Don't drink the water

Got another email from my momz over in India. In case you are interested:


Saw the Taj Mahal this morning (got there by 6am and waited for the gate to open) and the Agra Fort later on. Then went to a factory where they make inlaid marble products. They use semi precious gems to make designs on marble. We saw making the grooves in the marble to hold the stones and others putting pieces of stones together for different patterns. Lots of intricate hand work.

Dell feels lousy -- sore throat, cold. He skipped the second tour this morning and slept. I seem to be more or less healthy and feel good. Still some congestion and cough.

Tomorrow we have a 2 1/2 hour train trip on which we are not allowed to eat the breakfast provided. Only bottled water. Then a bus ride, maybe the same length. We will end up in Kajuraho where they have temples with erotic art. The next day we fly to Varanasi where many people go to die. It is a very holy city on the Ganges river where there are lots of crematoriums and people making prayer offerings of candles and flowers which float on the water. I read that it is not unusual to step over dead bodies in the street. We have not seen anyone that we knew was dead. When we are driving around 8-10 am and I see someone still apparently asleep on the sidewalk, I ofter wonder if they are still alive.

So much of life is in public view, it is hard to believe. When we left our camp stop (fake tent, really a cabin with a tent top on the ceiling) we rode through the little village in a home made pick up truch taxi with a water pump motor powering it. The kids along the was were all waving. We passed several men who were standing on their front stoops brushing their teeth and spitting into the dirt road.

It is amazing how many people we see bathing wherever there is water available. Some are naked, some in short shorts or undies. But, never a woman. We don't know when or where they bathe or relieve themselves. Whenever we see a man with his back to us, it's pretty clear what he is doing. I saw one faciing us, hand on penis, but busy watching our bus drive by.

The local buses are pretty interesting, too. Sometimes 50 people sitting on the roof cross legged, with nothing to hold on to. I don't know how they avoid falling off. In Calcutta the buses looked like they had had at least 50 years of hard service. They are so dented and dirty. Usually no glass in the windows which is likely cooler. Delhi had modern busses. The small towns had the pick up truck busses and jeeps (front seat and back seat) which they can fit about 20 people into and holding on at the back.

There are also lots of bicycle rickshaws and motorized rickshaws (3 wheeled taxis called took-tooks in Bangkok). We rode in bicycle rick shaws in old Delhi. The streets were so narrow that 2 rickshaws could hardly pass. Our driver would also warn people with an arm to get out of the way. The 2 seater seat behind the bibycle is of course wider than the bike. It was a fun experience in spite of the discomfort. Many stores floors are raised about 3 feet more than normal and the merchants sit on the floor. The costomers stand in front of the store in front. The whole street is about 5-6 feet wide. The streets are just body to body. Tourists and locals and school kids are riding in the rickshaws. Others are walking.

Love to all of you.