Namaste!

We are still in Udaipur - as always plans change. It is possible that when we leave here we will not have access to a computer for a week, so we had decided to get everything up to date before we get out of touch. We also wanted to see some Rajasthani folk dancing, so we have tickets for a show tonight which is to be held down by the ghat in an old haveli.

I also want to use this opportunity to share some other stories with you that I have not had time to write up...

Yesterday when we visited one of the farm villages we were told a story about the lack of rain which affected the area for many years. There had been seven years of bad monsoons and all the wells, rivers and lakes had dried up. Old women were walking at least two kilometres or so to collect water from where it was still available - if you consider how heavy liquid is to carry you can imagine how long this process would take. Times were getting desperate, crops were failing, there was barely enough water for the people to drink let alone anything else. There were many rituals performed and Puja offerings to encourage the rain to come but this was to no avail. Finally when the rains did come there was much celebration, people were dancing outside in the rain for a long time so that they could feel the water again, people would go and sit by the lakes and rivers and stare at the water because they had missed it so much.

I have been reading about farmers who end their lives when the crops fail due to a lack of rain, without the produce they have no income, if they have borrowed money in order to just survive they get into a desperate situation and can often see no other way out - it is very sad. Even now, the landscape seems really dry and we are lucky enough to come when there have been good rains. In Rajasthan there is a vast amount of desert, K and I have not reached the driest area yet but we are noticing the difference, our skin feels much drier and we are drinking a lot more water. Getting water is a main part of peoples lives in India, we are always seeing people (mainly women) including children carrying urns on their heads. Quite often they carry two urns, they have a round base that is kept in place on top of the head with a piece of fabric that is twisted into the shape of a doughnut with a hole in the middle within which the urn sits, quite often there is a smaller urn stacked on top. We have seen many plastic versions in the south of India but as we have headed north again they are made out of metal and must be heavier to carry. There are water pumps everywhere in Rajasthan, most people do not have running water in their homes and even here in Udaipur there are public water pumps on every street. We see people on the steps of the ghats in the heart of the city washing their clothes or themselves, we see this all over India. I often feel as though I should divert my eyes from this because I do not mean to pry but it fascinates me, the water in which they wash is often polluted or contaminated with litter. I watched a woman who ran a chai stand on the edge of the ghat pull a bucket of water up from the dirty water and wash the glasses in which she served the tea, she did not dry the glasses before use and immediately after rinsing them with the water she served up the tea - I wonder why people do not get sick all the time, maybe they do.

On the subject of water, I have seen hand made ice lollies made in the street. There will be a hand cart upon which will be a selection of bottles containing various coloured liquids as well as fresh limes. There is an upside down plane on a wooden block, hidden in the base of the cart a block of ice is pulled out, a piece is chipped off and the ice is returned to its resting position. The remaining piece of ice is then shaved with the plane, these pieces in turn are pressed very hard into a cup. A wooden stick is then forced into the formation and the flavoured and brightly coloured liquid is poured over the top, sometimes fresh lime juice is added. The cup is then removed and an ice lolly has been made, this is very popular amongst school children, in the heat of the day I would love to try one but like much of the street food it is off limits for us.

Next - The slums in Mumbai.

When K and I caught the train to Mumbai we were surprised at the vast number of slums that lined the railway tracks for miles. These are often constructions made from corrugated sheets, old tyres, tarpaulin, cardboard, railway sleepers, almost anything that can be used as a building material. The people that live in these have often come from rural areas hoping to have a better life in the city, unfortunately in most cases this does not happen and they end up being victims in a game of political chess. The huts are built tightly together, they are very close knit and seem to form one large sprawling monstrosity. Sometimes when buildings have been knocked down only half of the structures remain standing, the bare minimum is removed to make way for a road or railway track etc. People will move into the remains that are left standing and will string up tarpaulins etc to make a new abode out of what little is left. These are often quite odd in their appearance because you can still see the brightly coloured paint that would have adorned the interior of the buildings, sometimes there are neat rows of tiles as well as sinks that are no longer plumbed to anything. There are no facilities for the people that live in these slums, quite often in order to get electric power they will illegally rig up their own power lines to the electricity supply that supplies nearby businesses or housing areas (we have read about this in the newspaper). As our train passed by these areas and day broke, people were waking and getting ready to start their day. There was the usual brushing of teeth and washing from a bucket of water as they watched the carriages slip by. One of the most disturbing things to see was the use of the railway tracks as a public toilet. People were squatting either on the tracks or just on the edge of them in order to defecate, these were mostly men and children, I am not sure what the women do. I am not talking about three or four people, I am talking a good hundred or so en route. If you consider the density of the slums and the fact that there is no space at all, it is no surprise that people have to resort to such measures to relieve themselves. We saw many bare bottoms that morning! I was quite disgusted at first but soon, as I thought about it more, this turned to pity - how awful that they do not even have a toilet. There is in fact a big problem with people defecating or urinating on the railway tracks, this is not only done by the slum dwellers but also by passengers and those who work on the railways. The situation is so bad that some tracks which should have lasted for twenty years are only getting a lifespan of two years - it is costing a lot of money. There is pressure on Indian railways to improve facilities but as always it is likely that corruption will impede any progress (according to what we have read). When K and I were waiting for our train to Mumbai we were going to sit in the ladies waiting room, unfortunately we had to rule this out because it had been used as a lavatory (and you know it was not the ladies!!!!). The people in the slums are often mislead by politicians wishing to gain votes, promises are made but after the all important campaign is over, the slum dwellers will find themselves victims to a bulldozer that has come to demolish their homes, quite often they will receive very little notice. Other times politicians will remove slums in advance of the election in order to influence voters or skew the numbers. With no access to education, health care or water, basics that we take for granted, life must be incredibly hard for these people...

One final subject (because liming would probably help the railway tracks), when we were in Ahmedabad the gutters and streets had been limed. This is done periodically especially in areas were there is a rubbish dump or where there has been a lot of urination. Another thing that we saw was the removal of illegally parked two wheelers, we would often see a tow truck with five guys and about ten scooters and motorbikes piled on the back. There seemed to be a lot of organisation in Ahmedabad and efforts to keep the city clean and green.

I still have stories to share with you regarding politics and communal violence but I am still reading up on some of this. Thanks to Kate who has lent me her copy of Mark Tully's "India in Slow Motion". It is an excellent book - the more I read it the more I realise that I know very little about this country and how things work here. I do however hope to at least diminish some of my ignorance by continuing to keep an open mind and try to see through the smoke screen of the happy shopper tourist.

And on the subject of thanking people.....I think Carl needs to know that we think of him often. And not just when we are huddling under the mosi net he left with us in Kerala (his 2 person hooped net makes us feel like we are in the "family" tent and not the 2-man backpack tent mosi nets that we brought with us :-). That net was a true refuge when we were under attack in Pondicherry (and other places, but Pondicherry was by far the worst! Headlines read: "50 Mosquitos slain by the Chappal of Death!" :-). Also, K is reading "God of Small Things" and is remembering the time we spent in Kerala with Kate and Carl. Do I need to tell you that we are having a great time on our adventure????

Oh...and on the mosi front....it is true that the mosquitoes love me - the morning we left the Food Inn I picked up my helmet as we were ready to go and at least 20 mosquitoes flew out of it! When K lifted her helmet there wasn't a single mosi in it! It's nice to be loved....

Until next time, thank you for reading.