January 22, 2008
Yo,
We are off to India!!! Wowzers. And here is my new email, it's gmail, and yes it's SUPER SONIC AVENGERS. That's right, I'm bringing the Avengers to the other side of the world. Thanks to everyone for helping us during the move and the packing and all that shit. And thanks again for celebrating my birthday.
Now that U have the address, please keep in touch. We will be checking the email every once in awhile when we get a chance.
We'll see you in 4 months!!!
Shawn and Tonya
Mumbai
January 26, 2008
Hello Wonderful Friends and Family, So here we are in Mumbai (big, dirty, and busy). I really feel right at home except that everyone is always staring at us with Shawn with his crazy hair and me because I'm sooo damn cute(well that's what I think). I also really miss my Friends and family and students because it really hit me that I won't see everyone for four months. I dreamed all night the first night about my beloveds! WOW what amazing people in my life!
Anyway enough filling your egos. We went to Elephanta caves today and they are quite amazing. It was about a one hour boat ride out to an island off Mumbai. We caught the first boat which left at 9am. We thought it was earlier and got a chance to watch the sun rise(AMAZING!!) between 2 islands. The smog really intensifies the colors and size of the sun. And boy is there a lot of smog. I thought it was rainy when we were landing but no just smog!! The morning is also the best time in the city; calm, quiet and friendly. Shawn even saw a laughing club on his first morning walk. So back to the caves, they are these gorgeous carved out caves of Hindu Gods and Goddesses interspersed with Shiva Lingams. We took some good photos.
The weather is great not too hot, not too cold. The Hotels good enough for me and we have eaten pretty well. So all and all we are doing great! We will hopefully be leaving tomorrow and taking a train west the visit another set of caves, then south to Amma's ashram, stopping in Goa along the way. That's at least the tentative plan.
More to come hopfully soon. I Love You!!
Much Love, Tonya
Hello Wonderful Friends and Family, So here we are in Mumbai (big, dirty, and busy). I really feel right at home except that everyone is always staring at us with Shawn with his crazy hair and me because I'm sooo damn cute(well that's what I think). I also really miss my Friends and family and students because it really hit me that I won't see everyone for four months. I dreamed all night the first night about my beloveds! WOW what amazing people in my life!
Anyway enough filling your egos. We went to Elephanta caves today and they are quite amazing. It was about a one hour boat ride out to an island off Mumbai. We caught the first boat which left at 9am. We thought it was earlier and got a chance to watch the sun rise(AMAZING!!) between 2 islands. The smog really intensifies the colors and size of the sun. And boy is there a lot of smog. I thought it was rainy when we were landing but no just smog!! The morning is also the best time in the city; calm, quiet and friendly. Shawn even saw a laughing club on his first morning walk. So back to the caves, they are these gorgeous carved out caves of Hindu Gods and Goddesses interspersed with Shiva Lingams. We took some good photos.
The weather is great not too hot, not too cold. The Hotels good enough for me and we have eaten pretty well. So all and all we are doing great! We will hopefully be leaving tomorrow and taking a train west the visit another set of caves, then south to Amma's ashram, stopping in Goa along the way. That's at least the tentative plan.
More to come hopfully soon. I Love You!!
Much Love, Tonya
Elephanta Island
January 26, 2008
So today we were on a boat and a scorpion crawled out from the bottom deck and was crawling around people's feet. Then on the island that we visited, Elephanta Island off of Mumbai, we saw a monkey jump out of a tree an grab a plastic bag out of a woman's hand and jump back up the tree. Crazy! We also saw 700 year old rock sculptures that are carved into the mountainside, as big as a house.
And we are also giving a 24 hour show for people to look at here. Apparently people are not used to tall skinny white dudes with dreads down to their ass, cuz people are outright gawking at me. And someone pinched Tonya's butt in the street! Well I can understand that one, but being completely stared at alllllllll day is getting kind of tired, especially since I feel like I am the butt of their jokes. Guess it's something I gotta get used to.
It's Independence day today, so the streets are crazy and there is a Indo-rave going on about a block away from our hotel. Yeaaaa. I'm sort of looking forward to getting out of this big smoggy city. I'm always so exhausted, don't know if it's jet lag or the food or what. But I'm having a blast! The tea is amazing and we watched the sun rise over the bay of Bengal this morning, really beautiful. And shit, I could be working at the Museum right now, so I ain't complaining.
See you,
Shawn and Tonya
So today we were on a boat and a scorpion crawled out from the bottom deck and was crawling around people's feet. Then on the island that we visited, Elephanta Island off of Mumbai, we saw a monkey jump out of a tree an grab a plastic bag out of a woman's hand and jump back up the tree. Crazy! We also saw 700 year old rock sculptures that are carved into the mountainside, as big as a house.
And we are also giving a 24 hour show for people to look at here. Apparently people are not used to tall skinny white dudes with dreads down to their ass, cuz people are outright gawking at me. And someone pinched Tonya's butt in the street! Well I can understand that one, but being completely stared at alllllllll day is getting kind of tired, especially since I feel like I am the butt of their jokes. Guess it's something I gotta get used to.
It's Independence day today, so the streets are crazy and there is a Indo-rave going on about a block away from our hotel. Yeaaaa. I'm sort of looking forward to getting out of this big smoggy city. I'm always so exhausted, don't know if it's jet lag or the food or what. But I'm having a blast! The tea is amazing and we watched the sun rise over the bay of Bengal this morning, really beautiful. And shit, I could be working at the Museum right now, so I ain't complaining.
See you,
Shawn and Tonya
Ellora and Ajanta
January 27, 2008
So today we are off and out of Lovely smoggy Mumbai. We are waiting seven hours for our train, just watched a cricket game (I don't understand that shit), We are going to Ellora and Ajanta caves about 8 hours train ride from here. After getting our train ticket, we saw an amazing seen of a wedding in the street. Shawn audio recorded the event. There were a bunch of guys playing music on various percussion instruments and the wedding party was dancing in the street. Then there was a display that I can only imagine was the groom offer dowry off which playfully the bride was demanding more. When there was enough offered they took off in a car elaborately decorated with flowers. Shawn just went out side and witnessed a car accident!!! Did either of us mention that I hold my breath when crossing the street. They drive quite crazily. Its good we have two sets of eyes because one or the other is grabbing each other back!! But hey we getting the hang of it sort of!. So this internet place is playing country music and dirty 94.5 dance hall.
Not sure when we will email next but after the caves we will either go to Goa then Kerala to Amma's or straight to Kerala.
Love, Tonya and Shawn.
So today we are off and out of Lovely smoggy Mumbai. We are waiting seven hours for our train, just watched a cricket game (I don't understand that shit), We are going to Ellora and Ajanta caves about 8 hours train ride from here. After getting our train ticket, we saw an amazing seen of a wedding in the street. Shawn audio recorded the event. There were a bunch of guys playing music on various percussion instruments and the wedding party was dancing in the street. Then there was a display that I can only imagine was the groom offer dowry off which playfully the bride was demanding more. When there was enough offered they took off in a car elaborately decorated with flowers. Shawn just went out side and witnessed a car accident!!! Did either of us mention that I hold my breath when crossing the street. They drive quite crazily. Its good we have two sets of eyes because one or the other is grabbing each other back!! But hey we getting the hang of it sort of!. So this internet place is playing country music and dirty 94.5 dance hall.
Not sure when we will email next but after the caves we will either go to Goa then Kerala to Amma's or straight to Kerala.
Love, Tonya and Shawn.
Disneyfication
January 29, 2008
It's crazy how you have to travel SO far away to RE-learn things that you already know about in life but just forget all the time cuz you're so damned busy running around .
Yesterday we left Jalgaon (Jalgaon, take me away!) and took a bus to the Ajanta caves. Man, I tell you, we are just pooped out from all this bus travelling, not knowing where we are going or how to get there and who to believe. Although everyone is REALLY friendly now that we have left Mumbai, and the initial reaction from Indians of making fun of us (or me, really) has turned into awe and wonder. I can handle that. But everyone has a different story, of where to catch the bus and the quickest way to a city, etc. It's a trip, this whole traveling business. We tried to get onto what we thought was the right bus, when everyone just swarmed around us and were pushing to get through the door and placing their children in-between people for leverage. When we got on the bus we had to stand the whole way, squished like sardines, over very very bumpy roads. I wasn't sure if Tonya was going to make it or not, and to tell the truth I couldn't wait to get off the bus, yet we had no idea where or when to get off. It's not like riding the T when a computerized voice tells you what stop it is. So when we figured it out, we walked down to the entrance, and the people selling their goods gave us the news, that the caves were closed because of Holiday. Who new that Monday was a holiday in India? Especially not someone who works in a Museum. So we just laughed.
But we could still go in, for a small fee of course, and walk around the outside. We walked down the gorge, over to a trash ridden park, and we found two benches under a tree..... and we sat. And we closed our eyes. And we listened to the parrots around us (which make a great sound recording, might I add). And it was really a beautiful moment, no auto-rickshaws beeping, no one trying to sell me something aggressively, no confusion as to where to go or where our luggage was or any of that stuff. Just silence, one with nature. And I had a revelation . As a tourist, I am running to all these hot tourist spots that I am reading about in the lonely planet bible, thinking that this is why I am in India, the "events" and "attractions". Which of course is the Disneyfication of all of these religions and peoples and cultures that are much older than any of my cultures. And it's only when I really open my eyes to everything that is around me, that is when I can truly see.
And on our way back, we met this absolutely amazing man, a local farmer who I had an hour conversation with on the bus, and who invited us back to his farm to meet his mother. Unfortunately we had paid for a hotel room back in the city and all of our shit wasn't packed, and we couldn't meet him at his farm because no one speaks English in his village, so as he put it if we went to meet him it would be a big mess. So we didn't go to his farm, which I am still kicking myself about. O well, lost opportunity, maybe next time.
And today we went back to the caves. I know, I know, I went on about the Disneyfication of Holy places, blah blah, but hey, what can I say, old habits die hard. I mean shit, we're here, right, might as well check it out.
Yea,
Shawn
It's crazy how you have to travel SO far away to RE-learn things that you already know about in life but just forget all the time cuz you're so damned busy running around .
Yesterday we left Jalgaon (Jalgaon, take me away!) and took a bus to the Ajanta caves. Man, I tell you, we are just pooped out from all this bus travelling, not knowing where we are going or how to get there and who to believe. Although everyone is REALLY friendly now that we have left Mumbai, and the initial reaction from Indians of making fun of us (or me, really) has turned into awe and wonder. I can handle that. But everyone has a different story, of where to catch the bus and the quickest way to a city, etc. It's a trip, this whole traveling business. We tried to get onto what we thought was the right bus, when everyone just swarmed around us and were pushing to get through the door and placing their children in-between people for leverage. When we got on the bus we had to stand the whole way, squished like sardines, over very very bumpy roads. I wasn't sure if Tonya was going to make it or not, and to tell the truth I couldn't wait to get off the bus, yet we had no idea where or when to get off. It's not like riding the T when a computerized voice tells you what stop it is. So when we figured it out, we walked down to the entrance, and the people selling their goods gave us the news, that the caves were closed because of Holiday. Who new that Monday was a holiday in India? Especially not someone who works in a Museum. So we just laughed.
But we could still go in, for a small fee of course, and walk around the outside. We walked down the gorge, over to a trash ridden park, and we found two benches under a tree..... and we sat. And we closed our eyes. And we listened to the parrots around us (which make a great sound recording, might I add). And it was really a beautiful moment, no auto-rickshaws beeping, no one trying to sell me something aggressively, no confusion as to where to go or where our luggage was or any of that stuff. Just silence, one with nature. And I had a revelation . As a tourist, I am running to all these hot tourist spots that I am reading about in the lonely planet bible, thinking that this is why I am in India, the "events" and "attractions". Which of course is the Disneyfication of all of these religions and peoples and cultures that are much older than any of my cultures. And it's only when I really open my eyes to everything that is around me, that is when I can truly see.
And on our way back, we met this absolutely amazing man, a local farmer who I had an hour conversation with on the bus, and who invited us back to his farm to meet his mother. Unfortunately we had paid for a hotel room back in the city and all of our shit wasn't packed, and we couldn't meet him at his farm because no one speaks English in his village, so as he put it if we went to meet him it would be a big mess. So we didn't go to his farm, which I am still kicking myself about. O well, lost opportunity, maybe next time.
And today we went back to the caves. I know, I know, I went on about the Disneyfication of Holy places, blah blah, but hey, what can I say, old habits die hard. I mean shit, we're here, right, might as well check it out.
Yea,
Shawn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)