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Published: February 13th 2007
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January 27, 2007 - Part 4
I took a few random “snaps” as we were leaving Jaipur to head back to Delhi. (That’s what the Indians call photographs, “snaps.”) We decided to stop at a roadside vendor just on the way out of town to grab something to eat. We hadn’t had any food since breakfast and we were very hungry. They love potato chips over here. Every single roadside vendor sells them. It goes without saying that they have their own flavors, but Michele was able to get us some plain Lays potato chips. She bought our driver a bag of Masala (Indian spice) flavored one. Two bottles of water and we were good to go.
While Michele was buying the potato chips, our driver used this public telephone to make a call. I have no idea who he called; maybe his boss to say we were on our way back. The phone is inside the little tin building with STD painted on the side. I can think of a few little boothes back home that could use STD painted on their side too... but I won't go there. Evidently, you make your call and then a piece
of paper is printed out that indicates where you called and how long you talked. You take the piece of paper to the man that owns the public telephone (yes, I know owning a public telephone is a bit of an oxymoron) and he calculates how much money you owe him. You see these public phones all over the place. With cell phone service being spotty as you move from one region to another, these public phones see a lot of use.
The next “snap” was taken while I was waiting in the car for Michele to return with the potato chips. I was just sitting there when a man on an elephant meanders by. Lord only knows where they were headed, but I assume this is a work elephant because she wasn’t painted from head to tail. Notice how they tie the saddles on… it is sort of like an elephant thong… not exactly up her butt crack, but it can’t be very comfortable under her tail. Again, I’m simply bewildered as to why the elephants don’t just stomp the crap out of their human handlers and run back to the wild.
Here’s another example of the
on-going construction. The scaffolding is bamboo, of course. They then take sticks and lay them across the scaffolding to serve as a platform on which to stand and work. I swear it looks like the contraption should collapse the instant they tried to climb up, but you see this everywhere so it must work for them. These guys had buckets of water with them and were putting texture patterns into the sandstone walls of this building. I wasn’t able to get a picture of it because the car was moving so fast, but when they make their cow patties for fuel, they pile them into large round piles that look like silos. And since it’s in their nature to decorate absolutely everything… they also carve texture patterns into the poop piles. Disgusting but disturbingly pretty at the same time. I’ll try to get a good picture of a decorated poop pile before I leave India.
On the interstate as you cross the state lines, you pay a tax. (You also have to stop at separate tolls stations to pay interstate tolls.) The next picture is at one of these toll stations. In front of us was a truck-rickshaw. Again
it only has 3 wheels, but they seem to be a favored mode of transportation. You’ll see that there are 5 grown men in the back of this one. Notice the way they are staring at us. You get these kinds of stares ALL the time… and I do mean non-stop. One would think that they would look away when you catch them staring, but no… they just keep right on looking at you for as long as you’re in their line of sight. I find it unsettling to always have dozens and dozens of people staring at me endlessly wherever I go. It’s another one of the things I keep thinking I’ll get accustomed to, but thas isn't really improving for me yet.
The last photo amused me greatly. It is a combination bus stop / camel stop. People stand here and wait for a bus to come along. I’m not sure why the camels stop here, but I thought it was hysterical. The dichotomy on Incredible India is never ending.
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Rani
non-member comment
Great blog and "snaps"
Hi, enjoyed reading your blog.. I am Indian by ethnicity but the funny way you describe the idiosyncrasies of Indian life really made me laugh. Don't let the staring put you off at all because it is the favourite pasttime of most Indians as they are curious and probably never had much contact with foreigners. With your humourous outlook you would be able to handle that I dare say. If your blogs as funny as this one I shall look forward to reading more - keep 'em comin! Enjoy your travels and keep safe.