27/jan moped & religion

We rented a motorbike, a small one, to go to konark, 36 km away from puri. There is supposed to be a nice town and the famous sun temple! Just after leaving the shop, we found a group of 50 men carrying an old woman, on a bambu bed. She was extremelly small. She might be very very old. They were singing songs (prayers) and playing bells. Women are not allowed to be present at the funerals, neither at the cremation. Another hindu tradition that women accept, and believe.
Passing through the jungle, we found a family of wild monkeys. Then, the sun temple. Two and a half times more expensive than the room. Very beautiful and elegant. Big. With sculptures all around, and grass. When I was sitting outside, waiting for zac, a police came and seated just next to me. And he started explaining me things about the temple, giving me numbers...
On our way back to puri, we had a jab in one of the wheels. A guy in a little village, fixed everything. He and his friends (all of them around 18-22 years old) were very impressed by our digital cameras. Everyone wanted to take pictures with us, with these huge indian smiles!
On our way back, we also saw people working on the road, making a side walk or something like that. Most of them, were women, carrying all the sand and stones from one part to the other. The other workers, were leaning down the whole time, with normal clothes, no security at all... everything very precarious. And the sun. But when they see us passing, the had the energy and joy to stand up and say hi. Even in this hard situations, you see great smiles.
Another astonishing thing for me, was to see all these people digging the whole of the foundation of a building with pick axes and shovels. (pics i pales)

Religion and spiruality, are all around. In the bikes, bicycles, cars... in form of an orange ribbon. And all these vehicles are blessed. There are car festivals in every corner of india, normally during july, and brahmins (monks)are the ones that bless them. All these things are supposed to protect the driver against the evil and the negative. In their houses, but also shops, vehicles... they use to draw an indian swastika, with 4 points. This is also a sing of protection and luck. For 2 days in a row, I've seen a brahmin entering in a restaurant, and start reciting mantras, burning incense, and blessing the workers with water from the ganges and with the orange or red spot in their foreheads. I don't know if this happens all around india, or only in the holliest cities, like Puri. Everyone that is passing in front of a temple is putting their hands together in front of the brest and doing a kind of sign with their hand (something like the christian gross sign), starting in the forehead, and finishing in the heart. If a caw is eating in front of a house, or a shop, is considered a blessing, something positive. I should write that indian have 330 milions gods, so they may have also milions of 'superstitions'. Also, Each god has a meaning, and each person has a favourite one. So religion and tradition is all around, and that surprises me a lot, coming from europe. People may have its own beliefs in europe, but they live it privetly. (a part from the religious people, that go to churches, mosques, or wherever they go). So religion, tradition, family and work are the pilars of this society. I still don't know the order. And all these different beliefs, and religions (hinduism, islam, buddhism, janism, christianism, sihksm...), with its festivals, and parties, seems to live in total harmony.

Once in the room, I finished the book 'the city of joy'. The end is heavy, as the story is. But I think that I've learned so many things about kolkata that can be extensive to all india. Everyone should read this book!! (I was excited about the story, but also because I've recognized many places, people, casts, situations...). Once in the room, we also realize that we had a couple of new room mates. A mouse, and a lizard. But... what can we do!!! cover a couple of holes, and not much more!

2/2/05

25-26/jan puri

Puri is a small city, but it feels more like a big town. It's the holiest city in india, for the hindus, with many temples, and pilgrims. But it's also a very turistic place. The turistic and the holly part, are quite separed. The turistic part with agancies, restaurants, internet cafes, shops, is by the beach, a very very long beach. You can't see the end. We spent a while updating the blog, sending mails, reading news... After that, we decided to rent a bicycle. Bicycle here a so beautiful!!! City bikes, quite big, with huge wheels and a very old-fashioned seat (not very comfortable). They are Atlas. The same brand that rafa had in lund! So we started cycling around, passing through a market, and then sand, and then the library, and then sand, and then a boys residence, for students of sanskrit. They were playing volleyball, but they stoped to come to talk with us. After being with them for a while, and on our way back, I bought a 'baldufa'. I don't know the name of this name in english. Zac didn't know it either. So, a child, 10 years old, tough me how to use it. I totally forgot how to do it, even if I have been playing with it for years!!! That was a nostalgic moment for me!
And the slums of puri, start very close to the center of the turistic area. I don't really know if they are slums or not. Maybe shantitowns. I still wanna ask the difference. And all the houses were made by palms and clay, in both sides of the market. And the ground, sand. Sand all around. Every once in a while, palmtrees, but everything very dry. Someone said it's because there was sea-water there before. After the sand limit, the jungle!

The day after, we walk along the beach, similar to the sant pere pescador beach, but wider, and more dirty. We founf several dead tourtls, 60 or 70 cm long, devoured by the dogs and the crows I'd guess. And between this area of the beach and the hotels, rubish, with 'holly' cows eating all the possible leftovers. On the other side of the beach, there's a fisherman's village, with thousands of boats, that seems to be very heavy. It also look a very dirty area. After that, we decided to take our bikes (RS15 a day, less than 0,3 euro), a cycle to jaganath mandir (temple), the holliest one. But we can only see it from the outside, because only hindus are allowed. Not even the former president of india (I think), indira ghandi (that merry one of the sons of the former president) was allowed to go in, because she is originally from italy. That's what they told us. My stomach is still like this... After that, we took a road, and started cycling for hours, just to see the city. It was full of cows, but everywhere!!! In the middle of the main roads, on the sidewalks, everywhere. And the traffic is already crazy. So all that made the conduccion of the bike very interesting!!! Risking our lives every second, because no one respects the lines, the signs... nothing!!!
We went back home when it was already dark, following the sea shore, in the beach, half meter from the water, and with a full moon. It was very nice. Long but nice.

30/1/05

23-24/jan the baby & the temples

After saying good bye to sailesh, we took the bus, the supercrowded bus, to balasore. We were leaving baripada. We both (zac and me) wanted to seat by the window because they allow too much people to get on the bus, so everyone is standing at the corridor, with the seating people as a limit. This gave me the chance to seat besides a young woman, she could be 22 years old, from a small village, surely very poor, but extremely dignified, with her red sari, elegant like only indian women can be, her red spot in her forehead, and a very dark and dry skin. She was using a handkerchief as a wallet, one knot for the coins, and another for the banknotes. I don't know if this is a normal sistem in india. On her arms, a baby. He was 1 or 2 years old, difficult to say since he was quite small, and with a big belly. He was sleeping in that crasy, dusty and noisy bus. His mouth was disfigured. A part od the nose as well. Aftre a while, he wpke up, and started smiling at me, with those huge eyes, and those super white teeth. I was playing with his hand, his feet. And the mother never looked at me. After 1 hour and a half of thinking if there was something for me to do, I left a banknote in the baby's hand, and the mother gave a very nice smile, very shy. I saw her having problems when he was paying the bus ticket. She had to pay also for the baby, even if he was in her arms. After a while, I refilled the baby's bottle feeding. I was afraid about her being offended by me giving some money. But she wasn't. So with all the different stages of the trip, and with the sights, smiles... it was a special trip for me.

We took a train to bhubaneswar, orissa's capital. We arrived at night, found a guest house (RS 75 each, less than 1,5 euro) and slept. Zac kept the light and the fan open the whole night because of the mosquitos. So I could hardly sleep. I didn't really understand why he didn't wanna use the mosquito's repelent. But it's ok.

The day after we visited a few hinduist temples, and a tantric one. Quite impressive. We couldn't get into the biggest one because we are not hindus... The outside part of the temples is full of work, with scupltures, and 1000 of different forms. Images from their gods, from the sacred animals, maybe about stories... The insides are just plain.
We arrived in puri at 20 h o'clock, and after searching a little bit, we found a nice and cheap hotel in front of the beach. We could see the bengal bay from our the bed!!! Less than 2 euro each, RS100.
It's great to sleep with the sound of the sea again. Everything it's moch more peacefull here.

29/1/05

20-22/jan sailesh, rina & prita

The first thing we’ve done after waking up: Tourist office. Not every town has a tourist office, so we had big expectations. But they didn’t have so much info. Just a few things about the simlipal park, and its prices. In a building that seemed to be closed. It looked that they didn’t wanna work that much!! After the info (just the price of a one day tour with a jeep), and the breakfast, sailesh came to pick us up with his motorbike. There was room for 3, but even for 4! (all this in a normal motorbike)
Sailesh made a quite long presentation, introducing us as a very respectfull people, that had studied in the university, that had been traveling a lot, in serach of new people, new cultures, and maybe knowing ourselves a little bit better. Looking for our place in this world, with a global perspective, but without forgeting the local… a little bit too ‘bombastic’ and exagerated. And I was the one to talk. The point of our visit was not only to talk about us in english, but to describe new places, and to see new ways of understanding life and future. And I think that for being an english teacher, he was doing a very big job. There was something of spiritual in his words, and of guru in him. With a very openmind, without forgeting the hindu traditions, that can be seen at any corner, and at any time. So I talked about barcelona and catalunya, about spain and europe. About the times under franco, the transition, the actual situation. About the different realities and nationalities of spain, and about catalan. About gaudi, about the education in spain, public and private, about the chance to get a job, about the salary, the minimum, about the traditions… and they were asking things. They knew about barcelona, because of the olimpic games. Zac talked about the US, and everyone seemed to be very interested. The land of milk and honey!!!
After a couple of hours, and the thankfullness of all the students (between 18 and 25 years old, maybe 20 people), we were invited to his house, to have some snacks. As we were feeling very confortable, we were invited also to dinner. After that he asked us to repeat it the day after, and to have dinner again with them.
We talked about hindu tradition and religion, about arranged marriages (that still are done), about their past as a couple, about casts (he is from the 1st cast, the brahmans. The 2nd one is the warriors cast, shutria, like the family of his wife, rina, Then the business men, and then the untouchables. Inside each cast, there are also subcasts), about their dreams and projects. Everything was so easy!! We connected very well. He was 35 years old. Rina 30 or 32, and prita, 4. A very nice family. The day after was quite similar. After the class, meeting with them. For me the best part, even if meeting with the students was very interesting, for their quiestions, and their answers.Everything was so familiar, I mean being with them. And then food that rina offered to us was so tasty!!! Home made!! She is also english teacher. She had been traveling a lot, when she was younger because his father was working at the army.
We decided to invite them to come with us to similipal. They have no so many chances to travel, even if they do so once a year. It was also a great to spend one single day with them, without worries, without the institut…
And so we did. We met at 9 am, and went towards the park. The road was horrible, but the driver was driving very good. We saw a couple of monkeys, a deer, that we even touched, because he wanted to play with the little prita, and an elephant. In a quite wild environment. We saw a couple of very very nice waterfalls. But the nice thing was to be with them, make jokes… And prita was the cuttest and sweetest girl I've ever met. She called us uncle zac and uncle jordi!!
So, another unexpected thing!!!

25/1/05

19/jan rice fields (life?)

Trains are experts in creating nostalgic moments. That’s true. But also traveling with zac. There’s always a good and easy atmosphere. We can be the whole trip without saying a word. Reading, looking through the window, sleeping… and is not always easy to find this state with people. Freedom. And I use it to look through the window. You always see new things, that makes you think about this country, its traditions, culture, poverty, but richness, and potential, of both land and people. 1.2 bilion people. China, 1.4 bilion. And India is much smaller than china.
So, through the window, I saw many different kinds of landscape. Leaving kolkata, from howrath station, You can see the slums, and pour areas occupying the ‘lost’ areas of the railways. Then little towns, and then just villages. After that, huge extensions of rice fields. Some of them dry, some of them wet, and with the greenest green! They get 2 harvest (collita) a year. And these rice fields, are full of colors. Each color is a person, leaning over the rice, for hours, with their barefoot feet inside the water, under the sun, now not very strong, since is winter time (25 degrees), but that before the monsoon (june to september) temperatures can reach 40 or even 45 degrees. People worship the rice here, since is the base of milions of people daily alimentation (feeding?). You can also see caws and buffalos working. In 5 hours looking through the window I’ve seen only one tractor, full of mud. I would guess that these fields were part of a huge jungle before (there are a couple of national parks around the area). You can see a palm once in a while, that gives a little bit of verticality to these very horitzontal landscape, divided milions of times by low walls, 30 to 40 cm, that encloses the water. I guess that the process hasn’t really changes in the last 500 years or maybe 1000. I even saw people pushing the water towards their field with their hands, or with buckets. Every 3 or 4 km, maybe more, a village, where the workers, but not the owner, work. Then can leave and keep a part of the harvest, of course very small. They use to be tribal people. This village use to have 5 to 10 house, made with clay for the walls, and dry palms for the roof. They have little lakes manmade (basses), where they clean their clothes, and take the water for cooking, drinking… everything. And is not a very clean water. Naked children with a string in their bellies, playing with the most basic kites (estels) , goats, caws… with a lot of activity. Or at least that’s my feeling.
Here I feel again that I’m traveling, in space, but also in time. So many things have absolutely changed in europe, most of them in a better way, and very few here.
But they keep on smiling and saying goodbye to the train. I wonder if everytime they see the train, they see it as a lost train, as a lost chance of living in a different situation, or just as a group of unlucky people that has to travel everyday in order to reach their job? Or maybe just as a machine, a noisy piece of metal, that is moving so fast, as the seasons pass, and the leaves fall down. Who knows!
Once in Balasore, our first destination after 5 hours, 240 km, we took a rickshaw (with motor, like the thai tuk tuks), and then a bus to baripada, the entrance door to the simlipal national park. A reserve with tigers, elephants, bears, zebras… leaving free.
And that bus, that cost RS22, 60 km, a couple of hours, was extremelly full of people. I had never seen nothing like that before. They were allowing people and more people to get it, and it was impossible to move once inside. I was sitting (I was lucky) by the corridor, and I think that I touch with my head, shoulders, back and arms the asses and genitals of everyone. The distances (accepted) between people it’s forced to be different here. There is too many people everywhere here.
In baripada, restaurant and bars are called hotels, and we were looking for a guest house or hotel. (a real one!) After finding a nice and cheap one, less than 2 euro, with private bathroom, not hot water, but mosquite net, we decided to look for a place to eat, dinner time. On our way, we met an english teacher, Sailesh Dash, english teacher, that invited us to be special guests in his english institute the day after.

25/1/05

in motion (life?)

Trains are experts in creating nostalgic moments. At least to me. For me a train trip is always special, because either takes me to the freedom (and to the airport, or to europe), or to my everyday life (back from the airport or other trips). The first one is always full of excitement, the second full of sadness. Maybe not full of sadness, but not happiness. It also a great way to meet new people, even if in europe is not as easy as here to meet people. It is even difficult sometimes to look at people eyes. Everything is fast, and there’s no time for people or for ’loosing’ time.
And here, every bus, train, boat or airplane I take brings me to a new and unknown place, and that’s… this is a difficult feeling to discribe. It’s so nice to have the strange feeling that the time is not important. That you can just seat for hours talking with someone in the middle of the street, or decide that you’ll not sleep on that night because you wanna be with that person, or that you just wanna spend a few more days on the beach, or anything! no alarm clocks, no school, no attachments, no duties, no bad thoughts… just living life how it comes, optimistic, positive and happy. Nothing more than that. Being open to every new sign that will guide me somewhere.
And living here is cheap, and could still be cheaper. I spend around 6/7 euro a day (sometimes 4 or 5), and that includes guest house (sometimes very nice, like now, facing the ocean, sometimes just ok), food (in normal places, that would be the ‘bad’ places in europe, but where the food is fresh and tasty), snacks, internet, and some minor trips (to 4 or 5 hour trips). But it’s still possible to live cheaper, using dormitories, eating everything in the street, no internet, no small ‘luxurious’ things… but most of the times the difference is 1 euro a day, or 2, and sometimes would have no sense. And of course, you can eat in nice and clean places, sleep in air conditioning hotels with pool, or travel in first class. But this would have no sense for me, since this is not why I’m here, now.
I spend between 3 and 4 times less than in barcelona (including food, appartment, transport…everything!). And the only expensive thing is the airplane ticket from europe. And of course, find the right moment in your life to that. I guess it’s just a matter of knowing what to do. But I think that is impossible to be sure about such a big things like spending the life working, or traveling... It would be great to find something inbetween. And a person, a couple to share all these experieces. I mean a girl. My friend ribas, irmao, seems to combine these 3 things in perfect harmony. He is very happy, as I’m.

25/1/05

18/jan korean dinner

I spent another bad night. Not as bad as the one I fainted, but still bad. I thought that after one day with suero oral everything would be ok, and it was like this, but…
We decide to have breakfast at the indian coffee house, my favourite cafeteria. I think I already wrote about this place in a previous post. So there we met ok and lufina. It’s a nice surprise, because I was in the street, buying a book, and just met them there, seating with zac. We spent a lot of time talking, while xac was reading a book about indian history, that is supposed to be very good and readible. And they taught me a few words in korean, and wote me the korean alphabet, that it’s not extremely difficult. And the letters are very very nice, and rectangular. Many letters came from the distruction of a square, and some other have circles on it.
Lufina is a very nice girl, and seems to be a very good person, but she is talking a lot! And sometimes it’s hard for me to talk with ok (uki), that a part of being very beautiful, seems very interesting. And she loves lenguages, and to travel… they have been voluntering in the mother teresa place for a couple of weeks.
After 3 hours, they went to the guest house to prepare the party with the other koreans. They don’t want us to help. After that, an indian guy (35 years old) came and seat at our table. We spoke with him for a while. He is a soap opera actor, that appear on tv once or twice a week. He is very open and seems to be wealthy. He explained us that the arranged marriages doesn’t exist anymore in india. Not even the casts…
And after saying goodbye to the indian coffe house, the dinner. 8 Koreans, 2 canadians, zac and me. The food was good, but the atmosphere was better, sometimes surreal. It became more surreal as the night was going on. There was a group of japanese people, catholic, that came from japan with their priest, a very young priest, that were leaving that night, and they were singing religious song whereas they were dancing, forming a circle. They were jumping, and laughing a lot. It remind me the summer camps I was joining when I was 10 years old.
Ok and Lufina, and the other korean people served the food and drinks all the time. They said that guest in korea are very important, and they treat them as kings. And that was strange because the party was supposed to be a goodbye party for them, not for us. Anyway, was unteresting to hear all the explanations about the traditions of korea, concerning people, food… Ok was explaining me everything, because was hard to hear and to follow everything, since they spoke most of the time in korean, and after a while zac and the canadians started talking. So I found myself where I wanted, with ok, between 2 different groups. And so, we had time to talk. Ok and lufina didn’t want to leave the day after (even if they already had the tickets to bangkok), and I still didn’t know why. At a certain point of the night, when many people left (zac, one canadian and a few korean), towards their rooms, everything became surreal. The japanese were still singing and dancing, a korean girl started jumping due to a stomach ache. She was yelling! Lufina started crying, after drinking a lot of alcohol. And suddenly, a korean woman (40 years old) stood up and started explaining that the 2 korean girls had so many problems!!! She was like a kind of mother in that moment. Lufina was sad because she wanted to adopt an indian child, handicapped. She was working with these children. But the sisters of mother teresa, told her that she was too young, had not job, was still studing and living with her parents. That in the future, who knows, but not now. She said that ok had also problems, because she liked me, but she was very shy, and as she was leaving the day after… so, a totally strange woman, was treating, in a way, like children to ok and lufina. Everything in fact seemed infantil, a very strange situation.
But, for me was good, to start talking with ok. We already talked about that, and about the possibility to meet soon, maybe in tibet, or china. Let’s see.
After that, lufina was feeling very bad, and I spent the whole night talking to ok. It was nice because it started raining, there was no one in the terrace, there was silence, difficult to find in kolkata…
The day after, we left at 10 am, and ok gave me a book about tibet.

25/1/05

17/jan alipur & sad tigers

The korean girls were leaving the 19th, and we didn't really know when was our time to leave kolkata. So, as we had seen quite many areas, met a few people, visited temples, went out, and smell a part of india... we decided to leave the same day.
We bought 2 tickets to balisore, 240 km from kolkata, south. We still wanna try to surround india, with some incursions to the interior. Kolkata – balisore : 134 rupees, in second class. I think it was the cheapest one, because the next one was more than RS 500.
My stomach seems to be better, and I wasn’t feeling weak at all, so we decided to go to alipure, south of Kolkata, and where the wealthy people live. It’s hard to imagine a middle class in India. In my head I only have images from slums, or sultans, nothing in between. Fortunately is not reality. We first went to the zoo, RS10, and with quite many animals, leaving in very bad conditions, and with very little space. Some of them looked just like crazy, repeating the same movement all the time. They have a white tiger, a few Indian elephants, rhinoceros… and everything was very, very dirty. They were also burning rubbish next to the animal’s cages. And it’s hard to understand why everything is that dirty, because you see Indians cleaning themselves all the time. But on the other hands it’s impossible to find a trashbin, not even in the center. They have menaged to avoid serving food in plastic plates, using leafs plates. And instead of plastic glasses for the chai, the national drink, tea with milk and a lot of suger, they use clay glasses (fang).
After that, we walked through alipur, that didn’t really looked like a rich neighbourhood, to the subway station, to go back home. There was nothing separing the wealthy area from the very pour area and slums. Everything seems to be mixed in india. Thousands of different gods, people from different areas, dishes with many different spices, animals, cars, colors… but everything seems to cohabit peacefully, respecting the others.

In the evening we met uki, that the right spelling is ok, and her friend rufina, that is written lufina. So we had dinner with ok and lufina in khalsa. My favourite place in the area, owned by a sikh man. Sikh is a religion, where men were a turban, and a very long and populated beard. He seems a very clever man. Hard to tell why.
I’m eating a lot of vegetables here, veg’s, they are really good, but fatty and oily. Curry, or masala, seems to be the base for every dish, with a lot of spices, with the result of a very tasty food. But sometimes it’s hard to say what are you really eating.
Ok and Lufina invited us for dinner the day after. A kind of good bye party with many other koreans and japanese, in the terrace of paragon guest house, a very lively place, where I’ll go if I come back to kolkata.

The best part of this trip, among many things, is that without planning a single thing, every day turns to be special and different form the previous one. It can be because you meet someone that turns to be someone important for you in that moment, for a new atmosphere, or just a moment. For something you see, or feel. For the music you hear, for the colors and smiles… I think that it will be very hard to get tired about this way of living, if we can call it that way. Only health and money can stop this everyday dream. Let’s see!!!

And I wanna thank you all again to keep on writing here and in spray.se!!
Bernard, anna, mare, eli, quim, ribas, afrika, alberto, miquel, caroline, christine, daniela, johan, thea, eloi, karina, valia, kosal, nikki, may, marta, paolo, alice, ferran, albert, noemi, marisol, vered and I hope I don’t forget anyone!!!

25/1/05

15-16/jan stomach ache

First bad night in the trip. Stomach ache, plus faint in the corridor. Fortunately the japanese neighbours, and zac later, took care of me. It was suposed to happen sooner or later. It tool me 6 and a half days... My body is not as strong as I thought it was... So I spent the next day, the 15th, between the bathroom and my bed, reading city of joy, that is really like a trip in kolkata, even if it was written 40 years ago. It was also my father's birthday.
The 16th's night was a little bit better, not much, but without fainting. We walked a little bit, because we wanted to buy train tickets for the south, for a natural park. But it was closed because we didn't realized it was sunday. On our way there, we saw a seminaked man laying on the ground, with the thinest legs...
Once in out area, we found uki and rufina. Rufina was looking for us, and uki was in our guest house. They had prepared steemed rice for me! That was a very very nice detail, those things that you don't expect from almost unknown poeple, and of course I was touched.
After having diner together, we were suposed to go out, but my stomach told me to go home... another day!

17/1/05

13-14/jan easy days

breafast, mail, reading a little bit... easy day today. We've been walking quite a lot lately. and we were tired. That's why we kept on meeting new people. It's not easy to meet people from india, even if it's easy to talk to them. We met a guy half argentinian half canadian, sebastian.
(the crows keep om yelling, they are all around).
Dinner with him and alex, the french woman.
And the 14th, the day after, my first meditation class. At 12 o'clock, loving kindness class. We had to try to focus our positive energy to five different groups of people. first thinking in good moments lived by myself, then with a very good friend, then with a neutral person, then with a difficult person, and then all together. 40 minutes more or less. And quite tiring. The back, knees... the lotus position is very new for me. We were suppodes to find a comfortable position, but it wasn't easy. At 16 o'clock the class was about 'the mindfullness of breathing'. We spent more or less the same time. First counting to 10, one by one, after each breath. After that, the same but counting before each breath. Then without counting, and then paying atention only to the way that the breath is following. We were only westerners in the first class, and half westerners half indians and 1 monk from sri lanka in the second one.
I;ll try to do that again, maybe for a while. It's hard to say something about that yet.
After having diner with ohad, we met uki and rufina, the korean girls. We went out with them to the most famous disco in kolkata, tantra. There were westerners and or course wealthy indians. It wasn't that nice, but I enjoied a lot to be with zac, ohad, rufina, and specially uki. She's sweet!
Indians dance in a very funny way. Have anyone ever seen an indian videoclip?

17/1/05

12/jan buckets & people

Showers are great here!! We have a bathroom in our room, and there is a shower, but as it's cool sometimes, the water is too cold. It's then when the ritual of the buckets (galleda) starts. So we have a tap (aixeta) and 2 buckets. A metalic one, extremely old, and another one smaller, made by plastic. We have a window, without glass, and a concrete floor. Beatifull!!! The walls are white, with the base painted rose. A very energetic rose. And of course, everything very old.
temperature during night time is between 12/15, and at daytime, 20/25 degrees. Almost perfect.

We have been walking a lot today, a dreaming as well. We were talking about traveling in india by bicycle, the motorbike, the small car, an old taxi... but none of them is going to be like the train, with all the things happening there, and the chance to meet indians! So we talked about that on our way to chinetown, where we havn't any chinese, and then to the science city. we've seen slums,(on the train rails, and by the roads) living on a mountain of trash, But with smiles, You find contradictions all the time, Everything is touching here.
We've realized that we have only been walking the last 4 days, and forgotten to meet people.
We've met ohad, a guy from israel. While we were having diner altogether, we met a very prety korean girl. Uki (or uri). After that we met freeman, from california.
I finished daniela's book, that I liked quite a lot. And Iwill start the city if joy.

15/1/05

11/jan a rainy day

It's so interesting to walk in the streets of kolkata. Everything is so new. But it's still more adventutous to walk in these broken streets if it has been raining during the night.
Imagine all the dirty streets, full of trash, shit, open air sewers (clavagueram). sand and dust. A lot of everything. Now, add water in big quantities, and the result it's a kind of disgusting soup, full of things floating all around. Of course, a black soup. And this in the dry season. I was told, or maybe read somewhere that during the rainy season, the streets of kolkata have from 20 to 30 centimeters if water. And it's just then when the rickshaws became the kings of the road. The are very high so the water (the one on the ground) will never touch the client. But imagine as well the man that runs the rickshaw. Running barefoot (descalc), steping who knows where, and covered only with a plastic bag. They charge more money, but still...
So well, all these things happening, make me feel that it was the same many years ago, and I see myself traveling in one of the paul bowles books, It could be memories d'un nomada. In the early '20, a trip to india was a long trip, feeling all the different steps of travel, and seeing thousands of things changing. I guess this india has unfotunately a lot to do with that india. Things change very slow. And paul bowles it's defining all these differences in a very personal and touching way, of course from a burgeois point of view.
So all these colors, atmospheres, lights, poeple, clothes... are still present. Possible mixed with a touch of western way of life, but only a little. (no mc donalds!!!) And if you add to all these things the lack of turist, the cars, riclshaws, bazaars... it's almost unavoidable to feel that you are not in the 2005 anymore.
And the rain. This rain it's appearing and disappearing every second, passing from the '0' rain to a very strong one. So fast.
And as you can imagine as well, the noise, if it's possible, is worst. Too loud. Non stop. And you are all black. Sandals, pants...
But the city doesn't stop at all!!! This is so amazing.
And the light after the rain ...
Today I've seen a very beautifull indian girl, hided behing her saree. But you still could see the dark brown color of her skin, in constrast with the huge eyes, the whitest teeth, kong black hair, and the red spot, just in the middle of the fronthead. Here again, it's possible to see this bubble they are living in. So clean and elegant in this dirty and muddy kolkata. Of course, was to hard for me to pass this bubble, and I just saw her disappearing.
After that, we have 'discovered' the best cafe ever. It's in a broken building, dark and dirty outside. A coffee cooperative. A place frequented by students, and intelectuals, where the waiters wear a white uniform, and an strange hat. Double space with an internal balcony, that makes you feel outdoors. Like a kind of square. High walls, grey, possibly never painted in the last 100 years. And a very strange light as well, probably because of the humidity, the smoke and incense, and the late time of the afternoon light, creating alltogether a kind of mistical atmosphere. Of course only in my head. My head is traveling and traveling since I came to india, and always in the past.
(sound from the mosques, muslim prayers)

Today we've been in college street. It's an area full of bookshops and schools. And I've bought a classic. City if joy, from dominique lapierre, talking about anonimous heroes, living limit situations. And everything is happening in kolkata, and it's slums. Let's see, I'm excited about starting.
Yesterday I felt for the first time my stomach complaining about something, with the first diarreas. Is this going to see the begining of bad times?? I hope no. But roday I was feeling perfect again, Maybe was a reaction against the spicy food, (not that spicy), or maybe against the indian food. Delicious. But dangerous at the same time. One have to follow a few rules to avoid potencial problems. Water, cleaning hands... but not much more. I'll do my best without forgeting that I'm in india now, and that I will spend problaly 6 to 10 months. Let's see!
We went to the cinema, to see alexander. It was a good entertainment, and the last part happened in india. 1 entrance 30 RS (.6 euro). This is a democratic cinema!

15/1/05

10/jan walking & rickshaw

IT's monday, and we go to the turist info. Yesterday it was closed. After that, we decide to go to the botanical garden, and to reach it you need to walk 5 or 6 km. It's only a nice excuse to take a direction, and start walking through the city, constantly surprising. We pass through the lungs of kolkata, the meidan. A huge extension of nothingness, dust, and a few parks and criquet stadiums (even if small). Criquet is the national sport in india. To reach the botanical we first need to cross a bridge, that connects kolkata to another city. ANd this bridge is an imitation of the san francisco bridge. After walking in the sidewalk of the road, we find a policeman, that tells us that we can not cross the bridge by foot, and that we have to go back, and take a taxi. WE menage to find a cheap one. And it's so funny because as I wrote in the others posts, everyone is using the horn (claxon) all the time. So, when we were waiting after a car, to pay the bridge fee, our taxi driver started horning even before the other driver could pay the fee. It's so meaningless and ridiculous!!! they just like to horn!
Once in the park, we walked around for a couple of hours, and saw one of the biggest banyan trees in india, with a circunference of 400 m, and made by thousands of roots. Quite impressive. After that, and since the bengal engeneering college was there, we decided to eat at the cantine, and was too cheap. one and a half dishes for 12 RS!! (0.25euro). After that, we took a bus to a bazaar area, seeing monkeys on the roof of a house, caws, goats... in the middle of the street. The bazaar was full of men, only a woman every once in a while, but vrey very few, probably because the market wasn't a food market. And then we started walking home, but it was too far, after spending the whole day walking. So we decided to take a rickshaw. Our first rickshaw. I Took me a while to accept taking it. I don't really like the idea of using the man strengh ( of a really thin and dirty man), as I could use the horses strengh, or any other animal. But I guess that this transport is a very important part of the india history, due to the casts, or maybe due to the weather, I don't know. I don't even know if they own the rickshaw, or they work for a company or for a man... it was a new experience anyway. The rickshaws here are very old, with wooden weels and wooden suspensions. So, the pass you all the irregularities from the ground to you bones. It was good because we were too tired, and the speed is almost the same as when we walk a little bit fast. And as you are in a higher position, you can see more than often, and the most important tihng, you don't have to worry about the traffic.
After taking a nap (migdiada), we had dinner with jody and ben, from australia. After that, reading time at our guest house, and after 10 minutes, the rain.

13/1/05

9/jan dakshineswas kali temple

Walking around the center, I bought a watch. 80 RS (1,6 euro). It's one of those cheap casio, maybe an imitation. The most basic one. The one that my aunt maria had gaiven me once when I was a child. And I have it again after so many years in Kolkata. We took the bus, of course very old, and went up north to the dakshineswas kali temple, one of the most important for induism, and 1 hour far from our area. It's sunday, and it's absolutely crowded. So many people queuing for hours. We met 4 guys from west bengal, the province where kolkata is the capital. They told us many things about the place. They were studing here. After taking another bus (4RS) and the subway (4RS), we reached a muslim area, with a huge mosque. Very narrow alleis in this area, with a lot of life and things going on. After that, the day was already finishing. Was dark, and we started our way back home (modern guest house), after eating kachori, little fried nans with curry sauce (patatos, lenses...) very good!!! and chicken tikka masala (boneless chicken with curry).

13/1/05

8/jan (2 part)

The street (just to use a word)is surprising me all the time.In one hand for the freshness and innocence of each happening, but in the other hand for the limit and radicality of each situation. Non chosen lives, with the street as a house.
A 4 or 5 years old girl shiting diarrea in the middle of the street, just on the sidewalk, men cleaning themselves with the water of the street fountains, just with a saree (pareo). Barbers shaving men, others cleaning others men ears, children playing to be hairdressers (it might not be a gane for them), barefoot rickshaws running in these dirty streets full of diseases and the most disgusting open sewers (clavegueres), smeling so hard. Famished dogs, with chronic wounds (ferides), goats, caws (probably holly caws), people sleeping on the ground, at any time, covered with trash (also chronic), and families living under a plastic sheets. Only one single space, for everyone, that is kitchen, living room, dining room and dormitories. The bathroom just around the corner. So they cook there, with their dirty hands, with the polution of the huge cars, with the trash... It's very hard actually. They can just have any disease. A little cut might be enough to have anything...
Something strange is that many men dyed their hair. And the color they all have is red. Maybe only wealthy people do that? is that a way to tell the different cast of the people? Most of the men (60%) dress occidentally. The rest with sarres, scarf, long t'shirts, sandals. And most of them, with moustache.
Cars have no respect for other car nor for people. They are always very close to touch everything, but for any strange reason, I havn't seen any accident yet. Like in england (let's remember that india was a british colony till the '50) cars drive on the other side. But here, you never know if they drive like in england or like in catalunya, because theyu are passing from one side to the other without any problem. Of course, horning all the time.
There are no women in the center. All of them are either home or in the markets. India is a very 'male' society, where man brings the money home, and women use it to keep home in conditions and look after the children. Even of that, you see women working in the street, but very few if you compare it with men. There is also an area reserved for women in the bus, and I guess in the train as well.WE have only talked to 2 girls in 2 days. One on the bus and another in the metro. 1 minute each. They look unapproachable, but maybe is not like that. WE Still have to observe more. Women seem to walk on the street with other women. Very seldom alone.
And the general atmosphere is bad paved streets, combined with unpaved, always a little bit muddy, both dirty. And short buildings, almost falling down, grey, without windows...

We have been walking in the center, spent some time in the park, and mostly sleeping since we spent the last night at the airport. Nights are cooler here, even cold. 12 degrees maybe, but without glass on the windows, and without sheets nor blankets. But it's ok with a pullover. The room, with private bathroom costs 200 rupees (4 euro). 100 EACH. It's not the best place in kolkata, but is good enough for sleeping.

13/1/05

8/jan only one minute

Right after leaving the airport, you realize that you are in another world. I know it sounds a classic definition. Just 2 hours. And everything has changed. You can see that from the airplane as well. Prismatic forms of the houses that contrast with the organic ondulations of the rivers, channels, lakes... we were flying over the biggest delta of the world, the ganges delta, shared with bangla desh. Water is all around. And this is the dry season.
And the indian people has already nothing to do with thai people. Only 2 hours. Skin here is so dark (dark like dark coffee?), but a different kind of darkness than black people, even if some indian have totally black skin. But it's another world of colors, and eyes, so white and big, powerfull. The form of the face, of the fronthead, the hair, the whitest teeth, the expression, the smiles. Thailand really seems to be a kind of switzerland if you compare it with kolkata (previously called calcutta). Everything seems to be organized, even clean to me now. And most of all, silent. And thailand was for me the most chaotic place on earth, and noisy, where cars just respect buses because they are bigger! Here is worst.
Light is the thing I see more different, together with the scene, the atmosphere. Everything is full of dust, since many roads are not paved. Hyperphotogenic spaces, at only 1 minute far from the airport. Cows, mangroves, sandy open spaces, semi-destroyed houses, extremelly dirty all of them, half-dressed children (maybe half-naked) playing...And everything at 15 degrees (10am). Cars looked really old fashioned, almost like the first cars, very solid and heavy. Taxis are yellow, and all of them old as well. Abd the camions and buses are huge!! like painted and dirty monsters. I feel like living on 1920 or '30. It's like I've been traveling on the time. One of my dreams, like the first travelers, the pioners, that were feeling the trip step by step, being aware of the differences between towns, areas, countries... with the food, the people, languages, clothes.
Rickshaws, and bicycle rickshaws, and 'indian tuk tuks', mixed with those monsters of cars, camions and buses, the biggest chaotic traffic I had ever seen. The line in the middle of the road doesn't really exist (if it's painted). The one that horns (claxon) louder, is the stronger, so deserves to pass. And everyone is horning all the time. BUT WHEN I write all the time, I mean all the time. With no reason at all most of the times. Ans all of them have a different noise.
And the street is full of disfigured people, asking for money all the time, in the dirtiest streets, full of shit, and all kind of fragrants... and just laying there, next to thoses mountains of shit and trash. And then, once in a while, in this male world, a woman apears. Like a white witch. More than elegant. Timeless. Like living inside his own bouble, alienated from the outside world, with all those sensual agressions. Moving in a strange speed.
And all this happened in less than a minute. And the biggest smile of an strange impotence came to my face. Everything is happening but me. Prelude of something big? time.
13/1/05

date info in the posts

Till now, I was always writing on the title, the date of the things I was writing about, even is they had happened 2 or 3 weeks before. Now, I'll keep doing this, but I'll write as well the date of the current day that I actually write the post. Like this it will be more up to time, and my family will be more relaxed!!

And huge hugs to everyone, and thanks a lot for keep on writing me, in this blog and in the e-mail. Idoesn't really feel like being that far from all of you. I'm trying to write back you e-mails, and when it's possible I do. Thailand was an easy place to write. Let's see how india will be. And even if it takes me a while, please don't missthink!!!!!

6/1/05

28-6/jan koh chang

Left koh phan gan, and my friends, and went up north to bangkok, to catch another bus to Koh chang. Here the buses are working very good, and of course it's the cheapest way of moving. And the heart of these bus connections is of course khao san road, one of the turistic bubbles in bangkok.
It took 4,5 hours to reach surathani, anf the sea was strangly flat. A 100km or maybe 200km of earth, are separating 2 complet different worlds, and from one of those, even if the bad info we have here, it's difficult to imagine the other. Then 10 hours by bus. And was I was lucky again because I sat just next to a canadian girl, that was a very interesting person. Her name was kim. She has been traveling for the last 6 years, and of course, working every now and then. Once in bangkok, took me half day to decide where to go. Koh chang, another island, looked a good place. It was supose to be a quiet and no busy place, but expensive. I met Lior on the bus. The second lior from israel that Imeet in this trip. He has also been traveling for a long time. 2 years in india, learning percussions. I think that the name was tabla. And 6 months in nepal, and he was now working in bangkok, in a israeli clothes company. I guess I have already written that thailand is absolutely crowded of israeli people. They use to come here for 6 months after the army. Boys must join the army for 3 years, and gurls 2. So I guess many of them need a kind of disconnection for a while. Due to the tsunami, the island was a little bit more crowded than it used to be in other x-mas times, but not that much. I guess in the future (soon), it's going to became the next pukhet, or koh phi phi, because people will keep on coming. And I can say that this a big pity, because the island now it's quite ok. No big buildings neither big resorts. No much concrete. Most of the buildings are made by wood, and bamboo. You can find mostly bungalows, for one or two people, with or without bathroom, and close to the beach, but fortunately, not by the beach. There is always a line of mangroves that separes the sea from the resorts. And I really hope that if the island explotes, turistically, they are going to be strict with eco-laws, and will not only accept western money at any price. The north of the island (white sand beach), is the most exploted. But most of the bars and restaurants and shops are by the road, about 500 m from the sea. In the space between, bungalows, or hotels, that are not allowed to pass the mangroves (palmeres) height. But unfortunately, mangrove are really hight, so they can be hight as well. But let's be optimistic. I decided to go to the south-west. It's a more peacefull area, with a nice beach, jungle, less turists, and less bars and restaurants. There wasn't electricity for a few hours a day, and some of the small resorts had generators. Water was only cold in this area (as it was in all the guest house I've been), and there were no roads to reach the beach. And of course, no lights during the night. And that was great. You could be laying in the beach, after walking in the middle of the jungle, and seeing very few turists. There were a couple of nice bars, made by bamboo, by the water, were I and my new friends, use to have diner every night. I met 2 girls from israel, hila and yael, that tought me how to write in hebrew, even if it's not that easy, but not even difficult. The difficult part is to understand what I am writing. I spent the new year's eve with them, and a girl from vic, sonia, that has been (and still is) living in san francisco for the last 4 years, after merring an american guy to get the visa. The other girl was from san francisco as well. And then, Some swedeish people, joey and gerhard. New year's eve, was nice and different, of course. 25 or 30 degrees, on the beach, with fire shows... And then I spent a few more days with david from england, and a couple from israel, shi and his girfriend, and 2 more girls from israel. I rent a motorbike one day, and saw that the eastern part of the island, 2 hours far from thailand and cambodja, is not exploted at all. Maybe because there is no beach at all. A few rocky or muddy beaches. And higher mountains. I was walking in the jungle, alone, for more than one hour, and didn't see anyone.
Let's see how the island is going to be next time. I'm not very optimistic about this idea. The thai government is suposed to make from koh chang an eco-turistic destination, and limitate the turists, but, there's something that... I don't know, I'm very suspicious about that. Let's see.
(Ribas! I spent 2 nights in a tent, as small as the one we had in the interail, many years ago!!)
So this island, has been a good place for me to rest, read, think about this very present, about the tsunami, about where to go next, and what to do there, about going somewhere, voluntering...
I met jim in koh chang as well. He was with me and chris, eileen, zac, ana and liam in koh phan gan.
After that, I went back to bangkok, to meet zac. We've decided to go to india, calcuta, in the north-eastern part, close to bangla desh. We will try to go down, south, and maybe, if it's not that dangerous for our health, will try to do something in the affected areas. It's not secure that we will do that. There's no info here about voluntering. A part of me would like to do it, and another is very scared about this idea. I know there are going to be a lot of new diseases, a part from the normal ones for westerners. So we have to see. I still don't know if there's is something usefull that we can do. So please, if you have some info about how to do something there, please tell me. But tell me also if you, that have more info about the tragedy, think is too dangerous.
So, I'm spending the last days in thailand, just waiting for the indian visa. I'll get on friday the 7th, and we leave on saturday, early in the morning. We'll be in calcuta at 11am.
I havn't still visited the north of thailand that I heard is great, but Thailand is the heart of this part of asia, and I'll visited later on. Chiang mai, chiang rai... daniela told me great things about this area, and about its people and landscape.
So next blog is probably going to be from india.

the end of the numbers

The situation is getting worse and worse, and I'm lost in the numbers, and not even numbers are used anymore. But I think is better. Things looks big if the numbers are big, but once we reach the thousands, anr hundred thousands... We forget that 1 is a lot.
I have finally seen a few images of everything, just what happened here in thailand. And it seems to be the most caothic place, even if there has been a lot of international 'interest'. The media will have a lot to talk about, and like in iraq, I guess they will repeat the images again and again. It can became the new show. And that's too dramathic.
I've seen all these turists on the beaches, with beers on their hands. And that's weird. But maybe the shock is too big, for them, that has lived the wave. But the shock is big as well for the thai people, and also for the travelers, and for me, and for the people who's around the world just now. It has happened just here, we are on it, and it will take a lot of time I think to realize about that.
It seems that the post-tsunami, is lived very lightly here in bangkok. Of course not for the people directly affected for it. I've heard that sweden has been very affected as well. Most of the travelers are scandinavian here. Well, let's trust in the people now, and that everyone will try to make the things as easy as possible. It's not going to be easy. I heard that the worst part is about to come. All these bodies laing on the ground, directly affected by the sun, in descomposition, the sicknesses.
let's be positive, and quiet, and peacefull. future is coming.