Finally; some clear direction on how to use those mysterious things.....

After 28 years I've finally figured out how to use the mysterious contraption I've seen in so many restrooms throughout my life.  This helpful instruction came to me this afternoon while in a restroom at the corporate office....

Hopefully everyone that views this will enjoy just a little bit of toilet humor.  I'm pretty sure I'll always find it at least somewhat entertaining!  And if anyone has any idea what the "x 2 years" piece in the proper toilet use photo means I'd be happy to know!

So here are a few photos from Christmas here in India.  Christmas was really tough being away from friends and family, much tougher than I had anticipated.  Fortunately I had Joshua Solomon from Recon India to take me to Midnight Mass at his church, a friendly neighbor to cook some good food on Christmas and plenty of laziness with my new friend King Fisher in the sun for a few days!

There was a nice tea and cake dessert after mass.  I made the mistake of saying I liked the plum cake and was given 6 pieces:-)

This service was really nice, but I have to admit it was certainly different singing Feliz Navidad while attending mass in India!

I'm heading to Aurangabad this weekend to celebrate the New Year.  This is one of the fastest growing cities in the world so I'm not sure what to expect in a country that to me seems to be constantly growing!

Trekking to the Fort

This morning I went for a trek to a fort that was used to protect the state of Maharashtra during the Mongol invasions from 1221 to 1327.  The site also served as a British Army post, but has long since been abandoned.  


The trek was really amazing and intense at parts, but certainly worth the effort once reaching the fort.  Along the way I met some locals that invited me for a picnic lunch. I broke my rule of not eating food from places I do not know in India and I'm happy to report that 4 hours later my stomach and I are still agreeing!  I felt like a celebrity along the trek as people were very excited to take photos of the American in a Toronto Bluejays cap trekking to the fort in a rather rural part of India.

The diversity of foliage in India is very impressive; from the palm trees outside my flat, to tropical fruit and fig trees, to these cactus that lined much of the mountain.

This was a small cathedral that must have last been in use during the forts time as a British Army post.  While completely neglected for many years, the cathedral remained very much structurally in tact.

While I was complaining about not having North Face hiking boots, these people were climbing up the mountain in sandals, dress shoes and some were even barefoot!

The view from this height was amazing as well as the air quality.  It's crazy, but when I first moved to Pune my sinuses were very messed up from all the pollution and now when I visit mountains like these and the clean air my nose runs just as bad as it first did in the city!  I guess my body has adjusted to the sweet, sweet toxins of Pune air.

This was the defender of India that constructed the fort.  The name plaque was in Hindi so I was unable to tell who he was.

There were many small wells like this one along the trek.  Unfortunately, water of this quality was also being used to make tea at the bottom of the mountain as well...

One last update...  If any one would like to send donations to help me cover the cost of my 180INR electric bill it would certainly be appreciated!  I'm going to have to start cutting back on using electricity if it is going to cost me $4 / month!

Cincinnati to India: The Bermuda Triangle of the Midwest?

Apparently there is something incredibly complex when it comes to shipping MY goods from Cincinnati to India.  For the second time in a month my personal belongings are MIA.  First Air India lost my luggage and now the relocation company has lost the shipment of all my personal belongings from the US.

The relocation company sent me an email this afternoon informing me that the shipment of my personal belongings has gone missing and "they have no idea when it will show up in Mumbai."  That certainly is a reassuring response from the people that are now in possession of my passport.

That's right: these yahoos required my passport to go to the port and pick up my belongings.  Obviously there is nothing there to pickup, but they'd like to keep a hold of my passport in case the goods show up over the next week or so.  So much for putting up a Christmas tree this year:-(

Visit to Karla Caves and yet Another Terrifying Monkey Encounter

This weekend I visit the Karla Caves.  These aren't actually caves, but are instead ancient Buddhist Indian rock-cut architecture cave shrines developed over two periods - from 2nd century B.C to 2nd century C.E. and in 5th - 10th century.  


This shrine was amazing and sad at the same time.  This beautiful piece of Indian history was strewn with garbage throughout the whole trek to the site.  Beggars, small shops selling trinkets and animals lined the stairway cut into the mountain all the way to the shrine.  Additionally, I was charged 100INR while the locals are charged 5INR for entry into the shrines.  So much for equality!


Here is the shopkeeper for the small market near the base of the mountain the shrine is cut into.  

The shrine is actually 3 stories, but you can only access up to the second story.  Although there is a staircase to the third story, it is filled with thorn bushes so tourist can not enter.

 The interior of this shrine was amazing.  It is unbelievable that this was built over 2000 years ago.  The would beams on the ceiling look as if they are less than 50 years old.

 The carvings were amazing.  Very intricate, detailed and.....carved by hand!

 Unbelievably, either Vijay Gopalan has visited this site and left his mark before (I think it says Vijay + Kevin Looper) or there is more than one Vijay in India!

 A portion of the trail to the temple was rather intense, but beautiful.

 Another amazing carving in one of the monastery rooms.

This was a fairly creepy entrance to a Muslim restaurant we stopped at on our way back from the shrine.

 The locals here are mad for mutton.  I on the other hand would have preferred prime rib instead of goat, but when in Rome....

 By far this was the cleanest side of India I have ever seen!

 This little island out in the sea was inhabited by tons of ducks and geese.  These birds were not at all timid of humans and came up to the shore with all their little ducklings.

 Can you see the gecko?

 Now for my second encounter with a monkey.  The first was with Roger, Helen and Sriram while in Singapore and as many of you have seen from the photos it was quite traumatic.  This experience was no different.  These monkeys, which were unfortunately chained to a bullock's cart, were filthy, malnourished and apparently very thirsty!

 Here is my water bottle that a local was kind enough to rescue from the monkey captor; however he proceeded to put a straw into the bottle and allow the monkey to drink it all!

 This little guy was in the restroom with me.  Once spotted it literally scared the...... well you know, out of me!

 The water bottle thief was a male monkey.

I am the proud new employer of Lata!

Today Raj, his wife Niti, their daughter Xenia and Raj's mother showed up at my flat after work with a surprise; Lata!  Lata is my new housekeeper and cook.

For 5000INR / month ($111.00) Lata will come in the morning to cook me breakfast and iron my clothes before work.  She will then continue on to clean the flat, do all the laundry and additional ironing, shop for me and then return in the evening to cook dinner.  That's a pretty nice arrangement for $111!

Her English is a struggle so we are working on a series of signs and gestures to help us both out.  I will leave the ingredients I want to eat out by the stove or a picture of perishables and she will cook it for me in the morning or when I return in the evening.  So I will be sure to update everyone as to how well Lata cooks a tanini;-)

Some odds and ends from this week...

Below is an interesting article that my dad sent me regarding one of the hot, new professions on the rise over here in India.  Well not new, but certainly on the rise.  I have to admit that in the last 3 weeks that I have been here I have yet to see a rat and I hope that tradition continues on for a long time to come!

India's Rat Catchers

Below are some pictures from my trip to Mumbai on Saturday.  I had no idea that this part of India was so hilly and mountainous.  It is a beautiful part of the country.  It is unbelievable but the highway between the outskirts of Mumbai and Pune is the only one in the entire country!

There are no exits on or off, a single CLEANish rest stop (where I just happened to run into Andrew Estes who was in town for the SC conference and on his way to the Mumbai port) and no police patrol.

 As I mentioned, the lack of reststops is an issue, an issue that Raj decided he couldn't deal with so we stopped along the road in some village for him to attend to nature;-)

 A nice view of some of the mountain terrain.

Another shot of some of the mountains along the way to Mumbai.

Home sweet home

On Friday I became the proud new occupant of F 304 in the Cloverdale community of Koregaon Park.  It is a great place that is very close to the Osho Park.  A few photos from my new place below.  More to come, but my internet connection is a little slow with the data card I'm using so I'm not able to add photos very easily.

 A little breakfast nook where I am writing this update.  This is also where I enjoy Nutella sandwiches:-)

 The living room leading out to the balcony.  Apparently the landlord assumed that since I am here by myself that a bachelor would appreciate a black leather couch; he was wrong.

The bedroom, a very beautiful and peaceful setting, but the mattress is rock hard!  Apparently in India there isn't much thought given to the mattress, only the bed frame.  The frame is really nice, but it's going to take a while to get used to this mattress!