More India and turning 27

After leaving Armristar, we made a stop at a small town on the way to Jaipour.  We didn’t know anything about this location and didn’t have much time to discover it, so six of us left the hotel just to explore.  We made it about 200 yards off the premasis when a man my around age approached and started talking.  Unfortunately, I’ve become suspicious in India because conversations often start as friendly and enjoyable and quickly turn to a sales pitch or a not so subtle ask for money. However, my friend here seemed much more interested in discussing Richard Gere, the US, and the various downtown London department stores than trying to sell me postcards.  After walking for a while he asked where we were going, and I told him we were just exploring-looking for a park, palace, or temple.  He then told me the location of a local temple and volunteered to show us the way and give a tour…what a great guy!  Along the way, we passed a veterinary university where our friend was enrolled.  He explained his studies and the activities that take place on campus and that one of the main forms of recreation is basketball. My eyes lit up on hearing that, and I told him how much I love to play.  “You want to play? Come now,” he said.  Sure enough, the school had a fabulous outdoor full court where a dozen or so guys were playing, so we walked up and asked to join in.

After Awal and I each took a few practice shots (both firing up glorious airballs on our first attempts), the guy who seemed to be the ring leader asked us to play 2 on 2.  Of course we did. (Asking me if I want to play basketball has always been about like asking Dwight Schrute if he’d like a little more authority…the answer is always yes, even if I don’t know what I’m doing).

The two best players jumped out to play us and the rest formed a small crowd along the baseline. Initially, it looked bleak for the Americans.  Before we could shake off the rust we found ourselves down 4-0 (playing to 11 by ones and twos) when I decided I’d be better off playing barefoot instead of playing with flip-flops.  The change seemed to help and we brought it to 8-4 when our tour guide came over to tell us it was time to go to the temple.  Our basketball buddy told our guide “Please do not disturb us as we are having great fun,” so our group headed on to the temple and we stayed to finish up. (pretty nice way for our buddy to tell the others to go away)  We weren’t about to go down quietly, so Awal went back to his roots and started playing fundamental Indiana basketball (sharp passes, solid defense, strong rebounding, quick cuts), I found my quick-fatboy low-post game (jump hooks, head fakes, put backs, spin moves), and we pulled out an 11-10 comeback victory.  Go us.

We high fived a few people and briefly talked the guys there when our opponent offered to give us a ride back to the hotel.  Three sweaty (and not so small) guys hopped on his little Honda motorbike and rode the mile or so back to our hotel.  What a kind and generous gesture from our new friend.

Awal and I got to play pickup ball and the rest of our group received a free tour of the local temple, all thanks to the generosity and hospitality of the Indian people.  I’m learning that many citizens here treat foreigners as their own personal guest; it’s quite an honor to be their guest.


Jaipour, India

Jaipour, I learned, is one of the most visited cities in the country for its forts and other historic monuments.  The city itself is the first place in India where the crowd and poverty truly struck me.  Jaipour is a fairly compact town, so I was shocked to find out that the population is over 3 million (about half the population of the entire state of Tennessee).  The vast amount of people in a small space is perpetually evident.  Each street is bustling with cars, buses, rickshaws, livestock, dogs, pedestrians, salesmen, and children.  Even the side streets are packed.  We rolled into Jaipour in the late evening on the 5th so all there was to do was find dinner and go to bed.  Awal and I weren’t too crazy about the idea of hotel food so we decided to go for a walk until we found food. Our friend Frankie came along with us, so she ended up being dragged into a guys night out.  After stumbling into some rougher parts of town, we backtracked to a main road when I spotted a familiar sign: Pizza Hut.  Since it would be my 27th birthday in a few hours, what better place to be than in a Pizza Hut? (Anyone else remember the Pizza Hut Kids Club? You’d get a free personal pizza on your birthday and a lame Land Before Time toy or something like that…I much preferred the crappy basketballs they gave out every March)  We all enjoyed a western treat and headed back to the hotel to hang out on the roof. (By the way, considering my affinity for the night sky and cool breezes, I love rooftops…especially if I have a cold drink and a guitar)  We sat around telling stories, playing guitar, and singing along for around an hour.  Suddenly, I noticed a solitary firework explode in the distance.  I looked at my watch and there it was: 12:00 midnight…my 27th birthday.  In celebration, Awal ran around and danced a ridiculous jig while saying “happy birthday” over and over.  We then decided that it would be a good idea to jump off a nearby 2 foot ledge and take a take a picture in the process (if done correctly, it would look like we were jumping off the side of the building).  Initially, Awal and I jumped while Frankie tried to get the picture.  Our first few takes didn’t turn out so well, so Awal and Frankie switched.  We took another jump, and though I landed just fine, Frankie did not.  Instead of landing nicely on her foot, she landed on its side, severely spraining her ankle in the process.  Being the fine young men we are, Awal and I took good care of her and since each of us had dealt with severe sprains before, we knew what to do.  I’ll never forget that I spent the first few minutes of my 28th year searching for ice in Jaipour at 12:15AM…not so easy. (side note, she is recovering nicely)

The next day, we had a full day of sightseeing scheduled.  We explored a palace which possessed an encircling 9km wall as well as a few other monuments.  I know there were plenty of nuggets of cultural significance throughout the day, but I can’t say that I remember any.  Though I enjoyed it all, nothing really stood out to me.  Most likely the reason for that is that I spent much of the day lost in my own personal reflection.  For me, every birthday is a reference point for where I am in life, so I thought about where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m going.  A large part of the reason I’m on this trip is that I wanted to take time just to think and write.  So on the 6th, I did a lot of thinking to myself.  No talking, just sorting out changes, chaos, excitement, and tragedy of the past two years.  As this grand journey continues, I hope to continue to make time to think, write, and listen.

I still have some catching up to do for India (we went to the Taj Mahal and caught one night of the Commenweath Games in Dehli) but I’m most excited to talk about Nepal.  My next few updates should be more interesting…full of rhinos, elephants, water, adventure, and my answers to questions about Iran.  As always, thanks for reading