TO: family and Gatsons
DATE: October 18, 2004
Finally I have made it to India. Becky asked, "If we had not been married would I come to India alone?" "Yes, probably sooner." That said I am very happy that I have her to share my life and this long-time dream with. I thank her for indulging me and being so supportive. If we were not married I would HAVE TO come alone - who else would come with me.
We got to the Bangkok Airport way too early but had plenty of time to be prepared. We landed in Calcutta about 3:30p. We took off 40 minutes late but all went well. We took a taxi from the airport for $4 to the Broadway Hotel. On this 20 minute journey we saw, as you might expect, many roaming cows. Also, a herd of sheep being driven through the middle of busy downtown, human rickshaws (middle aged men pulling two passengers and sometimes hundreds of pounds of cargo around town. They should get hazard pay, as death seems just around the corner on the streets here. It is a mixture of cars, trucks, dogs, cows, and literally more people than you can imagine. Oh, and the honking is insane. We have not deciphered the codes yet but the honk count in Calcutta alone in one day has to be hundreds of millions.
1st impressions are that I like it better than Thailand and the opposite for Becky. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant where Becky was the only female, patron or staff. The food was great. This place could have been in a movie. Setting: 1950's Cuba. Very low lights, enough smoke to drive you out (but the outside is equally smoky and polluted), and "Gentlemen" drinking, eating and doing business. After dinner we went on a brief scouting walk. We found the guy (in every neighborhood) who sells about 10 ingredients wrapped in a betel leaf which you pop in your mouth as an after dinner refresher/digestive aid. It tastes like a sweet glob of under-arm deodorant.
On the way around the block we found an Internet shop where it costs 20 rupees (about $0.50) per hour for Internet access. So I could not pass up the opportunity to "stay in touch." All is fine. We will be on sensory overload for a few days and will write again. We are safe and in good health.
With Love, Jeff
PS: Hey Gatsons. Great to hear from you, and happy that your reunion was such a blast. Tell the family hello for us.
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TO: family
DATE: October 22, 2004
Just checking in to say all is well. India is not as cheap as expected (about comparable to Thailand). No illnesses to speak of and not too much danger. We registered with the very nice US Consulate in Calcutta on Tuesday. They have our general itinerary and your emergency contact information. We travelled to Darjeeling via the Darjeeling Mail Express Train on Thursday. We will be her until 26th at which time we travel to Patna and Bodhgaya (where the Buddha gained enlightenment). We will send a more detailed mass email account of our adventures to date here in India after Darjeeling. The clear views have been sparce but the mountains are stunningly large. All is well, and we love you.
~Jeff and Becky
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TO: Dad Carroll
DATE: October 25, 2004
I do not remember your exact questions, but will still reply. Yes people are interested in the election. More so in Thailand than India. Thailand is more developed and hence more up to speed with world politics. We were lucky enough to catch the end of the Tempe debate. THe more you hear them talk the more I realize I do not like either. Bush plays up the terrorism and Kerry has only complaints and no solutions. Most people over here believe or want Kerry to win. I feel no matter who they prefer, they are very ill informed. Just like Americans. And just like we do not understand other county's polotics. That is why I feel everyone should stay out of the other's business. If people ask, I tell them I think Bush will win because Americans do not want another 9-11 and Kerry is perceived weak.
THe Indians are 100% more interested in us. Thailand's economy is based largely on tourism and hence we are nothing special. Also Thailand is a more visited place. Generally, there are few tourist in India and even fewer Americans. A few times a day people come up and introduce them \selved ans almost every day some one wants our picture. My time is up. Sorry no proof reading, Love Jeff
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TO: family
DATE: October 28, 2004
bodhgaya is very nice and a thousand times more quiet, peaceful, and relaxing than the other ities we have been to so far. It is a center of Buddhism, where Sidhartha found enlightenment under the bodi tree. there are buddhist temples from many different nations in the city..... like a thai temple, tibetan gompa, japanese temple....etc.... all the cultures that practice buddhism have a center here. Supposedly, this week, the President of Burma is here on a pilgrimage.....although we have not seen any evidence of dignitaries in this small town. Next stop is varanasi.
Mom C.- We assume our past e-mails were forwarded to the new address you gave us (arni, andi, katherine, carol). if not - let us know and i will give them an update. we will include them in our future mass-mails.
Happy Halloween!
~Becky and Jeff
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TO: family
DATE: Nov 1, 2004
Do not worry about us. We are staying just a few blocks from the most holy Ghat, on the most Holy river, in the most Holy city in India. We are staying close to the cremation ghat on the Ganges river here in Varanasi. A ghat is a place where a large set of stairs decends into the river. They are used for bathing and a few for cremating dead people from all over India.
All is well. We are as healthy as can be expected and having fun. Sunrise and sunset boat trips on the river and great river views from our windows.
Good luck to your candidates. We will surely hear the results as soon as the next person asks us where we are from post election.
Love, JEFF and BECKY
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TO: family
DATE: Nov 7, 2004
This week we are back on the coast......more precisely, Puri, in the state of Orissa, on the Bay of Bengal. This is not a tropical-beachy area - but it is a nice, quite, seaside town. Puri is one of the 4 holiest Hindu pilgrimage destinations in India (although we haven't figured out what its significance is.... I think it has something to do with its astrological geography or something).
We have had a lot of ups and downs since our last correspondence from Darjeeling. One of our lower moments was traveling through Bihar, one of the poorest states in the country....which was especially evident in Patna. It is not uncommon for parents to maim or cripple their children to give them a sympathetic edge in their career as beggars. It was difficult to navigate the Patna train station, when we arrived at 4am, due to all the human lumps covering the floor wall-to-wall. We had to wonder if they were still breathing...... {there were, in fact, some that weren't........presumably corpses en route to Varanasi (see below)}.
A much more pleasant area of Bihar was Bodhgaya, the birthplace of Buddhism. The town is small, rural, and comparatively uncrowded. We really enjoyed visiting the monasteries from different Buddhist cultures like Thai, Japanese, Tibetan, Bhutanese, etc..... The city is the site of the bodhi tree, which is a "grandchild" of the original one that the Buddha sat under as he attained enlightenment.
Next stop was Varanasi, on the banks of the holy Ganges River. Dying or being cremated here guarantees Hindus automatic freedom from their cycle of reincarnation. As such - the most intimate rituals of life and death are played out on the ghats (steps leading into the river). A friendly family staffed our guest house on the river. For $8/night we had a very nice, clean room with excellent rooftop views of the river and ghats. We enjoyed private boat trips at sunrise & sunset, the time at which the ghats are most active with bathing and ritual performances.
Our last 3 days have been a (somewhat sleepless) blur of train travel. We got on a train at 3pm on Thursday in Varanasi and after one night train, a day in Ranchi (with a visit to Jeff's SRF ashram), another night train, and a final train which was 8 hours late due to a rail workers strike..... we arrived in Puri at 1am on Sunday morning. But I think it is going to be worth it. There is a lot to see in this area, also a lot of opportunity for pure relaxation. Today at the beach we witnessed some more firsts...... hawkers schlepping J-lo sized "diamonds" and maybe real (?) pearls......Indian women going into the water in full saris (no adult females in swimsuits here)...........camel rides along the beach............India is a place where you have to have your camera ready at all times.
To give you an idea of foreign reaction to the election, I will quote the November 4 India Times Editorial, "The whole world ought to have a say in who rules America, which in turn rules the world." They are also bold enough to suggest that "the UN General Assembly should resolve US deadlocks," like in the cases of our 2000 & 2004 close-races.
Much Love,
Becky and Jeff
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TO: Gatsons
DATE: Nov 20, 2004
just last week we got some photos of Jeff with a 5 year old kid we met on the train. They were holding up Jaiden's purple banner, which has been our good luck charm during the trip. We'll show her all the photos when we get home. I am attempting to figure out how to e-mail some photos - so maybe you'll see some this week.
Yes- we celebrated Diwali in Puri (more noise than lights!) They use the loud rather than colorful fireworks. It kept us up a few nights for the entire week afterwords.
Take CAre!
Becky and Jeff
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TO: Everyone
DATE: Nov 26, 2004
We wrapped up India with a week in Calcutta (5 of those days at the Yogoda Satsanga Ashram north of the city). It was a peaceful contrast to our first experience in Calcutta.
Nothing, we mean NOTHING, can prepare you for India. We thought we knew a lot about the culture, customs, and religion........... but no amount of research could have lessened the culture shock we experienced. It really is very dirty, very crowded, and very chaotic....and just plain different in so many ways.
Now (as Jeff says) we are on the walk back up civilization. After India, Bangkok seemed so much more clean, orderly, and western than we remember it. We spent a few days reorienting ourselves in the capital before heading down the Isthmus of Kra to the beaches and islands of the Krabi Provence. This week we stayed on Koh Phi Phi Don (pronounced Pee Pee). This islands souther sister, Phi Phi Leh, is where the Leo DiCaprio movie The Beach was filmed. Yesterday we took a snorkeling tour that took us to "The Beach" (Maya Bay) and numerous other islands. The sea was a emerald green and the coral and fish were incredible. The tour was topped off by sighting a pod of no-less-than 20 dolphins jumping after our wake. It was really incredible and only $12 pp (including lunch, gear and kayaks).
Our Thanksgiving was very low key (no traditional feast)......... but we had much to be thankful for. We are thankful that we have been afforded the opportunity to travel and not work for this long. We are thankful we got to spend the Holiday on a beautiful beach in sunny, warm weather, even though we miss family and friends. We are thankful for our health and thankful (as our travels have reminded us) that we live in a clean, safe, prosperous, and free country.
We are in the home stretch now and look forward to seeing many of you soon. Another 2 weeks on the beaches and then a week through Hong Kong before we return to Phoenix.
Take care!
Becky and Jeff
