cars, clothing, bathroom

hi! back in delhi, the bus ride went very well. i love having my ipod! i've been getting into some bluegrass for some reason!

so let's talk a little bit about indian cars. TaTa is the main indian car manufacturer. They also make trucks. tata cars come in all sizes, but the compact mini ones are most popular. they look a little cheap to me, though. then there is the maruti suzuki. the Swift (pictured) is my favorite, as they have a new car out. it kinda looks like a cross between a VW bug (the new kind) and a Cooper mini. I love it! it has 4 doors and a great shape and the colors are good. it is very small also. the taxis are small vans. very small vans and they are painted black and yellow in delhi. then....the royal AMBASSADOR! this is my most favorite car EVER and if i could import one i certainly would. they are very british, rounded on the nose, quite regal in a mini-car way. but of course, as anywhere, there are SUVs. the fanciest one is called a Scorpion! because it is evil and will run you right down! and the people that drive these SUVs are rich, very rich, and they do not care about you if you are on foot, as that means you are a lowlife.

clothing: if you like acid washed jeans, you will fit right in here in india! not only that, but member's only jackets are still in style here! they also have jeans with big buckle-like things on the back pockets, or perhaps on the side pockets. and if you like to wear your jeans high at the waist, you will also fit right in. perhaps you have a random number on your t-shirt. perhaps you have a funny saying that does not make sense. but more to the point, indian fashion is now similar to the fashion we had in 1983. awful!! and they think they are being so western! if they only knew, they would be so embarrassed! i must say it is clearly different on this trip because SO many more women are wearing jeans and pants. i find it a little sad, because the salwaar kameez is so attractive and feminine, as well as the sari, of course. but india is moving onto new times, and the fashion and clothing style certainly reflects this.

bathroom! everyone's favorite topic, or at least mine! (as many of you know, i am quite the scatologist...) i have been using both kinds of toilets: the western kind, which we have at home and the squatty toilet (left). the western toilets have these flimsy toilet seats, so one must beware when sitting that it does not slide off the toilet bowl. plus, the toilet seats are very dirty, no one ever washed them, so i avoid sitting anyway. the squatty toilets have a urinal shaped bowl in the floor with two foot rests next to it. you stand on the foot rests, squat, and do your business. i must say that #2 comes out much better in this position! with a squatty toilet, you throw a small bucket of water down the hole to flush. if you have gone ALOT, you might need to throw 2 or 3 buckets down the hole to flush.

now comes the fun part...wiping! so with both kinds of toilets, there is a spigot about 6inches form the floor and always there is a small bucket. it is always plastic and has a handle like a measuring cup. so you fill the small bucket with water and pour it on your private parts. if you have only gone #1, this is easy. i do not know how indians do it, but this is what i do....if i go #1, i pour from the front, and clean the area with my hand. i have a hanky i brought with me whihc i use soley for patting dry after this procedure. voila! done, as long as the water has not run down your leg. if a #2 has been expelled, then i pour the water from the backside, making sure not to get my clothing wet. I pour with my right hand, and then, literally, wipe with my left. this can be kind of gross, but it is also interesting. for this procedure, i might have to pour 2-3 cups of water in order to make sure everything is clean, depending on wha has happened. then again, with my hanky, i pat dry. then i get my clothes bak in order and wash my hands with soap and water and go on with things.

i do not know how indians do this. certainly i will eventually meet someone whom i can ask. i just haven't met that person yet. the thing that most concerns me is...how do they dry off? or do they pour all this water on themselves and then walk around wet all day?

the other thing is that i do not htink it is true abou tthe left hand vs right hand thing. i see people eating with both hands all the time! i will also ask about this though.

i know all that was a bit personal, but i think some of you have been wondering. so there you go!

today i am off to the post office, then back here in the main bazaar (Paraganj) to wait for kora to arrive. i am eager to take her shopping and to the bird hospital at the Jain temple.

later taters!
jo