packing-list modifications

for the record zoë thought of this first about 3 weeks ago. here are packing list modifications we would have as of now....

things i wish i brought:

-lonely planet guide

-a small element for boiling a cup of water for tea or coffee. it would be really handy if we were around electricity all the time, it also cleans the water. the downside is i would still need to bring my water filters….

-sunglasses, but those i carelessly forgot.

-zoë wishes she brought a pumice stone to scrub her feet with.

things i did not need at all:

-some clothes i really do not need…. but it is hard to tell since we are going to a completely different climate.

-my little arsonist friend brought about 7 or 8 boxes of matches, we only need 1

-blasted US nokia cell phone which refuses to work, (this i will sell and keep the sim card.)

-swim trunks, it's easier to go naked, and the indians leave you alone.

things i could do without:

-i brought one shirt and one pants too many, i only need one of each, plus it's so easier to buy another pair.

-i have a extra pair of light shoes i don't really wear.

-zoë and i have 8 or 9 books between us, 3 of which we only really need, 3 we are trying to sell, and the rest we are reading.

things i am glad i brought:

-coffee filter

-maine organic maple syrup!!! 

-macbook

-i am glad zoë brought the ukulele, though she questions whether it was a good idea

-small nylon backpack

and here is my arsonist friend at lunch just a few hours ago! (lovely southern thali in the foreground.)

bangalore aquarium

we walked all the way down m.g. road to the cricket stadium. we tried to get tickets for tomorrows game india vs. england but it sold out a week in advance! the we noticed a really funny looking building across the street, it was an aquarium!

normally i am a sucker for the giant ugly fish but this little guy was my favorite.

after the aquarium experience we walked around a bit and went to a bookshop and cafe. later we found some lunch and then went back to the hotel. we have been doing a lot of walking. bangalore is alright, it is hard to get around and we are in a consumer area so it can be tough. over all we are enjoying it and  having fun making plans for the next few weeks.

bean town & television

we have reached bangalore, which according to our nifty lonely planet book means town of baked beans. the ride from outer bangalore to the inner city with the congesting traffic seemed longer than the trip from mysore. it is the computer center of india and center of technical support in the united states. 

after checking into our hotel, we wandered the local area, which is packed with western stores and restaurants. it was haunting in a way, it was a lot like home, but out of place and strange in a way i cannot identify. it really seems like a poison; i'm happy i have not found this in the small cities. recognize anything?

we took some time to recover in the hotel and turned on the television for the first time in a month. in my multi-month long gaps without television i have taken this year, turning on the tube is same amount of surprise each time. i found myself entranced with the discovery channel, though it was not the only show in english.

we watched this amazing show. i don't know what it was called, but it was a sort of hybrid of a nature show and a study on the local people high in the himalayas. there were long hair goats and yaks, some wild pony-like horses, and cranes. zoë wanted all the above, especially the pony-like wild horses. the crazy part of our television experience is we are actually going there.

we have done quite a bit of research for dharamsala and have both grown quite excited. there are lots of things including hindi classes, buddhist philosophy, tibetan and north indian cooking classes, hikes, volunteering opportunities with schools, magazines, environmental programs, and cultural centers. by chance we are timing it just right, the dali lama will be in town and giving talks that i am sure we will try to go to.

it should be a great introduction to north india and tibet, and development in my interest in buddhism.  it is so tempting to wander off into those mountains and shepherd some long-haired goats. i can almost feel the mountain floating over me, ready to swallow me whole and spit me out a different person, or that's all i could hope for.

mysore splurge

zoë and i are now proud rednecks. our sun kissed pink necks are the first minor sun burn we have had, considering we haven't been waring sunscreen. since we are tanning at the same rate i am not sure how tan we actually are….

anyways, this morning after breakfast we took a nice public bus to chamundi hill. the hill over looks the small city and has a beautiful temple at the top. we wandered around a bit observing the main temple from many sides and the other older smaller temples. there were lots of cows. i saw a man chasing one with a baton which he borrowed from one of the many police men. i think they were brought there because it is a holy place, there's not too much grass. (zoë almost cried over that last sentence.)

then we wandered down the 1000+ steps that lead all the way up the hill from the bottom. the hindu pilgrims climb up the steps while the tourist stumble all the way down. nothing was too eventful about the acclaimed steps other than the occasional view and monkeys!

then our afternoon splurge began, no regrets! we went to a fancy restaurant, our meal cost the same as two slices of otto pizza and the waiters basically spoon fed us. then we went to our new favorite bakery (pastry world,) and then back to fabindia.

zoë got some awesome clothes at fabindia which she finds really comfortable. they are also good because we are going to a colder place and it is not the super thin cotton that all the southern clothes are made of.

mysore improving

last night zoë and i went to a place for dinner just 500 feet from the hotel. we walked through this sort of concrete tunnel to the inner part of the building where there were all men sitting at the 7 or 8 tables that made the restaurant. everybody was surprised to see us, even the host. the place was pretty filthy, crumbling, and some of the men were spitting on the floor. it was kind of a shit hole. i was slightly uneasy about my decision to go in, even though i consulted with zoë.

the host came over and told us that they only served southern style thali in a tone that was expecting us to get up and leave. we didn't. the chef or waiter or both came out with a stack of about a dozen plates full of thali and began to dispense them around the room. so this is how the "meals ready" restaurants work, you get what you get and that's all they serve.

just so you know what thali is: in general there is a northern and southern style. we're only really familiar with the southern style. the southern style is a big dish that comes with about 7 or 8 cups, a dish of rice, some poori or another bread. in the little cups are:  of curd (which you mix with your rice first thing,) one or two cups of sambar, a cup of rassam, a cup of fried rice, a cup of buttermilk, a cup of chili water thing, maybe some pickle (not like cucumber, but pickled other stuff that is spicy,) and sweet (kind of watery sweet based with lentils.) you mix each cup in one or two at a time with the rice, scoop it up with your hand and eat it. 

well, the thali was awesome, and so far almost 24 hours later has not gotten me sick, (i'm slightly surprised.) it was authentic, spicy, and seemed to be pretty fresh. luckily in india, at least fresh vegetable and fruit-wise, it seems local is still cheapest. thali at any restaurant is a gigantic meal. you eat until you feel so stuffed, but in an hour you're fine or even hungry again. thali, although extremely flavorful, is pretty much all water. it is also awesome how much it varies restaurant to restaurant, not in quality but style.

today zoë and i woke at 7:30 and went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. i ate idli, a favorite of both of ours, and zoë had rava upma. we then went out to find fabindia, getting minorally ripped off by a rickshaw man, one of the worst feelings. but, it was not that negative of a start. from there our day actually improved a lot. i still do not understand the cheating, much of the time the person cheating us has nothing to gain. they also rather lie to us then say "i don't know" much of the time.

fabindia was closed but opened up at 10:30 so we decided to find a cafe while we waited the 45 minutes. we went to pastry world, which was so great. their cakes are just like the birthday cakes you can buy from shaws. i got 2 slices, one was sort of like coffee chocolate cake, and the other was plain cake with green frosting. zoë had a pink cake that she thinks was strawberry.

then we went on a hunt for a bookstore, but were unsuccessful. we were in a different neighborhood than gandhi square, which we liked a lot. we passed many shops that were definitely aimed at indians rather than tourists, and a few interesting temples.

we head back to fabindia, which was open this time. it was really fun store, with about 5 rooms; one was food and chawski, one was furniture, two were clothes for women, and the fifth room was clothes for men. as awesome as it was we did not get anything; zoë and i didn't see any clothes we really wanted.

on the way back we took a rickshaw. we wanted to hunt down a bookstore to get an india lonely planet guide and some tolstoy. he actually turned on the meter, a nice change, because he was not quite sure where we wanted to go, just to the gandhi square area. it was really nice of him. the same journey costed 50 rupees versus 100 rupees this morning. he couldn't find the book store, but he found another rickshaw driver that did.

on the way the rickshaw broke down in the road, which is not uncommon; it would be our second or third time this has happened. each time it happened, including this time, the driver got out and pushed the vehicle to the side of the road. then he pulled out a screw driver and went to the back of the vehicle (we sit over the engine), there was a lot of banging, and then it worked again.

the store was 3 floors of books, and we found a lonely planet guide to all of india just like the one we left at home, whoops! it was 1350 rupees, ouch! the tolstoy book of similar thickness was around 150 rupees, i think lonely planet must have the same price globally. we are still hunting for a used book store to sell a couple books we have finished.

we had some dosas for lunch at another local not so touristy dirty place that was pretty good. we then walked back to our hotel which took about 20 to 30 minutes. reassured that india was not out to get us, we did not spend much time relaxing at the hotel before we headed back out again. we stopped in a cafe to just to have a nice place to check out the lonely planet guide. we tried a few new sweets that only zoë could pronounce the name of; they were really good. i cannot believe we have not had bad food indian food yet. we have had some terrible "chinese food;" not sure why i ordered that now….

we then headed to the palace. mysore has no natural landmark to bring tourists. indians and tourists come here to buy stuff and then leave. there is not much more to do than that, and it is why it can be such a hostel place. the price to enter the palace is 200 rupees for non-indians and 20 rupees for indians. we wanted to wander the gardens in front of the palace and get some pictures without actually going in. along the way we noticed another westerner getting hassled by some guy; she shook him off and i mentioned to her they go extra hard on you here.

she was half surprised to hear an american accent. her name is alexis and she was trying to get into the palace as well. we ended up walking around the entire palace with her trying to find the entrance. along the way we chatted quite a bit. she is from california and is working with a women's empowerment group and writing a book on it. we never found an entrance even into just the garden that you could get through without paying. not caring a whole lot, we left. we got alexis's email, and we might catch up with her later if possible. 

from a shave in karkala to a scam in mysore

when we went into karkala we headed to the internet cafe to do a few things before we ate. we are addicted to the internet. we have to book tickets, contact hosts, and figure things out, but it also causes a lot of homesickness. after we finished up we went to sagar vegetarian paradise for the last time. i think we ordered possibly all the food, or all the food that was worth ordering and the ones we didn't know. after we noticed we still had about an hour and a half to burn, i decided to jump into the barber shop next door.

the barber shop was small but comfortable. when we went inside and dropped all our bags on the floor we became the key interest for the next 45 minutes. zoë patiently sat chatting it up with a few guys waiting while i got my hair cut. the guy cut my hair quickly, and it scared me, only a little. he would fly through my hair with a comb and scissors taking off big chunks at a time. zoë was advocating for my hair to only be trimmed and not to be short. a few men waiting actually translated zoë for the barber but i think he already understood zoë.

then i got a shave, i'm glad to say my first shave in a barber shop was in india. the  barber was already heavily entertained by zoë taking pictures, and everyone in the shop started giving their opinion on how to cut western hair. then he took out a wicked old straight razor and began shaving my patchy beard. he actually shaved my face twice, i got one cut but it was due to some acne. then he rubbed several oils into my entire face. the first one was definitely menthol of some kind, the second smelled like mellon, and the third i cannot describe. all of it cost 65 rupees, or about $1.40.

afterwards, we went over to the ice cream parlor, which we love, and managed to get some parfaits right before they closed. when we finished we had about 25 minutes before the bus was to come. we then hung out at the stop, and about 3 locals helped us get on the right bus.

i thought the bus ride was going to be from 9:45 to 6:45 but we actually got there a tad past 4. i actually sort of slept on the bus, it is hard to remember. the bus, which was a full-out coach, would bump, bottom out, sway, and rumble up and down these narrow zig-zagging roads. at one point it got really rough. i noticed we were weaving in and out of traffic going up a hill for a long time. i am pretty sure the bus was driving off the road onto the dirt next to it to pass something, then getting back on the road. basically it was bumpy for a good part of the ride.

when we arrived we sat around the bus station until it got light. mysore is not a good place to wander when it's dark. we waited until 6:45 and then got a rickshaw about 2.5 minutes to hotel dasaprakash, which was mentioned in lonely planet. we had no reservation. when we called the hotel they said they were full, and all we knew was it was close. the rickshaw driver was an asshole. he over-charged us, then said we needed to pay an additional 20 rupees for luggage. we argued with him for less then a minute, then i gave him the money just to get him to go away. next time will be different.

well, i would say the hotel is less than half full! they charged us 600 rupees, which is fantastic. they had plenty of room and seemed to be mildly enthused about our arrival. the room is great, clean, and simple. the bed is squishy, thank god! the bathroom is large enough to actually have space to move around when you take a shower. i mean a hot shower. i was a new man, again, the first time being after the haircut and shave. zoë seems to be in much better spirits too after a shower and nap.

we ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant, which is decent to say the least. i noticed what i thought to be two british girls probably 15 and 16 and their dad. it had been a while since i had seen westerners so i went over and chatted with them and asked them what to see in mysore. the father is actually spanish, went to school in england, and now lives in germany. the tiny town they live in, zoë actually visited during her year in germany.

we told them what we were about, and they said they were here for a wedding. they arrived this morning too, but the father had been here before. i couldn't quite get it out of him what he does or why he has been coming to india for 40 years, but i have good reason to believe he is part of the tibetan movement or is a political activist. i also told him about the rickshaw driver; he had good advice. now, it's not very buddhist, but, basically it is to become more aggressive, pay them the agreed amount, raise your voice a little, and they will leave. it's really the only way to get by. this country is amazing at getting your money. well, this trio is only here for a day, i wish i could spend more time with them!

after breakfast we were pretty excited to go look and see what was around. we went through an amazing market, it's about 5 rows a kilometer long. it's all fresh fruit, vegetables, spices, or flowers. one part is like a fruit tunnel. i did not have my camera, but i will get pictures later.

we left, and then met an even greater scammer than the rickshaw driver. he was weird, and he actually got us, but not our money, luckily. he wanted to show us the other market that was just incense and oil. he fabricated this gigantic story and we actually followed him almost all the way there. he is definitely paid by this incense oil market to bring tourists. he said he was islamic, he wanted no money, but just to show us the better market and be our friend. he kept pushing he didn't want money, he was only doing this as a good deed. we felt no harm so we followed him in a half-awake daze. he kept chatting, lying, and telling us he would just point it out from the next corner then leave us alone, which is the only reason we continued. he walked with us 75% of the way there. when he was sure he had us going to the market he left us alone. they have absolutely no shame. we did not go to this market.

later two other guys tried to pull the same thing. i told them no way, i don't want oils or incense. one got a little pushy, i got a little aggressive, it ended with him telling me to go smoke some marijuana and i left him outside the restaurant we went to for lunch. there are a ton of these guys in gandhi square (our area), so I am looking forward to venturing to other parts of the city. there is also a movie theatre across the road from the hotel, so i think zoë and i are due for some bollywood. 

so we left the sangatya farm

we left sangatya farm today. we are heading to mysore. here is an update of whats happened in the last few days. this is my canine friend who with some help has been diagnosed with carpel flexural deformity, aka "bendy legs". here is his stylish splint.

he also chewed the crap out of my hands, may i whine?

here is before though. i think it is from being weened too fast.

well he took the splint off that night, but one leg got better on its own, i think the other one will too with time. i guess that is the india thing. the splint is simple enough the neighbors can put it back on if they want. it was worth a try.

patrick & petunia series 1 part 1

it's not true, but it mostly is.

fright night & cryptozoology

zoe and i have now been dating for a year on february 16th.

 a year ago a few days previous we had our first date. we went to the planetarium and saw the "fright night" laser show. i remember the person running the show claimed they had never seen it before, and for an hour and a half we watched halloween themed songs and strange images. half the people there walked out. it was awesome in a weird kind of way.

later we went to the cryptozoology museum which was really awesome, and we bought a home economics book from the 60's. the book is disturbing, sexist, and eccentric, but it's just amazing when you turn to the fancy meal page with images of jello on the table.

i remember walking back to the white house and it was snowing pretty hard. i think both of us miss the snow today here in india. we will probably officially celebrate in mysore, but for today we are going out to eat and hitting multiple ice cream parlors!

miscellaneous india experiences

food i miss:

-grilled cheese (or any diner food)

-classic custard (black-raspberry with chunks of chocolate)

-anything with ice in it

-american coffee or coffee brewed in an american style

-duritos, you know, the triangular corn chips?

-ottos

-having lots of familiar fruits and vegetables

-potatoes, maine fucking potatoes

-and a laundry machine (not to eat, but to use)


but i don't mind what we cook all the time:

i know this is india, and i cannot get attached to everything, but some sad news: the puppy next door has something going on with his paws, otherwise he is completely healthy. they bow outwards -- only his front paws, like his wrists are weak. he seems to be in no pain. is this a puppy thing? observe the picture below and let me know. when he walks, it's almost as if he has no feeling from his forearm down, but there is nothing wrong externally. it started in one leg and moved to the other; both are in the same condition and it has stopped progressing beyond his forearm. there is no pain either when i hold his front paws, even tightly. let me know; i can get a lot of things at the pharmacy without a necessary prescription. god that is heartbreaking.

india is life on steroids; i am definitely growing up quickly here. it is not easy to be a dog, monkey, or human.

speaking of monkeys, zoë and i crossed some on the way to the bus stop/market; i managed to get a few blurred pictures. there were maybe 10 or 15 of them. they were surprised we were not chasing them away. this is my favorite photo of a monkey so far, i have clearer closer ones, but the expression of this one is awesome. (big it up!)

this is on the way to the store:

it's in the evening. zoë sits on a mat made of grass in front of the house playing cards with the kids. the area in front of the house is paved with cow dung. it is mixed with water and then spread out by hand to keep down the dust and rocks. when it dries it's not quite like concrete but it makes a nice surface to walk on. we even eat on it. evening meals are often served outside under the moon.

today i began to feel a bit exhausted. i've had a few days in india like this. it passes, but it's difficult to recharge. it feels good to read a lot, be  lazy in the afternoon, help by cooking, and water for an hour and a half every evening. we are fitting into tasks that we do well, but it's still unclear sometimes how much we should do. i feel as if we are even but would be willing to do more. 

i stink -- i wash twice a week, which is unpleasant when one is doing farm work. washing is the same as it has always been for the last 9 months, but i am sure it's new for zoë. it's a bucket, some soap, a towel, and a room with a drain and i believe a water heater that burns wood or cow dung. (washroom below)

standing naked, being bit by mosquitoes, i go for the "jumping in the deep end version," which is pouring the cold water immediately over my head and entire body. i suppose you can do section by section, which is good when it's really cold. i scrub in as much soap as i can apply in the amount of time i allot my flesh to the mosquitoes, rinse, and dry off. i stay clean for about 12 hours.

when i go into karkala i usually look awful compared to the locals. zoë does much better, though i don't know how. i'm usually covered in dirt and my hair has become more insane than normal. i figure we are stared at all the time either way. i really don't like it, but i have become used to it most of the time. sometimes i stare back if i find it really inappropriate and they look away. i know it's curiosity and not aggressive, but there is never a break from it, one reason i like the corner of the restaurant.

the worst was at the market/bus stop. a dozen kids got off the bus from school who were rowdy and loud, i think averaging around 8 years old. when they noticed us they went dead quiet, went over as a group to the bench, sat down as a group, and stared at us as a group. 8 year olds don't really bother me as some of the men. most older women really don't care at all about us. i am getting better at it, i swear!

terrible coffee

we had some spare time at the farm to give you an important message:

traveling philosophy

i am definitely reaching something. i cannot tell you precisely what it is, but i am noticing that i am beginning to shed some of my conditioning. i am not becoming more indian, eastern, or anything.

india is different from my home. all i have been able to do is compare, and finally that is slowing down. comparing and contrasting two separate entities like these is useful to tell that you're away from home but for nothing else.

i have been comparing all the strange, bizarre, unusual experiences i have had to what i consider to be normal. that is, what i consider and have been conditioned to think of as normal. i have been well aware for a while that everyone has their own version of normal. now i am breaking this open.

disclaimer: it's a beginning; i have had little progress. by this i mean i have begun to shed my conditioning. there are several methods; being in a very foreign country is one. another is exploring my memories, which i have been doing to the deepest level i can for the last 9 months. i have begun to discover some memories which lead to the moments when i was conditioned. i explore them, and then i notice that conditioning continuing into the present and attempt to stop it.

i really enjoy exploring what my friends on the farm consider to be unusual, bizarre, or strange. milan thinks sunglasses are ridiculous. but it is actually a very useful tool -- that is, exploring milan's or whoever's prospective. not just thinking in another man's shoes, but imagining living in another man's shoes and then looking at everything you imagined to be normal and why you previously thought that.

another disclaimer: my ethics and principles remain untouched. i maintain them fairly well and keep them simple. i would say i am changing but i am also quite the same. i suppose i am practicing buddhism, meditation and mindfulness, and this certainly helps. maybe i am progressing well because i have had less conditioning. maybe i am not professing that much. i am certainly doing my own version of it.

it's not easy, looking at everything with fresh eyes constantly. i would almost define it as critical thinking, or questioning everything all the time. but i try to compare less and less with home. i try to get in touch with what is pleasant and unpleasant and why. i am even trying again what i have considered to be unpleasant int the past, like reading and writing, because i find this is associated with struggles from as early as 2nd grade.

just look at the beginning of this blog. it's awful. i blog about my pets (nothing against them), just to test it out, but i barely write anything, and it stays that way for a long time. suddenly thrown into places without easy access to internet, i must sit and write, i write because this time it is different, and next time will be different again. i would definitely say i have been enjoying reading and writing much more in the last few months. i am finishing my longest book, the fountainhead, which places harry potter in his rightful grave.

is this what farming and buddhism does? farming gives you time to think, buddhism gives you something to think about…. it's purification in a way. it's not giving the self up or submitting to something. it's clarity, fertilizer for the mind, creating room, opening up but not giving away. my original intention for my gap year was to figure out what i want to be when i grow up, i am heading that way. by losing my identity i regain it in a cleaner way, and only what i need. less is more. i hope when i am older i will get rid of all my conditioning, i think that would give me the ability to completely identify myself. for now, for 19, i think this is pretty good. when i am 20 i will probably laugh at this, hopefully because of more progress. this clearer identification of myself is certainly leading towards my gap year goal, which i may or may not achieve. i doubt it matters; the journey has fed so many other important things and has been so much more rewarding.