the 'purs..

Hello from Rajhastan!
After a couple days in Jaipur we went to Udaipur, and we're now in Johdpur. The elephant ride at the Amber Fort was fun, but a bit of a drag; as we arrived early in the morning to find a huge queue of Europeans and Asians waiting to ride. It moved quickly, but only because there were well over a hundred elephants delivering people to the top (the Fort) and then themselves and rider back down to the bottom (parking lot) for more- This is supposed to be the re-enactment of Maharaja's arriving centuries ago. Oh yeah- I asked and thankfully each elephant may only do the trek up and down 3 times, however they dont regulate the walk to and from work.

Half the group opted to do this- and were treated to quite the sight/ sensation. So many pachyderms moving up and down a narrow passage made for a Elephantine version of slip'n'slide. stink'n'slip. It was stinky if anything, certainly hayfilled and brown. I think they are used it. They are sure-footed beasts, if anything. I couldnt help but feel remorse for the cross-eyed kid trying to swoop underneath and scrape the skree.

From there, Udaipur was a nice relaxing stop. Known as the Lake City (they are all pump fed- as the lack of monsoons have provided no water for the last 5 years), we saw the lakes, and palaces and the vintage car collection of the current Maharaja. As old as the 1920s they all still run and he takes them out on occasion as well.

We've had a couple of long bumpy drives the past couple days. Today we drove past a school and stopped to hand out pens. Surprisingly, the kids were quite happy. I had a feeling they were going to throw them at our bus and scream for chocolate.
Now were in the Bal Salmond retreat in Jodhpur- its a former palace and were staying in the converted horse stables. We're having a bbq tonight and I can barely contain my excitement. Braaaaaay....

Tomorrow we drive to Osian for a night at a tented camp- then we fly back to Delhi for a couple days before returning home next week. Time flies.
see you soon.
Jay

Taj, Peacock, Mahal

hiii..

so.. things are moving along swiftly. The Orchha stop was a little bit lacklustre- that and Khajuraho are pretty much 'one temple towns' between Varanasi and Agra (which doesnt have an airport) and have grown because they break up the terrible driving. We've done a few segments by flight, a couple days driving in our bus, and a train ride... Agra was a pretty ugly town, but the Taj Mahal made up for it. My picture doesnt seem to want to load- so I'll do it later. We spent a good chunk of the day there and it really is all that you'd expect. Absolutely crazy and huge. It was interesting to learn that Shah Jahan was planning to build another black marble version, where he wife was initially buried- but instead his son (the new ruler) put him in a prison (basically across the road at the red fort) where he lived for 7 years before dying there. Interesting.

From Agra we drove to Bharatpur, which was kind of an interesting hotel stop, in the former mansion home of a Maharaja, Crawling with peacocks. There is a huge bird sanctuary in a National park there, and I saw the Indian version of Canadian geese- that sound and look almost identical, except they have the opposite coloring. We also saw a variety of owls, cranes and whatnot. Its also mating season and we saw some antelope, and jackals gettin it on. (not together)

We have been in the 'pink city', Jaipur for two days- but it looks more salmon to me. elephant ride tomorrow morning up to Amber fort.. so I've gotta go sharpen my spurs.
just kidding!
I'm outta time.
J

Quick update..

Hey everyone!
Well I'm about 10 days into my Indian journey and so far the trip has worked quite well. I have a small diverse group and they are learning to put up with each other. I also have an Indian counterpart who is really informative, and has taught us a lot about everything.
Delhi is a huge town- lots of tree lined streets, fenced in properties and traffic. On the second day I was walking in to Connaught Place, which is near the hotel, and I was struck by the monkey shit scam. (Thanks for the warning Huss).. Basically when you walk into the underpass that goes under the busy streets some one throws shit (dog? human?) onto your shoe at the command of a shoe shiner.. who then conveniently points it out and offers to clean your show. Faced with this guy I defiantly kept my monkey shit until I could take a minute to wipe it off myself. (garbage is widely available)..
We did tours of many sites around town- did some great walking through old Delhi.. then flew to Varanasi where the Ganges and our guide, Ajit, live. He took great care of us and even added several stops to the tour. The traffic flow is incredible and its hard to describe- but basically imagine water flowing, now imagine the water is rickshaws, cars, pedestrians, ox carts, cows, bikes, beggars, hockers, motorcycles and cars.. no lights, no signals, no accidents. Its amazing. Hilights over several days included two Ganges cruises to see the Funeral pyre cremation area, the Arti ritual and the morning cleansing. The second evening, Ajit arranged for us to go to a musicians house and watch a trio play Classical Indian music, and then two dancers came out and did three movements. Their kid (who is 3) is going to be a great dancer- she seems to anticipate every move.
Then after visiting Sarnath (first spot where Buddha preached), we hopped a flight and are now in Khajuraho. We saw the temples today and this afternoon we're driving to Orchha. I can't wait to see what the rest stop is like, because we've had a buit of a bathroom bubble so far.
Hope you guys are all well. The weather is 25ish.. very nice, but a little chilly at night.

I'll add more soon. hugs,
Jay

India '08

YO,

I'm leaving for India on Friday, starting my first stint as a tour leader for my employers: Trailfinders. It's my first time traveling to Asia, first time leading a tour, first time flying 16 hours and first time amongst a billion people and free roaming and revered bovines. So I may have some observations to share.

I will be spending 4 weeks traveling through Northern India, with a group of 6. We'll be visiting Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Varanasi, as well as desert camps, deserted towns, dessert shops and more. I understand internet access is a bit of a challenge in some areas- so we'll see how succesful I am with this; but I hope to keep up with some words and pictures (if possible), and assure everyone that I'm alive and well.
I leave Friday morning on Air France via Paris. I'll try and touch base from Delhi on Sunday.

luv,
J

Mr. Jihad

A while back, my girlfriend and I went to visit a couple friends of ours at their apartment building on Bronson Avenue.... They have a young child and haven't been getting out much, so we picked up a pizza and decided to stop in, watch the OC and hangout'n'chat for a bit. We walked into the lobby and began to scan the residents list to find their buzzer..

Once we located theirs and called up, I spotted their neighbour's name-> Mr. A Jihad. I had to laugh. "ha!". "haha". 'Wow!".. But only for a moment.. What a name with which to go through this first decade of the 21st century... Kyla and I talked about it for a minute, and we thought- can you imagine traveling internationally with a name like 'Jihad'? Applying for credit cards? Picking up a pizza? Let alone the number of prank calls you'd recieve, or the perturbed looks you might get when introducing yourself to someone.. man, tough shake. "sir.. your name?" .. 'miister jihad...'... sir?' 'Mr. Jihaaaaad'... 'Sir, Im awfully sorry, what is you....' "JIHAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

We went up to our friend's apartment and I mentioned jokingly, "I noticed you have a Mr. Jihad leaving nearby, you might want to keep your doors locked.".. She smiled and said, "Well, it could be a personal Jihad.." I immediately began to feel terrible.

Images flashed through my head: of Mr. Jihad's children being visciously pushed around by a bunch of redneck bullies.. his wife being undermined or eyeballed while trying to borrow some gardening books from the library... bankers cautiously allowing Mr. Jihad to open his bags and withdraw his records, expecting dynamite wrapped in wire and wristwatches.. How could I make this joke, knowing nothing about this person? Jesus, I AM an asshole.. It certainly isnt their fault that this word has become a cultural flagword- waved by fearsome Christians around the world, among which I suppose I am to be (at least formerly) counted. Maybe they are christians themselves, like that makes them any safer. But maybe they are like real Christians, good samataritans, who happened to be named Jihad? Could this be one of those cases of judging a book by its cover, or perhaps the name of its illustrator..hmmm.. I wish Sandy Cohen was here.

Then I began to consider, how many other buzzwords of negative association are also people's last names? Beyond even the negative cultural associations/assumptions of words like Jihad.. But there are the actual names of evil historical figures. Imagine meeting a Mrs. Hitler, Dr. Mussolini? Mark David Chapman Jr? I will make a point to give these people the benefit of the doubt, should this happen.

Nicaraguan folklore

Nicaragua is a very interesting country... The weather is amazing, the people are genuine and friendly, the food is good and there is a strong sense of culture- unlike Costa Rica. There is also a sense of weird in the air. Which is good. Religion is a very big deal, lots of amazing churchs here. But I have been really enjoying hearing about the folklore here. I´ve heard of one recently that I think is rather hilarious. The legend of the DUENDES....

Duendes are the Nicaraguan equivalent of Leprechauns. They live in mountaineous areas, wear small overalls and pointy red hats. Their features are somewhere in between those of the average leprechaun and the average Nicaraguan. Prominent cheek bones as well as prominent eyebrows. Dark brown skin, bright pink eyes. Little booties and a devlish laugh. I have read 3 different articles on the Duendes, all three stating that they are a legitimate concerns of Nicaraguans, with young children.

The Duendes are mischevious like their cousins the leprechauns- playing tricks on unsuspecting villagers, and giggling in the night. Usually along the lines of tying a horse up into a tree, or burying a pet up to its neck in the ground. However, they also have a more malicious side-- two of the articles reported that certain bands of Duendes living in the North country have been known to kidnap the children of the village and eat them.. all the while giggling the night away in celebration.

We heard something really strange early this morning, and I am hoping all the children of the hacienda are accounted for, because it sounded scary and Duendesish. I guess it may have also been the hotel manager pleasuring his wife...

The next legend I hope to learn more of, is Chico Largo. Apparently he is a reclus farmer that heads a mythical community at the bottom of Lake Nicaragua.

nohawk

As I quietly slip into my 30s, I have found that I might have the opportunity to start a new hair trend.

In recent years we've seen a rise in prominence of 'ironic' follicle fashions. First it was the, 'I woke up and left' look. I sported this for quite some time, for the most part I actually had just woken up, but usually I would cement the styling with hairgel to make it look intentional. More recently, there have been a large number of 'faux hawks' about. These were always popular in the shower as a kid, but somehow that private silliness became a veritable trend.

The latest 'thing' is a stylized combover. Which I also seemed to be at the right time and place to use, and enjoy, personally.

When I left for a trip to warmer climates, I shaved my head and noticed the increasing prominance of my scalp. In some phots we've taken, it appears the centre of my head is dyed an odd combo of blonde and skin color. It's not a dye-job, but it could be. Maybe purposefully having a strip of skin from forehead to crown could be a new style? It doesnt seem that unreasonable. I think I am onto something.