris and Indian men

I left the center on Saturady and hopped a train into Cochin, the nearest city 3 hours north of arunmula. The city is split into two major areas, Ernakulum, which has the train station, department stores, a million horns blowing every second and lots of hotels and Fort Cochin a former dutch and portugese settlement which has tons of historical sites-mainly churches (which were all closed on Sunday!) and even more goats roaming the roadway. The two sections are connected by a ferry ride across the harbor.
Given my past history with ferries-the childhood rides across the susquehanna, the "ferry" in Kiribati- a few boards nailed together(thanks kate for that one) and most notably the near death experience that Deb, John and I had in Thailand (a story for another time) i was in no hurry to board an indian safety standard boat.
Luckily the boats were not that bad and the ride completely smooth. The funniest part about it was the ticket process, first you bought your ticket and then there were two ticket takers at the entrace to the dock, one for men and one for women. The women were let directly onto the dock and the men into a cage directly behind the women, i'm using the word cage because it was a four sided room made entirely of bars with a door leading to the deck that could only be opened from the outside. As soon as the boat started pulling in the men began yelling and banging on the bars. They were release after about half of the women boarded and promptly pushed the rest of us aside.
(On the same note last night i was waiting in the information line at the train station around 11pm to find out my berth no. when this man grabbed my shoulder pulled me back and pushed in front of me. Everyone pushes in front of me so that's nothing new but i can't believe that he pulled me like that. and yes i elbowed his ribs as hard as a could and called him an asshole.)
I just realized that i have been very negative about indian men and while for the most part my experience hasn't been the best it isn't fair to stereotype. I have also met some extremely kind men for example:

My singing teacher, who cried when the students gave him a birthday cake saying that it was the nicest thing anyone has done for him and who sang to me as much as I wanted during class.
and another:
Yesterday I was wandering around Jewtown (real name) and ducked into a coffee shop, i was greeted by a little old man with about 6 teeth left who asked in very accented english-"where you from?" I told him america and he became so excited "I'm from america too!" he then pulled out a photo album of his children-who all moved to america and proudly told me that he has a pass to go whenever he wants. After this he insisted that I stay to eat and he was just going to go home to see if his wife had any fresh samosas for me. before i could protest he had jumped onto his motorbike and was off, returning with samosas. The he insisted that I would love his wife's chappattis (unleavened bread-like tortillas) and was off again this time returning with coconut curry and a plate of hot chappattis. One more time this was repeated with fruit cake before I could finally get away (not that i was trying so hard, his wife is an awesome cook).
okay that evens it out a bit.
Today i am in Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu. There is a very famous temple here that i hope to visit this evening. I am wearing my bright orange silk sari today, I had been wearing the saris at the center and around Arunmula but this is my first time to wear one out in the city. People just love to see a foreigner dressed in a sari and bindi (even more so if it's done properly). For the first time I am getting friendly smiles on the street-especially from the women and clucks of approval.

Into the Great Blue Yonder

Tomorrow I am leaving to center to start my real travel adventures. And just in time too, i was begining to get bored with the routine. I'm heading to Kochi tomorrow and then Madurai, Trichy and Pondicherry- a few days on the beach and then up to Hampi and Hyderabad. I am dying to work in Varanasi on this trip but I think realistically time-wise it's not going to happen. Joshua will be meeting me in Delhi (yahoo!) and together we are going to Rajastan and Agra.
I'm so curious to see other parts of India, it is very conservative here so I am expecting some pretty big differences in the cities.
My Hinidi teacher has been very candid with me about her marriage and the place of women in this state(she's from Mumbai and is trying to adjust to being a domestic doormat). She is a huge admirerer of Joshua-from my stories about him...she is always saying "you are a very lucky girl" Today i answered with "I think that he's pretty lucky too" and she said "No, no i know your character-you are more lucky then him". This in response to my short hair-she's dying to cut hers but is not allowed.
For my last singing class I will be learning a song which "has the power to lower blood pressure". I'll let you all know if it works.
I started ironing my saris today- as a prepacking task and it is ridiculous, they are 6 meters long and the iron only has a 2.5 ft cord, and no ironing board. I will definetly find someone to pay to do it next time.
I can't believe I have been here for a month already and can't wait to see what happens next....

Janice's Beach Adventure-Monsoon Style

This weekend I decided to get away from the center and head south to the beautiful beaches in Varkala. Because it is the monsoon i knew that swimming was out but figured it would be nice to see anyway and off season so few other people around. The general plan was to leave after Hindi class on Friday, catch a rickshaw to the train station and get into Varkala before dark. I was raining heavily all day Thursday and into Friday, I caught my rickshaw but 5 minutes out of town hit my first obstacle-the road was flooded, at least 3 feet of water covering a good 20 feet. For a moment I thought the driver was going to gun it(rickshaws are open vehicles). But instead he turned around and began shouting in malayalam and gesturing wildly which I took to mean either "there's no way to Chennganur we have to go back" or " you better start clenching your ass cheeks because I know a really insane, suicidal back road". My patent response in these situations is to smile and say "okay, no problem". so off we went on some of the most beautiful and torn up roads that I have been on so far. Off-roading during monsoon in an auto rickshaw. Until we hit the next road block, this time a utility pole fallen across the road. I thought we were definitly done but my driver was unbelievebly tenacious and found a third way which deposited me rattled, wet but alive at the train station, just in time to miss my train.
The train stations here are dirty smelly and extremely crowded-kind of like the NY subway system. Not a pleasant place to wait. Especially when a very eager indian man(who might not have been all there) decides to practice his english over and over again to you. Fortunatly a group of sari clad women noticing my discomfort and inability to get rid of this man and tugged me backwards into the center of their group surrounding me. I ended up sticking with one of them on the train and had a wonderful time. This was my first time riding unreserved (cattle class) something i never would do on a long journey but I thought I could handle anything for 3 hours. (and at 32 rupies!) The train was packed and we ended up standing for most of the way each time someone looked like they were going to get up everyone made a mad dash to get their seat. No rules apply here and the men have no qualms about pushing women, old, young or foreign out of their way to get a seat.
Varkala is one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever seen. The beach is at the bottom of these red cliff, reached by steps from the clifftop. The hotels and restaurants are along the clifftop. The place was practically deserted which was wonderful. I'll post pictures as soon as i can get the computer to cooperate.