Shimla -- The Stairmaster of all cities!

Shimla is beautiful and weather is like Ohio Spring. The buildings are built on STEEP slopes...70% grade at least...don't know how they're built so they don't slide down the hill!... the town is in about 10 or so "levels" descending the slope and connected by hundreds of stairs... it's like a town-sized stairmaster... SO I'm fully expecting my thighs to turn to steel before I leave.

The town has been exhausting... physically (we climb HUNDREDS of BIG steps each day) and mentally (trying to get the "Pani Bachao!" --Save Water!--posters made was a nightmare of inefficiency and annoying overcharging us because we're white).. Anna and I were busy the entire time we were in Shimla working on the water project (after we FINALLY got the posters we plastered them all over walls like they do here and in Mexico and S. and Central Am ... Looked good and got a lot of positive feedback from people and some nice photos)

We're having a "show" called "One Night Stand"... each of is turning our hotel room into a gallery for a night... we've invited some people (but I doubt if many will come...our hotel is far out of town)... but it'll be fun. Anna and I are installing our "Water Conversations" piece in the room (we have a 10' vinyl banner, some laminated 8x10 signs about water, and bigger ones that say "Tell me a story about water?" and "What does water mean to you?".... also have 1000 signs with an image for conserving water that we are going to paste all over the walls of this and other towns ..and our hotel room)... We have also crocheted 15 water bottle holders and are hanging them in the room along with crocheted sea creatures. We just talk to people about water and record the conversations...part of Anna's worldwide project that she started in Africa.

Also filming for Kata... did one cool abstract bare back piece and working on a second one...went to film this morning only to find 6 or so sleeping/snoring/talking on phones/chatting people draped in the area of our filming ... plus a bunch of banging, hammering, shouting people setting up the stage for a fashion show! Well, that ended that! So we'll try again tomorrow...

Anna and I have been working all day trying to get our signs, etc... you'd think it would take a couple hours, but in India it becomes one nightmare of searching, talking, negotiating, having things come out wrong, trying again, being overcharged, talking, walking, climbing, negotiating some more.... it is completely exhausting and frustrating.... unbelievable that this country continues to operate...and Shimla is probably the MOST efficient I've seen.

Thank God for beer! I gave bracelets of all my "brothers" that are waiters at the fancy hotel, so we are treated like royalty... have invitations to stay in their homes next time I come and one (who is a teacher of Hindi) has promised to teach me more of the language (beyond the 20 words I know, I guess!) We drank a couple beers last night...left at 9:30 pm but missed all the buses going to our hotel.... tried to get a cab but they wanted us to pay 300rs (which is OUTRAGEOUS ...altho it's about $6)... We started walking home and the "cab" followed and offered us a ride home for free... turns out it was just a couple (young) guys with nothing better to do... we told them we were Grandmothers and although they said "Age doesn't matter" it might have kept them on their best behaviors... We refused their invite for a drink but invited them to our One Night Stand opening with promises of many cute European girls (Kata...hahaha!) That's about the height of our hoots and giggles here!

Anna and I are plotting some exciting projects for me in Ireland...it's interviewing, photographing, recording, and filming people who have fallen through the cracks of functional society, which I'd love to do and think I'd be great at...she says there's a "Mens Club" in her town that's for all the eldest sons of farmers that inherited nonfunctional farms and are stuck there alone and unmarried while their siblings went off to other places and careers...but it's the duty of the eldest son to be caretaker of the land (even if it's worthless and non-producing)...she says they are an interesting but sad, depressed bunch, many of whom have turned to drink for their consolation .... when I go to Vera's wedding in July, she's going to introduce me to the head of the residency in her hometown and that will, we hope, help get me a residency there.

Leaving on April 1 to Jammu for just three days but staying in "the Princesses palace"?!?! We'll see what THAT means!?!? Then on to Srinagar (on the Pakistan border)...Art Karavan life continues to slide down the steep slopes of Shimla...

The Wild and Crazy Ride to Srinagar

Easter Day was spent mine an 11 1/2 hour bus trip (seats very uncomfortable and now my butt muscles and back are aching) that was hair-raisingly horrifying at times as the bus driver was insane and careened up, down and around the mountains, narrowly missing all sorts of vehicles and cliff edges... we screamed like we were on a rollercoaster at times, certain that we were going to tumble to our deaths (Anna and I even said our goodbyes to one another, just in case!)

When we arrived in Srinagar (on Pakistani border.... largest soldier to people ratio anywhere in India...700,000 soldiers in Jammu-Kashmir!!) some of the artists decorated and hid eggs and had an Easter egg hunt .... I enthusiastically participated because we had eaten almost nothing all day and Anna and I were starved...so basically I went hunting and gathering for supper... yummy! we got two eggs each!!

We're staying at a university 8 km outside of town (which is unfortunate because Srinagar is the city where they live on houseboats in the middle of Dal Lake... kind of hard to get into the town spirit when you're nowhere near it!)...however, our rooms are fancy, smancy...almost like western hotel...with hot strong showers, TV with cable (we watched 3 movies last night while we crocheted scarves with my leftover yarn...I'm NOT carrying it any further!)

It's COLD here, though, and I sent all my warm clothes home, so I'm wearing three shirts, a sweater and my sleeping blanket along with the pink-yellow-orange scarf Anna crocheted....QUITE a stunner, I am!!

We're planning to go stay on the lake for a couple days... our collaborative project is on water so, DUH! it's essential that we go enjoy some time ON the water! (and AWAY from the Art Karavan...group travel is REALLY wearing on us!... although, we've collected several new artists and lost some so the group is actually the best its been since the start)

We've also decided to fly to Delhi (1 hour $80 plane ride versus 30-hour $20 busride from hell) and stay in a hotel separate from the group while we prepare for the final shows in Delhi (there are 4.... 2 sound like good opportunities)

Jammu...in the care of a Princess

April 1st ??

I'm in Jammu today via a overnight sleeper (should be, impossible-to-sleep-on) bus... as usual Inder screwed up the plans and we almost had to ride in a seat-only bus, but Khitish (from Orissa) arranged a bus (with efficiency and speed) and saved the day. All the Europeans were partying in our area at the back of the bus... I was exhausted from our "One Night Stand" show the night before (which went really good...we decorated the room and it looked very high techs even though it was completely hilariously low tech...the "taxi drivers" and 4 or their friends came and enjoyed the show...definitely a new exciting kind of art for them to experience!), so I curled up in the corner and tried to sleep but only got a bit of sleep...

Once we arrived at 4 am, there was a large sign welcoming Art Karavan to Jammu, but no one was at the hotel to let us in.... sooooo, an hour later, we fell into our rooms, exhausted... but I was so filthy and my shoes and jeans so disgusting that I washed my clothes and myself and put fingernail and toenail polish on to hide future dirt...

We went on a tour of some ancient palaces, forts and temples today... (more about it later... I'm too tired to even type much)... and in 1 1/2 hours we are going to some dinner/performance evening (I'm going to die trying to sit and watch a bunch of acts!!) However, the food and organization of this stop is best of the Karavan and the rooms are very nice and people friendly... Unfortunately, we're only here today and tomorrow and then take a 10-hour bus to Srinagar (in Kashmir on the Pakistani border) where we stay till the 12th...

The flowers here in Jammu and Shimla are like our spring flowers and the weather about the same, too, so I'm sharing your good weather feelings. This area actually looks alot like the Appalacian Mountains... and a lot of it is very wealthy (Punjab... where all "our Ohio" Indian business people come from) and obviously are WAY WAY ahead of the rest of India as far as putting together hotels, restaurants and gas stations... In Shimla they actually FINE people for littering and smoking on the street!! Unreal....most places don't even have trashcans anywhere!!

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Didn't take the time to write up our Jammu experience, but in brief, we were treated to three days of royal treatment (literally!) by our hostess Jyoti Singh (granddaughter of Maharaja Singh who ruled the area until the '40s and Independence). So, technically, she's not a Princess, but she still owns? has access to? some of the royal houses/museums/etc...and is an artist.

During our whirlwind stay in Jammu, Jyoti provided the most delicious food yet during Karavan served at the royal palace turned museum along with music, entertainment and interesting people and conversation. (We were SUPPOSED to show our work, but since Inder didn't pass that info along in a timely fashion, few of us were prepared to present)

However, we got to know Jyoti and two of her good friends and artists, Manjari from Delhi (ceramics, paintings, saw wildly colorful photos of her house) and Vennu Shah, an interesting and articulate artist and person. they're going to be in Srinagar doing a workshop so we hope to see them again.

Heat to Heights -- Lucknow to Shimla

March 26 -

I think you can tell the class of sleeper cars on the train by the odors. There is a pervasive smell of male urine (we all agree that no woman’s urine could smell as disgustingly heavy) in the Sleeper Class cars. Sleeper Class is the lowest of the cars with sleeping facilities (I use this term loosely... complete description to follow). Above Sleeper Class is 3AC, 2AC and, finally, the creme de la creme 1AC. There are also levels beneath Sleeper Class which are sitting areas only that can be extremely crowded and the quality of fellow passengers poses more of a challenge to your and your luggage’s safety.

I’ve never stayed in 1AC but I hear it’s quite posh (porters to help with your luggage and offer you food and drinks). The other three classes have some similarities (in general, of course):

*The sleeping areas are arranged like two-sided compartments with two or three beds on each side (2AC=two beds/side; 3AC and Sleeper=3 beds/side)

*The top (or middle) bed swings down to form the back of the seat during the day and up for a bed at night

And some differences:

*From 2AC to 3AC to Sleeper the space goes from relatively clean to less clean to not clean at all

*In 2AC and 3AC they provide sheets and pillows; in Sleeper they provide nothing (which is a problem if you don’t realize this and have no blanket...especially if you’re wearing a skirt)

*2AC ad 3AC have air conditioning (although rarely needed except in the hot, hot summer); Sleeper has strong fans (that are often a point of contention between passengers...there are always those who want them on and others who insist of turning them off)

*The quality of people devolves as you move from 1AC to Sleeper (which says something about Art Karavan...we stay in Sleeper). Friendly families and interesting English-speaking businesspeople populate the AC coaches; by the time you get down to Sleeper there are people like the man we bunked with recently that kept urging Anna to join him in bed and flashed porn her way via his cellphone. The safety of your luggage also becomes less assured as you drop levels (although I’ve never had anything stolen).

*Food follows a similar pattern starting from excellent meals in 1AC (I surmise!) to lesser quality and variety as you move down through the levels. (Every time the train rolls into the station, however, vendors of all sorts mob the trains and make a speedy sweep through the cars selling everything from tea to omelets to packaged meals.)

On our trip from Lucknow to Simla we stayed in Sleeper Class. Anna, Christina, Yola and I shared our compartment with an Indian mother and daughter (who weren’t very nice at all). Within an hour of the start, the Indians announced that they were going to bed and, since their beds were the lower ones, we were forced out of our “room.” This worked out just fine,though, since we went and hung out with a bunch of Karavaners drinking and smoking, talking and laughing until 1:30 am.

I figured this would be just fine since we were going to be on the train until 10 am; only problem was that the Indian mother got up at 4:30 am, turned on the light in our faces and happily proceeded with her morning routine. But thanks to eyemasks and earplugs, we all managed to get some sleep.

We took the train to Chandigar (one of India’s first planned cities... Courbousier designed much of the city) and then another train to Kulka. In Kulka they have a “Toy train” (smaller gage than normal) that take you on a scenic journey into the mountains and Simla. However, we hadn’t made reservations and the train was fully booked, so we ended up hiring a couple mini-buses for the 3 (or 4...or 5) hour trip to Simla.

For once, a roadtrip into the mountains wasn't a terrifying event...our driver actually drove relatively slowly and safely (i.e., only occasionally passed on outside blind curves around mountains with 1000 foot cliffs dropping away inches from the edges of the tires). Shimla is built on the steep sides of the mountains ... nestled in the beautiful mountain range, the houses, hotels and shops cling precariously to the rocky slopes (I really do wonder how they build their structures... must have some well-designed foundations!)

Lucknow

Lucknow --March 22 or so, 2010

Lucknow is not a tourist town. It’s the capital city of its state (very modern, clean and bustling with activity), the former center of the Moghul empire (and, thus, peppered with ancient beautiful buildings with spires and domes that have been preserved much better than most ancient buildings in India) and home to a population split between Muslims and Hindus (which didn’t seem to cause a lot of stress but, of course, I was only there for a few days and didn’t have an opportunity to do much mingling.)

Anna and I and Leslie and Gertrude from Germany spent a day sightseeing .... visiting the Moghul palace that is built with labyrinth-like hallways winding throughout its interior... there are many deadends and tricky passageways that take you up when you want to go down, down when you want to go up and finally dump you at a window or balcony or porch with no apparent way out.

It’s architecture resulted in wonderfully cool interior spaces and the four of us enjoyed a few hours relaxing and chatting with local people (and, of course, had our photos taken hundreds of times).

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The best adjective to describe Lucknow is HOT... unbearable, suffocating, oppressive heat. The temperature hovers in the 90s and 100s at mid-day. Our rooms have no fans and are like mosquito-infested ovens with beds. By 8:30 in the morning you begin to melt and continue to wilt throughout the day. Motivation melts away; productivity for most of the Karavaners is lower than usual.

We spend our days at the free Internet shop (which is good if one computer is in use but declines in speed and capabilities with each additional user.... I spent 3 hours online trying to update my blog and got very little accomplished thanks to the other 5 computers trying to accomplish similar feats)

As our time is short in Lucknow, Anna and I decide to do an easy-to-accomplish project. Anna’s on-going project involves water -- its lack, its pollution, its myths, its history, etc., etc. So, we have Khitish draw up a water conservation poster and set out to get 1,000 copies printed that we plan to plaster all over the walls leading into our artshow on the 24th.

We start at a stationery and photocopy shop. We (well, Khitish with us nodding and prodding and questioning) talk to the owner for at least an hour. He tells us it will cost around 700 rs (about $15) for 1,000 prints; we like the price and tell him to proceed. So he sends us to another stationery and photocopy shop about 15 minutes away where we repeat our discussion with another man. He tells us he’ll have a proof by 7 pm that night and the copies the next day.

At 7 pm we return; no proof. At 8, the proof arrives and is not what we ordered...it’s black on green instead of green on black). So we wait while they re-do it. At 9, the second proof. Still not right. Dull green on black instead of fluorescent green on black.
we talk and talk to another man (we think he is the actual printer, but not sure) and he guarantees us that he understands and that we don’t need another proof; our order will be ready the next day.

We are skeptical, but..... The next day we go to the shop to pick up our copies only to be directed to the second shop. Since we don’t know how to get there without Khitish, we wait until the next morning and go to the shop. No copies. No proof. They tell us that today is a religious holiday so no one is working (which is WHY they had to have it done the day before!!) We ask if they can do them first thing in the morning. No, not possible... 6 pm is the best they can do (and 6 pm means 9 pm -- or never -- and we are scheduled to leave for Simla at 9 pm)

So... for our three-day effort, we ended up with a half-assed proof. I really don’t see how this country continues to operate at ay functional level. There are flyers plastered ALL OVER the walls... hundreds, thousands in a town... but no one can figure out how to get some made in 3 days??

Oh, well, we didn’t do the project (maybe Simla??)... Anna made a slideshow to introduce the project but it couldn’t be read by the computer we were using to compile the presentations... not meant to be, I suppose (which isn’t a horrible thing because the presentations that were projected had no sound, weren’t adjusted to the screen properly so difficult to see, and ended up being stopped in mid-show).

Bodhgaya Vacation - Part 2

Post 3-16-10 Bodhgaya

After a two-hour drive we arrived at Rajgir, where Buddha lived and preached and put in motion his second Wheel of Law. Last time I visited, the highlight was riding the rickety ski lift to the Peace Pagoda atop the mountain. This time, however, we were shocked to find that the ski lift was OUT OF ORDER (and had been for a month)! So there we were at 2 pm with temperatures in the mid-90s and a very high hill to climb.

But with the help of a nice walking stick rented for 20 rs and a fairly constant breeze that cooled our broiling bodies, we made it, first, to the caves where Buddha did the severe penance while trying to reach nirvana (which he finally reached under the Bodhi tree)that resulted in the image of him as a skeletal, emaciated man... and then to the Peace pagoda at the top where the steady drumming from the Japanese temple reverberated around the mountaintop and the huge Peace Pagoda.

We spent several hours hiking and relaxing and chugging cold drinks. Kata danced at the caves which were strewn with Buddhist prayer flags. I filmed Kata and yarnbombed the branch of a small tree festooned by flags. We all posed for hundreds of photos with pilgrims visiting the shrine.

On the way back, we stopped at some ruins of ancient caves and the hot baths where locals bathed for free and we were mobbed by “poor priests” asking for donations that would make our every wish come true.

And then came the horrible highlight of our trip.... while driving, we saw an accident up ahead... a motorcycle and bloody body laying in the street. We all looked on in horror as various cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles --including our car -- wound around the crash site and continued on their way without stopping.

Bodhgaya Vacation - Part I

Post Bodhgaya -- March 15, 2010

We are on a short vacation from the Karavan in Bodhgaya, the place where Buddah sat under the Bodhi tree until he became enlightened. Anna (McLeod or Ireland) and I lived here for a month in 2006 while participating in a month-long art event so wanted to visit old friends and places (however, although the places are mostly still here -- along with MANY new guest houses, restaurants and shops -- we haven’t met many of the town people we knew before).

We, along with Eric (VanHove of Belgium) and Kata (Lengyel of Hungary) and Beatrice (Diddier of Belgium), are staying in the beautiful new Rajhul Guest House (Kalachakra Ground 00916312200709 or 09934463849 rahul_bodhgaya@yahoo.com ... we paid 600 rupees/night for double rooms) which is CLEAN, has SCREENS in the windows (first I’ve seen) and HOT SHOWERS (actual showers... not just a bucket! First shower since I left home in January)

Bodhgaya overflows with temples and statues... a giant stone Buddha that sits in the clouds, Japanese, Chinese and Thai temples, the main temple where the Bhodi tree grows amidst layers and layers and layers of fluttering prayer flags and flocks of devoted pilgrims, and many, many more. Today we’re heading to Rajgir, a town 80 km away with a mountain topped with a Japanese Peace Pagoda. A rickety ski lift lurches you to the top.

But, thus far, the thing that’s most interesting (and annoying) here is the beggar kids. They have taken the art of begging to a high level. Here’s how it works. A (fairly well-spoken) boy chats you up (exhibiting his wisdom through a recitation of the capitals of countries around the world). Eventually he gets around to inviting you to visit his school (chock full of orphans, poverty-stricken Indian kids, and -- in the our case -- mini-monks in training). Once you arrive at the “school” you are given a tour (heavy emphasis on lack of school books, supplies and furnishings), introduced to the “principal” (i.e., skilled fundraiser) and corralled into the office (where you sit awkwardly until you hand over some money... oh, I mean, make a charitable donation).

We met our scammer at the temple. The boy was dressed in monk’s robes and since we all were interested in visiting a school for the monks, we accepted his invitation with enthusiasm. However, once we arrived at the school, there were no student monks, our mini-monk turned into major-fundraiser, and I remembered (belatedly, granted) that even Lonely Planet warns tourists about the school donation scam. We left with all of our rupees still with us.

Since then, I’ve been hit up with the “visit my school” scam hourly when in town... the stories vary slightly but always end with the invitation to tour the school. I’d be curious to know what the kids get out of the deal (so many rupees per head brought through the door? a cut of the donations? a place in heaven? a free education?)

(Note: Last night we hung out with some local men at the restaurant and one of them told me that 85% of the kids of Bodhgaya have their educations funded completely by donations. I told him that they should not leave the education of their children in the hands of strangers. What happens if and when the donations stop?)

In addition to the school scammers, beggars of every size, shape, age, and sex swarm through the town, asking for money, biscuits, school shoes, school pens, etc, etc. Unlike other Indian towns, these beggars are hard-core -- out for money and/or merchandise. I usually talk to and joke around with the beggars and sometimes give them a yarn bracelet...but this group isn’t very interested in such chatter or kindness... they want the GOODS! (One kid stuck with us for an hour or more, so I gave him a bracelet and talked with him for a long while. However, when I failed to give him anything except some grapes, he had someone untie his bracelet and ordered me to take it back.)

But, still, the local people are wondrous. The food is delicious! We had dinner at a restaurant a short distance from our hotel last night. One of the waiters has been so kind and friendly that I had given him a bracelet in the morning; he is now my brother. When we arrived at the restaurant, he had them move a table and chairs outside to the small patio, provided me with a cushion for my chair and a new mosquito coil for our feet. The food was absolutely delicious (momos, spaghetti with spinach and cheese, thuktpa -- thick soup) and the atmosphere was warm and tropical. (Kata kept telling us she was on the beach somewhere; no longer in India).

An interesting note: Bodhgaya has an international airport but no domestic service... I guess they’re flying foreigners directly in and out (nice captive audience). It would be a nice place to acclimate yourself into India, though, instead of Delhi or Kolkata or Mumbai!