Today my pal Jon Wah shared this photo on his facebook page, and it just makes me weep. This photo, in a way, tells one of my India stories. This year, I could not bear the poverty, the hunger, the stray and starving dogs, the garbage, and the soot choked air, but mostly I could not bear the retirees and tourists with their money, prancing around in not enough clothing, spending their money on beer in beach shacks owned by other retirees from other lands, complaining about how expensive India has become since "they discovered it". I could not bear observing over and over, wealthy Indians placing impossible demands on their countrymen of lower castes. I cried a lot.
I won't say my trip was bad. It was just emotional, and as always, I was truly and vibrantly alive and involved in my adventure and my treasure hunt was a great success! I drank a lot of whiskey and hung around on the iPad while in Bangalore. I got to talk to a lot of my pals in the fbook world. Then I went to Goa, where there was no wifi and I was truly alone. I tried really hard to rally myself, but sheesh, I am menopausal, and I was lonely, and the poverty, like I said, and it was almost 100 degrees in the daytime, with about 93 humidity, and at night, still hot! There was noisy traffic, pesky salesmen and too much trash! Boy, what a challenge. Not to mention the mean drunks who live in that community who love to make me miserable!
Once in Delhi, I felt pretty comfortable again, and had a lot of business to take care of, such as buying a bunch of bedspreads, a tamboura for Gary (an indian harpish thingy), and visiting various pals. That four days went very fast. Truthfully, four days in Delhi is about all the ol lungs could handle. Now I have already been home for 10 days. I finally feel normal again LOL
Thank you Jon, and everyone else for sharing this photo, but mostly thank you to the man who gave his shoes to that poor woman who looks clearly moved by the gesture. I am moved as well. Be good to each other. I am glad to be back, and thanks to all of you for being here when I needed a morale boost!
and since I like to plan ahead.....
360India
