Bait and switch

Places all around India love the old bait and switch. The sign says internet is Rs 10 for an hour, but upon going to pay "That price is for members only." I'm not going to argue too much about it, but it's the principle of it that gets me. Fine. I'll pay the Rs 20 instead and bitch about it while I'm doing it, what I won't do is pay Rs 30 cause homeboy says I've been on the computer for longer. I got shafted once and ever since then I use the stopwatch function on my watch and point out to them the time ticking away.

Now that I'm in the mood I want to talk about my favorite people in India, rickshaw drivers, taxi drivers, and touts. They can all go to hell. In the case of the drivers it's like saying, "I don't like people from the south." Not all people from the south are bad, but a lot are. Not all drivers are assholes, but most are. Therefore drivers are assholes. It's inherent to their job, kind of like SF cops are assholes. It's a prerequisite for their profession. If the drivers were to die and are hindu, then they would should probably be reincarnated as a leech or some kinfd of parasite.

Drivers lie. This is also part of their job. Upon arriving in Chennai a rickshaw driver offers to take me to the town center for Rs 120. Fuck that! It should be Rs 50 at most. I tell him Rs 40 to start the bargaining, but he's being a dick so I walk away. Another approaches me for the same price and doesn't want to talk about lowering the price. He also tells me we're 15km away. I ask when they put another 7km between the station and the city. Of course he doesn't understand, or pretends not to.

I decided to take a bus and ask the info desk which one takes me there. For Rs 5 the bus takes me within ten minutes walk of the place I'm staying. Driver #2 walks me to the bus telling me the whole time about how it's the wrong bus, even though he doesn't know where I'm going. He's at the window of my bus seat still trying to get me to come with him, then he tells me the bus is a two hour wait. Then another bus pulls up that's leaving right away. Bye bye asshole.

Touts are people who try to lure you into any place of business for a comission to be added on to the price of whatever you are buying. In my case last night, a bus ticket out of this pit of despair. I had already talked to three different private operators and two of them were willing to give me a lower price than we had started. I told them I would come back after I ate because I was too hungry to deal with the matter. As I walked back some dude with a chip in his two front teeth kept walking with me and pointing me to other private operators. He didn't speak english and I don't speak tami so telling him to fuck off didn't work so well.

I went back to the guys I made a verbal agreement with and with the tout in tow. I put my hand in his face and waved good bye, but he didn't understand what I was getting at. Things escalated a bit when the tour operators told him I talked them earlier so he wasn't getting a comission. He got pissed off and I was asked to come back today. In hindsight I should have gone with someone else.

Fending off all the drivers and touts gets exausting, especially in a city full of them. I have felt like resorting to a more hands on approach many times, but I'm not sure how the law here works and an Indian prison is the last place I want to be.

. . .

I hate the cities here. When people squat down I think the worst, usually it's worse. I took a wrong turn yesterday and went through one of the filthiest areas I've ever seen. The air wasn't as bad as Mumbai, but it was close. It was thick with exhaust and the smell of grease. There aren't any emissions laws here so almost every vehicle is adding to the problem. Maybe that's another reason I stay away from rickshaws.

I can't believe the government allows this to happen. I know this happens in the U.S., but it never bothered me before because I never saw the problems concentrated like they are here. I see the beauty of this country in it's people, not in the cities. I don't know how these places function. Where are the social programs to help the people? Where is the infrastructure to help clean up the cities?

I bought a ticket for Nepal. Less than a month to go in India.

Mamallapuram

I left a small fishing village called Mamallapuram yesterday where some of the most talented rock carvers in the world live. As I was yelling at a tout trying to lead me to a room, I noticed two girls speaking American english out in front of a shop. They told me they both volunteer in a smaller fishing village 20km away. Then the shop owner showed up, a 24 year old guy named Mani who is a genius when it comes to stone carvings and sculptures. He's been doing it for twelve years!

Every time I went to visit him he wanted me to sit down, talk, and have tea. I was cautious at first, but he's a totally genuine guy and even teaches people to make pennants and other simple things. I hung out there for hours, and watching him turn a piece of stone into a statue is amazing. I also met a couple (David and Stephanie) from Hawaii. When I asked them where people from India think they are from, they both answered Japan without missing a beat. We went to hang out with the locals one night after the bar closed to have a bonfire on the beach. It was more like just a fire. The party broke up when a couple of guys started to fight over one of the (white) girls. Up until that point things were cool.

The whole Japanese thing has been bothering me a bit. I've been thinking about why, and here is the answer I came up with. First it's usually somebody I don't want to talk to, but more importantly it's cause I'm not Japanese nor do I look anything like any other Japanese person I've ever met. It's the same way I felt when I was younger and some ignorant ass thought I was Chinese. Every time someone yells "hey konichi-ba" I feel like telling them to fuck off. Most of the time I just shake my head and say I'm not Japanese, then usually they start following me and sputing off as many Asian countries they can name (usually repeating a few) without ever saying Vietnam, but then I'm American so they're way off.

This way supposed to turn into another bitch session about how I think the Indian government and the British are responsible for all that's wrong with India, but I don't feel like doing that right now. Maybe next time.

Happy Bastille Day

The French consulate in Pondicherry are celebrating by putting on fireworks display tonight. I think all the French travelling in India (except for Gerald and Hermos) are here.

Mmmmm...dosai

I'm feeling a lot better today than I did yesterday. I'm in a town called Pondicherry, a former French colony relinquished about 50 years ago. I mostly rested yesterday, and worried about the possibilities of having contracted malaria. I was sweating profusly and remembered, through my internet research, sweating was one of the second stage symptoms of malaria. The research also said self diagnosis was not a good idea. Why? Because malaria has all kinds of symptoms that are similar to the common cold, flu, and maybe food poisoning.

I later deduced the reason I was sweating was because Pondy is notoriously humid. It's that type of humidity where no matter what you do you sweat. I turned off the fan in my room for just a few minutes and little beads were dripping from my forhead.

The good thing about Pondicherry is it's right on the Bay of Bengal and there are two nice beaches about five kilometers from the town center. This would be great for me if I wasn't fight my malaria cold. The other thing keeping me away from the beach is the minor sunburn I got on my shoulders from walking to the eastern tip of Rameswaram. Yes I used sunscreen, but I don't think I reapplied often enough in the five hours (from 11 until 4). Yes it was stupid of me to go shirtless the whole time, but I wanted to get rid of the minor farmer tan I had going. Instead I got a nice backpack tan (the type of tan one gets while walking in the sun for five hours shirtless, yet wearing a backpack). I had my trucker hat on so my nose and face are ok.

In the last entry I meant to state some positive things about India because most of the time I ragging on it. Here is one of the best things about India. The food.

I've eaten nothing but Indian food while being here. There was one day a few weeks ago I would've killed for something different. Well that's the thing. You can't typify "Indian food." It's different depending on where you are in India. I think the main division is between the north and the south, but withing each region the dishes are prepared with different spices so alu gobi in one place is different from alu gobi in another.

My breakfast usually consists of idly - a spongy, round, fermented rice cake - and a masala dosai (thin lentil flour pancake, kind of like a crepe stuffed with onions and potatoes) follwed by tea (chai). For luch I usually have what they call "meals." I think the true name for it is thali. You get between three to ten different little bowls of stuff usually served on a banana leaf. It's all you can eat. They give you pappadum and rice (I got chapatti at one place) and you just start mixing everything together and chow down.

India is a country that will be reckoned with one day. There is so much potential here. The people are bright and intelligent. I'm sorry, I can't go much farther with this right now. I'm thinking about food.

I will come back to India again, because there is no way I'll be able to see the whole country in the time I have.

Kanyakumari, Rameswaram, and Malaria?

I didn't think I would sleep on the train but I had to. Even though the train was hot, the lights were on, and my "seat" was the wooden bench of unreserved second class, my body made me sleep. An old man tried to claim some space on the bench between me and another guy. In a past life I would've given him the space and left myself uncomfortable. Not now.

The old man kept sliding back so I had to put up my elbow. It was pressing into his kidney area. It was already warm on the train and physical contact with him made it warmer, but I wsn't about to give up a space I had claimed fairly. After half an hour or so, he got the picture. Good, cause I was starting to nod off.

Around two or three in the morning the train emptied significantly. I moved to an empty bench and laid down and slept until I was woken up at the next stop, by someone shaking me by my ankle. It was quite reminiscent of the train to Poland, where I snapped awake, bewildered, only to have to prove I paid for the train. The conductor was cool and told me we had a few more hours and should get some sleep.

The next time I opened my eyes the sun was just beginning to come out over the mountains. I'm really surprised by how many mountain ranges I've seen. They would be nice to hike if it wasn't in the 90s.

At Kanyakumari I left the train station and had to deal with the drivers who wanted to take me wherever I was going. I knew I wasn't far and I told them all I would walk. It's amazing how taking a few steps can lower the cost of a ride down to five rupees.

I settled into a place with a sixth floor terrace where I could watch the sunrise at the southern most point in India. Three bodies of water - Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian sea - meet here. I checked out some temples, another Gandhi memorial where his ashes were stored before they were tossed into the sea, and learned about a monk named Vivekanada, who wandered around India on a pilgrimage. This is when I realized I've been following a similar path to his and have been on a personal pilgrimage. I took a ferry out to the islands where it is said Vivekanada swam to and had a moment of enlightenment. The there's a temple and memorial on one island and a huge statue of Vivekanada on the other.

While queueing for the ticket to the memorial I felt someone behind me trying to edge his way in front of me. It's a bit more difficult to do so in this queue because there are are parallel metal bars directing people to the ticket window, and I had my elbows sticking out behind me which he ket running into. The guy in front of me got done paying and asshole behind me reaches over me to hand money to the ticket window. What would Viet do? I had to push him arm back to where it came from and claim my spot.

People here will walk all over you here if you let them. I was talking to my sister the other night and told her one thing India has done for me is it's made me a bit more scrappy. I'm actually quite glad for this. Thank you people of India.

I met a nice Indian family who are living in Orange County. I ran into them a few days later on the beach in Rameswaram. After leaving the very south of India I headed to the island of Rameswaram. The nine hour trip took closer to twelve on the most horrible pot holed roads imaginable. I'm surprised we didn't break an axel.

As we crossed the bridge onto the island the bus finally died. No! We were only 20 minutes away. After about fifteen minutes of work they were able to get the bus started again, and I checked into my room at around nine. There wasn't much to do on the island until I found the beach.

When I first saw the blue water crashing on the beach, I started shed some tears I was so happy. I felt the way DiCaprio felt in The Beach (movie) when they finally found what they were looking for (the book is still much better). The city bus dropped us off at a little village and I walked for an hour along the beach before turning back for fear of walking in the dark. I just wanted to get a little feel of how far it was to the eastern tip of the island.

When I got back to the bus stand the cops from the police check point there came out to say hi. I told them they had a tough job sitting on a beach all day and watching the waves roll in. I wondered why no one swam and they told me the currents there were too dangerous. Damn. The perfect beach was spoiled.

The next day I went back to the beach after breakfast. I was determined to get to the eastern tip of the island. I could've paid some guys at the village to take me there, but their asking price was too steep. I had four liters of water and some biscuits for lunch and set off.

An hour into the walk and I was back at the same place as the previous day. This was the beginnings of ruined buildings from a cyclone that hit Rameswaram in 1964. There was a smell of rotting flesh and I saw a colorless porpoise or dolphin washed up on the beach. It was surprising that the crows or other animals hadn't picked at the carcass yet.

I walked near some small villages where some of the locals kids came out to say hi and ask for a pen. LP says not to encourage this behavior and I tend to agree with them. I spoke to them all for a short time and set off again.

I thought it would only take me an hour and a half to walk to the eastern tip, but the sand was slowing me down and I started to get blisters on the balls of both big toes. I had to press on I knew I was close. Fifteen minutes later I passed a Navy checkpoint and a local family walking the other way. Another fifteen minutes and all I saw was a solitary figure looking for sea shells. I avoided hinm cause I didn't want to talk and could see the eastern tip.

At this point it was a short walk to the north side of the island. I was shocked by how calm and shallow the water was on the north side. It's perfectly safe to swim over here with a nice lagoon. I kept walking and reached the eastern tip a little over two hours after I started walking. I was alone and loved it.

I could see Adam's bridge which is series of reefs, islets, and sandbanks that almost connect Rameswaram to Sri Lanka. I took a dip in the safe side of the island where the water temperature was perfect. I wished I could stay in that spot for a few days, but I had to walk back.

The walk back was uneventful after having experienced a few moments in paradise. I got another blister, this one on the side of my big toe during the walk back, but it was worth it.

Quickly what happened today. I'm feeling sick. I was worried it might be malaria, because of the slight fever, and I've been eaten alive by mossies the last few days. I went to a hospital here and paid less that a dollar for seeing a doctor and less than two dollars for medicine. And the nurse there was the first person here to say I looked Filipino instead of Japanese. Still wrong, but I know where she's coming from.

A Minor Setback

I was supposed to be on my way to Kanyakumari, the most southern town in India. The bus was supposed to pick me up from my place at 9:30. I know the private buses aren't always on time, but it was an hour late so I asked the guy at my guest house about it. He called the main office and told me there were no seats left. I told him I had a ticket so he ran to the main office and came back with my money. That's not what I wanted. I fucking wanted to be on the fucking bus. So now I have to wait until 1:45am to catch a train. And now that I'm solo again, I feel I have to stay awake in the unreserved second class train so as not to have anything stolen. Therefore I will stay up until at least 7am before I can get any rest,

So here is todays edition of what's fucked up about India:

I couldn't even give the guy who sold me the ticket any shit because he went home for the night. Instead I laid into the guy there and felt bad for it. I don't think he understood half the shit I was saying though.

There is no queue here, no matter what people say. Assholes continually try to cut in front of you for everything. I am however learning to use my 30lbs. backpack as a weapon. Dropping it on someones sandaled foot or into the side of their knee gets their attention quite well. I saw a kiwi girl smack a guy upside the head with hers as she got off the train (he was trying to push his way on as she was getting off). I had to laugh when it happened. I may end up in an India jail soon for assault with a dangerous weapon.

I woke up this morning (at 4:30) and there were a shitload of tiny little ants crawling all over my bed and biting me. I originally thought I had a nice room.

OK. Any one reading this knows I have a beef with India, but it is a great place and I would come back again, once I leave that is. Some people are really nice and some people just plain need to stop breathing, but you get that in a country with a billion people in it. Then again you get that in every country.

All I can do now is hopefully get a seat on the train and stay up for the next seven hours.