OCT 22, 11 .. AGRA CANTT
It is absolutely STUNNING the difference between here in Agra Cantt.. and back in Calcutta.. it is as .. Day v.s. Night .. it is as .. switch ON v.s. switch OFF .. it is like a .. Different Country ..
The stunning lack of traffic is wonderful.. and the traffic that there is seems to be moving more slowly and more carefully and more politely than that in Calcutta..
The internet cafe is INSIDE of my hotel .. I don’t have to even go outside..
Jeevan Lal’s shop (PLEASE see LATEST NEWS for his address to write to me here in Agra Cantt) is just up the street from my hotel on the same side of the street.. I do NOT even have to go on.. nor do I have to cross the street..
IT IS COOLER AND IT IS DRY.. it is NOT humid here .. I am in a NON Air Conditioned Room and doing OK.. it has an old California Swamp Cooler IN THE room..
Instead of a room costing me 2,102 Rupees .. my room here costs me 650 Rupees .. and my room here is .. in a word .. gigantic ..
My room here has NO WINDOWS .. but being deep inside the building.. it is quiet and cool .. so in the artistic respect.. my Calcutta room was a bit more pleasing .. but I have been staying in this room (with one exception when Patti was with me in 1996) for twenty one some years.. it and I know each other ..
OH YES .. challenges do remain ..
When I began to wash my trousers last midnight Wednesday/Thursday.. technically Thursday at 1 o’clock AM .. they said to me .. “OH NO DAD.. OH NO DAD you are not going to put us into THAT WATER DAD ! DAD.. we want to go right back to Calcutta and to THAT WATER .. DAD are you listening to us DAD ? “
Then Thursday morning about 8AM.. when I got my socks.. and my neck wrap.. and my shirt(s) out to wash.. they also screamed .. “NO DAD.. NO DAD.. not THAT WATER DAD.. don’t do this to us DAD ! “
The water here in my hotel in Agra Cantt is a darkish.. rust colored.. water.. OH YES.. I did let a full bucket sit for eight hours.. THAT did allow the sand to settle to the bottom of the bucket but did nothing to change the color of the water.. it looks just absolutely terrible ..
GOOD NEWS WAS THIS.. it did not dis-color my white clothing.. no sign of the rust color on my dry clothing..
OH YES .. challenges do remain ..
Poor little cockroach was correct .. there are worse things than cockroaches .. see FWIW.. 48.2.. October 18, 2011.. if you will recall a poor little cockroach.. as my foot was coming down upon him to end his short little life said to me .. “Dad.. there are much worst things than we cockroaches.. ” ..
FLYING INSECTS are FAR WORST THAN COCKROACHES ..
And they have flying insects here in Agra.. your basic all-american flies are an absolute nuisance.. they are pesky and quick and you can not swat them easily and they get on your forehead and scalp and ears and forearms and feet and anywhere they want to get onto .. then there are these teeny weeny itty bitty little minute (like) fruit flies .. about ten quadrillion of them (slight exageration) have appeared at about 9:30PM at night.. all over me.. and all over the floor..
TOO FUNNY .. I watched this large.. full adult.. cockroach .. carefully pick his way through a literal ‘field’ of them on the floor .. it was as if he was thinking to himself.. he probably WAS .. “What in the hell are all of these things doing in my way..”
Sadly.. HE WAS NOT eating any of them.. when I saw him coming I said .. “YES.. help has arrived.. this large adult cockroach will kill and eat some of them.. ” .. TO him they were just a nuisance ..
Today I wrote post cards.. tomorrow I will mail them.. I also wrote speed post envelope mail to four friends here in India that I will also post tomorrow ..
It is a tradition of sorts.. I sit in Jeevan Lal’s shop.. close to where he sits.. and I write my mail .. we sort of commune with each other .. a many years long tradition.. photos will follow..
I sat for over six hours writing post cards .. and visiting.. I am known to people here and some come in and visit with us .. Jeevan and myself..
I have my favorite restaurant here.. photos to follow.. and I got my usual meal.. Indian Thali Vegetarian .. with a thirty (30%) tip it cost just over two dollars and twenty cents ..
AGRA CANTT .. HOME OF THE TAJ MAHAL .. WILL BE MY BASE FOR THE REST OF THIS TRIP ..
I will travel out of Agra Cantt .. lightly with only Mister India Bag and my back pack.. my major suitcase will be a storage unit staying with Jeevan Lal as I go out and off from Agra Cantt ..
OK.. over and out for now.. with love.. cap..