May 19, 2009 - Moultrie, Ga - HOME !!!!!

GREEN ............... CLEAN !
Folks, I got to tell ya, this place is beautiful!!! Wonderful !!! Thank you, Lord !!!

Anna and my two daughters, Anna Ashley and Hayes, picked me up at the airport Monday about 5 o'clock. OUUUUUU , it was nice being with family and back in the USA.

Big disappointment, however, in the photo s ..... I have no photos on my SD disk!!! I was hoping it was just the computers in India, but I guess the computers there just sucked my photos up and kept them!! I'll try to find a computer "AX-PERT" to see if they can help.
The GOOD news - no one has to worry about looking at all my pictures, and I don't have to worry about what to do with them after the first couple of weeks of returning.
.... If you had wanted to see what I SAW , you should have come with me !
I saw it, I got it in my heart - my mind. Been there --- DONE THAT.

Here is the travel portion of coming home.
Since I had no hotel room in Delhi that was the kind place I liked to hang out in (hot, ugly) - I went and ate a nice supper at an Israeli restaurant, had grilled chicken and sliced baked potatoes with cheese on them - REAL food, I mean to tell you.

Then back to the hotel - a cold shower in the shower down the hall. I took the pillowcase off the pillow in the room to use as a towel (didn't want my towel to be packed - wet.. and for $3.00 a night, you do not get towel!)

So then I got my pack, walked down the street to a hotel that would get me a taxi for 300 rupees to the airport. (I still had not put on my freshly laundered
shirt. That would happen at the airport - just before checking my bag)

Upon arriving at the hotel the travel man told me to have a seat in the lobby (it was a LOT nicer than my hotel), and the taxi would be there in 15 minutes. I was in no hurry - I had 7 hours before departure! I was just looking for a better hangout place. The lobby was cool as in comfortable (not cool as in decor), it had overhead fans, a daily English paper, and I had a bottle of water so I was fine. Time on my hands.

Good thing I was not in a hurry. In an hour he came back and asked what time my plane left, I asked him what time the taxi was coming. ... Well ... there seemed to be a problem with the Police allowing Taxis onto Main Bazaar Road due to either too much traffic (which I think is impossible in India - to have too much of anything) or due to a political celebration.

He suggested that I just walk down to the train station and get a taxi from there. About a 10 -12 minute walk. So I did, and by the time I got a taxi - Hot, no AC - my shirt was soaking wet with sweat so I was glad I had waited on putting on my international travel shirt!

The taxi took 50 minutes to the airport - thru solid traffic, bumpy roads, and the driver was driving like he was in bumper cars. We went through what appeared to be nice neighborhoods, the kind I had not seen before, but it was late evening, and it was hard to see them clearly for the coming darkness, the garbage smoke, and the diesel fumes that had settled over the roads!

The airport was nice - I had made a good decision to come and wait there instead of at my Hotel! After about an hour my shirt had dried enough, and I had cooled off enough to go the men's room and make the final change. A nice fresh shirt, a little deodorant, a wet paper towel
wipe down, and I was set.

My flight left about 2:30 in the morning from Delhi, we arrived in Frankfurt Germany at 7:30 in the morning, .... but over 8 hours had passed, it was about 11 o'clock my India time.
I then waited in Frankfurt until noon Frankfurt time, and we left about 12:30. By now I don't know how long I had been awake (I estimate about 30 hours)- I arrived in Atlanta about 9-1/2 hours later, but it was only 4:30 p.m. I had gotten up the previous morning, Sunday at 6 a.m. - 10 hours ahead of Atlanta. It was now 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon in Atlanta, and we did not get to Moultrie until about 10 p.m. ---

so for you math students here is a question :

HOW LONG WAS JOHNNY'S DAY, from Sunday morning at 6 a.m. in Delhi, India, UNTIL 10 p.m. Monday night in Moultrie, Georgia.

Send me the answer please. ... yesterday lasted a LONG time, but heading home it's never a problem!


As they said in the movie that I saw half of - "Outsourcing" -
INDIA stands for
"I'm Not Doing It Again"! -- BUT I must say it was a great trip - glad I went - glad I saw all that stuff - glad I met all the folks along the way - and glad I had such a powerful and strong experience. Now even more than ever - I enjoy this place!


This morning, again, was wonderful! The coffee was hot- fresh-- brewed (not Nescafe instant - which I have enjoyed every morning - but it doesn't take the place of home brewed coffee. Man, that is good and long ago in my memory! ) Then outdoors to get the paper - the world is green - it is fresh, the street is clean, there is not the smell of burning garbage or sewer gases in the air.

Of course, now, I do have to shave myself and get used to a shower that does not have a toilet in it. (for those of you who don't understand that - in every hotel I stayed in the shower, toilet and lavatory were together - no divider for the shower or toilet, just one room ), but I think I will have no trouble adjusting!

I'm gonna miss not telling y'all about my daily travails, and again am disappointed in not having a few remaining photos. Hey -- but SE LA VIE! it is life.
---- home for awhile---
Johnny

May 17, 2009 - last day in India!

Well, I had three really neat pictures to post, but ... this place not to disappoint me, I can not find a Internet cafe that my photos will even show up in! I hope I haven't lost all of them.

It's kinda hard to believe it's been 59 days since I landed in Calcutta. But it seems forever since the cold weather of Darjeeling.

In Darjeeling I slept in all my clothes plus a wool sweater and heavy corduroy pants, gloves and a wool hat, plus under two thick blankets. Now I sleep in my underwear with nothing but my thin silk sheet that I do not even use until about 3 in the morning. A long time ago Darjeeling, my body tells me.

I had planned to stay in my "delux" hotel room today til 6 p.m. until I went to pay for the half- day and found it was 2/3 day rate.

I checked out and hit the street about 11 this morning. I went to the Bright Hotel. It is $3.00 a day, no half-day rates, so I saved $12.00.

I had plenty of hotels to choose from and here are a few of the non-Indian named hotels, I think designed to catch your attention - but something to keep in mind if you're opening up a budget hotel.
1. Hotel Dimple
2. Hotel Yes Boss
3. Hotel Decent
4. Hotel Jimmy Place
5. Hotel Reception
6. Hotel Silver Shine
7. Hotel Yes Sir (which I stayed in my last trip to Delhi)
7. Guest House Cottage Yes Please

All of these plus about 20 more can be found on main Bazaar Road in Paharganj in Delhi, just across from the New Delhi Train Station .

So without AC I went out on the town and visited a Subway for lunch, a coffee place "Cafe Day" for coffee, and a Wimbys for ice cream. I haven't been in a Wimbys since I was in Nairobi
several years ago.

I will go to the airport tonight about 7 p.m., although my flight doesn't leave til 2 a.m. I just figure I'd as soon be there as here in this lovely nice smelling, clean, town. No, no, that's not true. This place smells bad, is dirty, is trashy, is un-kept, and ugly. Now, that's where I am. All of Delhi is not like that. But I bet 90 % or more is like I just described. And the part that's not is so influenced by what is around it - that its hard to enjoy. SO - THE AIRPORT, although, I don't expect much there either.

Guess what - I am ready to get back to the USA, and Moultrie.

It's been quite a trip - glad I did it - glad it's almost over -

AND THAT'S IT FOLKS - thanks for coming along .
Johnny
ps - when I get home I will try to post photos I have been unable to here.

May 16, 2009 - Delhi, India

It's been a couple of days - but I'm still in India and still "travelin!"
Turns out the name of the train is not Grand Turk Express but a rather bland, no color in the name 'Grand TRUNK Express'! Sounds like a baggage train.
BUT the trip was great. As I had told you - it was first class, well not only that, but I was the only one in my cubical for the first 16 hours.
I was worried about what I would eat, and COULD I eat the train food. Well ... little to worry about. I had a good omelette and bread for breakfast, very good chicken and rice for lunch, and chicken Biyani (me nor spell check know how to spell it) for supper. I think I had the same thing for lunch and supper, ...... just did not know the name of lunch.
The trip was a 36 full hours. But very comfortable. Kinda like sitting in your living room and sleeping on the sofa, with plenty of room to walk around, (well - room to walk around anyway) and nice clean toilets. Which brings me to my photo of the day. Which brings me back to reality in Delhi... My computer won't bring up my photos! I'll send it tomorrow.
I am here all day the 16th, today - I arrived at 7:30 this morning, and then I have a half-day hotel tomorrow, and then I will go to the airport about dark thirty to wait there for my flight at 2 a.m. on the 18th. (ain't nothing easy about this travelin stuff.
Got a mid-range hotel with AC here on Main Bazaar Road in Paharganj area of Delhi, near the New Delhi Train Station, The Gold Regency Hotel.
But have had to change rooms already cause the AC only worked for about 20 minutes and then would be off for a LONG long time. When I notified the desk about the problem they would come - leave - come - leave - then come and turn on the AC and say "see it's working". We played this game for a while then they gave me another room when I asked for my money back. $20.00 !!!!! my highest priced room on the trip, but after 36 hours in the AC on the train, I just couldn't go back to the - "comfortable but warm" feeling!
Enjoyed checking out some nice parts of Delhi today. Connaught Place (not sure of the spelling)was the nicest downtown area I've seen in India. But it is but a small portion of a larger "stink bomb!"
Almost finished in India -
Johnny

"The Grand Turk Express" - May 14, 2009

This morning I left my hotel about 8:30 and walked (actually the only way) to the bus terminal - I figured I would beat the heat. WRONG - man, it was hot - I was almost soaking wet all over when I arrived at the bus terminal.
After a few inquiries about the bus to Chennai, I put my pack down, and stood in the shadow of a post... yeah... that's right - a post - about 8 inches in diameter - but producing shade. In 15 minutes I started inquiring again and met a man who seemed willing to help, and could speak English. He basically told me to wait right where I was - bus 118 or 119 would be here
shortly.
Then this BIG new shiny bus with AC pulled up, I said is that the bus to Chennai - just sorta joking. The guy said - "Yes". ooohhh ...... this is good - I went to the bus - the drivers confirmed, I got on - it was cool and clean. .... So I picked out my seat - and noticed the drivers were gone, and no one was getting on. But it was cool, so I stayed. Well, about 20 minutes later it's no longer COOL, and I'm still the only passenger.
I'm kicking myself for not asking the drivers -"how long before the bus leaves?" .. So, nothing to do but get off, and wait in the shade of the post, if I could get that spot again. But just about that time, I saw the two drivers heading for the bus, and, yes, sure enough we were leaving in a few minutes and the driver started the bus and the AC!
I took my seat - sat back and smiled. This was going to be a great trip. And it was. The trip took two hours, on AC nice bus, and cost 70 rupees, about $1.35. --- sometimes things just work out wonderfully.
After arriving at bus station in Chennai, I then had to find a bus to the Central Train Station. That done, I crawled on just before it left. Now it got full, and we stopped a lot and exchanged a lot of passengers. It took an hour to get to the station, but the ride wasn't bad, and it cost 4 rupees, about 9 cents. (It was one of those buses you see in movies with people hanging all over and packed inside).
At the Central Train Station, my first thought was to leave my backpack at "left luggage" then check out the station and the area around the station - I've got about 6 hours.
One of my concerns about the 36-hour train trip - is train food (very Indian) all the way. That's too much for me, I think. Well, I found a little stand at the "food court" in the station selling chicken burgers and fried chicken fingers! I had a chicken burger and a small order of fingers for lunch, and they were very good. SO, later this afternoon, I'm going back and stocking up on fingers and burgers!
I found this Internet place across and down the street from the station. I also saw a few restaurants that look like they may have western food, I'm on my way to check them out now,
Then back to the station and wait on THE GRAND TURK to arrive and whisk me off to Delhi.
Be back in touch the 16th from Delhi.
Johnny

May 13, 2009, Mamallapuram,Indis - Day 3

Well, this has been a long visit in Mamallapurah, but today I'm here because of election day - and I did not want to be in a large city , Chennai.
I will leave in the morning by local bus... a one hour trip that will probably take 2 hours on a local. Actually, it's less than 40 miles, but this is India.

Once again my pictures are out of wack! The first picture - just skip it and come back after the last photo. thanks.

The photos are taken from the beach - one facing to the right,




the beach and temple, the other to the left , the beach and the town of Mamallapurah.
By the way - it is pronounced - MAM alla purah, not like I have a tendency to say - Mama la purah!


The last picture is of a hand carved, one-piece stone sign that is the gateway to a large beach hotel here.
It's difficult to see, but the word restaurant is spelt "restaurEnt".

I guess it's a little difficult to correct misspellings on 10-foot long stone signs. But, in actuality, probably only the Englishmen, Americans and Canadians , and Aussies would ever notice.

This travelin' time is about over. Tomorrow I will be in transit from here to train station in Chennai, and then on a train (first class) for 36 hours. It makes 36 stops for 2 minutes to 10 minutes.
So if I do not find a internet in Chennai tomorrow I will be offline until May 16th, Saturday.
Okay for now,
Johnny

May 12, 2009 Mamallapuram, India -- day 2

Mamallapuram is world famous for stone carvings, and stone carvers, and for the 5 temples shown here.
These five buildings and 3 large animals were all carved out of one
piece of rock! They are very impressive.
They were carved 1400 years ago, and were covered in sand until 200 years ago when the British came and uncovered them...Don't you know that would have been exciting!

These are two of several temples cut out of stone in an other area nearby. Here the temple is in the stone, the other one cut out of the stone.



Then there is the rock that just never finished "the roll"!

And the last picture is of examples of the work many people do here. Making little trinkets for your lawn or garden.

Last night I woke up with a piece of wire or something poking me in my back.
I thought, now, how did a piece of wire get loose from the mattress and stick through the bedding?
I reached behind me - found the wire and twisted it down trying to break it. It broke .............. and then I thought ------ WHERE ARE MY GLASSES!
Yep -- that's right, I had just broken off the left side of my glasses (I don't know what you call that - stem maybe). BROKE IT CLEAN OFF!
Fortunately, being well prepared, I do have another pair in my pack. I have carried an extra pair of glasses for years , and never needed them, and considered not bringing them this trip -- but I'm glad I did!
It's hard being ME!

Ate dinner last night in a restaurant - on the beach- I mean the sand was close - reminded me of a place on the northern coast of Honduras where Jason Berl and I had a good fish dinner. Some "good places" just seem to appear all over the world!

Not much else from here.
Tomorrow is election day in this Province, so everything will be closed. This is the final election - The new government will be known by Thursday.

bye for now
Johnny

May 11, 2009 - Mamallapuram, India

You know, when you're just kinda "travelin" you never really know what's next.
Now I liked Pudecherry, BUT this place suites me a lot more. It is kinda a beachcomber little village with about 12,000 people which in India isn't even a bump in the road.
As a matter of fact the bus I was on , basically slowed down for me to jump off. No - it actually did stop, but they had me in the door ready to step out when that stop moment came.
But there on the side of the highway was a good old auto-taxi ready to take me to town about a mile away.
It takes about 15 minutes walking with no backpack to be half wet with sweat - with a back
pack I last about 5 minutes and then am wet almost all over my shirt. SOOOOOoooooooo ... here in Mamallapuram I went shopping and bought me a three dollar shirt. Since I'm a tourist - I'm gonna
feel like one!
I'll send pictures tomorrow of what makes this town famous (its about 2,000 years old).
I will stay here til the 14th I think.. The 13th is election day and everything stops, so I think this
is a good place to be, since it's almost stopped all the time anyway!!
okay - til tomorrow - check in and see what this place has.
Johnny the "touRista"
PS: from yesterday's blog Bill McLean wrote and asked what about the
motorbike photo- was it on a sky hook or what.
Sorry I did not comment on it yesterday - but it was just a guy carrying his bike with him on a bus trip. He is just hoisting up to the man on top. Just interesting I thought.

MAy 10, 2009 - Pudecherry, India

This town is unbelievable. That it is --- in India I mean. The streets have gutters and sidewalks, no trash, and no people living on the streets. It was founded by the French in 1673 or so, and remained under French control until 1958 although India got it's independence in 1947. It is in effect - very nice here. HOT, but with a sea breeze. It's on the Bay of Bengal, has a promenade walk that goes for miles along the coast. No beach - all stones. But very pretty. Lot of nice little restaurants, and hotels. No stink - no garbage in street and sidewalk, and a normal amount of people walking around.
Today I went on a tour. Conducted by the City of Pudecherry. There were three foreigners and 7 Indians.. .. and it lasted 8 hours!!! Definitely got my money's worth , $4.00, and that included lunch on a boat! A good lunch. Indian -- but good anyway.



























One of the places we went was an
800 year old temple. Now if Hollywood wanted to create a temple
this one would fill the bill. It was
dark, creepy,big, and came with
a cast of characters that needed
no make up. I couldn't take photos
inside. The large parade float
in one of the pics is one from this temple
that they use once a year to parade
around town. How do they get under the power lines you may ask. Well
they just take all power lines and telephone lines down for the day of the parade.
The beach has a little different
appearance than in the States. The
dress requirements for women are
a little more "puritan" in India than at home.

At one site, they did not have disposable cups - just wired up "reusable" cups.

And at the botanical gardens I met another BFF. The two guards here just
wanted their photos taken!!! No money, just take my picture!!
They seemed to enjoy their work.

So - anyway - the tour went on and on and on.... 8 hours! I was glad to get back to my little stuffy non ac room and just relax as minute!

I leave tomorrow for - now get this name
- " Mamallapurar". It is a small coastal village, and I do not expect them to have Internet - but who knows - if they do I'll let you know.
IF they don't I'll write next from Chennai (Madras to the old folks).
from Putecherry
Johnny

Leaving Kanyakumarie, May 8,2009

Friday afternoon, I was planning to take the 4:30 p.m. bus north. To this end, I had rented my hotel room for half a day, eaten a light lunch in order to eat again at 3:15 or so, and then leave the restaurant, walk over to my bus - and depart. I had also already purchased a snack pack of three "fried " chicken pieces. I bought them early to insure it was edible on the bus, and not some googhy thing with gravy all over it.

Good plan. Oh yeah, ..... while I was in my room (with HBO TV) - I watched a movie about India. I recommend it to you - although I have not seen the end of the movie, because the electricity went off all over town!! which is pretty much what the movie is about - It is 'OUTSOURCE'.

Anyway - back to my good plan - shortly after the electricity went off, a messenger knocked on my door with a note stating for me to come NOW, the bus was leaving early.

I was already packed, and the electricity was off , so it was no real problem to follow the messenger back down stairs. There a man was waiting for me, to take me to the bus (walking - not in auto). He gave me a new ticket with someones else's name on it, but told me very assuredly that it was no problem! (turned out - not to be a problem, but I was sure nervous every time I had to show it to someone!)

I got on the bus, and there were only two people on board, two French women - mother and daughter - traveling India for 4 weeks. They were also scheduled for the 4:30 bus. The bus left immediately - just the three of us, and took us 30 minutes up the highway to another city, there we were told to wait and our bus would be here at 6 o'clock, over two hours!

We were at an Indian private bus station.... lots of overnight buses, a short concrete wall to sit on (brush away pigeon poop first) under a nice shade tree, and some local food merchant stands. ... NICE ... since the electricity was off at the hotel anyway.

The bus arrives - we get on - my ticket works - I have a good seat - all is good! This bus was what is known as a 2x2 semi-sleeper.

That means it has two seats on each side of bus, and that the chairs REALLY lay back. I mean almost to flat! I like the semi-sleeper better than the sleeper, cause it's easier to get out of a chair than a berth on second tier. Everyone kept all the windows opened, so it was almost cool, didn't sweat too much just sitting.

Then about 10:30 or 11 we stopped for dinner at a Bus stop diner. It was clean, and I got "noodles with vegetables" which I figured was safe, and I understood what it would be. It too was good.

At six thirty the attendant woke me up - man, I was cutting some z's, and told me we were where I got off. Bip -bap - I'm off the bus, next to a city bus station with a zillion buses. I ask about bus to Pudecherry - find it - it is leaving in five minutes. I have time to use restroom (not too bad), get a cup of Chai (hot milk, sugar, and tea), and back on bus. This was a local bus, we filled it up several times before we got to Pudecherry, but it was a good ride - uneventful - cost 60 cents, and took one hour.

SOMETIMES THINGS JUST WORK NICELY. Just another normal day of travel in India. Tell ya about Pudecherry tomorrow - Gotta go - I saw a Pizza Hut up the street!

life is good.

Johnny in Pudecherry

May 7, 2009 Kankakumarie, India

First - Here are pictures of my room in Madurai - while I waited on the train. It has an interesting view out the window of the of the hotel rooms next door.

I left the Hotel about 1 a.m. and walked about 3 blocks to the train station. There was a lot of activity even then on the streets. It was kinda surreal however to realize that I was

out on the streets in a city in India at 1 a.m. , alone. Exciting - and I really felt I was "travelin'".

The train was an hour and half late - so I had plenty of time to check out the train station. That actually took 5 minutes, but the weather was nice - almost cool, with a little breeze, and



this time of day - it's easy to find a

good chair. The train arrived at 3:30

and when I found my coach, the conductor showed me to my berth -

a private compartment with 4 berths.

Fortunately mine was on the bottom, and since I had ridden the sleeper and the 2AC before, I knew what to do. Because I tell you what - in India, if

you expect someone to explain something

you're going to have a LONG wait.

The ride was nice - the first class berth was VERY comfortable (I had forgotten about comfortable beds) BUT it was only for four hours!!!

At 8 o'clock we arrived at Kanyukamarie. I've yet to see it spelled the same way, not pronounced the same way.

It is the southern most point of land on the Indian sub-continent.

I got a very nice hotel room - I was tired. Here is the view from my room - the Catholic Cathedral. Now these people have a PA system that would put all those church music leaders and evangelist in Central America

to shame. Last night they had a LONG

LOUD musical, and I fell asleep before it finished. I awoke this morning to

more music. I am told that this is a month of feast for Mary, and the music is for the month. It is pretty music, however - not wild Indian stuff.

My hotel does not have a restaurant, but it does have room service - I decided to try it. The Hall butler brought me a menu - it was the same menu I had seen in two other restaurants. Not the same items - but the same menu!







I'm now kinda suspicious that they only

have one kitchen for many restaurants here. Anyway - here is a picture of my "in room" breakfast.

Notice the nice newspaper cover for the tray. I ordered steam liddy - the cold grits, an omlette and 2 Dosa -the pancake.

The omelette was filled with ONIONS - I mean more onions than egg, and not sweet Vidalias - these were rough boys. .. I tried to eat the omlette rolled up in a Dosa - but just couldn't do it - The cold grits were what I expected - cold grits. I wish I had had some Log Cabin syrup for the Dosa - that would have been nice! Then there were two gravies - the white one was sorta minimally eatable with the grits - the other however - was not to my taste AT ALL.

I am going now to secure me a night bus ticket to Chinnai (madras). A semi sleeper (Chair) bus - 13 hours advertised - We'll see.

later from "CAN you KA marie".

Johnny

May 5, 2009 - Madurai, India

Yesterday I purchased a ticket at my hotel for a night bus to Madurai. This was a "chair" bus, not a sleeper with bunks, which was fine with me. The Hotel owner assured me he would give the motor rickshaw driver the correct address (I was remembering my last night bus experience). My bus left at 9, I was suppose to be there at 8:30, it took less than 30 minutes to get there, so I left at 7:45, with a fully instructed driver.........
You guessed it - when we got to where he thought I was to be - he pointed to a hotel and a bus and said that was my bus. Good, I paid $1.00, got out and crossed the BUSY street to the bus. The worker told me - no, this was not my bus - my bus was across the intersection (DOUBLY BUSY - at night) and for me to go to the office with the green sign.

I did ... and there they told me I was at the wrong location! (feelings of upsettiness setting in now) ..... But they were helpful ... they took me back to the busy street, and flagged an auto rickshaw, explained to him "exactly" where to take me, told me it was 3 kilometers, 15 minutes.
Well, 30 minutes later we're still trucking ... and I'm beginning to think this guy has no idea where we are going - then we come to some nice overnight buses - but we don't slow down. Then we come to some awful buses (I've been on them before) ...but we kept on going and going. FINALLY, he pulls up, and points to what looked like a freight office.

Oh man, I was disappointed. But I told myself I had done it before - I could do it again ... and that I had been "DONE" by people before, and probably would be again. So I told the driver to wait until I was sure this was my bus.
I went in the office - the man was nice - I tried to remove my snarl - and he told me to have a seat in the waiting room - the bus left at 9:45. The bus I was scheduled to leave 15 minutes earlier, but he assured me - no problem. I paid the driver, took a seat and waited. After awhile I went outside and my bus was there ......A NICE BUS! hallelujah - thank you Lord!!
I knew this was a high class outfit when I asked about the restroom, and they ACTUALLY had one - that was in pretty good shape.

We left only about 30 minutes late, and again - the bus was nice - I fell asleep almost at once. I awoke 4 hours later. We had stopped - restroom break. Well, it was a restroom break for the men. We were in a town - a bakery opened on one side of the street - the bus across from it. There was a dirt side walk and an open drainage ditch (sewer?) next to the bus.
Yep, you guessed it - the sidewalk/ditch served as the restroom facilities. Passers by never even flinched or noticed. We did this one other time about 3 hours later.
This system is easy, don't have to walk far from the bus , and you never have to stand in line waiting your turn. The world is your toilet!!!!

In Madurai, I got a $5.00 hotel with no air (could not find an open room with an AC), but it has a good fan, squat toilet, shower , and a towel, plus TV. - I'm only staying til about 1 a.m. - then I have a FIRST CLASS berth on the train down to Kanyakumari, at the southern most tip of India.
I had breakfast at a very nice hotel here this morning - looking for eggs and toast. The hotel, however, had a buffet - so to get 2 eggs I bought the buffet.. and I got the names of some of the things I had been eating. First - the grits are called steam Iddly. The ground nuts are Ragi Puti, and the rice pilau that I have had several times for breakfast is Glee Pongai. The pancakes are Dosa, and a new one for me was an orange sweet potato casserole looking thing. Well, it turned out to be orange grits with a nice sweet taste. I could almost believe they were sweet potatoes except they felt like grits. They were called Kesari. I will continue to check those out to find out what it is made of.

Then I went and got a shave - Anna would have been horrified to see how shaggy I was!
I haven't spoken to a westerner since I left Jodhur. Saw a few in Bombay near McDonalds but that's all. Apparently this "ain't" the tourist trail!

I had a few photos, but the USB ports in the computer do not work. I asked the guy in charge, and he said NO - none of them do - these are all copies - ( I guess he means the windows) but whatever - no pics - and I can't find another Internet place. But the pictures weren't that great either.
Thanks for coming along with me on OUR trip.
Hanging out in Madurai til my FIRST CLASS coach shows up!!
Johnny

May 4, 2009 Bangalor, India

There was not a post yesterday, because I was on "la train" for 23-1/2 hours. It was a pleasant trip.... plenty of room, good bed, sheets, blanket, pillow, toilets available, and AIR CONDITIONING!

I mentioned that I took a Subway sandwich for breakfast, well, about 10 at night they came around taking orders for breakfast, so I said yes, bring me one! - don't won't to miss anything!

..it cost 40 cents.

Had a good night, good reading time, and good sleeping. When breakfast came, I was almost dreading it, but it turned out okay. There were two dishes. One was cold grits (they don't call them that but that's what they were, and Indian flavored hush puppies with slivers of green peppers in them, and a bowl of white "gravy" sorta. But it was something you could dip both things in. . It was all edible and filling. Not Delicious, but definitely not bad tasting or bad feeling.

I was looking forward to my subway for lunch. I was sitting with a family on holiday - they were nice - and at lunch they fixed for me and insisted I take a plate of food. (I wanted my subway!). Anyway - it was good, it was a chapatti (big flour tortilla) and a pile of crushed nuts. All kinds. You put them on the chapatti, a little at a time, a it was kinda like a peanut butter sandwich that

taste different. So about an hour later, I pulled out my Subway, and MAN , it was good. It had survived the travel and the heat and was worth the effort. Nice when a plan comes together.

I got to my hotel about 10, with no supper. Nice hotel, named Citizen Lodge. I had actually called and reserved a room the day before. I have never done that before in all my travels. Getting old, getting HOT, getting late when I arrived. I was glad I had the hotel. No AC, but it was comfortable with a fan, and it cost $10.00. These big cities cost more than the little places.

But one thing the big cities have is good food in MY opinion. There was a restaurant next to the hotel still open. They had chicken grilled some Indian way, but real pieces of chicken with bones in it and mushy stuff around it. It was wonderful. Going back before I leave town and get some more CHICKEN with bones!!!

The zipper on my day bag broke again. So I got a new zipper put in this time. The zipper, and the installation cost me 60 cents! Hope the quality is better than last time. The little shop the man had was little. It was a foot and half deep!!! I'm not kidding, about 8 feet wide - and 1-1/2 feet deep. Keeps down the overhead, the heating , cooling, and building maintenance I guess. He had a shop with about 12 square feet. His sewing machine was 1/2 in and 1/2 out of his shop.

Across the street from his shop was the Disposable Plate Company. These guys were busy cutting and sorting and stacking banana leaves for sale in the market fast food restaurants and for that "busy" housewife, who just doesn't have time to run 1/2 mile down the street to the local broken water pipe to fill up her containers with water for dish washing.

This is a terribly slow connection, and poor computer - so I'm fixin to stop now and see if I can upload this - sorry... pictures are out of place again - they took forever to get in, and then I accidentally deleted them - so I'm headin to the chickin place.

type y'all later

Johnny

May 2, 2009, American food day in Bombay

Yesterday I closed saying I was going for "tea" at my Hotel Welcome.

Well, I must say - they did good - for what they do. The tea was "chai" which is milk with a little tea, and it's not bad. Many people love it. The "dabs" to eat were adequate amounts of food for a "tea" and were served well. I didn't like them though. They were the same ole brown fried things I had been eating for weeks. But for a native of this country - it was probably very nice.

Then this morning for breakfast - well, it was a success... kinda. They brought me - to the room - an egg omelet with slivers of green peppers , and 4 small pieces of lightly buttered bread - not toast - bread - and 2 cups of milk coffee. The hotel did good.

But then I decided I would find a McDonald's and Pizza Hut and have some real food! It turned out that a McDonald's was not far from the hotel and a little further was a Pizza Hut. I decided to do both for lunch - eating lightly at both!

Well, guess what. McDonald's in Bombay does not have beef hamburgers. They have veggie burgers, and potato (with stuff mixed in) burgers, and chicken and vegetable sandwiches. I ordered a "Salad Sandwich" and a "Chic McGrill". My mouth watering , .... I bit into the "Chic McGrill" only to find out it was/is ground chicken meat (I guess it's chicken - not a chicken fillet) and it was brown and fried and squashy! I was a little disappointed, but it still was better than the things at the train station, but definitely not a re-order. The "salad sandwich" was good .

I guess I should have been suspicious of the Chick McGrill when it only cost 50 cents! The Salad Sandwich cost 60 cents.

Then onward to Pizza Hut. I decided to wait and get a REAL pizza tonight for dinner, so I just ordered some mushroom soup and something like cheese tortillas (forgot the name). It was very nice.

Then - living like a king - at 4:30 I went back to McDonald's, and got a hot fudge Sundae!!! And it was RIGHT ON !!!! I had no problem with anything concerning that baby! So after my Sundae - I walked down the street to a "Barrista LavAzzi" (like Starbucks) and ordered me a Cafe Americano - black , no sugar, size "grande". .... man - it was good, the place was cool, and clean. Let me tell you --- it was nice!

But that's not all. I walked a little further and found a SUBWAY. Now knowing what awaits me on the train tomorrow morning - I decided to order me a 6-inch wholewheat, veggie delite -- with mustard, no mayo, and no oil and vinegar. Hopefully, it will survive til in the morning. To survive it has to withstand traveling, and ME eating it!

So - that's the highlight of my day - eating! But after 6 weeks - it was a reeeal treat!!

I don't think I ever need to come back to Bombay - enjoyed it once - but once is enough.
I get on the train tonight for Bangalore, and my ticket indicates that it is a 24-hour trip, so I guess I will be back on Indian train food for lunch tomorrow! But this trip is 2AC - high class, so it should be comfortable.

My hotel room with the Air Conditioning was really nice - actually, got a little cold, and had to turn it down a little!! Nice problem.

So not a very touristic day - but a GREAT survival day!
All for now
Johnny

May 1, 2009 - Bombay, India

I left Jodhpur yesterday afternoon at 3 p.m., I arrived here in Bombay this morning at 10:30 a.m., a little 19-1/2 hour train ride. --I came to travel!

My train was a "3AC" coach. That means that it was AIR CONDITIONED and had three layers of berths, just like the "sleeper coach", (but the sleeper is not AC'ed), and sometimes they let too many people on a sleeper coach.

When I left Delhi for Jaisalmer, I had told you I was in a sleeper coach. I did not tell you that there were also 5 men on each lower berth (basically the seat for the three who have a berth,) and then 4 or 5 in the aisle, plus 2 in each overhead (top berth)! The middle berth is not lowered until everyone is ready to lie down. The train - the sleeper - was basically used as a commuter train for the first 4 hours, and finally everyone was gone, and the three of us left on each side -- got in our berths. As they say in Honduras - NO PROBLEMO !!! Just smile and live it!!

I tell you all that to say that in 3AC they do not overbook the coach. That's nice.

On 3AC the passenger also gets 2 sheets, a pillow, and a blanket. No towel , like on 2AC.- So it's a pretty nice ride.

I must admit I'm tired of the food here. Most all of it is brown - fried, or noodles or rice and they are sometimes brown. Before the train left the station, I bought a pack of salt biscuits (Ritz crackers) to take as emergency rations. Then I ate a couple of fried brown things -dough and small green peppers and mashed potatoes. They're filling - but I'm not sure I can eat any more!

Then on the train a man came through taking orders for "the meal". I said I wanted one, paid him 35 rupees (70 cents), and he continued on taking orders.

About 2 hours later - which was soon enough, he returned. He brought me two tin foil bowls (like frozen chicken pot pie) and a sack with flour tortillas, and a bag of yogurt. In the foil bowls - they were actually rectangles - was 1.) gravy - and 2.) rice and vegetables. - and a little bitty spoon. I poured the gravy in on the rice and stuff, and it was pretty good, and the tortillas were good. Here they call them "chipatti" or "roti". No one knows what a tortilla is.

The lady across from me poured her yogurt in a little bowl provided , and ate it as a side dish with her dinner. I didn't see that until I had just bitten the end off the bag and sucked the yogurt into my mouth.


So - now I'm in Bombay - and I want to give a special thanks to everyone who has "adopted" a room, because the extra funds are now going for AIR CONDITIONED rooms!! Thanks very much. I am in a very nice hotel today - very expensive - $23.00. It does not have an attached bath, but the shared baths are very nice, ...AND... this hotel is the first one I have had in India and Nepal that actually has a lock in the door. All my rooms have had a bolt that has most times been hard to slide, and then a padlock that must be locked with the key - not just pushed closed, and that can sometimes be very frustrating, when it just won't lock!

So when your bathroom is down the hall, it's a real pain sometimes to lock and unlock the door!!
But at the "HOTEL WELCOME" in Bombay, they have real locks, and all I have to do is to push a button on the inside handle, and just pull the door behind me - and it's locked!!!

Be happy there for small things!

Hotel Welcome also has "tea time" free, at 5 p.m. - so gotta go get my share, and then in morning a free breakfast. I don't expect much at either - but I paid, and I want to at least see it.

Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Bangalor, on a 2AC coach. Don't know how long that takes.
will type you from Bangalor
Johnny