Snippets

Sure has a vacuum cleaner. A simple canister type. But it wasn’t working, the plug needed to be rewired.  So I fixed it and brought it home. The neighbours saw me with it on the back of my motorcycle and gathered round to inspect this device. They had never seen one. They didn’t know what it did. So being the great vacuum salesman that I am I proceeded to demonstrate how it worked to my neighbours. I wonder what they think of me.

A street wedding for a local boy happened over the period of a week. Lights were strung on the buildings for the festive occasion.  So I bought some LED coloured lights and put them over my doorway too. I was invited, of course, and spent brief periods of time walking the streets with the crowds, getting food and standing around just watching. I could only do short walks as every time I went out my entourage of kids followed me around and forced my attention on them.  Even though I got to eat at the wedding buffet, it still costs 100 rupees as a gift to attend. Standard fare.

I was invited to the one year birthday of Khartik, son of Ganesh from work.  At the event I was told that a woman wanted to meet me. Oh good I thought, someone to talk to who hopefully speaks English. This was the case and Bernice John, a 26 year old young woman was interested in me going to meet her father the local priest of a church just outside of Barmer.  I went to the church, met and talked with Mr. John, while enjoying an omelette his wife made for me.  The whole family speaks English. I was invited to mass on Sunday.  I’ll report on that later.

On the way to the church I had just turned the corner of my street when some local boys stopped me. I don’t usually stop for these kids and I don’t know why I did so then. But they tried to get on the bike and started pawing me and it took a while to get them away so I could safely drive off. Cutting to the chase, when I got home that evening I discovered my Leatherman multi-tool was not in my belt holder. I suspect, strongly, one of the boys lifted it from me then. I have put up a poster offering a 100 rupee reward, but so far no luck.

Still waiting for a reply for my application to do a year with VSO in China.  In any case I will return to Canada in March 2011.

I bought a book at the airport when I went to Kerala to meet with Cindy and Melissa. It’s by one of my favourite authors Arundhati Roy who some of you know wrote The God of Small Things.  This book is called Listening to Grasshoppers, Field Notes on Democracy. Wish I could recommend it, but it is just too depressing to do so.  Nevertheless, I read on.

Kerala was a lot of fun. In the short week there I got to know Cindy and her daughter Melissa as we travelled around the tea plantations and waterways.  Arundhati Roy says India is a place of many centuries and Kerala had a good mixture of the 20^th century.  Much more so than Barmer has. Actually, I’m not sure the 20^th century has made it to Barmer.

Anyone can carry on a conversation but it’s rare to find someone who can carry on a silence.
 - Jeff Moss

---

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 10.0.1170 / Virus Database: 426/3306 - Release Date: 12/09/10

Paul & Mark's October 2010 Quick Trip Specs

    Time Period: August 27^th to September 19^th (Mark) and 24^th (Paul)

    Overall distance traveled: approximately 3,500 kilometres

    Domains encountered: smoggy city, high altitude desert, valleys, forests

    Weather Conditions: Mostly clear and sunny, cold mornings in the high altitudes, rain for a few days towards the end of the period.

    Passes passed over: Rothang La (3,980 metres/13,057 feet), Baralacha La (4,892 metres/16,050 feet),  Lachulung La, (5,065 metres/16,613 feet) Kunzam Pass (4,551 metres/14,931 feet), Jalori Pass (3,134 metres/10,282 feet), Namshang Pass (4,850 metres/15,908 feet )

    Highest Altitude reached: 5,065 metres/16,613 feet  (by comparison Mount Everest Base camp is: 5,380 metres high)

    Valleys Traveled: Kullu Valley, Lahaul Valley, Spiti Valley, Satluj Valley, Baspa Valley, Parbhati Valley, Indus River Valley, Bangor Valley

    Monasteries Meditated in: 5

    Cheapest lodging (per night): 50 rupees per bed (about $1.15 CDN)

    Most expensive lodging (per night): 600 rupees for one room (about $13.82 CDN)

    Israeli’s met: several dozen plus a few more

    Mechanical Breakdowns: 1, Paul’s clutch cable broke

    Illness and Injuries: Altitude sickness, a cold, bleeding lips, burnt nose, cut arms and legs

    Bike drops: Paul =  5 plus knocked over once by a irresponsible rampaging cow,  Mark =  1 (but the stone on the road jumped up at me!)

    Best place for a Cappuccino: any Café Coffee Day

    Animals encountered on the road (other than the human type): cows, horses, goats, sheep, quails, and ferrets, and some brown animal called a Loopku that eats the legs off of sheep (according to Paul) plus camels and peafowl (in Rajasthan on Mark’s way back)

    Landslides encountered: 10 plus (including one active one that occurred minutes before we went around the freshly fallen rock debris)

    Road Rivers driven through: 10 plus

    Hot Springs:  3     Went in:  2,   Vashisht and Kiriganga

 

---

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 10.0.1170 / Virus Database: 426/3303 - Release Date: 12/07/10

The Long and Slow Road

November 15, 2010

I’m back in Barmer, Rajasthan. Asked by SURE to complete the work I was not able to continue six months ago of getting a new executive director for them, I came back to my same old house, same crazy kids on the street and same rat infested office.

I picked up the pieces from where I left off and had Chanchal do some telephone interviews while I convalesced in Delhi from Dengue Fever.  Three candidates were still available after all this time and I invited them to Barmer for in-person interviews.  The first one came this past weekend.

The process seemed to go well and I got to spend some good time with the person as did SURE’s leadership. I was pleased with how well it was going even though I was not prepared to comment on the suitability of this candidate at that time. In any case SURE needed this experience, they never had to replace their charismatic founder Mag Raj Jain since he began the organization over 20 years ago.

Sunday was wrap-up time and I left the candidate to himself a couple of hours before his return train ride home to Delhi feeling job well done and now for a cold beer.

I bought the beer, smuggled it past the neighbours and children and closed my windows and doors, opened the bottle, was about to pour a glass when…… my cell phone rang.   It was the general manager of the hotel, where my candidate had stayed, asking me to quickly come to the hotel as my guy was crying on the floor and there was a broken bottle around him.  It was 6:15 pm.  The train was leaving at 6:30 pm. I rushed off on my motorcycle in shorts and flip-flops at a rate I normally don’t travel at, but I don’t want to further incriminate myself in case my insurance company is reading.

At the hotel I found my gentleman passed out on the floor outside his the room in which he last stayed at. About 10 of the hotel staff was all around looking down at him. They had swept his broken whisky bottle to a corner. I woke him up and got him to his feet telling him we’re going to the train. He cold hardly walk so two of us held him up. One of the staff got his two bags and fortunately the SURE jeep was outside and we drove the short distance to the station. I put him into his sleeper-class coach with his bags and waited for the train to leave the station. Yes I wanted to make sure he was on his way. I figured it would be better for him to sleep off his inebriation on the train.

So went the day. My open bottle of beer still had some fizz and I finally drank it but feeling very emotionally drained. I slept in to 10am the next morning.

Next: candidate’s 2 and 3 in the weeks to come.

But first a short vacation to visit Kerala with some friends. Ahhhhhh….

 

---

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 10.0.1153 / Virus Database: 424/3255 - Release Date: 11/13/10

July 26, 2010, Last day in Barmer

I had already packed up my first four bags and left Barmer last June 15.  But I left behind another 5 bags that I returned to collect and say my goodbyes.  Where did I get all this stuff?

Well some of it is not coming back to Canada, like kitchen stuff and other household items.  Some of the bulk is also for the camel, and that too will stay behind when I leave. Still, I will have to ship some stuff off, like my very large custom made quilt, before I exit stage left.

I was lucky when I arrived at Barmer, it had been raining for a few days before I arrived and it rained the next day as well.  So I got a break from dogging raindrops, but not from large puddles, mud and other collections of water and street waste.

From the train, which arrived at 10am, I bought some fresh batteries for my camera and then headed off by foot to my house.  Camera batteries always die just as you need them the most.  As soon as I was just a few blocks away from my house I was welcomed back by the kids on the street. On my street a large group of all my little friends gathered around me and walked me to the front gate. As usually I negotiated (squeezed) myself past them and locked the front door with them yelling on the patio.

The house was a mess inside with all the rain and sand that did manage to get in and onto the floors. I didn’t clean. My purpose was in another direction. I just started packing the rest of what I needed to take and made a pile of stuff I wanted to give away.  At one point I started letting kids in to take some of stuff I was leaving, like empty jars, some food, forks and spoons, plates and bowls and so on.  I also put some stuff aside that I was going to give to the Sharma family.  Good thing too, for soon as the neighbours got hold of the fact that was giving things away a mob of all ages barged in and began taking things.  They asked first, which was nice, but often didn’t wait for an answer.  I just let them take things and tried to make sure there was some sort of even dispersion, but I don’t think that worked out.  It seemed like mayhem for a while.  The kids did come back after storing their items (like squirrels) asking for anything else that might have been left, but I told them no but I would buy them all a Pepsi (which is a 1 rupee frozen flavoured ice treat, not the soda drink) then walked them all to Lalit’s corner store. Cost me 14 rupees to make everyone happy.

I went back and the house was quiet and I finished my final pack.  Vishal had brought his father’s car from Balotra and we stuffed everything inside. I locked up the house and said my last farewell to my neighbours.  I don’t think the kids understood I was leaving for good, which was good as I got to see their smiling faces as I left.

We drove to the Sharma’s and Vishal stayed there a bit with me but soon left to go to the office (I still had the Honda Splendor motorcycle to get around)  All except the father, Satish, were there and they did not conceal their sadness at my departure.  I stayed for some coffee and small talk and then said good-bye. I got a picture of them with their sad faces as they watched me leave.  Pawan (the mother) told me I had to come back to India for Suprya’s wedding.  Suprya did not like the sound of this notification of her future engagement.

I took one side trip to see Mag Raj Jain.  He was still in poor health, as he has been for many months now and we spoke little but I’m glad to have had the opportunity to thank him and say good bye.

Then off to the office for another series of good-byes. This was fairly quick and only Lata admitted that she was sad to see me go.  I told her I would continue to support and work for SURE, but via the internet.  If I was needed to return for a workshop or something similar, I would also arrange for that.  So I’m still officially volunteering for SURE, just from a distance.

I took a walk around town to try to meet up with some of the various merchants I had befriended to say good by to them. I was lucky to meet quite a few of them along with the General Manager of the Kalinga Hotel, Shahul Hammed, who had been very kind and helpful to me during all my stay there.

Vishal, who was also saying goodbye, as he had left his job with SURE to seek out a new adventure, was noticeably glad to get away as well as we headed out towards Balotra, his hometown.  The first few kilometres out of town were under construction and very muddy due to the rains.  That’s were we got the flat tire.  The spare was bald and had the internal wires sticking out the minimal tread. But it got us to the next town and the puncture repair guy.  45 minutes later we were on our way with no incidence.

Supper at the Patwari’s and a casual next day with them smoothed over the rush of the day before. It rained almost all day and the streets were many inches deep. On the way to the train station we left a good wake behind the car.  I talked with Vishal on the platform waiting for the train about his idea to start a school in Balotra.  He’s still working on the idea.

A lot of train stations have lighted markers to tell you where you coach will stop so you can be waiting there when the train comes in. Unfortunately this is not the case at Balotra. The baggage carriers told us where the A2 coach would stop and we waited under a shelter until the train came.  Of course the coach was still a bit of a run to get to.  You only have two minutes to get to and on the train. Much too short with five heavy packs.

So once I was safely on board, I said my goodbye to Vishal, sorted out the sheets and blanket and lay down on my train bed as I transitioned into the next phase of this journey.

Delhi or bust!

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”  - Rumi

 

10

I’ve been writing a lot about driving in India. I’ve also read a few other very funny accounts all along the same kind of lines I have been describing. But I write for a reason, and that is to try to understand this seemingly crazy world.  The mind is always trying to put some cosmos into the chaos all around us and I have stretched my imagination in all sorts of directions trying to understand the patterns of behaviour that goes into the driving culture in India.  And finally I had a revelation. My educational background is based in developmental psychology, so I was thinking about the different developmental aspects of a 3^rd world country as different to that of a 1^st world one when I realized I could be very specific with my theories and apply the concepts directly to driving.  My mind zipped ahead and revealed what the basis’s were for the driving behaviours one sees in India. And it comes down to this question, I put to you dear reader:  What would happen if you took, say, 100 to a couple of million ten year old boys, gave them all motorcycles, cars and trucks and let them loose on the streets? And the answer is: you would witness the Indian driving mentality.
Western cultures were slowly introduced to using mechanical transportation over many decades and generations. The lessons of the physics of a vehicle, of courtesy, of laws and what we like to call common sense were embedded slowly into our consciousness.  The Indian culture did not have these lessons. Their country was seen as a market opportunity (and not just for cars) as many modern technologies were introduced, regardless of their ability to use these devices. Hey, we all drive, so certainly the Indians could do so as well.  Well, it just ain’t so and the proof is found driving around anywhere in the country.  And it’s not just the drivers, although they represent a large part of the driving environment, it’s also the pedestrians, the bicyclists, the cart drivers and so on.  None of them follow any sort of what we would call “sensible orderly rules”.  As a pedestrian, if you want to wear black and walk down the middle of a busy street at night, so be it. That’s the way it is, because you haven’t the foggiest idea about what it would mean to be hit even by a small motorcycle traveling at 50kpm.  Who, by the way, is also driving with no lights!
So let me review with you some of the basic behaviour characteristics we commonly associate with a ten year old mentality so you can get the idea of how the mentality of the road ways work around here. Ten year olds are:

Are not courteous (yes there are exceptions but these are general terms)
They are often oblivious and don’t look where they’re going
They’re focused only on their own selves
They take chances because they think they can live forever
They exceed their capacity because they don’t even know they have a capacity for anything
They know everything so they can do no wrong
And are competitive

You get the idea. The actual manifestations of these characteristics, as I’ve said, I and others have written all about, and with great amusement, I do confess. Now I await your comments.

Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.  ~Albert Einstein