I'm moving to Japan. Or Italy.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Coconut
All these wonderful cave paintings, carvings, Buddhist stupas, statues. Things that have major religious, artistic, historical, and cultural value. And they all want a photo with the white dude. Go figure.
Notice the one MAJOR problem here?
Are you experienced?
I couldn't help it. I had to do it. The devil made me do it. I swallowed the fly.
Kismet. Fate. Karma. Anyone? Anyone? Well, whether you believe it or not, I think it just happened to me. The first night I was returning from Gun Hill - where I photo'd those Himalayan peaks - and looking for Trek Himalaya. I merely wanted them to take me around to a few places around Mussoorie. A half day here, a day there. WHATEVER. Sort of the Yosemite experience of staying in the valley and seeing the regular tour-bus sights - then saying "I saw Yosemite." Well, yeah, you did, sort-of, especially if you've never been there before - hope this doesn't come across as being a "hater." But I also read of this mini 3-day trek to Nagtibba.
I thought of all the India experiences I've had to date. Most of it. Well, who am I kidding? All of it has been one big project management with cost overruns, missed deadlines, constantly changing goals, going crazy trying to keep the client (me) happy, and generally a good amount of "motions" out of both ends. Thank God for those multiple buckets in the bathroom - Khyati, Shri, Snigdha - I think you know what I'm talking about - best idea ever!
I wanted someone else to be the PM. While scouring my Lonely Planet, algning the map with my compass to find Trek Himalaya, I turned around and the shop was staring at my ass. How cool is that?
Kuldeep, my soon-to-be guide, was there. He had just enough time to do the prep and take me on a three-day trek. Day one: We drive from Mussoorie to Panthwari village, load baggage onto mules. Then it's trek time through terraced fields and (temperate?) jungle to our first camp at 8,000 feet. Day 2: We trek to the top of Nagtibba (about 10,000 ft), check out the scene. Trek it down to a village called Ontar and camp there. Hang with the locals and get loco. Day 3 is supposed to be relaxed level terrain, terraced fields of opium and coca (I just made that up) and trek through some villages a Devdar groves (I have no idea what those are). Guess what's next? Drive back to Mussoorie.
Hah, I have my first Himalayan foothills trek. I meddled with schedule quite a bit. Chucked a few things out to gain what promises to be a gem.
Now, if anything India is not like investing, "past performance does not guarantee future performance..." Past performance guarantees that the future will always be, well India. So "relaxed, level terrain," "moderate" etc... I hope you hear from me again, or else you'll find me on a pyre in Varnasi.
Let you all know what's up later...
Kismet. Fate. Karma. Anyone? Anyone? Well, whether you believe it or not, I think it just happened to me. The first night I was returning from Gun Hill - where I photo'd those Himalayan peaks - and looking for Trek Himalaya. I merely wanted them to take me around to a few places around Mussoorie. A half day here, a day there. WHATEVER. Sort of the Yosemite experience of staying in the valley and seeing the regular tour-bus sights - then saying "I saw Yosemite." Well, yeah, you did, sort-of, especially if you've never been there before - hope this doesn't come across as being a "hater." But I also read of this mini 3-day trek to Nagtibba.
I thought of all the India experiences I've had to date. Most of it. Well, who am I kidding? All of it has been one big project management with cost overruns, missed deadlines, constantly changing goals, going crazy trying to keep the client (me) happy, and generally a good amount of "motions" out of both ends. Thank God for those multiple buckets in the bathroom - Khyati, Shri, Snigdha - I think you know what I'm talking about - best idea ever!
I wanted someone else to be the PM. While scouring my Lonely Planet, algning the map with my compass to find Trek Himalaya, I turned around and the shop was staring at my ass. How cool is that?
Kuldeep, my soon-to-be guide, was there. He had just enough time to do the prep and take me on a three-day trek. Day one: We drive from Mussoorie to Panthwari village, load baggage onto mules. Then it's trek time through terraced fields and (temperate?) jungle to our first camp at 8,000 feet. Day 2: We trek to the top of Nagtibba (about 10,000 ft), check out the scene. Trek it down to a village called Ontar and camp there. Hang with the locals and get loco. Day 3 is supposed to be relaxed level terrain, terraced fields of opium and coca (I just made that up) and trek through some villages a Devdar groves (I have no idea what those are). Guess what's next? Drive back to Mussoorie.
Hah, I have my first Himalayan foothills trek. I meddled with schedule quite a bit. Chucked a few things out to gain what promises to be a gem.
Now, if anything India is not like investing, "past performance does not guarantee future performance..." Past performance guarantees that the future will always be, well India. So "relaxed, level terrain," "moderate" etc... I hope you hear from me again, or else you'll find me on a pyre in Varnasi.
Let you all know what's up later...
Two Questions
Guess what the most often asked questions are?
What is your good name sir? Matthew
What country? USA, America
Oh, America, what do think about Obama? We'll see, he's been Prez for 9 days (or 8 depending on which side of the Int'l Date your on). Looks like America has been able to overcome quite a bit of prejudice/racial zeitgeist to elect a part black/white dude.
What is your profession in America? I'm a geologist.
What's that? Oh, I look for pollution under the ground - in the rocks and the water underground. I use huge drill rigs (here's my artistic license) the size of that Buddhist statue (which happens to be about 35 meters tall - but WTF, I can dream, can't I?), then we analyze the chemicals to see what's toxic. Geologists paint a picture of the underground; then we send in the engineers to design some systems to try and clean the ground.
The response is usually, "huh, that sounds pretty cool." I remark, "Yeah, it is, and India, cough, hack, hack, cough, really needs some geologists and drill rigs."
So I'm in Mussoorie and have been here for two days. The elevation is 2,000 meters, very clear, cool during the days, frackin' freezing, cold even, during the early morning. But it's sunset that the true colors of India's air situation hits. The western sky is absolutely breathtaking. So Hallmark blood red, deep orange. I won't even provide a photo. Your mind is more amazing. The perfection lies in the razor-edge splitting the sky like a water/air interface. The sun sinks through crystal mountain air and hits this false horizon. It's way awesome to watch the sun splat like a tomato and spread across this smoggy haze that fills the Delhi basin. Yummy.
What I will show you is the 180. Ok, so forget all that bullshit above. Yeah, some of your posts are very true. If there was a profession of "Himalayan Mountain Starer" I would take the job. Probably get fired in the first sunset or two. Something about too much extra water in my eyes due to the cold air, yeah, that's it.
For the record, these are my two Himalayan peaks seen by my eyes. Sunlight traveled from The Sun (which sun? oh, The Sun) to those peaks, reflected, and then my rods and cones had the pleasure of intermingling with those blessed rays of light. The Himalayan peaks' names are: Bunderpunch, Srikantha, Pithwara, Gangotri Group. There will be a quiz when I return. Which peak is which and the elevations of each. I can't concern myself with those mere details. HAHAHAHA.
I know Forrest and I were talking about exquisite experiences. Putting this word into my situation is working very easily. Yet I must add absolute spendor and God-like meditative.
Namaste all y'all.
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