oh WOW
I have had the most culture-shocking experience of my life in the last 24 hours.....
First, to respond to my comments. The Ghandi museum was amazing, bhel puri is a snack food made of fried vermicelli noodles, onions, tamarind sauce, cilantro, mangos, and puffed rice that is ubiquitous street food in Mumbai, and it's freaking delicious. Elephanta Island is like the Mines of Moria, but real, and Indian and not dwarfian. (Sorry for the obscure reference.) It's basically an island an hour off the coast of Mumbai filled with caves carved out of solid rock dating from somewhere between 450 and 750 AD. It's thoroughly stunning and filled with statues of Shiva and other gods and goddesses, and yes, statues of elephants including Ganesha.
And as for Marlowe, yes. Yes, yes.
As to the culture shock....departing India was very difficult. It was difficult psychologically and also in terms of my patience....the 34 kilometer drive from my hotel to the airport took....TWO HOURS. We drove through the second largest slum on the planet, one I've been reading about in a book called Shantaram, which is blowing my poor little brain away. My favorite part about the plane trip was the way Indian customs put women behind black sheets to inspect our bags and bodies. The woman inspecting my baggage took every single thing out of my purse and, of all things, was most interested in my tampons. "What are these?!!" "Um, tampons." "Well, what is this?" "Um, also a tampon." Really not a weapon of mass destruction. Even funnier was a small package of strange shape I had all wrapped up in about 5 layers of insulation to protect it. The inspector asked, "What is this?" "Um, baby Krishnas." (I had purchased these metallic Krishna dolls together with mix-and-match clothes, crowns, and flutes and had them wrapped up for safe keeping.) While for some reasons she thoroughly examined my tampons with suspicion, even going so far as unwrapping one and poking at it (ew), she didn't blink an eye at my lame explanation of my Krishna package and didn't even bother to unwrap it. I swear, it could have been anything in there! This again, proves my point that India is SO WEIRD!
Then, after only 9 hours on a plane and I landed in what I am coming to think of as India's doppleganger-city, but in a good way--Amsterdam. This city is one of the cleanest, quietest, most bicycled places in the world. It's also freaking expensive. I know this because I was so disgusted and grossed out by my baggy and totally unappealing clothes I have worn for the last month (used to disguse my female-ness and avoid what the Indian's call "eye-teasing"--the ever-present harassment and violation of women, especially pale-skinned ones) that I shopped all morning. I even bought a pair of heels and a tight sweater. (My excuse is that it's cold and also that I want to be culturally-appropriate.) I am hit by some kind of consumerist fever...I am tempted to go shop for makeup next. Ah, the freedom of an open European city and my ability to wear whatever I want!
Anyway, more from AMS in the next day or two. Tootles.
First, to respond to my comments. The Ghandi museum was amazing, bhel puri is a snack food made of fried vermicelli noodles, onions, tamarind sauce, cilantro, mangos, and puffed rice that is ubiquitous street food in Mumbai, and it's freaking delicious. Elephanta Island is like the Mines of Moria, but real, and Indian and not dwarfian. (Sorry for the obscure reference.) It's basically an island an hour off the coast of Mumbai filled with caves carved out of solid rock dating from somewhere between 450 and 750 AD. It's thoroughly stunning and filled with statues of Shiva and other gods and goddesses, and yes, statues of elephants including Ganesha.
And as for Marlowe, yes. Yes, yes.
As to the culture shock....departing India was very difficult. It was difficult psychologically and also in terms of my patience....the 34 kilometer drive from my hotel to the airport took....TWO HOURS. We drove through the second largest slum on the planet, one I've been reading about in a book called Shantaram, which is blowing my poor little brain away. My favorite part about the plane trip was the way Indian customs put women behind black sheets to inspect our bags and bodies. The woman inspecting my baggage took every single thing out of my purse and, of all things, was most interested in my tampons. "What are these?!!" "Um, tampons." "Well, what is this?" "Um, also a tampon." Really not a weapon of mass destruction. Even funnier was a small package of strange shape I had all wrapped up in about 5 layers of insulation to protect it. The inspector asked, "What is this?" "Um, baby Krishnas." (I had purchased these metallic Krishna dolls together with mix-and-match clothes, crowns, and flutes and had them wrapped up for safe keeping.) While for some reasons she thoroughly examined my tampons with suspicion, even going so far as unwrapping one and poking at it (ew), she didn't blink an eye at my lame explanation of my Krishna package and didn't even bother to unwrap it. I swear, it could have been anything in there! This again, proves my point that India is SO WEIRD!
Then, after only 9 hours on a plane and I landed in what I am coming to think of as India's doppleganger-city, but in a good way--Amsterdam. This city is one of the cleanest, quietest, most bicycled places in the world. It's also freaking expensive. I know this because I was so disgusted and grossed out by my baggy and totally unappealing clothes I have worn for the last month (used to disguse my female-ness and avoid what the Indian's call "eye-teasing"--the ever-present harassment and violation of women, especially pale-skinned ones) that I shopped all morning. I even bought a pair of heels and a tight sweater. (My excuse is that it's cold and also that I want to be culturally-appropriate.) I am hit by some kind of consumerist fever...I am tempted to go shop for makeup next. Ah, the freedom of an open European city and my ability to wear whatever I want!
Anyway, more from AMS in the next day or two. Tootles.
posted by Julep | 4:22 AM
2 Comments:
So what's happening in Amsterdam? The culture must be quite different from India, what a contrast?
First of all: kudos. Your blog is fantastic and brought back lots of great memories of my own terrible/wonderful experience on the subcontinent. Right down to cow shit puddles, fondling, strange rashes, invitations to strangers' homes for dinner, rock-star popularity, and amazing street vendor food. Second: what is up with the re-acclimation consumption frenzy? I went nuts buying new clothes for about a week when we first got back to Texas. Was I trying to live up to Asian ideals about how fabulous my American lifestyle must be? I'll never know, but it was a very weird (and thankfully temporary) compulsion.
Sounds like a wonderful trip. Let me know when you're ready for Round II and we'll explore Kolkata and the south.
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