I left off dropping off my driver/tour guide that spoke no english and picked up Raj.
I didn't leave a quote at the end of the last blog so I'll start this one with a quote from Raj. "In India you need 3 things to drive, a good horn, good brakes and most important, good luck".
Raj (who speaks good english) and I were off after a morning of haggling about the price for the week. We drove through the day and I learned lots about the Indian culture and how it differs in the north and the south and from the big city to the little villages. I learned about the world's largest organization which is sort of a religion but not really. I don't know the official name of it, some people just say beas and some just say guru (which means teacher in hindi). This group is more like a way of life where prayer is involved whenever you want and the main idea is to live a simple life and help those in need. Raj's uncle is well known in this group, he once sat in the yoga position (legs crossed with arms relaxed over the knees) for 21 days straight and now he apparently knows the future. He also is 79 and looks to be 55 where his brother (Raj's dad) is 77 and looks at least 77. I also learned a lot about Raj. He came from a small village and worked hard to be successful (basically the story of rags to riches, except he's not rich). When somebody cut him off while driving he started yelling at the guy in hindi while his window was up. I told him that I don't think the guy can hear him and Raj said "that is good, because if he would hear me, he would beat me." He is a short, stocky little man who has a good laugh and wants to make everyone happy. I asked him not to call me sir, just to call me steve and now he refrains from calling me anything and just talking, but once in a while he will call me Mr. Steve. He told me that maybe I shouldn't tell people I'm from the US because of the Sadam hanging. However, everytime we stop and he is chatting with people I hear him say american in the middle of the conversation. When I ask him why he tells me not to tell and then he tells, he says those people are alright to tell.
Our first stop was Armistar which is the home of the "golden temple". This is the holiest place for people in the Sihk religion. I learned quite a bit about the Sihk as well, and basically they started about 350 years ago as people who were the defenders of the people who were being tortured and killed by the Monguls (I think). They are known to be very honest, helpful and healthy people. They stand out because they don't cut their hair or beard and oftne carry a small knife. (Basically many people in the US and western society would think that these people look like terrorists which means that if they were traveling in India they would think at least half of the people they see are terrorists.) Back to the Golden temple: It was beautiful, it is a small temple surrounded by water and the water is surrounded by a walkway which is surrounded by beautiful (I know I just used this word, but it's true) white walls/buildings.
We then headed to the one place where there is the one border crossing between India and Pakistan. If you were to see this event where thousands of people fill the stands on the India side and thousands fill the stands on the Pakistan side and chant back to each other basically: "India rules, we are great" and the other side cheers "Pakistan is the great place". (of course this isn't in english and I may have been chanting something terrible but I don't think Raj would lead me astray here) The soldiers on each side of the gates do some marching and everyone cheers. Then one soldier will yell into the microphone for a long time (it reminds me of watching a soccer game when the announcer yells, "gooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllll") and then everyone cheers. I waved my India flag proud and made lots of friends because it was obvious to EVERYONE that I wasn't from India and they appreciated my support. I would think this event happens once a month, maybe once a week. NO, this happens EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. It is awesome and was soo much fun to attend and be part of. (I would love to get this started between the US and Canada or the US and Mexico) It is all in good fun and turns into something of a party.
According to Raj everyone from Pakistan wants to come to India and nobody from India would want to go and live in Pakistan.
After the border closing we drove for a few hours to the village that Raj is from and I met his family. I got to meet his wife, his mom, his dad and his two sons. We arrived late and ate a dinner before going to bed. I shared a room with his parents and his sons. (It's like staying in a hostel with other people, just most of the time they aren't 77, 74,8, and 6). Still I slept like a baby and had a dream I was on survivor.
Sidenote: for a lot of the trip I have woken up remembering my dreams and then since I arrived in India I haven't remembered any of them. I wrote in a very early blog about how eating a banana before you go to bed will help you remember your dream. With that, I bought a banana and ate it at dinner. I don't know if it was the banana, the fact that I thought "I want to remember my dreams tonight" or just because it was a dream that I was on survivor which made me remember; either way I'm eating a banana tonight.
The next morning I woke up and got to go and see the kids school and meet the principal and take some pictures of the kids and the school. After breakfast I walked through the village and met some local people including the doctor for the village.
What I learned is that this man Raj who I pay $50 a day, to drive me anywhere I want for many hours each day, and who is on call for me 24 hours a day is like a king in his village (Raj means king, actually it might be Raja but that's not the point) because he owns his own car. This makes him the biggest success in his village, he also is a good guy and gives his family a good life and helps some other people in his village. (He is giving me a better deal than he gives most people, so maybe the numbers are distorted a little.)
After lunch we drove for a few hours and I was dropped off in a little village that is high in the mountains. One way I look and I see many small villages in the valleys down below and the other way I see the snow topped himalayas. When I was looking for a hotel room here I had to decide between a basic room for about $4 or a room with a tv, my own bathroom and a windown that has a view of the valleys down below for about $6. I decided to spoil myself and go all out while I am up here in this stunning (I almost used beautiful again), relaxing place away from the busy cities.
"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."
Mark Twain
I didn't know Mark Twain visited India - Steve
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