Mother BEEEEEP

Calcutta is one of the scariest things I have ever done. But I guess I have quite a bit to update, so here we go...

Last I wrote I think was monday or tuesday, maybe earlier, as I went from darjeeling to KPG. Well, KPG was GREAT! as always. I got almost nothing done. The one person I had to meet for my last interview canceled on me the last minute.

Every day I went and hung out with Naveen daaju and Rudra bhaai. I was quite sad as Subaas bhaai went to Nimbong, where his home is and did not come back before I left. I really like that guy alot, and we get along really well. It sucks I didn't get to see him again before I left, especially since we didn't really get to hang out while I was there. Just means I have to make a point of it next time.

I convinced Naveen's aamaa that I was going on a picnic to the Relli Kohla by myself, which prompted her to suggest I take all of the guys along (Rura's idea) and on thursday we headed off on yet another river expedition, on a much steeper climb down and no prospect of a car back. My sprained right leg was feeling up to it so I forged through along with Naveen dai, Rudra bhaai, Bikaas daaju, his daaju from Delhi, some kid, and "the other" arjun daaju. Oh and Bookie of course, one of the best dogs ever.

It was amazingly fun, and then rushy old overcomfident me, went and tripped on a rock and sprainmy other foot! Yes, I know... I am a clumsy fool. Except this time it sent me head over heels off of the path and down to my spiraling and ultimate death!

At least that is what everyone else thought as they rushed towards me. The path curved towards where I fell SO i only fell a few feet but it felt like forever, much worse was the feeling they had of my death or the feeling I had for a good 2 minutes that I oculd no longer move my legs. I tried and tried but to no avail. That was a horrifying moment in life. but I was laughing, of course, how else do i deal with things like this? Does anyone remember when I jammed the giant khukuri blade into my hand, and while everyone freaked out at cuts and blood I was jiggling my skin going you can see the bone! and laughing as if I were watching charlie chaplin. I somehow have an overconfident belief in an early, but not too early death, a sense that I know nothing will be wrong when it won't and that it will when it will... and it hasn't failed me yet. It is bad though.

Anyway, I stood and they checked me for cuts and things. I was fine, my hands are pretty cut up bt I didn't hit any rocks, if I had hit my head I probably would be dead... or retarded... but I am fine. Except for the addition of sprained ankle number 2.

So with my penguin like waddle walk exaggerated to its fullest potential, we triumphed down to the river and ate dhaal bhaat and swam for hours and hours. Every time I thought we had stopped swimming, we swam again! It was incredibly fun, and tiring. And watching naveen daaju trying to swim was hilarious. There was a point he got stuck in the current and he ended up in my arms running away from it. It was all good fun. I also tried to teach Rudra bhaai how to float, but none of them seemed to really get it. I remember how hard it was when I was a kid though and people had to hold me up all the time until i got it.

Then naveen suggested the best worst idea ever... me, him, and bikaas' daaju from delhi would walk to bikaas' daaju from delhi's friend who came from delhi's house and spend the night there. word was sent back home with "other" arjun daaju and off we went...

we SHOULD HAVE... walked along the river for about an hour and uphill for about 1 or 2 hours and conclude dour journey in a warm, well fed, over drunken state.

Instead we walked up and down hill, over and past river, through fields, and sheds, and unknown people's homes... from 3pm to 7/7:30 PM... making it officially the first time i ever saw a nepali say he was eexhausted from walking. I thought i might die again, of exhaustion... a full days walk and no water... when we finally came upon a house in the middle of fields at 5 or 6 I drank a full 2 glasses of chiso (cold non boiled) paani (water) and thanked god that i did not have a weak american stomach, that i have been drinking fresh semi dirty bacteria filled third world country water most of my life and it doesn't get me sick except on the rare occasion. I in fact, am still quite healthy. I knew it wouldn't suck to drink it since I had drakn jaar made from river water a little earlier, and if you've been to KPG, you know that is much grosser, but at least it has alcohol. I am not John Dawa who drank plain ol' river water...

Then we trudged our way up and around and found some other friend of bikaas' daaju's daaju from delhi's house and ate and stayed there. i felt ready to keel over and say my last words, and naveen was falling asleep.

It was a great trip! the next day we walked down to the river again, a good 45 min downhill walk and took a jeep back.

To make sarah and some part of myself happy i did purchase some laamaa lugaa. I will now go with priti didi and get me some dhaal bhaat in pasadena. although she'll probably make me shave my head.
Now I am in calcutta. which is radically different, amazingly huge, and for the moment, uttelry terrifying to be in alone. Though i just met a nice german girl.

to be continued.