Thursday, November 29, 2007
Long Train Ride Ahead
I won't be posting for a while as I will soon get on a train to Siliguri (sp?) near Darjeeling. The ride should take about two days and I won't have access to internet. This will be the longest transportation time I've ever dealt with. I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but Tamding already bought the tickets. Of course, we are actually on a waiting list, so maybe I won't be going. But we have been told that we are likely to get seats. Wish me luck. Although I'mnot quite sure what to wish for.
San Thome Basilica, etc.
Well, today was the first day I actually did some tourism on this trip. We went to the St Thomas Mount, the San Thome Basilica, and the beach. I didn't actually plan to go to the St Thomas Mount, but our driver took us to the wrong place. That was fortuitous, however. The St Thomas Mount has the best view you can get of Chennai. And there was a nice chapel there. So it was cool. It also gave us the grand tour of Chennai, as it was nowhere near where I wanted to go.
From there we went to the San Thome Basilica, which is a great example of intra-Christian rivalry. Originally, it was a shrine and tomb (for Thomas) built by the St Thomas Christians. When the Portugese arrived, they tore down that shrine, forcibly converted the St Thomas Christians, and built a new church, the San Thome Basilica. But that's not what's there today. The British has zero tolerance for Catholicism and tore that building down and built a proper Anglican church, which they called the St Thomas Cathedral. That's the building that stands today. But it was, of course, converted to a Catholic church and its name changed back to the San Thome Basilica when the British left India. And the few St Thomas Christians who remain view it as their main holy site. And, of course, the Catholic Church makes no mention of who built the current building or any history of the St Thomas Christians. If you go to the church, you get the impression that St Thomas and his followers were always Roman Catholics.
The beach nearby was interesting, if not particularly pleasant. We did see a sea snake sunning himself near the shore. It took me a while to figure out what it was because it's tail is flat and so much bigger than its head. And its scales are unlike those of any snake I'd ever seen. It looked like a snake, but at first I thought it might be some fake rubber snake. But then it moved and I finally made the connection of sea and snake. Then I realized that it would be best to not get very close. They are among the most poisonous snakes in the world. The good thing is that they really don't move too well when on land. It also explained why nobody was swimming. I'd also add that it was the first beach I'd ever seen with goats. I'm not kidding.
From there we went to the San Thome Basilica, which is a great example of intra-Christian rivalry. Originally, it was a shrine and tomb (for Thomas) built by the St Thomas Christians. When the Portugese arrived, they tore down that shrine, forcibly converted the St Thomas Christians, and built a new church, the San Thome Basilica. But that's not what's there today. The British has zero tolerance for Catholicism and tore that building down and built a proper Anglican church, which they called the St Thomas Cathedral. That's the building that stands today. But it was, of course, converted to a Catholic church and its name changed back to the San Thome Basilica when the British left India. And the few St Thomas Christians who remain view it as their main holy site. And, of course, the Catholic Church makes no mention of who built the current building or any history of the St Thomas Christians. If you go to the church, you get the impression that St Thomas and his followers were always Roman Catholics.
The beach nearby was interesting, if not particularly pleasant. We did see a sea snake sunning himself near the shore. It took me a while to figure out what it was because it's tail is flat and so much bigger than its head. And its scales are unlike those of any snake I'd ever seen. It looked like a snake, but at first I thought it might be some fake rubber snake. But then it moved and I finally made the connection of sea and snake. Then I realized that it would be best to not get very close. They are among the most poisonous snakes in the world. The good thing is that they really don't move too well when on land. It also explained why nobody was swimming. I'd also add that it was the first beach I'd ever seen with goats. I'm not kidding.
St Thomas the Apostle
A brief history of St Thomas for y'all. The story really starts 500 years before he was born, when a shipwreck stranded a large group of Jewish traders on the western coast of India. They weren't able to return to Israel, and founded a community that grew to be very extensive by the time of Jesus (and still exists today). When Jesus died, most of the Apostles traveled to various Jewish communities of the known world to spread the new Gospel to the Jews. Thomas chose to travel to southern India. He wasn't the only one to go to India, as Bartholomew traveled to northwest India breifly and then went to Armenia. Thomas first arrived in India in Kodungallur in 52 AD and began to spread the gospel. He managed to survive for 20 years before being killed in Chennai on what is now called St Thomas Mount. He was stabbed in the back with a lance, which is a better fate than some other Apostles suffered. His remains were said to be buried near the beach in Chennai, but the history is somewhat sketchy about that. Nonetheless, there used to be a shrine that was where the San Thome Basilica now stands. The St Thomas Christians believed that his remains were in that shrine. There are also claims that his remains were removed and taken to Edessa, but Thomas's spiritual descendents dispute that.
Regardless of where his remains actually are, Thomas did leave behind a sizeable community of Christians, some descendents of which still exist today. Their existence was well documented by Marco Polo and Vasco de Gamma. In the 16th Century, however, most of the St Thomas Christains were forcibly converted to Catholicism by Portugese invaders. And today, most of the Christains of Chennai are still Catholics. The forcible conversions were necessary, of course, because the St Thomas Christians represented a threat to the Catholic Church's claim to be the only true form of Christianity. It was an especially dangerous issue because the St Thomas Christians were actually converted by an Apostle. So the church at the time even made efforts to claim that St Thomas never even made it to Southern India, thus discrediting the St Thomas Chistians' claims. During Pope John Paul II's tenure, the Catholic Church finally decided that Thomas's remains really were at what is now the San Thome Basilica. But the current Pope has once again disputed this. As you might expect, the Catholics here in India aren't very happy with the new Pope and have ignored his reassessment.
Regardless of where his remains actually are, Thomas did leave behind a sizeable community of Christians, some descendents of which still exist today. Their existence was well documented by Marco Polo and Vasco de Gamma. In the 16th Century, however, most of the St Thomas Christains were forcibly converted to Catholicism by Portugese invaders. And today, most of the Christains of Chennai are still Catholics. The forcible conversions were necessary, of course, because the St Thomas Christians represented a threat to the Catholic Church's claim to be the only true form of Christianity. It was an especially dangerous issue because the St Thomas Christians were actually converted by an Apostle. So the church at the time even made efforts to claim that St Thomas never even made it to Southern India, thus discrediting the St Thomas Chistians' claims. During Pope John Paul II's tenure, the Catholic Church finally decided that Thomas's remains really were at what is now the San Thome Basilica. But the current Pope has once again disputed this. As you might expect, the Catholics here in India aren't very happy with the new Pope and have ignored his reassessment.
Cricket Update #1
It was a brutal day for Pakistan. India batted very well, scoring 352 runs for 3 wickets. They will almost certainly bat the entire day tomorrow as well. On top of that, Pakistan lost another starter to injury. I guess Allah wasn't with them today. India's Wasim Jaffer was the star of the day with 192 runs. I guess I'll change my prediction to India by 300 runs.
Where's Tom?
I'm right here in Chennai, but that's not the question I'm asking. The question I'm asking pertains to the wherabouts of the remains of St Thomas the Apostle. Tradition holds that he is buried under the San Thome Basilica, right here in Chennai. There is some controversy to that, but there is little doubt that he was buried somewhere in India. And nobody makes any claim to a specific alternate location for his burial. So maybe he really is here. We'll be visiting the San Thome Basilica today,and I'll have a longer post about it then. My internet connection has now slowed to a crawl. India doesn't have the speedy internet connections that are common in Thailand.
India-Pakistan Cricket Preview
Well, the second Test match between India and Pakistan is about to start. India won the coin toss and has elected to bat first. Things aren't looking very bright for Pakistan. Historically, Indian Cricket has been a disappointment. But it has made a big turnaround in the past two years and they are now a competitive team. So Pakistan is facing a much better opponent than usual. Even worse for Pakistan, they have been plagued by injuries to key players and can barely field eleven players for this match. It also doesn't help that one of their bowlers is facing accusations of chucking. My prediction: India by 150 runs.
DENIED!
Well, Tamding was once again denied a visa by the United States. Needless to say, the mood was quite somber last night. Now there are plenty ofplausible reasons why he might have been denied. Had one of those been used, I wouldjust be sad.But, instead, I'm very angry. You see, the consul didn't even ask Tamding about his documents, finances, or intentions. Instead the entire interview was about my financial status. In essence, Tamding wasn't rejected. Instead, I was rejected as a suitable sponsor. The reason is that I am apparently not sufficiently wealthy to support another human being for six months. I guess I'm glad I don't have children.
But let's look at this claim. I promised to pay up to $75,000 to pay for Tamding's travels for the maximum 6 month visa stay. Of course, he was only coming for a month, I was just making it clear that I could provide for him if he chose to stay as long as his visa would allow. I also provided sufficient financial documentation to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that I had the money available. The consul knew damn well that I could have written a $75,000 check on the spot that would have easily cleared. And he knew that I was actually in Chennai and could be reached by phone if he had any questions. Clearly I have the money, but is $75,000 sufficient money money to live in the US for six months? Well, more than 200 million people in the US live on less than $150,000 per year. In fact, most of you readers do. So, any claim that I could not provide for Tamding is not even remotely plausible. The consul knows this, so it is quite clear that he was blatantly lying. I guess I'll never know why I am an unacceptable sponsor, but it is quite obvious that insufficient wealth is not it.
What makes this even worse is that the consul doesn't even care that I know he's lying. When I was younger, our government operated under the principle of "Plausible Deniability." That was hardly a respectable standard for a government to operate under, but it has only become worse with time. Now our government does not even have the competence or decency to come up with a plausible lie. The truth has simply become irrelevent to our government. Facts are now merely words with no basis in reality to be used by partisans on all sides for the purpose of obfuscating reality and confusing the electorate. I guess Orwell would be proud, as even he couldn't make this stuff up.
And it is one thing for our government to lie to its citizens; Americans seem quite comfortable with it. But when the lies occur on foreign soil, it destroys our credibilty around the world. I faced that issue just yesterdayat this very same cybercafe. I was talking quite cordially with to Sikhs who were using the computer next to me. And then they aksed me: "Are you Australian?" I should have lied, but instead I told them that I was American. At that point the conversation ended. I was persona non grata as an American. I guess we really do need to spend more on defense than the rest of the world combined. At the rate we are going, we will have no allies left in the world. We are already losing Australia, which is something I would have thought impossible only three years ago.
But let's look at this claim. I promised to pay up to $75,000 to pay for Tamding's travels for the maximum 6 month visa stay. Of course, he was only coming for a month, I was just making it clear that I could provide for him if he chose to stay as long as his visa would allow. I also provided sufficient financial documentation to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that I had the money available. The consul knew damn well that I could have written a $75,000 check on the spot that would have easily cleared. And he knew that I was actually in Chennai and could be reached by phone if he had any questions. Clearly I have the money, but is $75,000 sufficient money money to live in the US for six months? Well, more than 200 million people in the US live on less than $150,000 per year. In fact, most of you readers do. So, any claim that I could not provide for Tamding is not even remotely plausible. The consul knows this, so it is quite clear that he was blatantly lying. I guess I'll never know why I am an unacceptable sponsor, but it is quite obvious that insufficient wealth is not it.
What makes this even worse is that the consul doesn't even care that I know he's lying. When I was younger, our government operated under the principle of "Plausible Deniability." That was hardly a respectable standard for a government to operate under, but it has only become worse with time. Now our government does not even have the competence or decency to come up with a plausible lie. The truth has simply become irrelevent to our government. Facts are now merely words with no basis in reality to be used by partisans on all sides for the purpose of obfuscating reality and confusing the electorate. I guess Orwell would be proud, as even he couldn't make this stuff up.
And it is one thing for our government to lie to its citizens; Americans seem quite comfortable with it. But when the lies occur on foreign soil, it destroys our credibilty around the world. I faced that issue just yesterdayat this very same cybercafe. I was talking quite cordially with to Sikhs who were using the computer next to me. And then they aksed me: "Are you Australian?" I should have lied, but instead I told them that I was American. At that point the conversation ended. I was persona non grata as an American. I guess we really do need to spend more on defense than the rest of the world combined. At the rate we are going, we will have no allies left in the world. We are already losing Australia, which is something I would have thought impossible only three years ago.
India: Land of Languages
One of the interesting things about India (there are many) is the incredible linguistic diversity. It is the most linquisticly diverse country in the world. It is more diverse than all of Europe. There are 23 official languages, although two are pretty much the same language, and about 850 languages in total. The languages mainly come from two language families (Indo-European and dravidian), but there is small representation from other language families as well. Many people think that the languages are all similar, but with the exception of the Hindustani languages, they are pretty much mutually unintelligible. For example, Kannada and Hindi are about as similar as Mandarin and Spanish. Hindi and English are more similar. So it is pretty much hopeless to try to learn the languages you will encounter. Fortunately for me, Tamding can communicate with a majority of the people here. There is also a misconception that these are obscure languages. Not so. Telegu is the sixth most spoken language in the world, Bengali is the seventh, and Hindi is spoken by more people than those two languages combined. To put this in perspective, French is the tenth most spoken language in the world.
So about those Hindustani languages... The main Hindustani languages are Urdu and Hindi, but there is a wide range of in-between versions. I have asserted in the past that Hindi and Urdu are the same language, and I stand by that assertion. To illustrate that point, our taxi driver from the Bangalore airport to the hotel spoke Urdu. Yet Tamding, who speaks Hindi, had no problem talking to him. And that is perfectly normal. Now, I know that my opinion is at odds with the consensus among liguists, so I'll explain their view. There are two justifications that linguists use to separate the languages. First, they are written in different alphabets. But in a country with only a 65% literacy rate, that distinction is lost on a lot of people. I would also add that Turkish has two alphabets (one obsolete), but has never been considered two languages. The other justification is that they borrow words from different languages. But so does English. You hear a lot of Spanish words in Texas and a lot of Gaelic words in Ireland. Perhaps the combination of the two issues is sufficient to explain the separation of the languages, but I think not.
To understand the two languages we need to look at the history. The Hindustani languages originated from a language called Khariboli. When the Mughals conquered northern India, they needed a language to communicate with the locals, because obviously nobody knew Persian. They chose Khariboli, which they called "Hindustani." Over time, the language absorbed a lot of Persian, Arabic and Turkic words, while retaining many of the previously absorbed Sanskrit words. One of those new words was the Turkic word "Urdu", which means "army" or "army camp". Eventually, the language came to be called "Urdu" because that's what was spoken in the army camps. As the language developed, two alphabets became attached to the language, one derived from Sanskrit, and the other from Arabic. As you might expect, Muslims preferred the Arabic script and Hindus preferred the Sanskrit script. And that is really what the difference between the languages is: religion. If you were to go to Northern India, where they speak a middle form of Hindustani, and speak to a group of illiterate people, they will make this distinction. Muslims will tell you they speak Urdu and Hindus will say they speak Hindi, even if they speak the exact same dialect. Of course, even they won't sound exactly the same because they will often speak in relation to their religion. Hindus will use more Sanskrit terms, because there are no Arabic words for things like "Karma", "Dharma", or "Samsara." And there are no Sanskrit words for "Hajj" or "Jihad," either. So the distiction is really theological, not linguistic. Nonetheless, I will bow to the linguists and make the distiction, but understand it is religious.
So what languages have we encountered so far? In two cities, I have heard Hindi, Urdu, English, Kannada, Telegu, and Tamil. And we're just getting warmed up. We will hear Bengali and Nepali soon. Here in Chennai, Tamil is the most common. And it turns out that Tamding speaks enough of it to at least get a taxi or a hotel room. So that was a pleasant surprise. Especially when almost nobody understands English or Hindi.
So about those Hindustani languages... The main Hindustani languages are Urdu and Hindi, but there is a wide range of in-between versions. I have asserted in the past that Hindi and Urdu are the same language, and I stand by that assertion. To illustrate that point, our taxi driver from the Bangalore airport to the hotel spoke Urdu. Yet Tamding, who speaks Hindi, had no problem talking to him. And that is perfectly normal. Now, I know that my opinion is at odds with the consensus among liguists, so I'll explain their view. There are two justifications that linguists use to separate the languages. First, they are written in different alphabets. But in a country with only a 65% literacy rate, that distinction is lost on a lot of people. I would also add that Turkish has two alphabets (one obsolete), but has never been considered two languages. The other justification is that they borrow words from different languages. But so does English. You hear a lot of Spanish words in Texas and a lot of Gaelic words in Ireland. Perhaps the combination of the two issues is sufficient to explain the separation of the languages, but I think not.
To understand the two languages we need to look at the history. The Hindustani languages originated from a language called Khariboli. When the Mughals conquered northern India, they needed a language to communicate with the locals, because obviously nobody knew Persian. They chose Khariboli, which they called "Hindustani." Over time, the language absorbed a lot of Persian, Arabic and Turkic words, while retaining many of the previously absorbed Sanskrit words. One of those new words was the Turkic word "Urdu", which means "army" or "army camp". Eventually, the language came to be called "Urdu" because that's what was spoken in the army camps. As the language developed, two alphabets became attached to the language, one derived from Sanskrit, and the other from Arabic. As you might expect, Muslims preferred the Arabic script and Hindus preferred the Sanskrit script. And that is really what the difference between the languages is: religion. If you were to go to Northern India, where they speak a middle form of Hindustani, and speak to a group of illiterate people, they will make this distinction. Muslims will tell you they speak Urdu and Hindus will say they speak Hindi, even if they speak the exact same dialect. Of course, even they won't sound exactly the same because they will often speak in relation to their religion. Hindus will use more Sanskrit terms, because there are no Arabic words for things like "Karma", "Dharma", or "Samsara." And there are no Sanskrit words for "Hajj" or "Jihad," either. So the distiction is really theological, not linguistic. Nonetheless, I will bow to the linguists and make the distiction, but understand it is religious.
So what languages have we encountered so far? In two cities, I have heard Hindi, Urdu, English, Kannada, Telegu, and Tamil. And we're just getting warmed up. We will hear Bengali and Nepali soon. Here in Chennai, Tamil is the most common. And it turns out that Tamding speaks enough of it to at least get a taxi or a hotel room. So that was a pleasant surprise. Especially when almost nobody understands English or Hindi.
Health Update
I'm feeling much better now. I'm almost over the flu. But I did have some weird allergic reaction last night that made it almost impossible to breathe. I have no idea what caused it, but it's gone now and I'm almost in good health. If you ever want to test out how many allergies you have, India is great place to go. You will certainly discover allergies you never thought you had. But you still won't know what causes them. So it's not actually helpful.
Omissions and Corrections, Part 1
During this trip, I will often forget to mention some things because I'm in a hurry. But there will be some times when I have the time to go back and add some things or correct some things. Now is such a time. So here goes:
Bangkok: I talked about going shopping, but never mentioned the results. I tried to go to MBK, but it opened late because of a holiday celebrating the King's reign. While I was waiting for it to open, I started talking to one of the tourist police. He told me that I'd get a better deal on a camera at Pantip Plaza. He didn't tell me where it was because he thought I wouldn't know where Phetchaburi Road was (silly him). Of course, Pantip opened even later, so I had plenty of time to buy some new shoes for 320 baht ($10). And I found two stores that sold black and white film, so now I have ten rolls. It's start. Pantip Plaza was a zoo. Imagine a mall about the size of two Costcos, but it only sells electronics (but no cell phones- they're at MBK). I went to ten stores before determining that Nikon does not sell a digital camera compatible with my old Nikkor lenses. I ended up buying an updated version of my old Canon digital camera, and Tamding got another present- the old digital camera.
Bangalore: I had forgot to mention that I got a haircut in Bangalore so I'd look more professional for the Chennai Consulate. It was probably one of the most unpleasant haircuts ever. The salon had no air conditioning, so it was about 100 degrees. And then they tightened the usual plastic sheet around my neck to help keep the heat in. Imagine combining a haicut with a sauna. Now imagine you have the flu as well. Pleasant, eh? But I look better now.
Chennai: During my two hours between visits to the consulate, we went to a mall and got some fruit drinks (remember, I have the flu). I had a pineapple Lassi and a handmade lime soda. I'm really working the vitamin C angle. I also bought a blanket for our overnight train rides. It's really nice- handmade from wool and silk. Our next train ride will take two days, so I'm glad I bought it. I tried it out last night and it was awesome.
Bangkok: I talked about going shopping, but never mentioned the results. I tried to go to MBK, but it opened late because of a holiday celebrating the King's reign. While I was waiting for it to open, I started talking to one of the tourist police. He told me that I'd get a better deal on a camera at Pantip Plaza. He didn't tell me where it was because he thought I wouldn't know where Phetchaburi Road was (silly him). Of course, Pantip opened even later, so I had plenty of time to buy some new shoes for 320 baht ($10). And I found two stores that sold black and white film, so now I have ten rolls. It's start. Pantip Plaza was a zoo. Imagine a mall about the size of two Costcos, but it only sells electronics (but no cell phones- they're at MBK). I went to ten stores before determining that Nikon does not sell a digital camera compatible with my old Nikkor lenses. I ended up buying an updated version of my old Canon digital camera, and Tamding got another present- the old digital camera.
Bangalore: I had forgot to mention that I got a haircut in Bangalore so I'd look more professional for the Chennai Consulate. It was probably one of the most unpleasant haircuts ever. The salon had no air conditioning, so it was about 100 degrees. And then they tightened the usual plastic sheet around my neck to help keep the heat in. Imagine combining a haicut with a sauna. Now imagine you have the flu as well. Pleasant, eh? But I look better now.
Chennai: During my two hours between visits to the consulate, we went to a mall and got some fruit drinks (remember, I have the flu). I had a pineapple Lassi and a handmade lime soda. I'm really working the vitamin C angle. I also bought a blanket for our overnight train rides. It's really nice- handmade from wool and silk. Our next train ride will take two days, so I'm glad I bought it. I tried it out last night and it was awesome.
Fun at the Consulate
Well, after seven attempts, I was finally allowed inside the Consulate yesterday. It's pretty amazing what they won't let you bring in. Sealed envelelopes are a no-no. And you aren't allowed to open them in bring in the envelopes. Nor are you allowed to throw away anything at the consulate, so you must leave and try again. I had other issues, but that was the weirdest. And, after all that, I wasn't actually able to accomplish much of anything. But I did get some advice about Tamding's visa application, so it was helpful. I managed to find out exactly what documents I needed to supply and which needed to be notarized. The result is that I now have a much better idea of my finances because I needed to provide very extensive financial information. It turns out that I'm doing better than I'd thought.
Today's trip to the consulate went much better. Knowing the rules a little better, I got in on the first try. And it only took 45 minutes to have something notarized. Apparently, only consuls can notarize things, so the process is slow. And they charged me $30, which is a little steep. But they can't complain about the documents now, because they notarized them. So that's a plus.
Of course, we aren't done yet. Tamding is back at the consulate right now, waiting in line for his interview. He should be back in about 6 hours and we'll know if he got his visa. One thing is clear: Even if you just want to visit the United States and are fully qualified to do so, it is still much easier to just enter illegally. I wonder how many of our illegal aliens entered illegally simply to avoid the visa hassle. Probably most of them. Oh well, I guess I feel better that we abided by the law. It remains to be seen whether we'll be successful, but at least we tried. I'll have a long wait too, so you'll see more posts soon.
Today's trip to the consulate went much better. Knowing the rules a little better, I got in on the first try. And it only took 45 minutes to have something notarized. Apparently, only consuls can notarize things, so the process is slow. And they charged me $30, which is a little steep. But they can't complain about the documents now, because they notarized them. So that's a plus.
Of course, we aren't done yet. Tamding is back at the consulate right now, waiting in line for his interview. He should be back in about 6 hours and we'll know if he got his visa. One thing is clear: Even if you just want to visit the United States and are fully qualified to do so, it is still much easier to just enter illegally. I wonder how many of our illegal aliens entered illegally simply to avoid the visa hassle. Probably most of them. Oh well, I guess I feel better that we abided by the law. It remains to be seen whether we'll be successful, but at least we tried. I'll have a long wait too, so you'll see more posts soon.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Made it to Chennai
I made it to Chennai. We had an overnight train ride that lasted 8 hours. I slept a little better last night for two reasons. One, I'm starting to get over the flu. And second, the train was more quiet than the hotel. Our hotel in Bangalore was on Brigade Road, which is Bangalore's big hot spot. They actually have many bars and discos there, and therefore lots of noise. This is unusal for India because single men usually live with their mothers and they aren't allowed to drink or smoke. But Bangalore is a work destination for young professionals all over India. So, they don't live with their mothers anymore, and they can go out drinking.
Today, our plan is to try to talk to some officials at the US Consulate about my sponsorship of Tamding. And tomorrow, we get to come here again for Tamding's interview. It should be fun (not!). It already took discussions with three people at the consulate to learn that I must come back in two hours. I have no idea what will happen then, but I expect it to be frustrating. Dealing with normal aspects of the US government is hardly easy. But dealing with consulates is always worse. This will be especially true when they barely speak English at the Chennai consulate. I have already made about 50 phone calls to them, and not one of them got through. My only hope is to talk to them in person.
One thing that's nice is that I will actually stay in one place for a few days. The traveling has been very hectic so far, and I already need a break. And I need a little more time to get healthy. For the next few weeks, the pace should be more relaxed.
Today, our plan is to try to talk to some officials at the US Consulate about my sponsorship of Tamding. And tomorrow, we get to come here again for Tamding's interview. It should be fun (not!). It already took discussions with three people at the consulate to learn that I must come back in two hours. I have no idea what will happen then, but I expect it to be frustrating. Dealing with normal aspects of the US government is hardly easy. But dealing with consulates is always worse. This will be especially true when they barely speak English at the Chennai consulate. I have already made about 50 phone calls to them, and not one of them got through. My only hope is to talk to them in person.
One thing that's nice is that I will actually stay in one place for a few days. The traveling has been very hectic so far, and I already need a break. And I need a little more time to get healthy. For the next few weeks, the pace should be more relaxed.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Leaving the Land of Smiles
Well, I left Thailand and made it to Bangalore, India. The new Bangkok Airport is quite impressive. I like it a lot better, except for the fact that it is farther from town. The Bangalore Airport doesn't quite meet the standards set by Bangkok. In fact, it doesn't meet the standards set by the airport in Vientienne, Laos. I'm told that they are building a new one, which is a good thing. The current Airport is the worst I've seen, and believe me, Hyderabad ain't so great.
When I bought my ticket, it was from Air India, but the itinerary said that the flight would be operated by Thai Airways. And it was, which was really nice. Except for the fact that they honored my Kosher meal request. The Kosher meal sucked, as they have for all of my flights so far. As soon as can figure out how, I will cancel the request. I'd go for the Halal meal, but then my government will classify me as a terrorist. But for the return to Thailand, it would be best to get the regular Thai Airways food, as it is the best in the industry.
I'd like to say that everything is fine here in India, but I'm really sick. Normally, the concern about travelling in India is that you might catch some random disease for which you have no resistance. But the situation has been reversed in this case. I had been coming down with the flu for about a week now, and it really hit hard last night. So I am in the unusual situation of bringing a foreign flu version from Colorado to India. And nobody here has any resistance to that weird Colorado flu strain. Hope I don't kill anyone.
The immediate plan now is to try to drink lots of fluids and rest up for the trip to Chennai (Madrasa), which will start tonight. We will be taking an overnight train and will ariive early in the morning. We will have three days in Chennai, and we will try to get a visa for Tamding at the US consulate there. We will also see the San Thome Basilica, for which there is a very strange story. But you'll have to wait for that.
When I bought my ticket, it was from Air India, but the itinerary said that the flight would be operated by Thai Airways. And it was, which was really nice. Except for the fact that they honored my Kosher meal request. The Kosher meal sucked, as they have for all of my flights so far. As soon as can figure out how, I will cancel the request. I'd go for the Halal meal, but then my government will classify me as a terrorist. But for the return to Thailand, it would be best to get the regular Thai Airways food, as it is the best in the industry.
I'd like to say that everything is fine here in India, but I'm really sick. Normally, the concern about travelling in India is that you might catch some random disease for which you have no resistance. But the situation has been reversed in this case. I had been coming down with the flu for about a week now, and it really hit hard last night. So I am in the unusual situation of bringing a foreign flu version from Colorado to India. And nobody here has any resistance to that weird Colorado flu strain. Hope I don't kill anyone.
The immediate plan now is to try to drink lots of fluids and rest up for the trip to Chennai (Madrasa), which will start tonight. We will be taking an overnight train and will ariive early in the morning. We will have three days in Chennai, and we will try to get a visa for Tamding at the US consulate there. We will also see the San Thome Basilica, for which there is a very strange story. But you'll have to wait for that.
The Night of the Barking Dogs
Well, it's election time! And I'm not talking about the Iowa caucuses or John Howard's loss. I'm talking about the Thai elections scheduled for December 23. Under Thai tradition, that makes Dec 22 the "night of the barking dogs." That's the night when party bosses go from house to house and bribe the voters (and arouse the dogs). The coup leaders passed a law that actually makes this practice illegal, but nobody expects enforcement of the new law.
These elections will be the first elections under the new constitution and after the recent coup. In most countries, such an election would be historic. But not in Thailand. They've had 17 constitutions in less than 100 years, and about the same number of coups. What would be unsual in Thailand would be an election without a new constitution or coup. If it weren't for the King, Thailand would have no source of stability. And he won't live much longer.
Right now, it looks like the People's Power Party will win. They are the reconstituted version of exiled prime minister Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party. They have promised to allow Thaksin to return and also allow about 100 TRT politicians to run for office. The Army has promised to stage another coup if the PPP wins. So it should be interesting. The King has yet to weigh in on the issue, but I have a hard time believing he would support Thaksin's return.
These elections will be the first elections under the new constitution and after the recent coup. In most countries, such an election would be historic. But not in Thailand. They've had 17 constitutions in less than 100 years, and about the same number of coups. What would be unsual in Thailand would be an election without a new constitution or coup. If it weren't for the King, Thailand would have no source of stability. And he won't live much longer.
Right now, it looks like the People's Power Party will win. They are the reconstituted version of exiled prime minister Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party. They have promised to allow Thaksin to return and also allow about 100 TRT politicians to run for office. The Army has promised to stage another coup if the PPP wins. So it should be interesting. The King has yet to weigh in on the issue, but I have a hard time believing he would support Thaksin's return.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
One Night in Bangkok
Even if you only have one night in Bangkok, it can be very interesting. But not this time. I arrived at the new Bangkok Airport around noon local time and managed to get a hotel by 1pm. I then made a trip the 7-11 to buy the razor that I forgot to bring. Not the same one, of course, as Asia is always one Gillete model behind the US. So I got a Mach 3 instead. Then I stopped off at the Hillary Bar (Sukhumvit Soi 4) to have a few beers and watch some Muoy Thai on television. I had planned to do my internet stuff after an hour. But after two beers and a Mekong whiskey, the jet lag hit me really hard (+14 hr time differnce). So I decided to take a 5 hour nap and wake up around dinnertime. But when I woke up, it was 1:30 in the morning and almost everything was closed. I had to buy food at the 7-11,which was unfortunate because there's a Lebanese restaraunt near my hotel that I wanted to try.
So, it wasn't much of a night. Today, I have until dinnertime before I have to be at the airport. So, the plan is to do some shopping first. I need to buy some black & white film, which is getting harder to find these days. But I know a good photo store near Pat Pong, which is on the Sky Train route. I may look at digital cameras there, too (I'm looking for a Nikon digital back that takes my lenses). But something tells me that I'll get a better deal at MBK at Siam Center. MBK is a massive shopping mall that probably has 40 camera stores in it (but no film). I'm also looking for a stuff sack for my dirty laundry. I seem to have lost the one I had. MBK also has about 40 luggage stores as well. And they have a good sushi restaraunt. So that's the plan. For now, it's off to breakfast. They are about to start serving at my hotel (it's 6:30 AM).
So, it wasn't much of a night. Today, I have until dinnertime before I have to be at the airport. So, the plan is to do some shopping first. I need to buy some black & white film, which is getting harder to find these days. But I know a good photo store near Pat Pong, which is on the Sky Train route. I may look at digital cameras there, too (I'm looking for a Nikon digital back that takes my lenses). But something tells me that I'll get a better deal at MBK at Siam Center. MBK is a massive shopping mall that probably has 40 camera stores in it (but no film). I'm also looking for a stuff sack for my dirty laundry. I seem to have lost the one I had. MBK also has about 40 luggage stores as well. And they have a good sushi restaraunt. So that's the plan. For now, it's off to breakfast. They are about to start serving at my hotel (it's 6:30 AM).
Taipei Airport, Reconsidered
In a previous post, I had mentioned how much I disliked the Taipei Airport. Well, things have changed and it's actually pretty nice now. The did a remodelling so extensive that I hardly even recognized it. And they seemed to have relicensed the concessions. I was actually able to get some great Chinese food. Not only that, but they added ventilation to the smoking lounges. Now, if you want to smoke, you actually need to have a cigarette. Before, it was sufficient to stand in the room. I must say, the Taipei Airport has made a great turnaround.
Fun with Julie
Well, maybe a little too much fun. We stayde out a little longer than planned as we ran into some of Julie's friends. As a result, I had time to either pay my bills or wrap a present for Tamding so it would survive to trip (so far, it has). I decided to wrap the present, so I will be mailing my bills from the Bangkok Airport. Oh well. At least Julie and I got to samle a wide array of newly released holiday beers.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Made it to California
Hope everyone had a nice Thankgiving. I made it to California. My luggage did too, but it took a while because the baggage handling sytem broke. I guess you have to go to the third world to avoid third world airline service. Tonight, I leave for Bangkok, with a layover in Taipei. The San Francisco to Taipei flight usually takes about 14 hours. It's a flight so brutal that you almost don't mind the Taipei airport when you finally get off the plane. It's pretty much the worst major airport in the world. You might think you could at least get some decent Chinese food there, but that's not the case. I guess the only amenity is that you don't have to worry about Republican politians soliciting gay sex in the men's room. There is no toe tappping or wide stances in the Taipei Airport.
For now, though, I have 12 hours to spend in the Bay Area with my sister. That gives me plenty of time to do a little repacking and pay my bills. I didn't have time to do my bills before I left Colorado. In fact, I didn't have time to invoice my clients or even finish all my work. I hate when I have to face the dilemma of which work to not finish. In this case, I chose to finish the work for the client with no other mechanical engineers on the project. Of course, even that work isn't finished. I still have to negotiate with vendors and there was some shipping that I had to leave to my roommate. It's been a really rough three months, and I really need this break. Not that travel in India is particularly relaxing, but at least I'll be working less than 12 hours a day.
For now, though, I have 12 hours to spend in the Bay Area with my sister. That gives me plenty of time to do a little repacking and pay my bills. I didn't have time to do my bills before I left Colorado. In fact, I didn't have time to invoice my clients or even finish all my work. I hate when I have to face the dilemma of which work to not finish. In this case, I chose to finish the work for the client with no other mechanical engineers on the project. Of course, even that work isn't finished. I still have to negotiate with vendors and there was some shipping that I had to leave to my roommate. It's been a really rough three months, and I really need this break. Not that travel in India is particularly relaxing, but at least I'll be working less than 12 hours a day.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Introduction
I will be traveling to India (with brief stays in Thailand en route) starting the day after Thanksgiving. In the past, I sent out daily emails to an unwieldy number of recipients. The list was so big that I had to break up the emails into batches to get them through foreign ISPs. It was a hassle, so I'm blogging my trip this time. The blog format also will allow you, the reader, to vent your anger at me in real time, for all to read. So, it should be more fun this time.
Some might wonder why I'd want to spend my time blogging when I'm on vacation, but not those who have received my emails from previous trips. The primary purpose of this blog is to give my friends confidence that I have not yet been mugged, arrested, kidnapped, hospitalized, or murdered. I have a tendency to get myself in dangerous situations when I travel because I try to stray far from the beaten path. And I usually have no idea where I'm going and can never speak the local language. While I have never been kidnapped or murdered, I've been mugged quite a few times. And I've stared at the wrong end of a gun more times than I'd like. I've even been knocked unconscious with an AK-47 rifle by an angry Thai man. And that was after being mugged by someone else.
I've never been arrested abroad, but I was once detained by the New Zealand Customs authorities (and an Australian adviser) on suspicion of methamphetamine smuggling. It turns out that the baggage handlers were running a smuggling ring by placing drugs in luggage after the security checks and removing them before the security checks at the destination airport. They used my bag, and I failed a drug screening because of it. It made for a rather scary but humane interrogation. They had me so scared and confused that there was no way I could ever pull off a lie. Fortunately, I was completely innocent, and that's what they were convinced of after 3 hours of discussion. But the reader should understand that humane interrogation is very effective. If you ever have to face it, tell the truth. It's easier that way.
This trip should be a little safer than normal, though. For most of the trip, I will be traveling with my friend Tamding Wangyall, of the Mundgod refugee camp in India. Yes, Tamding is a Tibetan refugee. Tamding isn't exactly a bodyguard, but he will make my trip safer nonetheless. The reason is that I have far more concern for the safety of Tamding than I have for my own safety. So I won't stray as far from the beaten path as I normally would. Tamding also provides me with good language skills, which will be very helpful in the linguistic Disneyland of India. Of the Indo-European language family, Tamding can speak English, Hindi, and Nepali. He can also speak Tibetan (Sino-Tibetan family) and Kannada (Dravidian family). With such a wide array of linguistic capability, Tamding can communicate with about 60% of the Indian population. My capabilities (English and extremely poor German), will allow me to communicate with 4% of the Indian population. But many of the people I really need to talk with will know English. Hotel employees, travel agents, security agents, and transportation officials all speak English. Taxi drivers, of course, never speak English (nor do they know where they're going). But taxi drivers don't always speak English here in America, so I'm used to that.
This blog will mainly talk about my personal experiences in travel, but I will also include discussions about history, linguistics, religion, politics, and foreign policy. For the most part, my discussions of these subjects will be limited to relaying the opinions of the Indian people, but I will offer my own opinions as well. Given the current situation in Pakistan, the Indian people will certainly have a lot to say on the political and foreign policy fronts. And I've found that the Indian people are quite aggressive about making their opinions known to Westerners. They seem to think that the fate of the quarter of the world's population that lives in South Asia is somehow relevant. They are right, of course, but Americans generally don't see it that way. And that's what really pisses them off. Suffice it to say that my political discussions with Indians have tended to be spirited. And that's good thing. The Indian people deserve a voice, and I will provide it.
On the religion front, I should probably declare my allegiances so everyone knows where I stand. I was raised as an Atheist, but converted to Christianity for two years in high school due to peer pressure. Two years was more than enough to become disillusioned, and I began a long journey of religious study. I've read most of the major religious texts (Bible, Quran, Bhagavad Gita, Book of Mormon, Tao Te Ching, Pali Canon Nikayas, etc.), so I'm pretty well versed in religious theory. And I've come into close contact with many religions in my travels. But I'm not a religious scholar, so please understand that my knowledge may not be as deep as it should be. So where do I stand? I would classify myself as "Buddhist by Default." I don't really buy into Buddhism completely, but I do believe in reincarnation, and I don't believe in God. So there really is nowhere else for me to go, is there? I would add that I am sympathetic to the Hindu concept of the Brahman. If there is a God, that's how I envision Him. And I do see a lot of value in the teachings of Abraham, Moses, Lao Tsu, Confucius, Jesus, and Mohammad. But I find the Buddha's teachings to be the most compelling, mostly because of his thoughts on consciousness and the nature of suffering. So that's where I stand. And I will do my best to give all religions a fair treatment. And in India, we will encounter a wide variety of religious thought. So it should be fun.
Previous readers of my travel posts will notice a new feature: paragraphs! That's right, I'm giving up my Jack Kerouac ways and will actually divide up my thoughts into organized paragraphs. In fact, I will even divide up long posts into separate, smaller posts (this post excepted, of course).
Some might wonder why I'd want to spend my time blogging when I'm on vacation, but not those who have received my emails from previous trips. The primary purpose of this blog is to give my friends confidence that I have not yet been mugged, arrested, kidnapped, hospitalized, or murdered. I have a tendency to get myself in dangerous situations when I travel because I try to stray far from the beaten path. And I usually have no idea where I'm going and can never speak the local language. While I have never been kidnapped or murdered, I've been mugged quite a few times. And I've stared at the wrong end of a gun more times than I'd like. I've even been knocked unconscious with an AK-47 rifle by an angry Thai man. And that was after being mugged by someone else.
I've never been arrested abroad, but I was once detained by the New Zealand Customs authorities (and an Australian adviser) on suspicion of methamphetamine smuggling. It turns out that the baggage handlers were running a smuggling ring by placing drugs in luggage after the security checks and removing them before the security checks at the destination airport. They used my bag, and I failed a drug screening because of it. It made for a rather scary but humane interrogation. They had me so scared and confused that there was no way I could ever pull off a lie. Fortunately, I was completely innocent, and that's what they were convinced of after 3 hours of discussion. But the reader should understand that humane interrogation is very effective. If you ever have to face it, tell the truth. It's easier that way.
This trip should be a little safer than normal, though. For most of the trip, I will be traveling with my friend Tamding Wangyall, of the Mundgod refugee camp in India. Yes, Tamding is a Tibetan refugee. Tamding isn't exactly a bodyguard, but he will make my trip safer nonetheless. The reason is that I have far more concern for the safety of Tamding than I have for my own safety. So I won't stray as far from the beaten path as I normally would. Tamding also provides me with good language skills, which will be very helpful in the linguistic Disneyland of India. Of the Indo-European language family, Tamding can speak English, Hindi, and Nepali. He can also speak Tibetan (Sino-Tibetan family) and Kannada (Dravidian family). With such a wide array of linguistic capability, Tamding can communicate with about 60% of the Indian population. My capabilities (English and extremely poor German), will allow me to communicate with 4% of the Indian population. But many of the people I really need to talk with will know English. Hotel employees, travel agents, security agents, and transportation officials all speak English. Taxi drivers, of course, never speak English (nor do they know where they're going). But taxi drivers don't always speak English here in America, so I'm used to that.
This blog will mainly talk about my personal experiences in travel, but I will also include discussions about history, linguistics, religion, politics, and foreign policy. For the most part, my discussions of these subjects will be limited to relaying the opinions of the Indian people, but I will offer my own opinions as well. Given the current situation in Pakistan, the Indian people will certainly have a lot to say on the political and foreign policy fronts. And I've found that the Indian people are quite aggressive about making their opinions known to Westerners. They seem to think that the fate of the quarter of the world's population that lives in South Asia is somehow relevant. They are right, of course, but Americans generally don't see it that way. And that's what really pisses them off. Suffice it to say that my political discussions with Indians have tended to be spirited. And that's good thing. The Indian people deserve a voice, and I will provide it.
On the religion front, I should probably declare my allegiances so everyone knows where I stand. I was raised as an Atheist, but converted to Christianity for two years in high school due to peer pressure. Two years was more than enough to become disillusioned, and I began a long journey of religious study. I've read most of the major religious texts (Bible, Quran, Bhagavad Gita, Book of Mormon, Tao Te Ching, Pali Canon Nikayas, etc.), so I'm pretty well versed in religious theory. And I've come into close contact with many religions in my travels. But I'm not a religious scholar, so please understand that my knowledge may not be as deep as it should be. So where do I stand? I would classify myself as "Buddhist by Default." I don't really buy into Buddhism completely, but I do believe in reincarnation, and I don't believe in God. So there really is nowhere else for me to go, is there? I would add that I am sympathetic to the Hindu concept of the Brahman. If there is a God, that's how I envision Him. And I do see a lot of value in the teachings of Abraham, Moses, Lao Tsu, Confucius, Jesus, and Mohammad. But I find the Buddha's teachings to be the most compelling, mostly because of his thoughts on consciousness and the nature of suffering. So that's where I stand. And I will do my best to give all religions a fair treatment. And in India, we will encounter a wide variety of religious thought. So it should be fun.
Previous readers of my travel posts will notice a new feature: paragraphs! That's right, I'm giving up my Jack Kerouac ways and will actually divide up my thoughts into organized paragraphs. In fact, I will even divide up long posts into separate, smaller posts (this post excepted, of course).
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