our first taste of bollywood

Last night in Sikar was a real night on the town. Cassandra, Beanie and I went out for dinner and a movie and got our first real taste of Bollywood. The theatre was an experience in itself. Men and women buy their tickets to the movies in seperate lines and there is arranged seating. Fortunately there was only 15 people in this massive one screen theatre so we sat where we pleased. There's also different ticket prices, like Deluxe, Super Deluxe and some sort of coach seating. We munched on Mirinda (Indian C-Plus) and chips.
We wanted to see "Love Aaj Kal", which is this huge movie here with the main theme being old and new love. But the flick we got to see was "Dil Bole, Hadippa!", which is essentially the Indian version of "She's the Man", about a woman who's an excellent cricket player and has to dress up as a funny little punjabi man to make the national mens team. Men, women and children of all ages to go see this stuff and love it!


It of course had all the requisite over the top song and dance numbers typical of Bollywood, and was pretty entertaining. Chaos and hilarity ensue of course, and although there were no subtitles, we got the gist of it. It even had a positive uplifting ending with a strong message about equality and peace between India and Pakistan. Essentially, the ultimate Indian film. ****/5

escaping the delhi belly

I am currently writing this from atop a rooftop restaurant enjoying a beer and some fries at the Moonlight Palace Hotel in Jaipur. We have now spent roughly over a week in fabled India and are now finally battling our first bouts with "Delhi belly". It looks like we are going to spend the day not sightseeing (not only cause we have seen everything in Jaipur) but instead in the hotel. Which isn't a bad thing. It will be a nice break from the chaos that is India. Our hotel is so fresh and so clean, compared to our grungy digs in Sikar.
So while Cassandra is keeled over in our room, I have to make my own fun (hence the beer and fries). Two of our volunteer friends (a South African named Beanie and an Aussie name Shoni, both of Indian backgrounds) are meeting us in Jaipur for dinner so we'll relax till then. We are at the moment in a state of reflection and reassessment. The trip is amazing thus far and going well, but our time at the camp, although nice, is a tad frustrating. The kids are so nice, but we dont always get a translator for our classes which simply makes some days spent teaching a waste. We are looking at maybe going WWOOFing or trekking for the next couple of weeks.
The food here (roadside and restaurants) generally doesn't make us sick and is actually really good. The food at the camp however is a little less tasty and has had a more adverse effect on our systems. But we'd rather spend our times being sick in the clean, beautiful and surprisingly cheap (500 rupees/$12 canadian a night) confines of the hotel. Rather than the cozy-yet-dingy atmosphere of Bajaj Trust in Sikar.
Uploading videos has proved to be tricky but I'm working on it. We will try to keep up our blogging as much as we can (the power does cut off in Sikar like 5 times a day unfortunately). But we will spend these next few days in rest and out of the hot sun. We're not due back at camp till monday night. Monday is the islamic festival of Eid, so schools are closed. But we will be back on our feet soon enough. Watch Out India!
Oh PS, the tourist friendly Jaipur is also a nice change from the constant stares we get in Sikar. Its as if the locals have seen an alien and don't mind standing looking at us wide eyed, mouth open or snickering or pulling our their cellphone cameras for a few not so impromtu shots. Sometimes 5 or 6 people huddling around the rickshaw we are in. But I'll let Cass tell you more about that.
Cass at the moment is halfway through Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums while I picked up the alternative theory book called Jesus Lived in India for like 2 bucks.
--elephant on the way to Amber Fort

--snake charmer on the way to the Monkey Temple in Jaipur

--this is Cass with our good friends, Jackit and Ali (the rickshaw driver) in Jaipur. We still hope to see him again.

One Week in India

So for the last two days now we have been in Sikar to begin our teaching! Unfortunately we haven't been able to post any pictures or videos yet but we do have some amazing ones. I am dying to show you some Music in the Park, Indian snake charming and the traffic. The traffic is still one thing I cannot get over. It is unreal, bumper to bumper, on the horn constantly, all over the road, cows pigs dogs camels everywhere. It is unreal and true chaos but so exciting and intriguing. But for now we'd just like to update you on some of our goings ons as of late.

Our stay in Jaipur was busy and hectic without a moment to relax and only now have we been able to reflect. But upon our arrival there from Delhi on thursday night, we were greeted at the train station by a rickshaw driver who promised us he was not out to get us. That this wasn't Delhi or Agra. He shall be known as the Great Alibaba. He took us all around, knew perfect english and was just a really dope guy. We plan on heading back to Jaipur this weekend to visit him as he has invited us for dinner at his home with his family and his wife (whom he does not like) and hopefully show us a night on the town. He is a Muslim, but part of the "New-Generation" of Muslims, as he told us he likes to drink and smoke, particularly from the top of the hill near the Tiger Gate at the mosque.

We also met our volunteer co-ordinator Vinod, who is the strangesssst man I have ever met and thought Michael Jackson was from Ukraine.

Anyways, we have a party to attend to... One of the other volunteers, Cor (his name), described by cass as a "stringbean, beanpole lanky franky weirdo Dutchman" um...its his birthday tonight and there's a party with cake and Kingfisher and delish food and dancing and a singer has been hired! haha. Expect pictures and videos soon and we'll share some more about our whacky time in Jaipur (including this crazy Folk Fest-meets-themepark-meets India thing we attended). Oh and the kids here and at the school are unbelievably cute and bright and it should bring for an interesting six weeks. okkk seeeyaaa

ARRIVAL

WE MADE IT!!
after what felt like the longest voyage (18 hours flying, six hour train), we made it to Jaipur.
Jaipur or the "Pink City" is busy but not as overwhelming as Delhi, which was so intense you kind of need to instantly leave. We were only in Delhi for a few hours but long enought to see that there is, SOO MUCH TRAFFIC THERE, like I am talking half hour grid locks and inch by inch moving while holding down the horn. I would say driving in India is quite the experience.

We left Delhi via train to Jaipur where we met, Vinod, our volunteer coordinator. Since then we have been in Jaipur going to Hindi classes and exploring. Tomorrow we leave for Sikar where we will start teching english in a school.

We have made some autorickshaw driver friends who have taken us on a few all day tours around Jaipur, we have seen some temples, palaces, forts and elephants. Tomorrow we are going to meet with our friend Ali's Guru so he can tell us about our spirituallity and he wants to read our auras. And so our quest to enlightenment begins...

Namaste