BurningMan, India Style - Part 1

Darin has told me this numerous times, but after seeing it first-hand, now I agree... India is the closest you'll get to experiencing the crazy colorfulness of BurningMan off the Playa!

I started thinking about this after one long day of Indian tourists asking to take our photo. On the Playa (desert where the festival is held), most people dress in costume to some extent. For those that know me well, you know I like to dress up even for work. While 1920's business suits with fishnets + clunky shoes can be fine for the office, I like to take it up a notch for the week of BurningMan. For me, this has come to mean a different daytime + nightime outfit each day. Every day. While not all outfits are showstoppers, I've devised a couple that we wear as a couple that people really seem to dig. For lack of better names, I'll call these the "Gold Tree People" and the "Silver Bird People" outfits. If you've looked at any of our past pics you'll know which ones' I'm talking about. Anyway, our experiences of wearing these on the Playa are the only times in my life that I've received such attention + staring.

To step back, a big part of the B-Man experience is abouting sharing + giving, and I've made costuming a big way in which I give to the community out there. By the end of the day though, you're spent. Here we're just dressed as plain 'ol westerner's, but a day at a busy Indian tourist site can make you feel like that too. You give, and give... photos, shaking hands + answering questions, but after several hours you just want to yell "Enough!"

But the similiarities go far beyond that. There are SEVERAL physical, visual + emotional parallels... The endless adventure of never knowing what you'll see next, The string of colorful costumes + characters, The need for constant hydration in the heat, The constant dust and feeling like you're never clean, Bike riding, Temples, Funky Art, Music... It would be interesting to count the number of times we say to each other throughout the course of a day, "Check THAT out!"

Architecture Appreciation Spree

Bam! Agra - Akbar's Mausoleum, Taj Mahal + Red Fort
Bam! Fatehpur Sikri - Ruined City + Jama Masjid
Bam! Delhi - Qutb Minar, Bahai Lotus Temple + Akshardham Temple
Bam! Gwalior - Jain Sculptures, Man Singh Palace, Fort + Maharaja's Palace
Bam! Orchha - Temples Galore! Including Cenotaphs, Raja Mahal + Jehangiri Mahal
Bam! Khajuraho - Erotic Temples + Jain Temples

All this in less than 2 weeks!

Incidentally, the other day I found myself thinking how nice it is to see ruins in their original non-ADA (American Disabilities Act) conformed state. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for handicap accessibility, but our restrictions for many things in the US goes WAY beyond that. We go to the extent of limiting views for all because of that fraction of a percent that might try and commit suicide! They're not so uptight in many other countries that there has to be guardrails + chainlink everywhere. The mentality is - Take responsibility for your own actions and those of your child, and if you fall it's your own damn fault! This may seem a bit harsh and uncaring, but it really affects your experience through an ancient space. I know, spoken like a true architect, but you just can't MAKE rails + fencing to look a few hundred years old!

Check the "link" for photos

One of the Biggies

(Thursday, August 17 - Agra)

I won't lie. Travelling around in a foreign country you see alot of cool shit, but once in awhile you go into a new place and have to stop in your tracks and sit down to mentally prepare yourself for what lays before you... You've just had your first good glimpse, so you tell yourself "OK, so it's going to be one of THOSE experienes." This is what happened yesterday when I looked through the Southern red sandstone gateway and caught sight of ant-sized people standing before the glistening white Taj Mahal. It's one of those buildings that nothing can quite prepare you for. The other of historical significance and of internationally-known caliber that first comes to mind is the Eiffel Tower (Apparently there's a global poll happening now to decide the NEW 7 Wonders of the World, but as of now they're both on the short list). Even for non-architecture buffs, the joy, awe + inspiration they give is visible on every single face around you.

The Taj is the tangible result not only of an architect with a divine vision, but of 20,000 craftsmen at the top of their game and 22 years worth of effort. Rumour has it that some later had their hands or thumbs amputated to ensure that the perfection of the Taj could never be repeated - Ouch!... and isn't that being just a BIT selfish?! The simple, statuesque minarets; The perfect onion dome; Gleaming white marble painstakingly inlaid with semi-precious stones in floral motif; Intricately sculpted marble screens; Manicured lawn with fountains + reflecting pools - It IS the perfect sum of all it's parts.

We stayed all afternoon, enjoying and exploring from every angle until the last of the suns' rays faded away. Capped the day off with a couple "Karma" beers on our roof-deck to cool down as we watched the giant bats fly out for their evening feasting. We followed suit.

Here's a "link" to more photos from Agra

Vision Quest

(Friday, August 11)

Finally returned to Delhi via overnight bus from Dharamsala this morning. I had two scheduled appointments for the afternoon - First, with the Doctor that lasered the many holes in my retinas and Second, with Dr. Chaudhary who will perform the Lasik surgery. They found that the holes in my retinas had healed nicely and I was deemed ready to proceed with the corrective surgery. So, did I want to schedule it for tomorrow? Tomorrow?! So here I find myself, in my last 24 hours of high nearsightedness (-6.0 to -6.25, wearing glasses + contacts for 25 years), excited and nervous about how this next day will unfold. Has the Doctor been thorough enough? Have I asked enough or the right questions? I feel the answer is "yes", but I can't help the nervousness, even if I was having the procedure done in the U.S. We've gotten a nicer, cleaner room for my 2-3 day recovery as I'm instructed to stay indoors to avoid infection due to the heavy dust + pollution here. Also, no computer, TV or reading to let my eyes heal without strain. Audio books + practicing meditation are going to come in handy so I'm not bored to tears and to make use of my down-time. I know I'll also be in good hands with Nurse Darin by my side :) Please send lots of love and good karma this way to ensure that all goes well. To be continued...



(Saturday, August 12)

I sat awaiting my appointed time, full of last-minute apprehension + questions. I struggled to clear my mind and get in some positive, pre-surgery meditation to put me in a better mental state. Meanwhile, Darin sat by my side smiling + holding my hand, much more excited + optimistic. Some final testing was performed before I was ushered into a clean room for final prep and instructions. Soon I was laying beneath the laser, sheathed like a corpse but for one exposed eye. The actual procedure was done one eye at a time and took less than 10 min. total. Though painless, it WAS frightening as my cornea was cut and then my eye could no longer focus. I thought - Maybe this is what it's like to be blind... only abstract, shifting lights - and became even more fearful at the thought of permanent loss of sight, the sense I revere above all others. When my corneal flaps were finally laid back in place I expected to see more clearly, but instead looked out an extremely blurry, dense fog. Darin was given instructions for the 3 types of eye drops + 1 tablet that I'm to take on a strict schedule for up to 2-1/2 months.

Back at our room, the numbing drops were wearing off and my eyes became increasingly pained by an itching, burning sensation that nothing would alleviate. I lay down for a few hours and tried to rest my eyes + sleep. Later, Darin brought me fresh papaya + bananas that he cut and served since I still couldn't see. It was a very fitful night of sleep that followed.



(Sunday, August 13)

Woke this morning for the first time in my memorable life to clear sight... almost. To back up a bit, my normal vision is so bad that everything beyond 5" becomes fuzzy blobs. NOW, I could identify objects from across the room. I could see that Darin's eyes were open as he lay next to me... Good, but not perfect. There was still some misting too, and things weren't crystal clear. I've continued to see a subtle improvement throughout the day, but I'm not jumping for joy, yet. They say the first few days are when you achieve your greatest improvement, but that it can take up to 6 months for everything to stabilize. I go tomorrow morning for my first check-up, but only time will tell.



(Monday, August 14)

Today was my first post-surgery follow-up. I was seeing very well besides a few intermitent blurry spots. These I'm told are just the eyes healing and should go away. In the office - Eye test performed, and "Guess What?" 20/20 Vision... For the first time since I was TEN YEARS OLD!!! I can't believe it... It seems too good to be true. If any one of you are considering this - DO IT! Whether in the States or abroad, just do your homework and find a doctor who's performed several 1,000's of procedures, so you know they've got experience, and one you feel comfortable with, who's answered your questions to satisfaction and put your mind at ease. One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is the gift of sight. I'm sure glad I did :)



(Monday, August 21)

Today was my second post-surgery follow-up. Though still seeing well, I've noticed increased blurriness over the past week and my vision did not test so well today, around 20/30-40. The doctor says my eyes are healing exceptionaly fast and this has altered my perfect correction. I've read that this is not so uncommon, but it also seems to fit the description of another common complication referred to as "corneal haze". He's given me a new prescription for stronger drops to help and expects that my vision will probably stabilize somewhere in-between. If this is true, my vision will still be better than it ever was with contacts. Not to end this on a downbeat note, but after briefly having perfect vision I'm a bit sad to settle for anything less.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

After one solid week of rain here in Dharamsala, (The Home of the Tibetan Govt. in Exile) we're over it!!! It's been coming down pretty much all day, every day. Our shoes + socks are soaked. Nothing dries and everything smells of mildew. We sleep under a damp, clammy blanket over an equally damp, smelly mattress :( And there is nothing to do about it! There are constant power outages too to add to the overall dreariness. Even His Holiness, grateful as he is to the Indian Govt. for giving them this refuge, complains about the cold + damp and says how he misses the dry, Tibetan climate.

At the beginning it didn't seem so bad - There was cheap internet to catch up on, good bookstores, several cinemas + yoga. All this has become part of our daily routine to spend the majority of our time indoors. So far we've seen a movie a night - Walk the Line (J. Cash Docu.), Samsara (Set in Ladakh), Mountain Patrol (Docu. about endangered Tibetan antelope), Mt. Kailash Documentary, Kundun, Pirates of the Carribean 2, Tibetan Book of the Dead, What the Bleep do We Know? and Down in the Valley (Wow, Intense!). We were also lucky to find a nice, big room with large windows on two sides looking out to a pine forest. It's kinda like staying in a cabin in Muir Woods (SF, California) with the mist-shrouded greenery. There are several friendly, long-term guests there too who even hosted a lively party last night.

We've decided to tough it out a few more days to attend a 2-Day Intro to Meditation course at the Tushita Institute, which has come highly recommended by several travellers we've met. Then we go back down to Delhi, where it won't be rain free, but it's not one of the wettest places in the World either! The monsoons typically end around mid-Sept., but they've been unusually heavy this year causing major flooding + landslides, and people predict they may go longer. We've been really lucky so far as our route has been right ahead of or around the rain, so this is really our first true taste. Maybe we need to take this quote to heart...

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Say Cheese!

A weird little tidbit about Indians - Everyone wants to take your photograph. With the recent growth of an Indian middle-class, many families can now afford to travel, and they do. Especially during the monsoon season (now), the drier, cooler North is flooded with families on holiday or pilgrimage. When in a popular destination, not a day goes by without at least one person asking for a "snap". Still haven't quite figured out "why" because westerner's aren't THAT much of a novelty. When we were in Kashmir with a HUGE military presence, even soldiers had no hesitation about forcibly shaking our hands and asking to pose with us, even without cameras of their own.

Out on a day walk in the hills of Pahalgam, we came across these soldiers who first asked us the typical drill of 20 questions (What's your name? What is your country? Job? Salary? Marital Status? Children?), and upon hearing that we aren't married, the commanding officer of the unit gave us an impromptu wedding in Hindu and then staged a series of photos with us - They adjusted their uniforms, posed, and one guy even tried on D's shades. All very strange + unexpected. Darin was quite jealous that "I" got to hold the gun! Those things are HEAVY!