After 30 hours of traveling to San Francisco from London via Washington Dulles via Frankfurt we crashed for about eight hours before getting on the road to head for Portland. We left Tim's mom's place at about 8 (where Tim's truck was left), but had to stop in San Francisco to pick up other things we left before we went to India. We got into Portland at about 10 PM, and I woke up this morning pretty depressed. Back to the same old crap. Everyone in the USA runs. I don't know where they are running to, but they run. Like the guy who speeds past you ony to sit and wait at the red light while you pull up directly behind him. People are angry, frustrated, and stressed out. People hang their heads, apologize profusely for things that aren't their fault, and beat themselves up over the smallest things. The man behind the counter asks you if you are having a nice day as if he cares, so obviously not even waiting to see if there's an answer. Nationalsim and militarism is so popular and over-the-top that I felt like I stepped into 1937 Germany when I got off the plane in Washington Dulles, especially when I saw the store called "Amerika!" filled with wonderfull White House paraphenalia.

While in the store of Amerika! browsing at all the propaganda, I noticed a foreign woman staring at this little "Pet Toy" of Saddam Hussein that is meant as a chew toy. She looked at it for a couple of seconds in complete disgust and then in English said, "This is so horribly wrong".

Americans seem so insecure. We run around with aggregating wealth in order to prove our worth (because in the USA society values you not on who you are but rather how much you make), and our over-compensated nationalism arises from a lack of national identity. We blow ourselves up like pufferfish, even when we are not threatened, just to make sure any possibility of threat is quelled. Just like our military adventures abroad. We are so afraid of what we do not know, and we are so afraid of what might be lurking around the corner, always fearing the absolute worst. People in the airport don't look at each other for fear they might make eye contact, while others walk around puffing up, staring at people aggressively and making threats about where their luggage is supposed to go. Everyone seems to always be looking for a fight, as they talk to themsleves in a fit of anger about the guy who acidentily bumped into them 10 feet back. Our nation is ill. Seriously mentally ill. It's no wonder that we have the highest rates of depression in the world. And it all comes back to our obsession with wealth. All of it.

This is my last post.

Emergency Room Visit
24-hour stay in hospital
3 blood draws
3 Malaria slides
TB test from blood draw
3 Sputum tests
Urinalysis
Chest X-Ray
Blood Count
Blood Culture
Serum Electrolytes
4 meals
___________________
Total Cost $0.00

And I don't even live here. The care I got was just as good as I've gotten anywhere in America. As a matter of fact, I would bet that it was better then had I waited to get back. Had I gone into hospital in the States without insurance, there would be no way in hell they would have kept me for that long and did such a battery of tests knowing that I probably couldn't pay for it. Here they wanted to keep me until Monday. I had to argue to let them release me. Not only did I get tested for Malaria and TB, but they also figured they'd run tests for any other bacteria that may be brewing and come up to "bite [me] later". Get it together, America. The socialized health care system here is CHEAPER than what we have with the same quality (whether it is paid for out-of-pocket or through taxes), because there's no profit margin to be maintained, and it seems to be more concerned about actual CARE as well. Oh, and if you want to go to a private doctor here you can; you're not forced to get free, quality care if you don't want it. You can pay out the ass for the same thing if it's your desire.

The fact that we are still the ONLY industrialized nation to not grant health care as a human right considering we're the wealthiest nation in the world is disgusting. Just absolutely repulsive.

I'm out of the hospital. I can't really say why, or explain the relationship, but for some reason after three months of traveling India, The Beatles' songs all make sense. I never really liked them before. But now a chord is struck. Don't ask me to explain. I can't.

Just spoke w/the Dr. They're doing one more set of tests just to make sure it isn't malaria and that it is safe for me and others for me to travel on a plane. I should be out shortly, and will only need to come back tomorrow morning for one more blood test. Dr. think's it's just a nasty viral infection.

A recollection of events starting from 6 PM yesterday:

1800: I phone National Healthcare Services regarding me cough. It's free for me to phone and talk to a nurse. I tell them my concerns, and they tell me a nurse will phone back within the hour.

1900: The nurse tells me that it's probably nothing to worry about, but that I should go to the walk-in clinic and get looked at for safe measure.

2020: After an hour of public transit, I make it to the clinic. I get punted over to A&E (the ER) because, I'm told, I'll need bloodwork and a chest x-ray.

2130: I get pulled into "minors" and talk with the nurse. They isolate me because of the possibility of TB. Good news is that my NBP is 117/63 and my HR is at 62. Healthy as a lamb for being ill.

2230: Further isolated and put on a BP/HR monitor. I've given a cup into which to spit up goobers.

0100: Chest X-Ray

0200: Blood draw. First go is a miss, second one is a big bruise. I think the guy was new at it. It took him quite some time to do it all, and he was quite talkative.

0430: Talk with Dr. from infectious diseases: "Nothing obviously TB, but there is definately an infection, and given that you just got back from India, we're admiting you for more tests." I tried to conince him to do the tests as an outpatient, as there was no overt evidence of a TB infection, but he had none of it. Especially considering that a former travel partner just informed me that he was told by a doctor in an Indian hospital after a chest x-ray that he'll need to come back for TB tests. Oh, that and the fact I'll be getting on an airplane and could easily infect numerous people.

0530: Moved to the infectious diseases ward and quarantined in my room. But have this great internet gadget, and I can leave the room to wander the ward if wear this bright pink face mask shaped like a bill; a "duckie mask" I believe one of the nursing students called it.

They wanted to keep me through Monday, but considering my flight is Monday morning, they may need to speed up their game a bit. It's 14:25, and I have yet to see the Dr, let alone do the mandatory induced sputum activity.

Thursday I went out to Cambridge to check out the town and the University. I wasn't expecting, however, to be charged to go into every bloody college, and then not even be able to go into any of the buildings. I guess Cambridge is pretty touristy, and they wanted 4 Pounds from me just to wander the King's College campus and check out the Cathedral.

I was initially intending on checking out Oxford because it was closer and I've read plenty of books either by people out of Oxford or printed on OUP. But I was convinced otherwise, only to pay a pretty pence, and last night I heard from two Oxford grads that it is absolutely free to wander around Oxford, and that no one is going to be guarding the doors and barring people from entering the buildings.

That night I went out to meet up with James' friend and a friend she brought along. It was "great crack", and we were invited to go to a pub and club this Saturday with a group of people. As for tonight, I will probably take it easy, because I am still fighting this bugger (whatever it is), and I don't want to wreck myself before Saturday. Ugh, viruses are to coolest things until they happen to you, and I just found out that a guy we were travelling with just before leaving might have TB. So I may be heading in for a FREE skin test today. It's amazing how England treats its guests with free health care, and Americans won't even give it to their own citizens. Ehem.

Yesterday my illness got the best of me. Whatever I caught in India put me out. I had a low-grade fever that peaked at about 100.2 deg F, then disappeared as of this morning. I'm still fighting a chest infection, but any fear of congruent Malaria symptoms has subsided.

So last night Tim went out with two of James' friends and, from what I hear, had a blast. Hopefully we'll have a chance to go out with them again when I'm well.

I'm hoping to wander around the Oxford or Cambridge campus while I'm here, but I don't know if it will happen, as time is quickly ticking away. I might be going down to Brighton tonight or tomorrow, Saturday is Camden, and Sunday is Soho (I think). Monday we challo USA. It sucks I've lost 30% of my London time to this virus, but better here than in India. By a long shot.

Damn, this coffee is good. No more instant Nescafe.

Average fare London to Mainland Europe: $60
Cheapest fare NYC to Mainland Europe: $400

I live on the wrong side of the world. The USA really is an isolated place.

Same old thing here in London: wandering around aimlessly afraid to look at a menu for fear of spending the budget for an entire day in India on one meal. Oh, and the sunglasses fashion out here is Out. Of. Control. It's London for crying out loud. Why on earth would you spend that kind of money on something you might wear one week out of the year?

London is also filled with people not from London. I don't think I have ever been in a city anywhere where I have heard so many different languages being spoken on the street: English, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, etc, etc.

Yesterday we tried initially to meet up with a friend of James and a friend of hers, but we missed each other. She had some trouble with tube (subway) tickets, and Tim and I ended up going to the corner of the meeting spot for some fish and chips before heading home. We later found out that she arrived 45 minuted late, 5 minutes after we decided to take off. Then I guess she was standing right at the meeting place when we came out of the pub lunch, we passed her, Tim looked to find her, and we just completely missed each other. We literally walking past eachother and not seing each other. But those fish and chips were heaven. I've waited eight years for a proper fish and chips. What is so hard about a slab of cod and french fries? Why is it so difficult for Americans to understand how to fry a slab of cod? I think I have a business idea . . .

We did end up meeting the friends of James last night at the pub for a drink and some dinner, though. It was good conversation, I just wish I wasn't feeling so ill; I was very poor company. I came down with this illness only a day after arriving, and it has been becoming progressively worse. Just a cold, but a nasty one at that, and last night was ridden with sweaty tossing and turning. Tim is ill as well as his mother, so we sound like a right infectious disease ward.

We arrived in London just a couple of days ago, and I have been just hanging out in Tim's mom's apartment overlooking London. It's nice to have a comfortable bed and to enjoy the food of the western world, but it is nonetheless quite strange being back. Everything seems so imbued with sterility, vanity, and gluttony.

India refused to let go of me, as it chased me all the way to London. Athough we were flying Lufthansa, we checked our bags at Lufthansa in India, and they didn't tag it appropriately, tagging it only to Frankfurt Airport. So there I was with a dirty t-shirt and shorts where here in London it was in the 50's (F). When I complained, LH tried to blame their contracted baggage company, who in turn blamed me (?!?). It was ludicrous. I got my bags later that night, but there was no reperations for the 10 hours I went without my bags and the two hours I spent in the airport attempting to deal with the situation. They offered me a free food voucher, but I refused it telling them that that was the most insulting thing I've heard in my travels. So if you're thining of flying LH, don't. I might expect that kind of crap from some small poor airline, but for LH it is inexcusable. In India when things go wrong, it isn't intentional; people are just way diorganized over there. When LH messess up and tried to blame you for it, that's just greed. Blah blah blah rant rant rant.

All that aside, London has been a treat, and India seems like it was a long dream. The strongest last memory I have is taking the Taj express to Delhi, hearing the clickity-clack of the wheels on rail joints, watching the lights flicker on and off, and hearing the call of the chai man "Chaiiiiiiii. Chaiiiiiiiii." in his deep contorted voice developed especially for calling out on loud trains all day everyday.
It all seems so surreal.

Some people are deathly afraid of bats, sometimes people don't need to use words to communicate, and sometimes . . . quelques trains n'arrivent jamais.

We decided to plurge on a room, taking a three bed AC room in a hotel with a swimming pool. Oh, how nice it was to sleep in AC. From here on out it will be a 7 hour non-AC sleeper train to Agra tonight, then on an airplane at 2 AM tomorrow night. It seems British Airways workers are on strike, so we may have some trouble getting from Frankfurt to London. Cross your fingers for us and the workers.

It is too much to think that we will be flying out of India tomorrow night. I feel like I have just become comfortable with India - knowing how to get around, deal with touts, rickshaw drivers, and learning the art of haggling. The first two months were a lot of work, and a lot of mental space used for adapting and adjusting. It is strange to think how when we first arrived I saw a cow in the middle of the road and I thought it was the coolest thing. Now it is just normal. Or how I didn't eat much for the first few days scared to bits about what I could and couldn't eat and where I should eat. How much should I pay for a ten minute rickshaw? What is a reasonable price for market goods? What in god's name is a train "berth"? Trying to find Alprax or Valium to calm my nerves on the crazy bus journeys through the Himalayas, later soberly sleeping calmly as the bus swung back and forth avoiding 500 m drops.

I think I have a pretty strong reverse culture shock period coming up. I will definately enjoy some of the western amenities wihtout which I have gone, but I will also sorely miss India for all its friendliness and culture, craziness and chaos, and all the people I have met along the way whom I will never forget.

Next time - South India.

I will be attempting to recollect events backwards. It has been quite a few days since I've written, and my memories become sparse the further back in time I go.

Today (21 JUL) we went and visted a Haveli (mansion). This haveli was 400 years old and we were fortunate enough to have a guide who was very knowledgable. We took it easy today, because it was very hot and one of our travel partners was feeling ill from dehydration. Tonight we will be taking a train to Jaipur, staying one night, then taking a night train to Agra. We will just stay the day in Agra then take a night bus straight to Delhi and then directly to the airport. We are working out logistics with the french couple we met, and we may share a taxi froim Agra to Delhi, allowing us to go straight to the airport without taking a rickshaw and possibly avoiding a bus breakdown which could cost us our flight. Because the travel over the next few days will be intense I may not be posting any more until I get to London.

Yesterday (20 JUL), we went to the Jaipur Fort Palace. This palace was quite stunning, but not as much as the City Palace in Udaipur. We had a great time, though, talking with a couple of people from France that we met that morning, and have been hanging out with since then. We got a haircuts and shaves last night before we went out on the town. We decided we would splurge and spent Rs 300- each on dinner at a fancy restaraunt. We found out what we already knew: paying more in India doesn't always mean you get better quality. The food was great, but it wasn't worth paying close to ten times what I would normally spend on a meal in India. Nonetheless, it was a great time. The french couple we met were so great, that we held off on leaving Jaisalmer until this evening, and will be meeting them again in Agra prior to our departure (on our way back to Delhi).

19 JUL: This was a pretty mellow day, except for a little run in James had with an Indian at a restaraunt. This town seems to be filled with Indian romeos who can be very territorial. I had earlier met a Dutch woman briefly on my way out of the fort. When we went to eat dinner, she was there with her travel partner, and so we joined them just to chat and swap stories. None of us were at all interested in chatting them up, but this local romeo gave James the stare-down - most likely because he is half-Indian and this man felt threatened. James is a poster child for the saying "the toungue is sharper than the sword." This romeo was talking smack, and James just ripped him to shreds without the guy even knowing that he did it. The Irish are known for this skill, and perhpas it is his Scottish half that he takes after in this regard. James brilliantly used self-deprication to insult the guy, and the subtely of it went right over his head.

18 JUL: We arrived in Jaisalmer this day after riding all night on the train. We were very tired to say the least. We got a cheap cab ride to the fort city (inside which we were staying), but of course they would not take us all the way to the central square claiming that "jeep no longer allowed". We knew, and later confirmed, that this was not true, and that this is just another ploy to get tourists to a different hotel. Regardless of the fact that we kept telling them that we had reservations and that we knew which hotel we were going to, they hoped that by forcing us to walk up to the hotel and touting (verb?) us the whole way would cause us to fold. We found our way to the hotel we wanted to stay in, and we got a primo rate. James had been there before, and since we showed up as five (there was Tim, James, two English girls with whom we traveled from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, and I) they gave us the rooms for less than 1/3 the price they were giving others (and this wasn't a line). It's a great place, and the staff are superb. They go on word of mouth. They are not in the Lonely Planet, but they seem to be always packed only from backpackers telling other backpackers about it (although they may show up in the next addition).

Coming into Jaisalmer fort was absolutely stunning. I could easily spend weeks here. People still live in the fort city in the same homes they did hundreds of years ago. The whole town is a labrynth of hisotrical architecture, and the Jaisalmer Fort City is listed as a World Heratage Site. Everyone should come here if they ever come to India. There are two places that I have been absolutely astounded by. One of them is Ladakh, and the other is the Jaisalmer Fort City.

Yesterday we went up to the Jodhpur fort. I didn't find it as awesome as the City Palace in Udaipur; it was bigger, but the City Palace allowed one to wander through most all of the rooms and get close up to the painting and architecture, whereas the Jodhpur Fort was more touristy in that we had to pay twice as much and got these audio tour guide contraptions following a prescribed path.

Tim left early to catch a date (see below) on the back of a motor scooter by someone who offered him a ride. As they started down the hill from the fort the driver told Tim, “We have to go very slow; I have no brakes.” Classic.

Last night James and I went to On the Rocks Bar and Restaurant where I was able to enjoy A/C for the first time in India (except for some shoddy A/C we had in two of the rooms when we first arrived). As James and I were drinking Gin and Quinine Tonic Water to help with the mosquitoes Tim was off having dinner at the house of this Indian woman he "picked up" at the train station. Tim didn't think much of the date, but I don't think he really was taking into account cultural context. He was there getting asked by her sister and brother-in-law chaperones about marrying an India wife and she sung Hindi songs of finding love under the moon, and when asked to sing a tune Tim could only think of singing the Dukes of Hazzard theme song. For those of you who know Tim, you shouldn't be surprised. For those of you who don't, think "Big Lebowski", as James has named him (and quite appropriately at that).

Before we went to the bar, I saw from the rooftop of our guesthouse, which overlooks the “blue city” part of town and the Fort hundreds of kites that were being flown by people on their rooftops. It was really a beautiful sight.

We are taking the night train to Jaiselmer tonight, and should arrive nice and early. Jaisalmer is in the Great Thar Desert, and Jodhpur, where we are currently, is on the border. Today it was 96 deg F in the shade (and although it is on the edge of the desert there is still enough humidity to make it feel much hotter). I think it's time to buy some rehydration salts.

Yesterday we went sight seeing in Udaipur, checking out gardens and a “crafts village”, of which the latter wasn’t too interesting; there was nothing going on. We didn’t make it to the Monsoon Palace for sunset, because of . . . the monsoon. It would start raining at about 2 PM and stay cloud and rainy for the rest of the day. I’ll have to save it for next time. The two most amazing things I saw in Udaipur were the City Palace, which was the most amazing architecture and art I have seen in India (I have about a roll of film of it), and this posh hotel Odaivilas. We posed as potential customers and got the tour. This hotel was larger than the City Palace itself with some rooms having their own swimming pool. All of the architecture is traditional Rajasthani, and it claims the second highest dome in Rajasthan. Rooms start at $370 and go up to $1700. A coke cost Rs 100- and a beer Rs 600-, about 6x more than you would find in a decent restaurant. There were in our scruffy clothes hanging out at the shared pool taking pictures with disposable cameras, and all I could think about was Bill Murray’s character in “Caddy Shack” saying “Ya mind if I take a dip in the pool?” When I win the Lotto, that’s where I’m going.

Last night we took the sleeper bus to Jodhpur. I've never actually seen a sleeper bus, let alone seen on one. When I was told we were taking one, I thought we would be taking the typical 2x2 "luxury" bus with reclining seats. This bus not only had reclining seats for people, but there were also small compartments above the seats where one can sleep. It wasn't quite long enough for me to stretch out completely, but it was much better than having to try to sleep through the night on a seat. There was quite a bit of lightning, thunder, and rain through the night, the last waking me up as it pummeled my face through the open window in my little cupboard. I would then close the window from the rain, then wake up from the heat, then open the window, then a couple hours later close it from more rain, etc. But I got at least seven hours of sleep, which means I won't be wasting today in a bed.

We’re staying in a great guesthouse here that was recommended by a former travel partner, Ben (who is now in London), first having to endure the obligatory rickshaw take-you-to-a-different-guesthouse-with-a-smiliar-name-than-the-one-you-actually-want trick. It was trash for a high price, a common scam here, and needless to say the rickshaw driver gets commission if you stay there. They know that tourists travel with guidebooks, and so they figure out which guesthouses are the most popular ones recommended in the guidebooks and then call it something really close to the original hoping you won’t know that they’re trying to pull a fast one. Fortunately, the guidebooks also warn against this.

We found that there is a train that leaves from Jaisalmer at 15:30 and arrives in Jaipur at 5:30 the next morning. This saves us day (we won't have to jump trains in Jodhpur on the way back), so we are taking a night layover here in Jodhpur to see the fort, Umaid Bhawan (a palace here), and possibly Pushkar. We will also now have 2.5 days in Jaisalmer, which should allow us a short one-day camel safari if we want to do it. We fly out in less than 9 days. Crazy. Then, of course, is the 10-day chill-out period in London.

When we first arrived we got 47.5 Rupees to the Dollar. Now we're getting 44.7 Rupees to the Dollar. That's a 6% drop in less than three months. I got an idea . . . let's start another war!! [note:sarcasm]

We left our guest house in Rishikesh at 5 AM to catch a 7:30 train in Hariwar. We had wait-list tickets, and were unable to get a seat. This train ride showed me what people described when talking about packed trains. Rishikesh is a holy city, and at the time there were plenty of pilgrims. There were people riding on the roof of the train, and Tim took a spot on the floor in the luggage car in order to get some sleep. James and I stayed in third class and sat on the floor cramped into each other, nearly hanging out of the doorway (the doors are kept open on India trains). It was nice to have the breeze and such a large window, though. Tim didn’t bring his bag into the luggage car as he was sleeping, because he feared something happening to it in there with all of the people as he was asleep, but nonetheless he had his camera and Leatherman stolen from his pack in the third class seating while James and I were shoved farther and farther away form our bags. I fortunately invested $60 in a backpack metal mesh and lock that I have been using religiously, otherwise I’m sure my bag would have been ransacked as well.

The first train arrived in Jaipur, Rajasthan at 7:45 PM. We then had some time to get a meal before boarding the next train at 9:50 PM, and finally arriving in Udaipur at 10 AM the following day. We were a bit concerned about the night train, as we all had wait-list tickets for that train as well, but we got beds, and I slept through the night nearly undisturbed. Getting to sleep, however, was a different story as there were three Indians arguing about something just across from me. All I heard was Hindi Hindi Hindi optical fiber Hindi Hindi Hindi Commission Department Hindi Hindi Hindi Business Week . . . They were nice guys, though, and I had a good chat with one of them when I boarded.

We are lucky enough to be staying in a Hotel that normally costs RS 1200-/night (ten times more than I usually spend). It is off-season, so we have the room for RS 100-/each. Not bad, not bad. The entire place is marble – the stairs, the banisters, the shelves, etc. There is a great rooftop restaurant overlooking the lake (which is now the ONLY lake – there were three lakes, but because of the lack of rain over the past few years and the increasing amount of industry that requires the use of large quantities of water, the other two lakes have disappeared). It is strange to look at ghats that are 500 m from any water, and to look at buildings that were once islands in a lake now landlocked. The only place still surrounded by water is Jagmandir Island. The Lake Palace hotel is only surrounded by water around half of its circumference. Today was the first big monsoon rain of the season, though, and if the rains treat Rajasthan half as good as the rest of India, hopefully some of the lakes will return.

The next few days will involve a lot of intense traveling; we only have ten days left. We arrived in Udaipur today, and we will be taking the night bus out tomorrow. The night bus gets into Jodhpur at 5 AM. We will spend the day there and then take a night train to Jaiselmer. We will be only two or three days in Jaiselmer, and then take off back to Jodhpur so we can get the next train to Jaipur to only stay one day. Then we take another night train to Agra to stay only the day and take an evening train into Delhi, leaving us about one day in Delhi before departure. Phew.

12 JUL 03

It looks like I will actually be taking a day train to Jaipur, then after a two-hour layover, I will be taking a night train to Udaipur. It will be about 27 hours travel time. I'll be leaving here at about 5:30 AM and getting there about 10:00 AM the next day.

Today is Martin’s birthday (he is one of the Norwegians we’ve been hanging out with). So we had some cake this morning that was delicious, and tonight we’ll celebrate a bit (although I will be attempting to retire early after all of these late nights so that I can get some sleep before the journey).

I forgot to mention that on the night of the tenth, while we were sitting up on the balcony, where I only need to stand to see the lower courtyard, I heard some rustling, then the guard dog start barking, then a loud crash. By the time I heard the noise and stood up, I found the dog in the middle of the courtyard barking and a motor scooter knocked over. The manager woke up and came out with a large stick looking quite concerned and examining the pile of cement premix. The next day he took us to the pile and pointed out a leopard print. Our guesthouse is right on the edge of town bordering undeveloped jungle. The manager lost a mountain dog to a tiger just before we arrived, and he showed us the old dog's color. He's getting another, because he claims that the leopards and tigers will not attack two dogs, but he was very concerned that right now he only has one. Needless to say, we were a bit jumpy last night hanging out on the balcony and walking back to our respective guesthouses and rooms; I carried my large monkey stick I bought in Shimla.

I also saw an article in today’s papers about how monkeys are terrorizing people in Delhi. Supposedly a child was attacked by a band of them yesterday. Monkeys: they’re only cute when there’s a solid barrier between you and them.

11 JUL 03

Couldn't access the account two days ago, and yesterday the power was out from 4 PM until after 11 PM.

Yesterday Ben, Sam, and Colleen left for Delhi; the French couple left for Varanasi; Tal left to travel North; and Chris headed to the Paravati Valley for a party. There was a definite shift in dynamic. Instead of there being loads of us on the rooftop until the sun came up, there was only six of us hanging out on a different balcony, and I retired earlier than I have in at least a week.

I went for an ayurvedic massage yesterday. It wasn't the typical "deep tissue messages" one gets in the States. It is more "superficial" and didn't quite work all of the muscles. It did, however, include a great head massage. The massages (head and body) include quite a bit oil and quite a bit of noise [and not the noise from the street below, which was startling at times] of which I do not know the purpose - perhaps it is for show, and perhaps the cupping of the hand beating down on your leg/arm/etc adds some extra massage power. It was very rhythmic; you would think the guy was practicing for a fill-in gig as a drummer. It was quite relaxing, nonetheless, even though there was only power on in the room for a few minutes (we lost power for over 6 hours yesterday).

The day before yesterday I got my haircut at a barber who said he had clippers. Little did I know that these were not electric clippers but manual. The blades looked just like an electric clipper, but instead of having a power cord they had a handle that reminded me of the manual lawn clippers one used before the “weed-whacker”. And it hurt. The guy was moving too quickly and my hair was pulled the entire time. But I was impressed at how even he was able to get a buzz cut without an electric clipper and guard, but rather using the manual and a comb for height. He was also really good with the razor, applying just the right amount of pressure to shave hair but not cut or give razor burn.

Tim and James will being going back to McLeod Ganj today for a few days, while I take a direct train from Haridwar to Jodhpur in Rajasthan (around a 24-hour journey) on Sunday morning. There was a waiting list of 20 people for the train, but I was told at the travel agency that even if my ticket is not confirmed by the time I have to take the train I should just hop on the train anyway, baksheesh [read: bribe] the train conductor RS 50- and I will get a berth. They seemed absolutely sure that this would work saying they do it all the time. I wouldn’t believe them just for their word, because it seems anyone selling anything here will tell you whatever it takes to sell you something, but rather I’ve been here long enough to know that there’s a 95% chance it will work. To quote the guy at the travel agency, “everyone wants to make some extra money” (plus I’m a foreigner). When I asked whether I should be discrete about it, they told me that he would just ask me for it right there at my seat (wherever I might be sitting at the time). I hope they’re right, because a 24-hour train ride without a bed or seat through the heat of the plains would be quite uncomfortable.

Tim and I will probably meet up in Rajasthan somewhere before heading back to Delhi. I fly out in 13 days.

It has cooled a bit here, and the evenings have been breezy. Last night we listened to Radiohead, "The Bends", and it made me miss PDX and playing music with the guys.

The circle up on the roof seems to be getting lerger every day; we've been joined by more English and Australians, and we just yesterday ran into a traveler from Chile (!) who has been hanging out with us in the evenings.

Sam and Colleen, two of the original people we met here, will be leaving soon for Delhi after an eight month travel to fly back to England.

I am unable to access my webmail account again! I don't know what the problem is (and neither does the guy who works here). Sometimes I change computers and that works, and sometimes nothing seems to work. The machines here some days just won't "find the server". Rishikesh is the only place I've seemed to have this problem. Oh, well. At least there's intermittent access to email.