A trip to the Village

February 28, 2008

The other morning I was in my hotel room getting ready to head out for the day when I hear a knock at the door. I open the door and see my friend Pusar. He was the camel driver I stayed with during my first trip to India back in '04. I was totally suprised. We chatted for a bit, and he invited me out to his village sometime. I said, how about today? So we made plans to meet at the bus station in the afternoon.

I arrive and before we even get out of the taxi there's this guy standing there right next to the rickshaw. He was almost climbing in. I thought it was a little weird, but I thought maybe he wanted the next ride. As I'm trying to climb out I see it's Derag, Pusars' son. He was already on the lookout for us. A white guy at the local bus stand is pretty easy to spot. We are an hour early so we go to wait in the shade and have some chai.

Soon it's time for the bus to leave. The bus is as packed as you might imagine an Indian bus to be. Instead of dealing with the suffocating inside, we opt for the shanti ride on the top.

With Pusar there, we're able to stake out a comfortable 'seat' and we're on our way. The locals all get a kick seeing a few honkey's riding the bus the Indian way.

About an hour later we arrive at the village. It was nice to be back since I haven't been there in four years. The children all looked so much older, and Pusar added a new addition to his house. His kitchen now has a roof over it. Although I must admit that it's all dark and the old one was much more airy and comfortable.

We sat around that afternoon entertaining some of the local children. Being out in the little villages in Rajashtan, it's easy to see just how isolated these people are. Pusar is a camel driver, so he sees his share of tourists, but the rest of the village is as excited to see a foreigner in their home as an American would be excited to see some lame actor in theirs.

In the evening we had dinner and drank some rum and water. That's not my favorite mixed drink and it was my first drink since I left the states, but it was relaxing, enjoyable and we all had a good time. Pusar's brother came by and brought some of his stone carving. He does intricate carvings for the sides of buildings. Then I shared some of my paintings. In India, people tend to drink first, and then eat. It makes more sense that way, because if you eat first, there's no reason to stop drinking and then people just keep on drinking and then they get wasted and sick and puke.

Dinner was delicious. It my first meat I had since I left the states and probably my last. It was a delicious entree consisting of chapatis and goat masala. Ashlee opted for the veggie dal. I'll eat meat in the villages, but meat from a restaurant scares me a bit. The food in restaurants is always hit or miss around here.

The next morning I played some cricket with the locals, while Ashlee was severely harassed by a few local children. At the time I didn't realize this. I was out there throwing the ball around and she looked like she was just chilling in the shade having a nice time. Later that day she told me how annoying some of the little brats were, begging for her belongings and just irritating her to death. It's funny how things always look much more serene from far away. Like if you're on the top floor of a skyscraper in New York, the city street and traffic looks so peaceful.

Eventually the bus arrived and again, we rode on the top. A new cast of characters, but just as pleasant. Ash was blessed by a sadu who sat next to her. We made it back just in time to head on over to the Desert Festival which was a complete waste of time.