Pizza & Momos

This is it. I'm done teaching at Tibet Charity. Final exams were held yesterday; most of my students passed (a few of them have the extra credit to thank for that) and some did exceptionally well. 

Today Gusti and I took them out for a pizza party in Dharamkot. The students brought some momos, we ordered ten delicious pizzas, and everyone had a lot of fun.

They kept telling me to sit down and relax, but I can't help it -- I enjoy entertaining and if I'm in anything resembling a hostess position, I tend to get into it. I asked them if they have winter holidays coming up in Tibetan/Bhutanese culture aside from New Year's. They said no, but asked about what we've got in the US. I told them all about Thanksgiving (Happy T-day to my friends in the States!), which most of them seemed quite interested in, and they asked all kinds of questions about turkeys. I don't think they have them here. I told them how most Americans prepare a big meal for this holiday so the fact that we were all out having food together was, in a way, quite similar. It's like they'd gotten together to make a Thanksgiving-away-from-home for me, and they seemed pleased that they could do this.

They insisted on doing everything. The students wouldn't let Gusti or me cut the pizzas, they wouldn't let us serve the food, and they always gave us the first slices when a fresh one would come out. Tibetans can be very bossy, but when it's in the context of such hospitality, how can you get upset?

After finishing our lunch and taking a bunch of photos on a dozen different cameras, phones, and tablets, they instructed us to follow them "up to the mountain." When I asked how far they answered "not far," but pointed to some indefinite area wayyyyyyyy off in the distance. I joked that it would take so long I'd miss my flight home. I hadn't worn the proper shoes for a real hike; I knew we'd be taking pictures so I opted to wear my red jutis that I got in Jaipur. People have been telling me they're more like house shoes. This bothered me at first, but then I remembered: I don't wear shoes in the house. If they're shoes, and I'm wearing them, it's going to be outside.

I pointed this out to them, that I wasn't wearing anything that could possibly pass for hiking shoes. Jampel, the one monk, told me "the Bhutan guys are very strong, they'll carry you!" to which the "Bhutan guys" responded that Tibetans were stronger (it's true, they tend to be tall and tough in general), but one way or another they'd get me where we were going.

This is Dolker. She's super sweet, and a pretty good student, too.

The view just never gets old.

Eventually we came to a Hindu shrine where we took some more photos and then backtracked just a little to a grassy spot where we could chill, sing songs, and munch on snacks for a while.

When we finally headed back down to McLeod Ganj, they insisted on taking a shortcut -- the same shortcut that Kalden, Brij, Marie, and I took when we went up to Triund that one time. At one point my foot slipped a bit and I heard a chorus of "Ohhh!" from the students who were in the lead and down below us. Lobsang Dolma, one of my quietest but most thorough students, insisted on holding my hand the rest of the way to make sure I didn't fall, even though she had also earlier insisted on carrying my bag as well as Gusti's, even though she already had her own. "Tibetans are very strong," I observed. They asked me if the roads were "like this" where I live; I told them no, only in the forests in some places. Generally they are in much better condition. They seemed to take this as a perfectly good explanation as to why they could navigate the rocky, irregular path so much more easily than us westerners.

Regardless, we made it down with no casualties. What we had originally planned to be a 3-hour event turned into one that lasted all morning and into the afternoon. It was fantastic. I love the comfort level that you reach with people after seeing them nearly every day for weeks or months, and when the official business or class or whatever is done, everyone can just relax and have a good time together. This evening we had our last staff/volunteer dinner at TC, tomorrow morning we have our closing ceremony for the semester, for which I still have to put together a speech of some sort, and after that.... we're all done. I just have to tie up my loose ends around town as far as last-minute gift obtainment, pay my bill at the hotel, eat at my favorite restaurants once or twice more, pack up all of my stuff -- and decide what's not coming back with me -- and that's it. Get on a night bus to Delhi next Tuesday or Wednesday evening, make sure I tell my students ahead of time because I know at least a couple will want to see me off, and go. Exactly one week from this very moment I'll be somewhere in Indira Gandhi International Airport, maybe waiting to go through security, maybe chilling at my gate with a book, but I'll be having my final few hours in India. 

Four months sure flies when you're having fun. I knew it would.

Where should I go for my next trip? I've got a couple of places in mind, but I'm interested to see what kind of input I can get from my dear readers......

Playing Catch-up: Rajasthan Edition

Ok guys, I'm back. I'm really sorry about being incommunicado for the last week, but things have been a little crazy here. Where did we leave off? Oh yeah, Jaipur. From Jaipur we went to...

Ajmer/Pushkar
Altogether we wound up spending 6 nights in Jaipur. We were going to leave after 5, but in the end we elected to take our time and spend an extra night so we weren't rushed for the bus trip to the next stop on our list, which consisted of the towns of Ajmer & Pushkar. They're pretty close together, only a short local bus ride apart (kind of like Lower Dharamsala to Upper), so we figured we'd check them both out at the same time.

The trip from Jaipur was a short one, only about 4 hours. Pushkar is a holy city of sorts, and they have a list of rules that are to be followed when one is in public. Our hotel had thoughtfully posted them beside the front door so everyone was reminded each time they left to go outside (remember, photos can be clicked to enlarge):

The city is known for this big lake with bathing "ghats" all around it. Pushkar is small and quaint, the roads are extremely narrow, and there are more dogs than normal roaming around outside. This was also the first time I'd seen pigs since arriving in India.

Seeing as how Diwali was going to be happening on Sunday and we had gotten ourselves some fashionable traditional clothes to wear for the occasion, I also wanted to hit up a salon and get a haircut, pedicure, and some mehndi. We roamed town until we found a place that advertised all of these services; it was closed, but there was a phone number on the sign. Brij called the guy -- whose name is Hanuman Sen, look him up if you're ever in Pushkar -- and within ten minutes he was there to open the place up, just for us. After a short discussion in Hindi that involved an explanation that generally in India, men provide services like haircuts and such to men, and women to women. He offered to take me to his house on his motorbike so his wife could work on me (if I didn't want to, she could come to the salon, he said). I figured this was a good opportunity to do something un-touristy and adventurous, so I agreed to the bike ride and trip to the house.

I was there around 3 hours altogether, I think, during which time I got to know Hanuman Sen, his wife Indu, and their son. They were all super sweet and told me to look them up if I'm ever back in the area, and to tell my friends as well. As with most Indians I've met here, they were extremely hospitable -- not only providing what I paid for (haircut, etc), but also tea and a snack, and good conversation. I got to practice my Hindi a little and she her English.

Yay mehndi! Total cost of a haircut, pedicure, and mehndi: about $20.

I'm not sure what it was, but I really enjoyed Pushkar. It had good vibes. After realizing that the Camel Festival wouldn't REALLY get started for another week, we made the decision to move on and come back. The first step was deciding where to go next, and to book a bus to get us there. We decided on Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer
Five hours after deciding to go, we were on a bus to Jaisalmer, which is wayyyyyyy out west in the Rajasthani desert. The only tickets available were for a double bed on the sleeper bus. That in and of itself was no problem: we'd rather have a bed to chill on than try to sleep in bus seats. This was important, seeing as how it was going to be a 10+ hour ride. At the travel agency where we waited to board the bus we met Yune, a girl from South Korea who is traveling in India. She confided to me that she was a little apprehensive about taking this overnight bus by herself, so I told her not to worry -- I've never had any problems and besides, Brij (who speaks Hindi and is regularly mistaken for a local) and I would be close by and we'd watch out for her. She seemed visibly relieved.

When we got on the bus, we found out why ours were the last tickets to sell... the glass that provides a bit of privacy from the other passengers and keeps you from falling out into the aisle was nonexistent in this particular bunk. The window to the outside rattled, there was no handle on it, and in general it was just sort of a small, only moderately clean little box with a crummy mattress, but hey, it was still better than walking all the way to Jaisalmer. We managed to rig up a blanket in place of the missing glass and put down a sleeping bag to provide a little extra comfort.

That's ours on the left.

Let me point out to you that even though we are no longer in the mountains, we are still in India. The roads still suck. That bus bounced all over the place -- Brij and I were each almost thrown out into the aisle and onto everyone sleeping in it at least once throughout the trip -- and we spent the entire first hour laughing hysterically because really, what else was there to do anyway? It was an absolutely ridiculous situation. It was also the most awesome bus ride ever, and I doubt any other will be able to live up to it.

Awesome or not, it still wasn't all that comfortable. Bathroom breaks meant stopping off along the desert road and hopping out to do your thing behind a cactus; in order to get on and off the bus we had to basically Donkey Kong our way using the ladders over the dozens of people lying in the aisle. Adding to the authentic Indian experience, there was Indian music playing in the background the whole time.

Before leaving Pushkar we had gotten contact info for a guest house in Jaisalmer. The guys came to pick us up at the bus stop and we made our way through the desert city to the fort, which is where we were going to be staying. A real fort. Like, from centuries back.

The view from our balcony. :D

Feedback book full of reviews of the hotel patrons who had gone on the camel safari.

We are in the (fucking) desert!!

The city of Jaisalmer itself didn't really do much for me, at least not the first couple of days. The inside of the fort was very, very quiet -- only a few tourists here and there, and not much available in the way of shopping or sightseeing. (That all changed over the following few days, when for whatever reason there was a huge influx of Caucasian and Gujarati tourists.)

Regardless, we spent the first day resting, since the hotel had real beds, and the next day we went out and explored out of the fort, in the actual town where most of the people live and work. We got the rest of our stuff for Sunday, because Sunday was...

Diwali
Diwali is basically the Indian new year. It's a festival of lights, it's a big deal, and we wanted to celebrate in style. Sunday morning we went out into town to take care of our last few items on the list: a bindi for me, a shave for Brij, and scoping out a good place to go that evening. 

There are tons of rooftop restaurants in Rajasthan. We ate breakfast in this one.

Hanuman himself was out to celebrate Diwali!

After returning for showers and a bit of chilling, we busted out our new outfits and set out to show off in town.

Wrapping a sari is tougher than it looks. :/ But! There are sparkles in it!

We wound up going to the Nachana Haveli because it seemed appropriate -- Nachana is Hindi for "dance" -- and sat on the rooftop there, where we ordered the equivalent of a "chef's special" (we were feeling adventurous) as we enjoyed the live music and fireworks that exploded in the sky all evening long. It was an absolute blast.

Fireworks citywide from 6pm to 2am. Loved it.

Camel Safari
We had to get up early the next morning to be ready to take the jeep to the desert where we would meet the guys who would take us out on a camel safari for the next few days.

It wound up being Brij, me, and two of the three Israeli girls who actually went out into the desert with the "camel guys." The third girl decided once she got up on the huge, funny-looking animal that she was too scared to continue, and she went back to town in the jeep. Another of the girls decided a few hours in that she was too uncomfortable, and that she and her friend would only stay one night instead of the two they had planned. 

I'm continually surprised by the number of people I talk to here who make a fuss over the lack of comforts available to us. I guess I have just taken the "When in Rome..." approach: in deciding to come to India, I accepted that life would likely be dirty and more or less difficult. I chose to see it as an adventure. No one forced me to come here; I've embraced the simplicity and the crudeness, the fact that so much of life here is unrefined. I think it's this shared mindset that has led to Brij and me having such a good time traveling together -- we don't mind slumming it in cheap hotels, we prefer to eat at hole-in-the-wall dhabas (they have the best food anyway), and neither of us is too concerned with sticking to a set schedule or strict itinerary. It's working out well.

Babu Bhai with a couple of the camels.

Some kids from one of the desert villages we visited.

Me with a couple of the Israeli girls, Avichail and Shani, where we stopped to have lunch the first day.

Camel imitation.

Babu Bhai giving my camel a haircut.

Whenever we'd ask if something could be done, the response was "We are camel guys! Everything is possible!" Babu Bhai and Salim Bhai took great care of us ("bhai" is a term of respect that means "brother" in Hindi). They cooked and served our meals and tea, they set up and tore down camp, they kept us safe and made sure we had fun while we were out in the desert. We slept on bedrolls under the stars; since there was no roof and very little light pollution we could see hundreds of them. We even saw a handful of shooting stars, or something that looked an awful lot like them. I got practice eating with my hands (I'm turning into a real Indian girl, lol), and we sang songs while on the camels and around the campfire at night. It was delightful. I could have stayed out another day or two.

The last day in the desert we told the guys we wanted to ride a little faster. They were thrilled -- "Camels love to run" -- and so we galloped across the Rajasthani desert for a couple of hours before meeting back up with the jeep that was going to return us to Jaisalmer. The hotel let us stick around long enough to shower and chill for a bit before catching our bus to the next destination, Jodhpur....

Fish biscuits

This morning Yesterday morning Brij and I met a group of students and we all went for a hike to Dal Lake and then Naddi, a smallish village further up the mountain. Most of the students were from the Pre-Intermediate class, the one that I'd just recently handed over to Brij. Yesterday I wasn't feeling well at all and wound up sleeping for the majority of the day; luckily I was doing much better this morning and the weather was absolutely beautiful, so I was happy to get out for a little exercise.

We decided to go toward Naddi because it's only a 4km walk and mostly level. There are other places to see in the area but they involve more climbing, and some of us weren't really feeling up to that. As it was, we wound up taking a shortcut through the forest that proved more tiring than they led me to believe it would be, but we all survived.

It was a lot of fun hanging out with the students outside of class. We passed TCV, the Tibetan Children's Village, which is a boarding school for orphans. There were quite a few of them playing soccer (football) in the muddy courtyard. We joked that TCV stands for Tingmo Chilly Vegetable, three of the most common foods around here.

One of the students asked me what the name was for an insect that sucks your blood. “Mosquito,” I told her. “No,” she said, “not mosquito.” She and a couple of the others tried to figure it out in Tibetan, they told me the Tibetan name for it (which of course didn't help) and that they occur in tall grass, and I suggested that maybe what they meant was a tick. “Maybe...” they said, and kept discussing it. Eventually one of them told me it was a leech. I explained that leeches are more like worms, and that as far as I knew, they lived in the water. I was skeptical that “leech” was the word they were looking for but then again, I'm in India – what do I know? I still find it amazing that there are real live monkeys just wandering around.

That's a dog taking a nap in the grass. Somehow we managed to not drop the hackey sack on it the whole time.

We eventually made it to Naddi and played some hackey sack:

It only rolled down the hill a few times. The guys managed to get it back, though.

We had sandwiches, chips, and fruit for lunch:

A veritable feast! L to R: Ngodup (in the cool hat), Lobsang, KG, Dorjee, and you can just barely see Brij in the bottom right corner.

Lobsang -- not the one in the picture, another Lobsang -- even went out and bought us all ice cream and chocolate for dessert. We wound up with more bread and cookies than we could eat, and so it was decided that on the way back we'd feed the fish at the lake.

Naddi, not unlike the other places I've visited in India, exhibits a striking dichotomy in its architecture. You'll have fancy buildings like this one:

and then up the street there are hovels and half-built structures of concrete and exposed re-bar:

Some buildings, like this one, have both:

Check out the difference between the second and third floors!

The view of the Dhualadhar mountains is pretty darn scenic from up there.

After a delightful couple of hours near Sunset Point (during which time we did in fact encounter a couple of tiny little leeches, not ticks after all) we headed back. As we neared the lake, Lobsang said “Fish biscuits!” in the way that you do when your brain is working faster than your mouth. We all had a good laugh and busted out the bread and cookies, and fed what must have been hundreds of small fish.

Nom nom nom...

We decided to take the long, easy road back from there. On the way back we passed Tibet Charity's veterinary clinic and said hi to the doggies:

Once we got back to the main square in McLeod Ganj everyone went their separate ways. I returned to my room to pack, and then Brij came over and helped me move my stuff next door to my new place. I think I'll like it here. It's small and nice, but not fancy. It feels like a legitimately Indian place to stay; the room I'd been in the past month was quite comfortable but a little too touristy for my liking.

For all the comforts of home I'm missing in India, I think I'm adapting pretty well. I'll tell you what, though: one thing I'll be glad to have back come December is a nice, soft MATTRESS. As far as I can tell, they just don't exist here.