India... or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Armpit of the World

That was the title of my journal the last time I came to India. I’ve been in India for about a week, now, and it’s as crazy as ever. Although I’m far better equipped this time than the last, which is good! I had forgotten about the smells and the feeling of breathing the dense and humid air, which surprised me because it had stayed with me for months after coming the last time. But it hits you like a brick when you get off the plane, no other place I’ve been has such a distinct feeling to it. It’s simultaneously intoxicating and smothering, and wonderful. Surely the most chaotic place on Earth is somewhere within India’s borders, and yet there is such a rhythm and order to it’s chaos. Yes Andrew, I still love it as much as the first time!

I arrived in Delhi, and spent several days here exploring again, and adjusting to the weather and food (yum). As I mentioned before I tried to get a Pakistani visa in South Africa which was proving difficult, and I kept having the feeling that I would somehow be hurt if I were to go straight there, so I stopped trying, and bought a ticket to India, with the intention of trying from here. Once in Delhi, I decided that I just shouldn’t go at all, and instead headed towards the Himalayas in northern India.

The first stop was Amritsar, famous for the Golden Temple, which is truly amazing, and a great experience. The complex is pretty large, but the temple itself is fairly small, and floating in the middle of a sacred pool/lake. Accommodation and food are free to everyone, so I stayed there which is a nice experience too. They estimate that about 30,000 meals are served per day at the temple. You get a plate and bowl outside and then head into the huge dining hall, and line up in rows on the floor, and wait for the servers to come by with big buckets of dal, rice and chapatis.

The people at the temple, especially the Sikhs, are so incredibly and genuinely friendly, some of the nicest people I have met in India. Everyone wants to talk to you, and tell you about their religion, but not wanting anything in return, which is refreshing here. I would try to sit down and just look at the temple and watch people go by, but within minutes I would have at least 3 people around me talking and asking questions. One was an older man, who was really interesting and interested in my life at home, so I talked to him for quite a while. He is from Bombay, which he insisted is identical in everyway to Los Angeles, New York or Paris. To go between them, you wouldn’t notice the difference, according to him. Um, yeah, if you ignore the cows, rickshaws, goats, shit, and open sewage then I guess there’s a slight similarity. But even then, I’m not so sure.

I also met several people that had just come from Pakistan, which was causing me grief at my decision not to get the visa in Delhi, being that I was about 30km from the border and could now go so easily! I did go to the border one evening, to watch the border closing ceremony, which is spectacularly absurd. Both sides flaunt their power and might, stomping around. Being so close to the country didn’t help my situation, so I decided to head back to Delhi and apply for the Pakistan visa there.

So, Friday morning I applied, and Saturday morning I was shaken awake by an earthquake, which has devastated a lot of the villages in the north, where I was headed. So now it’s Monday, and I’m not sure what to do! My visa should be ready by now, but is it still safe and practical to go? I can’t get enough specifics yet, it may take a while to assess what's open and what's damaged.

Although we felt the earthquake in Delhi it didn’t do any damage here, but I’ve realized how close I came to being in the hardest hit areas, twice actually. Had I flown direct from South Africa to Pakistan, I would have been right near the epicenter on Saturday. Then, once in India, had I gone to Srinigar as I had planned instead of coming back down to Delhi I would have been there on Saturday, also hard hit by the earthquake.

While back in Delhi I went with a group of people to see the big film of the moment here in India, Salaam Namaste. I love their films and the tackiness that sells in India. If you want an idea of the movie and it’s soundtrack (a lot of the popular songs in India at any given moment are songs from the movies that are recently out) click here:

http://www.dishant.com/album/salaam_namaste.html

I hear these songs everywhere, blaring out of rickshaws, stores and homes.

Other than that, I’m off to figure out what to do next. Maybe I’ll just sit in Delhi and wait for the natural disasters to subside. And finish reading the DaVinci Code, which I finally broke down and started reading. I resisted it for so long, I hate thrillers, and even more than that I hate ‘sensations’, so it’s popularity alone was putting me off. But I have to admit it’s pretty entertaining.

Most importantly, my good friend Lori Guidroz, who is from New Orleans, has been working on fund-raising for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and is doing amazingly well. Please visit her site, and consider a donation, she’s got widespread support from the likes of Ellen DeGeneres and InStyle magazine, and needs more help! http://www.whatitmeans.org

And see the picture of me that I attached in Zanzibar which Mark and Sarah were kind enough to email me!

Much love to you all, I hope you are all happy and safe!

Wes