Howdy folks,
Seeing as my last 'update' was a little pissy I thought I would make the effort to fill in a few gaps. So far, India has been incredibly crazy. There have been times when I've wept for home and there have been times when I have just thought 'Fuck, this shit is incredible.' And I have only been here 4 nights. Shit, it feels like I have been here for so long already. There is so much to take in, and time has been going rather slowly. Kolkata was eye-opening. In a way I am glad I started off there, as it just threw me straight into the mayhem. The roads basically are a free for all of honking and shouting and swerving. Amongst the speeding yellow taxi's there are hand pulled rickshaws weaving through the traffic, cyclists dodging buses overflowing with people, and motorbikes sneaking through the lanes piled with all sorts. There are people sleeping, spitting, pissing and washing on the street, and this is in the 'touristy' area. Walking around I was sprung upon by a woman singing and stroking my arm, posing for the camera and laughing her head off. The Indians joy in life is incredibly contagious, you find yourself smiling and laughing just at the fact they are so happy. I was soon after invited to tea in Khan's shop, where I inevitably bought a scarf as was no doubt his original intention. The chai here is like nothing I have ever tasted. So sweet and delicious, they serve it in tiny clay pots that you throw away into the street afterwards, it instantly makes you feel all warm and delicious and is an affordable habit to have. Later I went to the Victoria Memorial building which was very beautiful, but incredibly hot. It's a colonial style building built in memory of Queen Victoria and was a lovely place to escape the mayhem of the streets. The grounds were incredibly beautiful but all the shady spots were of course taken. I retired to the Air Conditioned 'Blue Sky Cafe' which had by then become my regular hangout. I made friends with the waiter Sam who was so friendly and lovely. He was like a big brother and made sure I was ok. The next morning when I stumbled in feeling rather unwell he dashed out and got me some rehydration powder and made sure I was alright. It was so comforting to have someone looking out for me, and I was again struck by the people's generosity here. By lunchtime I was feeling much better and had made friends with a girl from Holland called Fleur. We went for a walk to the ghats (steps leading down to the river, not the ganges) and from there caught a ferry across to the other side to check out the train station. It was absolute madness, but it was really cool to see the massively long trains. We had a mango lassi (AMAZING!!!) in an AC cafe and could have sat there all day out of the heat. Back in Sudder St (the area I was staying) I was accosted by two women insisting that my utmost desire was to get henna. Of course I succumbed to their insistences and found myself popping a squat in the street. They were so funny and lovely, laughing with each other and writing off pervy men. It was incredibly sad to hear of their hungry children, and one of the ladies showed me the burns on her neck where her husband had burnt her. What do you say to that? It was so hard not to give them lots of money, but I was glad I was able to give them something for the henna, even if it was only 100Rupees ($2).
Yesterday I had a massive day of travel, getting up at 5 in the morning to catch a plane to Delhi and from there a bus to Chandigarh arriving at six at night. I was picked up by Gulshan, a connection I have here and am now staying at his with Raman and Jagdish, his parents. It is lovely to be in a home and to be able to relax a bit. They are all so kind and welcoming and I feel very humbled to be able to stay. They are keen to do lots of things with me, so I am looking forward to being shown around by some locals. Chandigarh is much more structured and clean than Delhi or Kolkata, with tree lined streets and roundabouts it is much less crazy than the big cities.
Anyway, I think that shall certainly suffice for now. I shall write again soon, all my love, xxx
Seeing as my last 'update' was a little pissy I thought I would make the effort to fill in a few gaps. So far, India has been incredibly crazy. There have been times when I've wept for home and there have been times when I have just thought 'Fuck, this shit is incredible.' And I have only been here 4 nights. Shit, it feels like I have been here for so long already. There is so much to take in, and time has been going rather slowly. Kolkata was eye-opening. In a way I am glad I started off there, as it just threw me straight into the mayhem. The roads basically are a free for all of honking and shouting and swerving. Amongst the speeding yellow taxi's there are hand pulled rickshaws weaving through the traffic, cyclists dodging buses overflowing with people, and motorbikes sneaking through the lanes piled with all sorts. There are people sleeping, spitting, pissing and washing on the street, and this is in the 'touristy' area. Walking around I was sprung upon by a woman singing and stroking my arm, posing for the camera and laughing her head off. The Indians joy in life is incredibly contagious, you find yourself smiling and laughing just at the fact they are so happy. I was soon after invited to tea in Khan's shop, where I inevitably bought a scarf as was no doubt his original intention. The chai here is like nothing I have ever tasted. So sweet and delicious, they serve it in tiny clay pots that you throw away into the street afterwards, it instantly makes you feel all warm and delicious and is an affordable habit to have. Later I went to the Victoria Memorial building which was very beautiful, but incredibly hot. It's a colonial style building built in memory of Queen Victoria and was a lovely place to escape the mayhem of the streets. The grounds were incredibly beautiful but all the shady spots were of course taken. I retired to the Air Conditioned 'Blue Sky Cafe' which had by then become my regular hangout. I made friends with the waiter Sam who was so friendly and lovely. He was like a big brother and made sure I was ok. The next morning when I stumbled in feeling rather unwell he dashed out and got me some rehydration powder and made sure I was alright. It was so comforting to have someone looking out for me, and I was again struck by the people's generosity here. By lunchtime I was feeling much better and had made friends with a girl from Holland called Fleur. We went for a walk to the ghats (steps leading down to the river, not the ganges) and from there caught a ferry across to the other side to check out the train station. It was absolute madness, but it was really cool to see the massively long trains. We had a mango lassi (AMAZING!!!) in an AC cafe and could have sat there all day out of the heat. Back in Sudder St (the area I was staying) I was accosted by two women insisting that my utmost desire was to get henna. Of course I succumbed to their insistences and found myself popping a squat in the street. They were so funny and lovely, laughing with each other and writing off pervy men. It was incredibly sad to hear of their hungry children, and one of the ladies showed me the burns on her neck where her husband had burnt her. What do you say to that? It was so hard not to give them lots of money, but I was glad I was able to give them something for the henna, even if it was only 100Rupees ($2).
Yesterday I had a massive day of travel, getting up at 5 in the morning to catch a plane to Delhi and from there a bus to Chandigarh arriving at six at night. I was picked up by Gulshan, a connection I have here and am now staying at his with Raman and Jagdish, his parents. It is lovely to be in a home and to be able to relax a bit. They are all so kind and welcoming and I feel very humbled to be able to stay. They are keen to do lots of things with me, so I am looking forward to being shown around by some locals. Chandigarh is much more structured and clean than Delhi or Kolkata, with tree lined streets and roundabouts it is much less crazy than the big cities.
Anyway, I think that shall certainly suffice for now. I shall write again soon, all my love, xxx