India: Part 3

.... And so the school days were long, and hot.... and hot and sweaty and funny and a learning experience.

When we returned "home" each afternoon, many of us would take a long nap. It was one not-so-creative-way to dream our way through the heat. I was the unfortunate one who had the adverse recation to my malaria pills. I had read that fine print when I got my prescription: "may cause nightmares..." but I always scoff at label warnings.

These nightmares were horrendous. Eerie dreams of death and dying. This could also be because of my own paranoia. In truth, in my own lame ignorance, I had this fear I would be kidnapped by neighboring Pakistani rebels. This was 2004, during the height of Americans being kidnapped and beheaded in the Middle East. I would write letters to Lloyd as if it were the end of my days. What can I say? Nightmares mixed with American ignorance, current event pages, and feeling a sense of isolation from all of the things I loved had me in fear.

My good friend, Denise, read my first blog on India and called me 'brave'. Bless her heart. I never thought of myself that way... at all. I felt afraid much of the time. I think that is one of the greatest opportunities of life, understanding and embracing others. Putting ourselves in the most uncertain of circumstances, afraid as all hell and sucking it up. For me, this was a summer. For the majority, this was a lifetime.

And so, among these moments of fear, I found moments of pure open-ness. My heart was open. My mind was open. We did things I might never do again. I rode in a rickshaw. That was fun. For those that don't know what a rickshaw is, it is the buggy-type vehicle on wheels that is "driven" by a single bicycle rider. They generally fit up to 3 passengers, but it was not uncommon to see families of 5 or 6 huddled on them.

They would take us around the town. They would take us to the pizza parlor and the local shops. There weren't sidewalks, so we would be there, on the main roads in these rickshaws pulling up alongside a car and a camel. If it was a really busy day and we were in Delhi, you might even be pulled up alongside an elephant.

It was bizarre and yet... completely natural for the locals. This is life as they know it. It was such a novelty when I first took a ride on a camel and elephant while in India. I wanted a picture of myself on these animals. "Look at me!! I'm on a camel!!"

I tried the best I could not to be such a doof. But there I was and when I would be in that type of situation again was unknown.

I remember one of the most surreal moments of that summer is when we were making the long and windy trip to the Himalayan mountains. We were in the car for hours. Along that road we saw bears whose noses were attached to hooks. They were being led by adolescent boys, eager for tourists to stop and take a photo of the "wild" animal on a hook. As I type this I almost want to cry. One of the best things about traveling the world is that you see everything. One of the worst things is that you see everything. People suffering. Animals suffering. It's just all too much for the human heart, at times.

On that same drive we came upon lots of other animals. We stopped to photograph a family of monkeys by the roadside. Smart monkeys, also waiting for tourists to toss them a snack. We got out with our cameras, so in awe of these clever monkeys hanging out by the roadside, ready to walk to your hand or jump in your car (we heard stories...)

The most surreal and magical moment, for me, on that drive was when we came to a sudden stop. Forest on either side of our vehicle. I looked around. Why have we stopped? Nothing. There was nothing there. I looked at my American companion. I looked to the Indian driver and passenger. They sat frozen. I asked, "why did we stop?"

"Wait", said the driver. I waited. I was wide-eyed and impatient. Why were we stopped?

Just then I heard it. It was like something out of Jurassic Park. It was loud. It was ominous, and it was coming. I saw the large branches from the forest to the right sway. Whatever was coming, was getting louder.

I wasn't afraid. I was excited. I knew if we had reason to be scared the driver and passenger wouldn't look so nonchalant. As the branches moved back, I suddenly saw it.

It was an elephant. A large, gorgeous elephant crossing the road to get to the other side. Had we tried to pass prior, we might have been stamped out under its' hoof. There it was. Right in front of our car. I was amazed that the driver and passenger heard it well before I had. Their ears were attuned to such sounds. Despite having seen the elephants on the streets in the city, this was something so awesome to me. To see this elephant in its natural forest habitat, hidden among the Himalayan mountains was breath-taking. I love elephants. It was this summer in India that made "the elephant" my favorite animal.

India, Part 4 coming...