Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

---

So. I'm not really sure where to begin here. I guess the basic rundown is good enough, which is that I'm in Vellore now after having spent a couple of nights in Chennai (Madras). Vellore is going to be my home base while I'm out here, and despite being called "cosmopolitan", and Naomi having said that it's more "quiet", the word pandemonium comes to my mind as naturally as breath does to my body.

We can maybe begin with the driving. Every place seems to boast bad driving, but India is in a whole different league from anything I've ever seen. I guess the word bad isn't totally apropriate. It's moreso a matter of being daring. Roads here are shared between people, bikes, scooters, autorickshaws, cars and big things like buses and trucks. And oncoming traffic. It's pretty intense, but driving around in an autorickshaw in the mad traffic of Chennai is a real kick. However, I think that there is some comfort in the fact that so many people are on these roads, and for the most part, it's all fine. It's like the Law of Large Numbers in math. If the sample is big enough, you start to really hit the true mean. If there are enough people invovled, it's probably okay.

I went into the city and went back out. I didn't see too much, but went in for more of an errand run. On the way out, the driver asked if I want to stop for a beer. I didn't really see a reason not to and wouldn't mind a cold beer and a couple of minutes to watch people. Images of St. Denis' terraces made a brief though inappropriate appearance, and I was taken to some small alley off a main road that was naturally teeming with people. He stopped the autorickshaw and we got out. It's basically a building made of concrete with car (more scooters and the like) mechanics on the ground floor. Through a doorway is a small artrium where he pulled up a couple of plastic stools and ordered two beers. In the back was the bigger room where there were seats and al that. I asked to use the bathroom in order to get a better look. The bathroom was a bit of porcelain around a pipe in the ground. On the way back to the atrium I saw a kid, maybe 12 or 13 cooking up a storm on a few pots on burners. The food really looked awesome, but it wasn't a "second meal in India" kind of place. The driver introduced me to some of his friends, and then went off into Tamil, giving a couple of nods in my direction. I catch the word hockey, and then got a couple of bicep pinches. Basically, despite being an average guy by our standards, I have a good 30-40 pounds and 3-4 inches on most men I've met. I explained this by saying I play hockey. He was also shocked by my age. The freak show doesn't end there. I was just taking a stroll and a couple of teens stopped to shake my hand and take a picture on their phones. Seems good to me. Back to the bar/restaurant, it was the type of place that you only tell your parents about after you've been. Pause. Nod of the head.

In my hotel in Chennai, I had a very helpful worker there help me out with reception, bags and all that sort of stuff. He even waved off the bellboy, and did the lifting himself. It's the kind of forwardness that you're meant to watch out for. Anyway, in my room, he had no thoughts of a tip. He pointed to the guitar and asked if he could see it. I showed it to him and he seemed to get a huge kick out of it. The next night, I ordered room service and he came with a friend despite the fact that I didn't order with him. They asked me to play a song. It was interesting to feel out their playlist. We had just one song in common, I Want it that Way by the Backstreet Boys. I politely explained that it's more of a girl thing. Anyway, I played Don't Think Twice, It's Alright, as one of them had heard of Bob Dylan. They busted out their phones and started recording it. That was pretty cool. It's nice to feel like a novelty in something other than being white.

Anyway, I'm now in Vellore. The hotel I'm at is pretty good by any standards, with a window overlooking a dirt soccer pitch and a hill off in the distance. The landscape is very brown and grey here, though there there was a lot more green when we were closer to the coast.

There realls is a lot more that can be written, and the title kind of refers to the photos I wished I'd had taken but didn't. The best way to come to any understanding of what I am seeing and where I am is to walk for one minute down the street and into the maze of alleys that is the bazaar area. What is certain though is that it is India, not in the casual sense of "Oh yes, it is a country", but a sense that cannot be captured in the fishing net of words. And so I end it here for now.

---