Men and Mosquitos

So, here I am at the computer again. Upon logging into yahoo I found out that there was yet another Delhi blast, this time killing 7. Another marketplace, another saturday. Bombs wrapped in newspapers. Scary stuff. I am to return to Delhi on October 2nd, it almost makes me feel like I won't. But I think I will, for a couple of days, and then I'll  take the train out into the countryside again. 

I'm currently writing you from Jodphur, a beautiful fort-centered city in Rajastan. Its been a whirlwind tour of the area, sometimes only one night in each place, kinda like being back on Hairspray... except not. I even had a dream about Hairspray last night and woke up oddly missing it, something that even though I loved the experience, I haven't done much of. 

Don't people come to net cafes to get some nice AC on a hot day? Apparently not here, as it is at least 100 degrees in here and I have sweat just rolling off of me. Yesterday was the perfect temperature but today, back in the heart of the desert, feels just that way. Apparently most of the tourists have cancelled their flights into India (surprise, surprise, really) and it is not high season yet so the amount of people I am meeting is really at a minimum. I'm, almost getting over that. I think there is a definite difference in how I feel now as opposed to my first blog only a few days ago. I have a calmness that I didn't have before, I'm just used to the chaos (well, getting used to it). 

Its been nice having Lucky around, last night we grabbed a beer and  chilled out at the hotel restaurant (though there are rules upon rules of what looks acceptable or not with "driver" and "customer") its kind of hysterical, which brings me, perhaps, to the focus of my blog today. Men, and mosquitos. I made the parallel to Lucky last night; here they are very much alike. Both incessantly around you, pestering you, buzzing in your ear, and both very hungry for white blood. No matter how much 30% deet "wilderness formula" bug repellent I use, both are there. constantly, biting me. (metaphorically with the guys). I wish the men in this country could just take a 3 month vacation. Ok, you're working really hard, time to go sit in the living room and have your much-in-need-of-some-fresh-air wives get out and enjoy themselves! Then maybe I could actually have pleasant conversations with the locals here! Instead of basically batting them away with a stick. 

Yesterday, in Ranakpur, a sleepy town (yes they do exist here, crazily) in the middle of a wooded, green valley, I stayed in a cabin-like place, kind of like a little resort, for 10 dollars! It even had a beautiful pool, nestled in the mountains, the sun low in the sky, a perfect balmy time of day for a dip. I ordered a coke and he brought it to me, poolside. I was still wearing my clothes over my suit, waited for him to leave as I started reading my book, deliberately, and after a few nosy questions he wandered away. Then I quickly jumped in the pool in my bathing suit, and no sooner was I in then he was back,cleaning the pool" with a little net. The spotless pool. So he made a real show of that almost the whole time I was trying to relax and actually enjoy my own company... this is the stuff that drives me nuts. Having the same exact conversation on the street with every man; oh by the way every single man here has some relative in NYC, apparently. (hey, its possible)... and they are all good friends with Richard Gere and Bill Murray, both who are reported to have come here to film movies. I have gotten this story at leastat 10 times today. 

I just walked in front outside where there is a huge bazaar selling fabrics, fruits and veggies, silver, etc. It was so crowded and I couldn't help being a little on guard with the whole Saturday/market combo in a more or less large city. Guess I'll just try not to  be in any big cities on Saturdays.

So when I last left off, I was in Pushkar. The night I finished writing that blog entry I went to a rooftop cafe for dinner, happily and surprisingly finding there to be quite a number of backpackers. I sat myself down at the adjoining table of three nice looking lads from Holland, feeling awkward but determined to make a friend or 3. The waiter asked what i wanted when he was taking their order, and they told me to come sit with them! I was so relieved. They were such gentlemanly guys, all reminded me a lot of Kristian (one of my best friends back home). Also met American guys from NYC! Crazy. The next day, I spent the day with my new Dutch friends, managing to be served beer at the restaurant in a supposedly dry town, for religious reasons. I felt kind of bad drinking it there, but they were selling it there, guess making money of tourists is more important. And we had this weird beer called Godfather with a picture of someone on it that looked more like Stalin, and had actual sugar in it as one of the ingredients! The beers here are expensive and kind of sickly sweet.

Anyway, the next day I hiked up to the top of a pretty intense mountain, to the temple at the top. On the way up we passed children asking for school-pens (I gave one my favorite one from China and he was thrilled) and toothless wise old Indian sage-like types sitting down at various points up the way. What a view from there! We chilled at their hotel and swam at their pool when we finally got down, though they had to pay for me too! 

It was so nice to be out with friends, but unfortunately they were not going the same route as myself. That's been the story a lot. Nice American girl the other night travelling on her own but only for one more week! We hurriedly exchanged numbers, but she was on her way to mumbai. I was gutted when she told me that, because right from the start we would have been friends. Oh well. I am getting a grip on myself a little better about being alone, even though I've really been with Lucky most times, and I haven't been totally alone yet. We'll see what I'm like then.

On a random walk through Pushkar, feeling sort of lost and like I didn't belong, I saw something that caught my eye. A music shop, and it advertised lessons! I walked in, everything was covered with dust and there was a guy who couldn't use his legs sitting down on a pillow. I talked to him for a moment and he said that the teacher teaches voice lessons. So next thing you know, I took two lessons in the next 2 days! Classical Indian singing, I learned one full "evening raga" special indian evening traditional song, which required removing all traces of vibrato from my voice, and listening with my most discerning ear to the slightest changes in his voice, happening really quickly, kind of like riffing. He knew what riffing meant when I mentioned Mariah Carey. Or at least he acted like he did. They were very excited while I was there, the whole thing was pretty great. I got a lot of videos of the whole event. 

I was pleased that for those two hours, I felt a sense of productivity and purpose. I think I"m kind of addicted to that. I think it is very very hard for me to just sit back and "relax" it almost depresses me when I try. Just like the sense of total aloneness starts to depress me. I was thinking it is like when they ask if a tree really makes a sound when there is nobody there to hear it fall? If I see a beautiful sunset, or some other spectacular thing, I almost feel like part of me doesn't register that it is beautiful until I say it to someone else, anyone else! Like they have to see it to make it validated. Bizarre. But I guess this is one of those things I'm learning/have learned about myself.

The day I left Pushkar we drove to Udaipur, known for being the "most romantic city in India". Joy of joys. It has a palace lit up in the middle of the lake and lots of candlelit restaurants. I spent the evening watching a really clever and skillful woman balance 10 pots of water on her head and some other women dance around with flames with a trumpet player behind them, and other such things, at a little performance in an old historic building aimed for tourists. But very cool. And after finally talking to Chris for over an hour, made my way out in the dark, though the child who let me out the gate told me nothing was open. I was buying some pringles and a snickers bar for dinner when the guy told me the restaurant upstairs was open. In walked a British guy, and almost immediately i invited him to dinner! Desperation! But he said yes and we talked for the next hour before parting ways. He was just as lonely! There are others like me out there, they are just not going the same direction so far.

Udaipur and Ranakpur had some of the most beautiful marble temples I've ever seen, so much carved into just one piece of marble, its absolutely amazing and can't do it justice with words, I even got a little "artistic" with my camera and used some of the special functions of my new camera! I plan on framing some of these pics, professional looking or not. I better have big walls when I get a new apt (I've also bought even more "antique" artifacts, like i did in china, don't know where this is all fitting but it had better be in Brooklyn!)

The only downside of one temple was a man literally following my every move, until I told him to bugger off. When he left me alone, I had a big smile on my face. I'm learning! 

So that brings me to Jodphur, there are more details but I feel like I'm going on for days, and I'm hungry and I'm going to eat chicken tonight or bust! I am tired of vegetarian food, so far so good knock on wood with me not getting sick, so I"m gonna try chicken tonight. Probably with Lucky again. Built-in friend! Its been really good learning more about him and his family, he's told me a lot of stuff, and it helps give me a better idea of how things work around here, and some of his notions about things compared to mine are pretty humorous to us. I'm pretty lucky honestly (pardon the pun) that I didn't get a seedy guy trying to hit on me. That would have been extremely annoying on a day to day basis, its bad enough on the streets.

So I will go now, until the next time, hopefully to a better ventilated hotel room tonight than last night's beautiful but seriously ant-infested one with no screens on the windows (and i was instructed not to open them because sometimes monkeys jump in while you are sleeping!)... so the 95 degree heat was well sealed in for the duration of the night. I woke up with ants crawling all over me, the sensation was absolutely horrendous. so i got out of bed and basically mummified myself with bedsheets, and one over my head too. and then fell asleep for 2 hours, only to wake in a pool of sweat. So i stumbled out again, moaning, and soaked my sheets in cold water, and re-mummified. Brilliant! It was a natural air conditioner under the fan, i even soaked my shirt and put it on my forehead. Engineers daughter, what can I say. Thought I'd share that proud story with you on my way out of this blog.

Hope you are well, miss you all so much still, though I'm not threatening myself on a daily basis anymore to get out of here and head back home, it is still a daily adventure/struggle, and though I am happy to be doing it, in a way, I will be happy to come home as well. Next up though is a 2 day camel safari from Jaisalmer on Monday, Arjana rides a camel through rough desert terrain for 2 days. yep. and sleeps in the sand. Should be fun, hopefully there's more than just myself on the safari!! I'll let you know how it is. 

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