No F'n Tigers!!!

Well, thank Ben for that interesting, though slightly embellished reconstruction of events. Strangely there was no mention of his fixation with the Karma Sutra pictures in the Jaipur palace or fear of a the fangless viper.

It was a short slog along a hot highway from Jaipur to to Pushkar - one of 5 sacred Hindu pilgrimage sites. Unfortunately this translates to a cash cow for some Brahmins - we were collared by one who was particularly adept in blending religious ritual with request for cash ... i much preferred the Brahmin smoking the reefer on the waterfront.

It was then on to Ranthambore national park - a former hunting ground of the Maharajah .... he must have been a damn good hunter as there are reputedly very few tigers left in the park. Slim chances of spotting a tiger were infinitely reduced by Ben alternating between Basil Fawlty impersonations, self parody and requests for cigarette breaks ... it was not without humour, however, for some reason the guide and fellow tourists didn't laugh.

That's enough travelogue - It's time to find out what's been going though that huuuuge heeed of Matt's :
(Chris)

________________________________________________________

Without wanting to sound too melodramatic or grandiose, I found India relentless. Almost like being in a relationship with a charismatic, beautiful, engrossing but unempathetic and self-obsessed partner. When I was feeling good, healthy and energetic, India was good to me - the food was intoxicating, the people intriguing, the touts funny. When you're sick, India doesn't let up. The heat is overwhelming, the touts are still there in your face, the formerly vivid smells are nauseating and it just doesn't stop.

You would have heard it before and probably more eloquently - but the obvious poverty and suffering can be - and no doubt should be - hard to take. But I didn't like what it did to me. As an example, on numerous occasions my traveling buddies would give a small gift to a kid. more often than not, the kid would either ask for more or other kids would notice or adults would spread the word and soon there would be a small mob following you. The scale of the problem and ineffective your personal response seemed to be made it easy to turn off which is what i ended up doing and it felt de-humanising. Ben and myself saw a an older man, completely naked, in the middle of a major city, relieving himself in the middle of a building site surrounded by hustle and bustle. The most confronting aspect to it was the seeming ambivalence. nothing stopped, nobody looked. life carried on. I'm not sure how that's explained. Maybe you take one part caste system, add a shot of colonialism and its after effects and shake it with western middle class aspirations that can encourage competition.

Sticking with generalisations, we found the people great. Given the mayhem, particularly on the road. it was amazing that there was no road rage. People in the rural areas tried their best to give us directions and were very patient. Most people tried to sell us something or take us to their Dad's shops - but the whole enterprise seemed to be viewed as a necessary joke. Refusal wasn't met with dismissal - it meant that you could move on and talk about something else, such as cricket I never would have guessed that the name Ricky Ponting would open so many doors or cross cultural barriers. We tried David Boon a couple of times - much more classy and has that beer drinking record -but he wasn't nearly as well recognised.

The trip made me - and the others I think - a lot more conscious of how dependent we are on weather and basic necessities ie. water. I always knew with a small k that it was going to be hot and that would be hard, but i really had no idea. As an example, one of the highlights of this trip was reaching a small village in nowheresville, in the heat of the day after throwing up four times the night before, stumbling off the bike thinking that I was about to find out what passing out from heat exhaustion was going to be like and then one of my companions telling me to stick my head under a bore well why he pumped it for me. The sheer, sweet relief and sensation of that cold water hitting the back of my head. joyous experiences can be so relative (The Primal groans from Matt at this point caused considerable confusion to locals within earshot regarding the nature of the sensual gratification he was experiencing - Chris).

Finally, a travel related Hemingway quote that will no doubt appeal to at least one of you. Food for thought anyway: "Listen Robert, going to another country doesn't make any difference. I've tried all that. You cant get away from yourself by moving from one place to another. There's nothing to that.'

Good old Hemingway.

(Matt Bain)