Creatures.

Okay. The creatures i'm talking about here are animals i've seen here in India. Like how you expect, cows, cattles, ponies and dogs litter the streets of India. Every 10 feet or so, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of life, anything other than human and plants. You ALL should know that i'm an avid animal lover, minus the fact that i love cutting them up. It's been a real pleasure to be able to see them roam freely on the streets and living cohesively with human beings. Imagine how it'd be like in Singapore; people would be scrambling all over if there's a cattle loose on the streets.



Sometimes, i just love staring at how people interact with these creatures. I remember on the day where we were leaving Delhi and i was waiting for K outside the guesthouse. There was this group of men sitting along the streets talking and a herd of cow passed by. The man sitting nearest to the herd lifted his hand and patted one of the cow, to my amazement, the cow simply stood still and allowed the man to do so while the rest of the herd carried on moving. You may think that there isn't much to be amazed on, but i thought this truely showed how much mutual trust there is between man and the creatures.


I mentioned in the taste bud entry that our houseboat owner had a newly owned lamb. It's true okay. We were there when they bought the lamb. So far, they really took care of the lamb well. As in, they'll bring the lamb into their own house whenever there's rain and protecting it like some newborn, something i thought rural people simply couldn't be bothered with. So, it was a rainy day and everybody was sleeping on the floor of the houseboat, including me, K and the lamb. The lamb was sleeping happily beside Sam's dad, how cool is that! Imagine my dad willing to sleep with any of the strays i bring home. Hehh.


I love the close proximity i could get with animals during this trip. Though i really detest the fact that K hates it because animals are dirty, they really are, but that doesn't give you a reason to hate them okay. Maybe the lamb knew that it wasn't really well-liked by K, it decided to give K a present. (When we left the owner's boathouse that day, the lamb was indoor and K stepped onto the lamb's shit. Hehhhhh.)

Random goat from the streets.

Herd of buffalos roaming the streets.

I always wonder how they know where to go without anyone guiding them.

Shaka.

The lamb our houseboat owner bought from a passing hippie.

Damn spontaneous can.

Taste Buds - Indian Chapter 2.

Now, i'm looking forward to dinner, to every meal left here in India. I have to be honest, i got sick of eating nann everyday. We practically had nann and different kind of gravy, which by the way tastes amazingly the same, for every meal during the first 2 to 3 weeks of the trip because it's the cheapest food you could get. They have an array of gravies you can never finish ordering, but the interesting thing is that, it all tastes and looks almost the same. But i have to admit, it can be damn delicious and mouth watering. Or maybe it's mouth watering due to the fact that we're really mad starving by the time the food arrives. It normally takes what feels like 20 minutes before your food is served, which in Singapore's standard is considered snail slow.



So after that few weeks of nann meals, i surrendered and ordered western or oriental cuisines. A decision i still come to regret. I've concluded that Indians simply can't cook anything other than their own cuisine. It's like eating a whole jug of salt whenever i order anything else. Goodness, you have no idea how much H two O i need after each non-indian meal.


At the beginning of this entry, i mentioned that i'm looking forward to every meal left here. Why? It's because i'm really loving the food that the Mumtaz ( houseboat owner's wife) is whipping up. It's really oh-so-delicious homecooked food you won't get anywhere but here. I'll definitely miss this part of the India trip.


There was this day where K went off to play cricket leaving me with Sam's sisters, mother and his newly owned lamb. So i sat in the kitchen with his mother and attempted to master a few dishes. Their kitchen are amazingly hazardous i'd say, but it's a wonder how they keep things clean there. Well, when i'm back, we shall see if i did master anything from that small observation session. :D

Taste Buds - Indian Chapter 1.

Unknowingly, we're slowly becoming vegetarian. Most indians are vegetarians, so whatever we eat naturally don't normally contain meat. We'll just order whatever that's on the menu not knowing whatever it is, or rather, we only know that it's something we could eat together with nann, like gravy or some sort.



So, until chatting with my cousin the other day then did i realize that, i'm becoming vegetarian, not by choice. Interesting. Though i haven't really had meat for 2 weeks or so, it really didn't feel so. Maybe, this is a hint that i can actually be vegetarian. But, that is provided fast food back at home are readily available for vegetarians. Hehh, in other words, kinda impossible.


Other than the fact that i'm slowly becoming vegetarian, i'm actually started to develop an unimaginable tolerance for my nemesis. Peas. Green peas. In secondary school days, i've had the exact same food during recess time for all my 4 years. You could add up to a week or two in the total 4 years where i'll have something else. Point is, buddies then would know clearly which plate is mine at the collection bucket; the plate that is clean of every single grain of rice and drop of gravy, left with nothing else but green peas.


Maybe it's a good thing that most indian cuisine contains peas. Imagine peas are like onion to them, something practically every single dish must contain. Then, i can imagine how i can start loving my nemesis the way i love onion. :D

Permenant Memories.

Most of you must be looking forward to my photo updates. No doubt, i've tons of photos i desperately want to share. But with the amount of internet i'm getting now, it's kinda impossible to share. Patience is a virtue okay. Happy developing this virtue while waiting!

Before this trip, i've read advices and comments on taking photos from travellers. Some say, certain villagers are superstitious and taking photos would take away their souls. For me, i have no idea why but at the back of my mind, i have this constant fear of people asking for money or shooing me off whenever i take their photos. Luckily till now, none of the above situations i've pictured occured. In fact, they don't mind us taking pictures of them, instead, they'd be extremely happy to pose for you.


I have to say, no matter how many photos i take, sometimes the photos just can't express whatever i'm feeling at that moment when i'm taking it. Though picture says a thousand words, sometimes that thousand words just isn't enough you know. I guess me being an amatuer photographer plays a part.


But, no matter how some photos can't express my feelings, there are a few which i'm extremely proud of given my amatuer skills. :D

Massive number of auto rickshaws.

It feels as if i'll somehow be enlightened if i stand under that light.

Too bad it's a restricted area.

Life on a lake.

Pretty colour eh?

I love this pic cause it reminds me on monstie.

Plus the fact that there's rare eye contact from these creatures that can't stay still for 2 secs.

It's taken in a sikh temple.

But it's a wonder how the colonial the architectures are.

The sight of Taj Mahal people rarely see.

The story of the uncompleted Black Taj Mahal is hardly told.

I thought it's a tragic twist to this romantic tale.

Just some random picture that i thought was nice.

I love this sight.

The sight of a happy family.

The sight of how Sikhs respect their religion, temple and the importance of the lake of immortality.

Halong Bay.

It looks picturesque, trust me it is.

But the experience there would be my last.

Don't you just love sunsets?

Too bad loved ones aren't there to share this spectecular sight.

Dare you to eat this.

Chicken foetus.

What do you think?

P.S.: The photos are not in chronological order. It's a pain in the arse to arrange the pictures properly. But, at least there's pictures. okay.

Winter

Though it's summer here, the weather in Srinargar is perfect. Wintery and perfect to me. Although K prefers warmer temperature, i love how cooling it is here. I'd rather stay here and freeze my ass off than head back to Delhi where i die melting. I get really excited whenever i'm jetting off to a country where sweaters are a neccesity.



During night time when my extremities are screaming for warmth, i refuse to head back into the warm room. Sturbornly, i'd rather be out in the cold imagining someone there hugging and cuddling me, giving me the warmth my extremities are desperately searching for. That would be a perfect picture, but i'm also contented enjoying the freezing breeze alone and meditating. K must think i'm crazy most of the time.


Okay, the above mentioned simply boils down to the fact that, it's a waste not to freeze your ass outside in the cold to enjoy the awfully gorgeous scenery. It's like how many days in your life do you get such breathtaking scenery right at your door step?


And, being sturborn has it's consequences. Flu came to me instead of warmth from that someone i yearn for. Shit. Now, recuperating will be a tedious process. God help me.


Anyways, K is also down with flu when he's always hiding from the freezing weather. Hehhh. So maybe, my sturborness wasn't the cause of my flu afterall. :D

P.S: Sorry for the lag of picture updates, but do check out my FB album okay. Leave comments too! Love y'all!

Blackouts

It's a common thing here, common to it's-a-daily-affair extent. It was frustrating initially. The first encounter with blackouts here was when we're walking up stairs to our first hotel in Delhi. It didn't occur to me then that this would be something i'd be experiencing so much during this trip.

It got really frustrating when we were in Agra. The power supply was cut due to some handing-over problem, where to new owners of the power company decided to skip town when they have no idea how to troubleshoot. We paid for an air-conditioned room only getting air-condition 20% of the time we were there. Sickening. The whole city ended up running on generators which seriously are a nuisance because they're causing noise pollution, but we had to put up with it because it's the only thing that could cool us down. I can wake up in the middle of the night sweating and realizing that the generator decided to go on strike and leave us with a stuffy, unventilated room. It suck terribly. The problem was still there when we left Agra.

It's the same in the next city we headed to. By then, i realized, it's something i really had to get used to or i might as well head home at the rate of temper i'm throwing whenever there's a blackout. So, i kinda developed patience and waited for electricity to come back and not make a fuss. Soon, the "oh, another blackout. Never mind lah, it'll be back in 2 sec" attitude developed. For that attitude, i really have to compliment myself. Seriously. I remember this night when i woke up sweating and realizing that there wasn't any electricity. Normally, the electricity would be back up within a blink of an eye, but the staff were too sound asleep they didn't realize the problem. So, i headed out of my room and approached the snoring staff and used my eye power to wake him up. I guess i gave him a fright of his life. Hahaha. He realized that the power was out and fixed the problem immediately, so i headed off to bed.

Actually, there's a blackout as i type here. I can't really be bothered because i know eventually, power would be back up. No matter how big a fuss i make, the power wouldn't miraculously come back. So, i just wait and do whatever i can, trying not to be affected by these frequent blackouts. But, K sometimes still does make comments about the blackouts which i feel is really uncalled for. Oh well, that's how we differ.


You should really really appreciate how reliable and endless power supply is in Singapore. I'm dead serious. It's one of the first few things i learnt to appreciate when i'm here.
 

First ever candlelight dinner in Agra.

Super un-romantic.

Not how i imagined my first would be.

Silence

This is something i really appreciate. Technically, not that kind of deafening silence, just silence from anything other than my MP3. If people know me well, i think i'm quite a quiet person and keep most thoughts to myself, most importantly, i think i'm kinda hard to decipher. And i'm especially quiet whenever i'm in a new environment or surrounded by less than familiar people. Unfamiliar people often try to strike a conversation with me but only getting my grins or silence as a response.



I really have to explain this weird behaviour of mine. I can be quiet because i simply am not equipped with good socializing skills, i have no idea what a good pick up line is, so i shut up to prevent embarrassments. Mind you, my skin ain't that thick okay. There are a lot of occasions where i feel that i really really need to speak up because i feel left out but i can't seem to find the voice of mine to join in those interesting conversations. And sometimes, i just want to enjoy my music and meditate, so i mute myself. Something i learnt from my first love was to shut up when i'm really mad so that i can think about things and not blurt nasty things out of anger. Since then, i become mute whenever i'm really mad at someone or something, which can be really maddening for friends around.


I have to apologize for being so quiet at unnecessary times for stupid reasons, but i guess this is what defines me and wouldn't really change with time.


And, sometimes, i wonder if K feels lonely during this trip because we don't really have any conversation that can last for more than 5 minutes. Hmmmm.

Beauty

Kashmiri people redefined the meaning beauty for me. It has been said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. In my parents eyes, i believe my sisters and i are the most beautiful human being they've seen. It's most likely the same for all you guys regardless whether you're born with an extra toe or a hideous birth mark on the most prominent part of your body, your parents can never find anyone more perfect and beautiful other than you.

I've seen pictures of the captivating and mesmerizing eyes of people, but believe me, you have to see it in real flesh to really know this beauty. It's a breathtaking sight. Whenever we pass by any locals here, they never fail to captivate me with their ever-so-beautiful eyes. I can imagine how many "They're so beautiful" comments i've made in my head during these few days here. Maybe, that's the reason why the king described Srinargar as heaven on earth. This place is beautiful, not just scenic-ly beautiful but everything, everyone here is just too beautiful to be true.

Smile is something that seemed developed as a natural reflex when i'm here. You know whenever we meet Sam's family (the owner of the houseboat we're staying in), no matter how cranky or grouchy i am, they're smile never ever disappoint because it'll only cause a newly developed reflex which is simply to smile back. Then, my day would be already be a perfect one. It's amazing how much wonders a simple smile can do.

Oh. Kashmiri guys are gorgeous, handsome beyond words. Omg. If only if... Hehhh.

Houseboat owners. They're kinda cute.

The mother's vocab only consists of 3 words- good!, more? and chai?

 Interestingly, we still managed to communicate kinda well.

I was busy envying her beauty throughout my stay there.

She looks better in person though.

And i look like some effing giant beside her.

Daydreams - Companion

It's always so beautiful or exciting most of the time, i'd wish my loved ones would be one of my companion on this trip. Regardless whether it's boyfriends or girlfriends or BFFs or sisters or parents, i really wished they're here to enjoy the sight i'm enjoying, to breathe the crisp air i breathe, to be woken up by hens in the morning and simply enjoy each other's company.

Imagine sitting on the houseboat on Dal lake facing the himalayas at night, soaking up the cool refreshing night breeze with your soulmate cuddling beside you. That's a picture i've been trying to make into a reality my whole life, since having the knowledge of love.

Taking another family trip has always been another of my picture i want to make into a reality. When our family travelled whole, i was too young to understand and remember many things. And, after many years of travelling with one or two members of the family missing out on the fun and luxury of travelling, in the near future when i've started working, we'll make family trips a yearly affair again. By then, life would be perfect, again. Nothing beats spending time with my own family and laughing at the stupid things we say or do, knowing each other all over again and simply enjoying each other's presence.

When was the last time you took a family getaway? You should soon, to really enjoy life to the fullest. You don't have to go far away, even a day trip to JB would make a difference you know. So, maybe you should start working your asses off not for the ipad but for your next or first ever family vacation! :D

Daydreams - Life

Life back in Singapore i belive is too fast paced for most people to simply sit down and think about life or simply to enjoy it for a few hours without having anything to worry about. Well, like i said previously, time is a luxury i have here. So i've got so much time to think about life.

I've made many decisions i've come to regret, something that i can never amend, something that i have to bring to death bed. Sometimes, i want to believe that regret is a sign of repenting and that maybe, there's still hope for amending things, and that karma wouldn't hit me. I'm a firm believer of karma. What goes around comes around. It really does, i've experienced karma too many times in my life to the extent i really fear what lies in my future for the hideous things i've commited in the past. The fear never left me, it bugs me every single moment i'm alive. The minority few who knew what i did should understand why i should fear karma.

Although the fear of karma exists with every breath i take, i'd still sturbornly commit unforgivable sins. I can't stop what i'm doing, i only wished i can stop. God help me, tell me how i can redeem myself.

To be continued...

Okay, anyways, the obove mentioned can be ignored okay. It's just reflection.

Daydreams - Family

During this trip, i have the luxury of time. I would say that i've used the time wisely, to daydream. It isn't those kind of useless daydreaming, but thoughts and effort were put into these daydreams okay. Most of the time, i'll be thinking of life, how it should have been if some decisions were different or how life would be in the future for me, for everyone around me. Sometimes, i'll be thinking of the present, how things would be different if i were travelling with a different companion. (I'm not saying that K isn't good, in case you're wondering)

A week back, i sent an email to my mum and sisters, something i wouldn't have done in the past. Something i've been wanting to do. Well, the content consists of 90% travel experience and 10% reflection. It sounds cliche to write a reflection, but it's something i had to do or i'll regret kinda thing you know.


Just to let you guys know, if not for them, my first ever backpacking trip at this age would never have been possible. If you guys know me long and well enough, i'm a very pampered kid. Since i'm the youngest of the 3, i almost always get what i wanted at the expense of anything. The thing i never really appreciated was that no matter how wilful or disappointing i am, my family always love me like nothing else. This is something i learnt to treasure when i'm out here, their love for me. It's uncomparable to anything in this world.


My family isn't filthy rich nor extremely well to do, just being able to make ends meet with a lil more comfort. Both my sister's education were paid for by scholarships, so my parents didn't have to worry about school fees for them. Both of them worked hard for the scholarships and my parents simply didn't have to worry for them. They only had to worry about me. With my interest, it's difficult to get a scholarship for my field so they had to worry about money issues. Technically, i should do more and acheive more to ease their worries, but throughout my 3 years of poly life, i've mostly done more to add on to their worries. I'm mostly disappointing them. I can say, my only acheivement during those 3 years was me getting my internship at Underwater world which landed me in a newspaper article. It was then when i finally felt like i was on par with both my sisters, something my parents can be proud of.


My family actually paid for this dream of mine to come true, literally. From the start, i knew i wouldn't be able to earn enough money in such a short period, but like how i'd behave normally, i wanted things my want and was damn set that this trip would happen, at all cost. I was too ashamed and sturborn to tell my family that i didn't have enough for the trip. Naturally, their instincts told them off and they started gathering funds for me, without me knowing. I did ask Fiona for help myself, but i know it wouldn't be enough. I really have to apologize to and thank Alicia, because she's the one who came up with most of the funds. My dad had to call up my Fiona in aussie and quarreled with Alicia to gather funds for me. I'm sorry for being the youngest and most naive one.


During these daydreaming sessions, i've really thought on all the things i've done to hurt my family and the only thing that i can do to stop being a liability in the family is to grow up and face the fact that although i'm the youngest, i can't always have things my way. I'll grow up and reduce their worries for me (you know it's impossible to stop them from worrying, so i'm just going to reduce it), that's my promise to them. That would be for the how life would be for me in the future.


Have you thought about how your future would be and how it'd affect your family. Maybe, it's time to give a thought to your family, if you admit that you're like me.


To be continued...


P.S: I really daydreamed a lot, so i've separated this into 3 different entries. :D

This is a solemn and serious post, so no pictures. Heh. Kidding lah. I'm just lazy for this post. Next post okay.

Exploitation

This is something which i really think is exploited here, or maybe, i was brought up in a country where handiwork is much more valued. Almost everything here in India is made painstakingly by hand. They spend like 12 hours daily sitting on stone cold cemented floor, staring at the tiny art pieces or small strand of strings, doing repetitive work, trying to perfect those art pieces just to earn that few rupees that can hardly feed the whole family.

Take those artists making marble crafts for instance. They're actually real decendants of labourers involved in creating the Taj Mahal. Not a single one of the artist who's doing marble crafts today are not decendants of those people so as to protect the secret behind the flawless art of Taj Mahal. Incredible indeed. But, i've seen it myself, how they're being exploited. Their art should be worth so much more, but those art are sold cheaply because that's what their work are worth sadly. I thought these artists should be treasured instead of being exploited.

Randomly, i'd wonder if exploitation is so common at the expense of the booming tourism, which i'm guilty contributing to, because i bought a few marble magnets which were painstakingly created by the artist at a lower than value price and the fact that i'm a tourist doing so.

This is also a fact why i hate bargaining. Well, other than the pride thing, i have other reasons why i don't bargain okay. I feel that they deserve more for the amount of work they're putting in. They really work damn hard to earn money, unlike us, we can simply sit in office, in comforting airconditioned rooms and soft cushioned chairs to complete our everyday duties. It's only mentally torturing. But for most of them, i believe it's both mentally and physically torturing. I hate to see them work so hard yet earn so little and having to end up asking for tips which they never receive.


Yesterday, we took a Shikara (boat) ride down the Dal lake with 2 old man propelling the boat using paddles and sheer muscles. It's really hard work and yet they're paid so little trying to get us around their beautiful hometown. When the beautiful excursion ended, we paid, and naturally, they asked for tips. Sad to say, we couldn't afford tipping so we simply walked away. I really wanted to apologize for not tipping their hardwork but i'm guessing they wouldn't understand why i'd apologize.


Maybe, you guys should take sometime to ponder about how lucky we actually are. How much we're paid for the amount of work we're doing back at home, most importantly, include comfort in your line of thoughts. It makes a huge difference, it does.

A whole provision shop on the shikara.

How cool!

Mad love the heart shaped paddle!

Toutophobia

The first phobia when developed when i stepped onto this land was, from the touts and con-mans that littered the train station. They're really scary people who will squeeze every single penny they can out of you at any chance. It was only the first day and i wanted to retreat back home, to the arms of my protective family where touts and con-man were almost inexistent. I really had to thank K for being there and standing strong on his ground, pulling me through this episode.



Okay. This was what happened, we were heading to the train station to get our boarding pass for the tain ride to Agra the next day when we were approached by this man claiming that he's the official there and that our train would be delayed by 6 hours. He then pointed out this office where we could get alternative tickets. I was so stupid and gullible, i believed every single word he said to the extent i got irritated when K simply walked away from him. It was then that he reminded me that the guy sitting beside him on the plane mentioned that the trains that we're taking were extremely on time and that i realized i was this close to being cheated, actually, i was already cheated by the con-man because i believed whatever he said without much doubt.


This is how gullible i am, something Marc used to lecture me on. After so many lectures from him, i still never understood the concept of being street smart when you really need to until that very day with the con-man incident.


Never trust anyone when you're out in unfamiliar places. Never.

P.S: Toutophobia don't technically exist. I invented it. Pictureless post for today. :D

Heat

I expected breakdowns during the trip due to many other reasons other than heat. Heat is a scary thing that can drive you dead, literally. Maybe you call it a stupid move, which i thought so too, we headed out to explore Delhi smack right in the noon on boiling 40 degree celcius day, note, on FOOT.

After walking for an hour, not anywhere near our destination, i raised the white flag and retreated back to the sunless arms of our guesthouse. You may think that it was a stupid move to give up after walking for so long and actually, we were reaching our destination, just that the roundabouts messed up K's sense of direction and misled us just too many times. But i was on the verge of fainting and i didn't want to risk fainting on the freaking dusty streets of Delhi and not to mention ending up in the dubious hospitals here so i threw a temper and marched all the way back, trying to get out of the sun as soon as possible. I was seriously hoping god could bestow me the gift of teleportation or lightning speed the whole journey back to the guesthouse. Without a doubt, god ignored my prayers. So i had to walk through the treacherous Pahar Ganj road feeling faint, with my skin aging and my foot melting by the second.

Finally, after what felt like a year, we reached our guesthouse which never felt so welcoming before. I broke down after him saying that i could just stay in the room and do whatever i want. It was really hurting at that moment when i heard that. I thought he would understand and ask if i were okay but he said those words instead. I knew i went overboard skipping the metro museum which was right infront of us, but i believe i didn't deserve that treatment. He said his piece and went off, leaving me in the room, crying stupidly. The heat really overwhelmed me.

He apologized in the end, but i refused to budge because you can say that i'm too sturborn. I really needed my sister then. I've became extremely reliant on my sisters whenever it comes to any decision making or problems i encounter, so naturally, i complained to them when i got the chance to. Fiona asked me to forgive him since he apologized and he's probably as frustrated as i am, imagine 2 sturborn people trying to do things their own way. I did what she said 2 days later. Alicia asked me to thank him for taking good care of me, which i never told him because he didn't really deserve this compliment right then.

Let's hope there won't be anymore breakdowns for the remaining part of this trip. Fingers crossed.

Anyways, pictures below taken in N.Delhi. That was kinda the summary of whatever i've taken in Delhi except for those heading to and from the train station. It was really damn hot i didn't dare to venture out.

Roof top view from our guesthouse. Damn dusty, not a nice/ ideal place to hang out.

Treacherous journey out to the street from our guesthouse.

I honestly hate that walkway.

 It's like you'll never know when you're gonna lose balance and fall face down onto the pool of cattle shit.

Walkway into guesthouse.

 Consolation, i mastered the skill of trekking those pipes and saved myself from accidents.

 But it's effing dirty still.

 I don't like Delhi.

Period.

India Gate, the morning before we left for Heaven (Kashmir).

The only sight-seeing we bothered to do cause it's on the way to the airport.

Oh. These are the crazy singhs who bothered to protest on a crazily boiling day.

Bargaining

When i was set on embarking on this trip, i knew bargaining is essential and inevitable. But it didn't occur to me that it'd cause me depression. Stupid but true. I don't do much talking during the trip, so all the bargaining is done by K. I have to admit that he can really bargain. He told me that they'll only know how to bully you, so don't be afraid to bully them. Personally, i hated him to say that because he hit me at my weakest spot. I'm indeed afraid, afraid to bargain because they're simply big bullies and i just want to get my shopping done without any damage to my pride or dignity, making them have an impression of me as being far from generous.


The most damage done due to bargaining was and still is, my poor stomach. Most of the time, i'll choose not to eat out of anger or choose to eat something that is cheap and unfilling to save money so he doesn't have to bargain. Poor stomach, yes. But, i guess i lost some weight in return, i think. :D Maybe getting too pissed off to eat isn't such a bad thing either.


K says that he felt good after bargaining, which i didn't understand initially. He bargained on everything and anything you can imagine, from accomodation to transport to food even, which even now, i feel ridiculous, but like i said, a necessity.


Until this fateful day when i headed out alone to do henna. You see, we spend our money together, so all my finances are under his control and i had to ask for money to do henna. As usual, he told me not to be bullied, bargain with all my might. I only listened half-heartedly and headed out to look for henna stores. Without much thinking or bargaining done, i sat down at this store and the artist started doodling artistically on my hand. Most of the time, i don't understand what he's talking about when he replied to my "how much is this?" question, so i simply let him carry on doodling without knowing the damage to my pocket. When he was done doodling, he finally answered my fucking question and quoted a fucking 2000 rupees, almost 70 SGD equivalent. My heart hammered really hard, so hard i thought it'd stop any moment from overdrive. Then, i remembered the "DO NOT LET THEM BULLY YOU" phrase and plucked up my courage and started bullying the bastard. After half hour and an additional henna on my leg, i paid off 300 rupees and headed back with my head help high, damn fucking high up. I'm simply too damn proud of my acheivement, i guess i've officially graduated as a first class bargain-er. Hahahaha. Let's just hope i can keep this up for the rest of the journey and stop torturing my ever starving stomach.

P.S: I know i said i'll line up post but lied. This time, i really lined up quite a few posts. I drafted it while i didn't get any connection in Kashmir. It was the time where i really had nothing to do and the place was simply too inspiring. :D Enjoy the next few posts.

Poverty

I'm thinking it's something that this is what impression Indians give foreigners at times. Well, i know it is for me. Coming from a wealthy country where i wouldn't have to worry about a future where i may simply end up sleeping on streets, it seems scares me to see the amount of people sleeping on streets here in India. It's like a norm for everyone of them. It hurts to see them live life the way they do and no doubt, without fail makes me reflect on every single thing life is related to.


I'd always say god is never fair, which is in fact a truth i hate to the core. I'll always complain about whatever i can't get back at home and how god isn't fair to everybody. But unfairness god gave me cannot ever be compared, on any scale, to unfairness Indians get here. One end of the street could be filthy rich people shopping like there's no tomorrow and the other end are beggers who can only worry about how to keep their stomachs filled.

I often wonder if they had a choice to remove themselves from the poverty they're in. Choice as in, to head out and work instead of begging for money or food. But, from what i see and observe, people seem to really work hard, both physically and mentally hard, to earn that few little rupees that can barely help meet their needs. So i'm guessing, even if they had a choice, poverty will always be tagged onto them even till death. How sad but true.