Back in Action

Just back from India late in October, I have been chillin and chasin' the wind, both to equal degrees. Decompressing from India travel was both interesting and entertaining. While the air in America had a cleanliness even the planes at Chicago's airport couldn't squelch, there were different kinds of dirt upon reentry. So many brilliant things about the US that i now appreciate much MUCH more; the lack of mountainous trash in the streets, the seemingly universal and normal standards of cleanliness of the health care system, humidity less than 107%... the list goes on.
But also, there are things that were brilliant in India that i miss, many of which are simply awesome elements of travelling (anywhere) but that i currently attribute to India specifically.

This post to be continued as I am headed to Coalition Brewery for drinks and deliciousness with my work (previous ;) peeps. Cheers y'all!

From Delhi

So Varanasi and the Ganges River were super rad! Full of crazy tiny small alleys built to confuse you and put you into a directional spin (much like Ikea), the city is full of history and amazing architecture! And flooding. Only weeks before the city had one of its worst floods and we saw mud 5 foot deep hedges practically manicured along the steps leading to the water, insanity. But nothing this city has not seem before.

We roamed the streets, getting lost almost everytime (yeehaw!), saw the Burning Ghat where people are cremated in fires turned by people of the lower caste (how well your body is burned depends on how much wood your family can afford). It was a serious and yet not somber vibe, here (in Hinduism) death is a part of the cycle of reincarnation and to have died in Varanasi and your body given to the Ganges is a step in the right direction when it comes to how you're gonna come back.

We also met with a man who has been trying to clean up the Ganges for over 40 years! We went to his hood, not really expecting to find him and ended up speaking with him for over an hour, more about relationships in his life and philosophies than the Ganges; he had a most amazing light in his eyes when spoke about close friends and their experiences together.

Let's see, we went on a sunrise boatride along the Ganges viewing 'The Ghats', a collection of tall buildings , mosques and temples from the river in the sunrise's light...gorgeious! Also our oarsman was a small little kid with some gumption which we adore of course!

There were also many beers drank at our favorite rooftop bar, located conveniently on the top floor of the hostel we stayed at as we talked with other travellers from Israel, Scotland, Germany and watched the monkeys play and reek havok upon the neighboring rooftops...and sometimes ours!

One of the most fun things we did in Varanasi (vs all the ridiculous hilarious things that just HAPPENED in Varanasi) was go to visit the Monkey Temple. Yeah yeah, just another Hindu temple you think, with gods and orange bhindi paint along the pillars and walls, but NO! It is a large open area temple and hundreds, seriously hundreds of free range monkeys (not to be later eaten), run free and play and glide and attack each other all around you! The best part of this scene was watching tourists in large groups walk through areas of monkeys, because when the women all get scared and scream, the monkeys totally attack, grabbing playfully but hard at their beautiful brightly colored sarees...which continued to crack us up over and over again! really it never gets old ;) and we got to feed the monkeys too, polite lil' buggers when they know you respect but do not fear them.

Anyhow, so we took a long train ride, battled the metro (like ptown's MAX) and are now staying with a lovely family we met in Kanyakumari. Today we toured the Red Fort and nearby enormous mosque, during which i got to wear a lovely stunning orange moo moo to cover my arms...pictures to follow.

from the Holy (shit) City of Varanasi

wellll, lots has happened ;)
currently we are in Varanasi, one of the holiest cities in india, located along the Ganga (Ganges) River where 45,000 dead bodies (some cremated, some 'partially cremated'??? says my book) are dumped into the river to move on through the stages of reincarnation. also, people flock to the city to bathe and become more holy, the pilgrimage is crazy right now due to a major festival going on and people from all over the country have made their way to this crazy town!
The sunrise here is gorgeous and made amazingly easy to stare at because the pollution levels are so high that the bright pink orb maintains enough UV protection high into the sky to allow for direct visualization (don't worry mom, the sunspots only last for about 3 minutes ;)
The rickshaws, both motorized and foot pedal are insane here and there is honking beyond all beleif with the occasional WHACK noise as careening vehicles clip one another, if but briefly.
We saw many temples yesterday and were lucky enough to be led around by a local who had the day off from school....who of course asked us to come back to his local silk shop and buy stuff when done. Lessons in india: everybody loves you, because you might have money (more on that later)
For now, i must back to the world of web search for helpful info regarding reinstatement of passports in india...
on the last night of our 40 hour train ride to Varanasi, someone sneakily stole my passport, money, credit cards, and camera...funny how it seemed keeping everything iimportant and in one place near to me was a good idea at the time...
but no worries! koichinta nahin in hindi!
more adventure and india exploration awaits, just with a new twist (lime please!)

OH INDIA!

i have been 6 days without a vegetable.
and there's so much more ;)
my apologies more not much blogging but interent is scarce and the timing has not been right. however! there will be detailed accounts and happenings posted upon the finding of good interent connection, promise!

so here's a snapshot:
flew into kochi on the southwestern edge of india, the flight itself was a adventure but damn it hardly compares to what has followed. we headed south to alleppey, went on a backwaters tour and walked the beach, met locals,, got stared at by everyone...oh that's still happening...;)
then headed south to kanyakumari the southern tip of india where 3 oceans collide! it's freaking fantastically beautiful and people flock to the spot to watch the sunrise and attend the sacred temple. we've been here, sorta...for over a week...because (insert drum roll here) Travis got typhoid! turns out immunizations are not 100%. go figure ;) SO, we spent a good chunk of days in the most fantastic hospital (Dr. Kumaraswami Health Center) that isthe most amazing place (not for its facilities or cleanliness, but for its staff) and now T is all healed up and we're heading north tomorrow to kodaikannal to meet a farmer starting some progresive ideas in the country. hope all are doing well and NOT having typhoid ;)
more soon, pinky swear!

Day three of freedom begins beneath a persimmon tree, checkin things off my GSD list as the sun begins to meet the cool breeze for it's daily battle