India

Do You Sprangle?

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joe_02

Sprangle – (definition: “going in all directions“) That’s what I’m doing. No, this is not about my uncontrolled waistline, nor does it refer to my expansive ego. It’s about travel – travel in many directions, local and far – and in many modes, formal and informal. BTW – speaking of “all directions” that’s not a rug in this photo, just a lousy haircut.

joe_tajmahal

On Sep 14th, 2006 I’ll be off again on another pilgrimage from Jersey City, NJ USA to Manly Beach, NSW, Australia. In addition to the 4 weeks in Oz, I’ll finish up that trip with my usual sprangle (see what a great word it is?) with a few weeks in India

BTW – in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve tweaked the blogging code so the entries read in true chronological order (not reverse chrono as blogs usually do).  This is the way a travel journal should work.

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Destinations may be closer than they appear.

Next year’s Sprangle, around June 2007 or so, probably will be more civilized and with better food, to a more accessible destination, such as Tuscany or Spain. I’m looking for 5 or 6 simpatico travel companions of the same sensibilities and senior age range, both genders, to enjoy its simple pleasures. Maybe we’ll rent a villa for a month. Click above on “Contact Joe” if you are interested.

UPDATE – 2009 – Things happen. Here we are closer to three years later and I never made that trip to Tuscany. But that’s on now. Still looking for travel buddies.

UPDATE #2 – Well, I did it. Most of the month of September 2009 was spent in Tuscany. As of today (Sept 30, 2009), the new web page describing the trip (www.twoweeksintuscany.com) has only an introductory page. Over the next few weeks I will fill it in as a travel journal, together with photos.

UPDATE #3 – return to Australia – In January 2010 I got back to Australia despite the attempts of Virgin Australia to interfere (the scummy bastards). That visit has a small web site here

UPDATE #4 – Coming mid-August, 2010. a few days in a holiday house at the Jersey Shore with cousins I have not seen in about 60 years. This should be Interesting. There will be a web site, if I survive.

“So we sprangle on, boats against the current . . . ?
(with love, respect and thanks to FSF)

(corrupt version from last chapter The Great Gatsby)

ants . . .

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. . . in my pants. Sand in my shoes. Wander in my lust.

Manly Beach - 2006
Manly Beach - 2006

It’s been an entire year (August 2005) since I lived out of my suitcase and I’m getting horny for it’s intimate embrace.

Of course, thanks to the war criminals in the White House, our economy – and more specifically – the value of the US Dollar as international currency, has declined near to that of toilet paper. When you persist in an illegal war that costs billions per month – and hide its fiscal consequences by failing to either raise taxes or sell war bonds to pay for it, your currency suffers.

It’s a good thing I prefer to travel on the cheap. Other than air fares, not much of what I need during travel has greatly changed in price. Of course, what with the war crimes commited in our formerly-good-name by the Bush-Cheney administration, there’s much more hostility to Americans. One of my small ambitions as traveler is to give a face and voice in opposition to the terible things done in our good name.

So, I should go, right? Isn’t “should” a four-letter word with baggage?

Go? As in Samuel Beckett’s, “Waiting for Godot.”  ??

Estragon: I can’t go on like this.
Vladimir: That’s what you think.

So, I’ll go . . . on.

Finding India

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What a ridiculous conceit, to research India, armed with a Google search button, a Barnes and Noble discount membership and a Public Library card. I don’t want the pale lightbulb of vicarious information; I want the fire of experience.

I know that even a few weeks of that will be inadequate. After all, India is the source of the cautionary tale of the blind men invited to describe an elephant after running their hands over the part nearest at the moment. The one at the trunk said it was a firehose; men at the legs said it’s a tree; the man at the tail described a snake, etc.

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The Delhi Metro

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800px-delhi_metroThis modern transit system (Delhi Metro Wikipedia entry) is a hugely refreshing surprise. It’s also a bit humbling. I don’t know a single city in all the USA that has anything of this size and quality even under discussion . . . and Delhi’s system here is almost 90% complete. See the Delhi Metro web site.

And here’s a photo gallery that shows how modern, clean and comfortable the Metro system is in this “impoverished, third-world” country. 

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Henna Hands

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For henna painting on your hands, world-class artists are sitting on the main street that runs through Delhi’s Paharganj district. Here’s a sample . . . Click on the image to enlarge.

karol_bargh
henna hands

This is done every year at this time for the festival of Karwa Chauth.

(http://www.karwachauth.com/the-legend-of-karwa-chauth.html)

Two artists work simultaneously. One works the left hand, and the other creates the exact mirror image design on the other. This took about 20 minutes.

I didn’t ask the price because there’s a basic marketplace rule around the world . . . if you are not serious about buying, don’t ask.