More post-India thoughts

I sleep so much better now... the silence ..no honking cars and other traffic sounds all night.
So much more space everwhere ...so much less people ..I love it!
No salesmen that are in your face all the time.
I know what I am paying for ..and no strange tips for the stupidest things.
Internet that works properly and isn't slow as h...
..and more PRIVACY!!!
Well, the list can go on.
Still dealing with reality back home though. ...and it's not all easy. But atleast it's easier to manage from here.

My first few days of adjustments

So now I have been home for almost a week. There have been some adjustments. First of all, I didn't celebrate Christmas this year, for personal reasons. But I've had some good relaxing time. Well, I went back to work the day after working night. That was ok. Felt weird to be back.

I went to an ice hockey game... and that was really nice. It has been something that I had missed. My favourite team Frölunda Indians (ironic name, even though it's referring to the Native American Indians) beat one of the archrivals, Färjestad.

My stomach is getting re-adjusted to the Swedish food now. But it's all good. I have missed a lot of the food back home.
..and of course the cold Swedish weather. Even though summer is my favourite season, I do really love my share of cold weather too. So I don't mind the cold weather we have now... or the dark. But I'll get tired of it in a few months though.

After being in India I realised even more how much I need to do to help other people that are in need. I also realised how corrupt and dysfunctional some aspects of the Indian society is. Money that is donated for charity disappears sometimes. So how can one help? There are many great Non Government Organisations that do a great job, and where the money is used wisely, and reported so that people can know where the money goes.
I will donate money to one of these organisations, the one I worked at while in India - Family Services Centre. ..and I urge any volunteers to do the same. It is for a great cause. ..and I see it as very trust worthy. Go to the web site and the information needed will be there.

http://www.scmm09.org/main/genPage.php?page=33e75ff09dd601bbe69f351039152189


And yes, I will continue to write on this blog a little while longer. There are still things that are needed to be said. :)

My last hours... Almost stranded in Bombay/ Back home!

So I am back home! It feels great, weird, bizarre ..and in a way like I never left. My life here and the life I had back in India is so different.

Well, after my last post I did go out and tried to enjoy Colaba and Bombay a little before it was time to head back. I went on a horse and carriage ride ... Got offered hashish from a drug dealer for the last time, and women from a pimp for the last time. Had the urge to punch them both really hard in the face ...but I just ignored them and walk away.
I did buy a few of those giant balloons from the salesmen that I was so annoyed with a while ago ...I did buy some magic balls from this guy named Amaad, that had tried to sell me those for four months now.

I had my last dinner at Leopold's.... and since it was crowded I had the opportunity to share tables with Lotta and Lisa, two young girls from the Netherlands. They had been in India doing volunteer work, and were also going home the next day. I also spent parts of the my last evening with Vincent and Santosh from my hostel, at the Sports Bar in Colaba.

Early Sunday morning I took the taxi to the airport. I was worried that i would have overweight luggage, so I brought an empty cardboard box so I could mail some stuff home. I had been trying to get a scale so that I could weigh my luggage, but a normal bathroom scale is as rare as a garbage bin in this city. So I wasn't able to do it.... and guess what, I had 17 kilos of overweight! Daaarn! ..and no damn post office in the airport. I almost got stranded in Bombay for an uncertain time because I almost had to cancel my flight. I had to solve the 17 kilo overweight somehow... in the matter of minutes. I panicked and got upset and had my emotions running. I already wore extra clothing with extra big pockets, that I now had to stuff even more. ...and with some magic, supportive Finnair crew and by throwing some stuff away I managed... I probably wore 20 kilos of luggage in the pockets of my clothes, and I got away with an extra carry-on in the form of a plastic bag, plus things I stuffed in my lap top bag. ...I looked like no other at that airport.
Then I had to cut in line and hurry through the many security checks (with very surprised guards). I was the very last one to board the plane ...in fact, the plane was waiting for me, and when I boarded they announced on the speakers that all passengers were now on board. Of course I had my seat almost in the very back. I still can't believe that I actually made it. (This was the short version of what I had to go through).

In the airplane I sat down by Henrik and Nadia, a really cool young Swedish couple from Stockholm that I had met while back in Bombay, and once again yesterday, and again at the airport. We talked about our experiences from India, and about various aspects about Indian culture and politics - both good and bad.

The plane went through Helsinki, Finland on the way back too ...and I was able to breath sweet Finnish air once again. At the airport I was able to hear good ol' Göteborgish accent being spoken again ..and that melted my heart and I was even more ready to come home.

My parents, my brother Jonny, and my friends Alexander and Emelie welcomed me at the airport. Alexander and Emily had a bottle of Swedish Julmust soda, Swedish candy, and Swedish gingerbread cookies for me... so nice :)
I was also greeted by the cold and rainy West coast Swedish weather. But it was all good. I was back home! ...and wow, I suddenly got the feeling that Christmas was actually on the door step!

I will continue posts for a while and write some post India thoughts.... and other thoughts about the India issue. Please read them :)

My final week in India! / The dungeons of the Indian Post Office

The time has come for me to return to Sweden after my four months in India. The flight leaves tomorrow morning. It feels so weird.

This week has been a week of farewells. One of the most emotional one was probably the one with a 1,5 year old little girl that is out in foster care, awaiting adoption. I have done home visits to her foster home and done progress reports almost weekly. She has improved so much during these four months. ..and I have drawn closer to her all the time. I almost considered adopting her myself :) She was at the hospital when I paid her the last visit. I held her and played with her and had lots of fun with her. I had to hold back the tears when it was time to leave. I wish her a good future and that she will come to a good loving adoptive home.

I said good bye to some of the kids in the slum communities... they will really be missed. I really loved those fellas. I'll miss my weekly visits to the slums.

Went to my barber in Byculla for the last time ..to trim my hair and get shaven. I got some type of special treatment this time. Totally unexpected he takes the scissors and stick the in the nose a bit and trims my nose hair! ..that was a different experience.
It turns out that even this barber has this electrical massage thing that he puts on his hand and it vibrates. I got my head, back, arms, hands, and chest massaged.

I spent Friday night with Katja and Julia, the Swiss girls. We went to Hard Rock Cafe here in Bombay. I finally made it there. I liked the place. It was in an old big wear house. It was way too expensive though... as any Hard Rock Cafe.

I took farewell of the people of TISS (Tata institute of Social Sciences) and the staff at FSC (Family Services Centre) where I had my internship. I liked those people :) I had a good time at the FSC, and it has been a great learning experience.

I have been stressed and have slept way too little every night this week. I have been stressed when it comes to get things ready ...packing and shipping things home. I have gathered so many things during my four months here.. so I had to ship loads of things.
The post office here can be a ...quiet draining. When I mailed packages last Thursday I went to the third floor of one of the post office....
First I had to sit and wait until something happened... I guess it turned out that they had lunch ... and didn't really inform that but just sat there. Then it was time to get my stuff ready.
First I had to go to one person and open my packages and show the content. Then I had to go to second person to get some forms stamped, then to a third person who sew a cloth around my packages (standard procedure here in India)- and then pay him for that, then I had to go to a forth person who sealed it with wax - and pay him too. Then I went to a fifth person who weighed my packages, stamped them signed them, and the finally to a sixth person who I paid the whole thing too. Don't remember for how long I was in there.

I went back there yesterday.... They open at 10am... but they really didn't get ready until 11am, so I just had to sit there for an hour while they were all getting ready ..slowly ..very slowly. Then the same procedure as the day before, with some minor changes. Same thing earlier today...

I will do some various activities my last evening here... and I'll write about them later... since I'm not sure I will be able to do them all.

Wow.... tomorrow morning. I'm a little nervous.. and excited. I'm so looking forward to see my family and friends again. ...and so many other things.
But I have also felt uneasy with going home too.. dealing with things and issues that has been "hibernating" while I have been here in India. Some of the things I have been able to be distracted from since there has been so much going on here ...but now I have to deal with them again. Back to reality. Some issues I am happy to deal with though, since I at the same have time felt helpless in some other issues, not being able to deal with them being so far from it.

Well, got to go... got to have fun here in Bombay for a few hours more!

Swordsmen in the Golden Temple, Monty Python by the Pakistani border, and Taj Mahal.

I arrived to Amritsar in Punjab around 3 am... two hours late. I took a bike rickshaw to the old part of town, close to the Golden Temple... and checked in to the first hotel that was still open and had space. I slept for a few hours.

In the morning I went for a walk, and decided to visit the Golden Temple even before having breakfast. I really enjoyed the sunset and the morning mist, and thought that it would be a good time to visit the temple. ...and it truly was. It was magic.
The Golden Temple was in the middle of a big pond, surrounded by a walkway and walls. The atmosphere was serene and nice... oriental and I was in such a good mood. The temple is the Sikh's holiest place by the way. Various types of Sikhs were there worshiping - everything from simple turban bearing Sikhs to the ones with whole outfits, including large swords. Men were bathing in the pond. Religious chants could be heard from the speakers on one side, and on the other side there were male singers singing some other types of chants or religious songs.
...once again, it was magic.

I walked on the bridge in to the temple itself and walked around. In there in the middle of the floor were the three men that could be heard from the speakers on one side of the complex. Two of them were also playing some type of electrical organs, and the third was playing on some drums. To the front left from them there were two other men performing some type of ritual with clothes. On the second floor there was some guru sitting and reading from the Sikh's holy scripture with a group of worshipers following along in their own books. On the third floor there was an other guru, but he was reading silently for himself.

I ate, walked around in the area, and went back to the temple later during the day, so that I could see it during bright sunlight too. Amritsar was way cool. I loved all the exotic and exiting clothing styles, and seeing men walking around with large swords on the side. Maybe I should start that fad in Sweden?

In the afternoon I took a shared jeep to Attari, where the India-Pakistani border crossing is. People usually go there to watch the afternoon border-closing ceremony. The Lonely Planet says similarities can be seen with Monty Pythons Ministry of Silly Walks sketch. That is so true.. and I would add that it also reminded me of roosters moving around trying to intimidate each others with their moves.
Indian ad Pakistani border soldiers to this funny marching back and forth on each side of the border. They were kicking with their legs and swinging their arms high. It was quiet entertaining and funny.
the crowds on both sides get patriotic and yells patriotic slogans. It was almost like attending football game.

In the evening I took the night train to Agra. There I got to know some cool guys from Delhi, Rahul, Sumit, Atul, and "Mr. Singh" (din't catch his first name)...yes, Delhi seemed to have trustworthy people after all (a joke - sure there are even more out there).

The train was late to Agra the following morning. I haven't taken a long distance train in India that has been on time. The only sight that I really partook of was... of course THE Taj Mahal. It was a long journey just to see one sight, but it was all worth it. It was an impressive sight and I am happy that I made it there. But it really wasn't fully as breath taking since I've already traveled so much and seen so much already. But I loved the Taj anyway.

I took the train back to Delhi at night and went to the airport, where I spent the night. I slept on three chairs with my head resting on my suitcase that was on a cart. Well, it was for free and better than the floor. In the morning I took the plane back to Bombay ..for my last week in India.

It was really nice to be able to travel around for a week. It was an adventure and I don't regret it. But I feel that I am done with India now. For various reasons. ...and I do feel more and more lonely now.

High security in Cold Kashmir

I usually don't have problems with flying. But the plane trip to Srinagar in Kashmir was different. I guess that the terror attacks in Bombay did have a larger effect than I thought. I was more sensitive and my stomach tightened every time the plane tilted a little to much or made an unexpected move. I also felt a little uneasy with the height looking down from the plane when it was about to land. I was okay most of the time though.
Fire crackers have also made me feel more uncomfortable when I hear them explode. As a reflex I associate it with gun shots.

Anyway, Kashmir is a high security area. When i arrived at the airport I had to report my arrival at a special desk, and fill in a form. I have to write down where I was going to stay, when I planned to leave the area, my purpose for the visit, and so on.
The military was everywhere in Srinagar. More than in Bombay after the terror attacks.

It was really cold in Srinagar. It is up in the Himalayas after all, and it was far from being tourist season there at the moment. But I guess that it made my visit more unique, and more of a cultural experience (since it was foggy and cloudy most of the time I was there ... and rainy. ...and cold).

I lived in a houseboat on Dal Lake during my stay there. it felt very exotic ..and reminded me of some of the winter hikes in cottages out in the woods, that I made as a youngster. The nights were a little too cold though.

Farooq was the man that was taking care of the place and me while I was there. I took it easy on my first day, and had dinner with him and his family at night. On the next day I went on a shikar ride (a type of boat that the locals use). My Lamanvol (paddler) was Tanver, a pretty cool young man that was working extra. The ride was nice and interesting... even though the the clouds hid most of the mountains. It would have been totally gorgeous during the summer. Not only with the mountains, but also with the greenery and the "floating" parks on the lakes. After a tour in the lake we went to the Old Town and walked around there for a while. It was a Muslim holiday, and since Kashmir is heavily Muslim, most places were closed. As part of the holiday they kill sheep and eat it. So here and there there were guts and lungs and other inner parts of the sheep laying around on the ground ..or floating in the water, close to the harbour. I have no idea why they didn't clean up after themselves.

We went back to the boat and continued to other parts of the city... parts of Srinagar that could have reminded me of Venice with all its canals and buildings next to the water. But it rather felt like a flooded post war WW2 Eastern European city. ....like somewhere up in the Transylvanian mountains. It had a cool feeling to it though ..even if it once again would be a lot nicer during the Summer.

The next day I walked up the Shankaracharya Hill. It was foggy and a little rainy, but it was a nice promenade. There's a Hindu temple on top, but I would have been more interested of the view, that would have been fantastic if it wasn't because of the weather. I did get a decent view over the city and the lake on the way day though. ..and I enjoyed all the flocks eagles flying close over my head.
After that I went in to town and walked around and looked and shopped a little. There were soldiers everywhere. It felt like about 5 percent of the people on the streets were armed soldiers. I think that it's an even higher high security area because of the elections that were coming up the following weekend.

I might have visited Srinagar the wrong part of the year, but I don't regret going. I rather have visited it on the wrong time than not at all ..and it did feel like an adventure after all. It really did have a Central Asian atmosphere to it all ... with all the Kashmiri and other regional clothes ...and with all the military present.

I left for Jammu further south on Friday morning, by shared jeep. It was me, the driver and eight other passengers. I had planned to catch up on some sleep and read during the seven hour journey, but there wasn't much of that. I was so amazed by the view from the window once the weather cleared further south. I finally got a clear view of the mountains ..including the Himalayas. The jeep even made a special stop for me so that I could take photos. I sooo enjoyed that journey along the mountains ...where the roads could go to the left and right and up and down and back again. ...with Indian music being played in the car stereo.

Along large parts of the road there where still many soldiers ..with military posts on a regular basis. At one of the road blocks, foreigners were supposed to report in, and a soldier stopped the jeep and looked in to the car. The guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder and I got ready to take out my passport, when the soldier suddenly asked the driver to move on. I guess I looked somewhat Kashmiri with my outfit and dark unshaven beard and sitting in the shadows ...that or he didn't bother.

I had a few hours to kill in Jammu, before taking the train to Punjab. Jammu was a pretty interesting town, and I saw some really interesting things... but just the few hours that I spent there was enough.

Can anybody be trusted in Delhi?

So I started my last tour around new places in India before going home to Sweden. Well, I'll still spend my last week in Bombay.

I haven't really planned too much ahead, and had not gotten the various tickets to the places that I wanted to visit. Only the return plane ticket to Delhi. That was because of lack of time and lack of energy. But I planned this last trip for a while, and I didn't want to give it up. The first part of the journey, Dehli, was a city that almost everyone not from there seemed to hate.

It started well though. I didn't decide what part of of town to look for hotels, until soon before it was time for the plane to land. I looked through the Lonely Planet real fast and decided on the Paharganj area. I got a cheap hotel for 250 Rupees a night at the Main Bazaar street. The bathroom was not in rally bad shape, but the room itself was perfectly okey ..for the price. The hotel had the ironic name Star Palace. I met Tim, a Canadian guy from Vancouver, at the hotel. He was heading home the next day, after touring India and Nepal for three months. The hanged out the first part of the day and checked out some of the Main Bazaar shops, and had lunch together. I liked the Main Bazaar street. It had its charm, and was above expectation.

I spent the remaining day on my own. I wanted to see some sights and took an autorickshaw to Humayun's Tomb. It was a pretty cool place. My rickshaw driver was supposed to wait for me outside and take me to the Red Fort. But he had called a friend and he picked me up instead. Not much to do so I went along. The Red Fort was closed so I watched it from the outside for a short time before heading back. On the way back the rickshaw driver took me to a shop, where I didn't buy anything. Refused other shop visits, but was okay with a stop at a travel agency, since he said that it was under the Government (which turned out later to be a lie). I talked to a agent there, and I agreed on a package deal, believing it to be okay because it suposedly was a government agency. It was way expensive, but I guess I liked to have it done for me, and less for me to worry about. The package included all the places that I wanted to visit. Srinagar and Jammu in Kashmir, Amritsar in Punjab, and Agra (Taj Mahal). My Rickshaw driver wanted 500 Rupees for his job when we got back. What a crook. Sure he spent a few hours driving me, but he didn't deserve that much money for it. I gave him 250, and that was still good I think.

I was about to end my day at a roof top restaurant, eating dinner. There I meat a man that started to talk to me.... and I'm gonna try to keep the story as short as possible. When finding out that I was going to go to Srinagar, Kashmir, and what agency I was using, he got "upset" and said that they were the biggest crooks in Delhi. He was calling a police friend and was going to help me out. He suggested me to cancel my credit card and he was going to send a policeman with me to the travel agency the following morning. He claimed that he himself was working for the Government. I thought that this man was a Good Samaritian who was concerned for me. He asked me to meet up with him at the Lakshmi Narayan temple the next morning. That was supposed to be a "safe place" (plus the fact that he lived close by it turns out).

I met up with him there, and we went back to the roof top restaurant where we met. While having my breakfast he continued to describe the plan that he started to tell me at the temple. While talking to him it turns out that he had a hidden agenda. He also acted like a travel agent, and suggested some yoga or meditation course in Himachal Pradesh ..and wanted me to go there. I was not interested. Then he had plans for the places that I wanted to visit.. and had this friend that could help me. I turned it all down. I wanted to do it myself. But then he wanted money for "helping" me and to pay for the policeman to come along. In other words, baksheesh - a bribe or "tip". I was disapointed to hear that corruption was part of this, but I was so involved in this that I didn't know what to do. He also wanted me to ask for 1000 Euros in compensation from the travel agency for the "pain" that they have caused me. I did not feel comfortable with that. It didn't feel right.

What happened then I have no idea really ...we waited for the police outside a police station ...the policeman came along in a rickshaw to the travel agency. But then for some reason he stepped out half way and asked the driver to continue to the destination. What the heck???

..and to keep it short. I did end up buying the package deal anyway. Long story why..ask me later if you want. Was it over priced? Most likely. But it felt okay, and I got someone else to do the work for me. Those weren't the only two reasons... as I said. Long story. I did get a Delhi city tour as part of the price though. A young guy called "Raj" was the driver. He took me to various sights and places in Delhi and New Delhi.. and it was pretty cool. Besides the visit to Jama Masjid Mosque. Well, the Mosque itself was cool, but the way there ..the traffic ... the crowds ..it was Hell .. a Hell worse than Bombay ...believe it or not. The tour car stopped a bit from the place and I had to take a bike rickshaw there. ..because it was so crowded. It was supposed to take me to the Red Fort too so I could see it so I just wanted to go back.

Afterwards I took a random short trip on the Delhi Metro. I wanted to experience the Indian Metro, something I in all honesty didn't think that India would have. I picked a station with a cool name, Vishwa Vidyalaya,and went there and back. It was a little like the New York metro actually.

Oooh... and how could I forget, during the tour I ran in to a snake charmer again, when I was about to eat at a restaurant. This time I got even better photos, and this time I was able to pet the cobra! :)

On Tuesday morning I was dropped of at the airport by "Raj". My next destination would be Srinagar upp in Kashmir by the Himalayas.

Who to trust in Delhi? I don't know... so many of them here seemed to have their own agendas in what they did. ..and I have to agree with those who didn't like Delhi. Even though I did see some cool things (including things not mentioned in this post), I really think that Delhi really doesn't have much to offer if you're visiting other places in India too.

Oh... and I never got back to the man from the roof top restaurant, the man I believed to be a Good Samaritian.

Ambivalence

Sebastian went home today. Our university allowed to go home earlier if we wanted to and still get our credits. I support his decision and understand why. Things just aren't the same after the terror attack. I have lost a lot of my energy and motivation to be here. It has been really draining. It does not mean that I can't have fun or enjoy the rest of my time here though. Because I am staying here until the 21st, as planned. I am looking forward to going home ...but I'm just not ready yet. It would have been to abrupt for me ...and I still have things I need to finish up here.

Went to a peace march held here last night, held by the Gateway of India, and close to the Taj Mahal Hotel. There were about 20'000 people there, and very crowded. The atmosphere was sometimes very heated, and sometimes very peaceful. The various crowds with people of various opinions were mingled together. I could come in to a crowd where people were shouting anti Pakistani slogans or "We want war! We want war! We want war!" The next crowd could emphasize the unification of the various religions in India, and had Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians, walk side by side for the same cause.
At other places people were putting candles in the ground.

Common for many of the people was that they wanted a change, and that they were disappointed and angry at their government. I'm really not impressed by the Indian politicians in general myself.

I was interviewed by TV again. This time by Times Now. It was actually by accident. Some woman came to me and said "Do you want to see something on TV?" and looked very concerned. I thought it was something important that had to do with me being a westerner or something, so I said yes. But it turned out that she said "Do you want to SAY something on TV?" My co-worker told me today that she saw me on TV again. The interview... plus one part where Sebastian and I were walking towards the protest. We stood out as two tall white boys amongst a crowd of shorter Indians.

I walked around with a white t-shirt that said "Mumbai meri jaan" (I love Bombay in Hindi), to show my support. That caught a lot of attention since I was a white westerner wearing it, and I had a dozen of people photographing me. I still think it's fair of them to do so, since I take photos of strangers myself all the time here. I posed for them.

Anyway, Bombay... the city that I love, and the city that I hate. It won't be the same.

On Sunday I'm flying up north, and I will be touring some areas up there. I have some specific side adventures in mind. Not sure how safe they are or if I'll be able to do them, so I won't post about them here yet.

Refreshimg Goa ...and back to Bombay ...work ..and to Leopold's

The trip to Goa was well needed. I was down in Palolem Beach in southern Goa. I was there with three friends from the hostel I live at. It was Vincent the French guy, and two Indians, Santosh and Abhishek. One of Vincent's French friends joined in too from a different place in India, "Z.Z." (pronounced the French way - "Zet-Zet"). Santosh had a friend who owned a place down there. We shared two beach houses. Pretty simple but perfectly fine. They were actually nicer than most places that I have stayed in here in India.

I took the night bus down by myself, and met up with them in Madgaon, before heading down to Palolem. My thoughts were to a good degree still back in Bombay. I enjoyed my first day in Goa. But only to a degree. I needed to refresh my head from what had happened, but I still couldn't allow myself to let it go completely. It would feel weird. But that day on the beach, doing various activities, and being with those guys did help.
At night we could enjoy a house music party held further south down the beach. I partied for a long time. Fortunately it was not one of those stereotypical free loads of drugs party (or I would have left). It was more of a normal and legal party. The way I like it.

I was supposed to go home the following day, but I missed out on taking the bus back, since it went from further north, were I originally planned to stay. I didn't mind missing it though, and staying for an other day. I really needed it. I was able to enjoy the rest of my stay there, almost to the fullest. I have never experienced a warmer day as one of those days ..but it was all good. I loved life and was tempted to stay there for an other week, but I had obligations back in Bombay.

I have to say that Goa was a cultural shock. It was like I was transformed to the Mediterean sea in southern Europe (other than the amount of palm trees). Goa was sooo different from anything that I had experienced in India so far. Other than Indian salesmen, stray dogs, and cows, there wasn't much that showed that I was still in India. Ironically, this was the only place where I have seen a cow walk in to a restaurant, and without the staff being bothered too much. I tried to chase it out, but it turned its head and gave me a dirty look. ...well, it felt like it. ..and I didn't feel like messing with her. Didn't want to risk having a mad cow go berserk in the restaurant.

Santosh was the only one of the crew to stay in Goa for an other day. He even stayed there after I left. Again, Goa was wonderful. Goa would probably be the main reason for me wanting to go back to India one day. Goa was refreshing. Goa cured a lot of the heaviness from earlier this week. I love Goa (at least that part).

The bus ride back was on a sleeper bus ...and even shakier than any train rides that I have had in India.

Then I was back in he... I mean Bombay. The first thing that approached me was once again someone trying to cheat me. A rickshaw driver wanted 150 rupees for taking me to the nearest local train station. A ride that probably would cost only 30 rupees. I chose an other driver.
At the station... six fully packed trains passed me. Every darn compartment was packed. People were literally hanging out from the doors. ..and hanging or standing in spots on the sides meant for other things. I had enough, so I took a taxi down to Colaba. I was headed straight to work. Bombay and its hellish rush hour was back to normal. ..and I was reminded what the things were that I hated about this city.

Down in Colaba things were also back to business ...the traffic, the people, the stores and the street salesmen. Even Leopold's had opened up to my surprise. But people need to support themselves, and thus having to move on.

It felt good to be back to the office though, even if the past week still was in the air. ..and me being in the dead-as-hell-tired of Bombay. I went along with Neeta to a school a little north of Colaba. It was the same school that I visited in the beginning of my time here. I have to say that the visit was truly refreshing an made me get back a lot of my good moods. I love Indian kids. Not are they only cool and entertaining, they are also some of the most beautiful kids in the world.
I spent a lot of my work day there and other related businesses around the area, including interesting home visits. I got once again reminded about how privileged I am. ..and at the same time enjoy meeting some wonderful Indian people, living in poverty but with such rich hearts.

I had a late breakfast/lunch/dinner at Leopold's. I really wanted to go back there. But it didn't feel as strange as I expected it to be. Things seemed to be almost as normal. ..but it was calmer. ..and there were still bullet holes in some of the walls and in the window ..and people photographing them. I did it too .. but not for touristy or novelty reasons. I wanted to document it ...and remember it. Media was there too... discretely.

Did I seem to have a wide range of emotions and feelings these past days ... and in even on the same day? That sure is the case ... and that's also India for you.

When I thought that everything basically was going to be nice and peaceful...

I was at a internet cafe in the Colaba area, where the terror attacks happened. I needed to go to the internet cafe to print out my bus tickets to Goa. I decided to go to this one since I had problems printing out at the internet cafe down the street from my hostel. I had also told people and friends on internet that things were calm right now. But only a minute from coming out of the cafe I heard heavy gunfire from the Taj Mahal hotel. .. and then an explosion, then some more gunfire... and another explosion. The Hotel is just a hundred meters or so from the internet cafe, and you can see it well. But there are lower buildings in between.

They had extended the road blocks further than before... and after the shootings people started to back off, but went back again. Towards the end of my stay down in Colaba they extended the road blocks (for civilians) so that the Taj was out of view almost completely. One could only see the top of the taller one of the buildings (that one had been secured I was told). Irritated policemen were backing of curious crowds with bamboo sticks. Not hitting, just waving them.

I reported again to the Swedish newspaper and once again my info got published. With a more serious photo of me this time. I even got interviewed by an Indian TV channel (NBTV) ....surrounded by a tight ring of 50 curious Indians. That was actually a little intimidating ...and I tried not to think about the crowd listening to me (...or maybe they were just enchanted by the TV-camera?). I tried to give some honest and smart answers. I was also interviewed by a Korean newspaper reporter.

Then there were rumours that there were shootings again in other parts of town... and people were worried, but it seemed to be false, because when I was by the CST station the police drove around saying in their speakers not to listen to the rumours and continue s usual.

Well... I am on my way to Goa now. ..and hopefully I will actually get there.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article3874281.ab

Towards the end of this crazy day...

Well... it's heading towards the end of this crazy day. I stayed around the area of Hotel Taj Mahal larger parts of the remaining day. Still not sure why, other than the desire to actually be there and witness the whole thing. There were periods of heavy gun shooting, crushing of glass, bombs or grenades exploding (at one point the crowd went down on their knees when one of the explosions felt extra serious. But it wasn't that bad of a threat really ... I think), and more fire from the main building. I think the fire has become under control, even if it was still smoking.

I overheard that the terrorists had high tech weapons, and that the bombay police didn't really know what was going on in there (I guess it's the military or some commando squad operating inside). There were snipers on the roofs of some buildings.
I wasn't amused or excited during the shooting, I just couldn't. I pictured that it could be hostages that got shot, or some of the forces trying to rescue the hostages. Towards the end I could see how some person was signaling with one type of flashlight from the window. Later the light from that room was switched on and off a few times. A little later I could see three people standing in the room next to it. Not sure if it was the terrorists, some hostages, or the attack force.

I did actually report to A Swedish newspaper from the Taj during the day. I had called them last night, for some reason ...or maybe a reflex since I have a smaller background in media ... and since I was here in Bombay, I felt that I wanted to contribute something. We didn't have much newsworthy to come with at first. But outside the Taj I texted them letting them know what was going on. I was then called up by a reporter from the paper and I told him what I've seen and experienced, and answered some questions.
I already got responses from friends back home being surprised by seeing me on the internet news.

I have so many more thoughts running through my mind right now... but at the moment they are only fragments, too complicated, and too many to describe in words at the moment.

I am leaving Bombay over the weekend. I planned to do it even before all this happened, but now it's even more well needed.

I pray and hope for the best for the remaining hostages. ..and my heart goes to the families that have lost a loved one.

Death has rarely felt so real to me, as it has done now.

Down in Colaba where alot of it happened...

No work today since the office was closed. But I didn't want to hide in my hostel, so I decided to to go down to some of the areas where the terror acts happened. I wanted to witness it... and I knew some people that usually hang out there so I felt that I needed to go down there... I had other reasons too, that I quiet can't explain. We were advised to stay at our hostel, especially since Westerners have been targeted especially Americans and Brits, but once again ... I just couldn't do it.

I had read the newspaper in the morning, and seen photos taken from the CST station of dead people laying in puddles of blood (with the faces blurred so that they couldn't be recognized).
When I walked in the CST station in the morning, it looked like everything was back to normal. The trains came and left, and people walked around. The only difference was that there where a little less people, and the guards where more armed. ..but nothing really that clearly gave a sign of what just happened the night before.

McDonald's across the street from there was closed. I met an Englishman outside. He had just come to town last night, and left CST just minutes before the shootings started. I told him that Americans and Brits were especially targeted, and decided to maybe just get out of town.

The streets in general where a lot calmer, and the closer you got to Colaba, the more stores were closed. I have never seen Bombay like this. It's eerie.

I came to Leopold's ...my favorite joint in the area (but where I haven't been too much lately, but where I pass almost daily). The metal "drapes" were pulled down, as everywhere else. There were bullet holes here and there, and a shoe left in the street, and even some blood. One could look inside if you stepped up a little bit. I did do, and saw how there were plates with food and beer bottles left on the table .. left untouched from the time the terror acts happened last night. There plates and bottles on the floor too. People walked and looked around in curiosity. Couldn't figure out why some of them were smiling. I met a couple middle aged Canadian women that had left Leopold's just half an hour before it happened.

I was happy to see that my taxi driver friend from Kashmir was safe. He came to me when I stood outside Leopold's and was happy to see that I was okay. Since I have been here for a while, I have gotten to know some of the local people on these streets, and he was one of them. He witnessed the shootings last night, and he told me about what he saw. I could tell that he was heavily affected but it. He told me that there where two men with automatic weapons that started to shoot at everybody in the path. One was shooting towards Leopold's and the other was shooting towards the United Colors of Bennetton store across the street and also the Muslim restaurant next to it. Not sure if the restaurant was still open or not. My friend told me about an long haired Australian guy who sat at Leopold's that didn't stand a chance.

Then a crowd of people gathered around an ambulance that stopped around the corner. They pulled out the body of a young father that had been killed to his home on the first floor. He worked in the Pharmacy on the other side the street from there, where I occasionally bought things. The screams and the cries from his wife could be heard on street outside ..and it ripped inside me like razor blades.

I went to the Taj Mahal hotel too... just a few hundred meters from here. I guess they are still holding hostages there. Dead bodies have been taken out a few times, and ambulances are leaving the area at a regular basis, ether carrying dead or wounded people. There are a lot of media people there, and other crowds of curious people.

I am sitting in a internet cafe a few meters from Leopold's. They are one of the very very few open places in the area.

There are many policemen and soldiers on the streets.

I am heading back out now, I don't feel like leaving the area now... I'll go back to the area around Taj Mahal.

Terror attacks here in Bombay... 80 dead so far.

Late last night I was informed by Sebastian that there had been some shootings outside Leopold's down in Colaba, and that 11 people had been injured. He found that out from a friend and wanted to make sure that I was okay. A co-worker also called to make sure that we were okay, and that we should stay inside. I was in a strange mood and didn't know how to react. It felt weird and unreal. I continued to read "Shantaram" and came to the part where the main character's friends had been shot to death (by the police because he was a terror suspect), and how the main character went to Leopold's after finding out about it. It felt bizarre to read it.

Then I got a text message from Sebastian telling that it was a terror attack on the Taj Mahal hotel, the CST station and some other place, and that 80 people had died and 250 people were injured. I had fallen asleep by then but woke up by the text message. I decided to call my parents to make sure that they knew that I was okay. They were happy to hear that I was okay and gave me some more news from TV. Then I called my brother to see if he knew more about it, but he hadn't heard anything about it at all. I called my good friend Tommy and his wife checked out the news on internet while he talking to me, and then he read it out loud to me.
The terrorists had targeted foreigners, and Americans and Brits in particular. One of the areas attacked was really close to where we work, and we pass the areas every day. The same with the CST Station, we pass it every day on our way to and from Work. ..and we have taken the train from there numerous times.

I was far from danger and I am safe. I have only heard more sirens than normally, and other than that I haven't noticed anything. I live a 5 minute taxi ride from the CST station, and 15 minutes from the Colaba area. But it feels so strange and unreal... I have had these thoughts of a terror attack happening while I was here ... even earlier the same day. But that was probably because this city has a history of terror attacks, and that's why it was in the back of my head.

They say that the Indian army has been sent in because it was still unsafe. I am not sure if I should go to work in the morning or not. A big part of me is drawn to the area, and I want to see what's going on, and if there's anything I can do. One part of me wants to stay safe since being a Westerner on the streets right now is not the ideal situation.

I am sitting here in Sebastian's room borrowing his computer and extremely slow internet.


I still can't believe it...

I'll update my blog about any news... when possible.

A visit to oldest red-light district in Bombay, and the largest in Asia.

Went on another field visit through the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. This time we visited the Prerana organisation that has as a main goal to educate kids in the red-light districts, and taking care of them in other ways too. They for example aid the police in rescuing or shifting kids to Observation Homes. They work in the Kamathipura area in Byculla, which is the oldest red-light district in India, and the biggest in Asia. It is actually not too far from why I live (not really knowing where the borders to the area goes).

It was probably one of the most interesting field visits so far. I didn’t see too much of the prostitution in the parts of the streets that we walked in, but it might have been because it was in the middle of the day. But the atmosphere and the area felt way different from the other areas of Bombay that I have been in. Not sure in what way, other than it might have been me just knowing that it was a red-light district, and that once again I walked in an area where very, very few white people seem to visit.

We learned many interesting facts. There are very many brothels in the area, and they are very organized. In a building, the bottom floor could be a metal shop, the second floor a floor a brothel, and the third maybe something else. Some could house more than one brothel. Some areas have a special type of women in their area, for example Nepali women.
Most women come for economical reasons, because they feel that they have no other means to make money. Others are fooled in to marrying some scum bag man in some other place and then sell her here, and then he goes off to marry someone else and do the same to her.

There are the eunuchs … that are men that might be castrated, born with not fully developed genitals, or are hermaphrodites. They feel like women, wear makeup, and are dressed like women with saris and flowers in their long dark hair. They act like women when they are sexually exploited by men. We passed one of the areas where some of them lived.
They are even called the “Hijras”, and I have run in to them before onboard the local trains, where they walk around clapping their hands, pet the men on the head, and ask for money. Some give them money out of superstition that the Hijras would put a curse on them otherwise.

There is a myth going on among many people that prostitutes get a lot of money. First of all, many of them maybe get 30, 40, or 50 rupees per customer ...and on top of that they need to pay rent to the brothel for using a bed, both, or room. Then they need to pay for the food, their manager, and their pimp, so in the end they only get to keep around 20 percent. Even the street prostitutes have to pay money to a pimp or someone else. Sure, there are some prostitutes that do get paid a lot more, but it doesn’t make it more right, and they are in a minority.

Many sex workers used to die early because of HIV, tuberculosis or other reasons.

The children of the sex workers have been drugged and also been exposed to what is going on inside the brothels. The Prerana organisation and other NOG:s (Non Government Organisations) has night care centres for the children - partially in order to prevent them from being exposed to this destructive environment as much as possible.

Back to my previous thoughts that I had last week about the prostitutes that I pass from time to time in my neighbourhood – I talked to the woman that worked for the Prerana about it. She agreed that a smile probably would be taken the wrong way. Just talking to them, even if the language barrier wasn’t an issue, would still be bad, even if I did it as a social worker. People walking by would just see a white man talk to prostitutes and come to wrong conclusions and thus harm the work in the long run. In fact, according to the Prerana worker, people would just not understand why I would talk to a prostitute if I don’t want sex with her. They would ask me “Why do you talk to her?”

I’m not sure yet that I will be able to, but at the moment I would like to go back to the area at night time and see how the life of the neighbourhood is then, but also see the Prerana at work with the kids. I don’t know how safe it would be for a white person to walk around there at night time, especially if I go back by myself. But I am seriously considering it. I have stepped out from my sheltered life multiple times while in India, but I need to do it even more before going back. I have very strong feelings against prostitution, especially trafficking, but it is an area that I really know too little about …less knowing what I can do.

Fighting the prostitution here will be very, very hard as long as people find 100 excuses to defend prostitution, and as long as the myriad of pathetic, false, incompetent, and corrupted Indian politicians shows a complete lack of interest in doing anything about it.

It is a sick world that we live in. It’s just not India…. the sickness is everywhere.

Day trip to Alibaug - an other nice break from Bombay

I have less than a month left now here in India. It feels pretty weird. I still have this love-hate feelings towards Bombay almost every day.
..and every time I leave Bombay I get these happy feelings.

This past week has had its ups and downs, in many ways. One of the ups was yesterday, when I, Sebastian, and two cool girls from Switzerland - Katja and Julia, went on a day trip to Alibaug. They recently arrived to Bombay and are here for research through their university in Geneva, and the TATA institute of Social Sciences here. We took a small ferry from the Gateway of India, and traveled further south down the coast to Mandwa, and then bus to Alibaug.
It was a really nice break from Bombay. We took a horse cart over to the Kolaba Fort (has nothing to do with Colaba in Bombay)during low tide. The fort was pretty okay, but not that amusing compared to other things that I have visited here in India. As always there was an entrance fee, and as always foreigners had to pay a whole lot more. I don't really like that idea. I don't think it's respectful towards the people that are visiting their country.

Anyway, we all shared an auto rickshaw to a different beach after that. It was an interesting ride. Towards the end the driver made a sharp turn while he was speeding, and the rickshaw lifted a bit. We thought that it would almost turn over and we would crash... but we made it fortunately. The driver thought it was funny and laughed a little bit afterward. ...we did not tip him.

Katja and I decided to take a little swim. I'm not sure how safe and sanitary the water was, since Bombay wasn't too far away. But we did it anyway. I had such a craving for a swim in the ocean, and I didn't want to wait until Goa to do it.
The water was warm and nice, but not very deep. So I had to keep it simple. ..so "swim" would probably not be the correct word, but rather sitting down and bathe in the ocean.
I felt refreshed afterward ...and so far I haven't gotten any skin problems ... and my stomach seems to be doing okay. But who knows... maybe I have some type of worm colony being built somewhere in my body?



28 days...

The life in Byculla - The peeing wall, Edward Scissorhands and prostitutes

I have lived in Byculla (part of Bombay) for maybe two months now... and I will stay here for the rest of my stay here. It's okay, I like it here. I'm able to partake of the real Bombay here, and not just the touristy parts of Colaba and the Fort Area. It does feel like home here now. Not in the way that I would like to stay here for the rest of my life. No way. But the feeling of having a place and room of my own, in a way, where I can relax and kick back, even if it's just temporary.

But what is it like here?

There is a rich diversity among the people that live here. Most of the people here are Hindus, ... of various castes and professions. You can tell by the music and partying or by the fireworks if there's a Hindu festival going on.
But there are also many various types of Muslims here. Many of the men look similar with their white caps and long white robes though, even though many wear western clothes too. The women are often wearing black clothing, and it's pretty common they cover everything but their eyes and hands. Then there are the Bori Muslim women that look like urban versions of the Amish, but with more colourful variations, ...the dresses come in pink, light blue, light green, yellow, and orange, and doesn't cover the faces or all the hair.

I really don't have the greatest social life here. The place where I stay at, Seva Niketan, is a men only hostel, so no women to get to know or keep company with ...and the only real place to hang out in this neighbourhood is a ... men only restaurant. So nothing there ether.
Well, I have gotten to know Vincent, a young French guy that will work in Bombay for a year, and who also lives at Seva Niketan. It has been refreshing to hang out with him and two Indian guys, when possible.

Other people that i have gotten to know is my new barber, Daslim. I abandoned my old one for this one. his barbershop is just up the street, plus he's a better barber. looking at him trim my hair is like watching Edward Scissorhands in action, and when shaving me it's like a painter working on his masterpiece, where his blade is his brush. He has even taken a cigarette brake and a tea pause "in between sessions." So far I haven't gotten the image of Sweeney Todd (ironically also played by Johnny Depp) ...well, those images do pop from time to time. But I try to push them away.

I guess I do some shorter small talk with "Zia" and Dalha and the other young fellas working at the local internet cafe.

One place I pass every time I walk to work, and even every time I go to the internet cafe down the street, or walk to the Bombay Central train station, is the "peeing wall". It's a wall next to a sidewalk that someone decided to be an unofficial place of relief for men that need to pee. It's hard not to notice, even if no one is peeing there at the moment. It stinks really bad, and even if the area around is dry, that part of the sidewalk remains wet, having its lakes of male urine.. running down the sidewalk in to rivers and creeks. I walk around that part of the sidewalk.

At day and nighttime, there is a man that sells boiled eggs just a few meters from the peeing wall. Why in the world he chose that spot is a mystery. Maybe it's because no cars park next to that wall, and thus giving him more open space? Maybe the stench keeps him awake? Maybe the local people tend to have craving for egg after a good moment of peeing?

Crossing the street at night time feels like playing with death sometimes. With all that firework of honking horns and blinding headlights and crazy driving.
After walking home the last part one late night, when I was ill and very dizzy, I was thankful that I made it home alright. At times I could be on the other side of a street and not remember crossing the street, and at times I realized that I just crossed the street without even looking because my head was floating somewhere else.

The streets are obviously very, very alive. In some areas they have long, long streets full of street markets selling everything you can imagine. I haven't really taken the time yet to discover it in too much depth yet.

But in all honesty... after having lived in Bombay for almost three months now, I have to say that what was exotic and exiting has in many ways lost its charm. It feels a little like the same old same old now, and even though I do get reminded every day about the living conditions that people have, and it still affects me, I have at the same time been partially accustomed to passing beggars. Not that I really ignore them ..but, I don't know. I still feel helpless. Giving them money is just the easy answer to a bigger and more complex problem.

One thing that hit me emotionally earlier this week though, was when I passed some prostitutes standing against a wall, on my way to the City Centre mall. I have felt sorry for them every time I have passed them, but this time it was even worse when i saw how young some of them were. They didn't look older than 15-16 years old. I felt so helpless. I wanted to do something, but didn't have a clue what. A simple smile could be mistaken for an invite or something else. I couldn't talk to them - even if I spoke their language or they English - what would I say? Would a simple "hello" also be mistaken for an invite? They stand there, not meeting the eyes of the people passing by. Often they don't say anything ether, other than once or twice when I didn't understand what they said.

The streets of Bombay, from under the Sir J.J. Bridge to Colaba.

I have started to walk to work some of the mornings. Partially to save money and not take the taxi every morning (since I hate taking the bus here), partially to get some exercise and lose more weight, and partially to experience the early morning life of Bombay.

I start out around 8 am and have about a 50 minute walk ahead of me. I have to say, that the street life at that time of the day, even though it's a whole lot calmer compared to day and night time, still is rich with impressions and things that makes one think about a lot of things.

Every time that I have walked down the streets, I have past over 100 people sleeping on the streets ..mostly men, but also women and children ..and whole families. That is not counting the people on the other side of the street. ....and it's not including the people that already have woken up by then. They sleep directly on the streets, on blankets, or on the street stalls that some of them use to sell their goods on during the day. many of them live, breath, eat, and work on the streets - all day long, every day of the week.

I see families eating breakfast together on the street. People are washing themselves with soap and buckets of water on the curbs, or brushing their teeth. Women are washing clothes by the sidewalk. Women with surgical masks are picking and collecting garbage in carts. other garbage pickers wearing the dirtiest of clothes carry large white sacks of garbage that they have collected, and walk around like zombies, or like they were high on something ...maybe it's just fatigue or lack of nourishment?

Rats, still the small cat sized ones, are crossing the side walk. Three men sit in a circle and take heavy drugs together. Others are taking their morning hashish by themselves. Others stick to simple chai in the morning (Indian tea).

I pass trucks that are loaded with cages full of chicken that are crammed together. Four, five, six chicken are bundled together alive and weighed on a scale before being sold. Crows are feasting on some of the slaughtered chicken that lay by the trucks. ..and feathers are everywhere.

Since this is a coastal town, there are many fish markets, even on my stretch of land... unfortunately.. but it's that long .. fortunately. But even here crows are feasting on the leftovers from the fish.

An elderly woman is pulling a midsized cart with an elderly man with crippled legs and stumps instead of hands. I see even more people, in small carts on wheels, used by people with deformed legs ...or no legs at all. One of them was rolling along and between cars stopping for traffic begging for money. When the traffic started again he rolled to the side, and waited for the next opportunity.

The various types of street stalls are slowly starting to open and getting ready for the new day's business ..with usually the newsstands being the first ones to be ready.
The stalls selling pirated books are also pretty fast getting ready in the mornings. ..and of course the various stalls offering people breakfast or morning snack.

In my area many of the people are wearing traditional clothes, but the closer I get to Colaba, the more modern and westernized the clothes get in general. People working in the downtown businesses and banks and and for the court are wearing shirts or suits. Sometimes it feel like I just passed a period of 50 years in those 50 minutes. The contrast can feel that big from the beginning of my journey to the end. The fact that most taxis and buses here could be from the 50's adds to that feeling. ...and the fact that a lot of the "modern" fashion here looks like it's from the 70's.

I have only walked all the way back home twice since I came here to Byculla. That has been such a contrast to the mornings. So hectic, so chaotic, so crowded .. and a whole different story.

Ether way, I am so grateful for the the good things I do have in life, including things that I have taken for granted. Seeing how people are living their lives on the streets, and how hard some people have to work to be able to work for their livelihood, have made me think again about how I use my time. ..and sometimes made me ashamed of some of the things that I have wasted it on ..and the times when I just have been far too lazy and spoiled.

Homesick

Yeah... since I came back from my journeys I have felt more homesick than ever. For various reasons. I am tired of the constant hot weather here, and all the crammed spaces. I HATE traveling by local train here, and I avoid the buses as much as I can. The traffic here in it's various forms here gives me anxieties.
I'm also homesick because I feel that I am in less control of things and issues that has to do with my life back home. Things that has to do with my future.
I'm homesick because I miss all the things from home, that I don't have here. ..and it gets pretty darn lonely here.

But still I'm not ready to go home. I want to finish up the things that I came here for ..and actually enjoy the time I have here and take advantage of it. I have grown a lot since I got here ..and I feel that I will come home as the improved and updated version of Janne.

There are things that I truly enjoy here. I enjoy doing follow visits to families that have adopted children, and see how the children are doing. I enjoy doing my weekly visits to "my" two little children that are in foster care and do their progress reports. I enjoy most of the visits to the slum communities and dealing with the wonderful people there, even if I sometimes just tag along as an observer. I enjoy the few calm moments at my room at the hostel or at some restaurant or cafe. ..and I do still really like the people at work, TISS, and at Church. They have made the whole experience so much easier.

I love the growth and the learning I get here, and the thought provoking experiences. I might not have gotten all the answers.. and I might still feel helpless about some of the problems around me .. and realized how complex things really are ... I understand that the solution to the problems here isn't to be found in easy and naive answers ...but I have gotten more direction .. and and an even stronger urge to do something at least.

Oh by the way, on a more shallow note ... I have lost about 9 kilos so far since I came to India. I hope to lose even more. I'm doing a lot more walking... plus I have lost a lot of my appetite for the food here, and food in general, so I'm not eating as much anymore.

The Pink City: Flashing holy men, snake charmers, and peanut begging monkeys.

The train ride to Jaipur from Udaipur was even shakier than the one on the way down. So the way I described that ride would better fit on this ride.
I took a taxi to my hotel and took it a little easy for a while. I agreed to having a taxi tour of the city by Sameer, the taxi driver who drove me from the train station. He seemed like a nice guy and I got a good price. Very good price. I ate, showered, and took a short nap before being picked up by Sameer.

I have to say that I was quiet satisfied with the tour, and what we covered during that time. Well... maybe I spent a little too much time shopping ..again. One of the things was a handmade carpet made out of camel hair. A nice smaller mat (that I had shipped home). I even got a little tour of the various processes of the carpet making by some dude there ...and of course I had to tip him (as with almost everything and everyone in this country). I won't list the other things that I bought. But at least it wasn't as much as in Udaipur.

Sameer took me to various sights around Jaipur, even called the "Pink City" because of the pinkish painted Old Town. The Old Town was really nice, but at the same time not really as cool as I imagined. ...but on the other hand I didn't spend as much time there ether. Maybe if I had walked around more.

Some sights were really interesting, others were so and so (especially since I saw cooler versions of them in Udaipur). I really, really liked the big sand coloured fort in Amber, a little north of Jaipur. As I went out of the car in order to take some photos, a snake charmer run in front of me and opened his basket and started to play on his traditional snake charmer flute. There was a real live cobra in that basket... somewhat passive though. It was soooo touristy and so cliche, but at the same time it was exciting to finally have seen a real snake charmer, and be able to take photo of it. I ignored the fact that the poor snake ether had its teeth pulled out, or had its mouth sown partially together in order to prevent it from giving a deadly bite. I later found out that snake charming is illegal too. I did pose with him though, holding my own snake (not a cobra though). Now afterward, I regret that I didn't pet that poor cobra. I mean, it would have been safe and all (I think).

As I stepped in to the car, some strange guru dude stood outside my car window and mumbled something.. then, suddenly, he just pulled down his loin cloth and showed me his pierced genital with something wrapped around it. I had no interest in looking further so Sameer drove away. He told me later that the man said "You don't think that I am a holy man? I'll show you that I am a holy man!" The pierced genital part had to do with some self mortification or self suffering thing. I try not to visualize that experience again too much. Yuuuuck! The fort visit was nice though ...other than dealing with a persistent young salesman trying to sell a poor quality turban to me on the way up to the fort ..and on the way down.

The next really cool visit was to Galta, The Temple of the Sun God, even called the Monkey Temple. The temple itself was so and so, and the view was nice, but the really cool and bizarre thing was the trip up the mountain on the way to the temple. I passed an other snake charmer... that spanked his cobra and wanted me to take a photo. The snake obviously didn't like to be spanked. I declined and went on. I passed beggar families that seemed to be living along the path up. I passed other types of interesting people that I haven't seen too much elsewhere yet. I passed cows that were friendlier than I was used to... and then I came to the parts were the monkeys were ... maybe hundred plus of them spread out. They liked to show up there at dusk. I had bought a bag of peanuts that I gave to the monkeys that were brave enough to take them from my hand. That was a really fun experience... getting so close to the monkeys.

Sameer and I ended the day at a roof top restaurant of a hotel. The food was delicious.

The next day Sameer was supposed to take me on a tour far up north, some some villages and small towns in the Shekhawati region. But instead of Sameer, a friend of his, Vishnu, showed up. Sameer was persuaded by his family to attend a wedding. It might have, or might not have, been true. But there I was, ready for the tour. The trip turned out to be a lot further away than expected, but it was pretty cool. Not spectacular, but cool. It was nice to travel through the countryside of savanna like Northern Rajasthan. We visited the towns of Nawalgarh and Mandawa, but also the driver's home village Palsana on the way up, and on the way down.
Vishnu didn't speak English that well unfortunately, so that limited our communication and all the questions that I had. Good thing that he was playing some cool Rajasthani music with some nice beats on the car stereo. It would have been an awkward silence otherwise.

It was Diwali by the way, the big Hindu holiday (like Christmas), so on the way back I was invited over for dinner at his house, before heading back to Jaipur. I accepted the invitation. He had a huge family, and many of his younger brothers were really curious about me. ..and some of the sisters, but they hid somewhere in the background. It was a really friendly family. I liked them. I sensed that I would get problems in my stomach from the food though... being home made in a village. But what the heck.
After the dinner, Vishnu and one of his older his older brothers sat down and took a joint of some Indian grass together. The offered me one too, but I declined of course. I was surprised that they smoked with their younger brothers around them. But I guess that's how their culture is. Sad.

The Diwali celebrations were still going on in Jaipur, with fireworks and fire crackers. Young children were playing with very loud fire crackers, the type that most likely would e illegal in most Western European countries. I didn't feel safe walking the streets so I stayed at the hotel.
I didn't sleep well that night because of all the noise, plus that I had to get up early in the morning in order to catch my flight back to Bombay.

Well... I arrived to Bombay... and while sitting in the taxi from the airport, I got my worst case of homesickness so far ...and I wasn't too happy about being back in claustrophobic Bombay.

Udaipur: Fairy tale city and the Monsoon Palace.

So it was time for my next journey! Yes, again. After not had traveled at all during my first two months here, I did a lot in a short period of time. But it has mostly to do with all the holidays that has been this month. This time it was Diwali, the Hindu version of Christmas I guess. I also traded the Monday at school for a Saturday in the future.

Oh well, the Friday of the journey, (this time to Rajasthan) started badly. As I stepped out of the taxi when going to work, the strap of my backpack broke. Darn crappy 500-rupee street bought backpack! Then soon later I discovered that someone had stolen 600-700 rupees from my pocket. Oh well, I had more money, and at least I was able to borrow a bag from work that could use for the trip. It helped a lot.

In the morning I went along with Swati to my favorite slum community, and visited some of the kids that I like so much. The afternoon was calmer.. and I prepared myself mentally for the journey.
Then it was finally time to go and I took a taxi towards the airport. The traffic was sooo bad, and I became worried that I would miss the plane. I started to hope that the taxi had a built in rocket launcher, so that it could clear the traffic ahead (it's not the first time I've had those thoughts). When I was about to arrive I realized that the two airports have the same name and that I was headed to the wrong one! What type of a complete idiot decided to give them the same name? Seriously. Luckily, they weren't too far apart.. and I did make it. Yeee-haaa!
And as a happy ending of a otherwise pretty crappy day, I was upgraded to business class since it was full. He he he... tadi tada.

When I sat down at business class, my first thought was that this is the place where they should put the really fat people (I did not have a politically correct mindset at that point). I had planned to sleep the entire trip, but now I was too excited to do so. I wanted to enjoy the entire experience. Gourmet dinner and all. I thought this upgrade to business class was an urban legend, or something that just happened in the movies. Now I was expecting that the love of my life should sit down next to me. I mean, the whole thing had to have a purpose to it? But instead a middle aged, partly bald Indian business man sat down next to me. The hope came back when he realized that he had sat down on the wrong seat ...but instead he was replaced by an even older and balder Indian business guy.
He slept most of the trip, so I couldn't find out if he had a single daughter that was looking for a Swedish man.

The planbe arrived to Jaipur in Rajasthan, but I was going to spend my first two days in Udaipur, further south, so I took an auto rickshaw directly to the train station where I was going to take the night train. It was a bumpy and interesting ride. I was confused in the beginning to what the high pitch bird sound was, until I realized that it was the sound that the rickshaw had instead of the regular annoying honking sound.

Well on the train I discovered that my seat bunk number didn't exist, so I chose the one closest to it, and by that way I got to know a man and a woman from South Africa. Garth and Charlene. They weren't a couple, but were traveling together. I had a nice chat with them before going to sleep.

This train trip was the bumpiest in my life. I felt like a wasp being shaken inside a matchbox by some child. So I was pretty tired when arriving to Udaipur ...two hours late. I told my rickshaw driver to take me to an area of town that had lots of places to sleep according to Lonely Planet. I didn't feel like looking around, so I picked the first one... and it was a lucky shot. I really liked the place. I got a cheap room with a window view over the lake, and on the roof top they had a restaurant with an even more beautiful view. Lake Pichola is a lake with two Palaces in the middle of it. One of them was used in the James Bond movie Octopussy. Udaipur was truly a spectacular city. Couldn't wait to discover it. It was truly like a fairy tail city. Even though it had tons of Western tourists, it still kept its charm.

I was tired, but didn't want to sleep away my time, so I just dug right in to it. I spent my first day walking around and discovering the city on my own. I shopped a lot, and I bargained a lot. I got sick of bargaining from time to time, and just kept it short and told the maximum price. I made some really good deals... but probably also some less good ones too. I did get some really interesting things. But ironically, the last shop that I ended up visiting for the day ended up being the one I should have started at from the beginning. He had some really good deals on his stuff. The shop owner was a man from Kashmir that was selling things from that area. Oh well. Life is ironic.

I had a really good nights sleep on a king size bed that was all mine ...aaaall mine! The next morning I went and got an Ayurvedic massage. I needed a massage bad. But it was not the relaxing kind that I was hoping for, but instead it was this partially painful torture ..and I kept thinking that it is supposed to feel good afterwards. He pushed at some really sensitive spots, and it hurt so I probably wouldn't be able to say anything even if I wanted to. The weirdest part was when he "massaged" my scalp... well, it felt more like he was trying to scrape of my hair, and that I would see patches of my hair fall down in front of me. Hmmm... that was actually not the weirdest part, I think the weirdest part was when the massage dude asked me if I had a business card or had a cell phone number. I'm glad that I still haven't memorized it ..not that I would have given it to him anyway.
I did at least better after afterward .. physically, for a little while.

I spent the rest of the day having a auto rickshaw tour with Bellu, the driver that drove me from the train station the day before. He took me to various places in the outskirts and outside town. It was really interesting. I visited lots of interesting places, and he patiently waited for me each time, whether I visited a palace, a museum, a park, took a short ferry to an island in the Fateh Sagar Lake. There were many nice sights, and one of the more interesting ones was Ahar. Ahar is like a city filled with dome like monuments built for the maharajas of Mewar. I had it almost all for myself and it was an interesting to walk around among these monuments. A truly oriental fairy tale feeling. I even run in to a smaller puppy colony there. One of them approached me and licked my feet. It was so fragile and so cute, so I wanted to keep it and bring it with me. But I couldn't. :(

The most spectacular experience though, was the visit to the Monsoon Palace on top of a mountain a bit from Udaipur, at sunset. It had such a wonderful and beautiful view. ..and just the feeling to be there ..the peace, the serenity, the enjoyment of life ...and yet I felt grains of loneliness. Because this was such a romantic place, and I had no one there to share it with. Still, I have to say that being up there was one of my most joyful moments and experiences in a very long time. It's right on my top-10 individual travel moments of my life probably. It's just hard to explain why, it just was.

Before taking me back, Bille, my rickshaw guide took me to an art shop, where I ended up spending even more money. But I did buy some nice pieces of art. I'll show you in the future if any of you pay me a visit.
I paid 500 rupees for the sightseeing. A pretty darn good price for a tour like that, even if you still have to pay the entrance fees to all the places visited.

I took it easy and chilled with a nice dinner at the roof top restaurant at my hotel before heading to the train station. Now it was time to back to Jaipur and spend some time there...

Have become a shawlaholic... but truly enjoyed Aurangabad and the super cool caves in the area.

Towards the end of the TISS planned trip we took a night bus to Aurangabad. Where we were gonna be a little more touristy, but yet cultural. Aurangabad is in northen Maharashtra, and a pretty cool town. We visited various sights during our days there, the first one was the Daulatabad hilltop fortress that was more or less a well preserved ruin city. Really cool place. I was the only one though that desided to make it to the central bastion on the very top of the mountain.
Didn't think that it would be that bad when we were about half way up (or so I thought).
Climbing all those gazillion steps was for me a great accomplishment. Despite the fact that I was sweating like pig and breathed as if I was about to die, while numerous young Indians passed me bouncing up like mountain goats and smiling as it was the most normal thing to do. Not sure that I would have made that climb if I knew from the beginning how far up it really was. So many times when I thought that I only had a little bit left, there was even more ... again, and again, and again.

We also visited the Ellora caves, and the Ajanta caves. Ellora is world heritage listed and is basically consisting of a bunch of temples carved out 1000-1500 years ago by Buddhists, Jains, and Hindus. We only visited two of them (including the main cave), and it was an amazing place. It was like a smaller city being carved out from the rock. I felt like Indiana Jones walking in there.
The Ajanti caves were hidden for many years and is placed in a horse shoe shaped valley by a river in a smaller jungle. It was amazingly beautiful surroundings. The caves consisted even here of numerous temples, but with a different "design". I found a "secret" spot there where I could be by myself for a little while ...and ponder about life and it's mysteries ... but also feast upon the surroundings.

The salesmen at these caves were the most persistant that I had encountered so far. I felt like I was a walking sugar cube with flies flying after me. Not sure what type of anti-salesman spray Sebastian took, or where he got it, but it helped. They walked past him, and often even the others, in order to trying sell things to me.
I actually think that it has to do with me walking around with Indian style clothes, and thus signaling that I am an easy target and want to by more Indian things. The salesmen even kept knocking on the car window after I closed the door.

Bibi-Qa-Maqbara mausoleum was pretty impressive too. It was built by the son of the dude that built the Taj Mahal. Haven't been to the real one yet, but from what I could see, it had some basic similarities, but in a smaller scale.

We went shopping too... at a store where they make silc shawls (we visited a shawl place in Sholapur too btw). I have to admit that I got completely sold on these beautiful fabrics ..and pieces of art. I wont reveal how much money I spent on shawls ..and I urge any witnesses that read this to keep it a secret.
Well... maybe it's not a spectacular amount for some Westerners ... but for a straight, worker class boy, who is single and thinks that ice hockey is the greates sport ever, ..it was quiet an unexpected amount. I blame it on my artistic genes .. and appreciation of beauty. Plus... I bought many of them to give away as gifts... to my mother, others, and (...insert your name here if you're a potential future girlfriend of mine...).
Some of them I will just keep as decoration or just keep for the future. I might actually wear one of them myself though. One that looks manly enough. ...and yes .. I might actually try to sell atleast one of them on internet, and see if I can get a good prize for it. Seriously.. these are really, really nice.

The rest of the places that we visited were of various degrees of interest. But none could be compared to the ones mentioned. I'm really happy about the Aurangabad visit. ..the auto rickshaw ride our last night (to and from a restaurant) was a nice bonus. It was fun trying to fit in 5 passangers in a rickshaw that's meant for 3. Since I was the biggest, I had to sit in front and share seats with the driver holding my arm behind him. Since there's only one wheel in front, I was worried that it would tilt over in the curves. It all went well though. I have seen worse cases though ...I've seen 7-8 Indians crammed together in a auto rickshaw. Quiet amusing to see. :)

Meeting the Daliths and other great learning experiences in rural Maharashtra.

The past week I went on my next journey. This time with Sebastian, the American girls Candice and Jessica, and our TISS coordinator Soummya. Vi visited the rural campus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. It was beautifully located on a hill top on the Indian countryside, outside Thulapur, a few hours from Solapur, Maharashtra. The campus itself and our housing was above expectation. We even had western style toilets... AND toilet paper!

During our time at the campus we visited various sites, villages and NGO:s (Non Government Organizations) in order to get exposed to, and learn about the rural life in India.
It was impressive to see the dedication and hard work that many people in the various NGO:s put in, and listening to their struggles and often uphill battles. Including working against against some people's bigotry in some areas. For example the view some upper caste people and their refusal to even speak to people of the lower castes.

Our first day started with some introduction and a little tour of parts of the campus. Our first visit was out to a place where water was preserved. It was interesting to hear how effectively water was preserved and harvested through the facilities that has been built, and how much it had changed the usually much dryer are to the better, and how much it has improved the lives of the people.

Our first village visit was to the Wadgaonlakh village, where we were guided about the lives and the system in that village. The visit was pretty brief but interesting. It was also interesting to see the curious yet very shy reactions of the people there when we came. Especially the children. During the tour I was told that the various groups try to get many children, because that gave them more power, the power as a group.

In the afternoon we visited the Apsinga village, where we started out at a special school for children with mental or physical disabilities. Children came there from various villages in the region and spent three months there. During that time they were taught according to their abilities. Hearing impaired students for example were given hearing aid, and were taught how to speak through various exercises (if that don't work, they are taught sign language). Even at this village it was big curiosity about us white people, and flocks of school children followed us, and peeked in through the window when we were in the school. Even adults joined in after a while.

After that we went along some TISS students (from the rural campus) to the area where the Dalith lived. That was a group of people that I wanted to visit even before coming to India, and I was very happy for this opportunity. The Daliths are the "untouchables" - a group of people without a caste. A group that is greatly discriminated in society.
We walked through their part of the village, smelling the bonfires from their kitchens and listening to the trumpet and drum music from a poor man's wedding. Unfortunately we weren't able to observe the festivities. It would have been interesting to see how it was like.
The Daliths were very nice and friendly. We all sat down on a big blanket on the ground outside, where we were informed about the various living conditions that they have. I was truly impressed by the Dalith women, and I hold a very high respect for these women. Most of them work on other people's farms, and for only 50 rupees a day (less than a dollar), half of what the men get. They get up at 5 am and do household work, then they work out in the fields from 10.30 am – 6.30 pm, after they get home they do even more household work. Then they go to bed around 11 pm. This is their lives every day of the year, and some of them even have seven children. I asked them if they don't get exhausted (with the help of a translator) and they said "Yes, but what should we do? We need to eat." That made me realize even more that a lot of changes needs to done in order to help these people. I felt love for this people.

In the evening we went in to Sholapur and visited the temple there. Sholapur hasn't been that impressive until then, so it was nice to see some more interesting parts of town. For the first time I experienced locals wanting to be photographed with me. "Hello sir, can I take a picture of you?" And then I had to pose standing next to them while one of their friends took a photo of us. The others experienced the same thing. It was something I only heard about before from other foreigners. But I thought that it was fair to pose with them, since I myself, after all do take photos of Indians, and sometimes pose with them.

On Thursday we visited an other village, close by, Where we were introduced to the panchayat system – the governing body of a village. We sat in a room and met with the Sarpanch – the head of the village. His job is to implement the government policies in the village. The board had seven members, who are elected every five years. It was interesting that two of the seats were reserved for women.
It was also interesting to hear that almost all students finish 8th grade, and that girls got free education and get free bus passes, in order to motive the parents to educate their daughters. This was in all honesty surprising, and very nice, since I didn't expect too much of these things in rural India, where the women's rights are held back.

This rural trip has been a great learning experience in many aspects, and I am very satisfied with the trip there. After that ruraal trip we went to Aurangabad, in northern Maharashtra... but I'll write about that in my next post.