Yesteryear

I sent a vast amout of emails to "the people back home" while i was in India this summer, these are some of the excerpts.

I've sent some emails to workpeople in Austin, which Cary though yall might think are funny/entertaining/etc. Give it a read... and if itsnot good... well i'm on malaria meds which make me have strangethoughts. ;)

***The following is in response to an email where my coworkers"jokingly" said they would blame me for everything that could go inthe next few months...Sorry 'coworkers' for sending this twice***

Hopefully the BAC (Blame Ashley Clause) is working to its fullpotential, i'm sure it will be better utilities next week when Ronnie[our boss] comes back [from Israel].A little foray into my 'vacation'. excerpts from Ashley journal:Words alone can not prepare one for all India has to offer. Gettingoff the plane and going though customs was life as usual. We had thebenefit of a driver coming from Cary's program to take us to the guesthouse. It was just outside the airport where India, the one everyoneknows and loves, begins. Traffic lanes are better paved and markedthan Austin streets. Huge bike lanes line the side of the road, anenvironmental accomplishment unparalleled. These amenities arecoupled with a complete disregard for the spirit for which they exist. 2 words: Controlled Chaos. You could not say that cars were weavingin and out of traffic, because that implies that there was somethingfor them to weave into and out-of. Instead, the entire paved surface(bike lanes included) is a free-4-all of getting ahead of the people(or cows) around you. Horns continually blaring, not to expressoffence at fellow driver's actions, but rather as a type of advancedSONAR system that we Westerns have yet to discover. The horn soundalerts fellow drives of the relative position of themselves to otherdrivers, so in swiftmoving traffic one must continually blow ones horn as to know where you are.Hang on, I got more in a second...

***I got kick off the computer by another guest then resumed with thefollowing****

Don't believe the hype. It's hot, hot enough to kill the weak, but
it's not that hot. I grantee you the air pollution is going to get yaway before the heat will. There are 3 basic rules to get by here: 1.Drink water 2. Drink lots of water 3. While you are drinking lots ofwater, drink water. I realize after being here a day and a half, thattour/travel books should not publish "how to travel on 500 Rupees aday" instead they should publish "India, how to survive on 5Liters ofwater a day". FYI the high is usually around 42+/- 0.8 and the low isusually 35+/-1oCThe current exchange rate is 42.50 Rupees (Rs.) for $1.00 usd. I have not eaten a meal yet for over 100 Rs, and the food is so much betterthan I though possible. I've eaten a fair amount of Indian food inthe states, but this stuff here is off the hook. (did I say thatright?)Almost everything is built from a red sandstone, which looksbeautiful, but makes me feel hotter just looking at it. The architectwho build the Taj Mahal has a mosque he built here in Delhi (OldDelhi). The archways are a most impressive sight, especially if youcan line up a view of several in a row. Old Delhi is narrow streets,street vendors, crumbling buildings, poo on the street (some of whichis dog) a cornucopia of colors and smells.Most land is dirt. The areas that are green usually have a 1inchdiameter hose with the water running at half max. If anyone wanted togo in on a sprinkler company, I'm there. Efficiency is not the nameof the game (or anything else for that matter).After being in London for 4 day, I can understand why the people wouldwant to colonize India… and after being in India for 4 day I canunderstand why the Brits would give the country back to the Indians.