India Again and No Pictures

So every time we got to new internet cafe, the same thing happens. The card reader that Justine bought doesn't work, the card reader that the shop has doesn't work, the computer thinks the card is a virus and tries to delete the pictures, the computer randomly shuts off while writing, the internet is to slow or the computer is too slow. Now maybe I shouldn't get so frustrated that when I go to spend 50 cents for an hour of the internet I can't get anything done. After all I am in India and perhaps I shouldn't be online so much. Though I didn't come here to find my spiritual self or spend hundreds of dollars seeing every ruin, temple or palace that India has to offer. Whatever. If you were looking forward to pictures you are going to have to wait even more. Maybe you all will have to wait until we leave India or even get back to the States for you to see pictures.

Anyways.

India. I know I haven't written anything about this place at all except for when I was freaking out about culture shock. While you may think that you might get over it after a while there are somethings that you would never get used too. Lets not forget that most westerners that come to India leave after a week. When coming to India one thing to remember is that there is nothing that you could ever do to blend in. NOTHING. Unless you are of Indian decent. Having tattoos and piercings only makes things worse. Well maybe worse is a harsh word. People are just fascinated with you. On top of that, it is customary to ask very personal questions of each other. Name, country, what do you do for a living, how much do you make, is that your wife, do you have kids, how long have you been married, does it hurt when you get a piercing, does it still hurt, why is the painting on your arm permanent, did that hurt, etc.

There is also the fact that the people here tend to make you distrust everyone that says hello. Sometimes its easier to ignore people rater than get halfway through a conversation at which point you are asked to go to this shop, or you should go to this "government" tourist center or will you have tea with me so I can read your horoscope in a creepy back alley shop. No thanks. I'm just going to keep walking down the street with "my wife." The children are the smartest, or most clever. They will come up to women and tell them that them need ghee for chapati and that their family is poor and lives in the desert. Sometimes this is true, but they would never ask you to buy food for them if it was. Turns out that the kids that were scamming (or trying too) were sons and daughters of government officials.

I mean you honestly can't blame them. Just like the rest of the world, their way of life has been destroyed by western influence. Here a great example that I got from some old German guy: About 30 years ago there was no plastic available to the masses. People did not buy chips, soda, bottled water or individually wrapped pills. They ate off of banana leaf (or similar things)and then threw it into the street. Then the cows, goats and dogs came a long and ate it. Very simple, very effective. When you introduce consumerism into a society that throws there trash into the street, what do you think happens? The country is one big landfill. It's terrible. This is why when you come to India you cannot drink the water.

Aside from the over population, the corrupt government, and the whiplash that India suffered when Britain left. Now there are Maoists fighting in the country-side, most of the bad things about western society mixing with a feudal class system and the highest HIV rates in the world. India is a great example of why the west has failed and our way of life needs to end.

Of course India is not all doom and gloom and there are some very very nice people here. I have seen over 50 species of birds, geckos on the wall every night, lizards monkeys, buffalo, ad more. Despite what I said earlier about ruins and the like, I have been to some and India is riddled with Mughal era architecture. Right now were are staying in a small town called Bundi. It is located in southern Rajastan in a valley. The mountains are topped with walls, towers and palaces. Which fortunately for us are abandoned, though unfortunately that means monkeys live there and we were told to carry sticks. We are also staying is a guest house owned and managed by a women and her two daughters. Refreshing so to speak as we have only talked to two other women while here.

So. Justine and I will continue to search for a way to upload pictures and videos. Justine has made a video and there is also a really bad one of me where I look emaciated that I may upload. As well as pictures of course.

Also you should all check out Justine's blog as we are together, but writing from our won point of views. There may be things that I have not mentioned or vice-versa. thereisabluebird.blogspot.com

Til next time I get frustrated with computers...ciao.