India 2008

Still adapting, adjusting, and processing things

2009-02-01T01:56:00.004+05:30

I have been home for over a month now, but I am still adapting to various things, and adapting ...and still processing things that I witnessed and experienced while in India.

I am still so greatfull that I made it home when I was supposed to and not stranded at the airport in Bombay. I still can't believe how blessed I was.

Yeah, I lost 12 kilos when I was in India... but now I have gained back a lot too. I don't dare to weigh myself yet. Not until I have lost some more again. Being sick and not able to excersice as much, and all the Christmas food has not been good for me. Oh well, why give up

My first few days of adjustments

2008-12-26T04:02:00.004+05:30

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!

2008-12-22T15:34:00.010+05:30

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

2008-12-20T14:51:00.006+05:30

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.

2008-12-16T22:37:00.008+05:30

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

2008-12-14T18:01:00.006+05:30

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?

2008-12-11T19:07:00.012+05:30

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

2008-12-04T19:57:00.005+05:30

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

2008-12-02T20:06:00.005+05:30

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...

2008-11-28T17:37:00.005+05:30

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...

2008-11-27T22:29:00.005+05:30

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...

2008-11-27T14:52:00.005+05:30

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.

2008-11-27T04:15:00.004+05:30

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.

2008-11-26T09:23:00.003+05:30

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

2008-11-23T18:19:00.006+05:30

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

2008-11-16T19:33:00.011+05:30

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.

2008-11-13T21:34:00.006+05:30

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

2008-11-06T20:21:00.004+05:30

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.

2008-11-03T20:27:00.006+05:30

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.

2008-10-29T22:07:00.010+05:30

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.

2008-10-25T21:50:00.011+05:30

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.

2008-10-21T00:22:00.010+05:30

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.

Signing autographs & becoming a dance star in Patan

2008-10-12T17:11:00.012+05:30

Patan, Patan, Patan...I'm so happy that I decided to go there. I wanted to see more of Gujarat during my short stay there... and by what I read from Lonely Planet, Patan seemed like an interesting enough place in the close vicinity.
It's not a place usually visited by tourists, and it's not a place you really pass on the way to somewhere.
Patan is a dusty town with a little over 100'000 people, but is still very hectic and lively. The foreign visitors that come, usually do it because of the Patola silk work made weaved in town. It's hand weaved fabrics that are made in a 1000 year old traditional way.

Less people here speak English, and most things are only written in Gujarati... and has a different alphabet from the Hindi one. So getting around was a lot more complicated.

Patan seemed to have even more cows per capita than even Ahmedabad, plus they have camels on the outskirts of town (the ones with one hump on the back). The town felt so exotic, and at times it was like I stepped in to an Oriental town 100 years ago.
The looks people gave me here were even more different than in Ahmedabad... and seemed to be more surprised to see me, and more curious. I went around town in the afternoon by auto rickshaw and saw some of the sights there while it still was daylight. I visited an other baoli (see my last post). Very interesting, but not really cool as the one I saw in Ahmedabad), and I watched an other Jain Temple, Panchasara Parasvanath. This time I was able to take photos inside.

When it became dark I walked around the city the way I like to do it the most ..randomly choosing streets to walk on. I walked through dark and dusty narrow alleys where people lived, passing curious kids, stray dogs, and occasional cows. I walked through long market streets. I bought a couple of saris (not for me, but as gifts... I promise).
Even here random people greeted me all the time, using the same phrases as in Ahmedabad.

I ate dinner at a place called Hotel Alpha. When I walked in, the entire bottom floor turned around looking at me as I walked in (all men). I thought that I would be more private up in the AC floor (air conditioned), but when I was about to order, seven waiters stood around me watching. Not sure about the purpose for that... other that I might have been the first white person ever eating there and I became a some type of novelty.

Then I was about to look for my hotel. I knew what street it was on, but didn't exactly remember where. The fact that almost everything was in Gujarati letters didn't help ether. I heard some singing and music being played across the street, so I went there to check out what it was. It turned out to be a a local neighbourhood celebration as part of an other of all these festivals. When they discovered that I stood on the side observing, I was invited to join in.
They were so friendly and open, and very excited to have me there. I had so much fun dancing with them. They taught me the steps to some Indian group dance done in a circle. It took a while to get the hang of it. Then they wanted me to show them some of my native dances, so I showed them the Swedish "frog dance" (sma grodorna). They liked it and thought it was very funny. I danced with some of the kids first. I did the singing, but they joined in the dancing part. After a while I convinced even some of the adult men to join in, and they did. There was a lot of laughter. Never did I imagine that I would see random Indian men dance the Swedish frog dance.
After a lot of dancing I was exhausted and sat down. I socialized with them for a while. They were very curious about me. The brought soda to me, and some of the younger boys brought me candy and Indian Sweets. I even signed a couple of autographs for some of the kids. Not sure that it will be all that much worth in the future, but hey, why not? The boys also wanted me to come back next year. The local TV station and local newspaper was there.. so I might have been on TV and in the newspaper... but not sure since I didn't have time to check it out before I left Patan.

At night, after getting help to find my way back to the hotel I discovered a spider hanging from a thread. Not sure it was poisonous, but I killed it just in case. In bed later I started to have these thoughts about having poisonous spiders crawling in through the window ..and these thoughts developed to the images of green poisonous snakes. It got me little nervous, so I started to think about more positive things. Until the shower suddenly went off in the bathroom and the spooky feeling came back. It had a natural explanation though. The water stopped coming when I showered earlier, and when the water came back on a few hours later... the shower started again.

The next day I went to VK Salvi, the the place where they weave the Patola silk saris. I got a private tour where they showed me how the silk was made. They are award winning weavers, and have done it for many generations, and this is the only place where they sell there work. So people from various parts of the world comes here to by the hand made silk works. I bought four pieces. Two of them were silk shawls that took one month each to make. ..and yes, they are also meant to be gifts. At least the shawls. I needed to take out money in order to pay for them, so I got a ride on the back of a scooter to an ATM. That ride was the coolest thing ever. I got such a rush to cruise through those dusty Patan streets, dodging cows and people and rickshaws.

I decided to walk back to the hotel, so that I could experience more of Patan before leaving it. I found myself a nice bamboo walking stick (and got even stranger looks when I walked around with it). When I looked at some bracelets that a lady sitting on a blanket was selling, I was soon surrounded bu 10-15 curious townspeople staring at me, both men and women. Now I got a little annoyed. This was crossing the line and I felt it was too much. I didn't want a crowd standing next to me staring when I am shopping.
After buying some bracelets some village idiot started to follow me down the street mumbling something in Gujarati. When I though that I shook him off, he suddenly appeared from nowhere and continued to follow me. Not only that, now a second weirdo started to tag along. He was an older bald man with a red mark on his forehead, and he wore a white robe, and cane, and looked like some type of guru. I did finally get rid of them with some local help.

Before heading back Ahmedabad and the train to Bombay I decided make a stop in the state capital of Gandhinagar. Gandhinagar is India's second planned city, and varies greatly from any other place that I have visited in India. Quiet frankly, it was probably not worth the visit and more of a waste of my time. I wasn't really that impressed by that city. Sure, it was by faaar calmer than any other place that I have visited. But the city was so spread out with these broad green avenues everywhere. It was a bizarre, eerie, and boring town. I felt like I was in some sci-fi movie where some type of virus killed 90 % of the population in the city, and where the remanding 10 % tried to live as normally as possible. The only real sight I cared to visit was the Akshardham temple. It was nice... and interesting, and beautiful. But no photo was allowed, and with all the other temples and site that I have visited in India, I have sadly enough forgotten how it looked like now. ...yeah, already. But I remember it to be beautiful. Still not worth the visit to Gandhinagar though, in my opinion.

I took the bus in to Ahmedabad, and killed some time at the train station before taking the train back to Bombay. On the train I got to know a man named Daniel that was from Israel. He had spent some time visiting some spiritual center up north, and was now headed to Pune. We sat up for a while talking about life, religion, travel, love and relationships. It was quiet interesting.

Back in Bombay I went back to the hotel where I usually stay at, Seva Niketan, and rented a room just for the day. I needed to shower, a place to sleep, and a place to store my things for a few hours before heading for my next journey, in the evening.

This journey to Gujarat was so great as a whole. It was so darn refreshing, and gave me lots of strength. It was not just the adventures and the experiences themselves, but it was also a time where I could ponder about my future, and other things that was bothering me. This trip was also a spiritual rush for me.

Three of the things that help me during times of frustration are spiritual matters, dancing, and traveling. I was able to do all three of them.

Amazing Ahmedabad

2008-10-10T11:29:00.007+05:30

The journey went really well. Far above expectation, and probably one of the most interesting trips that I have done in my life. Thus I will divide this trip in to two posts.

Traveling by sleeper class was quiet an experience, with little sleep. The bunk beds were in three levels, and petty close to each other. I was lucky to have the bottom one. Well, not counting having bypassers in the hallway bumping in to my feet when walking by. The train was very shaky at times, and did not have the soft cradle effect that puts one in to sleep. The noise.... yeah, lets say that the noise from the heavy snorer above me somewhere drowned in all the other noises. Kadooonk-kadoonk..boooom-booooom... hooonk-hoooonk....screeeeee-screeeee.... beeep-beeeep!!! ..and occasional festival music form villages and cities in between. The worst noise was from passing trains with ear numbing train whistles. My backpack was chained to my bunk and laid under me. So I felt it was safe there. Besides, any thieves had to get passed the old man that slept on the floor between the bunks.

The guy next to me when I boarded the train turned out to be a carpenter from Malaga, Spain. His name was Raul and it was his first day in India. He was going to travel India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka for a year. We talked with each other at night before going to sleep, and in the morning. When we arrived to Ahmedabad we decided to share an auto rickshaw and look for a hotel. After looking at various places we decided to share a double room at Hotel Kingsway.

We decided to become travel partners while in Ahmedabad, so we went out discovering town together. I didn't know much about this place before arriving, but I have to say that I took a lucky shot going there. Ahmedabad is an intriguing city with 4,5 million people. About the forth of the size of Bombay, but with ten times more cows roaming the streets.
There were even more of other types of animals. There were goat herders with 20-30 goats walking around. There were donkeys ...and more amazingly, at parts there were groups of large falcons on top of houses, that flew down or soared only meters from us, catching fish parts or other eatable things from the piles of garbage on the streets. I have never been so close to wild falcons before, and never seen so many at the same time.

We went and saw some tourist sights... the first one being an intriguing baoli built in 1499, the Dada Hari Wav. A baoli is a big well, that looks like a big gray stone temple in the ground, with lots of stairs and pillars in different levels. It was quiet an fascinating and spooky place. Next to it was an other interesting place, an even older Hindu temple, where we (and our rickshaw driver there) got a private tour by an old temple guard. During the trips to one of the roof tops he pulled out a huge pack of foreign money ...dollars, euros ..and currencies that I didn't recognize. I guess he had his own little side job with black market money change or something. I had no interest in it.

We visited a few other cool sight, including an impressive Jain temple (where photo was not allowed). But mostly we just walked around randomly visiting markets and streets that seemed interesting. That's how we run in to some more interesting things, including some type of parade with large crowd of men with big colourful turbans. ..lot of them holding up sabers or flags.
I stood there with a camera and then suddenly a bunch of them wanted to shake my hand as they passed me... and in between I managed to get some nice photos.

I got more attention in Ahmedabad as a white foreigner than I usually get in Bombay. Raul had a little darker skin, so he could pass as an northern Indian. People were constantly yelling "Hello!", "How are you?", Which country?", "Welcome!" or "What's your name?" People were generally friendlier too in my opinion.

At one spot close to Bhadra Fort Raul and I were stopped by three women in Indian clothing. They pulled up Raul's right shirt sleeve and started to stamp his upper arm with henna tattoos. I wanted one too and asked them to give me some too... being aware that they probably would ask for money afterwards. Raul's was cooler, mine was a cheesy heart with "I love you" and some nice patterns around it. Plus, being placed on a snow white, non-muscular, arm didn't make it cooler. ...and the darn thing burned too! It's not supposed to do that. They warned about that in my Lonely Planet book. Not sure how it affected me, but at least I didn't get an allergic reaction from this one ...strange thing.
Hmmm.. have to admit that when I look at my henna tattoo, here at the internet cafe, now afterwards... it does look pretty cool. ..yet still cheesy at the same time.

At night there was some celebrations... since this was an other of these numerous Indian holidays. They had stuffed a huge sculpture, made out of paper, with fire crackers. He was symbolizing some evil dude. After having put on some show on a stage, they lit it off and the sculpture exploded. Quiet interesting... even tough I got confused about whether I should take photos or cover my ears ..I hope the loud explosions didn't affect my hearing too much.

The next morning we went on an other walk randomly in the streets discovering more interesting things. Ahmedabad feels much more exotic than Bombay... and I do think that I like this town even more than Bombay. I finally got to see my first Indian elephant. It's head was painted colourfully. Not sure if it was part of some other festivity or if it just was his regular everyday makeup.

I started to have some eye problem again, so I walked around with my right contact in order to make it feel better.

After an interesting time together, Raul's and my path together ended. I had decided to take the bus to the city of Patan, 3,5 hours northwest of Ahmedabad, and he was going to Oidapur in Rajasthan up north later that day.
My photos, that I eventually will be putting up on Facebook will do more justice to my visit to Ahmedabad.... even though they can't describe my emotions and impressions that I have hard time to describe in words, without making it a novel. I also didn't have the opportunity to photograph everything I saw ether, for various reasons.

Anyway... I loved Ahmedabad! ... and now it was time for Patan!

I'll see if I have time to write about it before I have to leave... and I am not sure about my internet access this upcoming week... but please read it. Patan was even more amazing!!! :) (Not meant to be a cliffhanger)

Going on a journey...

2008-10-07T20:34:00.004+05:30

It's interesting how things work... when bad things happen to me here in India, bad things seem to happen at the same time in other aspects of my personal life. It stinks and it's very draining. But hey, this post is not about that... and I don't want any pity... maybe a hug, but no pity.

Tomorrow night I'll be going on a well needed journey, on my own. Thursday is a holiday, and I took Friday off. I'm going to the province of Gujarat north of here. I have some set places that I will visit, but other than that... it will be pretty spontanious. I only have a few days on me though.

This will be a good time to think.. and get a distance to various aspects that has been bothering me lately.

I'll be back in Bombay on Sunday morning. On Sunday evening I will be on to my next journey, but this time through the TATA Institute of Social Sciences. The school here that is responsible for my internship placement, and the stay here. My university back home has some type of exchange programme with them. We will be going to the rural parts of the state of Maharashtra (where Bombay is), and to the school's rural campus for a few days (in the Sulapur district), then we will spend some days in Aurangabad. I'm looking forward to that trip too.

Anyway... I may, or may not go online on Sunday... but if I do, I'll write about my Gujarat experience. If not, I'll do it in little less than two weeks.

In all honesty.... I am a little bit nervous about this solo trip. But I'll manage. Now I need to finnish off some stuff online... and then start packing.

Happy thoughts, Mahatma Gandhi, dancing with sticks, and partying with Swedish girls.

2008-10-02T15:00:00.006+05:30

For the past couple of days I wanted to write a post that was all positive about Bombay, to be fair, and to balance things up a bit. I still stand by what I wrote in my last post though. I do feel at home here again... and I'm liking it here ....things are far from perfect, but still.

These are some of the things that I love with this place;
How exotic many things really are,
The clothing style, especially for the women - so beautiful and creative.
Some of the architecture, especially some random buildings here and there (even if many of the are a little run-down).
The people I work with in various ways ..at the office, in the slums, and at the TATA institute (and many more).
The good hearted and hospitable strangers that takes care and welcomes you with open arms. There are many of them. Far from all people are jerks, husslers, or prejudice.
How cheap things are.
How important the people here thinks that the family is.
Some of the food is really good.
Leopold Café and Woodside Inn restaurant.
The street markets and the exotic and alive streets in general off the touristy areas.
All the new impressions and experiences that I get almost every single day.

Some of the most interesting time here have been when working with some of the people in the slums.

Well anyway, today is a holiday since it's Mahatma Gandhis birthday. It's nice with a day off to recover and catch up on various things ...including sleep.

Yesterday was one of the greatest nights so far here in Bombay. At night I went to this festivity around the corner from my hotel. They were celebrating one of their many Hindu gods. Don't remember the name of this one though, and don't remember the story behind it ether. They are usually complicated.
I went by yesterday and I was invited back the following night for the dancing part. At first I went by myself, and soon after I came, after their ceremonies, they invited me in. I got some Curd pored in my hand (like filmjölk for my Swedish readers), that I had to lick and then whipe off at the back of my head. Then they put me on a plastic garden chair and I was surrounded by a bunch of happy and excited Indians. One father took his little son and put him on my lap and took photos of us with his mobile phone camera. Then he took his son's head and made him kiss me on the cheek. The poor little boy looked a little frightened. There were others that were taking photos of me too.

When the crowd disapeared I started to talk to a man that sat next to me. He told me that they were so excited because I was the first white Westerner, ever, to join in and be with them during the celebration. Wow... I felt special.
Afterwards I joined in with the dancing outside. A dance done with sticks. I brought a couple of painted wooden sticks that I bought earler during the day from an old lady in one of the slums. People are dancing in two rows, facing each other, and while they dance, they hit each others sticks. Like a mix between dancing and fencing. Hundreds of Indians .. around me, and up on the balconies were looking at me dancing with the others. I could hear a lot of laughter and cheers. I didn't get in to the rythm at first, and I probably looked like a fool, ..but hey, it was way fun.

I went back to the hotel where Sebastian was, and two other Swedes that were in Bombay for a few days, "Lasse" and "Kalle". "Lasse" is a little brother to Sebastian's best friend from home, and he and his friend are travelling India for three months. I told them about my experience and convinced them to check it out. When we all came there were even more cheers. We danced ... and we danced .. and I sweat a whole lot. But maaaaan was that fun. We joined in various dances. I had the time of my life. The music was very rythmic with lots of heavy drums, and they were played loud on the speakers. The people were way excited and cheering and were really in to the whole thing. They loved having us there and made us dance with them all the time.
I eventually got rid of some of my hippo dance moves and became more "smooth". When it was time to leave 30-40 people, mostly kids and young people, run up to me and wanted to shake my hands, cheering. What a crowd! Once again I felt like Jay Leno, or some type of celebrity. We were invited back tonight.... I think I might go. This was an excellent and way fun way to burn fat. ...I have lost atleast 5 kilos so far btw since I got here.

Then we took a taxi down to Colaba, and hung out there with some female Swedish Social Work students that the guys had met the night before. They are studying in Poona, and where up in Bombay for a few days. We had a good time with them. We went to the luxurious hotel Taj Mahal and hang out at the bar/dance place there for a little while. I had a couple of Cokes there (for the readers that may not know it..I don't drink alcohol). I spoke to business men from USA, Singapore and Dubai there ... I danced to some cool beats (not with the businessmen), and got to know some of the Swedish girls better. Going to the bathroom there was an experience. Some worker there turned on the water for me when I was going to wash my hands, then he pored soap on my hands, and afterwards he handed me some nice thick paper towels.

Then we went and spent the rest of the night at "Polly Esther", some fancy place where many of the more well set Indians go to party. .. still sticking to Coke, and away from the alcohol. It was way fun... I truly enjoyed dancing on the disco dance floor. Good music, and there were many really beautyful Indian women there. Hey, I'm single now, so I might as well enjoy.

It was a sad back-to-reallity feeling afterwards when we all went out after closing time, and I saw all the families sleeping on the streets, under blankets or newspapers - mothers, fathers, children, and babies next to each other. Such a contrast. This was the not so fun part of the night.

But I have to say... that I in the mood of liking life here... and I will make alot of it before I have to leave.

Mei thi koo!

Bombay is a dump

2008-09-29T17:59:00.006+05:30

Okay, a few days ago I finally started to feel home here in Bombay, and things felt good and I enjoyed life here. Then, this last Sunday it all changed and I got sick and tired of this dump. So now I'm gonna tell why... but end this post with some positive things. (It's not like I'm consumed with bitterness).

On the way back from Church, in Vashi, it started with a bird drop a bomb on my brand new tailor made pants. Then I had to wait for over two hours for the stupid train to come, not sure if it was delaied or if they just don't go as often on Sundays ... and no taxis in sight, only rickshaws (rickshaws are banned in the southern parts of Bombay, so I couldn't take one home).

When the train finally came, it suddently changed to a different platform on the other side of the train station, so I had to hurry over there. Then the train was completely packed with people, and there I stood, crammed and sweatty and barely able to move.
When the train was about to arrive to Govandi, two stops away, it felt like a hand was searching in my left side pocket, but I couldn't do anything, because I was holding on with my left arm and couldn't take it down becausee it was so darn packed. I was holding my bags with right arm, plus I was protecting the camera and the mobile phone that were in the right pocket, so my right hand wasn't avaiable. Then suddenty the train stopped and a hord of people pushed out. I could feel that my wallet was gone and run out, but to no use since I wouldn't be able to know where the thieves went among all this myriad of people. I felt violated, and so powerless ..and a hatred towards the Bombay public transportation and traffic system.

I jumped on the next train, and ironically, soon a salesperson jumped on the train trying to sell wallets to th passangers ...twice.

Why do I constantly have to travel with these insanelly packed trains, where I from now on will feel unsafe because of the vunerable situation that I will be in with limited mobility, and being selected out as a easy target because I am Westerner (and who probably has a lot of money, in the thieves mind). I already hated the claustrophobic feeling that are in most trains.
Buses are generally crowded too, and often stuck in traffic jams when they really are needed.
That partains to general traffic here too... cars everywhere.. traffic jams ... constant honking... improvised traffic rules. Crazy and egotistical motorcyclists... and at night many taxis drive without any headlights.. causing a great danger, especially if they drive behind a car that has headlights, when you need to cross the street and think that you're safe.
The pollution and the terrible air from the traffic... yeah, the list goes on.

I miss peace and serenity, and I'm sick and tired of all these huge crowds of people everywhere. I'm sick and tired of people caughing straight out, or sneezing in their hands .... spreading germs and bacteria all thr time. I'm sick and tired of all the garbage everywhere.. and how some people just throw it on the street or right out of their windows.

I think I'll stop here... and I even skip the other bad things that happened last Sunday.

... on the positive side of things... I still don't regret coming here, even if there's no way in hell that I'll settle down here. I have met some really, really great people here... and there are aspects to my internship that I really love and enjoy, and that has given me great learning experiences. I still want to get out the most of my experience here. I try to learn Hindi phrases, wear Indian clothing, buy various Indian movies (including Bollywood), eat Indian food, befriend people here, learn about the culture, and eventually travel around a little.

Tadi tada...

2008-09-20T08:45:00.000+05:30

Life feels better now. I like the turn of events. We have switched to single rooms, as was the plan from the beginning… and in these rooms we have an outlet for electricity! Yea, now I can watch “Heroes” and movies on my laptop after all, and play with photos on Photoshop and all those other things. ..and the bed, the bed is still as hard, but my body has adjusted to it surprisingly well. My room is in the corner, and has windows too two sides. The view is the best I’ve had so far here in India. I think that I eventually will be able to block out the sound from the traffic and all the honking horns that comes from one side of my room. The cold showers are also manageable. Hey, I haven’t had a nice warm shower since I came to India anyway. Just “not that cold”, “a little cold”, “cold”, “way cold”, and “hey, is it supposed to be this cold!?”.

Things here feel easier to handle now. I’m happy. Not joyful, and not inner peace like, just simply happy. Some things still stink big time, but that would be hard to avoid anyway.

I sold my bag of the Swedish candy “Gott & Blandat” to Sebastian for 1500 rupees. It’s way good. …and eating Swedish candy when being far away from Sweden, and for so long, has some magic healing power. My bags of “Polly”, “Ahlgrens bilar” and “Fruxo” cured some of my stress.
Sebastian offered me 500 rupees at first, but I said “No way!” I also turned down the offer of 1000 rupees, but I finally accepted the final bid. Sad thing is that I don’t feel bad about it. It’s a bag of “Gott & Blandat” and we’re in India after all. The approximate rate of 1500 rupees now = 220 Swedish kronor, 40 US dollars. ….yeah.

Monsoon over the Dharavi slum – the biggest slum in Asia.

2008-09-18T23:00:00.005+05:30

I had a new adventure… and a very, very interesting experience, that I feel deserves a post by itself. Last Tuesday, Sebastian and I went with our co-worker Swati to the very southern part of the Dharavi slum, in the northern parts of Bombay. It’s usually not in the area that the Family Services Centre cover, but they work with a group called Chirag, that works with people that are HIV positive, their families, and on community level in order to inform people and create awareness and acceptance towards people with HIV. We visited their organisation where a lady told us about her organisation. They were in a big rectangular room, where they also had some people working, sewing. It was a little hard to hear at times because of the sewing machines in the background.

After that we did some home visits where FSC sponsors the schooling of some of the children to HIV positive parents.

I won’t go in to further detail about the work process, but instead tell about the Dharavi experience. As the headline says, Dharavi is the biggest slum in Asia, and is a maze of dark alleys and dusty streets. The buildings are a mix of multilevel concrete houses built tightly next to each other, and simple iron shack housings. Whole families usually share small, small one room apartments, some of them smaller than some people’s bathrooms.
But the society works “normally” anyway. Most people have electricity (with cables hanging here and there over and between the buildings. Inside many people have electric kitchens and fridges. Most houses seem to have a TV and some type of stereo system. You see people with cell phones and motorcycles.

There are various small shops everywhere. There are tailors, smiths, electronic stores selling DVD players and VCR’s, computer stores, snack bars, barbers, clothing stores selling western style jeans, places you can reload your prepaid phone card, and so on and so on, I even saw a jewellery store. All this in the slum!

Of course there’s full of poverty there, and people suffering. Some of the big problems are also the small spaces, and the hygiene. People live so crowded, and there are sewer lines running down the streets. I saw rats run around that were bigger than kittens (and that was just the body, add the tail on top of that).

While there, a terrible monsoon rain just pored down, flooding some of the streets. At parts the puddles were so deep that I almost got knee deep in water. The rain seemed to have no end.

As with many other parts of Bombay, the area was full of various smells. The outside had its smell of pollution from the cars and rickshaws; the inside smells from the sewers and the garbage, but also the smells from the various food places, the fruit market and the fish market. The smell could turn from good to bad, and back again, really fast. You never know what smell will wait for you around the corner.

I felt like an explorer, going to places where no white man has set his foot before. Lots of people stared at us everywhere we went, more than usually. Random men wanted to shake our hands, women smiled at us talking amongst them selves, young people wanted to touch us as we pasted them and made some cheering (or mocking) noises, and children were full of innocent childlike curiosity.
A young boy that saw us started to yell to his friends in Hindi from the top of his lungs “The English sirs are coming, the English sirs are coming! Come out, come out!” (Swati translated).
All looks and comments weren’t friendly though. I’m also not sure how to interpretate all the laughs ether. I guess there were various reasons for them.

I got later that expected and we were all exhausted when we got home.

Well, these are all the impressions that I remembered, and I don’t know if I did the experience any justice, including my mix of emotions and thoughts. It was far more than I could fully express in words. It needs to be seen ...and even better – in person.

"Spank it! Spank it!"

2008-09-17T17:18:00.006+05:30

Ok... time to went and whine. Especially since I wrote on Facebook that I had the crappiest weekend in a long time.

I guess I start with some good news first... that Sebastian is alive and well. My stomach is doing well too. "Well" as in a "Swedes being India" standards.

Anyway... my weekend, I have been stressed and not felt very good. In many aspects. ..and the only place where I really could be by myself was in a small humid room in the Malaria Guest House.
Went and saw "Righteous Kill", some Hollywood movie, in a movie theater here (Regal). That was a different experience. It started off at first with playing the Indian National Anthem, and everybody had to stand up. The Indians there sang along. I heard later that it was a Bombay thing. Then the movie started... and the sound quality turned out to be pretty bad, so it was hard to follow the dialogues at times. Then, less than an hour in to the movie, they stopped for a break! During the break they even showed some trailers for some other stuff. It totally ruined the mood, that already was low due to the bad sound quality. Sure, have breaks during the 3-hour Bollywood movies, but don't touch the Hollywood ones! Sooo utterly idiotic.

During one of these moments when I wanted to have some time on my own, and not being in my humid room, I decided for a walk along a river walk close by. It's usually not too crowded. But on the way there there were these dudes trying to sell these giant balloons (almost man sized). I run in to them on a regular basis, and they keep trying to sell me those... and saying "Spank it, spank it!" while they spank it themselves. I don't really care for spanking any giant balloons, the less buying one. What in the world should I do with it, if I have no interest in spanking it?
I have these fantasies where I have this really sharp stick and where I go around poking every d**n balloon I run into.

What's even more annoying. are those "point-to-your-ear-and-poke-it-with-a-stick" people. On that river walk there was an army of those idiots. "Hey sir..." and started to point at my ear and get close. I was in a bad mood and lost it. I reamed "Don't touch me!" or waved them away aggressively. Those fools kept coming. Sure, do it for someone that asked for it, but leave my ears alone! I'm thinking of getting a bamboo stick and.... (...)

It was the last day of the Ganesh festivities. This time they put various sizes of Ganesh statues in the water and let it sink... along with people saying "Mooria, mooria!" I watched it and took photos of it. Even this time I got that colourful powder thrown at me. this time though, the powder had some type of chemicals in it, so I got an allergic reaction to it. By night I had a rash all over. All night my arms, stomach, chest, legs, and feet were itching. I barelly got any sleep at all. ..and I have slept bad the night before too. By morning I was way tired. The itch moved around during the day and my head, hands, and fingers started to itch.

Well, we moved to our new place... Seva Niketan. It's in the Byculla area, further north. We were taken there by an idiot taxi driver, that smoked in the car and then ripped us off. We paid waaay too much for the ride, but we were both too tired to argue, plus our luggage was in the car already. Then he just carelessly took of out luggage and drove away.
Well, our new place is cleaner, cheaper, bigger and nicer.... sweet! And we can eat food cheaply at the canteen there. But of course... it would be too good to be perfect. ... we have no electric outlets, so no chill nights watching "Heroes" or some movie on my laptop... and the beds are rock hard, including the pillows. The worst I ever have encountered.
I did not sleep well the following night ether...

With all this, I want to say that I have left out some of the most personal details about my crappy weekend.

Well... at least the rash is gone, and my stomach is okay... for the moment.

Malaria Guest House.. and other unclean things

2008-09-12T19:43:00.003+05:30

We had enough of this new place. On Monday we're moving out to a new place. It's cheaper, bigger, and cleaner. Unfortunately, it's a lot further away from where we work. But we'll manage.

Sebastian has been way sick. He has been to the doctor, and the symptoms are the same as with malaria. ... yup. Dead serious. He did not look well at all. Would not surprise me if it was the unsanitary Malaria (Apollo) Guest House that caused it with their ladybug sized bed bugs (filled with blood) ..or some other type of insect. The humidity and other things there probably attracts various types of strange life forms. Sebastian is doing somewhat better at the moment. Let's hope that it continues to get better.
Anyway, I won't miss my humid room or the greasy walls and doors in the bathroom.

A couple of days ago I went along two other Social Work students and visited a young girl at a government owned hospital. She had Tuberculosis, and had such a sad life story. The hospital looked like it was from the beginning of the last century, ...and there were cats walking around there.

Yesterday I went along to an institution where they take care of used children. It can be child labourers, beggars, or in other ways used children. They keep them there for a couple of months and try to straighten out their lives. This day they had a bunch of child labourers that probably the police had caught in some raid. There were lots of them, and their employers were there trying to excuse themselves and how they in fact were "helping" them. (..all so that they could get away with having cheap labour). It was nice to see the middle aged lade put them in to place. "How are you helping them by pulling them out of school? How will he support his family? Their kids are also going to end up as child labourers." ..and so on. I liked her. She was way cool.
The employers had brought the kid's parents, many of them from rural areas, and having them talk to the people of the institution so that they can send the kids "home". What happens is that for a little sum of money from the employers ... their back to business as usual. What the institution tries to do during those two months is to talk to kids and their parents, and that way been able to lower the amount of kids going back to child labour.
Before I left I saw this group of maybe 20 boys around the age of 8-10. ..also child labourers of some sort. I said "hi" to them, but I got absolutely no response. They all just stood their in complete silence ...looking at me. ..this tall white boy with a strange hair style.

Today a pedophile came to the office where I work. He was involved in some type of shelter for kids in the area and looked for information about some girl. He used to be in prison here, but was let out earlier along with his friend for some strange reason. He's European, so I started to talk to him when he sat down by me, not knowing until afterwards who he really was. I heard about him from some European girls that lived at the same guest home as him. Photos of them have been sent out to various institutions and organisations so he was recognized. He didn't get any help btw. I was also advised to stay away from him. No problem with that. I don't want to associate with him now when I know who he is.

My stomach has been all messed up lately, again, along with other things. *sigh*

The Tower of Silence, Ganesh, and Mr Muscle.

2008-09-08T20:39:00.006+05:30

It was an interesting week. I won't be able to cover it all... But I'll share the most interesting parts.

Last Wednesday was the first day of the Ganesh festival. The biggest festival of the year in Bombay. A festival where they celebrate the pink elephant god Ganesh. We had the day off, so we took the opurtunity to roam around and discover more of Bombay.

We started up with taking a taxi tour to some big points of interests. It was fun and interesting, and nice to have that done... but it was a rip-off, Rupeevise. We started off at Gateway of India, and some of the places we visited were a Jain temple, the biggest open laundry in Asia (where people from all over Bombay get their clothes washed), Hanging Gardens (highest view point in Bombay), the Gandhi house (where he started the "Quit India" movement), and The Tower of Silence (the place the Parsi people lay their dead and let the vultures eat their flesh and the bones. Unfortunately it was a gated area with a thick djungle around it, so we barely saw anything of the building).

After that was when the big time, random, walk around southern Bombay started. We walked around randomly... trying to catch various Ganesh celebrations. We could spot them by the heavy drumming ..and just followed the sound. On the street celebrations, smaller groups walk down the streets drumming and dancing in front of a cart with a statue of Ganesh. They also throw redish powder at each other (and sometimes innocent bypassers). i wanted to get that red stuff on me, so I joined in a group when they walked in to an alley. They happily throw some of that in my direction.
In an other group some happy youngsters took me in the hand and dragged me in to their party and wanted me to join in and dance with them. So... I did a little of that. Not as a religious thing, but as a cultural thing. They were a happy bunch and I got some great photo opurtunities. Sebastian avoided the whole ting and hid in the background. He didn't want to ruin is clothes with that red powder. That was probably wise, because now I have hard time getting rid of that from my clothes. They still have a pinkish tone in the used-to-be-white parts.
The walk back was quiet interesting. We where in an area where no white men seem to go. We were the only white boys for blocks, and blocks, and blocks. Hundreds and hundreds of Indians laughed at me, a white boy with red powder in my face and clothes. Yes... hundreds ...litterally, and many of them said various things in Hindi to me (or in the local language).

During our journey we suddently run in to a leper that walked down a narrow vegetable market. It was an old man with a long white beard, and who had his face, arms, and body completely covered with boils. It came so unexpected and as a schock. He was walking around begging for money. Out of instinct I just kept walking, because I didn't know what else to do. I thought that it was contageous, but now afterwards I realized that he probably wasn't. Otherwise the people around him wouldn't have ignored him the way they did. I feel really sorry for that man when I think back about him. How lonely he must feel, despite all the people around him.
The other day a young boy came to me when my taxi stopped, and asked for money. His face was burned off and he had no nose or lips, and no left hand. I usually don't give money to beggars, but in this case I didn't have heart to turn him down, so I gave him a few rupees. I don't feel like a "hero" for doing that though, and I don't deserve a golden star for that ether.

After writing about these last things, it almost makes it seem pathetic that I should complain about my new housing. Well, I'll do it anyway. We moved from one dump in to another. The good part: We have our own rooms and our well needed privacy (nothing personal against each other - I promise). It's not as much of a rip-off as other places, and it's still in a good location. The bad part: No air condiotion, and the fan in the ceiling doesn't do all the job it should, plus the noise.... *sigh*. Unless I lay still, directly under the fan, I will still sweat lots.
Here, at Apollo Guest House (the Colaba Causeway spot), they seemed to forget the importance of clean bathrooms/toilets. Yes, we share that with other people, including the staff, so I always shower with my slippers on. One would think that the staff could spend more time cleaning, instead of just sitting and reading the newspaper, watch Bollywood movies or Indian shows on TV, or just walking around doing nothing.
So I bought a bottle of "Mr Muscle" cleaning spray that I spray on various things that seem too greasy. I'm not a big fan of greasy door handles.
Well, they seem to have done some cleaning lately... I wonder if seing me carrying around that Mr Muscle bottle was a hint? Well, I guess I should give them the benefit of a doubt. They are nice after all, and I can order a cold Pepsi from them for only 20 rupees.

Wow... I guess this was my longest post so far. I you made it here... thanks!

Oh... btw... I have lost almost 4 kilos so far :)

Namaste! My first Hindi class. / I keep meeting crazy peole.

2008-09-01T20:01:00.001+05:30

Today Sebastian and I went to the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, where we had to meet with our coordinator Soumya and with Neela, who takes care of the international students. We will be spending one day a week there in general. For Hindi classes every week. Every other week we will have independent studies about some social issue in India of our choice, and every other week we will have a field trip to a place of our choice.
We got side tracked on our way to the school by the way. The rickshaw driver didn't speak English, and misunderstood where we wanted to go, so we ended up far away in the wrong direction ..by the Sion train station. Fool... I don't like when people pretend they understand when they in fact don't ..or just guess.

Today we had our Hindi class ....quiet interesting. We learned parts of the alphabet.. and how to pronounce them. Booooy... we had some serious problems with some of the sounds. Both the pronounciation... and hearing the difference between some of the sounds. Our home work is to memorize the vowels and the signs.

The journey back was interesting. Before the train was about to stop at the end station (and still going), suddenly a hoard of chubby middle aged Indian men jumped on the train .. and started to tackle each other and yell. I thought that some type of riot was going on, or some type of police chase. But it just turned out to be people going home after a working day and they wanted to make sure that they had seats to sit on. I almost got my camera knocked off my hands.

Yesterday when I was about to cross the road, some man pointed at my ear, and i thought that I had something there. So I tried to take away whatever that might have been. then he took some type of small stick and put it in my ear ..and dug out some ear wax (I swear that I cleaned them just a day or two ago). That was way bizarre. The he started to point at my hair and said something like "Schampoo! Schampoo!" ...I just walked away and ignored that nut case.

My first visit to a child institution/ Feeling clautrophobic

2008-08-30T21:14:00.001+05:30

I didn't plan to write a new post in my blogg until next week... but I need to right now. I really do. In order to release some frustration.

I'll get back to the cause of the frustration later on.. and tell about my trip to the child institution first. It was an interesting one ...and pretty emotional. It wasn't fully as tragic that I feared it could be. Of course, their situation is tragic... and all the children need all the help they can get. But what makes it easier, is that there are people there that really care for them. The chief of the place, and the social workers, and most likely most of the staff. They are working to give the children as good of a chance in life as possible. Social workers are even working with the parents, as good as they can, so that they will be able to get their lifes in order so that their child can come back to them.

Once a month, the parents or grand parents are allowed to visit the children ...for two hours. Today was one of the days. It was emotional to see a grandmother cry while she hugged her grandchild. ..and later on see a boy cry as his grandmother was about to leave.
These children are lonely, and want to go home... but their home conditions are so bad that it wont be possible.
The children comes from very different walks of life. Some have parents that are drunks and don't care about their children at all ... others are children of sex workers. Some have been victims of various types of abuse, or are at the orphanage to be protected from it. Others have very neglective parents, and other have a loving family, but they are physically incapable of taking care of the children. Some are orphans ...the stories are many.

Made me realize even more how important a loving family is.

Well.... now about my frustration... I guess I am in some type of transition process or something right now. Well... I need to get used to the things that frustrates me right now. Or I will go insane.
I got tired of having all these huuuuge amount of people around me... especially in and around the train stations.. and surtant streets. No real peace and serenity. I feel really claustrophobic right now. I miss the nature, the clean air, clean street food, open spaces, the calmness, Swedish julmust soda, Swedish Portello soda, .... and of course my girlfriend.

...and of course family and friends. ;)

Despite all this... I don't regret coming here. I came here for a higher purpose ..and I just have to deal with things ...in various ways.

Closer and crazier down in Colaba

2008-08-26T18:38:00.002+05:30

We moved down to Hotel Volga in the Colaba district yesterday. A whole lot closer to where we have our internship and to everything else. A lot cheaper housing too, but so is the standard. But we'll manage. Outside our "hotel" is very lively, with hoards of street salesmen. On my first night down here, two people tried to sell drugs to me. The best way to deal with them is to ignore them. No long explanations are needed.

Today we followed a co-worker and visited young children in a school in some other district. It was an interesting experience. The kids got exited and loved saying phrases in English to us. Such as "Hello!", "What is your name?" and "How are you doing?" Many of them wanted to shake our hands. In one of the classes the students came running and stretched out their hands so that we could shake their hands. I felt like Jay Leno in the beginning of a show when he shakes the audience's hands.

My stomach has not felt good lately.... I hope it doesn't get worse.

Hmmm... even Sundays are interesting .. especially if it's during a festival.

2008-08-24T17:38:00.001+05:30

I went to Church today. It took about an hour or so to get there by taxi. It was located far away from where I live. The traffic was insane due to some festival that they have today. The taxi driver even waited for me when I was at Church and drove me back ... and by then the traffic had become even more insane. I thought that I was going nuts. As part of the festival kids through small plastic bags with water, or water bottles, at cars passing by. My taxi got hit by a water bottle a couple of times.
A more significant part of this festival is when youth of various ages make big human pyramids, where the person on top tries to grab something hanging down between to buildings. Those pyramids can be quiet high, and every year there are maybe a couple of hundred people that fall down and break a few bones. I saw this little kid walk down the street that had casts and had hurt both his arms, plus his head.

The taxi driver's car broke down just a two-minute walk from the YMCA where I stay at. Quiet ironic, after driving all that way. I guess I was lucky that it didn't happen earlier. I feel sorry for the taxi driver though. He was way cool.

I went out for a walk by myself after changing clothes. I have to say.. walking by myself was a different experience from walking with an other white dude. Even more people stared at me, said things to me, and approached me. At one street corner, when I was about to look at some of the festivities, three Indian guys came and stood next to me. One of them turned out to be a pimp. He told me "Women, women, beautiful women!" and pointed to a building. I told him that I wasn't interested, but he kept trying. He even came after me when I walked away. "...you may like them or you may not like them. Have a look..." (or something similar to that). He even handed me a business card. But I gave it back. He asked me why I wasn't interested, and I didn't feel like I had to explain all the million reasons why. ...something that should be so obvious. I just told him that I have a girlfriend. That seemed to help and he left me alone. Having a lengthy discussion with him wouldn't have help.

Finally! An internet cafe ...of some sort

2008-08-22T15:28:00.004+05:30

The internet is down at the place where Sebastian and I are are staying at. We almost went insane looking for an internet cafe in town yesterday. People pointed at various directions... and we went here and there and in circles and back again. Now we finally found one ... a really bizarre one. But as long as internet works ...I'll be fine.

Well... this week has been more of an introduction week. Yet very interesting and fascinating. There are many more things that we have seen and experienced, and things that we need to get used to.
We walked through some more slums. Mostly in the Colaba district in the South. Narrow alleys with people living really crowded. Quiet intriguing, but not from a tourist point of view, but an anthrophological point of view. ...and of course also as a life experience. It has made me realize many things and given me many new perspectives ...and inspiration.

Bombay is so huge, and there are sooo many people everywhere. About 18 million people ...plus the suburbs! That's more than twice the population of Sweden! Taking the train downtown here is a whole lot different from taking the tram to school back home.
We live in an area with very, very, very few white people. The only other ones that we have seen, are people that stay at the YMCA where we're staying at. So when we walk down the street there, or in most of the other areas, we're the only white dudes among at least tens and tens of thousands of people. People stare at us constantly ...everywhere. Sometimes it gets really annoying, especially if they stand just a meter from us and stare directly at us ...without shame.
Yesterday some Indian guy in a truck picked up his mobile phone camera and took a photo of me .... with a huge smile on his face.

Some kids in one of the slum areas asked me yesterday why my face was so red. A genuine question ...and very funny I think. I had explain what the sun here does to people like me.
Yeah... my face is red, very red. But my legs will probably keep being cursed white for a while, since we're not supposed to wear shorts when we're on duty.
Sooo... yes, I am sweating like a pig when I am outside.

Now I'm headed of to my first weekend in India! We both need to sleep in and recharge our batteries. But also to prepare for the upcoming week.

I will put up photos at some point. Hopefully fairly soon.

Probably the craziest day in my life.

2008-08-18T21:02:00.002+05:30

I finally arrived to Bombay today...and it fast became very intense. All the impression has hit me like a sledgehammer. It has been so crazy. I didn't think that I would see so much so fast. I don't even know if I will be able to describe it all.
The crazy traffic ...I had the most interesting taxi ride in my entire life ...I had the most interesting bus ride in my entire life ... I had the most interesting train ride in my entire life

Sebastian and I are staying at YMCA in mid lower Bombay.... right next to a slum. We saw the worst missery and poverty that we ever have encountered ...by far. The things we saw can't be described easilly in just a few words.

When we walked through the slum... a McDonald's suddently popped up on the other side of a street of where that part of the slum ended. We were both very hungry and felt like it was a safe place to eat. We had a Chicken Maharaja Mac meal. Indias version of the Big Mac meal I guess. Something that is unique for India. It was an interesting experience where West merges with East.

I have to go now... I have not been able to cover this day by far... if I did, it would be closer to becoming a novell. But it sure has been a paradox and we have seen and experienced of both the lightness and darkness of this world.
I think that is has been so much that we haven't been able to digest it properly, and let it sink in really.

Anyway... we might go back to the slums, and see how life is there at night time. Bye for now.

Helsinki airport, Finland

2008-08-17T19:49:00.003+05:30

I'm the master of travelling with excess weight by plane and getting away with it. I might look like the nerd of nerds or like an über tourist, and sweat more than normally, but it's all worth it. I won't reveal my secret here, but I can tell that I probably were able to carry an extra 10 kilos, if not even more, because I planned ahead.

Well... right now I'm in the Helsinki Airport in Finland. Waiting for the plane to my end destination .....Bombay. Strange feeling .. a really strange feeling. In less than half a day I will set my foot in India! The strange feeling that I have right now is different in some ways from the strange feeling that I had last week and before that. Even the nervousness is different. Not sure how to explain it.
Good thing that Sebastian is coming along to Bombay and to the same place as I am. It makes it easier to have travel company, and someone I know around me when in India. Sebastian is a guy in my class from the University.

These past few days have been pretty intense. I haven't slept this little in a very, very long time. I slept maybe 3 hours last night, maybe 45 minutes the night before, 4-5 hours the night before that, and very little the night before that. There have been times where I have felt like Zoombie. I have had so much to do, and I have been so stressed. Oh well.... that's how life is at times. At least I'm happy and smiling.

Tadi tada.. :)

Why India?

2008-08-11T20:01:00.000+05:30

The countdown continues... yesterday I finnished my last night at work before leaving for India. Within a week I will be walking down the streets of Bombay. It all feels weirder and weirder, and I get more and more nervous about the whole thing.

I wonder how I will be able to handle the hot weather ...and how long it would take for me to get used to it.

I wonder how sick, and how often I will be sick, while there. I mean, most people that are staying in India for a while do get sick ...sooner or later.

Anyway, why did I decide to go to India in the first place?

I wanted to do my Fall internship outside Sweden. That was something I had decided long time ago... and the urge to do so strengthened by time. I needed this breath of fresh air. I needed a break from the everyday routine at home. I needed to get away for a little while ...somewhere that wasn't just a vacation.

Well... India.... it was something about India that just felt right ... and I wanted to leave the comfort zone and the "good life" of Sweden and the Western world, where we take so much for granted, and see first hand how people really have it in other parts of the world ...and learn from what I will see and experience. I wanted grow as a person and learn new aspects of life. I wanted to see what I can do for some of the people there.

...but I have to admit that the adventure played some part in it too.

Almost two weeks left...

2008-08-02T17:12:00.000+05:30

Bizarre ...unreal ...nervousness ...words to describe my feelings about my trip to India. In almost two weeks I'm going to be in India! It's going to be soooo different from anything that I have experienced before in my life.

Still so much to do before I leave, 5 nights of work, cleaning up and getting my apartment ready for the new tenant, ... and yeah, that too... and this .. and ooooh, and that too! :/

Oh well, I'll manage. It will work out. Now I need to go back to cleaning... and later on getting back to the Lonely Planet's book about India.

:)