I wrote some letters to some people, and one of them
encouraged me add them as blog entries.
She said my impressions were interesting, maybe more so than what I’d
written elsewhere. So I went back
and excised all the garbage and personal stuff and will publish them.
Here is the first one, written in the early afternoon,
Wednesday, 2 April, before I left to take the train to Kolkata. Enjoy
~~~~~
Dear _____,
Sorry to be out of contact; I actually could have used Raj's line all along; we just didn't know that all I had to
do was plug in. I read in the
Lonely Planet that that is actually pretty common. So I've been trying to land a CouchSurfer for Kolkata today
too. I actually tried to Skype you
yesterday, but you had walked away and your computer went to sleep.
I am at Raj's right now waiting for Raj to come home for
lunch (and eat the meal his maid made), for some laundry to dry, and for my
taxi around 18:30 for the station.
Raj said he might not be able to come, so I might go out for a good meal
before the train, 36 hours starting and 20:35. Raj, and Sushim, and the travel agent who bribed the 3-4
others down the line to get me my
ticket (500 Rs / ticket, so ~$25 in bribes) got things all set up for me. Some poor bastard next on the list
won't go because I will. It's life
in India, apparently.
And I messed up the dates from Kolkata to Guwahati, and so
unless I change my ticket I go the morning of the 9th, they the afternoon of
the 10th and we will finally meet up on the morning of the 11th. I will meet Ann in Kolkata on the 7th
when she arrives Kolkata. So I'm
hoping to land a CSer for 4, 5, 6 April.
I've contacted a lawyer and a musician, both by the email addresses they
had listed on their profile, as well as sending it over the site. We'll see.
As for impressions.
India is of course noisy, hot, crowded, hectic, and poverty-bound. I have not found the touts to be near
the bother they were in Morocco, in fact the beggars are more of a bother. As a westerner, I have too much a need
to acknowledge people in general.
Touts go away better if you don't, beggars are sometimes grabby, and
maids are so flattered when you acknowledge them that it is embarrassing for
me, both because of their bowing and effusive reaction, and because their
employers do none of it. A
"namaste" gets quite the reaction. That said, I have had my wash done buy them, some meals
cooked by them, and all the dishes that I would normally jump in to do as a
gracious-guest gesture done by them.
I am also using taxis more as they are so cheap. The problem is communicating where you
want to go, as their English is not good.
People say "Hello" a lot to get your
attention. I ignore the touts, so
it was that yesterday I someone on the 3rd yell said, "Hello,
Canadian!" when I was heading off track, and that got my attention. A rather precocious little girl from
New Delhi asked, "Are you a Britisher?" The vest I guess.
Jim says he has been called Bapa in Thailand, as sign of
respect for his age he figures.
But I am happy to no longer be Ali Baba [as I was in Morocco.] What else? You must, as a Brit, have been more comfortable with the
whole class/caste thing than I am.
Perhaps not. But the amount
of spare labor does mean that there is always someone to help, indeed eagerly,
as it is a sign of pride to be able to be helpful to a White.
I met a woman last night who would have been a great
traveling companion. She is a
Black American living in Frankfurt, but she headed home this morning after
being in country for three weeks.
We were both diving for the same last-table in Leopolds on Colaba
Causeway and, both being alone, we shared it. She stepped out for some smokes and it occurred to me that I
was being stiffed for her meal, but she returned.
Speaking of meals, I had a thali out on Elephanta Island
yesterday for 50 Rs (with tip!) about $1.25. Excellent food AND price. Unlike at home, I find that food at
tourist places is often cheapER.
Not sure why, but perhaps it's that they see it as an extra meal, quite
discretionary, or perhaps they live on the volume. I then had rogan josh for dinner at a very nice place where
there was a CSer Meet which Raj, Savvy and I went to, and Kryst (the Black
woman) tagged along. Met all kinds
of people, none of whose names I will remember, though maybe a face for my
return here.
By the way, I am leaving some clothes here with Raj for pick
up later. But as Ann is having
good luck plugging in her laptop with network cables at cyber cafes I think I
will take it.
Anyway, I guess Raj is not coming. And I have an hour before the place next door closes for the
afternoon break. So I better
go. I'll send this when I get
back, as I suspect you are sleeping away just now, and that will give me more
time for a CSer to write back.
(Here you turn on and off the computer signal like a tap, but using the
outlet switch!)
I need to scoot, catch a taxi. Wish me luck sleeping on the train!
Jay
