Kohlapur

Yesterday we left Miraj for an overnight in Kohlampur which is a much larger town about an hour and half long train ride away. First of all, the trains here are pretty ghetto and old but just like everything else in India, it's really very charming. There are 5 or 6 classes of tickets. We usually avoid the passenger cars where you're basically packed in like sardines, shoulder to shoulder, or hanging off the side of the car. Instead we go for the A/C cabin. Probably pretty weak but it's not like we're opting for luxury. A/C really just means fans and individual seats. The floors are still covered with trash. The windows are yellowed. Plus, it costs around 100 ruppees, or about $2. Still really cheap.

Anyhow, the one thing I love about the trains is that you really get to see the countryside which is absolutely beautiful... rolling hills of well organized, patchwork-like small fields of different crops, speckled with women in saris working the fields and cattle pulling plows, and then of course the occassional temple or town... i'm sure there's just as much poverty out there as there is in the cities, maybe even more, but it looks different. The people take such wonderful care of the land, they wave at the train when it goes by, they just seem so much more content.

Kris had read that Kohlampur was a good place to sort of get your feet wet in India, to get comfortable with getting around, shopping, ect. That's true. It's a big city, but not near as big as Mumbai. We had dinner at an actual big, nice Indian restaurant in Hotel Opal... can't tell you what we ate but it was wonderful. Then we hit the marketplace to buy Chappelas, handsewn leather sandles this town is famous for making. Lastly, we went to The Hangover, a trendy bar in a new hotel across the road, for Kingfisher, the only indian beer I've yet to find. We did the most we've done this entire trip but it was easy, not intimidating at all.

So last night was really our first big autorickshaw experience. To get around here you either take an autorickshaw or you walk. Let me just tell you that rickshaws are the way to go because they are WAY fun! (google it... you're gonna need a visual for this one) Our first driver was so excited to take us to the restaurant. Something about being American makes us really popular here. Anyhow, he was full of energy and spunk, kinda singing, then laughing when we'd try to talk to him about anything, just so excited we were riding with him... it was halarious! The best part was the stickers on his windshield... tigers that looked like they were jumping out at you. Rrrrrrrrr! That really said it all. Everyone sort of personalizes their rickshaw with stickers, paint, the seat covers, other decorations to hand from the sides, even rims. None of our other drivers were as much fun as the first guy but it doesn't matter who you're with, your ride promises to be exciting just because of the way they drive. There's no traffic lights, no lanes, just asses and elbows and HORNS! There's actually signs on the backs of trucks that say "Honk Please" and they do... constantly.

Last night was also our first night in a bar. The first place we went wasn't unlike something you would find in a trendy contemporary boutique hotel in the states. The second place on the other hand was older and more traditional apparently means that females aren't allowed. We had to sit in a separate room. Everyone was still very nice and happy to serve me, I just couldn't be served in the main bar with the men. That is the culture here which I totally understand, but it was still strange. It was really the first time I had seen segregation like that.

This morning our hotel set us up with a driver for the day. People had suggested hiring a driver but that seemed so extravagant... wrong. It was cheap, convienent and efficient. It cost us 12oo Rs (or around $24) for 8 hours and 126 kilometers of travel. Plus he was really nice and he played awesome Indian music :) By the end of the day we had seen the ghats (bathing stations along the river), the lake, two temples, two museums, and old fort and the town of Panhella. Again, as soon as I can get up photos of all of this I will. I'll just say that everything we saw today was really impressive. We will certainly be hiring more drivers in the future.

Before I go... just something that made me laugh:
At the bank, the manager tells Kris that there is a temple in honor of the god of fortune nearby. Kris says, "Yeah, he's my favorite." The man smiles and says, "He's everyone's favorite."

OKay, gotta go catch the train back to Miraj. More tomorrow. I love you all!