The India Dance

An essay recently described India as punching you, then hugging you, and then punching you again. 
Sorry - I think I got the order wrong there.  In her piece, she says that India hugs you, then punches you, then hugs you again.

You'll have to forgive me for inverting her thought, but I've been a bit pummeled lately.  Yet the hugs continue close behind, keeping me charmed and baffled, frustrated but not quite angry.

We traveled last week.

Friends in Calcutta were amazing hosts and fabulous company. Calcutta displayed chaos overlaid upon old colonial infrastructure.  Our friends provided guides both  the days we were there, which we appreciated because the city would have otherwise been overwhelming.  Both Mumbai and Calcutta have shown us a mass of chaos and poverty and filth amid the beauty of old architecture, the scents and flavors of spices and tea, and the brilliant colors in the fruit stands and the clothes.  We didn't so much explore the city as observe it, and photograph it.  I'll post pictures soon. 

From Darjeeling, I suppose I expected a rural British escape - maybe a spicier version of England's Lake District.  Darjeeling has been a tourist town for well over 100 years, providing a mountain escape for the British colonizers living in Calcutta.  The city is perched upon a mountain where the air is cool and a sunny day will display two of the three highest mountain peaks in the world.  When the British began summering there, they also began growing tea there and those same bushes have been producing ever since.  Green tea bushes cover the verdant hillsides, providing a beautiful sense of natural order to the mountains.  We stayed on a tea plantation that has been operating for over 150 years and I expected a luxurious mountain retreat from a pleasant little town.

Darjeeling is a developing city in a beautiful region, an escape from the heat more than an escape from chaos.  Our shower lacked hot water.  Cracks in the bathroom were over an inch wide and allowed an array of spiders.  The rain dripped through the ceiling and onto the original wood floor.  A light in the girls' bedroom would not turn on until the power went out late in the night, when they suddenly flashed brightly.  The food was delicious, and always came over an hour after we expected it.  I could go on, but it would be silly because I eventually changed my outlook.  Darjeeling is not a city of luxury.  It may be pricey, but the visitor pays more for access than for spotlessness.  Once I looked at our lodging as a guesthouse providing a strikingly authentic colonial experience, I relaxed a bit.  The setting is beautiful, even through the rain clouds and thick fog.  I'll post pictures soon.

We returned home on Saturday, eager for a comfortable bed and a hot shower.  Our bathroom lacked hot water, so we used the bathroom down the hall.  The landlord promised to replace the hot water heater this morning, but never showed up.  The hot water heater has been broken for nearly three weeks now.  Punch.

Mumbai was pummeled by major storms last week.  We thought to unplug all of our appliances before we left, with the exception of the new and extremely expensive router and automatic computer backup.  The storms knocked out our internet and our new router.  Punch.  The internet people promised to come at 11:30 this morning.  I called them at 12:30 and again at 2:30.  Punch.  They showed up at 4:30 and confirmed that our router is fried.  Punch.  But they did get the internet working again and offered tips on repairing the too-pricey router.  Hug.  Soon after they left, every device in the house refused to find the new wireless signal they established.  Punch.  We've since discovered that if we leave the computer searching for the wi-fi signal, it will find it within 10 minutes.  Not sure how to categorize this one - sucker punch, maybe?

Our housekeeper didn't show up.  One child has been sick since Friday.  Dinner took too long because washing vegetables takes half a day.  Punch. Punch. Punch.  But the guy at the market new me by name and delivered everything to my door for free.  The butcher packaged everything quickly and replaced one item because it looked imperfect.  The vegetable stand had everything I wanted and in beautiful condition.  Hug. Hug. Hug.

Our housekeeper will eventually return.  Our hot water heater will eventually be replaced.  Our journey provided some beautiful glimpses of a fascinating country, and this crazy city has already begun to feel like home.