I left paradise for this???

My first mosque.
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India first impressions-

So far, I’ve seen a lot.  First day in Delhi did not go according to plan.  Woke up and promptly dropped about $100 more than I should have for a tour of Rajasthan.  Went out and about the city, which was actually quite cool.  Humayan’s tomb was the best of the sights that I’ve seen so far. Delhi might be the most chaotic city in the world.  Cars, camels, bikes, cows, elephants, and people all vie for the right of way on Delhi’s narrow streets. I would never cross the street in Delhi without some serious adult supervision. Had my first Indian meal, and enjoyed it quite a bit.  The next day I met my driver Virander, we then set out for Bikaner and it took 11 hours.  Much too long, because the guy who set up my tour, insisted that we head to the painted village of Mandhow.  The village-to put it bluntly- stunk.  Not literally of course, although that is a problem in India, but the painted village itself was nothing to rave about.  We finally made it into Bikaner around 8 pm.  The hotel (Raj Villas Bikaner) is very nice. (I overpaid, remember.)

Humayans tomb.
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Today I went to the Juganath fort.  Juganath is a Hindu god, from which we derive the word juggernaut.  The fort was cool, but not anything amazing.  I’ve heard that the other forts I’ll see are far cooler.

While I’m enjoying myself, and there are very few other foreigners here (a big plus), there is something missing.  Although I’m in India, I’m very insulated from India.  I have a car, a driver; I’m staying in nice places, and I know the Indian people also feel insulated from me.  When I asked Virander to call me Stod, he sheepishly looked about.  A few minutes later he explained that he could in no way call me Stod.  He continued to explain that in India, you cannot call your elders by their first names, that you call them sir instead.  I’ve seen Virander speak with locals who are his elder, and he does not call them sir.  So here I am… I have a driver who calls me sir, and also holds the door for me when I get in and out of the car, a very high-end hotel, I’m also told that it’s not safe to go out at night, so I’m not feeling like I’m getting the full Indian experience.  Really, I feel like a member of the British Raj.  I think I’ll have Virander start calling me Mr. Drummond.

Gandi's ashes.
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Everyone in the states should get down on bended knee, and thank the heavens wide that they are fortunate enough to live in the U.S. (Yes, even you atheists.  Thank the accidental gases, which for no reason exploded, and made you what you are today… Thank the big accident.)  We’ve all seen homeless people, and it’s of course tragic.  Yet I have seen squalor on another level here in India.  Homelessness has little to do with drug addiction, or with mental illness in India.  Your caste and your ill fortune are what afflict most homeless here.

Good impressions:  Rajasthan is beautiful.  Everywhere I am in Rajasthan, it smells like spice.  Even in Bikaner you get wafts of allspice, coriander, cumin, turmeric, etc.  The food has also been wonderful.  Tomorrow, I set out for Jaisalmer.  While there, I’m going on a camel safari, and spending the night in the desert.  I hope this will give me a better impression of India and its people.