25 August

After driving hard for the last couple of days, it was nice not to have to get up at the crack of dawn and get on the road. What was more important was to find an Internet café so we could catch up on some work and e-mail that we had been neglecting somewhat since we lost regular e-mail connection upon entering Myanmar.

The sun was hot, and the town was bustling as I first set foot outside the hotel. Clutching a bag of dirty laundry, I had something more important than e-mail to attend. As I passed from the safety of the hotel gates and onto the general streets, my attention was sought by about five different Indians trying to be as helpful as they could. They had answers for everything, and they always knew where you could get things cheaper (at their brother’s shop), or they knew of the perfect tour for you. They would walk down the street with you and just keep talking to you, figuring the longer they talked to you the more likely you would be to buy something from them or their brother.

Not trusting anyone, I feel like a fullback, plowing through the line and hoping to get to the goal line still on my feet. Getting away is not easy, as they are much better conditioned to dodge the steady stream of chaotic traffic that flows down almost any street in India. The rule is, if it moves, it will probably be on the road in India: cows, goats, rickshaws, motorcycles, scooters, bikes, bicycle rickshaws, people of all ages, dogs, chickens, buses, trucks, and the list goes on.

It is wild just walking by cows and bulls that are casually milling around in the road. With no ropes or anything, they are free to mill around in the rural or urban areas. They don’t seem to spook very easily. I have seen buses bearing down on them, only to see them hold their ground, turn their head, and dare the bus to hit them. What is crazy is, there is not just an occasional cow or bull, but there are a lot of them on the roads and alleys. Yesterday, while driving, I had to push a bull out of my way. I drove up to him, he looked back, and I idled forward and shoved him with my trusty bull guard front bumper. I have even patted them while slowing driving by; you have to see it to believe it!

India is a wild place; it seems to be so different than China. The reason I bring up China is the fact that China is the only other country that has more than one billion people. How do governments deal with such large numbers of people? China seems so ordered, and India so chaotic, but at the end of the day there seems to be some kind of order within the Chaos in India. Maybe the next couple of weeks will reveal some answers.

The rest of the day was spent working on computers and setting up our upcoming visit to Delhi. Meanwhile, I was looking forward to seeing the true heart of Varanasi, as we are scheduled to go on a boat ride down the sacred river Ganges. We will also see the funeral rites in this holy town of Vishnu. There is a lot in store for us here and much to learn.

--Todd

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