And the journey continues...

So we got back from Varanasi yesterday. The rough landing in Delhi caused me to freak out a little, to the great amusement to the guy sitting next to me who had snored and stolen my armrest the whole way through... There was also some Buddhist monk sitting in first class... So much for giving up material possessions...

My ipod got wiped as I was backing the songs up onto my computer, so I will be spending 4 lonely months in South Asia without Travis and all his glory to keep me company. I was able to salvage about a third of the songs though, so it shouldn't be too bad.

We were planning on going to Agra for a few days to see the Taj Mahal and the surrounding areas, so we got our train ticket online and overpaid for a tuk-tuk to take us to the train station. After waiting for a few hours, I found a nice little hand-written sign in Hindi at the Enquiry counter where all I could understand was our train number, and the 16:10 departure time crossed out and replaced with 23:10... 7 hours was a little much to wait at the train station. If we would have taken that train and arrived in Agra at 2am, we probably would have been so exhausted that we wouldn't have enjoyed the sunrise at the Taj. Instead, we over-paid a tuk-tuk to take us to a hotel in the center of Delhi (free wi-fi! Skype date with anyone who wants tomorrow!). We got a taxi to pick us up from here at 2am (yeah... 4 hours from now... why aren't I sleeping?), so we should make it to the Taj Mahal for sunrise, and before all the hordes of day tourists arrive, which should be really nice. My nice camera's making a weird sound, though - I think something is loose in the lens... I really hope it'll survive tomorrow, and the next four months...

Originally we were going to go to Tawang, on the border with China and Bhutan, but we only got confirmation that we had received our permits TODAY, so weren't able to book our flights or anything. Since it's such an ordeal getting there (1 plane ride and 2 days in the car each way) we figured it wasn't worth it, especially if we were going to lose a day or two getting our travel arrangements sorted out. So no work in the orphanage up there, sadly. Maybe on the next trip to India I'll go to that region - anyone care to join? (Amber, I'm talking to you...).

We booked our flights to Leh, departing on Thursday. We'll fly there and sort of play it by ear for the next couple of weeks. It's supposed to be really nice, high up in the mountains of Kashmir. We'll probably spend some days in Leh, then start driving back down to Delhi, making stops in Himachal Pradesh along the way. The road between Leh and Delhi goes up to 5000m, so it promises to be beautiful.

One fun thing that happened while in Varanasi was my visit to a really cool NGO called the Sankat Mochan Foundation. It was started by a Professor of Hydraulic Engineering in the 70s, and is an effort to clean up the Ganges in Varanasi, and eventually beyond the city, too. The professor, Dr. Veer Bhadra Mishra, is basically a guru in the area, very respected. I wanted to get some information about the organization, so I walked over there with some Indian kid who had come with me. The office was closed so we went to this little house a few feet away (walking past a dead body covered by a sheet, may I add...) and in the room was the Guru, dressed all in white, having a meeting with a half dozen men. He waved me in, I sat down, and he talked to me for a few minutes about who I was, what I was doing, what I wanted to know about the organization, etc. While I was talking to him someone came in and laid on the floor in front of him and kissed his feet! It was crazy to be talking to the Water Guru of Varanasi! It was really fun to meet this guy who's such an icon in the area, although it was a little awkward to crash his meeting.

All in all, India continues to amaze me. I am definitely on sensory overload, partly because of the proximity of this trip to my African odyssey, but also because I know so little about Indian culture itself. Africa is so much easier for me to understand, because I've studied its history and culture for years. India, on the other hand, is just surprise after surprise. I'm really glad I'll be spending so much time here, so that I can really get to know it on a deeper, more intimate level.

I'll end with a quote from Salman Rushdie in his book 'Midnight Children.' He describes the streets of Amritsar, and the same description of sensory overload could be made of Varanasi:

"The holy city of Amritsar smelled of excrement. Amristar dung was fresh and redundant. Nor was it all bovine. It issued from the rumps of the horses between the shafts of the city's many tongas, ikkas, and gharries; and mules and men and dogs attended nature's calls, mingling in a brotherhood of shit. But there were cows, too: sacred kine roaming the dusty streets, each patrolling its own territory, staking its claims in excrement. And flies! Public Enemy Number One, buzzing gaily from turd to steaming turd. Spicy sweet fumes rose from a street-snack barrow."

Varanasi

Here we are in Varanasi, on the (sometimes septic) Ganges River. The city is a mixtures of highs and lows.
The highs:
Beautiful and spiritual.
The Lows:
Dirtiest place I've ever seen - never really thought that where there are thousands of animals roaming the street there will also be crap everywhere. And I mean everywhere.
It's also pretty damn hot, but ah it's manageable.

We've basically spent the past few days getting lost here. Saw the burning ghat where the bodies are burned before the ashes are thrown into the river - pretty amazing sight. Tonight we'll be going to an Indian music concert, which should be fun. We also took a couple of boat rides on the Ganges - one at sunrise and one at sunset, which were both lovely. The city is only really alive in the morning and evening, since it's so hot during the day, so it's really nice to see people out, bathing, washing clothes, etc. The constant harassing is pretty annoying, but such is life.

We'll be here for another 2 days or so, and we get back to Delhi on Monday to get my second rabies shot. We may try to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal on Tuesday if we have time before we go off to either Tibet or Kashmir, but we shall see.

All in all, I'm really liking it here - not sick yet (knock on wood) and the heat is totally bearable.

Also, found out my internship is near Hoshiarpur, in Punjab, for those who may want to Google map my every move (I know, I know, you guys just miss me that much...). Planning on finding someone to teach me Bhangra so I can impress JB and join a Swiss Banghra team someday.

Incredible India!

I've been in India for 24 hours, and it's already living up to expectations.

We got on standby from Geneva to Amsterdam, which was nice since the flight was overbooked. We got the seats next to the emergency exits - extra leg room :) for free :) :) We also got some special seats on the way to Delhi - extra leg room and no one else in our row. Great start to the trip.

This morning we had to get to the hospital to get my rabies shot. I got the prescription from the doctor, went to the little pharmacy in the hospital to buy it and brought it back to be administered. Good thing they read the box before giving it to me - the pharmacy had given me the wrong vaccine! Hmmm... Eventually got the right thing, and it only cost 8 dollars (beats the 300 that it would cost in the States!)

This afternoon we went to a bazaar in Old Delhi and it was incredible - the smells, the people, the clothes, everything - so intense. We spent a couple of hours getting lost in no-mzungu land side streets, trying to avoid getting hit by every kind of vehicle you could imagine. 'Trying' is the key word. I ended up getting sandwiched between two rickshaws going in opposing directions! I escaped with just a few scratches and bicycle grease all over my pants, which thankfully came off with a little African-style scrubbing in the sink at the hotel.

Ended the day with some food in the bazaar. It was a sit-down restaurant but with all the amenities of street food - ie bug in my rice. But hey, protein, right?

All in all, it has been a wonderful first day in India. I'm SO excited for all that the next 4 months have in store for me. Tomorrow we fly to Varanasi, on the Ganges, where we will spend a little under a week before coming back to Delhi to get my second rabies shot. India is a lot how I imagined it to be, but just that much more intense with the smells and the sounds all around. The poverty is shocking, but I think spending a month and a half in Africa before this has softened the blow a little. Africa has also taught me that poverty does not equal misery, and the life all around in Delhi has confirmed that. Although both poverty and misery definitely do exist, they do not automatically go together, and the beauty of this place has really confirmed that.

Dear Africa

Dear Africa, you helped me write this by showing me to give is priceless - K'Naan

I got back to Geneva yesterday morning, but not without the power going off about 5 times in the Kampala airport as I waited to check in. TIA. As soon as I got back I DEVOURED an entire jar of pickles. I really missed vinegar. Then was a nice tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil salad with balsamic vinegar. Raw and cold foods will never again be under-appreciated.

Now that I'm back in the safety of my room with a fast internet connection, I should take advantage of it and write a little about my last couple of weeks in Africa. Let me start with my final bus ride home in Kigali. As a few of us waited for the bus to Kimironko, some school kids started walking behind us. Two kids, independently of each other and about a minute apart, just bent down and pet the back of my legs. Yeah. Pet them.

After leaving Kigali we drove down to Kibuye for a nice relaxing few days on the shores of Lake Kivu. TIAC - This Is Almost Congo. We're so clever.
Our hotel was pretty awesome with amazing views. We went swimming in Lake Kivu and hung out with some German honeymooners for a little while (read: crashed their honeymoon). Then we pretty much sat by the water with beers, K'Naan and Bob Marley playing, and loving Africa for the rest of the evening. Perfect.
That night we decided to be BALLER and throw a party. It had everything a good party should have - dirty dancing, drama, hookups, random people showing up, alcohol-induced illness into Lake Kivu, everyone sleeping in different rooms, and more unspeakables. It was very freshman year, but hey, we had a blast.

After driving back to Southern Uganda we went to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Within 5 minutes of entering we saw a lion! Then we went on a boat ride and saw some hippos and an elephant family - really made me want to re-watch the Secret Life of Elephants. Best. Show. Ever. That night was probably one of the funniest nights of the trip. We got to our hostel and got assigned the room right behind a big light. Well bugs like light, right? We didn't notice until later that the entire wall, floor, and ceiling in front of our door was MOVING! We ran through a cloud of bugs to our room and fumigated it with some 98% DEET, only to be told a few minutes of suffocation later that we could change rooms. So we did, and it was still pretty dirty and bed-bug infested, but hey, such is life. Probably the best part of the night though was when, at around 11pm, a lion ROARED! Schaelee thought we were going to die, naturally, and jumped on the top bunk faster than I've ever seen anyone do anything. Fortunately, we survived our little ordeal. The next day we saw a leopard, an elephant family, and like 8 lions just chillin' in the grasslands.

That day we drove back to Mbarara and watched the worst refereeing I've ever seen in a World Cup final. Poor Oranje. :( But at least we were entertained by seeing a boda driver drive past us while chugging a bottle of beer.

We finally got back to Kampala two days after the bombings, and that is how the program ended. Well it really ended with everyone leaving and Shaelee and I spending one last night in our lonely little hotel. It's nice to finally be back (I couldn't bring myself to take a fully warm shower, though. Cold showers are not too bad after all). Yesterday I ran some errands, ran into a few people in town, and started getting ready for India. I'm going to get a new computer since my internship wants me to have one and I was planning on getting one once I got back anyway. Built-in webcam here I come, for all of your viewing pleasure.

Kampala Bombings

Just a little note to say that I'm fine. I was in Southern Uganda, not in Kampala. I'm back in Kampala now though, flying home tomorrow night. Everything seems fine here. I'll write more about my final few days on the trip later.

"God said to Abraham, 'kill me a son,'
Abe said 'Man, you must be putting me on.'
God said 'No,' Abe said 'What?'
God said 'You can do what you want, but the next time you see me coming you better run.'" - Highway 61 - Bob Dylan


I miss Gulu. I loved the small town, rural feel of northern Uganda. I hope I'll be able to go back at some point.

We've talked a lot during our classes about what we would do if we were in a situation like in 1994. Would we evacuate with all the other white people, just because we have a blue or red passport? Or would we stay, risk our lives, and potentially save some in the process? What makes people stay, while so many leave?
I had a dream the night after that conversation (which was started because of a documentary we watched called 'Ghosts of Rwanda') where I was put in that situation. I was on the border between Uganda and Rwanda with my 1-month-old Gulu brother on my back and one Gulu 4-year-old in each arm. The UN was blocking my way and kept saying that I could cross the border but they couldn't, they weren't American/Swiss/White. I was screaming at the 'casque bleu' to let me through, that these were my kids. Then I woke up. I'd like to think I would do that in real life, but who knows...

I went to the Hotel des Milles Collines the other day to watch the Ghana-Uruguay game. It was so eery. It's just a luxury hotel with rich people everywhere, people laughing. How could anyone be there and act as if it was just another place? The pool is the same. The same as in the movie Hotel Rwanda. The same as in 1994. People drank the water out of that pool to survive. I wish I could upload the picture of the pool, with the name of the hotel at the bottom of it. It's freaky.

Yesterday morning was church. An attempt was made to convert me to born-again Christianity. For 4 and a half hours. I won't go into detail but I was offended by a lot of what was said (ex: The Holocaust was the consequence of the Jews killing Jesus...) and not too happy about being put in that situation.

2 more days in Kigali before we go to Kibuyem, and then back to Uganda.

Starting to think more about this whole South Asia trip. I'm so excited but 4 months?! Damn.
If anyone who is going to be in the area wants to meet up (Sujath, I'm looking at you), here are my tentative dates:

• July 19th-August 18th: Delhi, Varanasi, Tawang

• August 18th ish-August 22nd: Delhi (KOMAL - will you be there then? Can we love each other, Indian street food-style?)

• August 23rd-October 15th: Internship in Punjab

• October 16th-November 17th: Nepal (EVALINE - see you there?)