Indian Antics I - "Oz to India"

Hi everyone, and welcome to India!! This will hopefully be the first of many emails to keep you up to date. Today I'll take you on a tour starting from Devonport, Australia, through Bangkok, Thailand, and into Malkangiri, India. As I share my experiences I invite you all to laugh with me, cry with me and feel all the beauty, joy, sadness and pain of my experiences. Finally I will leave you with some special points of prayer so you can join with me in thanking God for what he is doing here, and asking for his continuous help.

I'm writing this from the computer at the Reaching Hand Society office. This building is also the dormitory for the male volunteers and the administrator, Remo. Currently there is one other volunteer, Matthew, a doctor from New Zealand. He has been here for three months and will stay on until March.

Breezing through Bangkok
On Tuesday, Nov 20 I flew from Devonport to Melbourne and then on to Bangkok. I arrived in Bangkok at midnight and took a taxi in to the city. At 8am on Wednesday, after a refreshing sleep and a nice breakfast, I left the hotel for a morning on the town. My first day in Thailand was full of interesting experiences. No sooner had I left the hotel premises before I was confronted by a tuk-tuk driver. He wanted 100 Baht ($10 Aus) for an hour tour of the city. I was hesitant but ended up saying no. I was not let off too lightly, but managed to get away without too much confrontation. I wandered the streets for about half an hour, trying to make sense of the traffic system. At one stage, I pulled out my map at a street corner, feeling quite safe on the footpath. Then I was almost run down by a motorbike. Apparently the footpath is not only for pedestrians.

After a while I accepted a tuk-tuk ride (definitely a must for any Bangkok visitor) and spent three hours visiting around the city. Since it was a special "Buddha Day" the government tuk-tuk drivers were rewarded with government petrol vouchers for taking tourists to the Thai export centres. So after visiting five centres, I managed to get my tuk-tuk ride free. But I think the driver probably got the best deal. Bangkok certainly has some awesome sights to see. I got to see three: Sleeping Buddha, The Marble Temple, and The Golden Mount. They were all breathtaking and I wish I'd had more time absorb the amazing culture I was saturated with.

Arrival in India
I flew out of Bangkok at 6:45pm, getting to Bombay at midnight. I was hit by the dusty air of a 28 degree Celsius Bombay night as soon as I left the terminal. I had my luggage on a trolley was planning to get the free shuttle bus directly to the domestic terminal, have an hour's rest, then get my flight to Visakapatnam. However, no sooner had I hit the footpath, than a young Indian chap bundled me out of the way to take control of my trolley. I was caught between understanding what he was doing and not losing sight of my trolley on one hand and apologising to the big African he had just run over. With one hand still clinging to the trolley I was dragged across the road to a couple of waiting buses. All the while I was trying to tell the young Indian that I wanted to go to the shuttle bus - I interpreted his no comment as not understanding. We reached the buses and I was immediately told that a taxi was coming for me. Frustrated, I objected adamantly, "No, no, no. I want the shuttle bus". After squeezing flight details out of me, one of the guys convincingly assured me that the shuttle bus didn't start until 6am, and since my flight was at 5:30am, I would miss it. My gut feeling was not to trust this guy so again I stood my ground and told him I was leaving to find the bus. He then changed tack and decided that I should wait at this spot for the bus. I'd had enough so I grabbed the trolley and pushed my way past him towards where I thought the bus was. Again the young Indian pushed in front of me taking control of the trolley. This time he explained, "I am your porter". "What?" I exclaimed, annoyed at myself for not realizing this and knowing he would want money. I tried to take my trolley back and told him I had no money for him. By this time we had reached the bus line and he was joined by a few of his friends. "You pay now?" they asked. Then ensued a bit of an argument, culminating in me offering them a few left over Baht I had. They weren't interested but finally left me alone, giving me dirty looks and muttering at me while they proceeded to find another poor foreigner to hijack.

The rest of my trip to Visakapatnam was uneventful. During the early morning flight I enjoyed my breakfast as we flew east into the Indian sunrise. I was met in Visakapatnam by a friend of Remo's. We took a taxi to his place. It was on this journey through the city I first saw the face of poverty. She was short and slim, wearing a red sari and gold jewellery in her nose and ears. In one arm was a baby sucking on a biscuit. Her other arm was held toward my half open window. All the stories and advice had not prepared me for this. My instinct was to act in denial. I turned my head away, shut my ears and sat uncomfortably. I shed no tears then, but every time I reflect on it my eyes well up with tears and I am filled with sorrow at the unfairness of it all. Throughout the city I saw garbage dumps, the homes of these people. Some were lucky enough to have some corrugated iron or thatched roof as shelter. They collected rocks, tin and other rubbish to sell in order to survive. Yet I read in the newspaper that the luxury car market in India is rising dramatically. And I think back to Australia, where we live in true luxury. No longer can we plead ignorance....

To Malkangiri
Beginning the 300km trip to Malkangiri I was trying desperately to assimilate everything I was being exposed to. The contrast to Australia was just unbelievable, it really did feel like I was just watching it all on TV - only this TV had smells, sights, sounds and was fully interactive.
After one hour we had travelled about 30km and had left most of the city behind. The two-lane (one each way) road was narrowing and becoming bumpier. Cars, trucks and buses were decreasing in number but the large number of motorbikes and bikes remained high with an increasing number of cattle and goats. Lanes were arbitrary, horns signalled your location and there was little distinction between the road and 'footpath'. The footpath being the dirt bit between the road and the shops. The scenery had changed now, showing rural agricultural land with green mountains ahead. Soon we were climbing the first of these mountains. The vegetation was thick, green and varied. It was here I saw my first pair of wild monkeys - looking very happy and healthy. After four hours driving we had covered 150kms. It was time for lunch. You little ripper! I had rice with and assortment of curry, sloshing it around with my hand (right one only) and scooping it into my mouth. Paying for the drivers' meals too, it totalled 54 rupee ($2 Aus). Getting a bunch of mini-bananas we hit the road again.
As we drove further to the centre of India, crossing more mountains and flat plains, the roads progressively deteriorated becoming narrower and bumpier. There was never a lack of sights. There were still many people to see, but they were much different to those I had seen nearer the coast. Obviously it was getting more rural and primitive. This second 150km took 6 hours, and too punctures. Since we had only one spare, it was necessary to stop and repair the second one. This was my first time to interact with locals. By now I was getting used to the stares. After wandering around a bit, playing with a baby monkey and a few little goats, a few guys called me over to them. They were dressed in black religious garb with a white and red pattern painted on their foreheads. They sat me down and started asking questions. I was to learn later two aspects of Indian questions. Most Indians ask foreigners freely about their name, family, occupation, salary, reason for visit and value of belongings. But there are also some who can benefit by finding out about the activities of Christians. If they find that foreigners are using illegal money for conversions they can expel them. For this reason I must be careful what I say to friendly strangers.

I reached Malkangiri in the dark at about 8pm. I was absolutely exhausted after the 10-hour journey. I met Remo, Dr Iris Paul's son, who is the Reaching Hand Society administrator. He is large and well built compared to most Indians I have seen, and speaks English well. He takes me around to a hotel for the night. I was grateful to dump my stuff down at last. As I was settling in I had two visitors. Matt, the NZ doctor popped in to say hello. Also, Dr Iris Paul came to meet me. She started her work here with her husband 35 years ago and has worked here ever since. She greeted me with a beautiful smile, immediately making me feel welcome. A plump, well-dressed woman with a confident air, she wears a bright patterned sari despite being a widow (widows usually wear black). After giving me a jug of filtered water, she left to allow me to sleep.

I unpacked a few things and ducked in to the shower and toilet. A small room, in the corner of the main room, had an Indian toilet and a few taps. After experimenting with a few varieties of squatting positions I found a position that was comfortable enough and did the deed. I was definitely going to need some practise at this! The cold 'shower' I had next (dumping water over me) was the most appreciated cold shower I've ever experienced. I was then ready to collapse on the hard but comfortable bed and sleep.

After my first full day in Malkangiri, my senses have been bombarded, and I am desperately trying to make some sense of it all. The Malkangiri district has 500,000 people living in it. I'm in the town of Malkangiri itself but most of the population live in the surrounding hills and plains. A typical house here is cement or brick walled and most have cement floors. Water is obtained from a number of bore wells around the place, and most houses have some electricity source (though we've had three blackouts already). The houses have a few small rooms and almost everyone shares sleeping quarters with another. I am now staying with Remo and Matt at the Reaching Hand Society office. This means we get to have running water as a luxury. Other than this it is much like anywhere else here.

I think this letter is plenty for a first. Hopefully you have found it interesting, let me leave you with a few prayer points. And if anyone has any questions please write and I'll try to reply.