honk, honk, honk honk honk

That pretty much sums it up. So far, I can't manage to get out of crazy cities. Hopefully tomorrow, but really, I'm dubious that it can be a peaceful country. I know nice places must exist, but I haven't been to them yet. Basically, so far, I spend my days witnessing craziness, seeing old forts and palaces, and buying cheap stuff. India is pretty much what I imagined, as I explained in my last post. The streets are crazy, I get overcharged for everything, the food is pretty good and the men are jerks. Okay, not all of them, not the people I know, but most of them on the streets--the shout things at you, touts lie to you on a regular basis, and people are completely unhelpful when you ask them where something is. I've stopped trying to negotiate for taxis bc I have to reserve my energy just to do things like find an internet cafe (took an hour, a taxi, a stomp through garbage, enduring catcalling, and asking about 15 people. Meanwhile, I get here, these are the oldest computers on the planet, there's skype but no headphones, and you have to sign in with your passport # and an address); buy a train ticket (wait in line for an hour, scream at people to wait in line, get to the front there's no sleeper car left, pay an exhorbitant price for a chair car for an overnight trip) or find a restaurant (mostly just sticking to the guide book bc I'm wigged out by people's stories of being sick, which i know, is kind of lame).

Anyway, here's a couple examples of India at it's most classic.
The metro: for those of you who have been to Buenos Aires or Mexico city and taken the subway there, it is somewhat similar. However, this is even more crazy. First, you wait in line forever to get a token. The lines are extremely slow and as soon as peole are about arm's length away, they start trying to push past the people in front of them and shove their money under the window. Why they don't have machines for buying the tokens, I don't know. The tokens are actually these non-wasteful things that get reused, pretty cool. Plus, the escalator only starts moving when someone walks past the sensor. Places that developed later certainly have more thought toward green energy, etc. Then you go down stairs and there are nice lines for each door. There's police there with sticks pushing people into single file. However, as soon as the sign says 2 minutes, the lines start to inch forward. Then as the train is coming in people start shoving forward. The line goes to hell and it is a bumrush toward the train. Basically, you have to take your shoulder and push into some large Indian man's potbelly until you manage to get onto the train. If you are with someone else, you grab them and pull as hard as you can. But, at the same time this is happening people are pushing their way out in the same manner. Chaos ensues and you're lucky if you are where you are trying to go. Mind you, I saw this on a Sunday, I truly have no desire to see what it looks like during rush hour. H0wever, I would say all of this is preferable to being in rush hour traffic where you see your life flash before your eyes on a regular basis and the honking never stops. I've taken to plugging my ears. I'm consdering starting to wear ear plugs.

The regular train:
You get there, there's no sign telling you what platform, you have to fight your way to an 'enquiry' desk and ask. He says it through a mic so if you are lucky, some other tourist is asking about your same train and you don't have to fight through the throngs of pushy Indian men.
Find the train, it comes, often very late. Climb onto the sleeper car. Character building. I wouldn't use the words clean or modern to describe it. No one checks your ticket as you get on. They come through after a few hours and only check the tickets of the tourists. Couldn't anyone just get on the train without a ticket? I'm befuddled by that one. They don't announce the stops, you just have to ask people and also know about how long it takes to get to your destination. Get off the train, there are touts there try to take you to commission hotels, and next to them, police men threatening them with sticks if they get too agressive with the tourists.

Well, that's enough of a rant for now. I've had some good food, seen the Taj Mahal, done some shopping and seen a lot of tourist attractions. Sorry no photos now, bc the computers are the pc equivalent of apple IIe. I'm pretty sure this is where computers from Western nations come when we throw them out. Probably will have to wait until I get home for them. Which is in 10 days.

Wish me sanity and strength.
namaste
Dina