Being pursued...Mysore style

30 October 2010

3^rd day in Mysore and a mighty interesting day indeed…today we ventured into Mysore city itself …a good 20 minute ‘oto’ or motorized rickshaw ride from Gokulum…first it was breakfast at Indra’s Café…a typically indian fare with idly and a plain thosai and lots of Indians…sorry no coffee as the stomach is not ready for it…followed by a walk through Devaraja Market…wonderful colours of the kum kum (the powder used for bindi dots)…smell of the spices…the flower garlands hanging…a stark contrast to the handing chicken and other bloody carcasses just across the lane…no buy meat madam?...no way brudder!...then it was up to Chamundi Hill the highest point in Mysore…there stands the Sri Chamundeswari Temple…it was crowded today possibly with everyone paying their respects including the monkeys before Diwali or the festival of lights…being fair-skinned means you must be a tourist…so get ready to be pursued…by the little barefoot girls shoved in front of you by their mothers to beg for money…to the 3 men who tactfully followed us from the bus station till we ducked into Hotel RRR for our first traditional Thali lunch…it started with one offering simple directions to another casually asking where we were from to the final old man pushing us along in a direction we were headed in anyway…all carefully orchestrated till we felt we were being followed by all three men and not in a nice way…and all for what? Some rupees?...i rather be pursued by begging children and their mothers…their ‘pursuit’ of me stems from a pure need for survival…not intimidation and greed…those brudders better stay away from me from now on…you do not wish to see me lose my temper…and besides I can run pretty fast if I need too!!...the samosas were super duper tasty today!

The Elusive Sim Card

29 October 2010

Today’s journey has brought me all across Gokulam,Mysore…literally from point A to B to C and then back to point B and finally back to A (and I did not even have to go to C!!)…why?...all in search of a local SIM card that has now become elusive…and we have the terrorists to thank for this...gone are the days when your passport alone was proof enough of your existence and one’s licence to travel freely and explore the world…well now we need to produce documents that prove your address and further existence…dumbo me forgot to carry my identify card with me…the only form of identification that has my address on it and I never think to bring it…but hey what about my passport?!...nope sorry madam passport no working…so there you go…just one other example that the way we travel these days is changing every second…it is very frustrating cos all I want is a SIM card to call home..but I guess I should be thankful that the people of Gokulam at least are enforcing the rules…cos I know of other places during my travels that will offer to turn the other way for a few extra bucks…so there you go Gokulam…sorry madam no SIM card today but the chappati was real good!

Namaste

I have finally arrived in incredible India (think commercial)…incessant blaring horns…swiftly moving in and out of traffic…people everywhere…smiles…cows…coconuts…saris…dhal…chapatti…all in one day…unbelievable…exhilarating… welcome rain…India is so alive…I wonder if the people ever sleep…I like the house that we are staying in and the couple are so welcoming…but I can already sense the grand divide between the rich and the poor…mothers with child begging…children with outstretched arms asking for something so basic as water…yes this is India…and though it may be my first time here it is reminiscent of many other places I have visited…Incredible India!

Almost there...

Trying very hard to get used to this blogging business and I am sure it will be a breeze moving forward! The bags are packed and all that's left are the tummy pills which I hope i will not be needing! In case you are wondering where I am headed to in India...it's Mysore...home to the Wodeyar maharajas and their royal heritage yoga...ayurveda...Chamundi Hill...art galleries...and the list goes on(thank goodness for Lonely Planet!).

And I shall be helping out at a small NGO called Operation Shanti. They work with street children and destitute women...thrown out onto to the streets by their abusive husbands or widowed...left to fend for themselves...with barely any means to support themselves exceptr their two palms faced upwards begging..I will volunteer with the group...hoping to be help wherever and however I can.

Please visit their website at http://www.operation-shanti.org/ to learn more about their amazing work.

More updates to follow once I get to India!

Bon Voyage!

Today is packing day...

Today is packing day... and the reality checks have set in... it was almost 10 months ago when I decided to embark on this trip... I am 5 days away from starting this amazing journey to a country I have always dreamed of visiting... it is my journey of discovery... of learning... of giving... and of seeing where this path leads me in my life... aaah but first the packing!