05/10/05: It's really hot down here...

Hello everyone,

We're in Pondicherry, India near the region of Tamil Nadu - this is the area in Southeast India hardest hit by the Tsunami last December although the city of Pondicherry was spared the damage the coastlines to the north sustained. We had the humbling experience of discussing the Tsunami with our waiter one evening who lost his entire family and home (father, mother, three sisters). He also lost his teaching certificate (he taught English previously) and - as the Indian government bureaucracy will only accept the original - he is working as a waiter (at 1/10th his former pay) to save up to pay for another certificate. It's so frustrating that someone who's had to deal with so much must also be punished by an inflexible system. We tried to help with a cash donation - but it just seems like such a small gesture in the scope of what he is going through.

Pondicherry is a former French colony - and quite beautiful with widestreets, great architecture and friendly people. Unfortunately, when we arrived at 5am in the morning off of an incredibly hot and sticky bus ride (compounded by having a few drinks before we got onto the bus)- there was no vacancy in the first 4 places we looked at (after much banging on the doors far too early for sane people to be awake). The silver lining was that we ended up in a very nice boutique hotel where our room overlooks a nice garden and is gorgeous even including a wooden swing and a daybed inside the room. And a good thing...because it's far too hot to leave the room here. The weather here reminds me of living on the coast of Mississippi in the middle of summer with 100 degree temperatures and 98% humidity where you have to change shirts four times a day. The good news: I have four shirts. The bad news: I only have four shirts.

When last I wrote, we were in Udaipur with a crew of old and new friends from our camel trek. From Udaipur, we left Rajastan and headed for the former Portugese colony/island (everyone had a piece of India at one time seemingly) of Diu off the coast of Gujarat northwest ofMumbai. Diu was an Indian resort town, complete with a not so nice beach - but with so little traffic it was the perfect place for us to rent motorbikes and zip around the island. Deanna, Josie, Tim, myself, and two other guys (Antonio and Basil) we met in Diu easily made up the least intimidating biker gang in the world. It would have helped the image if we hadn't run out of gas twice in the middle of nowhere (not so cool to have your “gang” all pushing their motorbikes up a hill).

From Diu, the gang (Josie, Tim, Deanna, and myself) headed for Mumbai (Bombay). The city is really great - so cosmopolitan and such a mix of Western billboard advertisements and every store you could find at home mixed with traditional India - we went to an overpass where you can look down on the dhobi ghat - where all the laundry in the city is taken to be beaten clean (literally smashed against stone in soapy water)...it's an awesome sight as in the morning there can be 5,000 washers at work. It's also a very expensive city (relative to the rest of India). The first morning we were in Mumbai, we got up before 7am and headed to the Gateway of India to find the “laughterclub”. This club was founded by a doctor who believed in the theory that “laughter is the best medicine” and we just had to check it out. We found a group of elderly folks standing in a circle and doing different laughing exercises - laughing from deep down, laughing like a movie villain, laughing while swinging your arms, etc... - it was strange but laugher is contagious and it really did seem like a nice way to start the day (for other people that is...I wasn't about to wake up for it again). The other highlight of India was going out for Tim's birthday - we made a reservation at a great restaurant (Indigo) and then thought we'd hit the great Bombay nightlife - which apparently isn't so happening on Monday nights but we still managed to have a really great time helped in no small part by great company and our good friend alcohol. So no Bollywood A-lister sightings...next time though.

From Mumbai, we sadly said goodbye to Tim and Josie and jumped on a 25 hour train ride (for once, a really comfortable journey - we sprang for the A/C car) all the way to the city of Mysore in southern/central India. This is an area where the Muslim maharaja's were not under the direct control (for the most part) of either the Mughal empire or the British. There is an absolutely fantastic palace in Mysore - room after room whose pictures belong in a coffee table book. I think it's my favorite palace in India (and on this trip so far for that matter). The only problem is it's summer vacation and there are thousands upon thousands of Indian tourists in the city trying to see exactly what you are - and they don't believe in waiting in lines of any sort. This was again the case when we visited the Chamundi temple where we were pulled out of line and suspiciously given VIP treatment which all became clear...when we were asked for a donation - which we gave. And then led to the rooftop of the temple for a great view of the city when we were approached by the priest and marked on the forehead...and of course asked for a donation - which we gave. Finally, we were about to leave and then the “guide” mentioned that all our offerings were for the temple - not him personally...and we were asked for a fee. I refused the outrageous amount asked for and got into a slight argument with the “guide” over ethics and the nuances of the word “donation”. It was very disheartening to leave a holy place like a temple feeling cheated - but I did slight penance when an Indian family (actually waiting in a line) asked me to help them get some communal water that was on our side of the rope barrier - after pouring out four cups and serving them on a tray - I felt much better. It's the small things.

Okay - back to Pondicherry after the bus ride, we've had a great time eating the good food and trying to stay indoors. We visited an ashram(temple) devoted to Sri Aurobindo and “The Mother” who are definitely heads of a cult in my mind. The ashram owns several hotels, a printing press, and even started a colony (commune) of an “ideal village” on the outskirts of Pondicherry where everyone works together for the common good. I think we'll check it out today - send help if you don't hear from me in the next month. It's rather fascinating though that people are still following the teachings of this couple - one of whom died in 1950 and the other in 1973 - particularly when their philosophy doesn't sound too compelling.

From here, we're heading to the Southernmost tip of India and then planning to travel north up the western coast through Kerala and then Goa. I haven't had a chance to upload pictures as I have not found a good connection...I'll definitely try to remedy the situation soon. Hope everyone is doing well!