Start Me Up

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Felt a bit burned out over the last couple of days. Couldn't really figure out what it was due to. Actually, we both felt it upon entering the country over 4 weeks ago but secretly suppressed it for fear of ruining each other's holiday. But sensing the growing raggedness on each other's faces, we finally brought it out on the table the other night in Chennai. We just GOT into country- why does it feel like we're already tired of it? At first we credited it to the oversensationalized hype of traveling India. We came in quivering with anticipation (and a little fear), puffed ourselves up for the onslaught of furor that is India and just remained too tense to absorb anything. To head yourself up with emotion before any encounter just puts you at a disadvantage from the start. The vitality surrounds us-- people in the millions, shouting, arguing, laughing, begging- the onslaught of cars speeding, endlessly honking, the swarm of motorcycles, the aimless bovine, the unsettling, mixed aroma of sweets stalls and sewage, the shrill cacophony of India's latest female songstresses and screeching halts of the sitar blaring from market loudspeakers. You certainly can't avoid it- life explodes all around us. But if you're too preoccupied with your own mental congestion you trudge right past it all, missing out on the excitement. Yeah, yeah, yeah. "Poor, unfortunate souls," you may say. "Too much easy beach life and fresh mountain air, that'll destroy anyone's spirit, you ungrateful bastards." But traveling can beat the hell out of you-- hopping from town to town, working out arrangements for trains and buses, poring over literature to draw out the most thorough assault plan, arriving in the third new city this week to learn, all over again, how to get around, where to find the best hotel room for under $10 (one preferably with unyellowed bedsheets and as distant from the neighborhood refuse lot as possible), Should a rickshaw to the Old Town cost 120 rupees as this guy's saying, or is it really only 20? And you can see how traveling can make you want to stay down on the mat.

We realized that we just needed to relax more-- and that was no more evident than while in the beach towns. I'm normally not a beach person at all. The sun drains you of your energy, the ocean leaves you sticky and salty, and the sand cakes onto you like plaster. But despite these physical annoyances, there is a mental levity to the beach that is attractive. The sun can inspire a particular optimism, the ocean can promote a sense of calm, and the sand- well, it still doesn't do shit but burn your feet and creep into your crack. In the Andamans our stress had simply melted away. But then we went to Chennai and found ourselves withering again. There was nothing to be gained in that city but get overcharged by rickshaw drivers and learn that a night out at some of the trendier bars can be just as expensive as going out in the States. We only stayed 2 days and hot-stepped it down to Mammalapuram, another beach town with a gorgeous shore and impressive 7th Century stone carvings scattered throughout the region where we felt revived again.

So it was, after all, just a slower pace that we needed. We did make a rash decision in Chennai, however, before realizing what really bore us down, to abandon India and head to Egypt. We booked a flight to Cairo leaving in two weeks, along the way stopping for 2 nights in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates-- the "hippest city in the world" according to one online travel site (which for us means a night out at Pizza Hut and the Internet cafe). But the decision to bail on India was really made for good reason. We mentioned how our our visa is soon to run out so we're going to Cairo (b/c we planned on going there anyway) now to acquire a new one. That gives us 2 weeks to make it to Bombay which still forces a brisk pace but when we return we'll have plenty of time to take in the rest of India with all the excitement-- and patience-- that it deserves.

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Photos

Is this MTV Beach Party?
No,it's Pongal you uncultured bastard

New Friends
Indians always want to take their picture with you. I don't understand why, as it's YOUR camera they use and they don't take anything away.

Into the Lion
Coming off the boat in Chennai...You can see them salivating

How Indians get around
The Chinese are pussies with their pedal bikes. Give me something that roars-- well, they're 125cc's- something that purrs'll be fine

Comments

[Ali]

wow you guys! this is amazing.