tigers and corpses and philosophy

my job this week has been Team Leader -- a bit more effort required to have the schedule for the week and which room everyone is in and answers to their questions like "what time is dinner?"... I also carry the group shelter, which is a tarp-like item we could all huddle under in an emergency. If we were trekking, I would be at the front or the back of the group, with the second-in-command taking the other position... this allows Andy to be at any point in the group -- he knows who are bookending the line of us, even if our positions change in the middle. I can also notice things like not enough room for all our rucksacks [we ordered two jeeps with roof racks, at 6:30 in the morning had one with and one without... I got the pleasure of breaking the news to Andy, which I tried to soften with a cup of coffee -- he promptly went and ordered a third jeep so that our 2 1/2 hour trip to the station was manageable] it hasn't been a particularly difficult job, but it has given me even more appreciation for Andy's efforts on our behalf.

We were near Bandhavgarth royal tiger reserve for three full days... Did both morning [5:30-10:30am] and evening [3:15-6:30mp] safari within the public area of the park. There were 22 tigers that we could possibly see, with about 30-odd additional animals in the private part of the reserve -- our first trip in the gypsy{jeep} I was in didn't see any [other animals, but no tiger] the second time one crossed the road behind us. The next morning we were thrilled by a distant sighting of a family group -- mother and three 16-month-old sons -- we then drove closer and were able to take photos of them as they were right above the road from us -- amazing power and grace in them. All of us thought that we were fortunate to have seen them and to have them watch us with such a calm demeanor. The next morning we were again able to see the youngsters [who look full-grown to us!] -- this time from the back of an elephant!!!! Our last safari into the park we drove to the back edge of the area to see the elephant-training area with a baby elephant -- 2 1/2 months old and very cute.

while we were there we celebrated Jess' birthday. She is a wonderful, easy-going person -- we kept telling her she wouldn't have a cake while we were furiously asking the staff if they could somehow find us one! It came damaged -- but she smiled and said it must have a tiger-track in it -- It also tasted more than a little like soap... Not at all nice, but she was so appreciative of the effort that was expended and grinning ear-to-ear said it was the "best birthday ever" -- we are still looking for her official present, but after two days of attempted shopping we haven't found something we like yet, so will keep a look out for the perfect small item she can pack for another 4 months [Jess and Bex will be spending two additional months on their own after our itinerary -- south India in the monsoon season -- they are still laughing at the possibilities!!!]

We went to Allahabad for a night and then drove about 1/2 the way to Varanasi -- caught small row/sail boats for a float down the Ganges -- we were in three boats with a fourth boat devoted to kitchen tasks... Well and truly spoiled -- they lashed us together when we were to eat, then stopped on a sand bank for camp overnight -- they set up tents for us and even a toilet tent... it was a fairly mellow experience -- the river was often quite calm -- each boat had two boatmen -- the one in the front rowed, the one in the back steered, poled with a bamboo stick when it was shallow, directed the sail... In some areas one even got out and pulled us along since the wind was dragging us in the wrong direction. All we had to do is shift ourselves around once in a while to stay in the shade and lift our pinkie if we wanted to pee on the bank.

on the way, we passed villages, fields planted on the flood plane, temples, herds, fishermen, huge nets that were not currently in use... It felt a bit lonelier than I had expected -- we were the only river travelers I saw for the entire experience! As team leader, I had the pleasure of distributing tips for the group to each of the boatmen, the cook, and the trip leader... It was a pleasure to prepare and to greet and thank them all, even though I recognized only our boatmen in detail.

Varanasi is a rough city -- people are groped and robbed and sold to here quite aggressively. Fortunately, we are in an incredibly nice little bubble that allows us to ignore the world outside -- complete with a clean swimming pool, decent restaurant, internet cafe, gift shop... Several of us have commented that it has been a while since we had accommodations with a gift shop [our last stay was much more basic -- the room was dirty, hotter, 1/2 the size, had only an oriental/squat toilet, and didn't provide toilet paper... How our standards have evolved!!!!]

this morning we got up early for a sunrise boat trip inside Varanasi proper -- I was a bit nervous about this, since I know they do open cremations at the water's edge and I didn't want to be overwhelmed by the experience. I read too much and saw pictures that had led me to expect an absolute mad house....... It was much mellower/calmer than I expected -- one body being prepared to burn at one end of town, two cremations in progress at the main cremation ghat at the other end of town... The guide asked that cameras be shut off when we were particularly close, which I like -- it STILL felt like we were a bit voyeuristic as families grieved and others worshipped the rising sun -- perhaps they all were able to ignore us.

I am surprisingly tired for having done so little the last couple of days -- perhaps it is the heat. I've been reading, doing laundry, re-organizing my pack and trying to become mentally prepared for the first trek, which starts next Wednesday -- visualizing myself as graceful and strong, even if a bit slow!

For the first part of the Sikkim trek I am journalist/photographer -- then I move to First Aid role -- can't journal much when we are on the mountain, but when doing first aid role I will carry the group's medical supplies and each morning and evening I will interview everyone to see how they are doing -- it gives Andy and the team leader a sense of details about each of us, plus everyone will know who to come to if they need a plaster [bandaid] or something!

Tomorrow is our last train ride, for the entire trip! I find it a little bit stunning, actually. I have become used to sleeper trains, for the most part -- a couple of things annoy me -- like the beggars and snake charmers... they are a bit easier to avoid on the street than when you are confined!

Language is a continuing challenge -- for instance, we stopped by the side of the river and were once again presented with baskets of cobra, which I really don't like....... I asked Gazzi, our escort from Delhi "How do you tell a snake charmer firmly to go away, so that they know you mean it?" -- to which he mysteriously replied "we will stop for snakes later, and you can get whatever you like" -- it was only after I had told Andy his reply made no sense and we had stopped for snacks that Gazzi came to me and apologized profusely -- he said he couldn't understand why I would even ask him to make snacks go away!!!!

Keeping a sense of humor, b

it feels a bit like a turning point

we are in Delhi for the last time mid-trip -- and commenting with a bit of surprise that we are about half-way through from a calendar perspective... it is stunning how quickly the time passes.

I have dropped off yet more stuff I think I don't desperately need to be stored until the end of May... and trying to use up some of the things that I have purchased in larger packages and I will buy smaller next time -- not used to that concept -- but when I have to schlepp it about, it certainly makes sense to shop more often and carry as light as possible!!

I picked up a card from Operations Training {thank you very much -- yes, e-mails are nice, but I'm still fond of the hold-it-and-savor-it variety of communication!!!!} If anyone else has sent anything to Delhi, I'll receive the day before I fly to London... I've also updated the entry describing address for sending stuff to Nepal -- our leader thinks that general delivery is a bit less reliable than sending something care of the trekking company that is helping with all our arrangements.

Regarding the comments in the card:

• thanks for missing me. That warms my heart and means a great deal to me. Perhaps that will become one of my life goals: Conduct myself in such a way that I am genuinely missed when I leave!
• no, I will never be a Sherpa -- we meet local people going on trails that we struggle with in hiking boots and poles -- they are wearing flip flops and often carrying a far bigger/heavier load!!! I think they are tough and far more fit than us -- perhaps more used to hard labor and discomfort.
• yes, I love the mountains -- they speak to me, perhaps as the sea resonates with some people
• and no, I haven't learned enough Hindi script to be able to read Sujata's comments

when we leave from here, we will make a circle -- a little southeast to Bandavgarh Tiger Reserve, then back up to the Ganges for a float, then Varanasi for a day or so -- then up to Darjeeling and trek number one.

from there we enter Nepal overland about the middle of April , travel across and up to the capital of Kathmandu by April 23rd[seeing Chitwan national park, white-water rafting, mountain biking, canyoneering... some days that sounds like far too much adrenaline for me!!!] I'm definitely opting out of the mountain biking, and since I am not a strong swimmer, may skip some of the other activities as well... would rather enjoy myself and stay as healthy as possible for the second trek. My knees are grumpy now, so I will be saving them whenever I can.

from this point to Kathmandu, it will be harder to have access to a computer [the towns are smaller...] I'll do what I can, but make no promises -- I know those that are reading this seems to enjoy my adventures, and your responses are encouraging -- makes me feel far less homesick to know some people half-way round the earth are paying attention!!!

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curiousity helps in so many difficult circumstances.... those of us in the group that are able to accept the constraints of a situation [ie, the local bus or a sleeper train] have a dramatically better experience than those that are fighting it -- complaining that people touch them or that their seat is hard or that it is cold or too hot or or whatever...

it seems like a reasonable metaphor for life -- honestly look at what is happening to you, and make the best of it... greet/acknowledge those that touch you, sit on something soft if you are noticing the lack of padding, put on a coat or shorts or something to regulate your temperature... dealing with reality while taking whatever action you can to increase your comfort seems like the wisest and easist choice -- and it is much better for your colleagues as well

can you tell I have no patience for whiners? especially when I can't do anything for their drama. Deal with it! Or at least shut up about it
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take care, remember to smile - we live in a wonderful fascinating universe.
:) b

Rishikesh

Rishikesh is a touristy, hippy sort of place, IN THE MOUNTAINS -- it is wonderful to have green and rocks and terrain that reminds me of Utah -- although the vegetation and the dwellings are certainly distinct.

we arrived on Wednesday, have a yoga class 6:30 am - 8 am each morning.... took a "little hike" on thursday, a "longer hike, but not that challenging" on friday, and "a stroll" today -- will have a "long hike" tomorrow as well...

I put the definitions in quotes because it is all relative! the little hike was the first time I used my poles and my hiking shoes outside [I had been wearing them on the treadmill]-- they both felt a bit awkward and I started a blister on one heel.

the longer hike started with a 1-hour bus ride -- then one hour UP to a temple, and about 5 hours walking back down to town. along the way we were treated to stunning scenery, waterfalls, rice fields, villages, the upper ganges river, white sparkly sand beaches, cliffs to scramble over, and a view of the temples and bridge lit by the evening sun... it was lovely. I was much more comfortable with my poles and acquired 3 more blisters [didn't want that first one to get lonely! ]

yesterday we hired a jeep and drove out of this area for meat and beer -- not that beer interests me overmuch, but the trip and the meat were nice, and I enjoyed the company! we were a little bit anxious that we would be ill from the street food, but so far no more delicate in digestion than normal.

this morning after yoga class we had a meditation lesson -- my knees screamed at me -- definitely not going to join THAT practice, which even required them to sleep in full lotus posture!

our stroll was two hours long -- up to a road and then a circle in the hills above the road -- purely by accident we came out mere feet from where we started -- along the way saw elephant poo and a peacock feather [heard the peacock, but didn't see it -- and elephant sightings are more common in the early morning]

I had a reiki treatment this afternoon -- will need to call Andy and find out time for dinner, since the rest of the group set off on their own... may also find myself a spot by the river to watch the evening prayers -- guess it will depend on my whim

this week I am 2ic -- second in command. the person who is team leader is the least interested in her role and doesn't particularly like me, so it will be an interesting week. Next week I am leader and enjoy the person who will be my 2ic, then I go down to the bottom of the list again -- journal and photographer... we are all basically being a bit uninterested in writing the journal -- feels a bit exploitive of our experience for VentureCo to use it in marketing. so far the worst job has been accounts [the one I just finished] -- perhaps because we went to TGI Friday's in Delhi and seriously overspent -- our budget typically allows 2,100 rupees, and we spent 15,000 -- we increased it to 3,600 rupees, and then I had to collect the balance from people depending on what they had.... euw.

tomorrow we hike, tuesday we return to Delhi, and then on Thursday it is off to the Tiger reserve... seriously excited about it -- perhaps we can be fortunate enough to have the guides find a recent kill and we will then ride off into the jungle on the back of elephants to see.....

back from the Camel Trek

we returned to Jaisalmer around noon today... of course my first order of the day was a shower and food -- but now an air-conditioned slow connection is calling... I just can't be bothered to go shopping -- suppose that there should be some updating to my wardrobe [the clothes I bought to work in are pretty seriously soiled...] but I just can't be overmuch bothered -- soon enough we will be in cooler climes and the long-sleeved items I brought will come to the fore.

have you ever been on a camel?

they are smelly, often grumpy beasts -- belch, fart, spit snot at you -- and a pretty uncomfortable gait.... but I had a MARVELOUS time!

not at all what I expected. My camel's name was Johnny [as in Johnny Be Good] -- he was the only one of the group that liked to be petted and liked chapatis... he also had bells [more like ball bearings] around his front feet so he was a bit musical...

we woke thursday to light rain -- it stayed cloudy/cool most of the day -- we went out and bought a goat from a nearby village for dinner... they butchered it for us and cooked something like a stew... we slept under a couple of tarps. and of course although it is the desert and not monsoon season, we had a stormy night -- some people more soaked than others -- the wind howling on the tarp was most annoying.

Friday morning we woke up to an awesome camp breakfast -- toast and boiled eggs and chai -- bananas and oranges... one of our team was seriously ill -- it adjusted our schedule for the day, but in a way that I quite liked -- we went directly to our destination for the 2nd night of camping, and there we ate lunch and lazed about for most of the afternoon -- about half the party took a loop on the camels around 4pm... I was among the ones that prefered the shade!

the second night was better weather -- we also had more of a sheltered location, but since it was nice about half of the group spent part of the night under the stars... because of the prior nights rain and the dew point, we were all pretty soaked in the morning -- those of us under cover from drips and the others seeping up from the sand or condensing on their blankets....... good thing we are mostly all drip-dry.

there is a rhythm to the ride, and an easy comraderie amongst the staff -- for the 12 of us, there were 13 camels and a total of 9 staff -- sometimes they would double-up on a camel, and often they were walking. Johnny B is a relatively young animal -- 5 yrs old and will live into his mid-20's, probably working 15 more years and then shifted to cart-pulling... most of the time he was led, but sometimes I was steering... you click your tongue to increase the speed, pull up to halt, and steer in a most intuitive manner -- pull their head the direction you would like them to go!

the villages we visited were fairly small -- in one we purchased more grain for the camels , the second one we stopped by was too far away to walk, but a nearby farmer brought over beer and soft drinks for us to buy

we ate better than expected -- Andy had set really low expectations for the food, and I quite liked what we were given -- there was always plenty and the spices were nice -- they offered the hot stuff as a side dish so people could amend as they like.

when I came back, I was surprised that I was cleaner than the trip to Amritsar -- well, maybe I smelled worse, but the water that ran off of me in my cold shower was more gritty-sandy than the black-filth of the train....

Sickness seems to be a common side effect of our environment -- Lucy is better, Bex is struggling and hoping a quiet afternoon will be restorative. I'm feeling alright, although I'm sure my intestines are not 100% happy.

Tomorrow we have a long train journey to Delhi -- this trip we apply for our visas for Nepal, pick up some items and drop off others, and work on including more cool-weather gear in our assortment. Then it is off to Rishikesh for the better part of a week.

our group is having some "storming" moments -- expect there will be fireworks. not sure I will like the result, but the tension will be lessened a bit if it is acknowledged [I hope!]

off to update my e-mails

shoes anyone...

so I came downtown today to buy shoes -- not "shop for shoes" which would require price and selection comparisions, but "buy shoes" which put me at ONE store and very little haggling -- I guess I haven't learned that fine art yet... it hasn't quite become that important to me to save ten cents...!

yesterday I bought a tagari -- the metal bowls that we are using at the school to carry sand, cement, paint, rocks, whatever needs to be carried... the ladies at the guest house think that I'm a bit loopy, but I expect it to be on my coffee table, not put to hard labor in Utah! although they think it is a strange thing to buy, I know that it will remind me of my time here more than most of the kitch I could get at the local market.

we started to realize we are at risk for not finishing all our tasks before the time is up -- this is a big school -- many more classrooms than other groups have tried to upgrade... we plan to work late tomorrow, then see if we need to do the same on our last two days next week!

it seems a bit shocking to realize that we are almost through with our service project -- and that it is March already... I have quit cycling, which has got me some gentle ribbing from the other team members -- but my knees were crying and moaning even though I was trying not to verbalize my pain much!!!

I will miss some of the people we've met here -- Raj especially has been particularly kind. we are taking afternoon Hindi lessons, laughing a lot, and preparing to celebrate our first team birthday on Saturday [Victoria, our Spanish beauty, will turn the ripe old age of 24] I think our next birthday girl is Jess -- she's hoping for a tiger sighting on or before she turns 22.......... Victoria is planning pizza and doesn't know we've made arrangements to have a cake for her -- yesterday two girls when shopping and ordered a two tiered chocolate cake which will easily feed all of us for 210 Rs == under $5USD

it has been cooler -- they told us the temps when we first got here were unseasonably warm -- now our blood has thinned and we will be putting long pants and jackets on in the mornings/evenings. This weekend we plan to have ourselves henna-painted tomorrow, early Saturday drive out to some caves and hike back [~10K -- nice little stroll!], pizza and dancing Sat night, cook Italian food for dinner Sunday, perhaps take in a Hindi film [at least part of one] and perhaps swim/sunbathe at one of the posher hotels in town... we really have a relatively hectic schedule.

at the school, we made chai in the new kitchen for the first time today -- we visited the village potter yesterday -- he uses a sandstone wheel that he spins with a stick, and the clay he puts on it he just makes item after item from the top of the lump... the wheel spins for a long time -- after they told us it weights 100Kg, I realized just how strong he was to get it started, and why it keeps spinning for as long as it does.

I took the second of two house-visits planned for smaller groups [so that all 11 of us don't overwhelm a household] -- we went to a different family and upgraded their grinding wheel -- I don't know that it is dramatically easier to use, but definitely easier to adjust.

we are planning to get a group photo of us, as well as print photos of the villagers -- it has been quite an adventure for us all. we are working on mentally preparing for our next adventure [camels, here we come!]

my stomach is better, trying to fight a cold -- perhaps the cold is winning -- but a little extra sleep would be reasonable antidote! have a couple of people that are still dealing with a sensitive stomach -- some think that they've picked up a bug/bacteria in their platypus [water bottle] -- could very well happen, since not much is clean in our universe... I bought myself a new toothbrush yesterday, just because I thought about how many times I'd used it when I was ill and how little opportunity I've had to clean it -- so used to throwing it under the tap at home, but here it is a swish with a bit of bottled water -- doesn't feel nearly the same!

several of us suffer from sore knees -- Tanya cut her hand on a bangle, several have scrapes from bike falls or dives into sand playing with the schoolchildren, I have a headache from smacking myself twice -- once on the train, a second time in the shower... but our general disposition is still upbeat.

Dave from VentureCo came over from London for 10 days -- looking for other service projects and while he was nearby, decided to stop in and see us and the projects that prior teams have worked on. he also put into place some contingency plans for if the situation in Nepal is dicey enough that we cannot follow our planned itenary [our group leader Andy is married to a Nepalese woman and living in eastern Nepal -- he doesn't think that there will be any problem, but there has been demonstrations/unrest in the area, so it is wise to keep our ears open and have options available if it becomes unsafe for us to travel as we would like...]

off to catch up on my e-mails. I didn't bring everyone's addresses with me, but I have been trying to correspond to those that write me... if you have news or questions, send them my way.

grins, b