HEAVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF HELL
India is full of the runs or the shits. It is impossible to just live normally and have daily trips the toilet before breakfast. The food is crap and so spicy the body has to revolt and spew out or forth on a regular basis. It is not for the most worth mentioning because this is minor.

But I have found a daily Heaven. For some unknown reason the shower in the YOGI LODGE is very hot and has lots of pressure. I can stand in this shower and be baptized of my sins or wash away the world. The problem is that I never want to leave, and in my selfishness I am hoping to use all the hot water, and then I would feel guilty again. It is just too much.

WHAT I FEEL IN VARANASI
Yesterday it was wet in the streets and alleys because it rained the night before. As I took my morning walk there whole city had a ½ inch layer of cow manure and mud mixed together. There is almost not barren soil as all the walking area are stone, concrete, or asphalt so the blackish mud is really a mixture of something I am not sure how to describe. I am sure there is lot of the spit from beetle nut include as the ground is covered with red splotches of spit.

In my State of Indiana terms I would describe it or explain it this way. When you have milking cows there is normally a tramp shed that is where the cows sit around and chew their cuds in safety from the rain, cold and weather. In this area wheat straw is place down for bedding and you can feed the cows bales of hay. Just outside in the barnyard is an area where there is a silo full of corn silage or Alf alpha silage that is dispensed by an auger system. This are is normally in my area has a concrete base, and the milking area or parlor will empty all the cow manure into this area. So as the cows eat silage and or are milked they excrement or defecate in the troughs or area of the barnyard.

When they clean the barnyard area has a concrete base or floor to it the farmers will take either an old tractor with a front end loader, or a scrapers on the back that looks like a road grader, or use maybe now a Bobcat that is a 6 wheel vehicle with a front loader or bucket. They will take and scrape this area.

Now if it rains the mixture of cow manure and rain creates a mush or slime over the area. There is always a constant drying factor, and cow manure when dried, or maybe dung is more of a dried grass or digested grass and is not so extreme. But when filled with water or hydrated in any way, the mixture is a slime of manure.

So how do I feel walking around Varanasi?
I feel like I am walking around in the barnyard that has been scraped recently, but there it has rained the day before and is slimy. If there I no rain, there are islands of dry spots and ways to walk around and avoid the slimy mud areas. If you are paying attention you can avoid the cow patties and other obstacles. Normally a farmer working in this area would be wearing some pull on boots over his work boots that lace up about 7 inches. If not really working in this area you walk around or skip on through in your normal work boots, but at the risk of soaking or stepping in extremely wet spots.

It is fun to watch the city kids come to this area or women in High heels trying to tip toe through the barnyard, as it is really impossible to avoid. This is Varanasi except there is another couple of factors.

Everywhere you walk there are store on both sides of the cow path and people are talking to you or saying things to you in English,
“Where are you going?”
“What are you looking for?”
“Hello, sir, just come in, it cost nothing.”
The speak more in command then real questions, and difficult to say no because the command or statement are not really open.

The will say,
“You come back tomorrow.”
It is not a question and it is more of a statement, and the only honest statement I can say is,
“No, I will not come back tomorrow.”

Sometimes they temper this with
“You come back tomorrow, maybe.”

I say,
“NO, not maybe, not at all. I will not return.”

If I do not do this, or I try to ignore them, when they see you the next day they will tell me, or say to you that you promised or you said. Now I am very good at ignoring and I do sort of chide them and egg them on or wind them up, or even take the piss as the English say, and try to be brutally honest with them and say.
“You are just trying to make me feel guilty so I will come in your store and it not going to work. If I wanted to come in your store I would come in your store.”

Now the problem is that their tactics work very well. You see lots of traveler inside the shops.

So as I walk around in the cow slime there are vendor laying on the guilt and trying to convince you to enter the shop.

Now the next factor.
NOISE

In this stupid little slimy cow path with talking noise and guilt are motorcycles riding through as fast a possible. Now I am in a canyon of concrete building and India people are like 2-year-old children on the motorcycles and the beep the horn always just like a 2 year old child. So you are walking along and people are shouting and making noise and motorcycles comes along and beep their horn and make you dodge them, as the path is really not wide enough for everyone. I say an old man get knocked down yesterday into the slimy cow layers of crap. Now here is my nightmare. That I would slip into this stuff and have to think. I would think that I am lying in cow manure. In the middle of Human Urine, Human excrement and all is inhumane. Spit, and hockers, and spit of betel or beetle nut, or whatever that nasty red shit that is in the mouths of every India person. I would want to lie down and die.

So as you walk down the path with noise horns, people trying to lay guilt trips on you, fear of falling of choosing bad steps in the slimy cow manure you also…. Aagh This really never stops.

Then you have the tag-alongs. The people whether it is beggar with no fingers or a small barefoot child, or maybe a vender speaking good English that alternates between selling you silk or hashish is on your side and will not leave without extreme rudeness, or until about 10 minutes of ignoring. I think they know that maybe with enough time you will give in. They are beggar vendors. The will not stop whining in your ear until you give up and come look at their crap.

Varanasi is a shoppers 5 and dime buyers paradise in the middle of the barn yard. There are 1000’s of shops, and at the river edge you can watch burning bodies and people swim in the runoff from the slimy cow manure, spittle, betel, human urine and other ingredients.

I agree this place is Holy. You become so full of fear that you look to God as the only solution.

I also think to call in an air strike would suffice. When I leave I will not look back as I am afraid I would turn to salt.

Now that was a good ramble. I am going to put that in my newsletter and send and save myself another ramble.

ONE WEEK EXPERTS
I am having a lot of people accost me or ask me to buy, sell, want to show, or anything in the world. Some of the travelers in the Hotel were telling me that I needed lessons in how to manage the Indian people. I soon found out one of the leading experts has only been in India for one week.

I am blond and blue eyes, and older than normal so I think this is the reason they are after me all the time, but I also think I am not rude to people and do not get angry. I have found that people do not realize how rude they are to people because they get so angry, but I would say they are afraid and do not know how to deal with the people. I am just wondering around and I could care less that there are Indian people around me, and try my best to just ignore them, but they will walk right in front of me.

I do not think I need lessons in how to deal with vendors. I thought this was sort of silly, but people like to become experts in a week and this is not possible. I am always learning more on how to deal with cultures. Life is easy in India, but the smell! The dirt, and the ground in dirty is just hard to believe.

But really travel in India is so easy it is ridiculous. The actual crime is very low and this is nice. I just do not know where I would want to sit down my bag in some cities.
- posted by Andy @ 9:51 PM

 
NEWSLETTER FINALLY SENT
Hello,
I finally got a newsletter sent. It still has some problems, but wanted to get it out before I went crazy. Will send the next in about 2 days.
Here is the link:
http://www.hobotraveler.com/newsletterhobo138insert.shtml
- posted by Andy @ 9:42 PM

 
NATURAL
I could get a grip on the idea that natural is better. I could actually believe that not putting things in your body or doing things that are manufactured or process is a good idea.

What is making me think about this is the loudspeaker or stereo system that is blaring outside the window at 6:30 am in the morning. I am pretty sure I am a long way away from this speaker, but I can hear this quite clearly. I wonder if the God here is deaf.

I was thinking and sure my mother would like to read this page I made a couple of years ago. So I will copy and paste here.

Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble, it's a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
"Desiderata" was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945). In 1956, the rector of St. Paul's Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of mimeographed inspirational material for his congregation. Someone who subsequently printed it asserted that it was found in Old St. Paul's Church, dated 1692. The year 1692 was the founding date of the church and has nothing to do with the poem.

DEFINITION OF - desideratum
: something desired as essential

I make a link for this page a couple of years ago and you can send it to your crazy friends.
http://www.hobotraveler.com/viraldesiderata.htm

WHERE WAS GOD?
I have been thinking or dwelling in my mind on where I have been that felt holy or was the closest to God. I definitely would not come to India to search for God. I would go to place where there were not people searching for God, but people that were relaxed with God and did spend their whole time searching.

I traveled about 10 hours by boat south from Iquitos Peru to a small village called Capitan Claviers or something like that. It was a village of 40 plus grass huts on a part of the Amazon River. I stayed in the home of this old man. I was and am still amazed at the whole village because they had no desire to annoy or ask silly questions. The children were delightful and this man I stayed with was completely involved in the process of drying fish and would once in awhile try to feed me.

As a rule of thumb the more people or tourist the less I would feel there is a presence of any good Gods. I think there probably is a few bad Gods… hehehe This means to stay out of the cities.

If you have not notice I have avoided all the cities of India so far. A city is a city, and in the end not a good place for me. There is a fascination by people to go to places of complete chaos. I am spending my time hiding here in Varansi from the Indian people because every time I wall out the door I spend my whole time saying,
“No thank you, no thank you, no thank you.”
Try to get them to leave me alone, and most I am just ignoring.

I am not alone though. Everyone in the Hotel has some ailment or is a little sick and seems to have a reason to sit around in the Hotel all day. The ones that are out all day are leaving today or tomorrow. I suppose this is one of the first place I have encountered where there was camaraderie among travelers in India that was not alcohol or marijuana based. But this Hotel has made it clean that you are not to drink or smoke. I am sure there are a few chimney type places in this city as they are selling Marijuana or Hash on every corner. So someone is smoking. I have found that a lot of people mix the hash with the normal tobacco.

A SERIES OF CONTRADICTIONS
I am now in the “Real” Yogi Lodge and I am laughing at the levels absurdity. There is almost no reason to leave the Hotel except for a journey into dirty, dusty, too much craziness. It is world of mass bangle sales; the bangle is plastic bracelet that is worn by the India people. All this is mixed with various types of clothe, clothing, and small statues for sale and mixed with cow manure. I hate to even take pictures because I am not sure how to explain them, or where to start. It is chaos and the place is very uncomfortable to me. I suppose it feels like death, but that would make sense because people come here to burn bodies on the edge of the Ganga River, and to swim in the dirty polluted holy water.

It is obvious that I am in the wrong place, and the wrong country. I am ready for sure to leave, and will book a ticket to Nepal, but mainly because this is the quick escape and not because I so much want to got to Nepal. I am just ready to change the channel on this lack of clarity. I have to admit that even the British Colony of Palolem was a paradise compared to the world of Varanasi.

They are smoking cigarettes and trying to sneak beer down stairs, with a conversation about going and living in a cave. People go into Ashrams so they can learn to live with themselves, and go on 10-day experiments where they do not talk. Everyone is searching for a spiritual experience, and I am thinking they are no long reading the lonely planet, but are reading the lost planet.

There is a real eerie feeling about Varanasi. I am not sure what to say good, other than you could look all day at the people and you would have a hard time believing there is a world like this in the world.

I took a photo of a dead calf lying in the path. It was completely rigid from lying there for so long, and it was in a very busy place. Like you die and no one cares here and if they did they would only look the other way.

My Hotel now cost 120 Rupees and I have downgraded on quality of the room, and upgrade on social life. But they are talking about going and living in cave for solitude. I think planning to find solitude when living in a city that is so noisy outside you almost have to scream to talk seem logical, but you would think you would come in out of the storm before you made any drastic decisions.

There is fashion to becoming a Guru. I am sad that no one cares about Gandhi. He is important, but there is no one interested, but if you want to go find a Guru or Swami they are all ears. Like there is some guy on the other side of the wall that has all the answers. Like maybe you could find God if you made enough chants, or did the right thing, or went the right place, or maybe held the right Yoga poise for long enough.

I have never had more people ask me if I wish to buy marijuana than in Varanasi. Every 50 meters a boy will come up and ask me if I want to buy some pot, or various other drugs. No matter how much you ignore them they just follow along. I do not like to be rude to people, but I am slowly adjusting. It is not a good adjustment. I have dealt with lots of crazy people in 7 years of travel and I have always treated even the rudest persons with respect and walk away, and I can tell if I stayed here long enough I would lose. I need to hide or leave soon to avoid the temptation to be rude with the people.
- posted by Andy @ 9:34 PM

 
HOPING ON GOOD INTERNET DAY
I am real behind on writing and sending my newsletters. I like to finish one newsletter or one project before going to the next. I was reading yesterday about India wanting or trying to be the leader in the computer industry, and I am not even slightly worried. This has got to be one of the most delusional countries in the world. There are signs everywhere for computer schools, or computer this, and computer that, but in the end one thing I have learned about computers.
“A computer has no tolerance.”

A computer is either yes or no, there is no in between. It wants perfection and nothing less than perfection. To create perfection in an environment that is less then perfect is almost impossible. To create a mind that is intolerant of an imperfect situation in a world of chaos is very difficult, if not impossible.

I will go look and hopefully find a computer. I am looking for just one computer that is in good condition and maintained well enough to use. I have given up on finding an Internet Café that is good. I am now looking for just ONE computer that is good in a world or crappy computers.

There is an old saying in the computer world.
“Garbage in and garbage out.”

A culture is the sum of all the specifics. You cannot negate the minus of a culture while adding up to the sum, that is to create a world where only the exceptions are true, we are part of the whole, and no one should be excused.

5 STAR HOTEL
I was told yesterday if I wanted a clean room, I should go to a 5 Star Hotel.

I was saying and learned a long time ago that you cannot get an employee that has lived in squalor all their life to think like the boss that has lived in cleanliness all their life. They just do not think clean.

To me a 5 Star Hotel would be staffed only with maybe Americans or Swiss on vacation.

ALARM CLOCKS
An alarm clock went off and rang for about 15 minutes in the Hotel. I am pretty sure people are depressed or stoned. People want to sleep that are avoiding life or depressed.

HOW TO FIND CORRECT YOGI LODGE?

Yogi Lodge
It is off of both “Gali” Street and
Off “Dasssaswamedth” Street
it is NOT on a street it is on a walking lane.

Telephone: 0542-2392588
The guy that manages the place may be able to speak English well enough to talk on the telephone. I have no idea why people call Hotels, but if you for some reason people feel a need. That is the number. A reservation without MONEY is not a reservation. It is HOPE, 80 percent of travelers stand up Hotel Reservations with no money, so the owner of Hotel is just hoping you show, and not holding the room because he knows for sure that 80 percent of travelers are No Shows.

These are directions as best I understand and the city is chaos so you will have problems no matter how well the directions.

Here is information you need to know:

1. The Auto Rickshaw drivers will take you anywhere but where you wish to go, and there appears to be LOTS of Yogi Lodges.

2. Lots of Auto Rickshaw drivers do not speak or read English. The only Rickshaw driver I have found that spoke English was in the Train Station. They will approach you as you leave the train. The cost to the center of the city is 20-50 Rupees. I paid 30 Rupees, but then he did take me to the wrong lodge, but it was 10:00 pm at night, and I really did not have a desire to walk around in Marlon Brando’s version of Apocalypse Now at night.

3. Checkout time is normally 12:00 Noon or Midday in Varanasi so the best time to arrive to find a space or room is about 10:00 am in the morning or BEFORE and you should be able to get a room as the shift changes of people checking out.

WHERE YOU ARE TRYING TO GO? Note that if you do everything wrong there is still a lot of Lodges in this area other than the Yogi Lodge.

1. Ganga River: If you get to the river where they burn bodies then you are close to the Yogi Lodge.

2. GODOLIA Neighborhood or Region of the city.

3. “The Old City”

4. The Yogi Lodge is in an area where there are no Rickshaws or restricted use of motorcycles so I believe you must walk about 3 city blocks. Do not think in distance, but I would say you have to walk about 15 minutes.

5. TOUTS OR VENDORS - Men will walk up to you and try to delay you, I recommend you do not stop walking for any reason and talk with them while moving, they wish to delay you and tempt you for anything from Hash, Marijuana, Hotel, or whatever, there is no need to talk with all your valuables on your body. Keep walking! They will walk with you as you walk.

6. ASKING DIRECTIONS: I believe at the end of your trip to the Yogi Lodge you will NEED to ask for directions. It is really down a small lane between the building or a path and not on a road. It is about the width of 2 backpackers with full gear on their backs. IT IS NOT A ROAD WHERE THE YOGI LODGE IS LOCATED.

I found that the “NON-INTERESTED” people gave me a good direction to go. They did NOT give me good directions but the pointed to the correct directions. I would go maybe 50 Meters and ask again, and they would keep pointing. This is a well-known lodge so they will all try to help in the hope that you will be nice in the days to come and buy from them.

7. STREET SIGNS - I have never seen a good street sign in India. You need to read the advertisements on top of stores. Some are written in English and will maybe have the correct address or street name.

8. Find a kid and maybe pay them 10 or 20 Rupees to show you how to walk to the Yogi Lodge. Do NOT be Jerk and just expect people to be nice. Everyone has their hand out, if they say they do not want money, then do NOT give them money. But it is best to find a Kid to give money to, and only AFTER you are SURE you are in the correct place. The only way to be sure you are in the “Real” Yogi Lodge is if another traveler tells you are in the correct lodge. I think the owners of the wrong ones will lie. The India people seem to like to like or good at lying.

All of this will be easy if you arrive early in the morning, the later in the day the more problems.

MOVING TO THE CORRECT YOGI LODGE
I have spent two nights in the “Old” Yogi Lodge now and will hopefully spend a few nights in the “Real” Yogi Lodge. My room is going to be worst than my present room, but the area around the Hotel will be better in terms of being to easily see the sites. I also believe there is a lot more people to talk with so my social life will double.

Social life is my worst problem in India. The India people are difficult to approach in just a friendly fashion, and the ones that are easy to talk with are not the ones I wish to talk with, so in the end the other travelers are the ones I must talk with. I find very few single travelers as they are all traveling as couples.


APOCALYPSE NOW VARANASI, INDIA

This place looks like they need to call in an air strike. It has so far got to be the highest percentage level of A#$H)(*# in the world. This place has got to be great for people on drugs. This place is surreal; it is hard to believe there is so much stupidity in one location.

Everyone says they love this place, I personally think it is one of the most disgusting examples of human civilizations I have ever encountered. I wonder when the air strike is coming?

There is supposed to be bodies burning on stacks of wood here. I think there is a really morbid infatuation with death for travelers.

I am in probably one of many Hotels that have copied or have the same name as “Yogi.” The Hotel owner gets really nervous and defensive when you talk about it, I think this is just too funny. I think the owner of this one has a bad spirit. How is that for Holy talk? I would say my bulls#@$ meter is going off the red line when talking to the owner and manager. I am going to walk around and find a new hotel later I hope. It is a real hassle to move in this city.

My room is safe, but only because I have that super duper hasp and lock of India. I know there is a need, when a lock is that big… hehehe


SHOWER

I have a hot water heater above my bathroom. It must be about a 5 gallon one, and I must tell the owner of the Hotel to turn on the electricity. Of course it will take about 2 hours to heat this water, so I would have to understand the physics of the world very well to operate, or utilize properly and I do, but the rest of the world is going to have a problem.

I have decide to tell him to turn it on daily and I will heat the water in my bucket with the immersion heater I carry, and do a dip and pour shower. That way I know how much water I have, and do not have to worry about lathering up, and freezing on rinsing.



62 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT 0R 14 DEGREES CELSIUS

Varanasi City
State of Uttar Pradesh, India

Left by train from Katni, India for what I was expecting to be an 8-hour trip to Varanasi. The owner of the Hotel Sudvidha told me I would leave at about 9:30 AM by the express train and arrive in Varanasi 8 hours later. It left around 10 and arrived at about 9:45 PM. I think I could have taken the bus a lot faster. It is about 400 Kilometer or about 250 Miles; even in a slow bus they average about 50 Kilometer and hour in India. I would have had to change a couple of times, but I could have also caught the 8:00 am bus and not the 10 am train. I am almost positive I could have faired better in the bus. I do not like to arrive to a city at 10:00 pm at night.

I AM GETTING TIRED OF RELIGIONS

It is about 7:30 am in the morning. I am sitting here typing on my computer and this loud music has started outside. They have these gas-powered generators pulled on wheels and loudspeaker or stereos that would make a gang banger ecstatic that is pulled behind the generator.

I am amazed at the other traveler’s tolerance of desire to find God. Everyone is like a zombie on the idea of any opinions or idea that they deserve rights. I am wondering always if all self-respect for cleanliness or pride is just absent in people. I do become less and less respectful of humans civility as I grow older. I have found that travelers can completely revert to the life of a pig in less than one week. They adapt downward so fast it make my head spin, while I am spending time trying to learn how to be clean, they are becoming pigs.
A girl on the bus said they was on a “Holy Lake” in the north. I said,
“All place in India are Holy, So?”

I am tired of Religion because they have not respect for other people. I am not just talking Hindu, but the Christians also, I am accustomed to being harassed by Christians so I have learned to avoid or overlook, but they do the same whether it the Church bells ringing, or the other Harassments in the street.

But the lower the civilization the better they use the modern methods of noise to create annoyances. The world has been completely globalized by music. Aaagh.

I am glad I wake early. I am sure the stoned and drunken bunch are learning to have resentments. I find the rage of unexpressed anger is rampant. I am here admitting to my frustrations with this society and other just keep it inside.

ARRIVED IN KATNI INDIA

Hotel Suvidha is great for 125 Rupees you get a nice room with a color TV, HBO, and BBC World. The place is one of the first in India where I think they mopped the floor.

Only thing bad is they do not have the bolt-action locks on the door, but the bathroom had this type of lock so I locked my computer and passport in there when left the room.

I am now only about 10 hours away from Varnasi or less. This is pretty good because I am getting tired of not having anyone to talk with, and am having multiple problems with the electricity and Internet. I have not really used the Internet in about 3 days, and I am sure the spam is eating my mailbox.

But the good part is I am getting to see lot of parts of movies, and sometimes I am seeing a whole movie. The rooms north of Sawagram have been having Televisions in the room, but they are also a little more expensive. The price is about 1 dollars more, but this is very reasonable with I have HBO or AXN, or these other movie channels.

HOBO HAS COMMERCIALS

I was surprised in the Hotel here in Katni that HBO has commercials. This is the first time I have seen commercials in the whole world on HBO.

The last two cities are strange for food. I have not been able to buy fried rice from anywhere but maybe a street vender and I have sort of sworn off eating at the street venders. I am not sure if they are safe for the oil, and the cleanliness of India is starting to make me more cautious. I have not been concerned this much in years. The last time I thought this much about the street venders cleanliness was in Mexico. I have to admit that I think Mexico and India are extremely similar. They are almost the same country except the people of India are 10 times more honest than the people of Mexico. But the cops in India have the same greasy smell of Mexico.


LEARNING TO BE RUDE

I am a gentle person at heart, and can be very patient. Most people think they are gentle because they do nice things, I am positive I am gentle because I resist the temptation to be rude. Most people hide in the cities or tourist areas to stay away from the people. I love to talk to the people in the non-tourist areas, but they can be extremely annoying.

3 boys came to my room. They knock on the door, I holler,
“What do you want?”
I do not know who it is, and am learning that I need to not open my door so easily. I went to the window and saw it was a boy from yesterday. I holler out the window.
“Go away.”
Of course as always they do not understand English.

The TV went off again so now I do not have electricity again.

But the boys thought I was closing the window to go to the door to let them in. I finally thought. Damn it, I do not want the only thing they know of an American is that we are rude.

I open the door and shake their hands and tell them and push them toward the entrance.
The boy says,
“I want to go to America.”
I say,
“Everybody in India wants to go to America.”
I say,
“Study English, Learn Manners, go to Embassy.” The stop he looks at me on maybe comprehending the English part.
I then say,
“Study Computers or Engineering.”

I am holding off on the Doctor bit until I see the people wash there hands better… hehehe A Doctor without good Hygiene is painful to think about. Back to reading my book. I have already walked around in this city for 3 hours this morning, they probably think I am trying to spy on them. Too much curiosity is not good and can be dangerous. I got stopped by a policeman today, he started to speak in Hindi or something, I suddenly, smiled real big, and forgot English, and forgot to look him in the eyes, and suddenly shook his hand, saying Thank you, Thank you, with a big smile and turned my head away before he had a chance to try to talk an disengaged my hand and walked away. He was a soulless bastard and was not looking to help me or be curious. But a good onslaught of overly kind and smiling person and then walk away and he would have be a real jerk to continue. I also played real stupid.

But I am becoming more and more stern with the people, they have no manners for the most part and do not think nothing of trying to get me to spend time talking with them. If they even spoke 20 words of English it would be nice. I have stopped going over to people from the side that wave me over to talk all together. I am still shaking their hands, but I am shaking and walking. There are some real smart Asses in the bunch also, and they get my best. “I am going to beat you silly look.”

I was talking to a young couple from America and the boy did not have any idea on how to be Macho. I am going to write a tip on “How to be Macho.” I cannot believe it, but it is necessary that a person understand how Macho works, and is able to compete in a Macho world. They people from the USA come out a lot of times defenseless.

I am going to write about how to be dangerous macho. I told the boy to carry a stick. He said,
“That would be good, I could hit them with it.”
I said,
“NO!”
What is wrong with people?
I then said,
“The goal is not to be able to HIT THEM, the goal is to feel strong, confident, and to be able to be tough enough looking that they do not want to attack you, or make fun.”
I pause,
“Talk softly and carry a big stick.”
Pause again,
“If you get into a fight, you have lost.”
I say then,
“I have not got into a fight in 7 years.”

MORE ROLLER COASTERS

I woke this morning quite excited to have a great day in Seoni. Then about 8:30 AM the lights go out. This is normal and I thought well they will be off for a few minutes and come back on, but they did not return until 1:30 PM and I missed out on watching movies all morning. I went to the Internet Café at about 12:30 that was to open according to the manager at 12:00 today. The boys in front say it is closed for the day because of Holiday. They mean it is Sunday, but I will check later. I was going to finish up a lot of my work and send my newsletter; this is the 3rd day I have been delayed in sending my newsletter. I am trying to remind myself to work on the next and not think about completion of the last, otherwise all are just delayed.

I am going to make a 2-day jump to Varanasi in the hope of having good facilities because of tourist. I did receive a hot bucket of water to shower today at my room and for sure the Hotel outside the tourist areas are better willing to bring hot water for shower. So the shower strangely outside the tourist areas are so far better than the one around the tourist areas.

Just another day of emotional roller coaster.

STAYING 2 NIGHTS IN SEONI, INDIA

I am just 2-3 days slow bus trip below Varanasi where I will meet my friend Jeff if all goes well. I am looking forward to comparing notes on world travel and how his life is going.

The lights just went our here in India again. I feel like I am on an emotional Roller Coaster here in India, while one moment I love this place in the very next moment I hate this place. I am never sure what to feel or think, and am accepting my fate as being a “maybe.” There is no way to make a decision or to hold a course. This place is about accepting that life is uncontrollable, and if you wish to control your life it is impossible and people are totally out of control here.

I think about animals and try to think of how an animal moves or treats the world. Does and animal care where they shit? Do they care where the sit? Do they care if they bump into or hurt another animal?

My obsession with this topic in my mind is perplexing and makes me frustrated. I do not wish to compare the India people to animals and would like to think I could see only the good. But it is also helping to see the bad in myself. I can be extremely commanding or am very capable of exerting extreme force to defend my position and status in the world. I am very easily the top level or top dog in this world. This means that I can always have the best seat and the first position in line and I can take most anything I wish.

What stops me is manners, justice and a line of being a good example. I see that I have let down my standards of living because it is difficult and tiring to maintain. I have made a vow to myself to live closer to the USA level of cleanliness and this will take an extra 2 hours of work per day on my part.


- posted by Andy @ 11:01 PM

 
I SEE THERE IS NEW VIRUS
Hello,
I see there is new virus out there. Glad I have not had a connection with my computer now.
- posted by Andy @ 9:31 PM

 
NICE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
Hello,
Here in Varanasi India it is Chaos.
I receive a really nice email from a person saying they posted about HoboTraveler.com on their webpage.
Thank You.

Nice people in the world!
Life is good
Andy HoboTraveler.com in Varanasi, India
http://www.cloudtravel.net/
- posted by Andy @ 9:31 PM

 
I AM IN VARANASI INDIA
Hello,
I have arrived to Varnasi.
It is so far probably the filthiest city I know in the world.
I have only been here for 12 hours, I think it gets worst.
Hehehe... Going stone age!

My room is freezing. The internet keyboard is dirty, but cheap.
Life is crazy, but what is new. The water situation has taken a dip in quality.
This is a Holy City. I am not sure which side of the coin?


- posted by Andy @ 9:15 PM

 
ARRIVED IN SEONI INDIA
About 200 Kilometers Northeast of Nagpur.

I am just below Jabulpur a few hours.

Place is great, and full of people and activity. I have a room with cable TV and a couple English Movie channels. I may have to stay a couple of days.

I go to the Internet now.

The bus trip was uneventful, except I opted for the expensive bus system in Nagpur and it probably cost me an hour in time. I should have just kept switching inside the bus station and not go with the private ones. They are slimier. The government ones seems more honest.

MAILED LETTER TO ANDREW IN GOA
Friday 23, January from Savagram.

GETTING A CLEAN LECTURE FROM INDIA LADY
I have an older Indian couple that has been living next to me for the last 3 days. They are very nice, and they are trying to be my parents in India. Here I am writing and complaining about India being very dirty and the lady give me a lecture on not changing my clothes or wearing the same pants twice, and she may be correct that I wore them 3 times. I had to leave for the Internet café and when I came back I washed all my clothes and hung them out to dry. She is not very happy. I am also very happy.

What is really humorous is that she probably found the only traveler in India that carries a special bucket for cleaning his clothes, and on a somewhat regular basis heat water to boil out the germs and bacteria in my clothes.

I will do a straw survey soon also to see how many clothes other people carry. But I have with me.

6 Shirts
6 Pairs of underwear
6 Pairs of socks.
2 pairs of long pants
3 pairs of shorts
2 pairs of swim shorts

And lots of miscellaneous other items of clothes. I would bet that I have double the normal traveler. Then to carry the bucket is just unheard of, and way beyond normal.

Unfortunately she was correct and she caught me. I have been lounging around in this hotel and not doing much, but working on my computer and was not paying attention to my clothes. One this that is very good about India is you can pay people very easy to clean your clothes. What is bad is in the Ashram here they do not advertise or try to do any services for the travelers so it is a little isolated. I have been so happy in India because the cost of cleaning clothes is very cheap and I have been having exceptionally clean clothes here. If you want they will even press them in the normal cities, and not the tourist places.

I LEAVE SEWAGRAM TOMORROW
I will leave by slow local bus tomorrow and go towards Varanasi at a pretty good pace so I arrive before the 2nd of February to meet my friend Jeff. I will leave around 7:00 am in the morning and probably stop around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. The distance between cities will determine where I stop and how well I make connections.

DEBATING AND DEBATING
It will soon be the first of February and by the time I leave the country it may well be the first of March. I keep saying to myself that I will visit Europe in the spring, and I have no idea on how to get around the world fast enough for that.

My friend Jeff is going to do the Siberian Railway I guess and return to Europe. I am going to discuss this with him and see if maybe that would be a good idea for me to return to Europe.

I could blame this on weather and such, but I know in the back of my head that I am very tired of these segregated countries. All of Southeast Asia and India, and probably China and most of Asia are full of Religions that are completely racist in my opinion. They consider anyone that is not their religion unacceptable people. I know you think the Thai people intermingle with the rest of the world, but I believe that 99 percent of the women that go with western people are prostitutes so do not believe or consider that this culture accepts western culture.

I would like to spend some time living where there is less prejudice. I am going to have to really think this over and plan my adventure carefully. It was just too easy for me to enjoy Central and South America. Europe is expensive, but more enjoyable than always being a visitor. I am thinking hard about Greece, Italy, and Eastern Europe. I could float around the Mediterranean and stay on the beach and do Eastern Europe for 6 months, plus it is actually easier to travel to the USA from Europe than from Asia.

I will check out the Religions of Eastern Europe and see if they are Christian or what? I do not care what religion countries are, but for sure the countries I enter care which religion I am, so they make me feel unwelcome.

Thailand makes you feel welcome in a pay-as-you-go sense.

Greece: Greek Orthodox
Albania: Muslim
Macedonia: ¾ Orthodox Christians and ¼ Muslim.
Bulgaria: Atheism
Romania: Romanian Orthodox Church

That is enough. I am pretty sure I could meander around in Eastern Europe and have a better welcoming wagon.

The Men of India are very welcoming and so are the children, I think for the women it is dangerous to be friendly. But even the men are sort of always in a weird sort of way friendly that makes me not want to keep my window closed tight for fear of peeping Toms or Voyeurism by the India Men. There was the same problem in Thailand. You would look out the door or window and catch some guy looking at you.

So they are friendly in India, but I can never get the feeling of good friends or friendship. I see almost zero foreigners hanging around with India people, although you will constantly see India people talking to Foreigners. I think they will talk your ear off, but to be a friend is difficult social jump. Not for the Foreigners, but for the locals. I can become friend pretty easily with the rich, or more likely we can act rich together, which just is a pain to me.

DANIEL THE YOGA TEACHER AND MASSAGE THERAPIST
I met a 25-year-old man from Maine in the USA here in Savegram yesterday. He came to see the Gandhi memorial. This guy gave me an explanation about Yoga that was perfect, but also went on to explain that he has not found anything but superficial or made for tourist Yoga in India. So my gut feeling was correct, that more or less in my opinion and his opinion the Yoga of India is weak.

But he is a vegan or a vegetarian that does not eat any type of eggs or milk either. So he then went on about the terrible food in India. I like a lot of the food in India, but I do like to eat greasy food and this is a problem. So I like the food often, but when I look how they cook it I cringe. Most everything is coated with oil and there is nothing free and simple in food. The spices level here I would say is hazardous to your health. I love spicy food, but have stopped eating so much, because I find myself needing to cough up mucous and spit. I feel a lot better if I stay with the processed foods of the Chapatti.

LOTS OF STUFF
I am missing something, and I am not sure what about this country. I was walking back from the Internet Café and I see 2 Tractors and a lot of Motorcycles and I was thinking to myself.
“Central and South America is poor and India is Rich.”

But I cannot put my finger on what is the big problem here; I think it may be the racism. The have subtle but agreed upon separation of people… I think. It is hard to see, and hard to notice, because there is not obvious separations of the people. But when I talk with a richer person in India, they refer, or never refer to what you may call street level people. It is a problem they will acknowledge very quickly, but a problem that I have not seen anybody want to touch or change. The do not like the living conditions here either, but more likely they just spend all their time staying away from the more brute style of life.

I feel positive that people of South America are more civilized, but the people of India are richer. But it would be so easy to confuse the absolutely pigsty level of living of the India people with them being poor. Some of this way of life has to do with the Hindu reverence for the cow, and not just the cow, but the cow dung or manure. They see the cow manure as being some sort of holy cleaning solution, and also the piss.

But walking to the Internet Café I will always see about 10 pigs in the path rooting around and as best I understand the Hindu people do not eat pigs. But someone is, and it is not obvious who is eating these pigs.

TRIED TO CONNECT MY COMPUTER TO NETWORK
I took my computer to the Internet café last night and tried to connect it directly to their system. It was a complete failure, but I have learned that the people working inside the Internet café will generally help me, but in this instance he did know how to create a connection.

CRAZY ITALIAN DOING A MANTRA OUTSIDE MY ROOM
I am amazed at the number of crazy people in Asia. They may think they are sane, and the other travelers may think they are sane, but I really wish they would all find God soon, so they could relax and stop working so hard to be holy. This zealot like desire of the Travelers to find God is annoying because it is just that being a Zealot. They treat anyone that is not being the holy-than-thou attitude as being an outcaste or not with-it. I am learning to avoid the crazies as a means of good mental health for me. They have a glassy look in their eyes and sort of like they just got kissed for the first time. Sort of like they just got off the turnip truck for cult converts.

Note that this is NOT normally the Indian people. It is the other travelers that are making life annoying here.

Note that he is Italian and he has changed his name to Ganesh. This means elephant in the Hindi language or could be Sanskrit. I ask him if it was Sanskrit of the local and he gave me that look like I am stupid, so I let it pass. I am in a non-violent place… hehehe

But there is a God or sacred statues and such by the name of Ganesh and seems a little crass to me to name yourself after a God or Sacred Statue. He is a mentally deranged person, and scared of his shadow. But looking for God should help him.

VERY COLD MORNINGS Wednesday Morning
It is very cold in my room. The nights are very cold here in Sawegram in January.

TOO MANY PHOTOS
I am having a photo problem. I am able to take too many photos because of ways of taking photos, and I am just overwhelmed with work. Every time I take a photo I need to create a caption for the photo. This takes time, and I am starting to avoid doing my weekly newsletter just because of he quantities of photos. I am going to have to stop carrying my camera with me.

MY THOUGHTS SO FAR ON THE ASHRAM
After walking around today, I am hard pressed to say that this is a retreat or in my dictionary as defined an Ashram. I would say I am at a place that is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi and is trying to maintain his former residence for people to see, then if you wish you could have a veggie meal.

Now I came here to do this, I came to see how Gandhi lived, but I was sort of expecting to see how an Ashram functions and am a little disappointed. I may have to go to a real Hindu one to see this, but nonetheless I am still working on learning about Ashrams and Gandhi.

I did expand my knowledge of Gandhi and am onto some further clues to helping me to understand the man. A lot of the quotes on the walls today were about truth and being a good person, while the autobiography was more about him being a lawyer, and some of his doubts about his actions. I did not see the experiment of truth in the book, although I did see some of this experiment in truth in the quotes inside the Ashram. I took photos of all of them, and will check soon to see if they came out OK.

I am still checking, but I am pretty sure his Leprosy and Yoga centers are closed. There seems to be very little of the former activities that he wished to promote still functioning. I am in some ways worried about the ability of this memorial to continue to function. I do no think it needs money, but there does seem to be a need for human energy.

I think they need a Guru, Swami or some Sadhu that is really got nobility about the person to run this place or be a charismatic manager. I am lost to see who is really running this place, and not that that matter, but if this is to be vital there needs to be energy.

There is Gandhi foundation, but I am not sure of the goals.

COCKROACH
I walked into my room a few minutes ago, it is about 10:00 PM and outside is very black and very eerie here at the Sevagram Gandhi Ashram as I just returned from the internet café at the small village or square and on the floor walking around is a huge cockroach. My instant reaction was to find my shoe and smash the little bugger.

Now I am at the former home of one of the man that championed the values of non-violence and the idea of Ahimsa or to “do no harm,” so this act of violence on my part was thought over a couple of times before the shoe hit the cockroach. I supposed the last thought in my head before I had a good first shot at this cockroach was,
“Do I need to kill the cockroach?”

So Gandhi did make an impression on me, but I just read a quote on the wall earlier today about a book has no value if you cannot put the words into action. I keep dwelling on this Ahimsa idea and trying to figure out what it means. I suppose it appears that killing cockroach does harm, but that is definitely an oversimplified version of values. Sometimes to not do something causes more problems, and does more harm than to act.

Civil disobedience is to me also passive aggressive behavior and in a pre-meditated sense, this becomes to me violence. A much better sense or use of violence than killing people, but a still in my mind a lower form of violence. Starting to slice and dice the uses of violence and I am sure I can come up with some really juicy situations that would cause anyone to talk about violence. Gandhi himself sort of alluded to his support, or how he drove or helped in Ambulance in a couple of British wars and in some ways was a tacit support of war.

But nonetheless I do not see any great value for cockroaches and will continue to be a meat eater. I suppose we do what is normal for an animal I life, and I am not in denial of something else second and me being an animal first.

2 SOUTH KOREAN GIRLS
There are 2 South Korean girls in the Ashram or walking around. I have talked with them on a couple of occasions, and they are very nice. Their English is very bad, and talking is slow and full of misunderstandings, but they are nice girls. I have discovered that they do not like walking on the street alone, and the men here must really stare and make comments of sorts. I am not sure how the men act with the women but for sure the girls do not like how they act. I am going the same direction as they are, and am trying to learn, or figure out if they wish to travel with me, so they feel safe. They are extremely well mannered women, and it would be easy to travel to Varanasi with them, other than it is slow talking and can be confusing.

I have met a few India boys wandering around just outside the Hotel or the Ashram and this is fun for me, but I have noticed that they all know too well about who are the women inside the Hotel. It is obvious and I think natural that India boys would want to meet the Western women, and think if I was them I would be doing the same, but I agree or think this is difficult for the Western women.

I do not think it is a real problem, more of an annoyance.

- posted by Andy @ 4:52 AM

 
Huge Internet Problems in India
I am typing this into the computer to let regular readers know.
"The Internet in India is some of the worst in the world."
There is not maintenance of anything, and the Electricity make Iraq look like the best in the world. The machines or hardware all are broken, and they so much time surfing the Sex sites that they have been invade will pop ups and such. The machines are crap.

So please do not expect regular newsletters or blogs.
Thanks
Andy HoboTraveler.com
- posted by Andy @ 8:50 PM

 
HELLO FROM ...
Mahatma Gandhi who proclaimed that 'cleanliness is next only to godliness'.
http://www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org/profile.htm

I have had enough of India, if Godliness is close to Cleanliness, then I am in Hell on earth. I have stay away from the cities and I still believe this.
- posted by Andy @ 8:46 PM

 
STRANGE AND STRANGER
I have taken a turn from liking this place to wanting to leave. I am not sure why and that is what is strange. I met a very interesting and intelligent guy that studies engineering here in Sawegram. He spoke excellent English and was able to clarify or explain about the Ashram.

He was saying that an Ashram is not just a Hindu religious retreat but also a place where people go as more of a retreat. It is a place that is not for study, but a place to think, a place more to experience, and less of a place of research. It is a place where you are separated from real life so you can understand real life, or at least have time to think about real life without the constant noise and clutter of real life.

I made that a little longer than the actual explanation of the boy, but you get the idea it is not just for religious reason, but also for a refuge from the world.

I walked around the Ashram this morning and read all the information signboard and try to understand them. This whole place is like a big private joke and I am not included in the joke. Everyone is under some great conceptual idea that they know what they are doing, and no one seems to want to say that the King has no clothes.

Malta the girl was outright rude today and would not even say Hello. I am not sure of the reason, and I suppose I do not care. I do not take much stock or value in people that change emotional status by the moment. I like the true and steady.

So today is good because I am starting to put together who or what Gandhi the man was up to, but the Ashram is more of a shrine to him, and not really anything in the end. I thought there would be lots of people inside doing things, but so far it is more or less a very nice museum of how Mahatma Gandhi lived in the last years of his life. I looked at his home and office, and where he planned or helped to separate India from England.

I do like the place, but it is very quiet and very boring in the end, because of the lack of people and of any real natural beauty. It is maybe what Gandhi wanted, or desired a lack of temptations of beauty. I am just guessing and do not assume to understand how or why this place is here. I think he needed a home and he made this place his home, and since he wanted a lot of people to be accepted he called it an Ashram. But this is all just opinions of mine, and I am still lost to understand. Weird or strange how difficult it can be to learn about a place even thought I am right at the place. I could go to the library in the USA and in 3 hours have this all figure out. I will probably leave this place not really understanding the whole picture.

MORNING - I SEARCH FOR PURI AND CHETNEE
Enough of the minor issues of life like Gandhi and Thoreau and such, I am off to find some Puri and Chetnee Coconut. I am farther north and they may have aborted the Coconut idea. (Note, I did not find Puri)

GANDHI NOTES
http://www.hobotraveler.com/gandhi.shtml

I WOKE UP THINKING - Tuesday Morning
I woke up this morning full of thoughts in my head and mulling, musing and just downright drudging around with thoughts. It would be harder to debate if I were thinking about the Gandhi Ashram or about the fact that I am cold. I now have put 3 blankets on me to try to get warm, and really miss a good gas forced air furnace, that I can crank up and make the air warm.

So am I thinking about the similarity of this wanna-be self-sufficient project of Gandhi and of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Pond Experiment? Blah blah blah is my head. Trying to group, regroup, and find the consistencies, congruencies, and inconsistencies and rid my mind of the confusion.

Maybe this is what the mediation is about. To stop thinking. But a good drug addict knows how to do that very well also, but let me not be sarcastic.

I will say if I was going to write the prelude or that is not the right word. I cannot think of the right word. I am sure it is not Quaalude, but what I am looking for is the word that would say the conclusion maybe to the story of Gandhi and Thoreau it would be the story of my experiment of curiosity, and how to be curious without going crazy.

In the end, I am not sure, but I think a good cup of coffee in the morning is ok for me. There is some friendship involved in just waking and drinking a cup of coffee, and not worrying about the mess.

I suppose all my thoughts are too much sometimes for me, but I have learned to not care about my thoughts. They are just a lot of noise and give me a way to spend the day, and in the end all I really want is enough money to be curious and / or probably look for girls. I suppose I am looking for a wife like any other man, but the search is long and tedious, but the world is big.

It is nice to be high minded when you have money, but a little more difficult when you are poor. I relax when I am more self-sufficient. But not needing people is to me is silly. Better to be needed.

I am going to go read in my Encyclopedia about Thoreau. In the introduction to my Autobiography it mentions that Gandhi learned from Henry David Thoreau and the Christian bible, and a few other source, and for sure Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and H D Thoreau were in the same play together. But who was the first? That is my curious question. Who had the original ability to combine the thoughts together and come up with civil disobedience?

I went to read about Gandhi and what I learned is that I was spelling his name wrong. So now the way I was spelling it Ghandi is replaced thanks to Bill Gates and CTRL H with the correct spelling of Gandhi. I really like CTRL H.

WHAT TO THINK OR WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO THINK?
I am enjoying my stay here very much so far. I do not think the people have a clue on how to deal with an Indiana boy in the middle of a bunch of people searching for God.

I say,
“Hello, how are you?”
And strangely a lot of people just look at me and stare. I know the greeting is something like amistat or something like that, or marajaba sometime they say to me, but when they say this to me, I give them a nod of the head, and a look in the eye and sometime wave according to the situation. So they got to understand the same idea. When people talk to you… Acknowledge their presence… hehehe…

What good fun.

But Malta has got my number. She is a girl that is somehow connected to the Ashram and was giving me orders. So I called her the boss. I am in a sexist culture and that sort of brought the eyebrows at me, so I said,
“Pretty obvious she is the big boss!”

Men are jerks in the whole world, and this place has more than its share of male jerks, but so be it.

Malta says to me,
“When you was you, I think you be naughty boy.”
I replied,
“I still be naughty boy.”

She has my number, but she is working on instinct and not on some drummed up, I want to analyze and make sure who and what your are, and they I make a judgment sort of thing.

I find the more intellectual a person tries to be the more stupid they become. What is so good about trying to be intellectual? It seems pretty intelligent and high mind, and you may say intellectually astute to me that I must try to enjoy the day. Trying is not part of living or enjoying. I try to find something, but I do not try to be someone. I am me… I think, at least last time I checked.

There is little song and dance here going on, as people are visiting the Ashram. It is a sort of perma-culture environment or you may say it is self-sufficient with the help probably a lot of tourist. I am not sure thought they did not want money for the dinner, but they said something about working tomorrow morning after breakfast. I really would like to go chat with Malta, but I find the idea of working in an Ashram anti cathartic, but I am positive the 3 girls across the way need to have some guidance, and I will encourage them. Maybe?

I do not like to compete with he local workers for jobs, and made up my mind to not do any menial task that could employ locals in poor countries. So.. I will give them some fair money for the food. I already was told I needed to pay 80 Rupees for the room, and the room is great. Has a western style toilet, and it has a pull flush. I am not sure, it maybe the first full on Western toilet I have encountered. I have seen a few flush squat toilets.

The room has a desk, some shelves, and everything but a closet. They included a mosquito net, but I am packing my own newly modified one, which is ready to hang up. I really needed it tonight and have set it up in my room.

I am always wondering about the word empathy. I wish they would empathize with the people that live in hotel rooms. The did give me a mosquito net, but the room is not set up for a mosquito net. It has a lot of plastic conduit on the wall, but the room is a trapezoid or something like that and has to many angles, and 2 single beds. Only one mosquito net. I better check that tomorrow. But you get the point the functionality is missing. (Note - I found 2 mosquito nets in the room, so there is the proper amount of nets, but for sure the proper type of hooks on he walls are missing, or for sure not obvious.)

I will chat up Malta tomorrow and get some of the details. I can say that I do think the drinking, drugs, and noise is down to a minimum here.

I took a sign today of a “No Horn” sign. It was a trumpet with a back slash through it. I had to take a photo of this. The culture of India says that if you have a horn, you must use it at least every 100 meter, or less, and this no horn sign is great. All these signs, and concepts, but I just like I was thinking at dinner tonight.
I said to myself,
“Self, there are a lot of people here searching for God.”
I then though about the people that complain about the people that sin all the time, then go to Church on Sunday.
“At least they are going to the a repair shop, and the ones that do not go are broken also.”

But this is a place for people to search for God and there are people here searching for God. Duh?

I got a kick out of the Ireland girl telling 2 Korean girls tonight about her former French roommate.

The French girl married a Sadhu from Nepal or the Himalayas.

Now the Ireland girl was sort of inferring that this was a holy thing to do, but I was laughing. A Sadhu has or is suppose to have a vow of no women or living a life without possessions. I personally think they make up the rules as they go, but I must be careful with my opinions. But I do know a very drunk one that lives and works the streets begging in Hampi!

But none the less people speak of Sadhu with reverence, but I look at them like they should get a job and stop asking me for money. I do not get any holy feeling from them, but I do get a distinct,
“I be a beggar, and you should feel guilty and give me money feeling.” So like the naughty boy I be. I don’t give them money.

God has a lot of work to do here in India and there is a lot of people walking around with no arms, legs, old, and other very ugly problems, and I am going to help God by giving to the ones with serious problems before the Sadhus that do not wish to work. Plus I am not Hindu. Although I do support all the good Gods of the world.

I was laughing at the 3 girls today.
They were talking about there being a prayer in the morning and a prayer in the evening. Now this is an Ashram and I would hope they would do something like that, but I am not going to believe that it is “non-denominational”

Tonight at the 5:00 dinner we had to sit on the floor, cross-legged and eat, and the man said some chant. He said something,
“Hari Krishna.”

I am pretty sure that Krishna is, no I am positive…

1 Sanskrit Krishna one of the most widely revered and most popular of all Indian divinities, worshipped as the eighth incarnation

Yep he was making a not so non-denominational prayer to Krishna in a Hindu retreat. Now that would make sense, and I would hope in a Hindu retreat they would make this type of prayer. This is good and I respect that, but this malarkey about it being non-denominational is just some not too clear on why they are chanting, but like the feeling so they do chant malarkey.

The Ashram has represented itself correctly, but the other travelers are filling in their misunderstanding gaps as they go. This is very common and if a traveler or anyone does not understand something they make it up as they go. I on the hand drive myself crazy with an overabundance of questions all the time I am researching. I doubt that I can find any clear answers, but I am sure that chatting up Malta can give me some help, and also she has no toe ring. I hope that means she is not married. But if she is living in an Ashram she may be similar to a Monk.

There are some really good “Souls” over there, and they are nice, and the other I will take under advisement. The 3 girls on the other side need to be here, and me. I must need to be here, because I am here, so that would make sense. But I am pretty sure; no I am positive that God is not lost.

I am sure this drives my mother crazy all this talk about Hindus and such, but relax mom. I am pretty sure it all the same God with a different twist to keep think up for guessing. They always said something about faith. I do not think Faith and Logic fit together.

Note that I told Malta I was naughty in a good boy sort of ways, and a not a bad boy. I often think what they mean to say is,
“Andy, you are uncontrollable.”

I know that also.

I was hoping for some Yoga stretching classes.
I will ask Malta. They need to hire a couple more girls over there to answer my questions.

I MADE IT, BUT YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT
Location: Sevagram or maybe Sewagram, India
Home of an Ashram founded by Mahatma Gandhi.

I think I am living in rooms owned, or maybe managed by the Ashram.

1 ASHRAM
1 : a secluded dwelling of a Hindu sage; also : the group of disciples instructed there
2: a religious retreat

The name of the city is Sevagram. Encyclopedia Britannica says:

1 SEVAGRAM
town, eastern Maharashtra state, western India. Originally called Segaon, the village was given its present name a HindY: Village of Service) by Mohandas Gandhi, the Indian nationalist leader. In 1936 he left his ashram (a hermitage) on the Sabarmati River, near Ahmadabad, and settled at Sevagram. There he founded another ashram and directed the independence movement. Within this he created a model community that still flourishes, in which the inhabitants live a simple existence.

The town is also the site of the Nai Talimi Sangh, the educational centre established by Gandhi. He gave it the tasks of building a self-sufficient community by providing its own food, clothing, shelter, and tools and of establishing a society able to fulfill its aesthetic, spiritual, and intellectual needs by creating its own art, music, literature, and drama.

SITPUR TO SEVAGRAM OR BUST… HEHEHE
Sunday Afternoon
I am jumping a train tomorrow morning at 4:30 AM to Sevagram, India. I asked a few people when the train left for Nagpur and one said at 10:30 and another at 11:30. The both seem extremely reputable and truthful, but the station was only a 10 Rupee Rickshaw away. The man in the station said, something different, but this is the game of travel. I never would trust anyone but the horse’s mouth when traveling, most people do not travel outside there city or village and they are unreliable.

I am looking to stay 3 nights in Sevagram and clean up a little. There are these Mahatma Gandhi signs around saying something to the extent of “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Being that there is a Mahatma Gandhi founded Ashram or Hindu Religious Retreat in Sevagram it will be interesting to see if it is cleaner.

NECESSITY IS THE REASON TO LEARN
I am learning a lot by necessity on how to clean up while traveling, how to find a clean restaurant, what are the signs of a clean place, and how to look or inspect people for good hygiene. India training ground for people that would want to learn about how to view or inspect for good healthy cleaning habits. The country of India is both one of the cleanest countries and dirtiest in one place. The water is controlled more than most, but the smells, dust, and waste management is disastrous.

I am really expanding my Tips area of my page. I write, add, enlarge, and create tons of small tips daily, then add to the index of tips. I am really happy to be able to capture so many concepts daily.
I was just thinking,
“What I need is a beach full of women, and not so much learning.”

SUNDAY IS A HOLIDAY
The Internet Café here in Sitpur is or will not open. He said he would open at 2:00 and then I took a Taxi to the place and he would not open. Do not for a minute think that the people of India are hungry for money; in most ways they are exactly the same as the rest of the world. If the money is easy they are ready, but if they have to work no.

But I do not understand this “Holiday.”
Friday is Muslim day, and I am not sure what is Hindu day, and then there are bunches of Tribal people that are having a big market day. Sunday is a Christian day and I have found nothing in this city that resembles or smells of Christians. There are pigs everywhere and that is because of the Tribal people. Some Muslim guy said if the pig touched them they would go shower. I am in favor that everyone in India taking a shower, but that is a whole other issue.

The level of dirt is getting to me, and I thought I could live with anything. The only clean place is in my room, and I would not say that I am in a clean room.
- posted by Andy @ 6:29 AM

 
ARRIVED IN ASHRAM HOME OF ASHRAM OF MAHATMA GHANDI
I am in Sewagram home of the Asharm founded by Mahatma Ghandi

DAILY CLEARING AND SPITTING
I am sitting here in my room typing. The guy next door is walking outside the door and clearing his throat and spitting. This seems to part of the culture and a daily ritual for people. The bad part about this is not so much the noise, and the idea I am going to be walking around later on the ground. Makes a guy wish he could fly. The India people are the worst I have encountered so far for this obnoxious behavior of spitting, but I hear the Chinese will give them a run for the money on this. I have slowly came to believe that this is due to the very spice food, and if their bodies did not have to make so much mucous to protect itself, this would not be a problem. I was eating a chicken curry dish last night and my nose started to run. I like spicy foods, but have begun to realize this is part of my sinus problems. I have started to slow down on the pepper. A curry though is impossible and the India food is extremely hot and spicy. In the ancient days before refrigerators the only way to preserve foods was often with spices.

This guy has been doing this obnoxious noise for 30 minutes. I am still looking for the perfect earplugs. This would really be helpful, if I had a pair of super super earplugs. Not just some garden variety, but something that would stop the noise. I am thinking about hanging a blanket across the window.

I was reading about noise pollution yesterday in the English Newspaper. It was saying how much higher than normal the city of Bangalore was than was considered acceptable. The numbers are hard to remember, but they obviously did not like the amount of noise in Bangalore. The article blamed it on the increasing number of cars, and motorcycles. I would say that Iquitos Peru was the noisiest city I have ever visited.

But noise pollution is a problem and for the life of me I cannot understand why no one talks about this stress! I think the noise is the biggest problem of travel, and blocking it out with a CD Rom is only a mask and a good calm is better than a good masking or cover-up, but I guess a lot of people need to the confusion to keep from being alone with themselves.

WATER BAGS
There was in Manchirial or maybe spelled Manchirayal in the State of Andhra Pradesh bags of water for sale at the bus stand for drinking. There is about the same amount of water as a soda or Coke in the bag. This is normally a sign of bad water, or possible bad water, because the bags of water are cheap enough for normal people to drink while the bottled water is too expensive. I suppose a 5 Gallon or 5 Gallon liter dispensers is also a sign of bad water. There was lots of bottled water in Goa and Karnataka State, but I never saw a dispenser or any type of way to load the bottle and make easy to pour yourself a drink. This is like the water coolers they are trying to push on the USA public, with both a Hot and Cold water dispenser. The water in the USA is excellent, and there is no reason for bottled water, but for some sort of exclusivity reason, but sometimes through marketing you can convince people they have a need, when there is none.

ARRIVED IN SIRPUR, INDIA - STATE OF ANDHRA
RADESH
I am just arrived an hour ago into Sirpur or a part of Sirpur that is before Sirpur. I really do not know the exact name yet, because it has always been written in a local language on paper for me and I cannot read or type these characters.

But the Hotel is wonderful for 70 Rupees a night. I also do not know the name of it yet, but I will look around on the building when I leave to walk. This small city has a wonderful looking market area just below my hotel, and I am going to stay at least 2 nights here, because I am moving to fast.

I have a roommate in the room by the name of “Gecko,” he or she like to crawl on the wall during the day. This is a little strange for geckos that normally stay inside until night. Geckos are not a problem and usually stay high or out of the room by a crack in one second of movement. Hard to even photograph them, plus they are always in the dark areas.

The bus trip was great, and the people at the bus stop in Marichuri or the big town before Sirpur about 150 kilometers back was a hoot. I counted one time after the crowd left and I had about 40 people standing trying to talk with me, really made me wish I would have taken a shower this morning. I even wasted the hot water that was bought and brought to the room.

I think I set a record for people around me talking. I am sure in Mosul I could have beat this, but I was not willing to stand around in Mosul, Iraq long enough for a group this big. But it was funny, and I hope some of the photos came out good. The area was shady and who know if the digital camera worked good or bad. I will check them later to see.
The center of the country seems to be a large rice-growing region. I saw lots and lots of rice paddies, but sort of dry in between the paddies.

There is statue of some man now that I have seen about 10 times in each of the small cities. I will try to find another one and take a photo. I think it is the same guys as was in Dharwad, but the words are all in Hindi or something, and I cannot read. But I would think this is some current leader with a propaganda campaign, normally dead leaders do not get that much statue space.

There are AID’S signs every 20 Kilometers in Yellow and big that tell them to beware of AIDS and to be careful. I am impressed with the organizational network of the Indian government. The social programs are very good, but the level or how they deal with cleanliness is still on the crazy side. I do not know why they do not have a keep India clean program. With lots of trash bins and such around for people to throw their trash. The street is the receptacle and this is crazy. They do clean up the streets, but so much of the trash makes it to the water that the pollution of the water is terrible.

HOT WATER IN ROOM
Hot water was brought to my room at 7:00 AM in Karimnagar, India for 3 Rupees for a dip style bath.

THE WORLD REALLY DOES WANT TO BEHAVE
I went into the post office yesterday here in Karimnagar, India and the person that was working in the post office really spoke bad English and could or would not help me to mail a package of my backpack organizers to the USA.

But there were various Hindu and Muslims in the post office and as normal they stare, shake hands, and want to know my “Good Name” or where I am from, so as I was standing in line I had to perform as normal. Hello, Andy, America, or USA etc.

A few Muslims were shaking my hand and being helpful. There is a belief that Muslims hate Christians and I could make a good argument for that, but what is funny is that people want to be friends. I was leaving the place and the two Muslims came out and were doing their best to try to explain that if I took a bus to one city, and train to Nagpur I could mail my package very easily. I was impressed shook their hands, and was really appreciative. I really could not understand the name of the city they wanted me to take a bus to, but I did understand their intentions. They wanted to be good people.

I have found that the big problem with all religions is the religious leaders that demand of their followers that they behave like idiots. The Muslim Clerics are to me the ringleaders of this Hate or Jihad idea and this is not the normal person Idea of love. But the follower being a good worshipper almost has no choice, because the leader has told them this is correct, and they are just a normal person, and why should they fight against the idea of their leader.

I believe that Nation States have a obligation to make it illegal for any individual create hate, including the religious leaders.
- posted by Andy @ 8:45 PM

 
ARRIVED IN A CITY DIFFICULT TO SPELL
I am in Karmimnagar, India.
State of (Who knows? I am too lazy to look in Guidebook.)

I got to use the ATM in Hyderbad and have money now. Yea!

It is about 200 Kilometers Northeast of Hyderbad.

Hotel Parshanth Lodge
100 Rupee a night with a toilet inside the room.
Excellent room and the staff are nice.
Walk outside the bus stop and turn left. Walk about 200 meters and it is on your left-hand side as you cross a street. Look for name on top.
Since this city was not in my Footprints guidebook, I thought I would help a little.

I left Hampi / Hospet by train at 4 and arrived the next morning. Very nice trip except for my bunk was maybe a little short. I slept on the top bunk in sleeping class.

TRAINS - What I think you want to ask for when buy a train ticket is:
Sleeping Class - UB Upper Bunk or Top Tier. You want to be on the top so that they do not make your bunk into a seat during the day. Note that the window side is longer and can hold your backpack better. I sleep with my backpack and all my belonging on the inside part of my bed.

It was a little crowded on my bunk because I have this stupid box of backpack organizers to mail to the USA still with me. I am very glad I put a cord around the box or it would be impossible to carry. But there is I, the big backpack, the little backpack and this box about 14 inches by 14 inches in the top bunk. The bunk is short so there is very little room. The window bunks are bigger. I took the clips form my new water bottle holder and clipped the backpack to the steel mesh at the top of the wall to hold both my small backpack and the box off of me and give me more room. I am going to install a lot more of these clips on the backpacks so I can hook them to the trains better.

I left Hampi and went to Hyderbad. The place smells like a sewer at the bus stop. I wanted to go the Techie part of the city. I guess or am told is it is called. “High Tech City.” I was on my way, but the Auto Rickshaw guy was too complicated and I decided to just leave the city. It was 5:30 in the morning and still dark, and I have not idea where I was. I supposedly arrived in a city called Racheguide or something like that. I was told it was between Hyderbad and Sucunderbad. But I could not find this place on the map. So I was in place I do not know, and trying to go to another place I do not know. I talked to really nice man at the station that spoke decent English. I said I want to go north toward Nagpur. He said I need to go to Katzpitt. I then went to the bus stop he called. “Jubilee.” I am positive this is crazy, but I am pretty sure I am heading toward Nagpur by bus. I get on the bus and finally pass a few small cities. One is finally on the map in the guidebook. I am heading Northeast out of the city and not directly north. So much for going straight north.

Well. I made it about 200 kilometers Northeast of Hyderbad. The bus stop at Jubilee in Hyderbad smelled like a rotten bunch of hay in a cow tramp shed. The smell of India is atrocious.

Catching buses is pretty easy. But I am now in Karmimnagar and I am going to search for an Atlas I discovered the other day. It cost 70 Rupees and has both the Trains and the Roads on it and all the states. I really need a good map, and the one the guidebook it bad.

I hope it has both the Hindi and the name in English on one map. I do not know why they give maps with only one language. The do not understand the word in English and it would be better to point at the spelling in Hindi then to try to say the word. Maps in English are for English people, but I need a map the local language… ALWAYS. Maps should always be in dual language if possible. My guidebook has the name in Hindi or some language. “Sometimes” next to the name of the city. This is helpful also

I tried to mail the package to the USA, and the guy said 4000 Rupees. This is nuts and I finally learned the computer was broken, and they did not know how to calculate the cost. They did not offer me a choice on Sea or Air, and I asked for the price, and they just told me to go to Hyderbad. That is 200 Kilometer in the back, and the city of Hyderbad is big and crazy. I will go the next city and try again. I found the Post Office easily. I paid a taxi driver 10 Rupees… hehehe. I am asking a lot of disinterested parties the price of taxis, and this is saving me money on taxis. The owner said the taxi was 10 Rupees.

I will leave tomorrow morning for or toward Nagpur. I am in a round about way going toward Varanasi to see them burn dead bodies and see if it really as dirty as they say. Everyone loves the place, but the descriptions are gruesome.

Nagpur is close to Savernain or something like that where there is a Holy Retreat called an Ashram that was made by Ghandi.

The bus trip was interesting. North of Hyderbad is very flat and tons of rice paddies. There is a lot of food being grown. There are few dams in the area collecting and controlling water. I saw a lot of large warehouse along the way, and I am starting to think that India is very industrialized in a hard to see sort of way. The factories and the warehouse are out in the country for the most part with fence and off the road. You can only see them from a distance, and there is a gate to enter. If I am lucky I can read the sign in English to discover what is inside. There was a “Leather” place along the way, and lot of Rice warehouse. I saw a city of smokestack, but have no idea why. But industry is a lot better than the subsistence farming of South America.

I will go look for an Internet café. I am sure the city has one. Oops, I need to take a shower first. Overnight train and 4 hours on a bus, and I am too grungy. I am hoping for warmer water than Hampi.

HINDU NEW YEARS OR MAYBE SAKRATHI
Today in the 15th of January 2004 and the locals are cleaning, and swarming around. They are clean the ground or wiping the ground down here in Hampi, Karnataka, India with a mix of water and cow manure or shit. It is quite fun to watch as what we would consider a disgusting procedure they consider something different. They are drawing the rangolis on the ground then taking flowers and rolled up cow turds and making little monuments in the center. I notice yesterday that all the cow manure was being plucked up around the area.

Also the people are taking baths in the river, and I saw a boy getting a hot sponge bath. The cook water in large vats and then take sponge baths over the top of the concrete drainage canals. Note that I have learned that the human waste goes into a small holding tank or septic systems below the toilets.

LIGHTS GO OUT IN MORNING AND NIGHT

Just like clockwork the lights in Hampi go out in the morning around 7 and come on a few minutes later. They do this at night also around 7. Like a change of shift, and this is what Shackle tells me that happens. What is really stupid is the restaurants come around at night and melt candle wax on the ashtray or some hard surface on your table for a light. Then about 5 minutes later they take the candle off the table when the lights come back on, so what happens is every day they drip hot wax on something. The solution would be to make some type of candleholder as for the last 25 days here this happens daily. But this is long-term thinking and not really part of the mentality or culture of the underdeveloped countries. Sublimation or doing things for the long-term is one of the biggest problems for poorer countries and almost guarantees they will remain poor.

With the cost of labor the managers and bosses think the same way.

LEAVE TODAY
Thursday morning.

I leave by train today for Hyderbad, India. The train leaves around 4 in the afternoon and will arrive there the next day. It is necessary I go to a place where I am 100 percent sure there will be an ATM machine.

I am not looking forward to staying in Hyderbad for a night, because it has over 5 million people, and I am not sure how to find my way around. The larger the city, the more difficult it is to learn the transportation. It would be extremely beneficial if the guidebooks would say things like…

LOCAL BUSES
The buses run from here to here in a straight line.
The buses run a circular route.
The buses start and end at the same bus stop.

The same is for trolleys, subways, trains, etc.

For instance in Quito Ecuador the trolley goes through the city. You pay a fare and you can go to the other end of the city. You pay another fare and you return back to the same location.

In Acapulco the buses go around in circles. If you stay on the bus long enough you will arrive back to the same location.

READING ABOUT CLEANING, OR MAYBE STERILIZATION

Thursday Morning
I have been reading in my encyclopedia for the last hour this morning trying to learn how to clean the toilets in India or maybe how to clean my kitchen equipment.

In the end as best I can figure out it would be best to use boiled water with Ammonia or maybe Chlorine. I would suppose common laundry bleach with be the source of Chlorine. I suppose if I carried powdered laundry bleach I could clean the toilets the most sanitary.

Although I would consider Thailand as looking cleaner, in the end I feel the water supply from the Tap to be of poorer quality than of India. The people of India are naturally as a culture having more body dirt, but the water is cleaner. I think the Thai people use soap and water, while the India people just more or less hope things are clean.

For cleaning there is nothing like very hot water and some Clorox or ammonia.

In the poor countries hot water is a never used, it is therefore my belief that very few things are truly sanitized, and especially in the kitchen. Iodine is used in Mexico to clean the water for salads, although I would not eat a salad in Mexico or almost any country.

I have not eaten the Tally here in India, and do not plan on starting. I did eat part of Tally one day with a friend when I did not know what it was, but still did not eat the lettuce or maybe cabbage part.

I served French Fries or Finger Chips as they call them here in Hampi the other day with shredded cabbage and carrots on top. French Fries are probably very sanitary because of the boiled oil, but the cabbage did not help.

Fresh vegetables and or raw foods are suspect for me. I eat a lot of packaged food or cooked breads and such, and do not try to eat all the fruits or vegetables. I will buy orange and limes to peel and eat, but would not and really have never eaten these types of foods while traveling as served in Restaurants. I have had very few problems with diarrhea and would consider my bigger problem as being foods that go through the body fast or have lots of cellulose and do not digest. For instance if I eat peanuts, coconuts, or other similar foods in EXCESS I will have a problem in the toilet for ONE day upon cessation.

I had a problem two days ago, and I finally learned that the Chetnee I like so well is made with peppers and COCONUT. I ate about 10 of the Puri with Coconut Chetnee and the next day I had a problem. I ate Chapathi a form of flat pancake like dough, similar to a tortilla for a day and was fine. I almost always blame toilet problems on the type of foods and not the bacteria’s for me.

EXPORTING HEADACHES - January 14 Sent First
I went to the post office today in Hampi and all the rules are different than Margoa. Really I cannot figure out the rules, and I had the same problem in Margoa, Goa when I tried to learn they just have no time to help, teach, show, and treat me as if I was dumb for asking the questions.

I am slowly evolving an idea that it is better to go to country and buy stuff and carry it home in the backpack. Sending packages home cost more than a place ticket.

The man in Hampi said that it would take 3 - 4 months to send a package home by Sea. The girl in Hospet said it would take 30-40 days to send a package home by Sea. Who is correct I will only learn either a good way or a bad way. I sent one package home by Sea to see how long it will take.

I MISS SOUTH AMERICA
I am getting ready to leave Hampi, India and I realize if I had a choice I would go to South America before I would go to the next place in India. India is very easy to travel in; except for in my opinion the train, and that is more like Europe where you have to get a reservation all the time. I think the religions are starting to wear on my brain. There is no way to become part of Asia for the most part, I would always be a foreigner, and never accepted. I think it is very convenient here, and in some ways the India people are like servants to the Foreigners but I always feel like they do not respect the Foreigners and only want the money.

In one of the English newspapers yesterday it describe how some India people hacked the arms and legs off an Indian boy for marrying an Indian girl that was above his caste or class level. The great part is that the newspapers report all this type of barbarians and try to portray it as just that barbaric, but it will take a long time to change India and bring it into the modern world.

So I guess I miss South America where I was more or less equal with all the locals. Oh yea, I had more money, but that was only a big deal if I allow it, and not a problem

LEAVE HAMPI ON THURSDAY AND GO NORTH TO HYDERBAD
I will leave on the 4:00 PM train to Hyderbad. It is scheduled to arrive the next morning at 5:30 or close to that time. I will probably stay the night in Hyderbad to smell the city. It has over 5 million people. I got to believe it is ripe, or hopefully they make the bigger cities more modern than the smaller cities.

TRYING TO FIND ATM
I am having some headaches in India finding ATM machines. Normally a country bank will all have the ATM, for instance if a Bank of India has an ATM, then they will have one for all the cities banks in the country. This is NOT true of India.

I need to carry extra or more cash than normal in India.

I think I will try to get on one of them ATM locators on the Internet. Hopefully that will work. Normally only in the places where you do not need an ATM and they are everywhere, but I will check, because this would save me days of travel.

The ATM locator did not work, or tell me anything. It had a few of the cities I would like to stop and visit, but as always. “No information available.” I did find a India Corporation Bank that said it had an ATM in Bijapur, but it did not say if it took outside the country, or only the inside the country cards, so that was inconclusive.

I give up, I will go to Hyderbad and get money and skip some of the cities in between. I purchased a sleeper 2nd class sleeper train with an upper bunk for 269 Rupees to somewhere that is suppose to be there, but has a different name of “Kachegoda.”

I will stay a night in Hyderbad and go north by small bus along the same route as the train tracks. If I want I can jump on a train and move faster or at least with less pain. The guy I purchased a train ticket from said I needed to buy tickets 10 days ahead to go directly to Hyderbad, this is nuts and not my idea of travel. I do no have itineraries.

CAUGHT LADY WITH HAND UP BUTT OF COW

Hard to keep a straight face when walking down the dirt alley toward my friends Shackles house and I encounter a lady playing or putting her hand on the rectum of a cow. I thought I better take a photo just in case… Never know when a photo is needed.

I will try to be respectful, but what I finally learned she was doing is trying to get the cow to pee so that she could collect in a pot. She is going to use the urine to clean something, and I am not sure I really want to know.
- posted by Andy @ 2:37 AM

 
ONE THING OR ANOTHER
Hello,
I am off to Hyderbad in 4 hours by train. I came to Hospet to use the internet for 4 hours and my regular place is closed for the Hindu New Years, so all my great plans are set aside because the is other internet cafe is not good for my computer.

It is adventure finding a computer sometimes in India. Too much small problem, and the connections are broken or eaten by boys surfing the S ex sites.

All is good though, and I am heading north.
Andy

- posted by Andy @ 9:59 PM

 
NEWSLETTER TODAY - TOP 10 TRAVEL SITES OF 2003
Hobo TRAVEL TIPS - Hampi Karnataka India - Top 10 Travel Internet Sites

http://www.hobotraveler.com/newsletterhobo137insert.shtml

- posted by Andy @ 10:32 PM

 
MAYBE AN EXPERIMENT
I was talking to a fat American girl yesterday and wanted to find a book to trade in English. She asks me, or I said to her that I carry around 7 books all the time to be ready to trade when possible. I also do not like to trade 2 for 1 because that depletes the trade supply, so better to trade with other travelers and not in the over stupid bookstores.

But she said,
“Isn’t it very heavy?”
I said,
“Yes, but who walks with the backpack?”
“Yes, I walk, but only to Rickshaw.”

But I am really not lazy, and normally even make my life more difficult by walking to meet the Rickshaws. I am amused at the number of people here in the Shanthi that book, or arrange a Rickshaw to be at the door to leave for Hospet.

But being that I am not lazy, but cheap I normally walk to the place where there is a gang of Rickshaws to get the competition going, and get a good price.

I was going to say that I could go one month without picking up my backpack, but this is stupid. It would cost me an extra 8 dollars and that is 4 nights in a Hotel here in India. I am 100 percent positive I could travel in India and never pick up my back for an extra 8 dollars.

Now note that I save the 8 dollars and 90 percent of the travelers pay so much more than me it is ridiculous. They are terrible negotiators or mean ones, and I am good at getting a great price on rooms, taxis, and such in a nice way. Being mean, is being mean, and a good way to have someone decide to rob you and not drive a taxi for a living.

But for the entire world that wants to travel in the poor countries. It should not be about walking, or carrying your bags. The poor countries are the easy ones, and the rich ones of Europe are the pain in the butt ones.

I am realizing everyday that I like the underdeveloped countries because I can live and travel like a King on Paupers wages.

It is hard to understand why a person likes to stay in places like India, but it probably is about the quality of life being so great. It is nice to lounge around all day, read books, talk, and look at tourist attractions for 5 dollars U.S.

I keep thinking it would be nice for my parents to travel in India for a month with me. India is safer than South America in terms of Robbery, so an older person can get on easier without being robbed.

DON’T THINK RELIGIONS ARE CONSIDERATE
I just went out to take some photos of the inconsiderate jerks making a chant outside the hotel. Don’t ever think that ANY religion of the world is considerate. I have never understood why religions think they are special and can go annoy people without remorse.

It is about 7:00 am in the morning here in Hampi and these jerks dress in orange dresses is singing just outside the hotel. I do not mind them walking by and moving down the road to do this, but they have set up station outside the hotel. So I went and took a photo. I work on the photo reciprocity theme. If they are rude enough to annoy me, I am rude enough to take their photos. Although there is really only about 2 percent of the people that do not want their photos taken, and this idea of stealing the soul, and all the other crap is long since been lost. They are now just as vain in the world as the rest of the world. The world is up to speed on photographs, and most cultures have cameras.

Just yesterday Shackle my seamstress was making me look at her family pictures. I suppose this is a form of endearment and I did somewhat enjoy them, but for me not the best with no choice. Shackle is not a stranger and I enjoyed the photos, but I am amazed that I can meet a person for one minute and they want to show me their wedding photos. Remember on my web site you have a choice….! You can click off.

But most religions of the world do not know the golden rule or even a slight understanding of the golden rule. This includes all the Christian religions also. NONE are considerate. The all like to accost people and they allow people in their religions to accost, provoke, and try to annoy people. Saying hello and giving a pamphlet is not annoying. It is when they refuse to let me walk away, or especially this making me… I rephrase that, when they TRY to make me feel guilty to give them money. I am way beyond the guilt stage of giving money. I am at the self-defense stage of giving. I will tell them to go take a hike. Leave me alone and learn some manners. A guilt-trip given to a person with no choice is abusive. A guilt-trip given to a willing audience may be penance or needed…. !

But walking down the street as a tourist a person does not ask to be accosted or made to feel guilty. But then again it is hard to make an innocent person feel guilty!

SHANTHI JERK
There is a little kid that works in the Shanthi Guesthouse. He is real disgusting sounding and acting individual. Every morning I get to hear him clear his throat. But he appears to be a normal person from the Indian culture. Shanthi means peace or quiet in the Hindi or whatever language it is, and this is not peace or quiet. Disgusting yes. I think I listen. I think I read and try to understand the goal. What are the rest of the people doing? I am not perfect, and the only perfection is in trying to be better.

FUTILITY OF TAKING PHOTOS
I just used the word “Futile” and then I decide I should go make sure I know the meaning, so I will go check in dictionary.

1 : serving no useful purpose : completely ineffective - efforts to convince him were futile.

Yep, that is how I wanted to use the word. I am amazed at all the word I know from a contextual basis, and am not absolutely positive I would want to use in writing. I suppose that is why writer use a journal to learn to write, because it helps to take a thought and translate it from an abstract concept into a concrete statement, and it is work to use the correct words. I could have use the word diction instead of “correct words,” but why use a bigger word?

Back to the subject of the futility of taking photos. I have taken I think around 7-10,000 photos. I am not sure, and this is still just a guess, but I have taken a lot. I have lost a few thousand of them and this is annoying, but goes to express the futility of photos. People take tons and tons of photos like they are going to publish them in a book or something and this is sometime ludicrous and sometimes annoying when they make us look at them. I can honestly say that maybe 5 times more or less in the last 7 years have I shown photos to my friends on the computer. I hate to show people photos on my computer and do not see that this is good to offer to show them photos. The people I showed were bugging me to death to show them their photos, it is almost never photos of something special, but more likely I took a photo of them, and they ask if they could see the photo. This is the nature of vanity.

But, people do like to see photos and off course I am showing all my readers lots of photos, but all of you have a choice, and can click away quickly. I think a lot about photos and how to take photos, but in the end the problem is the futility of taking photos.
My goal is to show or represent what it feels like to be here in India, or sometimes I will pound a subject, for instance toilets to show you what they are like, and the thoughts that go through my head.

So this is I think a form of Photo Journalism, or a way of telling a story with photos. The world is big, and often a photographer is in my mind a Photo Hack, or a person that takes photos to mis-represent something and not to represent something. I try to represent is close to how it feels as possible, and this requires good and bad photos to be shown. Of course a person that pays a lot of money should not and I hope would not take a lot of bad photos to show how the situation was, but most people only glamorize a situation and do not do justice or truth to a subject.

But back to the FUTILE word. It is a monstrous world we live in, and is huge, and to even have inkling as to what the word is about means a person has to have God view of themselves, as to think that they can understand “Poverty.” This is everywhere in the world, or in many ways is not everywhere in the world. There are ugly pictures of how people live, and I cannot always call it poverty. It is how they live and is normal often. I would hate or despise a person that calls India poor. I would call them “Poorer” than the USA, but I would not call them poor. I would call them a bunch of dirty living people, but that is just their culture, and until people die from dirt, there is not normally a reason to clean. Most of the world is probably a level of not needed clean to be healthy. I like to be clean not so much for health reasons, and for respect for others so the rest of the world does not have to smell or look at me, and be annoyed.

But taking photos is futile proposition. I have taken so many photos now though that I am repeating some certain types of photos over and over, like for example photos of toilets, showers, sewers, backpacks, hippies, and lots of subjects. I think a lot about making groups of photos of for example toilets, and try to think of a way to collect all my toilet photos on a page. I even have thought about making funny Web Page domains like.
…. Onthejohn .com or downthedrain .com and I could make better ones also, and have all sorts of fun, but in the end I still am just trying to collect in one place.

FINALLY

I have finally come up with a method to collect in one place. That is not correct, the problem is not to collect in one place, but the problem is to have a directory that I can use, and refer to that makes sense to me, and is easy for me.

I have lots of systems or methods or remembering where things are on my page. For instance on the photos I am talking about I will put them in order like this in the directory.

photoscripples01.shtml
photosfakereligiousworship01.shtml
photosgearlocksbackpacks01.shtml
photossewers01.shtml
photostaxis01.shtml
photosthefthotel01.shtml

So they are photo and the second part of the file name is the subject, and because page like this get too big, I have 01, 02, 03, and so forth. You put a www.hobotraveler.com in front of these ending and hopefully you go to a page of photos on the subject. I say hopefully because there is lot of work to check to make sure everything functions.

But I make them like this so I can go check all my photo subjects. I group the files in a pre-sorted by name fashion in my directory.

But what I have finally done, and relives me in some ways of the FUTILE feeling is learned a way to make a TABLE OF CONTENTS.

A Table of contents for me is a problem, because sometimes there are no contents to put in the table of contents, so that is futile also, but with time and making a lot of messes I am slowly having enough information to have in a table of contents. Mostly I make a big mess of things, and then I go back and organize. This seems to be the normal procedure.

But what is nice is that I have finally started to group these photos type journalist photos in one place together. I am placing them on the end of my tips by subjects page until they get big enough or they are numerous enough to place on one page.

TIPS BY SUBJECT
http://www.hobotraveler.com/indenewslettipsbysubject.shtml

SITE MAP!
I like to go to web sites and especially big sites and look at their “Site Maps,” I am often amazed at what they call a site map. To me is a very short and extremely brief table of contents. But I can empathize with the problem of navigation and moving around inside a Website. People complain always about not being able to understand how to move around. Sometime the do not have enough understanding on the internet, sometimes their mental memory is insufficient to remember what they are doing, and lots of times the webpage is just made bad. OR maybe the person making it is not clear on how to organize that would make sense, or does not have enough content to make sense on how to organize, and for me I collect a lot of information and I do not know what or why I am collecting for, but eventually the reason appears, or does not appear. It just sits there collecting space.

But my sitemap and my navigation of my site is making progress after working for years, and it is coming closer to making sense for me. It is very ugly still and that is OK, but at least I can move around myself on my site and find things quicker. The search thingy on my page is for the most part junk, but it does work a little. But only to search for titles of pages. There is a reason that GOOGLE.com exist. Their system of indexing is better than my own… hehehe
They can actually index my pages better then me. I am thinking and trying to put Google on my site as a search of my site. I think it would be better than my freefind.com searchy thingy.

Well… All this noise is because I have learned how to be more organized and that make me happy. I guess when I learn to understand myself and the word life is in order. A little clarity is a good source of serenity.
http://www.hobotraveler.com/sitemap.shtml

KILLING ANTS
I got a feeling of guilt killing an ant. What is wrong with India….aagh!

JEFFS PAGE
http://jeff.westinfamily.com/South_Africa.html

DUH ! Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus

I just realized that Mars is the Roman God of War and Venus is the God of Love. This book “Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus” was or must have been written by a man committed to the fighting with women. Because to say that says that we will always choose war, while women will choose love. Nothing conciliatory or helpful about adopting that proposition. I laugh a lot about this book, as all it really does for me is give me a lot of excuse on why I should not agree with women. This is not a great strategy. I think or try to figure out how we are the same; instead of telling them we are different. But I had an epiphany.
My favorite word to play with of current days.

A QUOTE TO REMEMBER
"Nothing appeals to intellectuals more than the feeling that they represent 'the people.' Nothing, as a rule, is further from the truth." --Paul Johnson

TRYING TO LEAVE OR MAYBE NOT
I am about to abort the trip up to see Jeff. It is about the distance from Indiana to California by a slow train. I am thinking it would be better to stop in California and see him on the way home, and take Greyhound to India. Pressing on fast, or pushing to fly across a country is sort of anti-travel to me. This is tourism, to see as much or say you saw something. I do not really care if I see the tourist attractions. I do try to see what appeals to me. This is hard for people. I was nagging this Israel girl yesterday,
“What do you want to see in India?”
She was completely clueless and was just following the path, but then again she had never ask herself the question, so she was looking for a place to go, and did ask the question,
“What would I like to see?”
She would go to a place because people say she should go to a place and after there discover what she thought she should want to see. She did admit that she would like to learn to cook India dishes. I sort of would like to do this, but not a real lot. Maybe I would like to learn to make this GREEN Chetnee. I would like to be able first to request the type of Chetnee I like. They are always serving me this crappy stuff, and I cannot say in their language what I want.

I would say learning how to cook the food is fun in most countries and is cheap and you can take home with you.

POLE VAULTING AND HIGH JUMPING
I was trying to empathize with the other students in the Yoga class yesterday. It is interesting how many of them really like the feeling of the stretching of the body. I Pole Vaulted and High Jumped for a few years in High School. This is track sport and involves a sudden exertion of high energy, and you must wiggle or conform your body around the crossbar. Both of these activities require a person to be very much in control of their flexibility, plus you can only muster enough concentration every 5 minutes to perform practice, so what happens is we would sit in the cushions or drop pad of the high jump pit and talk, laugh, tell jokes and stretch the whole time. It was very relaxing and fun. I remember being to able to bend my legs over the top of my body and touch the ground. We did all sorts of extreme stretches although nothing like the level of a gymnast that does Chinese splits or the splits. I suppose I was close to being able to do the normal splits like my sisters the cheerleader, but I never pushed it far enough. I wish the coach would have done anything to teach us how to pole vault or high jump. It was definitely a self-taught activity, but the coach was short and fat, and look like a shot-putter. I doubt he had any idea on how to do this. So hard to instruct in something you have no clue.

I still sit around and stretch in bed on occasion while reading my book. I can say though that Yoga was about 5 times more stretching than I have ever performed in one session, but was never even close to the extreme pushing of the stretch we performed. I did realize though how badly my body was, or how tight my bones, and such were.

We were talking to some India people and learned that they can bend their fingers all the way back and touch their wrist. It is enough to make you sick. It is very unnatural to watch. I am going to check a few of my India friends and see if this just normal genetics of this breed of human. If so… so much for me letting him glorify his natural ability to stretch. Hehehe

I am making an inside my head mental joke I do. I am excellent at understanding computer. It is not an act of discipline to learn the computer. Sometimes it is, and to daily type in the computer is maybe an act of discipline, but for me to learn the computer is too easy, and I would never represent this as something that anyone should look at me and say,
“Aw Andy, you work so hard to learn the computer.”
Crap!
I do work hard to make all the page and put all the time into the computer. I also work very hard on where to learn the information. But the actual learning is a breeze. I am a natural. There is little discipline needed.

On the other hand, for me to learn a language is a discipline. I am quite proud of myself for learning Spanish. I had to sit around writing words over and over on a piece of paper for hours to learn and remember the Spanish words by rote memory. This was discipline.

HELLO SELF
I am being to realize more each day that it would be better to travel with a girl and not alone, especially in India. It would be nice to have a steady friend and companion. I probably have more friends while traveling because the people have the time to talk, while my friends at home for the most part are too busy. Time is what is needed for friends, family, children or any time type of acquaintance. You need time to talk with people to develop friendship. I always have an overabundance of time. This is maybe not true of most travelers, or at least they think they do not have time, but most travelers sit around shooting the bull most of the day, and some are too exited about seeing every tourist attraction. The balance is probably in between. I am fortunately to work on my webpage mission and this give me an extra distraction.

YOGA
I did the YOGA class yesterday. I was thinking above about distractions and realized this was a distraction or an amusement of my time.

Yoga… The man that taught the class here in Hampi was interesting and good. I think he is a good guy, but sort has a perma-small on his face that makes me question his sincerity. If he would break the smile I would know he was really listening and not being so delighted to listen or understand. His English is good, but he ask if I we had any doubts, which I was soon to realize he meant,
“Do you have an questions?”
I sort of thought doubts was what I was having and this seem very appropriate use of words, and too good for his English, plus too sincere. Because I would say I am dealing with the doubts about what I am doing, and do not have my questions.

Is it good for me? I must say yes. Why? Because it is a stretching class of my body, and it also forces me to obey for 2 hours. I would rather obey for 1 hour, and got a little punchy and started to laugh in the session. I was so bored I thought I was going to drop. This is not what they want you to feel or think, and I broke down laughing on the concrete at my attempts to make my formerly broken leg perform or fold and bend.

I broke my femur, and was in a cast for one year. Now the ankle does not bend good, and he nerves play games, and do not want to respond quickly. The flexibility sucks, but for my age it is extremely great. I am age 49. I suppose Gandhi with his experiment in truth and autobiography is making me feel guilty that I leave that out all the time. I am sure most people think I am 35 and this is what the teacher was forcing or wanting me to behave.

I am not sure about the laughing things. Everyone was too in love with stretching and I was not getting a spiritual awakening. I was getting a lot of good energy though. It was so funny.
He kept saying,
“Breath in the good energy, breath out the bad energy.”
“Breath in the good energy, breath out the bad energy.”

I just about said,
“I am all out of bad energy.”
I was digging deep to feel some bad thoughts to push out of my body. It was a pain, and felt like the gas tank was on empty and I was shaking my body to drain the bad energy. I ask a girl after the class if this was easy for her to do and she said sure.
I asked,
“Do you have a bad energy?”
“Do you think or do bad things?”
She is a saint, and a new friend and she said,
“Yes, I have a lot of bad thoughts.”
The girl I asked is Aila from Israel and she is a candidate in some ways for sainthood, but not really. But she is a really sweet girl and this seems difficult to believe that she could have any guilt.

I suppose that is my idea of bad energy. That fight in my mind between doing the right thing, and the bad thing, and the coming to grips with this to me is Hell. I guess if God stuck me in the chair and said,
“Andy you must come to grips with all your past!”
I am going to make you think of every time you was a bad boy, and now you are going to have to admit, think, feel, and come to grips with who you really are then this would be Hell.”
Sort of what confession is for the Catholic religion if done correctly, but I have doubts that many do a real confession. I think 95 percent of Catholics have pat or standard sins to confess.

I think the confession part was a silly thing to drop in the Protestant religion, but most people would not want to admit they are jerks or sin. I suppose to me, I am absolutely there are times when I am total jerk, and enough people tell me and remind me now and especially in the past, that I take it for granted. I am not a jerk or either do I sin much, but enough for about 5 of them questions daily on,
“Let the bad energy out.”
I am sure he did is properly for the majority.

I suppose I am being a little arrogant which makes people in my world angry, but I really do not have the luxury to build up a good reservoir of guilt. I am an alcoholic and guilt would just be too much encouragement to drink. So I just keep my nose clean, and be a good boy, and I do not feel guilty. Plus I am too old for that crap. Doing a bunch of naughty deed is too difficult. I have learned by experience to keep myself out of trouble. I suppose it is why I am good traveler because I can recognize trouble before it happens.
- posted by Andy @ 10:11 PM

 
FUNNY TRIVIAL INFORMATION
I am in the Shanthi Hotel here in Hampi. They have a very good mirror situation and there is a mirror in my room. Next to the bathroom, up and down and everywhere a mirror should be in an organized world. Now the problem is that I got the world’s worst or maybe shortest haircut a week ago, so at every moment I am notified…
“Your hair is sticking straight up!”

I can go weeks on end normally without looking at myself because the world just does not see a need to put mirrors in Hotels so suddenly it would make my ego better to not have a mirror, I am in a situation where there are too many mirrors.

I suppose in 4 weeks the hair lengths will be long enough to lay down and not stand straight up. But the great part is I can probably go 6 months without a haircut and still look conservative.

TO YOGA CLASS TODAY
I am going to a Yoga class today and am hoping this does not cross over into some religious meeting. I want to go to a stretching class and do not want to sit around some pseudo-intellectual, lets be mystical for the sake of getting laid situation. Play the bongos and call us special situation. This type of situation is boorish and to me being a brute. Yoga has its roots in what I would consider really noble and grand concepts, and it is hard for me to watch any noble situation be kidnapped and trampled or be used for inane cause. Nothing like a noble cause being used for petty desires.

But if this is a complex way of saying I am going to a stretching class I will be happy. I have studied the word enough to know that it means both. There is Yoga done for normal stretching and there is YOGA done for more or a Religious or Hindu reason.

I think the Yoga in little caps is supposed to be stretching, and the YOGA in big letters is the Hindu version. I am in a Hindu country so I am expecting we are doing Hindu version, but for the sake of the teacher making money we will be doing the not Hindu version in reality. I actually would rather learn the Hindu version in reality, but that would confuse people. The Hindu religion is hard to call a religion because they have an idea that to act with discipline is good, so anything that is acting with restraint and discipline is good. It is a sort of a fried potato version of religion, with a very passive form of zealots.

Here is the Encyclopedia Britannica definition of Yoga. Does that word “1 capitalized” mean what I think or am I misunderstanding?

Main Entry: yo£ga
Pronunciation: ‚y‹-g„
Function: noun
Etymology: Sanskrit, literally, yoking, from yunakti he yokes; akin to Latin jungere to join- more at yoke
Date: 1820


1 capitalized : a Hindu theistic philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body, mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from them and attain liberation
2 : a system of exercises for attaining bodily or mental control and well-being
-yo£gic \-gik\ adjective, often capitalized


RACISM
I was frustrated with myself yesterday and keep rehashing in my mind the pros and cons of an ugly part of humans. It is nice and easy to sit around at home and say we love people, races, or countries, and our homes separated from all the problems of the world this is easy to do, but when you are traveling the world you encounter really difficult people. There is an English couple that I have encountered twice now that seems to feel absolutely no remorse in saying bad comments in a very public fashion about the Israel people. The first time I was at the Mango restaurant with my new friend Aila from Israel and we were leaving when she left to go the toilet. The girl was asking where a restaurant that was the same, and separated from the Israelis was, or that was similar to the Mango restaurant was, and if the manager could recommend a place so they could get away from the Israel people. Now the girl that just left was from Israel, and this blond and I have to admit she is just a plain stupid naïve girl from England on vacation to drink so I should not be so sensitive about her. But I was leaving the Internet café yesterday and the same stupid girl was again making comments about Israel people very loudly and in an obnoxious manner that was totally without sensitivity to the fact that Israel people always surround us. I do not think she can tell them apart so she is really stupid. She is complaining about a people that she cannot tell from Europeans.

This is the second time in India though that I have been in the presence of an England person that has outrageously made comments about Israel people and there are lots and lots more of these examples, but not of the outrageous style.

The reason she did not like Israel people is because they are loud. Now to say I do not like people because they are loud to me is strange. I am annoyed with people that have no respect and are loud, but the Israel people naturally speak loud like the Brazilians, or Italians, or the Americans do sometimes. These are loud speaking cultures. I have been laughing also because the India people are a culture that argues in public, I have been around now numerous arguments and it is obvious they will argue and fight vigorously.

BUT WHAT ABOUT ME?
I can here myself thinking. I can here myself talking. Now the whole world cannot here me thinking, but I can! I say to myself daily.
“I want to avoid the English people.”

And I am presently leaving Hampi for this reason. The percentage of English people as increase to a majority here, and there is no balance of cultures anymore. All the party is over in Goa for the holidays and they have come to Hampi.

I AM SAYING THE SAME AS THE BRITISH GIRL
I am frustrated with myself for in reverse being or doing the same as the English girl. I spend time thinking and avoiding the English for what I consider extremely bad manners. So I am the same as the English girl in many ways, and do the exact same behavior. The main difference is I do it inside my head, or inside this blog, and not in the presence of a person in a violent and manipulative way.

I cannot change the world, and I can only change myself. Often when I get angry I find there is a reason for me to change myself, and not the other people.

People will say now that are reading this or would say to me when I comment on this,
“Andy you are intolerant.”
In British slang I should comment back,
“Bollocks.”
Intolerant people go home and hide in the safety of their easy lives so they do not even have to handle the situation. They go to 5 star hotels to avoid the hassles of normal people. I am so tolerant of people it is ridiculous. But I am still human and sitting around a bunch of obnoxious noisy drunks or around a bunch of people pissing in the street is not my idea of fun.

I am trying to reconcile this frustration because it keeps growing in me that I am angry at some culture to no end. Normally the Brits and I am feeling like an abused child that wants to get some revenge. This is the crux of the matter, and there is no ways to get revenge, stop, or change or mutate this situation. It exists and I have to accept that it will happen again in my presence. I am sort of making up all the time my internal mental and moral policy on how I will deal with these types of situations. I can tell you that the Israel girl I am friend with is probably one of the most saintly girls I have met in 7 years of travel and if the fat England girl would have said that comment in front of her I would have tore in her with a storm. Now when you are complaining about a noisy Israel person, and the Israel person is really noisy. This is just a complaint. But to complain and make nasty comment to just be making nasty comments is mean.

This is the heart. There are some real mean people in the world. They want to be mean and hurt people. I on the other hand would like to slap them silly. I am get physically in the desire to remove these people from the earth that want to hurt innocent or abuse a defenseless person. Some people get really cruel with the beggars here and this is just not called for. I also get very annoyed with them, and their brutish and obnoxious behavior, but I do not try to abuse or hurt them. Sometime I do fight back in self-defense to the beggars. If you allowed them they would never stop. You must be willing to be firm. There is a huge difference between being firm and being mean. I see parents spank their children to be firm, and I have seen parents hit their children to be mean.

Trust me when it comes to the Israel people making noise, there is nobody firmer than me, I can tell them to go shut up faster than anyone. But what I like about them is they listen, but you do the same with Germans or English and they do not listen. They feel they have a right to be as they wish. There is a difference from talking loud normally and a person that talk loud because they believe they are superior.

All this stuff always comes down to the idea that one person thinks they are superior to the other. When one culture thinks their culture is superior to the other they express it or say it often.

Now I am no better than anyone else, and I can and do make comments that I know bridge on being racist. I suppose like in the book Gandhi he was talking about intentions, and weighing a person by their intentions, or more he weighed himself by his intentions. He broke a few vows in a round about way, and he realized though technically he did not break the vow, he did break the intention of the vow, so he really did break the vow.

He gave up milk, and then decides that goat milk was acceptable when he was really sick and needed nourishment. Because his mother made him vow to not drink cow milk.

Politically correctness is scourge and a weapon of the weak to hurt the powerful out of meanness. Words are weapons and can hurt people.

I am trying to work out a policy in my head on how to deal with the obnoxious people of the world and their idiosyncrasies.

I am not worried about this problem in the world because I am positive that anti-racism has won the battle and the world is moving slowly toward law such as the USA has to protect and stop this problem. Plus the Press of the world has taken up the banner and is persecuting and stopping guilty racist people. They will soon I hope go after the Muslim religion with a zest, because right not this religion is so violently opposed to the existence of anyone that is not a Muslim that they are out of control. To call a Jihad against non-believers is the ultimate act of outrageous racism. They people that support or tolerate a Jihad in any way are racist, and as best I can tell the whole Muslim religion is looking the other way and acting like they are not part of it. When I look the other way, I am saying to the person like the fat Brit girl that it is OK to make comments.

On the other hand I just told you and admitted that she is fat. I do not like fatness. I do not avoid saying that fatness or loudness or being a jerk is bad, and will label it that and say that. In the end I suppose I will just keep talking to myself until I reconcile a way to understand. But I try to do the right thing. That was one thing that to me seem dominant about Gandhi is not that he was in anyway perfect, but that he was constantly striving to find out how to do the right thing.

He was not just simply non-violent. He helped many a violent cause by being an ambulance driver in a couple of wars. He may not have shot them, but he helped the side he wanted to help to survive above the side of the other. So he was a conspirator to help them survive or win the war. Plus he was extremely mentally manipulative that is form of violence in so many ways. I think he was looking for a way to safely change the world with no one getting killed. I think he realized this was the ideal to strive for but the world is still in need of violence to protect the world, but he was trying to demonstrate the possible worlds of the future by his civil disobedience campaign.

WINDING UP THE MANAGER OF HOTEL
The manager of my Hotel wanted to inform me that the price of Hotel as of January 1st went from 80 to 120 Rupees for the room. I told him it is not honest to tell me on the 9th of January that the price changed on the 1st. He got very nervous and is wiggling. I am saying he understands, and he is changing the rules in mid-stream. He knows I am right, and is really jumpy. I am pushing and having fun, and really do not care, but this is extremely common in poor countries. They do not think of problems until it is a big problem He says to me,
“You good man.”
I say,
“I know.”

I think proceed to say because I good man I do not allow him to cheat me. I split the difference in the end and will pay from the 5th of January on, and they are being normal underdeveloped mentality business world. Note that when anyone tells me that I am good man it is just before they try to cheat me, in this situation he is just a kid and is also a good man, but flaky and nervous type.

I told him I was staying a long time when I entered. I did not get a discount, and am paying the going rate. He just had a hard time believing that anyone would stay in Hampi more than 5 days. But then again the do nothing to make us pay the big money, and stay here as is normal in 95 percent of hotels. Seems the height of idiocy that hotels do not think about retaining people and not just how to get us in the hotel. Note a TV in a free common area will keep people in a Hotel.

VIETNAM INVITATION
I received some type of invitation to visit a tourist office of place in Vietnam yesterday in my email box. I would like to visit these types of offices, and it would be fun to hear their perspective on the world and how they read or view my newsletters and noise.

An Asian letter can be very confusing, as the language is very difficult for them, and often appears like spam. They do a lot of the same or use the same words as the spammers. I try to sort them out quickly and wish they would reference something specific, and not be so formal. I like when they say to Andy and, or something like,
“I can see that you are enjoying Hampi.”

That lets me know they are aware of who I am and not doing the blank form letter.

I usually will write in the subject line for clarity.
Subject: From Andy Hobo to Joe Blow

LOOSE STRINGS
I am trying to leave, and am caught up in this maze of loose strings to pull in and tie up. Lots of little missions and deeds I wish to finish to leave. They hopefully will come together in the next few days. Unfortunately this makes is very difficult to go north in a leisurely manner and meet my friend Jeff near Nepal.

COW MANURE TRIVIAL INFORMATION
I was listening to a person in Palolem tell me that there was cow manure disinfector soap in the Ciarans camp for the travelers.

Yesterday Mono tells me that them mix up cow manure and spread on the ground to disinfect, and clean.

NOT LOOKING GOOD
Or maybe better to say my stomach is not feeling good. I guess it feels ok; as long as I have the security of knowing the restroom is close. I learned very early in my travels that I should never walk too far from a good toilet, and that I should always be somewhat aware of where and how to use the facilities, and if I was not I could be in some really stupid situations. I was in Mexico to start, and the toilets of Mexico make the toilets of India look clean. There are so many similarities between Mexico and India that it is amazing. I wonder if it because of the size?

Not looking good for class of Yoga.

YOGA CLASS
I met this girl from Israel yesterday and we sat and talked for a long time. She wanted to know where the Yoga classes were held in Hampi so I helped or showed her. She wants that I attend the class session today with her. I am not sure yet, maybe I will go and maybe I will not. My stomach or bowels is rumbling and I need to go to the toilet a little too often, so I am worried about a lot of movement. I think I just ate some food that travels too fast through the body and this will be over quickly, but as for now my stomach is rumbling.

The food in India is so spicy, and full of funky type mixtures of pieces to potatoes, onions, carrots, green things, and such. It is hard to say what is in come of the spice sauces, and this to me is confusing. I can pretty much predict how my body will react to most food, but some of the dishes here a full of every combination of vegetable and spices I am bewildered to say what I even ate, so predicting my body is very difficult.

I also have a mental problem with the word Yoga. If I think of this as a stretching class, and I can forget this wide eyed, I am holy and spiritual look in the eyes of the teacher I may do betters. The teacher does seem like an Ok person, but I cannot really say. I had a confused reading of him on my mental bullshit meter. A could of student walking out of the class I read clearly as the totally dink and clueless types, but he was shaking their hands as we entered and give a starry eyed, I love you, and feel you look.

There is nothing wrong with this in theory, but I am wary of any place where the naïve meet the master. This is an ingredient for abuse. Not of meet, but in most of these situations the teachers, masters, or whatever you call these types, of people, and they exist in the whole world it is 90 percent of the time a complex method of the guy getting the ability to get shagged.

It is like a male aerobic teacher, or being the boss in an office of women, or any situation of authority and listeners. In Churches, Temples, and all forms of religious this exist also. The authority is somehow given guru status, that enables and inordinate amount of earned or unearned respect, and enables the authority to have undue power if the authority wishes.

I am laughing as I write this, because a common statement for me to say when explaining how to make a webpage famous is,
“You need to become the Guru of the page subject.”

I went and looked up this word in the Encyclopedia and I ran into a maze of complexities about the Hindi religion and how a Guru is a form of spiritual leader. Without explaining too much, but I will paraphrase that these leaders appear to be self-appointed here. To me a Guru status is an earned status, and who really wants the Guru label. It smells to me of insincerity, and of honesty.

A bunch of travelers just entered the gate of the Hotel. It is about 6:50 in the morning here and that is early for travelers to enter. I am pretty sure that swarms of travelers are migrating here from Goa.

The Hampi people have been waiting for this, and I am sure they are very happy, as they will enter their peak earning time of the year and are able to double their prices. The hotel I live in has raises the prices 50 percent already.

I am not too fond of this, but Hampi is a place where people live on hope of getting rich off of tourist, and this is fools gold for most of them. They make a lot of money in the next two-week and then they will try to repeat those earning for the next 50 weeks, always under the delusion that they can do this again in each week, and they were or are only in the right place and the right time. The would to better to come here for 2 weeks and sell things in the street, then to pay for rent a whole year.
I am pretty sure that the Monsoon season here is traumatic to income.

SERENITY
I am laughing myself silly here in India. There are so many people trying find themselves and the Yoga teachers are getting the women that you have to laugh. Normally the level of stupidity is at a level where I am not sure if it is they, or I but India has taken on clarity that is easy.

I will say that Serenity they are seeking is not about being on top of a mountain with no stress, serenity is being calm in the middle of chaos. Also known as India…

YOGA
I do not like to listen to people talk about the latest fad or fashion; it wears on my mind to listen and frustrates me to no end. Yoga is the fad of flavor here in India for the tourist.

I was about to say it is a normal activity in India, but I have yet to see any Indians other than the teachers doing Yoga, so maybe it is the same fashion here as in the USA.

A Canadian guy made a good point last night that as an exercise it a good way to stretch the body and retract the aging process. I have realized that my body has become less limber with age, so this is appealing, plus he said he met a couple of Israel girls while in class, so that is a bonus.

Gandhi in his autobiography does not talk about Yoga; he is a push the veggie strain or vegetarian type faddist. But as I push around and looking my Encyclopedia Yoga shows up with the Hindi religion.

I have to admit that the Hindu and the Buddhist Religious are bafflingly difficult to understand, and I do not believe the people that worship these religions understand, but I believe that most people have a desire to believe in a God that does not require reason. They desire creates a devotional attitude.

I may have discovered the word that irritates me about religious of the world. I am totally in favor or all the religions of the world existing, but I am not in favor of them wearing or representing themselves in any way shape or form as religious.

For example you can recognize a Catholic Priest by his robe or collars. You can recognize the Muslims by their hats and long white shirts. You can recognize the Hindus by the red dot in the middle of their eyes. A lot of Protestants you can recognize by them walking around carrying a bible.

I think this is the word “Orthopraxy,” but unfortunately my dictionary in the computer does not have the word, although the Encyclopedia uses the word in comparison.

- basis of practice (orthopraxy)
rather than doctrine (orthodoxy)

When I was describing the various religions above I was describing how they practice or do their religions. This is the act of worship or one act of devotion or worship.

I really could care less in about going into detail on this in the blog because it normally just irritates people when I slice and dice a subject, so I will try to stop myself now.

I believe that the use of any force to push a religion whether by shame, guilt, coercion, law, or the most normal of people comparing how they dress to the way another person dresses is a sin. In the Christian Bible it pushes the idea that the act of Satan is to cause 2 people to argue. I think this difference in dress causes to people to argue. It the same as 2 separate gang members having on their colors and they see each other, and because they are supposed to not like each other, they do not.

I believe you can be a perfect person without telling anyone. In fact I think the only perfect people could never be found, because they would not be seen or felt in any normal way.

I am going to stop, but here are 3 ways the Hindu religion has a path to salvation. Yoga is number 2 here, but this is what interest me is that the travelers always separate the exercise of Yoga from the religion of Hinduism and this to me is like eating a piece of pizza with no cheese or tomato sauce. Something is missing.

HINDU PATHS TO SALVATION
The way (marga)

The final emancipation (moksha).
These three ways to salvation are
(1) the karma-marga (“the path of duties”), the disinterested discharge of ritual and social obligations;

(2) the jnana-marga (“the path of knowledge”), the use of meditative concentration preceded by a long and systematic ethical and contemplative training, yoga, to gain a supra-intellectual insight into one's identity with brahman; and

(3) the bhakti-marga (“the path of devotion”), the devotion to a personal God. These ways are regarded assuited to various types of people.

NOTE: Asking for forgiveness of the Christian Religions is lot easier…. Hehehe Plus the Christian religion says all of the 3 will not work and all that is needed is to ask for forgiveness of sin. A hell of a lot easier, plus with the world full of guilty people…

The Muslims have a few thousand rules to follow.
- posted by Andy @ 1:42 AM

 
TRYING TO LEAVE HAMPI
I am working hard to leave Hampi. Lots of small things so I have not traveled to Hospet to use the Internet. So very short and expensive blog here in Hampi.

60 Hampi vs 25 in Hospet and faster.
Andy
- posted by Andy @ 7:54 PM

 
HOBO FOUND WANDERING AROUND DRUNK IN HOSPET, KARNATAKA, INDIA
This old boy likes to drink Arak the local moonshine.
It is also legal for the Sadhus to smoke weed.



- posted by Andy @ 11:59 PM

 
FINISHED THE GANDHI AUTOBIOGRAPHY
 I have finished the book and still at lengths on how to explain, or what to think of the book. It is obvious that Gandhi was trying very hard to seek truth in the realm of helping the people of India and this is good. I suppose for me the truth is somewhere around an idea that maybe all religions are both correct and incorrect at the same time, and there is a need to devout to your energy to a path that is correct in your mind, but is surely incorrect in the other persons mind. This dualism or acceptance that two ways are correct and that the truth lies in listening to your personal voice and following the advice of that voice. The delusional person will think their voice is telling them to do selfish behaviors and will forever be shown or demonstrated by their guilt. A person that looks or seems guilty is not listening to their voice.

RESTRAINT VS TEMPTATION
Gandhi is into a restraint of passions things and this is confusing to me, because he assumes so much in his autobiography about the readers understanding of the Hindu religion or Ahisma, Jainism and other words. I am still lost on why he thinks he needs to give up sex, I can understand the vegetarian part, because he believes that he should not kill or harm in any way other living things. The line is not clear though for this belief of his.

I find him very honest, and definitely less than a Saint, but admitting to his faults constantly. My gut reaction would be his big sin was pride and wanting attention. He does seem very political in nature and like or looks for the love of his people.

I will say that he references intentions in violence, but does so far not reference the pre-meditation to manipulate people as a form of violence. I would much rather have a person slap me, and deal with then to have them use manipulative pre-meditated, or conspire to change me. He does this constantly and does not separate mental violence from the physical violence. The book is his life story and people beliefs do change over time.

He seems to completed gloss over “Temptation” as a religious problem. I see Temptation or the desire to enter into tempting situations as the problem with Restraint. It is easy to give up sex if you cut off your testicles. It is a little more difficult to have restraint with them. He basically leaves his wife, children, and does not eat meat because he believes it stops his sex drive, plus he only does a good job of the sex problem when in an older age.
He is a good man, but I wish he would have explained better his motivations and less on his exploits or adventures. Truth is about motives for me, and the idea of avoiding temptation, and when in a temptation know how to leave, and then to have restraint as the final act.

I would paraphrase or surmise the reason why he believes restraint is good that it teaches a person how to manage their passions. I believe very few people can control their hunger or passions. I hear thin people tell fat people how to lose weight. I would never listen to a thin person on this subject; I would only listen to a person that I was positive was fat and lost the weight. There is always advice from people that are very good at something telling the other how easy it is to do something. I am very good at computers and it is almost impossible to lower my level of thought sufficiently to where I can empathize with the lowest skilled of the people that wish to use a computer. There is a class that refuses to use a computer that is even lower, but that is a whole separate situation.

I have techies berate me constantly because I make links and say,
“Click here.”
I remember when I first started I did not know what the little hand was and only when I saw the click here was I aware what to do. Plus I also had to learn what is a “Click” of the mouse. The only sure thing I can do is type “Click Here.” I try to choose answers that apply to all people understanding and not to select peoples.

I am constantly making fun of acronyms or abbreviations, and jargon of any type in writing. Oh yea, I make fun of politically correct speech also… PC?

THE WAY BACK MACHINE
I am having problems updating the archives of my site and finding all the photos. It is very depressing to learn I have lost photos. 90 percent of the photos lost were from paying computer stores or techies to backup my hard drive.

Chris has recommended this page: I tried to retrieve some of the xoom.com pages from years ago, and I cannot retrieve them, I will try to retrieve some of the hoboguide.com pages that I have lost photos.

This makes me very frustrated and angry with techies and constantly proves to me their inability to be logical and systematic. Just because a person is good on a computer does not mean they can do the job. I am so grateful for the advances of CD Rom burning, although this is not foolproof.
http://www.archive.org/index.php

Note the way back machine did not work for hoboguide.com.
- posted by Andy @ 11:53 PM

 
HAMPI


- posted by Andy @ 10:39 PM

 
CONNECTION MADE IN INTERNET CAFE
Hello,

I connected today in Hospet to the Internet with my personal computer.
I have a compact presario 900
It has 2 RJ slots. I used the larger one.
It is configured on automatic TCP and I did not have to do anything.

Andy
- posted by Andy @ 8:24 PM

 
THE HANDS ARE WEARING ON ME
I strangely woke this morning thinking about or dwelling in my mind on a quote from Mahatma Gandhi

“What was an apology for a bath room was unbearably dirty, the latrines were stinking sinks. To use the latrines one had to wade through urine and excreta or jump over them.”

Page 356 of the Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi - Navajivan Publishing.

I found this book in the Gopi restaurant here in Hampi, and thought I would give it a try. I am not much on reading slow books, so I say try because I was not sure if the guy was going to blather or be interesting. I have found the book very interesting and an easy read. I am almost finished and am looking forward to the ending because he must surely wrap up his thoughts.

What is wearing on me? The Hands.
I am not paranoid and definitely not a clean freak, or in anyway holding to a policy of absolute cleanliness. I live in rooms full of disorganization and clutter, which to me is comfortable. I however am a person that believes that having my body, clothes, and all my possessions clean is important, and strives constantly for higher levels of cleanliness while traveling.

I was listening to 1 German and 1 Swiss girl tell me how you should not shower, and that it was not healthy. I told them,
“I know the Germans and the Swiss do not shower, that is obvious.”

I do not shower for my benefit as much as my benefit of being my attempt to be the least offensive to anyone in my area. Plus if people were to enter my room constantly I would clean it constantly to be the least offensive, and to not draw attention.
But the hands and fingernails are so dirty often on the India people that I become noxious. I almost left a very good restaurant in Hospet the other day because of looking at the hands of the server. I am slowly becoming accustomed to the country and I am able to see the underlying dirt in the country. The government has obviously adopted some very organized programs for water, but the people are culturally very dirty people.

It is wearing on my nerves and I am trying to find cleaner places to eat. It is very difficult and I believe impossible in the end to find a clean restaurant that is 1/10 the level of the western world. Outwardly it can appear clean, and by you walks a waiter who is ridiculously dirty. Dirt that is or has been on his hand for weeks if not forever in nature.

I had a girl ask me why I carried cooking supplies in my backpack and I do believe that cook your own food is better than to eat the local foods. I find that I eat lots of processed or packaged goods to avoid the sharing the hygiene of the India people. Gandhi was a rich boy by all practical measures and was cleaner.

I have learned very slowly that most people do not want to travel to countries like India for one reason. They are dirty, I do not think this is a good reason, and believe that 5 Star Hotels do not stop a culture from invading the Kitchen. It does do a good job of masking and hiding the real situation though.

I am working and mulling over in my mind how to clean my world to the level of a “Clean Freak.” One of them people that spends their whole live sniveling.

Sort of an I think it was Jack Lemmon’s character Felix from the show “The Odd Couple” that would best demonstrate who I am thinking should be happy.

I am positive this type of person would be in agony in most countries and place out of their ultimate control, but I do believe that a person could enter Hotels and clean themselves to this level for living. They would have to stay longer in each location though. But there is also an art to recognizing and finding a clean hotel. It has almost nothing to do with the Star System and that to me is a hindrance, because they want a reservation and it is difficult and very expensive to say you do not want to live in a place that you have already reserved. To me cleanliness demands that you have a choice and no reservation.


FOUND A PATH IN INDIA TO FOLLOW
Gandhi started an Ashram or some retreat for his Satyagraphs or people that held firm to truth and it is perfectly in my mental path I have planned to leave Hampi. It is called Sevagram in the state of town, eastern Maharashtra state, western India.

An “Ashram” or normally the Yoga Ashram is a faddish place for the travelers to pay to visit here in India. It is very complicated to connect the words together with the meanings. There are people using words like Ashram, Sadhus or Vishnu, Ayuredic and all the words of India culture, Sanskrit, Hindi and who knows where they came from or originated. That is the problem.

The definition of these words complicated and to say Ashram although is correct in the India culture; it is better to say,
“I am going to a location where they have religious retreats with an emphasis on Yoga.”

This is a “Yoga Ashram.” I am sure I am saying or defining incorrectly this word Ashram, but that is OK, I am trying to show that the word is hard to define, and people just idly using these words are to me demonstrating faddish, trendy, naïve, or maybe in some instance outright stupidity. But fads and fashion are about me or you trying to be better or in competition with others.

HAIRCUT
I got a haircut the other day. It is very short and very conservative, or maybe very similar to the India men’s haircuts. I do not like to get my haircut and avoid this to both save money and I do not see a real vanity reason to look so clean cut. But the other day I realized that my hair was not conservative and I was wondering if I was attracting crazy people to come talk with me. I am constantly trying to find a way to by natural means attract or repel people. I am constantly learning about myself and have come to realize that I wish the ability to be completely anonymous at any time. I feel better to blend into the woodwork and not stand out in any manner. This is my haircut in many ways, and is just me trying to blend into the normal society. Note that this is not me trying to blend into the normal traveler society as I see the dress up like clowns and are screaming to be noticed. I am talking about the normal Western world. I do not like ties, but to not wear a tie to a funeral would be to bring attention to yourself.

I am not sure why I feel better by not bringing attention to myself and I am sure many readers would say that writing this blog is trying to bring attention to myself. I am trying to bring attention to my thoughts, but not to me personally. I wish to have a travel community of people that are enjoying life, but I only want to be a member of this community.

Well, I am going to have fun with Gandhi, and it follows along one of my favorite books. “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. I cannot say he is one of my favorite writers. Most of his book to me is just rambling, but his book Walden and the Essay on Civil Disobedience is a favorite book. I do find that I have adopted a Gandhi and Thoreau way of simplification of life. I am constantly trying to make my life smaller and simpler. My whole world of possessions is now carried in a backpack, and my thoughts are in a computer.

I would say mostly I do not like the distractions and cost of maintaining the other types of possessions like a car or house. I have more time to read and enjoy life, and do not have to work as much.
- posted by Andy @ 8:00 PM

 
IGLI AND CHETNEE
For what it worth if you want Igli and Chetnee in the morning you need to go around 7:30 and it will be ready in Hampi. Igli is the deep fried crispy light bread and the Chetnee is a hot green chili sauce.

GRAMMAR EXCITEMENT
I have been writing all of my Travel Logs offline and then going to the Internet Café to publish. Since I am using “Word” to as my program to write the Log I can have a grammar check performed on the information before I publish it. They have an explanation of the rules they want to enforce on my writing and it is enjoyable to learn the rules on why or how write grammatically correct. I am sure that it still misses a lot or problems, but some of the simpler problems are remedied. But to know that I can make steady progress at becoming a better writer is exciting and mentally stimulating. This only works because I write so much and would be of little value if I was only writing once per month, but since I make mistakes daily and if explains the rules daily, I am able to slice and dice the rules and hopefully improve.

There is a real hopelessness when a person is told by other to improve or stop doing something, but there is not way to improve or stop. What they want is me to already understand and know what they realize or can do simply and they never really learned, but accepted from day one and started doing correctly. I have done incorrectly for so long that it is natural, and now to write in this fashion is unnatural. I have to allow the computer to use a verb in a way that sound unnatural and incorrect, but if of small consequence.

Learning is easy for me if I can find a path or a teacher. I am a willing student, while most people are not willing. I have had workers that said they wanted to learn, but were unwilling, so they never learned. A willing student will often meet the teacher. The say in a group I attend,
“When the student arrives, the teacher appears.”

Poverty is often like this prospect or analogous to this type of learning. The NGO (Non Governmental Organization) comes in and wants them to change to be cleaner or maybe better hygiene to help ward off disease. They want them to clean their homes to a standard that is Western, but they believe their home is already very clean, and really cannot understand the need for clean. They have no friends that are that clean, and they are the same level as all of their neighbors, so in reality they are already very clean, and now this person is in a somewhat demeaning way explaining to them that they are pigs. They know for sure that this is not true, and that in comparison to their neighbors they are extremely clean. But they have no ability to compare their house to a Western person and / or enter the home of Western person to view and compare, so they must search for some imaginary goal. They are cleaning or preparing for a goal that is they can only imagine or try to visualize.

In the end it is the government that raises the quality of life by some form or program that forces them to behave. They may make a fine that they enforce if the resident dumps trash in the street. So it is the will of the few that is enforced on the will of the many, and this never goes down well. Sort of like Iraq, the will of the USA is enforced on the world, and the world does not like this, it may be correct, just, and the proper thing to do, but they will only learn of this in the future after the reasons become obvious. So as the USA discovers all the reasons that Saddaam is an animal the world will accept. So the will of the many will eventually accept the will of the few.

There is some really irrational logic that says that if the majority believes something then it is correct. Logic is mathematical in nature and has nothing to do with beliefs.

I have been in lots of countries and it is obvious in comparison to most of the poorer countries I have visited that India’s government is very advanced in the implementation of rules for hygiene. Sadly the country is so big that it will take ten times as long to change and it will take ten times longer to see because of the density of people. In a place where there are ten times the people the lack of cleanliness looks ten times worst… but in comparison to what?

There is a constant war between the religious leaders and the government of countries. Until the religious leaders stop trying to run a country it will have trouble developing. Religious leaders constantly agree with people while the government constantly disagrees. I think MTV will help the government or help to globalize the sanitation of the world… hehehe. MTV is helping to take the religious uniforms people wear off their bodies and have them stop acting as cults, and becoming more or a religion of choice and not of enforcement.

Religions perform like dictatorships or kingdoms and all is up to chance as to the person that would be silly or power hungry enough to want to rule.

I am reading he autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi and he comments on the lack of cleanliness of India.

The lights just went out, so looking up the quote is difficult. But it is something to the effect of “Cleanliness is close to Godliness.”

He believes that there is a need to be clean inside and outside the body, and see the problems in the India way of life.

I am on my computer’s batteries that is why I can continue to type even thought the lights are off.

DRUM AND HORN OUTSIDE
I am not sure why, but this is the second time I have heard drums and a horn very early in the morning. I was blaming it on drunks yesterday, but today I am going to blame it on some form of religious ritual. Eventually I would get up and go look. I just have to be very fast and that take time. I put 2 and 2 together today, and when the return again it will be a call to action to run and see.

There are lots of interesting things that happen before sunset in India. It is very amazing.

The drum came by again, I ran outside and still could not locate where it was, and of course nobody understands the English word drum or horn. Postcard and coffee they are hawking in the morning and Chi or Tea, but the Drums is just something they have tuned out.

TEMPTATION TO TEST CONNECTION IN HOSPET
I am very tempted to take my computer to Hospet today and try to connect to the Internet with my computer. I have about 10 Megs or more of photos to publish and that take a long time to put on 3.5 disks and load onto the computer in the Internet café. It would save me tons of time if I connected my computer and skipped the copying procedure.

DAILY SALARY FOR BANANA WORKER
I was told that the salary for a guy that works in a Banana field all day is 20-40 Rupees. That is between 50 Cents and 1 Dollar USA. Now I know the family and they have a very small guesthouse with 3 rooms and this seems a little suspicious as they have a color TV and a lot of items or very large expense. There are often alternative incomes that they sort of always forget in countries and you can learn about if you take an extremely long times to learn.

- posted by Andy @ 6:45 PM

 
NO DISKETTE
Hello,
Happy New Year.
I came to Hospet and forgot my disk with the information I typed, so I will just say Hello.

Hello

- posted by Andy @ 8:51 PM