I’m back home
I know, I stopped blogging halfway through my trip. Things didn’t go very well after Kevin left for the thrills of Richikesh and the hopes of ‘reconnecting’ with some of the people we had met in Leh. So I thought I would not comment on it in an attempt to remain optimistic. Which didn’t really make bad things stop happening. Sigh.
After Varanasi I went to Johdpur. The overnight train from Delhi to Johdpur was very nice as I was sharing my section of the train with an entire extended family. The father was encouraging his very polite and shy children to speak to me, which was very nice, interesting and cute. They were lovely. Johdpur, however, was not. Men were following me down the streets and some of them making rather inappropriate sexual comments. I was sitting down checking my e-mails and when I was done I looked up to see I had an audience of about 6 young males staring at me through the window. And while I was trying something on in one of the stores I was inappropriately fondled. There might have been some shouting on my part. I also got headbutted rather hard by two cows. With horns. Yeah. That was a great day.
Jaiselmer was slightly better. The men didn’t follow me around, and someone actually pushed me out of the way of a cow that was heading in my direction from across the street. However I got taken in for the first time on my trip. I arrived to Jaiselmer rather late and the office for the camel safari I had gotten multiple recommendations for was closed. So on the suggestion of one of my fellow guest house guests I took my safari with the guest house. Big mistake (I should have just gone to the original place early in the AM and things would have been better). I was lied to about multiple things, including the fact that 5 other people would be on the trip with me. It was just me. Which I was lied to about until I was an hour out of the city and by myself with my camel driver. I spent the night out in the desert by myself and my camera got sand in it, so there are no digital pictures after this trip. When I got back from the ’safari’ (which it was not), my hotel manager tried to convince me that I had to double book my sleeper bus spot if I wanted to sleep by myself. There might have been some more yelling on my part. And writing of letters to various guidebooks. I ended up getting my ticket from the people I had originally planned on getting my safari through, and he had me drink Chai and talked with me for a while because he could tell I was upset. He was done selling me things and was just being kind, which was much needed at that moment. I also was exploring the fort there and heard my name being called! It was the family from the train. That really cheered me up 
The bus ride was rather nice as I finally was with tourists who spoke English! And the girl I shared my sleeper bed with was very lovely and had also had a bad safari experience. She let me take a nap and shower in her guest room when we got to Udiper. And Udiper was gorgeous. The lake was low, but it was still beautiful. Octopussy filmed here and all of the guest houses have ‘Octopussy’ showings. I wish I could have spent more than 12 hrs there, but I had to take the train to Delhi so I could catch my flight. I did buy a disposable camera so hopefully there will be some pictures developed within the next year or so.
That is not to say that it was all bad. I had felt rather dragged down before and I got to see so many things on the last part of this trip. I have the life stories of so many different people tucked away in the back of my brain right now. Most of the people who tried chatting with me were trying to sell me something, but every once and a while they were just bored and curious and those conversations were great. I also was able to explore to my hearts content, though the pushy sales people made this difficult at times.
All in all it was nice, I just have to push some of the more unfortunate events from the end out of my head. And I barely saw any of India so who knows when I will go back to explore the south. I have to decide where to take my next trip! I definitely want to return to South America in the spring and do another Habitat build, as well as Machu Picchu. And after that I’m not sure. By then I will be hopefully traveling across America.
Anyway, here is a link to my pictures. Enjoy!
On I go (inside my brain)
So I’m not doing a good job at keeping up on the travel blog. From Agra I went to Varanasi where I took no pictures! I was there for three days too. I think it is a place that is too large to be photographed well by the likes of me. There are autorickshaws zooming about everywhere, except the old city where they are not alowed because the streets are too narrow. Here people zip around in motorcycles which often requires jumping out of the way (hopefully not into the cow dung that is everywhere). So far the hawkers were the worst in Varanasi, especially when I would wonder around without Kevin. Though poor Kevin was being offered all sorts of lovely drugs anytime I was not near (and sometimes even when I was). I’ve been turned off by the market scene. You have to expell a lot of energy to bargain for decent prices, and it is hard to know what a good price is to aim for. So sorry to everyone who wanted a souvenier.
Kevin and I went our seperate ways yesterday morning. I took a plane and a train to get to Jodhpur. And during that commute I read Three Cups of Tea. I honestly think it is the best book I’ve ever read. Not for the writing, but what the book represents. My mind has been turning around the same ideas over war and what is happening in Afganistan and Iraq for many years now. But it always seemed like the problem was too big. That the best I could do was cast my vote and campaign hard for the next president. But this is a story of how one person can do so much. And he is doing exactly what I think needs to be done.
I’m not so idealistic to think that war no longer has a place in modern society. Though I think that many times war could be avoided if people took the time and money to prevent it nonviolently. Look at poor Afganistan. We came in as heroes and disposed of their government and then left them. We left a country we had helped rip apart with no training, military backup, healthcare, homes, or roads. And so the Taliban came into power. And so again we go back in ripping the country apart. And again we are leaving them, having done nothing to help them restore roads, hospitals, homes or schools. How are they suppose to rebuild themselves if we have taken everything? Do we really think that is a good idea? Do we really need to learn the same lesson twice? Yes, all these things cost money, but war costs so much more. And until we as Americans go back to being the generous nation of the world there will be no solution to the growing animosity towards us. We use to be known across the world for our humanitarian efforts. And now we are seen as selfish bullies and murderers.
What I think really needs to happen to secure the future and safety of the USA does not involve building up the military. The military should not be in charge of rebuilding the countries it tears apart. Too often the money that is ‘earmarked’ for rebuilding is taken away to buy more bombs, more guns, given to warlords who then ‘lose’ it. They do not understand how to do this. We need a Department of Peace. For every town we bomb where innocent civilians are killed, there needs to be a seperate group that comes in setting up hospitals, training civilians to rebuild, practice basic medicine and supplying food. This should not be based on the whims and biases of the populous or the president. It should always happen. And it should be done by people who are trained to help make rebuilding happen and work, not shoot missiles. Greg Mortensen who is the ‘hero’ in Three Cups of Tea, is trying to help rebuild nations on his own. And so for the first time I feel like someone in America is doing what needs to be done. And I want to help him somehow. So I thought I’d start by telling everyone to go read his book. If you don’t want to buy a copy get one from the library or let me know and I’ll send you a copy. I’m adding him to my list of charities. And for now I’m not sure past that what I can do presently. But I don’t want to forget that one person really can make a difference. That past all of this political tormoil, there are people who are beyond it making things happen.
