India the Anomaly

I have been mulling for days how to describe India, and I cannot do it justice. It's beyond what words can describe. Yet here I will try and fail.

Of course, I had no idea what to expect before I came. I tend to underestimate a place and think it is going to be old and backwards, perhaps with thieves and bandits lurking behind every corner. But, because most places are really more modern than I expect, this time I forced myself to imagine India as a modern place with all the trappings of an international city.

Except for the part about thieves and bandits, I should have stuck with my first idea.

I was not expecting the red DIRT and rubble everywhere. This place has the dirt of a desert, but it also has old huge trees that are as green as a rainforest. I was not expecting to have such intense heat without air-conditioners to balance it out (I am miserably hot and have been for a week). I was not expecting to visit slums. I was not expecting the pollution. Cows, camels, goats and dogs all roam the streets, and my friends here have tales of monkeys breaking into their homes...it's partly wild like Africa. I was not expecting to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe or Taco Bell. (See, this place is an anomaly...you don't expect to see the Hard Rock Cafe amid the rubble.)

I didn't expect the people to be so friendly and charming. I didn't expect them to be wearing traditional clothing -- much of the rest of the world wears western clothing. I didn't know they had flat-roofed houses that look like those in the Middle East. I didn't know everything would be so brightly colored, from the paint on their houses to the clothes on their backs. I found this place to be magical and exciting, truly exotic.

All my time has been in one city. My friends say this city is cooler and cleaner than any other city in India. Really? Oh my.

I can't stay here one more day without an air-conditioner.

I'm leaving here in the morning. After a night in Bangkok, I'm planning to be back in China on Tuesday. I'll go from 97 degrees Fahrenheit to 47 degrees Fahrenheit, and I am looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to clean streets, even if that doggone street cleaning truck does run up and down the street by my apartment all night long every night.

I never wanted to go to India, but unexpectedly, I do like it quite a lot. The world is a fascinating place, full of people created in the image of God, not so different from us. Really.

Exotic India

I am in one of the craziest, most exotic places on planet earth. I am in colorful India. It is hot and dirty and chaotic. It is fun. Did I mention it is hot and dirty?

Today, my third full day in India, I sat in someone's home and drank chai tea. In fact, I was in quite a few homes today, some of them in the slums.

I'll tell you all about it another time, but for now I'll just show you a few of the friendly faces I saw today.

Don't Talk to Me about Dog Clothes

In India, I have seen camels on the roads, cows (they are supposed to be 'gods' here) lounging on the sidewalks, oxen, and hear that monkeys break into people's apartments.

Today, I saw an ox all dressed up like he was going to a party. Wow, wonder what pet shop sells oxen clothes? If oxen can fix 'emselves up in 97 degree heat, then Mimi can most certainly wear her pink sweater when it is snowing outside. In fact, my dog is woefully underdressed compared to pets in India.

Trading Longjohns for Sunscreen

Spring is just around the corner!

For years I've told people that of all the places in the world I did NOT care to visit, India was at the top of the list. So, go figure, I'm leaving on a trip to India today. It is work-related. I'll be in Thailand a few days too.

It's still cold where I am now, but it will be in the high 90's in India.

This trip came up fairly recently, and I haven't had time to research much. I hope I packed the right kind of clothes. I have no idea what to expect in India. I think English is more widely spoken, and I think it is not safe to be out after dark. I heard I have to wear a head scarf at least on one day. I wish the Lonely Planet guide for India wasn't a whopping $30, 'cause I could use some help. Alas, it's too late, I'm leaving here in 3 hours.

A Block Away

Here is the night view of the moat around my city. It is one block from where I live. Tour boats go up and down and around the moat. No cargo boats travel by this waterway though...instead they travel on the Grand Canal about one mile away from the moat. Just thought you'd like to see....

You've Gotta Know When to Hold 'Em...

...know when to fold them, know when to walk away, know when to run.

(Oh no, I'm gonna be humming the Kenny Rodgers tune all day now! It's like every time we drive by Green Acres Baptist Church and we break out singing "Green Acres is the place to be, far-ARM-ing is the life for me...." Oh no! Now I'll be singing that all day too! Aaarrrgghhh....)

It's raining today, but on a non-rainy day there are scads of elderly men meeting at the park downstairs playing cards.

Yes, if you look closely, you'll see money on the table.

There'll be time enough for counting when the dealing's done.

Shallow Thoughts on a Rainy Day

Must be rainy season. Because it sure rains a lot.

I like it when it rains. My neighbors hardly ever come pound on my door and tell me my air-conditioner is leaking onto their balconies when it is raining outside.

I get really tired during this dark, cold, rainy time of year and want to sleep a lot. I heard that exercise is good for maintaining a high level of energy. But I just exercised, and now I’m way more tired. I give up, I'm heading to bed.

Oh, and in case you are bothered by the fact that I use an air-conditioner when it is 46 degrees Fahrenheit outside, you might want to know that in this part of the world they make air-conditioners that blow hot air and can thus be considered heaters. Who would have guessed?!??

Back to Normal

Monday, everyone went back to school, work, etc. after a month of holiday madness. The fifteen days of Chinese New Year lasted from February 14-28, but for weeks before that people were running around buying train tickets, buying special food, etc. This hoopla has been going on for a long time.

So glad it is over and life has returned to normal....