Incredible India

So at the moment I want to to take back all the nice things I have said about India, since I just wrote my first, nice organized blog post, then I looked up at the screen and it was gone. I nice effort, wasted. This is why it has taken s long to put anything on here, the first 2 times I tried, the Internet crashed after 30 minutes. So I don't know how often I will get stiff up here. Since, the computers usually are inconsistent at best and I'm lazy with this type of thing. But hopefully in the future there will be pictures, a map and some more colorful posts of what is happening this little country called India.

besides the computers, I have had a wonderful time. this is a place that fills all your senses all the time, the smells, the sights, the sounds, the people, it's all amazing and fascinating in a positive and negative way. I have seen so much in such a small amount of time that there is too much for me to put into words. Just the streets are fascinating. There is always someone selling something, food, chai, shawls. There are usually a few cows wondering around, so you have to watch where you step, the are elderly people, children, beggars, touts. Then there are the vehicles. Bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, rickshaws, cars, trucks, buses, goats, dogs and they are using any lane of traffic available to them. And to make their presence, the horn must always be in use, that is the only way to allow safe passage though the streets.

The food is fantastic, have had nothing but Indian food since I have been here, sometimes I'm not sure what I am ordering, some sort of masala or paneer, but more often than not it is delicious. Yesterday I went to this fantastic thali restaurant whee they they give you naan bread, then fill up these little bowls with various vegetable and potato dishes. You use the naan as a spoon and scoop the food into your mouth. It's like a buffet, as they just keep filling up your tray until you are too full to tell them to stop. I spent the rest of the day digesting, and the day after on the toilet. But is was tasty.

Besides checking out the historical sights that seem to be everywhere, I have spent alot of time chatting with the local people, many of thrm speak really good English, they learn it in school. They always approach me, "Hello, which country you from?" When I tell them America, they say,"Obama!" This happens about 5 times a day. It seems they all watched the speech a few days ago and are looking forward to the new American president as much as the Americans are. Another amazing moment was when I met a young muslim college student at the train station. We got to talking about Middle East politics, religion and marriage, which we didn't really agree on. But he invited me back to his dorm where he was learning computer engineering with fellow young Muslims. It was amazing to see there living condition, there were 5 students to a dorm, the concrete white walls were covered in spit and dirt. There was no TV, he said the food was terrible. They shared one computer for the 5 of them. But all the other students I met there seemed so happy and willing to learn. They said they were getting a great education and all of them wanted to work for a IT company in the US when they finish their degree's in a couple years. It just show what is important. They don't have a fancy apartment, car and computer, they know if they study hard now it will all pay off for then in the future.

These are just a few of my observations so far. It has only been a week and I will be here for many more. As far as my Itinerary goes, I started in Mumbai, which is a huge, chaotic polluted, fascinating mess. It was interesting to talk to people in the aftermath of the terrorist bombings and they were happy to see tourists there. People there say it's down about 75%. My next stop was the Ellora and Ajanta caves. It was a 7 hour train ride out there, (the trains will get their own special post one of these days). The cave are World heritage sights, they are a mix of Buddhist and Hindu. They were carved from 200BC to 700AD. They have incredible fresco type paintings on the walls, some are 40 feet tall and 75 feet deep into the pure stone cliff. It must have been one of the most amazing places in the world at the time. I am now up in Udaipur, in the state of Rajastan, it was a 20 hour journey to get here, and so far it has been great. This area is famous for all it's old palaces and forts that have been used for the past 500 to 1000 years. I have been to some of the outlying villages on a motorcycle. And they filmed James Bond film here, Octopussy at the island fort in the lake.

My plan is to head out to the desert near the Pakistan border, ride some camels, check out some more old forts and to continue moving along and enjoying myself.