Sammy G has made it to Day 100!!

So, I've somehow made it to Day 100 alive and well. I've had to evade rogue rickshaw drivers after our money, rabied dogs, rabied monkeys, countless near death experiences on India's notorious transport system, and the odd marriage proposal thrown in for good measure. I've flooded my room (Indian taps!!), met some of India's rich and famous, witnessed the truly breathtaking Taj Mahal and bathed in the Ganga. I've lived somewhat of a Slumdog Millionnaire experience for the last 100 days - hell, I've even met Anil Kapoor!

Firstly, this long-awaited blog entry (sorry guys, didn't realise anyone was actually reading this!) is finally possible because I've left rural India and finally have decent access to the internet. So here's a brief account of my experiences so far...

Chapter I - Bangalore/Bengaluru, Karnataka

Bangalore was the first destination on my quest to save India (from what I don't know). Before I arrived I had barely looked into what I would be doing here. Turns out I had to write a proposal for eco-sanitation toilets for rural communities around Bangalore, to help put an end to open defecation. Yep, they've been crapping and pissing on their own farms, and you can imagine what disease this has been spreading. In fact, I learnt in detail the riveting and inspiring science behind crapping and pissing in fields... but thats a story for another day).

Being in a modern city such as Bangalore (the new IT-capital of the world) made the transition to India much easier. Its the pub city of India, everyone spoke English (I'm presuming they still do) and footy is pretty huge there. The only time I got ill was after a drunken night out at the Xtreme Sports Bar (Arsenal won 6-2 I believe) and I foolishly ordered the 'Devils Lamb'... go figure! Every morning I'd have my helping of 3 pooris and the type of chai that leaves you with Diabetes... its no wonder that everyone in India has Diabetes by 40. Sugarcane is grown absolutely everywhere by the way. Anyway, a massive shout out goes to the guys we were working with (Big up the VK Crew!)... they treated us like their own and were great banter (Nags, Sush, Viji, Jalaja Shekar and of course SAAAIIITRAMAAAA!).

We celebrated the end of our month in Bangalore with a fancy dinner at the 5-star luxury Leela Palace Hotel; a dinner at an authentic North Karnatakan restaurant (where we ate off banana leaves); a visit to the famous Bangalore Club (wining and dining where Winston Churchill once did); and took a final opportunity to see a Hollywood movie (Inglorious Basterds - 8/10!) before our next stint in Rural India. There wasnt gona be any shops where I was going, let alone cinemas! The last I heard, my proposal for eco-san had already managed to rake in some sponsorship, so I left a happy (and still unmarried) man.

Chapter II - Let me give you a taste of travelling in India...

We left for the notorious Uttar Pradesh (anyone who knows about UP knows its not a place one should visit!) at the beginning of October, via Delhi where me and H were able to link up with another uni mate, the one and only Keno. Our one night here would prove to be legendary, it happened to be the one night that Hed Kandi were playing in Delhi! The all-nighter that ensued didn't disappoint, and the journey to UP the next morning was inevitably a bit of a bosh-up.

So, onto the travelling experience. We took a 5am taxi to Old Delhi Station. Only to end up at New Delhi Station. The argument that followed with our rogue taxi driver (allegedly Keno's best friend... aside from Alpesh (but thats another story!)) was the most pointless ever and somehow we were forced to part with our money having been taken to the wrong station! We eventually arrived at the right station with 10mins til the train left... 10mins to navigate our way through crowds of early morning commuters, touts, beggars, chai-walas - the typical Indian railway station scene. And we had all our luggage with us. The right platform turned out to be the wrong one, and finding our carriage, then our seats was one of the most stressful experiences we've ever endured... only to find our seats taken. We were forced to sit on our bags next to the toilets, the only space left. And what a surprise, the train left 45mins late! To top it all off, some woman had clearly fallen foul to poorly cooked food, and was to violently vomit out the open train doors every 20mins or so.

I did manage to have a Slumdog moment, hanging off the side of the train as it sailed through te scenery at a good 70mph. It was great to once again feel the fresh air after a smoggy, polluted Delhi. The all-nighter was proving too much and I soon fell asleep, only to be shaken awake by train wardens 4hrs later at what was apparently our stop! H had gotten off in the nick of time, but by the time I got my bags to the door we were once again hurtling away towards the next station. With no phone signal, no loose change (I spent it on one last beer last night!) and not an ATM in sight, I had to blag my way by rickshaw and bus to the little village of Amarpurkashi, with the generous help of local cops (clearly delighted to meet a foreigner in these distant parts!). By now I was absolutely knackered, and upon arrival slept the rest of the day. My troubles provided great entertainment for the villagers and other volunteers when I got there... my adventure in Uttar Pradesh was well and truly underway!

I'll leave it at that for now, Chapter III to follow when I can be bothered... peace!

Sammy G