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I lost 22 pounds last week. I was sick, extremely not well. Getting sick back home always has some positives attached to it. As a child you always had someone to look after you, cooking you food, getting you something to drink, etc. You got to watch hours of T.V. “Saved by the Bell”, “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reruns, and, the highlight, you saw Bob Barker’s “The Price is Right”. Even as an adult you can order in comfortable food (some Won Ton soup would be out of this world right now) and watch the same comfortable programs. There is absolutely
nothing comfortable about getting sick in India. I was sick for seven days in Rajasthan, not the normal stomach sickness common to travelers in India, but everything except that: headache, chills, fever, sweats, aches, soreness, dizziness, weakness, dehydration, and more extreme weakness etc. And, I can say that it has been the most boring seven days of my life. I had pretty intense headaches, so I couldn’t read. I could hardly digest water, which was absolutely dumbfounding; it just sat in my stomach while the rest of my body was completely parched, so going out into the 110+ heat outside
Jodhpur Streets
Typical streets in Jodhpur was out of the question. Most of the TV shows were in Hindi (when the power was working) so that was out of the question. So, I lay in bed. I slept some of the day. But most of the time I just lay there. Doing nothing. Doing absolutely nothing, just like Peter Gibbons wanted to do in Office Space if he had a million dollars. Well, I can tell you that after 7 days it can drive you near crazy. I’ve started to come around, though. So, my time in Rajasthan has not been very much fun. I’ll let Darren and Ben tell what life has been like outside of the hotel room.
I (Darren) will mostly let the pictures describe our sightseeing and such for the past week, as our itinerary has been pretty standard for Rajasthan: Jaisalmer (small but busy town in the Thar Desert), Jodhpur (nicknamed the "blue city" because many of the homes are painted with indigo, which we are told acts as an insect repellent), Pushkar (holy Hindu city formed around a not-so-inviting lake, which is lined with ghats and richly white temples, and Ajmer (a pilgrimage site like Pushkar, but for Muslims
Jodhpur Fort
Probably the nicest run site thus far in India drawn to the Dargah Khwaja Sahib). Wikipedia or Google if you want details. We intend to skip Jaipur and make for Agra today. After visiting the Taj and one other site, we will grab a bus in Delhi and head for either Dharamsala or Shimla, both of which are hill stations in the northern state of Himchahal Pradesh.
Basically, the summer sun and 100-plus degree heat is grinding. We're going to the mountains.
The time in the desert has been worth it, though. Julie (a close friend from Minneapolis and temporary addition to our crew, Ben, and I went on a camel safari as Kyle was going through his rite of passage. We were transferred by car about 50 kilometers outside Jaisalmer, where three cute camels were waiting for us (Ben's edit: Majestically ugly at best. Cute, as I understand it, does not generally apply to animals that drool, piss, and shit all over themselves and occasionally spit on people). Mercifully, there was a constant stiff wind, which kept things a bit cooler as we trekked over what reminded both Ben and I of a moonscape. We slept outside under a clear sky, next to rolling sand dunes
Throne Rooms
Amazingly ornate rooms and roaming goats, camels, and cows. Essentially no light pollution. Milky way. Later, a bright moon. It was hard to sleep.
Aside from camel safaris, we have spent most of our days pretty strictly on foot around castles, shrines, parks, and ghats. That's not an odd sentence to write, so you know our lives aren't lacking in novelty or unique experiences. Which brings me back to the mountains.
Many of the people who followed me in Dharamsala are subscribers on this blog; it probably goes without saying that I am excited to see old friends and step onto familiar ground. Dharamsala should let each of us exhale a bit, as we intend to stay a while and spend our days doing less walking and sightseeing and more interacting with locals and volunteering. Come June 18, it looks like the Olympic torch will be entering Tibet, which means upper Dharamsala (home to the Tibetan government-in-exile and the Dalai Lama) will probably see some protests. None of us have many, uh, nice things to say about the international or domestic conduct of the Chinese government; be sure to turn on CNN (Ben's edit: Personally, I thought they handled the SARS
Opium Smoking at the Fort
All the guys at the fort liked to talk about their opium habits. cover-up splendidly).
In other, far less serious news, here are some numbers:
137: The number of days since Kyle and I left the States.
72: The number of days until we return to the States.
8: The total number of countries we will have visited for at least one week when we return. Gold star if you can name them.
42: The approximate number of rupees a dollar is worth. It's actually a better exchange rate than last summer, which is ironic given the dollar's recent performance.
100: The approximate cost in rupees of a Kingfisher beer at a restaurant.
100: The approximate cost in rupees of the rest of a decent meal at a restaurant.
79 to 51: The score of the ongoing, conservatively played Backgammon game that I am winning against Kyle. He keeps telling me I am a (choose expletive) for not doubling more often. I keep reminding him that I'm winning, so obviously it's Napoleon that needs new strategy.
1: The number of likely McCain supporters in our trio.
1: The number of likely Obama supporters in our trio.
1: The number of wishy-washy independents in our trio. (Kyle's edit: I hate the political season.
The Blue City
The homes painted in Indigo How does staying independent become described as being wishy-washy? Suddenly intelligent adults behave like demented kids over their favorite wrestling super stars, fanatically calling the opponent a "doody-head" because their equally ridiculous viewpoint is slightly further from the center. Doesn't matter though, no one votes in the end.)
(Kyle’s End Comment: All of our food cravings have started kicking in pretty hard core. I couldn’t begin to explain how amazing Taco Bell would be right now. A Mexican Pizza, two Taco Supremes, and a large Coke would put me in heaven. But, even more than that, I just want a salad that I don’t have to worry will make me sick from contaminated water. A big bowl of raw lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, and croutons, with a huge side of Hidden Valley Ranch. And ice cubes. You have no idea how much I miss ice cubes.)
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Aunt Ilene
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Sorry to hear that you were sick Kyle. I hope you are feeling better by now? I so look forward in getting these. It is certainly a ONCE in a lifetime trip for you. Glad you were able to do it and allow the rest of us to live it through you. Thanks! We all have much to be thankful for. It's not a perfect world, but its a great ride! Love Aunt Ilene