Well-Matched Mismatcher

Not a bad little Friday. First, passed Arabic exam. Second, ran off to a courthouse with a lovely little lady. Third, realized I was wearing a pair of pants that did not match my jacket. Finally, celebrated the evening away with a remarkable gathering of friends and family. :-)

First Sip of Wisconsin

Kirsten's first trip to Wisconsin, gotta give her the full treatment!

Polka dancing and boot steins at Essenhaus. "You guys sure have a lot of state pride." Sailing on Winnebago. Carol's surprise retirement party. "You start to wonder if any of our stories don't involve beer." Telugu family dinner and dessert. Barn quilts of Green County. New Glarus brewery and homesteads. Minhas brewery. Sugar River tubing -- $12 at S&B Tubing in Albany, 3 hours. "Anyone wanna trade a Huber Boch for...anything?!" Madison professional ultimate frisbee.

The final verdict? "You have more beer than internet in Wisconsin."

miss anne smedinghoff

i ignored kaitlin's call. i was enjoying a saturday morning brunch with lilly. it would have been silly to take the call. it would have been rude to take the call.

i ignored kaitlin's second call. weird, i thought.

jeremy, she texted. call me immediately, the second message read. the third explained the urgency. anne is dead.

anne and i joined the Foreign Service three years ago to live a dream. and while each of the 90 of in the 151st A-100 class knew full well that our dream involved sacrifice, it's hard to really imagine a dream ending in the final sacrifice. i was stupid enough to brag about the rather reckless approach we took to our adventurism and our invincibility: I join the foreign service not to die, but to live; it's just that sometimes in the pursuit of the former, the latter sadly happens too soon, i willed.

i haven't had to learn how to eulogize well in life. but i found that the typewriter helped when i finally turned to write to Anne's parents. in short, in retrospect, she was one of the greatest souls i knew. the youngest in our class. the most daring in our class. Anne was killed while delivering books to a school for Afghan girls. she was 25. i have a new hero always.

the rotary dial

and when friends-of-friends pass through Hyderabad on the Rotary circuit? well, that calls for jump shots at Golkona Fort, no? Luckily, michelle was more than game. :-)

berta and brian bonanza!

so nice to welcome berta and boyfriend brian to Hyderabad for a short stint of the two-week expedition around a nice little swing of india. friends #20 and #21 over the course of these two years, wow. sehr impressiv, my friends, sehr impressiv!

Berta and Brian do the world's largest wardrobe in the Purani Haveli

sha's days

So great to have Sha in town, returning my March visit with one of her own. She and Kate graduated a year or two apart, from rival schools, and were my two favorite Fondy Relays friends...but had never met each other. Enjoyed new views at the fort, cleaned up in preparation of the Biodiversity Summit, and night shopping at Shilparamam, another new feature! Oh...and go see ARGO!

Children, children...look! Pasty people!

Kolkata Kate and the Drive to Darjeeling

Every camp counselor has favorite campers. One of mine is Kate. Since she was in 9th grade, I knew she’d grow up to be a pretty rad lady and she hasn’t disappointed. After graduating from UW-La Crosse, she served in the Peace Corps for two years in Micronesia before leading Outward Bound programs in Florida and adjudicated youth programs in Northern Wisconsin. And after a few years of tireless work, she decided to treat herself with...a trip to India!

After a stop in Taiwan, she arrived in Hyderabad and took to liking the city and its craziness. While I worked, she made her first solo trip to Hampi, a great destination for that kinda adventure. After she got back, we finalized trip plans together.  While our original dream of a canoe (ish) trip down the Godavari River from Bhadrachalam to Rajamundry was scuttled, we had many good backup options and settled on Kolkata and Darjeeling.

After a two-day battled, we got foreigner tickets the day before departure. The night train from Hyderabad to Kolkata is almost 30 hours. It's a loooong haul across A.P. and Orissa, but the scenery's good and we met some interesting people on the train. (The real downside? Children. Non-quiet children. Children aren't counted in the seating assignments, so every train is packed full with as many children as people can find and/or produce.)

Kolkata's a great city to visit for a day and a night. The city's core is surprisingly small for a metropolis of so many people and so much ill-repute. The Floatel, right on the River Hoogley, made a great base camp for exploring the area at a decent price. We enjoyed walking through the flower market, the old bazaar streets and the government quarter. The city's dilapidation is photogenic and easy to enjoy, as were the Victoria Memorial, the planetarium, and Fire and Ice. The biggest spectacle, though, was the annual Durgapooja around Kalighat. We joined a million (?) revelers for a late night walk through a beautiful lit neighborhood.

The night bus to Siliguri was a less memorable 14 hours. At $16 a person, I'd even go so far as to recommend that each person buy two tickets, ensuring a whole sleeper compartment to themselves, rather than sharing. Especially if you're a solo traveller.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways toy train no longer connects to the plains, thanks to a landslide a few years ago, so the only option from Siliguri up to Darjeeling is shared jeep, a three hour ride for 150 rupees. The tea plantations and sharp slopes make for a beautiful drive, almost as nice as Darjeeling itself. The crest of the city is a nice promenade with nice shops, cafes and guesthouses. The temperature felt great, even if it felt like we were joined by a large percentage of India's population during the holiday weekend. Compared to the other hill stations i've been to, Darjeeling is much, much nicer than Kodaikanal and more scenic than Munnar. But i wouldn't trade ten visits to any of them for one trip to Leh. After an early morning sunrise and Kanchenjunga alpenglow, I didn't feel like there was too much i was missing out on in Darjeeling itself, aside from the missed opportunity to do some hiking in relatively uncharted Sikkim before having to rush back Wednesday, while Kate lingered a few days more. 

Delightful Dubai

Please welcome a bit of Dubai guest blogging courtesy of my hostess with the mostest, sha.

the romance of rajasthan

Jaipur's a great city to visit, i can see why it's one of the recommended stops on short stays in India.

The city center is a quick 330 rupee taxi ride from airport. The Umaid Mahal palace proved a pleasant place to stay, but a bit of a hike from the interesting places. Saturday, we headed early to the Amber Fort and Palace, a cool a place as India has to offer. An imposing massif straddling a strategic hillside, it's the india you see in books. Super cool history and amazing places to wander, even without a guide. By afternoon, our trusty tuktuk driver had us at the Dera Amer elephant safari, half-an-hour outside of the city limits. The ladies picked it as their giant splurge item in India, a $100 luxury that proved well worth it. From our sweet lime juice welcome at the gate to the final all-you-can-eat bonfire dinner, we savored live as prince and princesses. We bathed and scrubbed our new elephant BFF, the friendly Rangmala. Afterwards, we painted her snout before hoping aboard for an hour-long canter through the desert brush. Drinks and appetizers around a fire, even no-haggling shopping. It was a pretty awesome way to spend a day before crashing back at the hotel.

Sunday, we strolled through the old city, where the aging building facades are a pleasant sanstone with a tink of pink, giving the city its nickname. The city palace is uninspiring, but the Jantar Mantar astrological park is cool, but it doesn't make much sense without a guide. Hawa Mahal, though, is the perfect architectural gem to wander through and snap pictures from each and every angle. Dinner at Mediterrano, a rooftop Italian rooftop, offers great views and even, should you push, special tea.

But pound for pound, Udaipur might just be the most darn pleasant place i've been in India.

We took a night sleeper bus from Jaipur, just finding the right spot was a nerve-wracking exercise in clueless wandering that isn't recommended for the new-to-India. The ride, though, proved relatively cheap and relatively comfortable once we were shepherded into our compartments. By morning we were sipping drinks overlooking the beautiful Lake Palace and mountains beyond. The City of Lakes definitely has a unique feel to it amongst indian cities, and the streets are surprisingly walkable. Hotel Mandiram Palace was a great choice, but the best surprise was a tasty burrito dinner with a great view at 1556. The City Palace museum had me at wits end, but the boat ride out to Jagamandir is a perfectly relaxing way to go. The Udaipur airport's a bit of a drive from the city center, but it's quite nice and modern. A great landing point if you can catch one of the rare direct flights to/from Hyderabad.

i get a good feeling

Rachel knows me better than any person on this planet. We share Camp Nan A Bo Sho and ALPs. Her friends are my friends and my friends are her friends. She followed me out to DC once, and even as far as Hungary. It’s a bit of an odd role for one of my best friend from college’s little sisters to fill, but we’re long past that.

And Sara’s an all-time fav. A facilitator of fun and merriment. I met her when Rachel was off studying in Spain. A com-dis replacement of sorts, but I swore they’d become fast friends when Rachel returned. Sure enough, the ladies both live in Milwaukee these days, the closest of friends.

And daring enough to make the journey to India.

Quite a few friends proposed at some point or another a New Years visit but only Rachel and Sara emailed proud pictures of their new visas in November. For two months we excitedly planned out a two-week super adventure.

I’m pretty good at the hosting schtick by this point. And in truth, it’s not that hard when you’ve got a four-bedroom apartment and a staff of two.

Hugs at the airport are always the best, followed by a question-and-answer-packed car ride. Usually the same questions, mostly the same answers. Does anyone own those cows? Who is watching those goats? Why are there four languages on each sign? Does someone really live there? What is that smell?

Early morning arrivals are the best. The ladies landed from Abu Dhabi at 3:05 am, the first of the Middle East flights to arrive, which allows you to slip through the crowds and make a relatively peaceful return to my place. And when you time it right you can get a quick nap in before waking for the day relatively refreshed.

By Friday afternoon, they were ready to peek into the consulate to watch the start of the annual consulate cricket match before lunch at Chiran Fort. After checking out Hussain Sagar and Lumbini Tower for the umpeenth time, I pulled out all the stops in honor of the girls’ arrival: the grand opening of Chef Inam’s new steakhouse on Road 2! Our favorite restaurant by far, Chef Inam’s graduated from a dingy concrete box at Masab Tank to a cute and clean restaurant behind Melting Moments across from KBR park, just up from Coco’s. If you like mean, you’ve gotta put it on your Hyderabad short-list.

Saturday, New Years’ Eve day, we trapse through the history of Golkonda Fort and the Qutb Shahi tombs. After a pizza dinner, we napped and pregamed before a pricey New Years’ Eve at Rain. Sadly I was removed from the dance floor for dancing “stag” at one point, but after we met some new Satyam friends, the evening turned around quickly. Until the party ran out at 1am, of course.

After a rest, recovered and planning day on Sunday, we hit the Old City on Monday. I hit two Hyderabadi highlights for the first time, the Birla Planetarium & Science Center and the Salar Jung museum. The planetarium was fun, a nice little time-pass in a nice little area of the city. The science museum’d be a great place to take a 10 year old. And the Salary Jung museum was a pretty good collection, even if a bit random and labeled only rather spartanly. The ladies liked the Charminar a bit more than trapsing aimlessly through the streets of Lal Bazaar, but I did see an antique wall clock unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I decided immediately that I wouldn’t leave Hyderabad until its mine.

And as die-hard Badgers, we awoke at 3 am this morning to watch the mighty boys from Wisconsin battle in their second consecutive Rose Bowl. Rachel and I toasted Miller Genuine Drafts while Sara broke out the cheese. Friends back home dug our late night/early morning photos, at least until the 4th quarter, when Big Red ran out of steam versus a pretty darn good Oregon team.

The ladies are off to Goa for a few days now before we headed to Rajasthan, my first adventure outside of Andhra Pradesh in far too long. Cameras will be put to good use!

A Very Bekes Christmas

Avid readers of Hungarian Goulash might remember that “bekes” is Hugarian for “peaceful.” And thanks to friend-of-a-friend Laura, my first Indian Christmas was extra “bekes” this year.

Laura and I had only met once, years ago at Cooper Amy’s wedding. Sadly, she claims no Hungarian heritage. She quit an NGO consulting job not too long ago and decided some time in Asia is what she needed next. When I heard she planned to spend a few months traveling India, I was quick to put out the invite. India and this apartment, simply, are more fun when you’ve got someone to share it with.

For two months she hiked Nepal, circling Annapurna and climbing to Everest Base Camp. By the middle of December, though, she was getting cold in the mountains, so I recommended she arrive in time for a Zakir Hussain concert at the Chowmahallah Palce. A glorious evening of tabla in the nicest nighttime setting Hyderabad has to offer. And the drive back offered the mood-lit Charminar at night, a first for me.

Another first? The Andhra Pradesh State Health Museum. Tucked into a small building in the Public Gardens just up from the Andhra Pradesh State Museum, between L.B. Stadium and the Assembly. The three-chambered exhibit is an honest-to-goodness time capsule, transporting you straight to 1991. Nothing’s changed. The dust, the exhibits, the population figure: 790,000,000. The information is an amazing glance at health propoganda from a rural country emerging into modernity. Free and worth the visit, although they don’t allow anything other than sly pictures.

After a quick trip to Goa, Laura was back in time for Christmas. Complete with a quaint little tree in the living room, we opened packages and wined and dined with consulate friends.

And Boxing Day brought my first visit to Snow World, one of Hyderabad’s other best kitsch hotspots. For 300 rupees, you get to suit up and set into a giant freezer, a paradise at -5 degrees Celsius. The best part, of course, is the people-watching that comes with seeing local folks feel winter for the first time. Ever. And below Snow World? Some surprisingly good go-karts. With a track built into a cave, as that makes the most sense.

The More Fortunate Enclave

Fun consulate-sponsored AIDS awareness concert at the Public Gardens friday night. wish more people could have enjoyed it, but the set-up was great. cool stuff to listen to.

Double fun birthday party saturday. A pushing-the-boundaries-at-11:30-pm dance party, a reminder that we have such a great consulate crew. really really lucky.

and a big dose of dog-sitting, laugh-sharing, driving-teaching, turkey-eating, movie-watching and other verbs a plenty with new friends. really really nice.

Thankful in India

For all my travels, i've only been out of Wisconsin twice for Thanksgiving. Last year, a Lexington thanksgiving with the rymers was hardly an unpleasant alternative to home. But my first Thanksgiving away from home, many years ago in far off Hungary, was tough. Three months into the academic year, Thanksgiving comes at a hard time. The adventure is no longer new, you're no longer enjoying the honeymoon of excitement. But you still haven't necessarily learned how to make the best of the chaos, the confusion, the contradictions of the adventure abroad. Even surrounded by fantastic friends in Nyiregyhaza six years ago, the best i could muster, when prodded to share a thankfullness at that Hungarian feast in 2005, was "I am thankful this not my permanent reality."

This year in Hyderabad, i hosted an epic Thanksgiving: 35 young Americans, along with a few token Indians and a Brit. they're all attached to an affordable private school for the year, not necessarily as teachers but as "educational business consultants," hoping to create programs and strategies to empower the entreprenuerial side of the family-owned-and-operated schools. (we threw in two Clinton Fellows and an air force attache for good measure.)

It has made an incredible difference in my happiness in India to have met and befriended the IDEX fellows the past three months. Starting with Frisbee Jess and her roommates to people i met for the first time Thursday. They're fun people who are here in India with an inspiring attitude. But it must be said that living in India is hard. It feels funny to say that in a marble-floored, four bedroom, eight sink home, but it's true. Ten percent of the fellows have already packed up and left, for whatever reasons, and others are debating the same.

I have a home and oven, the two biggest pre-requisites for merriment this time of year, so i invited the IDEXers to take over my kitchen for two whole days. (I am nothing, after all, if not willing to be used for my oven for the purposes of baked goods.) Nikki and her google-doc-assigned crew slaved over the stove. She had orchestrated a two-day schedule, down to the minute, to get everything finished and hot at the right time. The schedule, of course, had to take the daily power cuts into consideration. In beween preparations, we watched My Name is Khan, Old School, Last of the Mohicans, Love Actually, recorded football and Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving.

Right before kickoff of the feast, they asked me -- the graying elder statesman -- to say a little something something. i was flattered, as i usually am. In a grace of sorts, I shared my thoughts from many years ago in Hungary. The befuddled, bemused pessimism of my thankfulness in Hungary elicited as many nods as chuckles. But that's half the point of thankfulness. The Pilgrims were in a tough spot. A foreign land, a hard spot to eek out plentifulness and happiness, surrounded by Indians. But they asked for help, they tried different things until they found the strategies that worked for survival and understanding, they carved out a comfortable life for themselves. And that's exactly what we've all got to do, in a foreign land, whether we're 31 year old diplomats or 23 year old volunteers. It can be a hard process, but it makes you twice as thankful for the support you have on this continents and others and the extraordinary privilege you have to be able to travel the world as incredibly lucky individuals.

And - of course - doubly thankful that this isn't our permanent reality, either, just one part of the adventure of our choosing. Egeszsegedre to that.

Teaching Eighth Grade

So what is it that a bunch of 8th graders, sitting in Wisconsin, wonder about India when they read a chapter in their world geography textbook? Thanks to my friend and former roommate Jerome, now i know:

1) We read that animals like monkeys and cows are seen as holy in India and can pretty much roam the streets as they please; is this true and have you seen this happen? (Hannah, Sam)

2) How is it possible that India has a booming economy yet many many poor people? (Isaac, Preston)

3) Are arranged marriages still a big thing in India? Why does this happen?

4) How is the food in India? What is your favorite food to eat? (Michaela, Brady, Justice, Madyson, Isaac, Jake, Connor, Ryan, Morgan, Brittney)

5) Is India really that different from the USA (MacKenzie)

6) What is the most beautiful landscape in India (Nicole)

7) What was the biggest thing you had to get used to in India? (Abby, Amber)

8) What is education like in India? Year round school? Do they take SAT/ACT tests like we do? How long is a school day for kids? (Alex, Harley, Sara)

9) What is your living space like? (Jordan)

10) Why are certain animals so important to Hinduism? (Aaron)

11) Would you rather stay living in India or move back to Wisconsin?

12) Are you able to watch Packer games in India? (Alex)

13) Do people hunt for animals in India (Austin)

14) What are the dots on people's heads all about?

15) Does India have any major traditional dances?

16) Why is the country called India?

17) Are you having a good time in India? (Jordan)

18) What is the traffic like in India? (Jordan, Natey)

19) Are people nice to you in India? (Valerie)

20) Do Indians have a weird accent? (Laura)

21) What is the weather like in India? (Tara, Robert, Hannah)

22) Can you watch American TV shows there?

23) Does India have American stores? ie McDonalds, etc (Zach, Drake)

24) Is there a Bollywood sign like the Hollywood sign in the USA? (Hannah)

25) What is the most popular TV show in India? (Taylor)

26) Are you treated differently because you are American?

27) If cows are holy in India, does that mean people don't eat burgers there? (Kirsten)

28) Tell us about your job in India (Skylar, Cameryn)

29) Will the shantytowns and slum areas in India get better? (Abby)

30) Have you been to the Taj Mahal? (Lily, Kristin, Taylor, Christian)

31) What can you do for fun in India? (Casie)

32) Can you tell us about some interesting Indian traditions? (Taylor)

33) Who are some current famous Indians? (Emily)

34) What are the clothing styles like in India? (Bella, Carson, Sam)

35) Have you seen a cricket game in person in India? Do a lot of people play cricket there?(Landon, Elizabeth)

36) How does a major city in the USA compare to a major city in India? (Derek)

37) What sports do people like in India? (Kaylee, Michael)

38) Do you follow Hindu traditions while you are staying there? (Justice)

39) Have you visited Bollywood? (Parker)

40) What have you learned about in India? (Andrew)

So some consulate friends and I took the time to offer our opinions in video form, brining the sights and sounds (if not smells) of modern india to a little classroom in Green Bay.

Likeable Laura

Returned from Delhi to a great surprise...Laura sleeping on the couch!

Bright and early Saturday, we set out for Bhongir Fort, my second day-trip to the monolith and fort an hour east of HYD. It was great to hike, walking doesn’t happen much here and I miss it. The ladies loved the drive, the history and the views!

Some local boys at the top recommended a Narasimha temple a few miles east of the fort. Raghu agreed it was worth the drive. Temples and pilgrimages are the biggest form of local tourism in India, but the Wisconsin Dells-like tourist trap of Hindu gods and goddesses was a bit surprising. Inside the temple, though, we were given the VIP treatment...they don’t see many firengis that far out. Laura tried to take the darshan with her left hand. The highlight for Ann, though, was certainly the troop of roadside monkeys.

Sunday I helped the ladies plan the next legs of their trip: HYD to Kerala. Then to Delhi and the Golden Triangle (Delhi/Agra/Jaipur) before setting off for Kathmandu the last day of September. Ann and Laura will hike – likely a circumnavigation of the Annapurna Circuit. As laura leaves, I’ll head to Kathandu to join Annie for ten days of trekking at the end of October. Hurrah!

And afterwards, a trip to Lumbini Park. A quick summer monsoon always drown our plans to get to the Buddha, but we made it at dusk. And then a first: the laser show!! I spent the first 15 minutes quite skeptical...THEN THEY TURNED ON THE LASERS!! It was so good!! I was amazed!! This has become a must-do on my visitor to-do list!! It’s so surprisingly good for one dollar!!

The Math

Doing the math, as prep work for Annie's visit.

1. Rachel. 162.
2. Ann. 148.
3. Chuck. 135.
4. Andrew. 130.
5. Molly. 121.
6. Gloria. 118.
7. Greg. 108.

PS. Not bowling.

Hong Kong: Yes Please.

Hong Kong! Hong Kong! Hong Kong!

What a glorious, world-class city!! I’d never given it any thought before, but the city is spectacular!! The sea and the mountains side-by-side, one of my favorites. A glitzy but cultured downtown tucked right up against impressive peaks and lush jungle. A densely packed populance, but 70% of the small territory is wild and rugged. You can even backpack and camp in Hong Kong proper!!

Great to wander and chat with Barrett for a few days, and fantastic to stay with Stephanie, a world-class hostess. So fun to see the adventures and lives of A-100 classmates around the world in a 100 different jobs and places.

Culinary highlights: build-your-own-burger and Blue Smoke barbeque.

Nightlife highlights: requesting Rasputin at Big Al’s (and getting it!) and a coverband on Lan Kwai Fong Street.

Adventure highlight: hiking from Central to the Peak, a two-hour summit. It’s a thousand-foot elevation gain on beautiful, mostly-deserted trails.

Sporting highlight: enjoying Stephanie’s Armed Forces Network cable access to watch the Badgers pound UNLV in the season opener! Looks like Bucky and Big Red newcomer Russell Wilson are in for a great season!

Cultural Analysis highlight: tallying the amount of men, both local and foreign, walking along the Avenue of the Stars boardwalk with and without satchels. The final tally after a sample size of eighty? Fifty with, only thirty without.

Socio-Economic Analysis highlight: probing friendly Filipinas – with questions, mind you – and missing the train to China due to an early-morning breakfast and subsequent monsoon. Oops...

The Two Percent Club

I don't write a lot about my job here, as this is a personal blog. And the job du jour is just one of many pretty fantastic adventures that 1. I enjoy rereading 2. feel obligated to share with my parents in lieu of consistent emailing 3. hope others can find the stories fun, funny, useful, meaningful or some combination of any adjectives pleasant. So i'd rather share stories than mindless babble about being a bureaucrat.

And there's another reason: A personal blog doesn't mesh well with a very public job. In much of what i do and say abroad, i'm representing the United States of America. These words, this forum certainly isn't that, though. This is my space to share with friends and family. And It's fine if others stumble onto it, that's half the fun, of course. But this living journal is for me, the curly-haired kid from Wisconsin, not the guy who got the Telugu-version of his business card scanned into the second-largest Telugu-language newspaper this week.

And sometimes when i'm sitting at the visa window, often rushed and cranky, plowing through a hundred interviews a day, i forgot that i am in an important, noteworthy position. It's easy to forget, counting to one hundred, how important each number is. Especially to the human on the other side of the number. But the business card itself is kind of a big deal.

Any misstep can put you in The Two Percent Club...

I started training in February 2010 with a hundred amazing classmates. After 5 weeks, we spread out across the world, complete with some darn good-lookin' belt buckles. Since then, we've got on to hundreds of thousands of visa adjudications in dozens of languages, success in the drug war in Columbia and Tajikistan and even a 151st marriage somewhere in steamy South America.

Of the one hundred of us, though, two of us have already been jettisoned from post, send packing to a new exotic adventure a few years ahead of originally schedule. In little over a year, two percent made a minor misstep -- an unapproved travel or an offhand comment -- that became an international incident of enough note for prudence to dictate that a fresh start was in the best interest of diplomatic decorum and American interests.

Luckily I am the most sensitive and discreet individual that many of my friends know...

The Diagnosis

After two weeks of hosting a dermatologist, here's where we stand: She gave a fancy word to my exceptionally large wenis and suggested i take a picture of the moles on my back. She did not volunteer for the task.


More importantly, she asked, "So what are the steps you're going to take to make your job/stay more pleasant?" My answer wasn't very insightful. "Shoot, that's the kind of question i usually ask rather than answer."


And if the roads didn't drive her buggy with motion-sickness the first half of her stay here, I'm sure the epic traffic jams of late make even Cleveland look real good. Getting in and out of Chowmahallah Palace, my first day time visit, was an epic, unworldly, frustrating three-hour adventure of near-death proportions.


Counted amidst the jam? Cars. Trucks. Buses. Motorcycles. Autorickshaws. Push cars. Cycle rickshaws. Bicycles. Pedestrians. Horses. Buffalo carts. And a Camel.

The Cities of Joys

The coolest thing about Jen? She took my recommendation "read City of Joy" and make it even better. she bought an old copy of the Dominique La Pierre classic and turned it into not only her Indian novel of choice, but also her journal of the Indian experience. every day she alternates between reading and writing. hot damn.