Walked a kilometer south to Lanka today, looking for a market. Found a market. Saw a big gate, turned left off the main road and under the gate’s arch. Walked 500m, saw nothing promising, turned around, and returned to the main road.
Found a sandal tent and bought a pair of sandals. Went into two photo [...]
Entries Tagged as 'India'
My cheesy little adventure
April 3rd, 2010 1 Comment
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The midnight train to sweatville
March 27th, 2010 1 Comment
It’s noon on one of those double days created by an overnight train ride in sleeper class — a paranoid ride where the cop with the HK submachine gun calls you out the first time he sees you. “You — where is your luggage?” You point beneath the seat. “ALERT!”
He urges you to take it [...]
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No room in the inn
March 24th, 2010 No Comments
LATE-NIGHT LUCKNOW –
Ashish the Seatmate’s recommended Hotel Sharma (“with a huge sign on top”) never materialized, so I ended up booking a room at Hotel Samrat, whose rooftop sign I can see from my current address.
I didn’t choose it so much as walk into a decent-looking lobby on railroad flophouse row, find out there weren’t [...]
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Lucknow – the name is true
March 20th, 2010 1 Comment
Everything went so smoothly over the first month here in India until about 30 minutes ago. A combination of the heat, the heavy hot kathi roll in my stomach, and the sight of my train coach flying toward the other end of the platform conspired to put me on my intended train’s doppelganger, headed in [...]
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A carpetman loses his mobile in India
March 13th, 2010 1 Comment
The Jaipur Vodafone store has a line like the Bronx DMV. And why am I here? Because my phone disappeared somehow — not on Holi, mind you, but innocently the day before. Just up and left. Pulled a Houdini.
I had it at the PJ Exports office, maybe in the car, not when I got home. [...]
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What would you be doing right now?
December 13th, 2009 1 Comment
One of the first instincts upon a change of location is to start thinking in terms of parallel existence–comparing hours, schedules, routines, and so on.
Sitting on the roof of the hotel, staring at the moonlit Taj, you think, “I’d be walking into work right now.”
This isn’t so much looking back, but looking sideways. Conditional thinking: [...]
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Behind the Taj Mahal
November 19th, 2009 2 Comments
Met these three behind the Taj Mahal down on the dry bed of the Yamuna River. Read on for bonus…
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Can Foreigners Buy Guns? Three Lessons…
September 23rd, 2009 2 Comments
Dripping the obligatory Calcutta sweat, I bounded up a couple steps and through the door. Might be some cheap stuff in here. Stopped and scanned the three walls of dark brown rifles standing straight and serious like courtroom wood paneling.
Whipped off my sunglasses and looked the shopkeeper in the eye: “Can foreigners buy guns?” “No.” [...]
Tags: India
How an Indian Barber Will Make You a Sinner
August 20th, 2009 No Comments
Pride – My beard is a work of art, but he can probably make it sweeter.
Sloth – Sure, go ahead and clip the nose hairs.
Envy — The barber at the next chair over is better than my guy. He’s got a bigger shrine, and come on, just look at that collection of coconut oils.
Lust — [...]
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