If You Can't Run with the Big Dogs...

Stay on the porch, which is what I did last night. Goa is the Times Square of India for New Years Eve, and it was a little too much for me. I watched it from my balcony while drinking beer and rum. But my balcony was pretty much ground zero, so I didn't really miss anything. Tamding left around 11PM to wander the beach and really experience New Year's Eve. So I thought I'd be alone for the coming of the New Year. But at 11:50, Tamding came back saying it was too crazy. In nearly an hour, he managed to get about 100m and back. He said he couldn't walk on the beach because he had to constanly step over passed out drunks. And this was hard to do because there were too many drunken people stumbling around and passing out as well. I kind of thought that would be the case, which is why I stayed on the porch. But we saw the fireworks and the crowds from a safe point and all was well.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone. For most of you, this will be posted before the year turns. For me, it's 10:12 AM. I must say it was a struggle finding a cafe open this early. The closest internet cafe claims to open every day at 9:30 AM, but it has yet to actually open before 11:30. The owner insists otherwise, but as I've explained to him, he would have had my business if he were open then. But he still complains that I go elsewhwere.

Still in Goa

Well, they have been reworking the broadband service in Goa (or Calangute Beach, at least), and I couldn't post for a while. But it's back up now. I haven't been doing a whole lot. Yesterday, we went to the beach again. The waves weren't as big, so I got less injured. And I did not believe the waterproof claim of my sunscreen, so I applied it so often it actually worked.

We have new neighbors now. Our first neighbors were three Korean girls, whom I never really met. Our second neighbor was an American writer who lives in Korea. He was supposed to be here with his wife, but she filed for divorce and made him go to India she she could be alone for awhile. He wasn't even sure why he was there and spent most of the time in his room writing. Apparently, he's cleaning up his second novel, although his first one still isn't published. So I really don't know how good a writer he is, but he was smart and articulate. He will lose his Korean visa in the divorce and is thinking about moving to Hong Kong or Colorado (his home state). He left yesterday and wasn't even sure where he was going or how to get there. That's not a great combination for travel in India. So now we have a bunch of Indians (I'm not sure how many yet). One of them apparently lives in Wichita, but I haven't met him yet. I hope to, as he may be able to help Tamding with a visa.

So last night, I finally found the English Pub (there's always one near you). I was desperately looking for an internet cafe that had a connection. When I finally gave up, I turned around and saw the pub. I was thinking that maybe at least I could accomplish one of my goals in India: to drink an India Pale Ale in India. But that was not to be. They did have Guiness in a can, which is the best beer I've had so far in India. Of course, being imported, it cost 275 rupees ($7.25). So I think that's the last one I'll have. The local beers cost about a dollar for a twelve ounce bottle. And despite actually being made in India, Budweiser and Foster's cost about two dollars. And they are even worse than they are in America.

It's the kind of situation that makes you want a gin and tonic, which I had. Of course, I had that gin and tonic in the dark. The power goes out about every other day in India, usally for about 20 minutes. But this time lasted about two hours. After about 15 minutes, they brought out candles, and we could finally see a little. It was actually kind of nice. But hot, as the fans were no longer working.

So there were two Scotsmen at the pub. Everyone thought the first one was a local, until he ordered a beer with a Glasgow accent. And everyone looked at him and someone asked: "where'd ye git thaut auccent?" His parents were Indian, but he was born in Glasgow. The second Scotsman looked and talked like Scotsmen normally look and talk. But it turns out he was the local, having lived in Goa for five years. It was a little strange. For some reason, everyone else was from newcastle. Except for me, of course.

Day at the Beach

Sorry for the light posting, but I'm on a vacation from my vacation. Also, internet cafes are few and far between here. And they keep very unpredictable hours of operation. So, I'm slacking at the beach instead. And I'm body surfing instead of web surfing. I had forgotten how much I love body surfing. It's probably the only athletic endeavor that I'm good at. But I am a little aggressive at it, and so I'm nursing my wounds today. But, hey, if you're not bleeding at the end of a day of body surfing, you're not trying hard enough. Of course, the sun actually did even more damage to me. Unfortunately, I did not bring my Banana Boat sunscreen from home. Unlike most sunscreens, Banana Boat's claim to be waterproof is actually genuine. The brand I got India makes the same claim, but it's just bullshit. So I'm pretty red right now. But I'm not peeling, so I should be back at the beach tomorrow. And I'll bring enough sunscreen for the twenty applications I will require.

Benazir Bhutto

By popular demand, I will do a post about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. In the West, this would seem to be a very dramatic development. But here in India, the response is quite mute. There are two main reasons for this.

First, the Indians were generally wary of Bhutto to begin with. While she did have good relations with former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (also assassinated), Bhutto also presided over a major escalation of the Kasmir conflict. She also has good relations with the Pakistani ISI, which is the primary source of terrorism in India. So they viewed her as a very mixed bag, at best. They didn't see her potential election as doing anything positive for India- Pakistan relations. And they certainly won't miss her.

The second reason is that nobody in India actually thought Musharraf would cede any power anyway. Bhutto may have gotten elected, but she would have been little more than a figurehead, with Musharraf really running things. Not that the Indians actually thought she would be elected. Most Indians seem to think that Musharraf would have prevented her election even if she had lived until election day. And they didn't really think she would live that long anyway. There had already been one spectacular attempt on her life, and Musharraf did little to give her any more security. So, in short the Indians pretty much expected something like this to happen, so the reaction was muted. And many in India and Pakistan are actually glad to see her gone.

Of course, there is another issue. Was Musharraf involved in Bhutto's death? Given that the courts are stacked with Musharraf's cronies, we already know what the investigation will determine. The opinion I've been hearing is that he probably wasn't involved, but only because he didn't have to be. Bhutto had more than enough enemies already and all Musharraf had to do was to provide inadequate security and let the inevitable happen. But, obviously, the investigation will determine that Musharraf did all he could to protect Bhutto. Nobody will really believe it, but most people won't care.

Update: Barnett Rubin has some pretty intellegent comments in this post (originally from the WSJ):

http://icga.blogspot.com/2007/12/musharraf-problem-full-text-from-wsj.html

Grand Tour of Goa

So we rented a motorbike yeaterday and did a tour of Goa. It cost 400 rupees for the day ($11). The highlight was Old Goa, which was where the first Potugese settlement was. There are three very large Catholic churches, all right near each other. Tamding was a little confused about why this would be the case. The three churches were built by rival monastic orders. Naturally, each new one was built bigger than the previous ones to show the superiority of the new order. Only two, the SE Cathedral (late 17th century) and the Bom Jesus Basilica (1605) remain intact. The Augustinian Cathedral was demolished by order of the Portugese government in the 1830s. I guess the Augustinians had fallen out of favor. The Portugese arrived in Goa during the Inquisition, and they brought that with them to Goa, forcing most of the original residents to flee. Those that remained became Catholics. Now, about 25% of the population is Catholic.

We aso tried, unsuccessfully, to find a place that could ship wine to the United States. Apparently, the Customs regulations have become so onerous that nobody is willing to do it anymore. Three years ago, it would have been easy. So, I will not be shipping any wine. If it's any consolation, the wines aren't that great anyway. The very best would be considered mediocre in California. So buy a bottle of Gallo and pretend it's from India. I will stuff my backpack full of Old Monk rum when I get to Bangalore and declare it when I get to US Customs. I will not, of course, declare it in Bangkok. They really don't care what you bring in. Unless you actually have a rocket launcher sticking out from your luggage, it is doubtful the Bangkok Customs agent will even look up from his newspaper as you walk by. Even then, he might not care.

We also tried unsuccessfully to get a train reservation to Hubli. But it only took an hour to not get tickets, so it wasn't so bad. It looks like we will have to buy third class tickets. But in India, third class at least means you will be inside the car. They don't allow roof riding, anymore. But it will be unpleasant.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone. Some people actually celebrate Christmas here in Goa. It's one of the few places in India where there is a substantila Christian minority. So the bars have stars hanging from the ceiling in celebration. My hotel even has a nativity scene. Other than that you wouldn't really know it's Christmas. This is the busy season for Goa, as it is a popular destination for New Year's. So the hotels raise their rates. We are paying 1500 rupees ($39) per night. And there is a shower! Although the water only gets hot in the morning.

Yesterday, I got brave and ate some chicken. This was the first meat I've eaten since I got sick. Today, I had the traditional Christmas meal of chicken tikka masala and naan. Okay, maybe that's not traditional.

Well, the Thai election results are in, and the People's Power Party came out on top, but not with an outright majority. They will have to form a coalition government. They will dropp all the charges against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He is expected to return from exile in February. The army had threatened to overthrow the PPP if they won the election, but they have apparently backed off from that threat. So I guess there won't be another coup.

Made it to Goa

Well I made it to Goa. I have a slow connection now and the sun is shining n my screen. So this will be short. Goa is a beach resort, but not really like any I've been to before. I was thinking it would be like Phuket without the prostitutes, but it's not really like that, either. It has somewhat of a Portugese flavor, which is not really surprising since they controlled it until 1932. The English only had it for 15 years and didn't do much damage. Anyway, I'm here and will post more when I can see the screen.

Really Long Train Ride

I won't be posting for a while. In a few hours, I will begin what is scheduled as a 44 hour train ride to Goa. I'm guessing it will take 50 hours. I won't have any internet access during that time, so you won't hear from me. But I'll be back.

Living Like a Refugee

I guess I should mention that our stay in Delhi has been on a Tibetan refugee camp. But it's probably not what you think. This isn't Darfur or Gaza. It's actually a pretty nice place. And it's considerably more affluent than the rest of India. That doesn't mean I get a hot shower in the morning, of course. The Tibetans aren't really in to the shower thing. They use a large bucket that they fill with hot water and a scoop to pour the water on themselves. When we have actually had a shower, Tamding still used the bucket. I'm not a big fan of the bucket, but at least the water is hot.

You might be wondering about the affluence here. There are two reasons for it. First, refugees are often fairly affluent to begin with. Only those who have enough money to travel can be refugees. The really poor people have to live through any conflicts because they have no money to pay for the travel. Consider the refugees of Iraq. They are mostly doctors, engineers, lawyers and the like. The other reason for the affluence is that there is quite a lot of sympathy in the world for the Tibetan people. So they get a lot of outside assistance. And they put it to good use, too. They are smart enough to buy educations with the money they receive.

So Delhi was nice. It's a much cleaner city than most of India. They actually have emissions control for automobiles and nearly all of the streets are paved. They limit the cows to the slummy parts of town and they actually seem to have some sort of garbage pickup. So Delhi smells a lot better than the rest of India and isn't as dusty. It's almost as nice as Bangkok. If you want to do the short tour of India, I'd recommend going to Delhi and then doing the day trip to Agra.

Delhi

Today, we did a small tour of Delhi. We only really went to two places, but we did get to ride the subway. The subway was actually pretty cool. It was completed two years ago and has three lines and about 60 stations total. So it's not exactly the New york subway system, but it is a little cleaner. And security is tight, as it is everywhere in India. Everyone gets frisked, and all bags are checked.

For those of you wondering about the seemingly absurd security in India, I can tell you it's justified. When you read Western newspapers, you might get the impression that Israel has a lot of terrorist attacks, but you hardly ever read about India. Prior to the US invasion of Iraq, India had consistenly, and by a wide margin, been the country with the greatest number of terrorist incidents. Now, it ranks second, but only because Iraq got much more dangerous. But India still faces a very serious threat. And they do take it seriously. Although the threat is probably a little lower now that the Pakistani ISI needs to concentrate on the events in Pakistan rather than their terrorist operations in India.

Anyway, we went to the India Gate first, which is a monument to India's fallen soldiers. It has the names of all the soldiers who have died since their independence. It's got a lot of names, but probably not as many as the Vietnam Memorial. India has been in many conflicts, most notably with Pakistan, but they apparently have avoided extended quaqmires. So they haven't lost too many soldiers. Every year at the Inidia Gate, they hold a big celebration, with military parades and pompous speeches. It's coming up in a few weeks, and the bomb sweeping squads were out in full force today. I don't know if they found anything, but they sure dug a lot of holes.

After that, we went to the Red Fort, which was was built by emperor Shahjahan in 1639. Shajahan was famous (or imfamous) for his extravegant building, and he also built the Taj Mahal. His building spree pretty much left the Mughal Empire insolvent, which is impressive since it started out amoung the richest in the world. The Red Fort was built as Shahjahan's residence, and is truly massive. Had it actually been needed as a military installation, it might have been money well spent. Instead, by contributing to his empire's insolvency, the Red Fort might be the primary factor in its downfall. Sometimes military spending isn't all it's cracked up to be.

The Taj Mahal

Well, maybe it won't be a while for the post. We went to the Taj Mahal today. We got a late start because our taxi driver was an hour late. The road to Agra is probably the best road in India. It was actually somewhat comfortable to drive on. And there was much less riff-raff on the round than usual. By "riff-raff," I mean farm tractors, bicycles, pedal rickshaws, pedal carts, pedestrians, and assorted roaming animals. They tend to slow down the traffic. Nonetheless, it was still a four hour drive.

The Taj Mahal is impressive, which is good because it is also expensive. Our taxi cost 3,000 rupees ($80) and my ticket to enter cost 700 rupees ($18). Of course, Tamding's ticket only cost 20 rupees, and he's not even a citizen. There was also a significant security checkpoint issue. It took me two tries. My camera tripod tripped me up this time. In a sensible country, they'd put up a sign telling you what you can bring. But this is India. I also couldn't bring my camera bag, so I could only use one lens for the black & white pictures. I opted for the 24mm f2.8.

I have to say, I thought it would be much more impressive than Angkor Wat in Cambodia, but that wasn't really the case. It was smaller than I had expected (much smaller than Angkor Wat). But the marble inlay work is very impressive, and the overall look to it is beautiful because it is made of marble. And I guessed right on the camera lens. I got a lot of shots that would otherwise have been impossible.

We also went to the Agra Fort which is very large, given its 17th century construction. And there are some great views of the Taj Mahal from it. It turns out that I made a mistake by not bringing my camera bag to the fort. It was okay there. And I missed a few shots because I didn't have the telephoto. Oh well. Got to go, my computer will turn into a pumpkin soon.

Trip to Agra Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow I return to tourism after a well needed rest. I'm basically healthy now, although I've lost a lot of weight. But I have an appetite again and am working on regaining weight. But I'm good enough for a trip to Agra. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal. There are two things you are supposed to do when you are in India. One is to get violently ill, and the other is to visit the Taj Mahal. I did neither on my last trip, but by tomorrow, I will have done both this time. Woohoo! Last trip, I just got sent way off course without my luggage by the worst monsoon in Indian history. With a two day stay in the Dubai airport included in the detour. I'll post on that, but I will probably get back to Delhi too late to do it tomorrow. So it will be a while before you see another post.

Namaste

Well, Tamding is out trying to get permission for me to enter Mundgod (his refugee camp). Normally, such permission would take two months, but there is a special event happening soon in Mundgod that will draw many foreigners. We still probably not get the permission in time, but our application should be enough to allow me to enter. Anyway, I have some free time, so I will try to explain the Hindu gods. There is a common misconception in the West that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion and Hindus get very offended by this. So that's why I'm writing this.

So to start with, Namaste! That is the traditional Hindu greeting. It is often translated as "The Divine in me welcomes the Divine in you." I think Deepak Chopra probably has the best translation: "I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me." Regardless of the translation, the phrase recognizes a fundamental concept of Hinduism: the Brahman. The Brahman is a essentially an infinite conscious being that both is reality and transcends reality. It bridges both existence and non-existence. It is the most fundamental essence in the universe and the universe arises from it. It pervades all existence and everything in the universe contains the Brahman. The Brahman is essentially God in Hinduism, although obviously the word "God" doesn't quite fit. And because the Brahman exists within all human beings, all human beings contain a little bit of "God" (or the Divine), in themselves. The term "Namaste" recognizes this. In Hinduism, to be holy is recognize the true nature of the Brahman within one's self.

So what about all those gods? Like everything else, the gods themselves are also parts of the Brahman. They are merely manifestations of the Brahman and reflect different aspects of the Brahman's nature. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tries to explain this to Arjuna. Krishna is an enlightened being who fully understands the Brahman within him and, therefore, has extraordinary powers. When Arjuna is confused about the Brahman, Krishna starts turning into the various Hindu gods in order to show that they are all really the same being. To drive the point home, he finally turns into all the gods at once. He then explains to a stunned Arjuna that all beings contain this Brahman and are capable fully realizing the full essence of the Brahman.

This may all seem very weird, but there is actually a parallel in Christianity: the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not separate entities, but different manifestations of the same entity. So, in some way, the Brahman could be thought of as the Trinity, but on a grander scale. But the concept is similar. I guess the primary difference would be that Christianity tends to view time in a linear fashion, while Hinduism views it as cyclical. Because time neither starts nor stops, the Brahman exists independent of time.

Bad News on the Tea

But first the good news. Everyone is very likely to receive their tea. But there is a question about the timing. There will be at least some delay in customs.

The worst case is that Customs will open every tea package and empty them out to visually verify that it is all the same material. Then they will put all but a small sample of it back in the original package and reseal them. The sample will then be sent to a testing lab to verify that it is actually just tea, and not laced with anything illegal. The tea will be quarantined during that process. If the lab says that it really is just tea, then Customs will release the tea and repackage it in the original packing, but with some additional covering to hold it all together. Then they will send it to its destination. I'm told this process usually takes about 4-6 weeks. And it no doubt costs a lot, too. But they won't charge me for this service. You, the taxpayer, are paying for it.

The better scenario is that Customs will recognize the tea as being from a company at has a license to ship tea to the United States, and they will skip the lab testing. Then it should only take 2-3 weeks.

Sorry about the delay.

I'm still resting up and am not really doing anything exciting. Except for trying to ship packages. I'm still too angry to talk about that. Suffice it to say that Joe C and Bob/Larry will have to pick up a package at the FedEx office. I'll send you the details. By the way: Bob/Larry, I really need that email address now. The clock is ticking. If I don't get it soon, you will receive phone calls at ungodly hours of the night.

Still in Delhi

Wow, that was a rough day. And I'm still not done. The good news is that I started the day off with fried eggs and I was able to keep them inside me. So things are looking up on the health front. So far, I've spent the entire day on shipping. India is an extremely disfunctional country and such tasks are not easily accomplished. Given the problems I'm having with the first two packages I sent, I'm trying to do things in a way that will be more reliable and attract less attention from customs officials. So I opted for FedEx, which has their own professional looking boxes that meet all international, Indian, and US shipping standards.

But in Delhi, a metropolitan area of 22 million, there is only one FedEx office that has these boxes. And they only had three of each size. I'm not joking. Fortunately, it was only an hour drive each way and I only had to agrue with them for 30 minutes before they allowed me to take two boxes home. But we had to promise to come back tomorrow and ship the packages through their office. I also persuaded them to give me some cardboard that I can use to construct two small boxes. Essentially, if you want to ship a package in India, plan on wasting a full day. There's no way around it.

I'm not really sure how any business gets done in India, but people claim that it does. From what I have seen, if India thinks it has any hope of catching up to Thailand on the development scale, they are dreaming. It will never happen. They need to settle for the more realistic goal of not being surpassed by Cambodia. And they need to pick up their game just to do that. Camobodia has oil now, so they will grow very fast. India is growing too, but most of their growth is a result of their exploding population, not an improvement in people's lives. So they aren't moving in the right direction.

Packages

I'm not sure what's going on with the packages I sent. I sent two of them via "Speedpost" and they are now a week late (on a 2-3 day delivery time). I expected them to be a few days late, but this is a little extreme. The shipper may be unreliable (not unlikely) or the packages may be held up in customs (probable). So I will ask three things of anyone who recieves a package:

1) email me when you recieved it and tell me the date you recieved it.
2) Tell me whether the package looks like it has been opened and then resealed.
3) Tell me what was in the package so I can verify if it's all there.

Also: Bob and Sparky, I have no email address for you. There are packages coming to my house. When you recieve them, post a comment on the blog so I know they got there. Or you can email me. I think I left my address somewhere near my desk. Or you can call Joe to get it.

Getting Better

Not much news today. But I'm getting better. I'm moving up to solid food now. Bananas and oranges seem to be going down fine. Well, as long as I'm buzzed. If I sober up, my body flushes everything immediately, and I lose whatever I ate. I won't let that happen again. I'm really trying to get some nutrition through this process. But things are going well enough that I'm moving on to rice. I think I'll be fine in a few days. But this is definitley the last time I violate one of my food rules. I did it out of politeness this time. But health must take precedence over politeness.

Worst Fears Realized

My worst fear of traveling in India is that I will have severe diarrhea while on a long train ride. And that happened. Apparently I ate something at the Tibetan restaurant in Sarnath that I should not have eaten. That is why I haven't written in a while. The food poisoning hit shortly after the last post and I barely had the energy to make the 10 foot trip from my bed to the toilet. I had to pay for an extra day at the hotel just to have constant access to a toilet. Things got a little better by the time I got on the train to Delhi. By that time, I only needed to use the toilet every 30 minutes. But I still didn't have the energy to carry my luggage, which is much heavier due to the addition of marble and silk, so I paid porters every step of the way. The good news about the train is that we were in second class, which has no air conditioning. Because of that, the windows are not sealed. Not only do they open, but they don't even close, no matter how hard you try. So there is always ventilation, which is nice. So now I'm in Delhi, and the hospital is closed for the weekend. So we are trying the Irish Cure. I think it was James Joyce who said: "What whiskey and butter won't cure, there's no cure for." Butter would be counterproductive to my current situation, but the whiskey seems to be helping. I have now gone an entire two hours without requiring the toilet. I canceled my trip to Dharamsala, and will relax in Delhi for almost a week before going to Goa. I'll have more later when I have more energy.

Short Time in Sarnath

We did a short trip to Sarnath today, which is about 15 km away. Sarnath is where the Buddha gave his first sermon. There are ruins of quite a few temples and stupas, and one stupa that is still in good condition. Sarnath was mostly abandoned in the 12th century AD with the decline of Buddhism in India. Most of the structures were destroyed for their building materials. But some things remain, and some date back to the 3rd century BC. Right next to the ruins was a deer sanctuary, which may seem weird but is actually very appropriate. The Pali Canon usually refers to Sarnath as the "Deer Park near Varanasi." Apparently, it was a deer sanctuary back when the Buddha was around and teaching.

When I was there, I was thinking about the parallels and differences between the Buddha and Jesus. Both started from the tradition of an earlier religion and then challenged that religion, thereby creating a new one. But while both were highly critical of the earlier religion, the Buddha did so in a way that was more conducive to staying alive. While Jesus preached in Jerusalem, the Buddha avoided Varanasi and preached outside of town where it was safer. And the Buddha did not directly challenge the authority of the Bhramins, while Jesus certainly challenged the authority of the Jewish hierarchy. And it certainly didn't help Jesus that the hierarchy was allied with the Roman Empire. The result of the different approaches is that Jesus was killed rather quickly, while the Buddha lived for decades, eventually dying of somewhat natural causes. I say 'somewhat' because he died from eating a meal of diseased pork, but he was pretty old, anyway.

There was also a museum, which was much better than the one in Varanasi, with artifacts ranging from the 2nd century BC to the 12th century AD. Most were Buddhist, but there were some Jainist and Hindu artifacts as well. On our way home, our driver wanted to take us to a Muslim silk weaving shop. Tamding has no ability whatsoever to trust Muslims, which is somewhat sad. After we got to our hotel, the driver came up to me and asked if I wanted to go to the shop, and I agreed to it. I got the best deals on silk that I've seen in Varanasi so far. Muslims may not always be the most honest businessmen in the world, but they are better than the Hindus.

Ahhhh, Clean Clothes

So I got my laundry finally. It's really nice to be wearing clean clothes. I haven't had this pleasure in more than a week. So the patent attorney deserves a an apology about the last post. It turns out his fax machine was on. So there is a bit of a mystery about why I couldn't get through before. Now you must be thinking the obvious: those Indian phone lines. But the seemingly obvious would be unlikely. Very little functions properly in India, but the telephone system is certainly an exception (the postal service being the other). In fact, the telephone service is more reliable here than it is in Colorado. It is possible that the international connections on the US end were overloaded and running too slow for the fax machines to sync properly. Regardless, I did finally get through, and then I went to the Golden Temple.

The Golden Temple complex is actually a Muslim mosque and a Hindu temple. And the security was incredible. On our way, a man starting walking with us and explaining the history of the two places of worship. My immediate thought was "what's he trying to sell me?" It turned out to be silks. This is a fairly common tactic throughout the world, and I've seen it before. But I was actually interested in having a guide and was willing to buy some more silk. So I played along. He was actually very helpful in getting past security. At the complex, you cannot bring cameras, lighters, matches, cellphones, and obviously weapons. So left such things with Tamding, who was not interested in seeing the complex. Despite these precautions, I was rejected by the first security inspection. It turns out that you cannot bring a ballpoint pen into the complex, which was something even the guide did not know. After giving the pen to Tamding, I was able to pass through the first security screen. And I was able to pass through the five remaining screenings as well. The screenings are in pairs, and you get a full pat down by an army official and a religious official.

The screenings are due to a very high level of friction between Muslims and Hindus in Varanasi. The friction started when the original Golden Temple (officially known as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple) was demolished by the Muslim Emperor Aurangzeb and replaced by the mosque that still stands there. It was subsequently rebuilt next to the mosque in 1780. You must understand that the Golden Temple is the holiest place in Hinduism and is said to be where Shiva took physical form on the earth. So the Hindus must have been really pissed when it was destroyed.

The Golden Temple gets its name from the gold plating that covers the entire building. And it's not just gold leaf, it's thick. There is supposedly 700kg of gold on the surface of the building. I wasn't allowed into either the Golden Temple or the mosque next door. Only Hindus are allowed into the temple, and only Muslims are allowed to enter the mosque. Given the tensions surrounding the two places of worship, I can understand. But I did get to see the outsides, which were impressive. Afterwards, I bought some silk at my guide's store. The prices were a little high, but the guide was actually very helpful and informative. He gets a commission for bringing customers into the store, and I felt he deserved it. And the silks are very nice.

The Ghats of Varanasi

Well, we are now staying at the Hotel Divya, which is right next door from the Haifa. Our room is a little smaller, but it only costs 750 rupees ($19). It's still nice, although Tamding complains about the size of the TV. I really don't watch much TV when I travel, so I don't mind. There was some confusion when I was checking out of the Haifa, as the owner was complaing about us leaving earlier than we had said we would. But I had specifically asked the person at the desk in the morning if anyone had canceled, thus allowing us to stay. He said no, so I booked a room at the Divya and had already paid for it. So I wasn't going to stay at the Haifa just because a room had finally opened up. I hate getting in those situations, especially when the Haifa has all my laundry. Which is still not done, by the way. So I am sockless, which I find annoying.

So we did a tour of the Ghats today. A ghat is a place where you can swim. Varanasi is on the Ganga river, which is the western (and smaller) branch of the Ganges. We are further up stream than where we previously crossed the Ganga. So it's a lot smaller here, maybe the size of the Susquehana. Varanasi is where Hindus come to bathe in the Ganga. Bathing in the Ganga is said to wash away any bad karma you might have accumulated in your life. People also wash their clothes in it for purification. It is also a place to hold funerals, and some of the ghats are reserved for cremation ceremonies. You might think that the smell of those ghats would be horrendous, but that's not the case. They burn the bodies with quite a lot of wood, so they really just smell of burning wood. Which is a lot nicer than the rest of India, which smells of garbage, urine and cow dung, with a little incense mixed in.

On the tour we also saw a snake charmer, which made for some interesting pictures. But Tamding got the best one. The snake charmer insisted on putting a cobra around my neck, and Tanding has the picture. I look pretty damn nervous in the picture, and that's because I was. Now, I've held cobras before, but I had my index finger underneath its neck and my thumb pressing on its head, thereby preventing any bites. But this time the head was free and I had no control over what the cobra was doing. It was disconcerting, to say the least. Shortly after that, I bought some silks, for which Varanasi is famous. I'm a sucker for silk.

After that, we did a short tour of a Hindu temple and a museum. They were both a little underwhelming, but it gave us something to do until I would have a chance to communicate with one of my clients' patent attorney. Unfortunately, he's not up yet, and I need him to turn on his fax machine. I only have a tiny window between when he arrives at his office and when the fax place closes. I also stopped in a shop that does marble carvings to buy some gifts. The guy does some pretty interesting work and I'll probably go back tomorrow to buy something for myself. And, it turns out this the sculptor holds the world record for the most depictions of Ganesha, the Hindu god of knowledge and time. He has made 81,000 sketches, paintings and sculptures so far, and he's still going strong. He does a unique depiction of Ganesha playing the tabla, which I will probably buy. Ganesha is my favorite Hindu god. When I have more time, I'll write some more about the true nature of the gods of Hinduism. Hint: they probably aren't what you think.

Train to Varanasi

Well, the train to Varanasi was only 45 minutes late. That's pretty much early in India. While we were waiting, we met an American named Jen from New York. She had a ticket for another train and wanted to talk her way on our train, which was earlier. Second class was full, so we suggested she get on our car, which was third tier upper class. At this time of the year, there are usually seats in that class. Tamding did the negotiations with the conductor and she was able to get the train change and the upgrade without having to pay any money. Not even a bribe. She had already been to Varanasi and recommended a hotel (The Haifa in Assi Ghat), which we are now staying at.

The hotel is really nice. It's certainly the best I've stayed at in India. Tamding doesn't like to spend this kind of money (1100 rupees, or $28), but I'm paying anyway, so he had no choice. I wanted laundry service, a functioning bathroom, and the possibility of a fax machine. I'm not sure about the fax machine yet, but everything else is nice. The room features not only hot and cold running water, but the water actually turns on and off when you want it to. And we got clean towels, soap, and satellite TV with a clearly visible screen. Not only that, the plumbing is properly vented so there aren't even any strange smells. It's so classy that I'm pretty sure the electricity will even remain on for the duration of our stay. This is quite a step up for us. The hotel in Darjeeling was almost as nice, but the hot water came from a small heater that delivered only five minutes worth of hot water. Our other hotels have been of a much lower quality. The only potential problem is that we are not confirmed for tomorrow night. So we may have to move. But Jen assured us that the hotel across the street is of similar quality and price. If nothing else, I'll have clean clothes tomorrow.

I haven't seen much of Varanasi yet, but it seems nice. It's not as peaceful as Bodh Gaya, but it is much less dusty. Varanasi is on the Ganga river, so it's much more lush. Bodh Gaya was very dusty. When we were in the taxi with the Tibetan Monk in Bodh Gaya, a truck passed us and kicked up a huge dust cloud. The monk turned to me and said: "This is the gift of Bodh Gaya, everyone leaves with a cough." I still have that cough, but it will go away soon. Now, I'm off to find a fax machine for a patent application.

The Mangiest Dog in India

Yesterday at Nalanda, I got a picture of what is quite possibly the mangiest dog in India. It was at least the mangiest I've seen so far. I should note that the competition for mangiest dog is very fierce in India. If one were to take the mangiest dog in America and relocate it to India, it is doubtful it would place in the top million. I was surprised it was even alive.

Last night, we went back to the Mahabodhi temple. It's very nice at night. There are spotlights on the temple itself,and the rest of the are is adorned with colored lights. It was a lot like Christmas. Although they obviously don't celebrate Christmas here. But they do in Goa, and that's where we'll be for Christmas.

This morning, we went to see an exhibit of Tibetan idols from the 8th to 16th centuries. The 8th century is as old as Buddhism in Tibet, as Padmasambhava arrived in the 8th century. It was cool. They also had made a sand mandala for the exhibit. The two highest forms of art in Tibet are the mandala and the butter sculpture. Both are intended to be destroyed shortly after completion, which is somewhat sad as they are always very beautiful. But the destruction is important, as it represents the impermanence of our existence.

Well, that's it for today. We will soon catch a train to Varanasi, which is scheduled to take four hours, so it should only take five or six hours.

Rajgir and Nalanda

Today was a busy day. We first drove about two hours to Rajgir. The road was actually the best I've seen in India. I dare say it was as good as one might expect in rural Montana. Combined with the fairly new SUV with a good suspension, it was actually an almost pleasant drive. We had a Tibetan couple with us for the journey. As it turned out, he was a doctor and she was a nurse. So they were very interested in my work. My clients need not worry, as I did not disclose anything about my current products. It was more general, like "I work on knee, spine, and elbow implants." They were intrigued nonetheless, and it made for some interesting conversation.

The first stop in Rajgir was a mountain stupa and temple built in the Buddha's honor by the Japanese about 50 years ago. You can walk to it, but we took the chairlift. I'm used to chairlifts, but not without snow and skis. It's a little trickier when you aren't sliding already. I think it was the first chairlift for Tamding and the Tibetan couple. They all got a little scared when it stopped, which chairlifts frequently do. It also backed up a little when it restarted, which really freaked them out. The stupa and temple at the top were nice, and we even saw some monkeys (not uncommon here).

From there, we hiked down a little to a place where the Buddha often taught in the summer (it's a little cooler than Bodh Gaya). I can't remember the Hindi name for the place, but it translates to "vulture point." The story is that the Buddha was meditating there and the vultures were pecking a him. He got angry and turned them into stone. The story is, of course, nonsense. He wasn't the kind of person to either get angry or hurt animals (except for eating them). Nor could he turn things to stone. But it is a good example of the misconceptions and exaggerations that often surround religious figures. There are some even more bizarre stories about the Buddha that come from Thailand. Regardless, the place is significant for being the location of some of the Buddha's most important teachings.

After walking down, we had lunch and then traveled to a man-made cave nearby. The cave was carved by King Bindusara (Ashoka's father) to store some of his treasure. The treasure was meant for Bindusara's least favorite son and was sealed behind a large basalt rock so he couldn't get to it. Nobody else has gotten to it, either. Some British archeologists tried to blast it out, but were unsuccessful. I guess they should have hired a miner. It is now protected by the Indian government and nobody knows what's actually there.

From there, we went to the big highlight of the day: Nalanda University. Nalanda started out as a Hindu monastery and was famous in the time of the Buddha. He spent some time there as a teacher near the end of his life. Also, the Buddha's most prominent disciple, Sariputta, was born in the town of Nalanda. Much later, in 450 AD, Nalanda was transformed (and expanded) into a Buddhist University. It was considered to be one of the world's greatest centers of learning until the decline of Buddhism in the 12th century. The final blow was delivered in 1193 when it was destroyed by Muslim invaders. It remained buried until the British excavated it in the 19th century. Those of you from Boulder might recognize "Nalanda" as being the name of one of Naropa University's campuses. Now you know where the name comes from.

Our final stop wasn't on the usual tour, but Tamding insisted on going. It took about an hour for him to convince our driver to go and we naturally had to pay more money. It wasn't so bad, as our grand total was 420 Rupees per person ($10.50). So the last stop was what the Tibetans call Lodak Kawa, but I don't know the Indian name. The Buddha studied there as an ascetic for six years prior to his enlightenment. It was at Lodak Kawa that he rejected the ascetic path and discovered what he would later call the "Middle Way." From there, he relocated to Bodh Gaya and became enlightened. We also relocated back to Bodh Gaya, but we didn't become enlightened. Damn!

The Starting Gun

So I discovered there is a mosque in Bodh Gaya, which is somewhat strange because there aren't very many Muslims here. I learned this when I was awakened by the first call to prayer (Fajr). This comes before dawn when the first morning light is visible in the sky. You might wonder why I could have been in town for most of a day without noticing it. But this is not Turkey. Turkey is a civilized country where the traffic is relatively quiet and the calls to prayer are very loud. In India, the calls to prayer aren't very loud, but the traffic certainly is. So, unless you are right next to the mosque, you won't hear the call because the traffic overwhelms it.

Except for the first call, which is so early that it is actually quiet in India at that time. But not for long. In India, the first call to prayer acts as the starting gun for the day. Almost immediately after, the traffic starts to pick up. It's mostly the taxis moving into position in front of the hotels and tourist spots. But the beggars start jockeying for prime begging locations as well.

The call for prayer was helpful for me, as Tamding and I were supposed to leave at 6AM for our tour today. Well, it would have been if Tamding got up too. But he didn't get up until 7AM, and we were worried that we missed our tour. There were two other Tibetans on our tour and we thought they had gone without us. But it turns out they had gone to a Tibetan restaurant for breakfast. They came back to the hotel just as Tamding and I were finishing our breakfast. So, everything worked out fine. And we had a nice tour, which will be described in the next post.

Bodh Gaya

Well,the bus ride may not have been pleasant, but Bodh Gaya is nice. Not counting the hotel, of course. Bodh Gaya is kind of the Jerusalem of Buddhism. Jerusalem as it pertains to Christians, that is. Bodh Gaya is where the Buddha became enlightened and did much of his teachings. All the major Buddhist sects have temples here and it is considered the holiest place in Buddhism.

The highlight is the Mahabodhi Temple. It was built around 250 BC by the emperor Asoka on the location of the Buddha's enlightenment in about 530 BC. The Bodhi Tree (actually a fig) that the Buddha sat under is said to still be here, right next to the temple. Because the temple has not been under continuous control of Buddhists, that claim is hard to verify. That claim would also mean that the tree in question is at least 2,600 years old. That is certainly possible, and the tree does look old, but again, it's hard to verify. I should note that scientists are not permitted to cut into the tree. In the end, I'm not sure it really matters because it is clear that this is where the Buddha meditated during his enlightenment. We know this because the place was under the control of the Buddha's followers until Asoka built the temple,and they remembered. And it's damn clear that nobody moved the temple. It's big and heavy.

After seeing the Mahabodhi Temple, Tamding and I went to see the Tergar Monestary, which is run by a Tibetan sect. It was somewhat closed off because His Holiness, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa was visiting for an upcoming ceremony at the Mahabodhi Temple. The Karmapa is a very important lama, and is second only to the Dalai Lama in importance to Tibetans. I guess I should note that the Dalai Lama's full title is "His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, 14th Reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion." Anyway, the monastery being restricted, we had to rely on Tamding's connections. Fortunately, we ran into a monk friend of his from Mudgod and we got a special tour. It was really nice. Afterwards, the monk took us back into town (he paid for the taxi), and we saw the Grand Buddha, which is a Buddha statue about 80 feet tall surrounded by statues of the ten apostles. He then left us for a meeting with some monks at the Bhutan Temple. Tamding and I then toured the Japanese, Thai, and Bhutan temples. Amazingly, in all my travels in Asia, I have still not learned to bring along sandals to make the required shoe removal easier.

Bus Ride to Bodh Gaya

So the guy who booked our bus tickets assured us that it would take no more than 13 hours from Siliguri to Bodh Gaya. So I naturally assumed it would take 15 hours. The actual time was 17 hours. Now this wasn't like the pictures you have seen with dozens of people hanging outside the bus. This was a luxury bus, so everyone gets a seat. And the bus was a nice bus when it was manufactured 40 years ago. Had it received some form of maintenance during its life, it might still be nice. But that wasn't the case. But at least the chickens had to ride on the roof. It was only slightly below what you'd expect from a chartered bus in Cambodia.

I had hoped the roads might be better than Cambodian roads, but they are even worse. The roads of India are certainly the worst I've ever seen. As you can imagine, a 17 hour journey on a poorly maintained bus and brutal roads was very far from pleasant. And it was cold out and the windows wouldn't close properly. I had to pull out a yak wool sweater and the wool/silk blanket to get through it. I can safely say it was the worst travel experience of my life. But at least we made it and I could get a hot shower at our hotel (although it took some time to figure out how to turn on the hot water heater). The toilet doesn't work, but you can't always get what you want. Being an experienced Asian traveler, I can can at least get a toilet to flush once, so it was okay. Toilet maintenance is definitely a good skill to have anywhere in Asia, but it is especially important in India.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Okay, it's been awhile. Since the last time I wrote, I actually had a few beers and met an interesting Danish guy. This resulted in a late night black market beer run and my staying up until 3:30 AM. That made making the 9:00AM train somewhat of a challenge. The train ride is about 90km (and about 1800m down) and should take about 8 hours,which would have left enough time to go online. But this is India, and the trains are always late. So the internet cafes were closed when we got to Siliguri. The railway was built in the late 19th century to exploit a price difference in potatoes between Darjeeling and Siliguri. Or so they say. Sounds like a boondoggle to me. But it is a beautiful ride, if slow.

Down in Siliguri, I had to get some shipping supplies, which took about two hours. That night and the next morning, I spent another four hours packing everyone's tea. The limited supplies available made the packing a little questionable for transit by US mail, but still acceptable. But it wasn't acceptable to the Indian Postal Service. So we spent another three hours at the post office watching a guy sew cloth around all of the packages. Of course, that's not sufficient, either. The packages then had to be sealed with wax. And, of course, it was a holiday and the post office closed at 1:00 pm. So I got a few sealed and got to the desk before closing. Then Tamding brought me additional packages as they were sealed. This process allowed me to stay at the desk until 1:30 PM and I got them all shipped. Most will take 10-14 days, but I did send two of them via air mail, as they needed to get there by Christmas.

I would have liked to get on the internet after that, but we didn't have time. We had to catch a bus to Bodh Gaya. That was an adventure I will describe in about seven hours. Suffice it to say that I wouldn't recommend bus travel in India.

Violating Cardinal Rules

So far in Darjeeling, I've broken two of the Cardinal Rules of Asian Travel. The first is the "Watch Your Head" rule. Normally, it isn't a big issue in India (people are fairly tall here), but it's crucial in Southeast Asia. I broke it twice in the tea stall yesterday. It didn't hurt very much and provided some welcome comedy for the tea stall owner. But the second violation was a big one, but I got away with it.

The second violation was of the "Don't Eat Raw Food Washed with Water" rule. Violating this rule can have very unpleasant consequences. The reason is that Third World food is actually very safe, but the water they wash it with can be deadly. Two days ago, I ordered Papad Masala, which is essentially a pizza without cheese made with Papad (usually "papadan" in the US). Papad is a thin crispy cracker- like thing made from channa (chick peas). The toppings were onions, chilies, tomato, and cilantro; all of which were raw. It's the tomatoes I was worried about. I'm not sure why I ate it, but it was really tasty. And I got away with it.

The deal with uncooked fruits and vegetables is the water. The basic rule is this: if the outer skin is not edible (onions, oranges, etc), then it's safe to eat beacause they won't be washed. But if the outer skin is normally eaten (tomotoes, apples, etc) then they should be avoided because the skin might have been washed in cholera- ridden water. Leafy things like lettuce should only be eaten if they are dirty. The primary exceptions to the rule are chilies and leafy spices. Chilies are okay because they are extremely acidic and the acid will kill most diseases. Leafy spices like cilantro are okay because they are grown without pesticides and don't gather a lot of dirt. So they aren't washed. But tomatoes are something you should always avoid because they require pesticides and are always washed. Cooked food is usually pretty safe because the developing world knows to cook at very high temperatures. I have now spent about a month of my life in India and about 11 months in the developing world. And I haven't had any food poisoning, which is unusual. So I think these are pretty good rules.

High Tea Indeed

Well I spent about $500 on tea today. That bought me about two pounds. But these are very nice teas. I'd guess the same teas would cost about $2,500 in the US if I could find them. For those of you who get tea, don't be fooled by the small packaging. One must always pay for high quality, even at the source. Tamding also had a successful day and found the spice he was looking for. His mother will be happy.

High Tea

So today's agenda is pretty simple. Tamding will finally get his Masala spice, and I will buy tea. Some of you will be recieving tea in the mail. Now, I'd like to tell you that I will be sending you the finest of Darjeeling teas. But that will not be the case. The finest teas are not packaged for general consumption. They are only available at international auctions or by special appointment at the plantations. And they are very expensive. The very best organic second flush bud tea from Darjeeling sold a few months ago for $5,000 per pound in Beijing. Yes, you read that right. That's about the price for top quality Saphron or Marijuana. Pretty impressive.

But I will be buying high quality tea nonetheless. Those of you who are really into tea will also recieve some random generic tea from Darjeeling for comparison. Those teas will be a crap shoot, but they will be pretty good. I've drank a lot of tea here, and it has always been the cheap generic kind. And they have been tasty. Much better than Lipton or Red label, at least.

Red Jungle Fowl

So we also went to the Darjeeling Zoo yesterday. It's certainly not on the level of the Bronx Zoo, but it's nice. The animals were entirely of the Himalayan region, and there were some I hadn't seen before. For most people, the highlights would be the Tibetan Wolf, Snow Leopard, Himalayan Black Bear, or Red Panda. But not for me. I found the Red Jungle Fowl to be the most interesting.

The Red Jungle Fowl is a pheasant native to the temperate regions around the Himalayas in India, China, and Burma. I grew up in Pennsylvania, where pheasants abound, so it might seem strange that I would find this one interesting. But the Red jungle Fowl is an unusually meaty bird that looks quite tasty. After reading the sign, it was obvious that I'm far from the first person to hold that opinion. The Chinese domesticated the Red Jungle Fowl thousands of years ago. The result of that domestication is our modern day chicken. So when you go to KFC, remember that you are eating a descendent of the red Jungle Fowl. I often wondered where chickens came from, and now I know. And so do you.

The Red Jungle Fowl also brings up an interesting point about evolution. It seems that those who advocate Intelligent Design are actually partially correct. Many of the plants and animals we are familiar with really were intelligently designed. But they were designed by humans. Dogs, pigs, chickens, wheat, rice, pecans and many other food sources are nothing like their natural ancestors. But they are tastier, easier to digest, and higher yielding.

Darjeeling

When I was at the train station,I learned that Darjeeling has an elevation of 6,800 feet, which is lower than I had expected. It's about the same elevation of Steamboat Springs. Normally, I would be pretty well adapted to such an elevation (I live at 5,400 ft), but my adaptation is only temporary. Tamding is better adapted, even though he lives near sea level, because he is Tibetan. Tibetans and Nepalese are born with oversize lungs. I don't have those genetics, so I have to build up more red corpuscles in my blood, which takes about two weeks. Normally, I have the better blood, but it's been about two weeks since I've been home so I've lost my adaptation.

Today, we went on the Seven Points walking tour. The big draw of the tour is the view. There are many viewpoints of the Himalayas. And the Himalayas around here are taller than normal. The main peak is Mount Kangchenjunga, which is the third highest peak in the world. So the mountains around here are for real. Not like the tiny mountains near me in Colorado. It is said that on an unusually clear day, you can see Everest, but that also requires that Everest has a clear day, too. That didn't happen today. But Kangchenjunga is stunning anyway.

The hike goes downhill pretty far. Far enough that you have to shed a lot of clothing. And far enough that you see all the tea plantations. When you reach the bottom, you can walk back up, but I was in no mood to do so (I'm already a bit cramped). So we waited at a tea stand for a taxi. I bought some tea, ofcourse. But the cool thing is that he explained to me the leaf/bud difference. He did so by reaching out the window and grabbing a piece of a tea plant. Tea has two leaves 180 degrees apart, and a center spike, which is the bud. Left too long,the bud will turn into a flower. But harvested at the right time, the buds produce the finest teas. Especially during the second flush. I should note that most teas are leaf tea.

After the hike, the local server was down. So I walked around and bought some tea. I also bought another sweater. I guess Tamding was right about the last sweater, because this one only cost 550 rupees ($13). I should mention that these sweaters are genuine Yak wool, and are quite soft. If I wanted to, I could buy cashmere, but that's a little too classy for me. But cashmere is very cheap here. I also had a beer and an Old Monk rum. Tamding is on a different mission. He is trying to buy a very special masala spice for his mother. We tried last night,to no avail. Hopefully, he will have better luck today.

Cricket Final

Well, as unbelievable as it seems, Pakistan pulled off an amazing comeback against India. They didn't win, of course, but they did pull off a draw. I missed it, but it must have been impressive. I guess the days of disappointing cricket from India aren't over just yet. And maybe Allah really was on Pakistan's side.

Ghum

Yesterday, we went to Ghum, which is about 8km from Darjeeling and about 100m higher in elevation. But first, we had to go to the train station to buy our train tickets back to Siliguri/NJP. We will be taking the Darjeeling Himalayan Railroad back down. It is apparently faster downhill, but hopefully not too much faster. I'm not really interested in being on a runaway train. I had to do some emails for a client, so we didn't get to the station until 10AM. There were about 25 customers ahead of us, so it took 2 1/2 hours. India is the only country I've visited where the wait to buy tickets might be longer than the train ride itself. I had to break for lunch during the wait. And I made the mistake of ordering boiled eggs. They take much longer at higher elevations because water boils at a lower temperature. I also took some pictures around there, as the view is spectacular (it's the Himalayas). After the ticket purchase, we went to Ghum.

Tamding was actually born in Ghum, and we tried to find his parents' old house. I had originally thought that Tamding might still have some relatives around this area, but that is not the case. Tamding's father had some colleagues here, but they have apparently moved away. So we never found the house. But it was an interesting trip nonetheless.

Being the highest point around here, Ghum is almost always in the clouds. So it has a weird feel to it. We visited a few Tibetan temples in Ghum, which were interesting. I can't even count how many Buddhist temples I've been to in my travels, but they are always unique, and therefore interesting. Unforunately, when we went to the oldest temple in this area, my camera batteries died. I tried the batteries I had bought in Siliguri, but they proved to be ineffective. I can't remember what brand they were, but they obviously did not have the required 1.3 volts to power the camera.

I'm guessing Ghum has a population of about 3,000, but it's always hard to guess population in developing countries. I made a point of noting the people wearing American sports clothing. I saw people wearing Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsbugh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Ohio State Buckeyes clothing. And, of course, plenty of Yankees gear. But that's hardly worth mentioning. There is simply no place in the world where you will not see Yankees gear. I suspect that the majority of Yankees gear is sold outside of the United States. And almost none of
those who buy it even know what baseball is. Go figure.

Out of Time

Okay, I'm still behind on the posting. I'll catch up tomorrow. But I can't do it in the morning. We will go to the best view of the Himalayas tomorrow. But I have to go early before the clouds come.

Taxi Ride to the Clouds

We got a taxi to Darjeeling for 800 rupees ($20), which seems like a reasonable fare for two. The other way to get to Darjeeling is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, but we missed that train by a long shot. Also, it's a ten hour ride going uphill, so taxis are a better option, anyway. Our trip to Darjeeling was somewhat in question because the town was closed to visitors for several days and only reopened two days ago. There were some riots between rival political parties that turned very violent (it's election time here). Apparently, the Nepali Nationalists and the Moaists don't get along very well. Things seemed to have calmed down now, but you never really know when violence might erupt again.

The ride itself was quite an experience. Compared to this road, the Switzerland Trail near Boulder would be considered tame. By Indian standards, the roads in Colorado have far too many guard rails. And most visitors to Colorado complain about the opposite. The ride typically takes about three hours, and except for the last 6 km, that's what it took. And that includes two stops for tea. Unfortunately, the Indians have adopted the barbaric British habit of adding milk to tea. But if you ask nicely, you can get plain black tea. But you must ask. By the time we got to Ghum (8km from Darjeeling), it was almost dark. But we were almost there, and would arrive with plenty of time to check my email and write a post.

Or so we thought. Just outside of Ghum, we encountered what our driver insisted was the worst traffic jam in the history of Darjeeling. The last six kilometers took about 2 1/2 hours. And it was pretty much all after dark, so it got quite cold. The tourist season here pretty much ends in early November. I wanted to have been here in early November, but my work obligations prevented that. By December, Darjeeling gets pretty cold, but still slightly above freezing. Many of the hotels and restaurants are closed now, and there are no regular tourists here. Only me and the diehard backpackers remain. But it's kind of nice. Now you might think I'm being a wimp because, after all, it is above freezing. Colorado gets much colder; and it had already snowed by the time I left. But in America, we only spend an hour or two outside at a time before retreating to our heated buildings. Unless we are skiing, of course. But here in Darjeeling, I don't think there's a single building that's heated. I certainly haven't been in one yet. So it's more like camping and it's harder to get or stay warm.

After our arrival, we checked into our hotel, the Tibet House. They wanted to charge me 850 rupees ($21) per night, but Tamding made up a story about how I was a poor graduate student studying high altitude botany. So we are only paying $600 rupees ($15). The room is the nicest hotel room I've ever had in India, with satellite TV (and HBO), hot showers and comfortable beds with plenty of blankets. Tanding even talked them into giving us a space heater. The hotel is intened to raise money to fund the operations of the local Tibetan cultural center, so I kind of feel guilty about it. So, I will put some extra money in their donation box without telling Tamding (he doesn't want me to spend a lot of money).

Immediately after checking in, I looked for an internet cafe, but they were closed. So, I still couldn't post. But I did find a store that sold sweaters and I got a nice handwoven wool sweater from Nepal. It cost 900 rupees ($23) and Tamding thought I had paid far too much. I probably did, but a sweater like this costs about $150 in the US, so I don't mind the price. I am much warmer now. You might think I came unprepared, but this was intentional. I had a lightweight acrylic sweater that's good for plane rides, but most of my good sweaters have fallen apart. So I had planned on buying sweaters in Darjeeling. What I didn't plan on was the traffic jam.

Siliguri/ NJP

So we arrived very late in Siliguri. Well it was actually New Jainapuri, which the Indians refer to as "NJP." Of course, the way Indians pronounce "NJP" (injipay) is such that it took me three days to figure out what they were saying. We arrived well after any internet place was open, so I didn't post then. We got a hotel that was recommended by some Tibetans that Tamding met on the train. It was okay. I woke up early and wandered around looking for an open internet cafe, to no avail. But I did get shampoo, batteries for the camera (it takes AA), and a handful of uncooked rice. You might be wondering about the rice, but it's an old photographer's trick learned in Vietnam. First, you set the rice out in the sun so it gets very dry (air conditioners also work). Then you put it your camera bag and it will absorb any extra moisture. It's the low tech version of the silica gel pack. The rice that's in my bag is pretty much shot, so I needed to replenish it. Although I haven't had the chance to dry it yet.

Siliguri/NJP is pretty much a genuine Third World city, with cows, goats, dogs and chickens roaming the streets. For those of you who want to warn me about Bird Flu, I will say this: give me break. Bird Flu so far has proven to be a very wimpy disease, with only questionable accounts of human to human transfer. And let's face it, it's pretty damn hard to get it from a chicken as well. In Southeast Asia, a region of 300 million people where most people come into physical contact with roaming chickens on daily basis, only 200 deaths have occurred in 12 years. I myself have unwittingly touched dozens of chickens there with no problem. But if you want to worry about diseases, how about malaria or denghe fever? They are common here, along with countless other diseases, and they are for real. Malaria has killed, continues to kill, and will kill more people than any other disease in history. So it's the mosquitoes you need to watch out for. I've stopped two already before they could bite. You tend to get very sensitive about bugs around here.

When Tanding awoke, we immediately went to the train station to try to get train tickets from NJP to Varanasi and from Delhi to Goa. Getting tickets at Indian train stations is a nightmare of long queues and bad information. The Indian Railway Authority suffers from a potent mixture of the hopeless dysfunctionality of the Indian people combined with the ruthless bureaucracy of the British. Standing in the queue, I couldn't help but think that the Vogons of Douglas Adams' books really do exist, and that they run the Indian Railway Authority. After three hours, we got no tickets. But we did get some useful information from another customer. It turns out that there is a bus from Siliguri to Veranasi. So we took an autorickshaw to downtown Siliguri and got those tickets. We are still hoping to get airplane tickets to Goa. Tamding has a friend in Delhi who can help us with that. After retuning to NJP, we had a quick lunch. Unfortunately, we did not have time to go to an internet cafe, because we had to get our taxi to Darjeeling so we could get there before dark. But that shouldn't be problem, because we should have plenty of time once we reach Darjeeling. Well, so I thought.

Wow, that was long

It really was a long train ride. We left at 5:30 AM on Saturday and arrived in Siligure (NJP actually) at 11:45 PM on Sunday. Brutal. The trains in India are slightly less comfortable than those of Thailand, which are pretty good. Of course, a lot depends on which bunk you get. The best bunks are those whose numbers are integer multiples of 8. Those are the upper aisle bunks. Tamding had such a bunk. The worst are those defined by the equation: bunk number = (8n) -1, where n is an integer from 1 to 8. These are the lower aisle bunks. Not only does everyone walking the aisle bump into you (every 45 seconds), but those who wake up early will move to your bunk so they can look out the window. If your are still sleeping, they will sit on your legs. As expected, I had such a bunk.

The ride was pretty boring, the scenery was pretty much nothing but rice fields. It was harvest season, so at least there was some activity. Except in southern West Bengal State, where the crops had been destroyed by the monsoons this year. The damage was devastating. I did get to see the Ganga river, which is the western (and smaller) branch of the Ganges river. It was significantly larger than the Mississippi and Mekong rivers, so it was the biggest river I have seen.

I have to leave so we can get a train ticket back to Siliguri. I'll have more in a few hours.