in search of the real india



it's been another week and i'm still not sure what to write. i will say that expectations can be a dangerous thing. i think i had so many built up in so many places that i really set myself up for a confusing and sometimes disappointing time. i also set out on this trip with a slightly different framework, with my focus being on the volunteer work in mumbai. my time in mumbai really has been great, and working with the organizations around the slums has been incredibly interesting and i'm learning alot. but funny thing about some cultures and countries- the more you learn the more questions it raises and the more confused i become. that's about what i can sum about india. it also doesn't help that "india" changes every few miles. with so many people, religions, castes, income levels.. and i'm sure a million other layers i don't know about.. everyone's india is different.

i'm in puskar, rajasthan. i took an easy flight from mumbai to jaipur. the plane coasted in over beautiful rolling hills, patworked farmland of green and brown and.. space. that was what i noticed the most, was nothing. even on the tarmac in mumbai, the shanti houses of the poorest slums were encroaching on the runway on all sides- it seemed almost as if they wanted to make sure the flights could not leave, or at the very least, sear the memory of the crowding, pollution and poverty into every traveler's mind. flying over jaipur i was able to breath deeply. exiting the plane i was able to look out.. at nothing.. and a nice breeze wafted up the jetway as we exited, which was perhaps the first clean breath i'd taken in two weeks.

i jumped into the taxi and sped away to my guesthouse. i was grateful i had secured a room. with xmas, everything was booked. i was excited to see it- the photos seemed nice. the city seemed magical- lonely planet promised romantic forts and an ancient "pink city". as we got closer the guest house, the air started to turn brown. my driver hacked as he talked about jaipur and how it's the most beautiful city in the world, and wouldn't i like to stop and see a textile shop? i'd been warned plenty about the touts here, and the commission they get from every sale they get but was still amazed that i got it right out of the gates, and from the driver sent by the guest house. it pretty much set the pace for the next two days.

i met two nice australian gals five minutes after checking in. we went to a xmas eve party at a neighboring hotel. the owner of hotel, who is hindu, throws a big xmas party every year for his international guests. we payed 10 bucks to get in, but the food and drink were free flowing. the music was insanely loud, but while few tourists danced, the owner and the staff twirled and jumped around on the dancefloor. there is something about indian music and dance that is intoxicating. there is so much energy, so much HAPPINESS in each movement that it's impossible not to get caught up in it. watching Mr. Singh and company dance with such pride and enthusiasm in front of thier guests put a huge smile on my face. aside from the dancing, music and food, we met a handful of other travelers from all over the globe and i talked myself hoarse. we limped back to the hostel at 3am.

i woke up with a nasty cold. my new friends were all moving on. my stomach wasn't right. half way through the day after putting one foot in front of the other into the pink city, deciding finally that i hated it .. i decided to hire a rickshaw to take me to the amber fort. my last minute decision put me in a bad negotiating position and i paid for it. but, if i wanted to go, i had to pay, and i did want to get out of the busy streets and pollution that i can easily find in mumbai. the waiter at the restaurant told me i needed to get out of there to find the real india.. so he called his friend and off we went. i was happy to get up and out of the crowded downtown area, but landed right back into a horde of tourists. i was besieged by students. i have no doubt they were for real, but the poor kids were in a terrible spot along side the touts. one kid was persistent, and finally just stopped and said "why do you hate indians so much that you won't talk to me?". though i'm sure he's used this a million times every day it's hard for it to not stop you in your tracks. so i did. we chatted. he wanted to trade english for hindi lessons. not easy when your rickshaw driver is waiting outside, you have a sore throat, your stomach is questionable at best and you've already caught a glimpse of the non-private public toilets. so, i eventually wrenched myself away. i saw the inside of the fort over dozens of other heads, and wandered back out. my rick driver and his friend wanted to party. no matter how many times i told him i was sick, there was no sympathy. no problem, i see you at 6 ok?

a dark cloud hanging over me, i hopped a bus the next day to pushkar on a "tourist" bus. it was packed and they seated me next to one other white guy. we had four hours to chat and i made my first travel friend. ellian is from france and his english is not so hot, but he's really trying. my brain would explode if i had someone chatting at me for four hours in a language i don't really understand, but he bought an english/french dictionary and just tunes in and out at his leisure. at our guest house we met another great gal who is from holland. the three of us have taken it reaaally easy the last few days.


pushkar is considered a holy place but it's also incredibly touristy. within five minutes i was accosted by gypsies and their henna, and before i could react they'd dragged me into an alley with my hand half already painted. of course then the bargaining for their "services" started. i told them they should pay ME as they'd done up my right hand and therefor couldn't work for the next hour while the brown goo dried on my hand. they'd done such a complete job even the tip of my index finger was covered. you know.. i never realized how impossible it is to shoot with your left hand.. there must not be too many right-handless photographers out there.



pushkar is a potentially lovely town. there are temples and ghats around a holy lake, and it's expected that every hindu make a pilgrimage here. i of course saw a photo of the amazing architecture and a bright blue lake and made my decision based on that.. but we arrived in town to find that there is no water. our Lake View hotel was more like the Mud Puddle View hotel. still, it's been a relaxing place to chill out. the main street is lined with stores all hawking the same crap and i wouldn't have any idea how to discern the real from the fake. the food has been good though and people are super friendly once you get off the main tourist drag. every building has a rooftop with great views and i've found real coffee enough times to make me happy. i switched guest houses to a cozy, family run hostel with a nice little roof deck. i come up at night, read and watch the neighborhood kids fly kites on the horizon. i think what i will remember most about Pushkar is the flap flap flap! sound of the home made kites whirring about at sunset.



we rented scooters yesterday- my first time on one EVER - and i felt like i was 10. i can't believe how much fun it was. we went out of town in search of a few temples, though it was mostly about the drive. it was nice to get out and just see farm fields. we stumbled into a few villages and chatted as best we could, but after having that little motor under me and the wind in my hair, it's all i want to do. they don't allow foreigners here to buy motorcycles. it's probably a good thing or i'd be racing across the desert by myself and would probably have a brilliant wreck somewhere along the line and my body picked clean by wild dogs before anyone found me.



tomorrow it's decision time. i feel my time is up. i dont't know that i'm going to make it to jaisalmer. for as much as i want to see the real desert, i'm being told i will only be disappointed. the real sand dunes are in the sahara, not here. it's also new years, so i will be following the hordes. so, i'm not sure what's next. i'm honestly not sure what i'm even looking for anymore.