To the end of January

It is Sunday evening here at MUWCI and I just returned from attending the 2nd of a series of student dramatic productions. This play was by a contemporary Indian playwright, Vijay Tendulkar.  It tells the story of a working class man who takes in outcast women and treats them as his personal slaves.  This production was not as tightly acted and produced as last weeks production, but was interesting to see.  There was not the slightest quality of a redeeming character in the entire production…. so it was a depressing vision of Indian society.

I had another full week here at the college and also a 3 day, 2 night trip to Aurangabad and the nearby cave temples of Ellora.  I spent this past Monday on Campus.  I did some 1 on 1 teaching as well as working for the first time with 4 of the more advanced guitar students.  We are working on some improvisation and I am helping them expand their chord knowledge.  Now that I am really settled in here on campus I am more or less limiting my student and community interactions to 3 days a week.  This will enable me to travel out of the area on 3 to 4 day excursions.  I am really enjoying interacting with the students and now that I have been around for over 3 weeks everyone here is really accepting me as a part of the community.

Tuesday was a national holiday here in India celebrating the day when India officially became one country.  There were no classes that day so students were hanging out playing soccer, swimming and catching up on work and rest.  I took it easy myself doing some reading and practice. I am reading an autobiography by Yehudi Menuhn, the great violinist, and finding it very worthwhile.

On Wednesday morning I caught a ride into Pune in a school car that was already scheduled and had them drop me off at a bus station where I got a ticket on a second class bus to Aurangabad.  It felt really wonderful to be heading out on my first serious excursion.  To get to the bus site I was packed into a car with at least 10 other passengers and we were transported around a mile to the bus. The trip took around 6 hours with many stops along the way dropping off and picking up passengers.  I was the only non-Indian on the bus.  One of the many interesting observations along the way was how the ticket guy picked up a couple of sadhu types along the way who needed a ride…. no charge.  When we finally arrived in Aurangabad I got a motor rickshaw to a low-priced hotel listed in my “Lonely Planet” guide to India.  What a great resource that will be during my travels.  The place was pretty funky, but clean and had a good breakfast.  The bus ride cost me under $4 US and the hotel was around $8 a night.  After getting into my room and freshening up a bit I headed onto the streets looking for a restaurant that was also recommended in my guide-book.  I had a good meal and headed back to my hotel which was around a 1 km walk for the restaurant.  As usual the streets both small and large a just teeming with activity.  I loved being out wandering around and feeling the pulse of urban India.  There are so many amazing sights and sounds.  I am really going to make an effort to start taking more photos to share on my Picasa site.

On this trip I was traveling with my backpack and guitar and realized early on that I was going to need to lighten  my load on all future travel.  I am going to get rid of my suitcase that I brought from the US.  So in the morning, after breakfast at the hotel,  I searched for an inexpensive small day pack which I bought before heading out to Ellora.  I think that will be my entire travel gear for the rest of my India journey…. backpack, daypack and guitar.  I will be getting rid of some unneeded clothes to make it all fit.  From the hotel I caught a rickshaw to the local bus station and caught a bus to Ellora which is around 20 km for Aurangabad.

Ellora is a 2 km series of 30 manmade cave temples carved out of solid rock over a period of hundreds of years. There are many Hindu, Buddhist and Jain structures that are all extraordinary creations.  Ellora is listed as a World Heritage Site so if you are interested in finding out more about them, I suggest you do a web search.  Anyway, I spent around 5 hours looking at all the temples and even took a few photos that you can see after I post them.  Upon leaving the caves a caught a ride in a jeep type vehicle driven by a turbaned speed demon.  It seems like every time I get in a vehicle the driver is the fastest on the road.  It is always an exhilarating experience moving around in bus, car, rickshaw or walking.  I actually saw my first minor accident as it happened right in front of us.  Everyone in the front seat with me laughed as we watched the two motorcyclist who lightly collided tried to fix blame for the mishap.  To drive here in India it is necessary to have to do a masterful dance between aggression and non aggression.

The next morning I caught a bus back to Pune.  A MUWCI driver was to pick me up at one of the train stations in Pune to get me back to the college.  I now have a Indian cell phone so making phone contacts is easy.  Having almost entirely eaten on campus so far, I am really just beginning to learn how to eat on the street and at local restaurants.  While waiting for my driver at the train station, I had time to explore and try out some of the great street food.  There are many wonderful choices and I am looking to learning more about how to do it “right” as I continue my travels.  The trick seems to be eating well-cooked food, no tap water and fruits that can be peeled. I ended up hanging out front of the train station for over 1 hour and really got a feel for the coming and going in that area.  When hanging in an area for that long, what at first seemed fast and chaotic, begins to slow way down and the natural rhythm of the place become obvious.

When I got back to the UWC after another crazy ride I really felt like I was coming home.  At the same time, I am excited about my next trip off campus, which I will decide on in the next couple of days.  So I am back to my focused guitar practice sessions.  My intention is to really wow them at my Pune concert.  I have also contacted the U.S. Cultural Affairs Officers in Mumbai and hope to set up a meeting for next week.  If I can get on their concert circuit that would be an easy way to set up at least some of my concerts.  I did that throughout our years of travel in Latin America and the Caribbean so know how it all works…. we shall see.

My good health is back.  I am loving being here and look forward to lots more adventures.

Link to pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/musictou3/ElloraTempleCaves?feat=directlink