India :: Guestbook (by nms)

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francois! the pictures are great. it's a pretty different world back at home.

alex, i know, it was a tough decision. but i didn't know about getting back to the tourist home with only Rs. 100 and that huge bag. i wish that you could've come into the airport. also, i thought that you'd be wanting to leave the next morning. sorry that you had another day in mumbai filled with wandering around. also, your last post was very nice to read. i laughed like crazy about the horking. i can imagine.

kaleigh
montreal, - Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 11:24:26 (EST)
Back home with California girls and greasy burgers (double-double animal style). I just moved into my new place on campus and I finally got to upload my digital pictures from my 1 month trip to South India. Check out the pictures for 2 weeks worth of Alex, Harjap, and Kaleigh:

http://www-vlsi.stanford.edu/~flabonte/photos/20030109

Alex and Harjap: Have a nice last month of travel. I had a great time hanging with revolutionaries of your stature.

Francois
Stanford, CA, USA, - Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 07:11:31 (EST)
kaleigh, i can't believe that you didn't accept the 300$US offer !!! you said "no" to free money !?! holy !!! and more importantly, we could have been together for another day.

-------

The morning after Kaleigh left I checked out of the "Tourist Home" (hotel) before 9AM and had breakfast at New Light of Asia (as usual) and caught a bus to VT train station where I bought a ticket for Bangalore. I left my backpack at the station's cloak room and walked into the streets with 12 hours to blow and no plan. This quickly proved to be a frustrating excercise - especially noting that it was Sunday and most establishments were closed.

First I sat on the net for 2 hours, then I oscillated between omlette stands and sugar cane juice stands. I even watched pretty much an entire game of cricket - i only missed the beginning. Cricket's SLOW nature was not the remedy to keep a semi-sleepy guy awake for long. I desperately tried to maintain an interest but I dosed off a couple of times. It was the kind of half-dosing that quickly ends when you realize that your mouth is open and you might be drooling.

When the cricket game ended I was still sitting on the edge of the grounds, starring blankly at the field. A power tripping grounds keeper blew his whistle and chased me out. I had the urge to hook up with the cricket team (australian or english... i didn't even know who india's team was playing) but i had absolutely no energy to initiate an approach. So instead I walked back toward VT train station, and then just kept walking aimlessly until i found myself near the Naval Dock Yard where I stumbled upon a group of at least 20 people huddled around a television set, watching a Bollywood movie. The crowd was so big that they spilled over into the curb-side lane of Colaba Causeway - a major street. I took a picture of them.

Eventually I came to the corner in front of Regal Cinema where I watched four kids spinning tops, literally in the first lane of traffic on Shivaji Marg - another major street. I took their picture as well.

Since I got all the way to the cinema, i decided to buy a ticket for that movie Bollywood Hollywood with some young Guru kid and a young tottie. All through the long previews I was anticipating the Bollywod Hollywood movie. I thought that the last preview was going to be James Bond: Die Another Day... but after 5 minutes, James Bond didn't go away, so I braced myself for two hours of pure Hollywood cheese, jam-packed with one-liners and everything exploding...

I was sitting at the front, as I normally do - unless i'm with someone who doesn't like that. As a result of sitting so close, I normally get really immersed in a movie - to the point where it's hard to snap out even when the movie ends. Usually i get quite phased out or at least a few minutes after leaving the cinema... and this time, at 9:15PM, after an absurd car chase on ice(!), while Bond was in the middle of totally annihilating the enemy, i got up and literally ran out of the theatre so as not to miss my 10PM train.

Outside the cinema, still in BOND-MODE, I immediately locked in on a bus heading in the direction of VT train station. So without wasting a second, I dashed through two lanes of oncoming traffic and got to the bus before it could get away. I asked the driver whether the bus would pass by VT, and to my delight, the bus was indeed going to VT. It was moving quickly as I made my way down the narrow isle toward the back where the ticket collector was sitting. The driver was totally crazy, taking bends at near full speed, so I braced for a roll. Before I could say "blue berry pie", the ticket collector was tapping me on my shoulder: we were at VT, and my ride was now over.

I crossed four lanes of traffic and snapped back into non-bond-mode as i purchased three bananas. This may indicate that Bond himself, would not have stopped for bananas. oh well... i had the groove for a while.

I retrieved my backpack, boarded the train at a quarter to ten, and fell asleep on the top bunk before the train started rolling.

---------

Last night i got a hotel for 75 rupees, and slept in a room with over 30 bunk beds, packed with indian men. This hotel has got to be the horking capital of the world!!! Every two seconds someone was hucking a loogy into the sink! Actually, their method was to bring themselves to near puking, to really get everything out from the back of the throat. I'd understand one or two guys doing this, but not everyone. I don't really know these terms, so if i'm wrong in spelling, someone please enlighten me.

This morning I got breakfast and chai for 10 rupees. I walked passed "Bangalore's most imposing" building - the Vidhana Soudha - a massive, granite building housing the secretariat and the state legislature. Then to another gorgeous building - the General Post Office (GPO). kaleigh the card is now out of my posession. Next I walked through Cubbon Park.. a really lovely park with some strangely grouped trees. Just outside the park I got lunch and chai for 11 rupees and walked through the Industrial and Technological Museum for 15 rupees. The museum was somewhat geared more toward a younger crowd with little gadgets and things with button to press, but it was interesting anyway. There was some cool stuff about mechanics... pulleys, levers, chains. There was a whole floor devoted to India's space program, so that made it all worth it as i'm really fascinated by space science. Did you know that India built it's own satellite in 1975 ? They've got a bunch up there now, doing all sorts of stuff from communication to remote sensing... monitoring flood zones and natural resources. I have yet to look into the possible spy satellite i spotted in Rajasthan, moving over the india/pakistan border.

Bangalore is definitely my favorite city that i've seen in India. It's fairly clean and organized. I'd say Mumbai comes next in the list, and then Delhi.

OK, that's enough rambling for now.

mikulas - thank you for meeting kaleigh at the airport.

malgosia - you don't have to write out all the names if there are so many. i was just curious about which cities would be selected for the map... but i can always look that up when i return.

greg(arious) - whazzup!?! i wish i was skiing with you guys... maybe next winter !! no, but wait... i will probably be back in time (end of feb) to join you guys for spring skiing all the way into march. keep that in mind. say hi to adam and t-rev for me. say hi to jat if you ever see him. say hi to tera too.

harjap - i will be in bangalore probably until the 16th. then i will go to mysore.

kaleigh - i'm so glad that you had no problems with customs and all that. sorry that you had to lug all that stuff for me. of all things, i forgot to give you your blue water bottle, so now i have two. your sleeping bag is the best. the light load is a plus. you'd love bangalore.

bye for now.

alex
bangalore, - Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 05:59:23 (EST)
?? question for harjap ??
hi harjap, what was the dept and name of the course you took? i forget.

kaleigh
montreal, - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 12:51:45 (EST)
hi - i'm now at work just remembering passwords and walking on the wrong side of hallways and stairwells. i spent yesterday in amsterdam seeing the sites, doing a canal boat cruise and getting used to coldish weather. one month of heat made me imagine that the whole world shared india's climate, and i arrived in europe wearing flipflops and a linen shirt. so instead of camping out in the airport for 8 hours, i bought socks and stole a northwest airlines and ventured into the city.

everything went well getting home and i was so happy to see malgosia and dana at the airport and aba at home! tomek was still working, so i haven't seen him yet. alex, glad that you caught the bus, but sorry that you had to do the churchgate walk twice in one day. when i got to the check-in line up they told me that the flight was full and that if i traveled the next day that i would be given $300USD and a five star hotel room! but you had gone already, and i didn't know what you'd think i should do, and we'd already paid another night. so i just said no and caught the flight.

so instead of india seeming weird, canada does. so clean, orderly and dare i say, systematic? it's not super cold - i'm doing stratified aclimatization: anjuna (28c) - mumbai (23c) - amsterdam (2c) - montreal (-15c) - winnipeg weekend after next (-33c).

alex, miss you. i'll email you, so hope you find a good connection - you'll be so happy with the speed when you get back.

kaleigh
montreal, - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 12:07:31 (EST)
batkosis, check your email
japs
hyderabad, - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 00:49:48 (EST)
Hey Alex

I hope the new year is treating you well. I had a wicked break -- went skiing with Adam at Red mountain, and then met up with the boys in Grand Forks for New Years. Good times.

G

Greg
Vancouver, - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 23:25:52 (EST)
I'll post some more cities for you tomorrow!
Malgosia
Montreal, - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 22:33:59 (EST)
Hey Alex!

We picked Kaleigh up at the airport around 6:30pm today. Poor Kaleigh! I can't believe you gave her all those books to bring back! Anyway, she's fine, really tired though, so we fed her and Mom drove her home with plenty of food supplies (courtesy of Aba).

Kaleigh said she will post later, because she went straight to bed.

Hope everything's fine with you! :)

Malgosia
Montreal, - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 22:32:43 (EST)
harjap, another message...

a couple of weeks ago temo was planning to go to indonesia. please tell me what he's up to and whether he's going south with you or doing something different.

secondly, navraj was supposed to join us at about this time (2nd week of january). what's the scoop there ?

if you decide to go south instead of to chennai, pls consider going through banglore and meeting up there (or mysore).

anyway, talk to you later.

alex
mumbai, - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 06:44:08 (EST)
Harjap, sorry about that last message.. i was using another person's terminal so i had to be very quick. Since then, i have purchase a ticket to Bangalore leaving CST tonight at 10 PM. My intention is to check out Bangalore, then Mysore, then head into Kerala to Trivandrum and the south tip, then head up the east coast. I don't know why you want to spend a super long time in Kerala (just for the tabla lessons?), but if you could manage with less time there and reverse your direction as you suggested, that would be wicked. If things go according to plan it will be easily possible to hit Assam before cutting back toward Delhi.

As for Malaysian airlines and our tickets.. we cannot change our Feb 27th ticket leaving KL to LA and on to VAN. We can only change the portion leaving Delhi. If you want to push our stay in India beyond Feb 19th, then push it to the 22nd at most. When I changed the date to the 19th, I also checked a few days around it and I think two or three were booked solid.

About your email: i've read it and will look into the matter and get back to you.

Yesterday Kaleigh and I walked through the mazes of the Kalbadevi and Bhuleshwar bazaars as per Stefan's recommendation. It was pretty insane...

I last saw Kaleigh when we parted at the airport around 11:40 PM last night. I ran to the bus and caught the last one to Andari train station where i caught the last express train to Churchgate. Unfortunately at Churchgate the last two busses headed for Colva blasted past me so I had to walk all the way back to the hotel. The whole time i was thinking about how easily i would fall asleep, but all i did was toss and turn all night.

lynn - kaleigh's trip was safe and sound... success!

dana - yeah, i wish i was returning with kaleigh as well, but that was impossible as i have left a trail of belongings throughout india and malaysia, which i now have to pick up.

alex
mumbai, - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 02:04:30 (EST)
** for harjap **

no time: i'm going to bangalore!
i'll do bangalore, mysore, kerala, then up the coast to chennai, etc.

i'll talk to you tomorrow.

alex
mumbai, - Saturday, January 11, 2003 at 23:27:19 (EST)
Hi Kaleigh, Alex & Company!!!

I think that Kaleigh is already sitting on her red back pack at the airport, putting all of her strength together to get through her long flight.

I'll come to pick you up, Kaleigh, with your black jacket and shoes on hand, as it's quite chilly lately (minus 17, with wind chill factor probably ar. minus 25). Have a safe trip, see you tomorrow!

Alex, we wish we could meet you tomorrow, too, but as you have to complete your plan, we'll wait. So take care, all of you, and à la prochaine!

Dana
Montreal, - Saturday, January 11, 2003 at 13:33:58 (EST)
Hi Kaleih & Alex
It's minus 33 degrees today....we are dealing with the Jetta and battery problems, your Dad's bball tourney way across the city and a lovely house guest. So, a bit of a different weekend. Hope you are ready to come home to Canada. I will call you or email you with more news later...Monday or so. Have a safe journey home.
Love mom

Lynn
Winterpeg, - Saturday, January 11, 2003 at 10:27:52 (EST)
Alex, I will be intouch with Malaysian, but I may change my ticket to a little bit later. 19th may be rushing things alittle for me.

So listen, I'm going to be in Hyderabad at least until monday and latest thursday. After that my tentative plan is to go the Chennai and then swing west to Kerala. I may spend quite of bit of time in Kerala (maybe even take some tabla lessons down there. I don't know how set you are on your plan, but I may meet up with you and reverse me trip (ie go to Kerala first). Anyway, keep me updated and I'm sure we will meet up somewhere if you don't come to Hyderabad.

About the ticket again, let me know if you would also be interested in staying a little later. I'm thinking I may leave very close to the end of Feb.

K, anyway, I'll talk to you later dog... and keep me updated about where you are and where you are headed.

Also, I sent you an email a few days back, let me know what the word is about it...

later.

Harjap
Hyderabad, - Saturday, January 11, 2003 at 05:50:46 (EST)
*** msg # 2 for harjap ***

harjap, i changed our flight tickets to Wednesday, Feb 19th, leaving at 23:15 and arriving in KL at 7AM. you have to call mumbai's malaysia airlines office at 56 37 06 78 to confirm using reference: JEKWMJ.

please do this today, or on monday. also let me know about the previous post. i have to buy my train ticket to go south today or tomorrow morning.

alex
mumbai, - Saturday, January 11, 2003 at 04:36:12 (EST)
*** msgs for harjap and temo ***

harjap - were you able to change your flight leaving delhi ? if so, to what date ? i am hoping to change mine to feb 20th.

harjap and temo - when will you head south ? my plan is to head for kerala with a possible detour into Mysor. then to Trivandrum then to kanyekumari, then north along the east coast to chennai, then kolkata, and darjeeling. at that point a decision would be made regarding heading further east into assam, or return west toward delhi thru Varanasi, etc, khajuraho, agra. what is your plan ? hopefully we can meet up somewhere.

please get back to me asap as i must make a decision tonight or latest first thing sunday morning.

alex
mumbai, - Friday, January 10, 2003 at 23:46:41 (EST)
Hi Kaleigh,
I've been back in MOntreal for a week now, and slowly catching up with jetlag. The day before I returned, I spent all day walking in the mazes of the Kalbadevi and Bhuleshwar bazaars in Mumbai. Try to see that if you can.
I may be flying back to Brussels Monday night, but I hope I'll see you before I leave. Have a nice flight back.

Stefan
Montreal, - Friday, January 10, 2003 at 09:42:05 (EST)
Kaleigh, we'll pick you up, no problema! What do you want for supper? Can't wait to see you. =)

Alex - Are you serious about all the cities?? Alright, you get 10 for today. I started in the south:

Trivandum, Cochin, Madurai, Tiruchchirappalli (that's a tough one), Pondicherry (that's a cute one), Coimbatore, Mysore, Mangalore, Bangalore, Madras (Chennais).

So there's roughly... 50 to go! Hehe, Aba just said something to the effect of "Name him only 7 cities so he thinks he's been everywhere and comes back home right away". She thinks if I tell you that, you'll actually show up in Montreal in a couple of days, aww.

Wow you guys really were lucky with the whole train incident! I can't believe you actually made it on time. Alright, well later!

Malgosia
Montreal, - Friday, January 10, 2003 at 00:48:36 (EST)
hi from mapusa, goa. we are staying here tonight and leaving for the thivim train station tomorrow to catch our train to mumbai.

hyderabad was a very lucky place for us - or at least the last day was. we bought the last two sleeper tickets on the monday train going to margao, goa. it was a monday and the train only went on mondays and thursdays, and having a sleeper means that you get a bench to lay on for the 22 hour ride, as opposed to sitting or standing with a million other people in general class. so that was lucky #1. then we checked out of our hotel 1 hour before they could charge us for an additional night, lucky #2. we caught a few documentaries about activism and the power of the handicam as a social weapon. then since we had time to spare, had drinks with harjap and went to nearby nampally train station 15 minutes prior to our train's departure. bad news came when harjap asked for the platform number and we were reminded that our train departed from katcheguda station (15 minutes away). we knew this when we bought the tickets, but forgot 10 seconds later. what follows is blurred by panic and speed. luc villeneuve of the hyderabad rickshaw circuit wove us through cows, cars and cycles to the other station in 10 minutes for Rs 100 (normally a Rs 25 ride). we sprinted up and over the stairs and an overpass, ran the length of the train to reach our sleeper car, entrained (that's a word i've seen painted on train station signs) and were moving within 45 seconds. so big big lucky #3.

we cabbed with two other travelers to anjuna, goa. we decided on anjuna instead of colva to try something new. once we arrived, we were crazy disappointed in our decision. the beach may have been nice at one time, but there were restos, guesthouses, stores and pushy roadside vendors all along the beach path. add that it was dark and that the hotel rooms were the most expensive we'd seen, example: Rs 200 no bath including cockroaches and Rs 300 including big fat rat crawling up the ceiling beams. so alex and i weren't too impressed. the morning presented a bit nicer perspective. the wednesday outdoor market was goa's equivalent of the west edmonton mall. alex honed his bargaining skills while i marveled at the longterm hippie-residents. we ended the day with beachfront beers and an all india rock n' roll cover band.
internet time up - bye!

kaleigh and alex
mapusa, goa, - Thursday, January 09, 2003 at 09:30:21 (EST)
hello people.. we left hyderabad running and made it to Goa. we're leaving tonight for Mapusa and tomorrow morning we're heading to Mumbai. we will post more when we get cheaper internet (either tonight or in mumbai). sorry for being so short.

temo and harjap - we'll call you today.

brian - sorry man.. i took care of it, but it's bound to happen again cuz message boards are a major target of spammers these days.

lynn - kaleigh says that if you think it's ok, pls go ahead with the ticket, but just for the weekend.

alex and kaleigh
Anjuna, Goa, - Thursday, January 09, 2003 at 00:22:56 (EST)
alex,
dude give us a shout - my cell phone no. is 0-988-508-2431.

temo and harjap
hyderabad, - Wednesday, January 08, 2003 at 08:14:37 (EST)
if ya gots some time, check out my guest book??????????????
BRIAN
CLOVERSTALE, - Wednesday, January 08, 2003 at 00:10:28 (EST)
Temo - I'm going to be at the hotel until 12 and then I will probably be at an internet place around the corner from it (probably for a few hours). The place is called Keerthi design and Printers and it's on the major street (station road) directly infront of the trainstation. They have a huge internet sign outside the place.

k, later.

Harjap
Hyderabad, - Tuesday, January 07, 2003 at 23:27:17 (EST)
bigga boy,
my train is only till hyderabad as opposed to sec'bad - so i may just drop by after getting off the train - there's a packet of spices that i bought for you in periyar that we could try out.

don't rush on the adobe illustrator - cause i'll prolly be able to hook us up with something free soon as i'm there.

did i mention that i bought a bunch of samples in madurai. i got about 7 pieces of 2sq m khadi which should be enough for kurtas / shirts. get ready boy - the tman's gonna rock the boat.

temo

temo
chennai, - Tuesday, January 07, 2003 at 01:02:53 (EST)
People,

First thing, Alex and Kaleigh, I'm hoping you had no problems with the train last night and that the next time you read this you are in Goa.

Temo, I will most likely chill at Yatrik Lodge until you get in. Come by there when you get the chance, I'm in room 301 (not 310). The Adobe work did not role as well as I would have liked, but the conference is over today so I will be checking out some of the shops and trying to actually get adobe tonight as well. Anyway, we'll talk when you get in.

FrankyL, bon voyage and hope you don't have a "stressful" week when you get back.

later

Harjap
Hyderabad, - Monday, January 06, 2003 at 22:58:08 (EST)
harjap - francois gives you a low five. pat on the back for the illustrator work buddy - i don't want less than 12 hours a day. ya mon, hook up on the biryani and hold on to hyderabad till i return. i should be back on the morning of the 8th on charminar express at around 6am prolly. i'll expect you to be waiting for me at the trainstation with a flower garland in your hand - desi politician style! either way - call my grandfather and give him a wad up and your ph. no. i'll also try to trace you down through yatri nivas in nampally(correct?).

periyar was awesome. we did a night trek and a short 1/2 hour elephant ride during the day. (aka funny ride) good news is we found harjap sr. stocky, hairy on the back and a little grumpy, harjap sr. costs less than an auto for a half hour ride..he was having communication gaps that afternoon though.


kayleigh and alex - wad up. is the sailing any smoother without frankyL and me trying to deconstruct your relationship. anyway, we've been thinking up some names for the batko family - let us know if you're interested.

aite brothers and sistahs - power to the revolution
temo and frankyL


t-man, frankyL
madurai, - Sunday, January 05, 2003 at 08:41:25 (EST)
We have just come home from seeing Frida...a splendid movie! Such a colourful film feast. I imagine you are seeing much colour in your travels and can hardly wait to see Kaleigh's photos. Kael should I book you a flight for Gramma's birthday? Over the weekend of the 25th? Just say if you think it is too early for you to travel again.
We are fine here-left a message for Brenn and hopefully will talk to her tomorrow.
In one more week you will be coming home. Travel safely!
Love mom

Lynn
Winnipeg, - Saturday, January 04, 2003 at 23:12:38 (EST)
Our Dec. 31st turned out like this: after lunch, kaleigh accompanied me to get shaved in the same place where temo, harjap, and francois got shaved. shortly after we all met up at the hotel and went to the beach for to swim for a few hours. after sunset we returned to the hotel to shower and then went to the cliff top restaurants to have dinner. we all had a sword fish, chips, salad, and lots of kingfisher beer. 10 minutes before new year's, kaleigh and i went on a mission to try to find desert for everyone but we return sooner then expected, and empty handed because i ran my toe into a rock and chopped some skin off. i rung in the new year with my friend pain... ptsfi'llladw. this day also marked two years since kaleigh and i have been together.

harjap left for hyderabad at 5am and we all stayed behind to enjoy verkala for one extra day. new year's day turned out to be quite lovely and enjoyable: we sat outside eating, and writing, and then went to the cliff top restaurants. kaleigh even did a yoga class! we met a guy, noah, who studies medicine with jesse in isreal! the evening ended with us four, two english girls, noah and two others playing cards till 11pm. in general it was a great two days.


from kaleigh:

karen, tom, matt and cal - so glad that you guys read these posts. when alex gets back i'll have lots of pictures to share. the boys here play cricket like you boys play hockey.

dad and mom - don't know how i'll handle getting back to real life either. wonder what the house will look like next time i visit. maybe all the upstairs walls will be gone ;)

brennagh - sounds like your holidays were good. ashley judd is no prince, but it's still cool that you were hanging with celebs (i.e. working for)

jesse - you are one spoiled grad student. did you get your card?

malgosia - my return flight from Amsterdam, on flight KL 671, is expected to arrive at dorval on Jan 12th at 17:20. if you guys can't make it, no problem, i'll check for a post from you before i fly.

from alex:

malgosia - if you have a spare moment one of these days, could you please write a post with the names of all the cities in India named on the world map in your room ? i'm really curious about what's listed.

oli - i'm glad that you did the polar bear swim. i'd love to see nelson's slide show if i visit rupert in march. if my pictures come out properly then i will try to put together a slide show... but right now there are no guarantees.

temo - we wrote down the restaurants you suggest and will try to check them out.

shannon - having concluded the kerala backwaters ride i've done all the things you recommended based on your trip to india. thanks for your suggestions. i hope to visit you in oona river when i come up to rupert this march.

brian - glad you had a great break! did you have any recording sessions ? you didn't say anything about how your open mics turned out.. please do.

alex 'n kaleigh
hyderabad, - Saturday, January 04, 2003 at 04:39:09 (EST)
hey buddy, just a quick message here for ya. was just thinking of ya, just wanted to say that i had a wicked day with your fam on xmas day. i guess i must have forgot to mention that. you have a great family!! too bad you werent here to indulge!! we'll see ya soon enough. take it ease and let me know how your travels are!! happy new year. stay farty!
Brian
Lantzville, - Saturday, January 04, 2003 at 00:26:35 (EST)
hi kael & alex:
this is my first entry into your little book. i just got back yesterday from nyc- i spent new year's there with jake. actually i was in jersey for new year's at the Forbes country house. the Forbes are this big fuck off wealthy family (forbes magazine) that fancies itself to be the rebublican answer to the Kennedys.. only they're all really unattractive. there's a statue of malcolm forbes outside on a motorcycle that says "Forbes: capitalist tool" which was pretty funny and jake too loudly agreed that he was indeed a fucking tool.

spent the last few days recovering, and now i'm back in cambridge and trying to get started at work again. yuck, here's that nagging stress guilt again. better go.

jesse lee
boston, - Friday, January 03, 2003 at 14:12:49 (EST)
Hello Kaleigh & Alex
Thinking of you an dcounting the days until kaleigh is back in Canada. I made some mincemeat tarts and am needing to horde a few for her...will send to MTL if Bill does not locate the cache!
My first day back at work was tough...after a great holiday and now a virulent cold, I had to come home early! Of course now its bedtme and I am wide awake. This is what you were like Kaleigh, as a toddler,when we gave you decongestants!!
Enjoy Hyderabad and come home sooon.
Love Mom

Lynn
Winnipeg, - Thursday, January 02, 2003 at 22:44:05 (EST)
merry christmas,happy new year and all that alex--
sorry this took so long, as i was meant to write after recieving postcard, but i wasn't around for a while.
Thanks though, love the picture on it. It's always exciting to hear other people's adventures. Sounds like
you did the backwater thing in Kerala. Isn't it beautiful there? I hated Varkakala, the food tasted like kraft
dinner. I discovered while I was in the south that I lived another life there. I was busing around going
nowhere in particular, driving through the most beatiful tea plantations, when I got the most profound
feeling of "home" I think I died by getting bit by a snake in the ankle, as I was terrified of this for a month.
How was New Year's in India? It is our anniversary on that day, so it will be forever special for me. I am
sure you are having exciting times. Maya is growing up so fast, that is my amazement these days. It's
pretty wild to watch a human being discover life. I guess that will have to do for me until she is old enough
to take to India. Enjoy every minute of it!
Shannon

shannon
oona river,bc, - Thursday, January 02, 2003 at 15:18:31 (EST)
Hey Kael and Alex!
how was your new years??? how did you ring it in? i was thinking about past new years...crazy to think fernie was 2 years ago! and assessippi a whole year ago!
dani and i went to the hogmanay street party here- it was crazy- sooo many people, huge carnival, tons of fireworks, and best of all was the concerts...miss dynamite was good- but not as good as culture club! we after-partied at our work....crazy long story which you'll read about when you get home. xmas was ok= very different....made a xmas dinner, took dog rufus for walk (so warm outside i only needed one sweater!) then went to work! dani gave me a blender and mini-speakers! fruit shakes and hummous galore! ashley judd was in opal lounge yesterday....i was pretty excited about standing right next to her, but a lot of people from work didn't even know who she was! i'm still waiting to meet my prince william though. when do you get back to montreal kael? hope your travels are all you hoped for and more,
lots of love, brennagh

Brennagh
Edinburgh, - Thursday, January 02, 2003 at 14:22:34 (EST)
Hi Kale and Alex

Just came in from shovelling the driveway and getting back to the regular things. Lynn is off to work today and is battling a bit of a cold. Cuba was fabulous and we miss the warm clime a lot. We spent a quiet New Years at home which was very nice. I joined Shapes so will start to get into better shape in the new year. Have a Basketball practice to day and will start the renovations in earnest. Travel and things seem to be working out nicely for you folks and enjoy the conference and its offerings. Safe travels and Happy New Year!

Bill

Bill Smith
Wpg, - Thursday, January 02, 2003 at 10:29:47 (EST)
Sup people,

K, I'm in Hyderabad staying at the Yatri Niwas Hotel (or Yatrik Lodge) across from Nampally Railway Station. The conference looks pretty nuts, TONS of people and organizations. The actual conferences start tomorrow. Alex and Kaleigh, you guys are probably going to miss Roy's talk, but there is lot's more. You guys shouldn't have a problem getting in as the people from the forum are actually at the station to meet you. You can register at the venue and they'll tell you about room there as well. The place I'm staying at is quite nice and we could probably get a room if you guys want. I'm in room 310 right now.

Temo, I'll definately check out the eating joints cause I got to know how crazy food out here really is. I'll also email sharad to see if he want's to get his drink on. Also, I'm at a place right now that has Adobe Illustrator, so I may spend a night here getting doing designs and getting cards ready.

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted on developments. Tell Frankie L that I give him a big wad up.

Alex and Kaleigh, I don't know exactly where I will be tomorrow after 1, but probably will go see some of the films later in the night. I'll post some time in the afternoon if I will be at one venue for awhile.

Later people.

Harjap
Hyderabad, - Thursday, January 02, 2003 at 10:13:10 (EST)
hello everyone! Kaleigh and I are in Ernakaulum right now and we only have about 10 minutes before our train arrives. We're departing for Hyderabad at 11:45 AM, and we're due to arrive over 24 hours later. We have a sleeper, so the idea is that we won't be tired for the conference.

I will post about our new year's, and reply to everyone from Hyderabad.

keep it real.

alex
Ernakaulum Junction, Kerala, - Thursday, January 02, 2003 at 00:52:09 (EST)
yo bigga man,
here's a few places that you have to try in hyderabad.
my three top picks for biryani are -
1. hyderabad house (its a chain nowadays, you should ask your hotel owner)
2. restaraunt paradise (this is in an area called paradise)
3. bawarchi restaraunt ( rtc cross roads )

give me some info on where you've set yourself down and where your seminars are held. one of my best friends sharad, must be in town. drop him a line and get him to go out for a beer with you. he just got married a week ago, so he may be a little busy though. unfortunately, i lost all the ph nos during that little incident in mangalore - so you'll have to do this all by email.

his email address is chandrasharad@hotmail.com

frankyL and i are on our way to tiruvananthapuram. and will work our way back up to periyar in a couple of days.

keep me posted - power to the people
temo


temo
varkala, - Wednesday, January 01, 2003 at 23:18:40 (EST)
alex, hey happy new years. I did the polar bear swim again this year, but not too many people I know were there however there was a lot of people swimming, too bad it was like the entire civic center, there was almost no water for me b/c i was surrounded by 7-11 year olds. anyways rupert is very relaxed, you missed an awesome slide show that Nelson put on, it was about his trip up Mt. Logan. the shots were amazing. I am expecting a similar show from you when you get back from India. anyways, later, ollie.
ollie
rupert, - Wednesday, January 01, 2003 at 18:47:45 (EST)
Happy New Year Buddy!!!!
Brian
Lantzville, - Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at 13:00:34 (EST)
Happy New Year:
Sounds like you are having a great time. We are enjoying reading about your travels. Keep safe, lots of love.Karen,Tom,Matt & Cal

Sewart's
Fairview, - Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at 12:16:09 (EST)
Hey guys! Just want to wish you a very Happy New Year, on behalf of all of us (Aba, Mikulas, Kaniastys and Tigger Too (He came to see me just now and is wagging his tail like crazy. I think he knows I'm writing to you. Message to Alex from Tigger: "You better get here soon and make me some Chai."))

As for us Mikulas, we spent Christmas Eve in Montreal, without a Christmas tree :(, because Dad had to work until 5pm on that day. There was a snow storm so we had to stop at a hotel, and we finally got to Indiana on Natalia's birthday. We had a really nice supper (Natalia requested roasted duck). So yep, everyone here is fine (we're all being couch potatoes).

Anyway, hope you guys have loads of fun tonight! Kaleigh, please tell us exactly when you're arriving at Dorval, so we can come pick you up! :) Take it easy!

Malgosia
Indiana, - Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at 12:02:15 (EST)
hi, i won't repeat too much of what alex wrote... other than to say that the 'bus ride' from kollam to varkala lasted nearly 2 hours and the distance between towns is only about 12 km. i have now experienced a true traffic jam. four buses: 2 parked on opposing sides of a single lane road, two idling buses facing each other (apparently wanting to drive through one another - we were on one of these buses) with people walking in 4 or 5 file, complicated by branches of trees that reached through our bus windows. after 20 minutes of yelling, shouting and rickshaws flying between people, trees and buses, we conceded and reversed to pursue a different route.

we haven't seen the beach yet, or its famous cliffs. that's the plan for this afternoon.

grandma - i'm so glad that you visited this site and posted! i'm sending you a real postcard tomorrow. will you get yourself a computer now? hope so.

oliver - so you got to rupert.. did you stay with andrea?

happy new year's to everyone. i'll be thinking of everyone tonight, and of everyone with whom i've shared previous new year's celebrations.

kaleigh
varkala, kerala, - Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at 02:04:57 (EST)
hello everyone.. we are sitting at an internet node in Varkala. Temo, Harjap, and Francois are clean shaven. They were shaved by a barber a few minutes ago. I'm contemplating getting my three wiskers shaved too. We will spend New Year's Eve at some hotel here. Harjap is heading out to the conference in Hyderabad first thing tomorrow morning, and Kaleigh and I will follow the day after. The Asian Social Forum runs from Jan 3rd to 7th and seems to be quite promising - jam packed with speakers and there's the possibility of a film festival.

yesterday Mario Andreti drove us by taxi to Alappuzha where we jumped onto a moving boat headed for Kollam. The ride was 8 hours weaving through narrow canals and backwaters lined with overhanging palm trees.

from Kollam we took a bus to Verkala and then a rickshaw to a block within our reserved hotel. Verkala is streaming with people dressed in yellow. we're not quite sure what festival it is, but whatever it is, it's pretty big.

have a great party wherever you are.

mom - it's too bad that chris left so soon. say hi to stefan and lala for me if you're still there. please tell them that i've thought of them often on this trip.

oli - where will you be spending new year's eve (night during which you "ring in the new year") ? will you do the polar bear swim ? who's in rupert with you ? trev ? mike w ? chris d ? nancy ? say hi to them all for me.

irene - hello, and thanks for writing. the tea here is called "chai".. it's very different from the one i made. chai is made of at least half milk and half water with a large amount of sugar. also, they add spices like ginger or cloves.

alex
varkala, kerala, india, - Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at 01:50:46 (EST)
hi kaleigh and alex

Happy New Year!
I have enjoyed reading your mail and your travels. Looking forward to seeing you and hearing all about your adventures in more detail. Hi Alex how is the tea in India? I still remember the tea you made. Miss you
Love Gramma Lesnick.

irene
winnipeg, - Monday, December 30, 2002 at 19:39:42 (EST)
hey guys (everyone on the board), just wishing you a happy new year's eve or a happy new year, never quite sure which one it is? anyways, all the best.

ollie
rupert, - Monday, December 30, 2002 at 00:24:00 (EST)
Hi Harjap,
Happy New Year to you and all the best.
Take care, Ewa.

Ewa
Vancouver, - Sunday, December 29, 2002 at 13:19:14 (EST)
Hello Kaleigh & Alex,
I am still in Vancouver with Lala & Stefan. We have really nice time together, but Chris has left already. Vancouver has beautiful light's decorations. Today we have very sunny day. Wishing you a very happy New Year, look after yourself, see you soon. Love from Lala, Stefan, Ewa.

Lala, Ewa & Stefan
Vancouver/BC, - Sunday, December 29, 2002 at 13:13:55 (EST)
Hey people, just wanted to say what's up to all those people posting and what not. I thought I'd post, it's been a while. We are in Kerala, finally, and it has not been a let down in anyway. Wanted to shout out an early Happy New Year to everyone as the chances of me forgetting to post are quite high.

Rita, Gigi - what's going on. Gokarna is just below Goa in Karnataka, Robbie stories are trickling in slowly and there will be pictures and stories to spare.

Army - I will have a drink (or two, maybe three) for you but don't hesitate from saving someone if you do wind up on the 29th floor with some nut case again, aight. Let me know how the night unfolds.

k later people.

Harjap
Kochi, - Sunday, December 29, 2002 at 12:55:14 (EST)
Hi
Just want to say happy new year from sweden and www.aftonblad.com

Bye
Linda

Linda
Sweden, - Saturday, December 28, 2002 at 12:17:29 (EST)
hello people. we finally made it to the long anticipated kerala. we took the overnight train and played cards until the ticket-collector asked us to turn off the lights and go to sleep. we spent a good chunk of time purchasing tickets to hyderbad for the asian social forum. then we caught a ferry to fort kochin and found what were probably the last two rooms available. we had a lovely lunch of fish and chips but it didn't compare to the fish dinner we ate off banana leaves in a side alley of mangalore last night. this evening we attended a kathakali theatrical performance followed by chai and a sitar and tabla concert.

greg - wish i was skiing with you. let me know how it's going and who you're skiing with - trev, adam ? you will meet my better half at jahmimi's wedding.

peace 'n deece ta deece.

alex
kochin, kerala, - Saturday, December 28, 2002 at 11:57:52 (EST)
Hey Al
I just got back from my holiday stink on the island, and before that was in Whistler shredding it up with my new planks billy. Now I'm heading to Red mountain to ski up until New Year's.
In keeping with your ideals, I'll just wish you a happy festivus from the restofus.
I hope you're taking some sweet pics so I can relive your trip when you return.
I would also like to meet your better half upon your return.
Westside to Eastside. (What about the Northside, that's my favourite side?)
Represent dog
G

Greg
Wankouver, - Friday, December 27, 2002 at 14:04:23 (EST)
so kaleigh pointed out some of the main highlights of the past few days. the street-side ear-cleaning was so amazing. body-surfing at Kudle beach. we even played "500 up" in the water with our recently purchased frisbee... it was during that game that Harjap got sliced by a String Ray. yesterday i finished reading cover-to-cover the maclean's magazine that kaleigh brought me... i'd highly recommend it as a replacement for anyone who currently subscribes to bogus magazines like Time, Newsweek, etc. i'm also reading UK's Red Pepper.. which is a left-leaning completely political magazine with absolutely ZERO advertisements! i also recommend that mag if you are interested in some european news.

The Magician and friends - thanks for checking in. hope you had a great time that night. i thought about you all over the last few days.. can't wait to see you again.

brian - i can't believe that you remembered about the "sauce" secret... you're SO funny. i was hoping you would have forgotten about that. damn. but i will have a new revelation lined up for you when i return. as i'm writing this particular portion of the reply "Summer Time" by Shaggy is blarring over the speakers! It's a remix... it's so awsome. download it and listen!

lynn and bill - so did you talk to Castro for me ? please do.. say "hi" to him for me!

peace!

alex (and shaggy)
mangalore, kernataka, - Friday, December 27, 2002 at 08:01:01 (EST)
we're in mangalore now all 5 of us. somehow alex managed to get 5 tickets in a sleeper car so we'll be in kotchi, kerala by tomorrow morning. big events over christmas were streetside earcleaning for the boys (they can hear much better now); harjap's encounter with a sting ray and the resulting hour of pain and tears followed by the propolis-cure made by one of the 2 hundred hippies at kudle beach; and a cow stampede through the 'hallway' (dirt path) of our 'hotel' (mud hut with hardest floor and no matresses).

stefan - we will be in kotchi 8am the 28th. new year's plans are for varkala until the first or second and then to hyderabad for the asian social forum. so we'll be in southern kerala from now till new years. i can imagine the bollywood-style wedding. did you learn the shoulder-shrugging dance moves too?

mom and dad - brennagh took spanish, not me.. but i got most of it. hope that you are having con rhum. i think that you are crazy for jogging on vacation. none of us will even walk quickly.

rita - india is pretty overwhelming and keeps getting better as we go south. we all went to kaante opening day so i just had my first bollywood cinema experience.

all people who harjap won't take the time to reply to now - he says 'hi'. he will reply soon.

kaleigh
mangalore, kernataka, - Friday, December 27, 2002 at 07:42:03 (EST)
Kaleigh:
I'm now in Pune, touring the city after the incredible wedding of my friend where I dansed like in the Bollywood movies in front of the white horse carrying the groom to his princess.
I don't think I'll be able to join you in Varkala, but you never know... Can you tell me your plans, how long you are planning to stay in Gokarna and where you are going from there?
In case, my phone: 98205-64965 (cell)

Stefan
Pune, - Friday, December 27, 2002 at 00:15:53 (EST)
Hola, como estas?
Todo es muy bien ahora! We have had a wonderful Christmas so far...lots of activities to make us not be lonely. It is quite like paradise here...white sandy beach, lovely emerald turquoise water, 6 bars within a few strides and they all make fantastic bebidas- con or sine rhum. Yesterday was a very feliz Navidad...a run into Guadalavarqua about 5km...saw oxen, bikes, carts, mopeds...you name it! It has been very hot and we have fairly bronzed hides...safe tanning at this age.
This is a terrific place...the 5 star resort next to us has a beautiful chapel- hangs out over a point of land - a people get married there!we met a couple who are on their honeymoon and we went horseback riding this am..and so it goes. We must go por la cena now..the musicians playing remind me of Peurta Vallarta...
We go home on the 29th so 2 more days!! Love, love L&;B

Lynn&Bill
Playa Esmeralda,Cuba, - Thursday, December 26, 2002 at 18:49:34 (EST)
hey buddy, merry christmas and all that jazz!! i hope you are having a great time with your lady and friends!! your mom and bro will be here in a bit. we will be thinking of ya!! we will be having turkey and ham and "sauce"!! dont worry, your secret is safe with me!! have a good one, take care, and always, always, wipe front to back!! peace!
Brian
Lantzville, - Wednesday, December 25, 2002 at 18:48:19 (EST)
Merry Christmas!
The Magician & Friends
Lantzville, - Wednesday, December 25, 2002 at 18:33:26 (EST)
my name is word to that, i am from the planet hehar. wishing you a heha christmas on this joyous global event. enjoy yours in the far and hostile east.
word to that
- Wednesday, December 25, 2002 at 13:09:52 (EST)
harjap
merry christmas, hope all is well
sorry I haven't been in touch, but you know rock'n and roll'n and whatnot. anyway the lakers are sucking and Kobe is a little twirp. I'll have a drink for you on New Years and I will secretly thank god that I won't have to save anyone from falling off a 29th floor balcony this year, knock on wood.
be safe
shave the beard and don't get married. That is all the advice I have to offer and as usual it is probably going to fall on deaf ears.
take care
much respect
army

army
vancouver, - Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 02:10:05 (EST)
Hi Harjap,Alex,and Kaleigh:
Gigi and I just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and send our best wishes for the holiday season. Sounds like you guys are still having a blast. Where the heck is Gokarna? Kaleigh, how are you liking India so far? Harjap, I'm sure you are missing all the Robbie stories by now? Can't wait to see all the pictures and hear the stories in person.

Rita
Vancouver, - Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 01:44:43 (EST)
*** Temo and FrankyL ***

We are staying at "HOTEL LOOK SEA". It is the first place you would walk into if you were to approach the beach by the "usual" path. I think you will find it easily if you ask around. You practically have to walk through this Hotel to get to the beach. We are staying in the little mud huts to the right of the steps descending to the beach.
Regarding the name of the beach... i think it's spelt in either way: Cutly or Kudle...

chris - i just remembered another thing. even if you were to wax the skiis, you will have the same problems i did the last season i used them: they are so dry that they hardly move and snow literally sticks to the bases. i think they will be more of a pain than anything... but definitely take the bindings if you want.

alex
Gokarna (Kudle Beach), - Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 00:55:47 (EST)
Hello all..
We have arrived in Gokarna this morning and are now walking along Cutly Beach trying to find a guesthouse. We've already found a bunch as cheap as 30 rupees per room.

temo and frankyL - As soon as we find a place we will post again with location and directions. Once you get to Gokarna, head straight for Cutly Beach. The beach is dotted with cafes/guesthouses (and internet hubs) so you we can easily communicate.

chris - the force 9's are ready to break and 100% dry. i think that it's not a good idea for you to take them, but you can definitely take the bindings. make sure to loosen the bindings to zero until you put them on another pair of skiis. also consider the heavey black skiis. the only plan i had for the force 9's was to keep them for memory's sake. you decide.

alex
Gokarna (Cutly Beach), - Monday, December 23, 2002 at 22:22:14 (EST)
alex, did you get my note about the force 9's? can i have them or do you have plans for them? i need to know soon cause i'm leaving. see ya.
Chris
- Monday, December 23, 2002 at 14:45:57 (EST)
hi boys and kayleigh,
we're going to leave palolem sometime tomorrow morning, so we won't be in gokarna till mid afternoon.

alex, word up to the partying up.

harjap, i've given you the name bigga for brown nigga.

i'll see you all tomorrow,
Temo and frankyL

temo and francois
palolem, - Monday, December 23, 2002 at 10:13:55 (EST)
*** TEMO and FRANCOIS ***

It turns out that our bus won't arrive till 9 AM because we have to do a transfer somewhere outside of Gokarna. If you get a guesthouse before we get a chance to do so, please post here with your whereabouts. Sorry for the added complication.

alex
hospet, - Monday, December 23, 2002 at 06:57:51 (EST)
i see harjap and kaleigh waiting for me at the door of this "internet cafe" so i must hurry. oh yes, perhaps "internet node" is a better name for a place that provides internet connectivity but doesn't serve coffee. we're minutes from catching a local bus to Hospet and then a "delux" bus to Gokarna.

marc - if i run into any dealers, i'll tell them you said hi. go ahead and send me your mailing address just in case. say hi to Curtis for us both. i shaved the day before leaving Panaji.

adam - we're desparately trying to have as much fun as possible. i think our upcoming reunion with Temo and Francois will fullfill the mandate you have set.

greg(orious) - it's me, mr. batista... holy, i haven't heard from you for so long... let's blame it on your broken limb (no fixed?). so you're going to whistler ? nice quote (first time around). also, i'm glad you "went back in time" and read the "tiny dancer" comment.

snoop dog - thank you for your detailed post about the concert. the abbreviation "MF" would have been in order. maybe you can make me a snoop dog mix tape cuz i'm trying to broaden my musical taste... when i get back i will try to get into "D'angelo" (sp?), and "Prince", and that good stuff from our days of skiing at shames, like: "Big Sugar", etc.

bill/lynn - i'm very envious of your trip to Cuba. if you see Castro, tell him i said "Hi", and that i intend on meeting him soon!

nina - so you're staying in wnpg this winter ?

oli - hi. :) have you gone to the Crest yet ? say hi to Mike Morse for me. actually, also ask him to write out "a list of 5 bands/albums" that i should listen to... he has a good taste in music (prince/morphine/etc).

temo/francois - sorry for the mess. our bus will arrive in Gokarna on tuesday morning at 5 AM or so. if you're not fuming that morning, consider waiting for us / meeting us near/at the bus station.

mom - apart from cellphones playing xmas carols, there's NO sign of the "holi"day here... i'm glad. on the bright side of things, i'm happy that chris is joining you. sorry i can't be there.

amy - energy and time provided, my mission to correct some worldly problems will be fully overt... i don't believe in covert operations. i give kalig hugs on a random, yet abundant basis. my moto this winter is: "Skip xmas, but have a rock-awsome new year's eve!"

bri - the shit *IS* thick. with regard to my mom coming over for xmas dinner, you should petition for apple cakes and other baked goods. have the playoffs started ? ouch.. sorry for not knowing! in your previous posts each time you mentioned "studying" or "exams" i cringed and felt really really sorry for you... however now that you're in "nam" and the wake is over, i'm relieved.

boycott (US products & services).

alex
hampi, - Monday, December 23, 2002 at 04:01:01 (EST)
yo alex, can i have your force9's? or do you have plans for them.
Cbats
- Monday, December 23, 2002 at 03:07:33 (EST)
word brotha!! sounds like the shit is thick!! surfing, bars, beaches, pimpin it up with the phattest nuts!! you rock buddy!! have a wicked xmas in india! i'm in the nam now. take it eeezzz!!
brian
vietnanaimo, - Monday, December 23, 2002 at 01:05:09 (EST)
***this message is for kaleigh***
hey girlie girl - i am dreaming of you in india, soaking up the sun....and your fav boy....and imagining this is one of your best xmases ever! it is very strange and un-xmasy here, aside from the techno xmas songs blaring out of the million convenience stores on my street(you know the one - the dog barking version of jingle bells - cringe cringe) ...this will be my first perogie-free xmas. boo. i love you lots and wish you the happiest and safest of holidays - i look forward to exchanging long rambling emails when you return.

***this message is for alex***
sup bo-eeeeee - i of course wish all the same for you, but minus any and all xmas sentiment. not really sure why christianity is as prevelent here as it is, but we only get one day off....so the grip is not too tight.....yet! went to an amazing temple last week, and now feel i have buddhist inclinations (yeah right! we'll see i guess). i think you should start a new religion: batkism....we will all bow down and worship, as you secretly take over the world....judging from the # of posts of this site, you already have a healthy following. now it is time for the brainwashing to commence. i have encoded this post so that only those already conformed to batkism can read it....beware! ok, so i am getting a little off track with my anti-xmas sentiment. but i am sending wishes for a continued safe trip, and please hug your woman for me. i miss you both.
amy

amy
sk...of course..., - Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 18:38:28 (EST)
Hello Kaleigh & Alex & Harjap,
I am happy that you have a good time traveling along the coast resting, relaxing and seeing places. The beaches with white sand and warm water and no weeds and the sandy ocean floor sound fantastic.
Anne Murray is singing about White Christmas..., but here in Nanaimo there is no sign of winter at all.
Though it's already possible to ski on Mt. Washington, I unfortunately left my ski equipment in Montreal. Have to ask Dana to send it to me.
I decorated the house with Christmas spirit and did some cooking and baking. Chris is coming today (Sunday), and I am sooo happy.
Sending you many good wishes for the holidays and the coming New Year.
All the best in 2003. Love you and miss you.

ewa
Nanaimo. BC, - Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 16:51:42 (EST)
good job fellows. maybe you should have thought twice before making an appointment!

you're two days late and in the wrong town. anyhows, we're currently in palolem and the guides have nothing accurate to say about it. its pretty crowded and overdeveloped thought its more relaxing than calingute where the golden age hangs outs.

we'll make it to gokarna on tuesday morning, but you'll be there before us (at 4am). so find a good spot to pose for us as well.

frankyL and xtremely pissed Temo

temo and francois
PALOLIM, - Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 10:48:45 (EST)
we arrived at hampi in time for a large festival - don't know the name or the reason for the festivities, but it was wild. wpggers: imagine the red river ex without rides and with thousands of karnatakans. little stands along an ancient bazaar offering sweets, dyes, toys, deepfried chilis, peanuts leading up to a brightly lit intricately carved 10-storey temple. the air was filled with smoke from incense and beedies. people were playing drums, flutes and bells. today was still busy, though a bit more relaxed. we hired bikes in the morning and rode to the ruins of hampi - it used to house an ancient hindu empire of 500,000 but was destroyed in the 1500's. the site is huge and some of the temples and buildings are well preserved.

ben - happy to hear that you will be traveling to cent.am. will it be a minivan adventure? hope you have a great xmas too.

nils - can't tell you how much more fun it is to look at tourist-geared shops now that i'm looking for something tacky for you. the possibilities are endless.

stefan - how was the mumbai airport early morning experience? we're in kernataka and will be in gokarna for xmas, so we can't make it to pune. then we are going to kerala for newyears. where will you be in goa? we were in colva/bernollem for a while. the beach was quite nice and pretty quiet. i'd suggest palolem for a bit less touristy atmosphere though. and of course, i'd suggest a 15 hour train ride to varkala to meet up with us for a few days before new years - but i realise that's a lot of travel for you. let us know, and otherwise have a wonderful indian christmas. oh: in mumbai, the "tourist home" in colaba is ok and very cheap (300Rs). or "india guesthouse" is cheap too.

odessa - i haven't seen mistletoe, so we'll have to improvise with banana tree flowers. have (had?) a good montreal xmas dinner with andrea and marlene.

nina - i'm looking at fat budhas everywhere - any preferences on poses?

mom 'n dad - soooo happy to hear of the cuba plan. jealous a bit even. bring back some music and take lots of pictures. alex and i are talking about a trip there. merry christmas, happy travels. love you both lots and am so glad that you will be relaxing in the sun.

brenny - really, rafi is great. will write more soon. enjoy your workaholic xmas. maybe prince william will come in for a drink. carry on. we arrived at hampi in time for a large festival - don't know the name or the reason for the festivities, but it was wild. wpggers: imagine the red river ex without rides and with thousands of karnatakans. little stands along an ancient bazaar offering sweets, dyes, toys, deepfried chilis, peanuts leading up to a brightly lit intricately carved 10-storey temple. the air was filled with smoke from incense and beedies. people were playing drums, flutes and bells. today was still busy, though a bit more relaxed. we hired bikes in the morning and rode to the ruins of hampi - it used to house an ancient hindu empire of 500,000 but was destroyed in the 1500's. the site is huge and some of the temples and buildings are well preserved.

ben - happy to hear that you will be traveling to cent.am. will it be a minivan adventure? hope you have a great xmas too.

nils - can't tell you how much more fun it is to look at tourist-geared shops now that i'm looking for something tacky for you. the possibilities are endless.

stefan - how was the mumbai airport early morning experience? we're in kernataka and will be in gokarna for xmas, so we can't make it to pune. then we are going to kerala for newyears. where will you be in goa? we were in colva/bernollem for a while. the beach was quite nice and pretty quiet. i'd suggest palolem for a bit less touristy atmosphere though. and of course, i'd suggest a 15 hour train ride to varkala to meet up with us for a few days before new years - but i realise that's a lot of travel for you. let us know, and otherwise have a wonderful indian christmas. oh: in mumbai, the "tourist home" in colaba is ok and very cheap (300Rs). or "india guesthouse" is cheap too.

odessa - i haven't seen mistletoe, so we'll have to improvise with banana tree flowers. have (had?) a good montreal xmas dinner with andrea and marlene.

nina - i'm looking at fat budhas everywhere - any preferences on poses?

mom 'n dad - soooo happy to hear of the cuba plan. jealous a bit even. bring back some music and take lots of pictures. alex and i are talking about a trip there. merry christmas, happy travels. love you both lots and am so glad that you will be relaxing in the sun.

brenny - really, rafi is great. will write more soon. enjoy your workaholic xmas. maybe prince william will come in for a drink. carry on.

kaleigh
hampi, karnataka, - Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 09:07:36 (EST)
*** temo and francois: GOKARNA ***
ok - we've made a final decision: gokarna. we will leave the evening of monday the 23rd and take the sleeper. so count on us being there tuesday morning. we'll head for kudle beach. sorry for changing our minds - hope that this doesn't mean extra travel for you guys. but you are right about an easier route from hampi.

alex, harjap, kaleigh
hampi, karnataka, - Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 08:46:59 (EST)
Merry Christmas!
In a few hours we will be on our way to Cuba! We will be thinking of you on Christmas day (& other days of course)...travel safely. Next year we will all be in Winnipeg!
Love Mom & Dad

Lynn & Bill
Charleswood, - Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 02:35:56 (EST)
Hello you two!!!!! finally- i made it to the internet cafe with enough time to make an entry before work! sounds like your lives are pretty heavenly....kaleigh i can't believe you've been in the water- not like you- bit i suppose if there's no weeds and it's warm enough! what are your new year plans? in goa still? i know i'm a bit paranoid- but please promise you'll steer away from any big, touristy clubs? tony blair announced today that he wants his troops to be ready to go to iraq at anytime...shitty deal.
talked to mom and dad today- they're very excited for cuba....such a weird arrangement for xmas for us hey? i'm working xmas eve, xmas, and boxing day== all in exchange for time off to go to the massive street party they have here for new years...it's supposed to be lots of fun- they have an outdoor ice skating rink here- it gets kept cold- b/c it's not cold enough to actually stay frozen- so funny that teh scots think the rink is such a cool novelty...and it seems so natural to me!
i love you and miss you lots. i got that letter from you yesterday, thank you very much- i loved it! i mailed your card to your apt. address...is that ok? i'lll send the next one to your p.o. box.
ok i gotsta run to work now.no snow is falling on douglas mountain for us this year!
love you! be safe and have the time of your life! bren xoxoxo

BRENNY
Edinburgh, - Saturday, December 21, 2002 at 16:18:14 (EST)
*** message for temo and francois ***
tell us where you are and whether you are still on schedule. we need to leave to either one of Palolem or Gokarna by Monday, so we are giving you the choice. If you can respond by Sunday night we'll go according to your plan, otherwise we'll go to Palolem as discussed already. Gokarna seems cool. talk to you soon.

alex, kaleigh, and harjap
hampi, - Saturday, December 21, 2002 at 08:53:37 (EST)
hi. :)
ollie
prince rupert to the core, - Friday, December 20, 2002 at 21:02:18 (EST)

Hey, sooo jealous you guys are on an adventure!
Enjoy every minute of it!
Have a wonderful Christmas and an amazing New Years!

Miss you
Love you
Nina

Nina B.
the peg, - Friday, December 20, 2002 at 19:28:33 (EST)
Hi Kale and Alex -Sounds like you are having a blast in India and the beach country. I love the coastal areas of any country we have been in. Looks like we have finally got winter with temp dropping and the snow cover. Actually the snow is fine as now I can start xc skiing and maybe some downhill. All this after Cuba of course. Cervesa por favor - hows that Kale and all inclusive at that. Heard from Bren today and all seems well with her. Sent her some pistacheos(sp?),ice tea mix, and KD which is all she wanted for her care package. She is settled in and now looking for a health club. Something about deep fried mars bars and wanting to go to the beach later in her holiday. Kale actually in the water and a sandy bottom with clear water a must Alex. We have pulled out the map and are following your travel with much interest. Well I better go and start packing - will post again before we leave and not sure if will have internet access in Cuba.
Bye for now -Bill/Dad

Bill - Dad
- Friday, December 20, 2002 at 18:36:03 (EST)
hey al, just wanted to say hi, i see that Kaliegh is with you now so you must be feeling a bit more complete. went to Snoop in Kamploops, we got like 10 feet from him, he's much more pimp in real life than you'd ever know, and the quality of music and experience is far better than what you hear on CD's. some bands deliver good shit on cd but in concerts they rip balls. not Snoop i tell ya. he had all his pimps with him from the gangsta cd Doggy style, thats right all the songs like Schiznit, Whats my Name, 6 million ways or whatever, all the gangster anthems, and his favourite word was "mutha f#$#a!", he drank out of a golden challice with shiny diamonds around the perimeter. i touched his dj, but he was untouchable. even the fat guy was there when he sings "brutal, jagged, and totally rough, enough respect given, disrespect and you won't be liven" they even sung off Dre2000 "na da da daaa, whats my mutha F#$#ken name, Snooooop Dogggg!" step up in this mutha f#$#a just a swing'n my hair" anyway, it was memorable. swollen members are alright. then he's like "damn mutha f#$#a's, before tonight, i didn't even know what kamploops was" anyway, enough with those mutha F$#@a's, oops i said it again. merry christmas, chris.
long lost brother
- Friday, December 20, 2002 at 17:48:03 (EST)
hello everyone!

i was on a one week hiatus from the message board for reasons to be revealed at another time. we are now pimp'n it at a beach called Colva in GOA. after several days of hunting for a good beach-front restaurant/pub, we've finally found one. temo: upon entry to the beach, from the bus stand, you have to turn left and head about 6 restaurants towards the south. The restaurant is called Papillon, and they have boogey boards and surf boards. So this leads me to the next topic. I was surfing today! Although the waves were weak and short, I was able to get up many times and had a freak'n blast. I will be surfing again tonight during after sunset. At night we're going to have a full moon, so I will try some night waves. Kaleigh came in to try with another board. Maybe in Kerala we can go again! Oh.. the water is suprisingly warm... warmer than in Puerto Rico, and warmer than I ever thought was possible for ocean water. I think it's warmer than my body temperature. Kaleigh adds that there are NO weeds and the ocean floor is sandy.

Anyway, we are going to Hampi by train (because we've already reserved tickets several days ago) tomorrow morning and will be there for two nights max before catching a Monday train back to Margao, Goa. We'll arrive in the evening and bus to Palolem.

Temo and Frankie-frankie - Please meet us is Palolem. We will make it there no problem, train or bus... but we're one day behind the posted schedule. Um, regarding Panaji, I'd skip it if I were you. Although it's a lovely little town filled with small alley ways and great food, it doesn't come close to beach-bumming in Colva. You can just chill on the bar patios overlooking the water and run in when the waves are big.

I'll reply to everyone from Hampi... (as will Kaleigh).. but thanks for all the messages (and kaleigh says thanks for the holiday wishes... I SURE DON'T!!!).

T-rev: akatr AT sd48 DOT bc DOT ac
T-rev: reverse the last two letters above. 'aight?

we have to leave to catch the sunset. peacey peacey.

alex and kaleigh... and harjap (at beach drinking beer)
Colva, - Friday, December 20, 2002 at 06:35:41 (EST)
Hi Kaleigh and Alex,

I hope you kids have a wonderful holiday and try and get some mistletoe.
hugs and kisses
os

odessa szczepanski
montreal, quebec, - Thursday, December 19, 2002 at 17:56:40 (EST)
Hello Kaleigh, Alex,
I hope you're enjoying the Goan way of life.
I'm still in Hong Kong (excellent Dim Sums!), and I'll arrive in Mumbai this Sunday 22, 1AM. I will be in Pune 25-26 or 27 for my friend's wedding, and then Goa until the 30th PM, and back to Mumbai. I hope we can find a way to meet!

Stefan
Hong Kong, - Thursday, December 19, 2002 at 03:26:47 (EST)
Alex

I just read your "tiny dancer" comment from a month ago.

Word dog, I can't stop laughing

g

P diddy
compton, - Thursday, December 19, 2002 at 00:36:16 (EST)
Alex, what's up my little batista. Trev just sent me the link to your little site -- pimpalicious billy. I've been carrying on a boring existence filled with work & study. I gots to travel to South Carolina and work on my Suthern accent. I just started reading your little ditty's -- interesting Schiza. Whistler won't be this December holiday without the crazy batkosis.

Maybe its the third world, maybe its your first time around.

Peace G

G

Greg G
Vancity, Canada, - Thursday, December 19, 2002 at 00:26:35 (EST)
Alex, Kaleigh & other members of the Fellowship of the Chai,

alex, this guestbook is a fantastic idea! job well done. ive slowly been reading through the entries in here to follow along on the adventures, and the more i read, the more envious i become.

kaleigh, kaleigh! glad to hear you made the leap out of the post-graduate bubble; it truly is nice and warm and comfy in there, but so terribly sterile. time to get your feet dirty a bit. i shouldnt be the one to talk, though, since here i am still plugging away at work for reasons unexplained. i figured i should write something before the holiday and send a greeting from the Peg, but then again youre wandering footloose and carefree on some hot beach in India, so now that i think about it, a greeting from the Peg seems so trivial. ahh well, take it for what ever its worth.

you asked before you left what i wanted you to bring back and i really had no idea, but post cards do wonders. then i remembered the tacky postcard you sent from rome with the little bubble picture of the pope waving in top right corner, which then reminded me of a dead stuffed frog nailed to a piece of wood and holding a drum that Big Bryan brought back from the caribbean for me. so then i thought wouldnt it be great to have some little cheezy tourist widget from india say a gandhi with a bobbling head or something. kaleigh, you know my bad taste, so if you chance upon something small and tacky, please scoop it up and bring it back to Canada. ill be indebted.

merry christmas, happy new year and take care!

cheers, nils.
winnipeg, - Wednesday, December 18, 2002 at 16:55:57 (EST)
On second thought, there is a sleeper bus from hampi to gotarna (300rps sitting, 350rps sleeper) it's in Karnataka, supposed to be a pristine beach very nice. We suggest meeting there instead because it will be easier for your transport.

Let us know by the 20th...
Thanks

Francois and T-man

temo and frankyL
hampi, - Wednesday, December 18, 2002 at 11:11:48 (EST)
got your msg - fits right with our plan as well.

we got bus tickets for goa leaving tomorrow evening. ou plan is to work our way through goa to sync up with you on the 22nd at Palolem beach. you may want to reconsider taking the train out of here, cause the place is better connected by road.(Rs400 for a sleeper bus).

give us some info on goa - what's panaji like, is it worth going up there or is it teeming with fat people? also, your hotel keeper said that the rates were going to be around Rs. 500 a day in panaji (rate hike due to christmas season) - what's the cheapest-best place to stay there?

see you in two 4 days.

temo
PS: hampi is awesome, we've rented a little bike here, the T-mobile, and its helping us get through these massive ruins quicker.

temo and frankyL
hampi, - Wednesday, December 18, 2002 at 10:55:50 (EST)
hey dude, whats up yo. i'm just cramming for one of three exams that i have left. did three yesterday, three more to go and a project. cant wait to be done and get home and have some time to get down to some recording again in a nice big room. glad to hear that you and kaliegh are having a wicked time. tell harjap not to rob you guys. k, i should run and get some studying done, before i lose all motivation.
take it easy cheesy

brian
cloverstank, - Wednesday, December 18, 2002 at 09:57:59 (EST)
Alex/Kaleigh/etc,
i've recently tuned in to your site: some good stories for sure. it's definitely nice to read the adventures...from reading the message board i'm getting stoked for my own travels to central america in the new year...
marc-you hit it on the nail. wish i'd been checking it out all along. looking back at posts from months passed just isn't the same, eh
kaleigh- glad to see you got there alright. enjoy the beaches and relaxing times...
a'ight dudes, merry xmas & happy holidays, adios

ben s.
The Peg City, - Wednesday, December 18, 2002 at 03:39:10 (EST)
*** temo and francois ***

it's 11am wednesday 18th. here is our plan for the next few days.

18: bus panaji to margoa, taxi to colva beach.
18 overnight: stay in colva
19: day at colva, evening back to margoa then to vasco de gama
19 overnight: train to hospet
20: get to hampi
20 overnight: hampi
21: hampi
21 overnight: train to v. de g. then to margoa
22: train to cana cona station, then to palolem beach

we want to meet up with you in palolem. we'll post where we're staying when we get there. also, post if you beat us there and can find a good place.

after palolem we're planning on heading south to kerala and want to be at varkala for new years. sound good?

kaleigh, alex and harjap
panaji, - Wednesday, December 18, 2002 at 00:36:41 (EST)
hi, we're enjoying day number 3 in panaji, north goa. panaji is on the mouth of the mandovi river and is more like a mexican or portugese town than my idea of an indian city. the water is clear and there are hills covered with palm trees. lots of people here are indian tourists. alex says that i'm going to have a warped view of india after spending time in this relatively clean city. it's nice too, because there aren't as many people hasseling the foreigners. at one of the bus stops on our way here, a guy was banging on the window trying to find alex and i a cab or hotel, and harjap told him it was ok and that he was with us. the guy then asked harjap why he was robbing us. funny.

panaji is a really great city - there are some fantastic restaurants here. harjap and alex are fully converted to rupees, but i'm still stuck converting things to canadian bills. we have huge huge meals for 100rs ($3.50). that's for all of us to eat. our hotel is 300rs a night. and actually, i think it's pretty expensive here. there is a big fruit and fish market with people sitting surrounded by their goods with little scales. we bought the best pineapple ever ($1).

we're all taking it very easy. and by easy i mean all we do is read-eat-sleep-eat repeat. there is going to be a wedding at our hotel's neighbour's, so there is a steady stream of really cheesy 70s and 80s hits playing at night. we're hoping that if we stay long enough, the preparations (paper lanterns, white washed everything) will be complete and we can join the wedding. but i think that we're leaving tomorrow afternoon and heading to the beaches. the closest beach is only 3k away, and the entire coast is beach after beach. we will likely try to meet up with temo and francois at one of the beaches before continuing south to kerala.

gundip - how was the wedding?!?! we were all thinking of you on the 15th. hope it was great.

navraj - i haven't found any saris to try on yet - but alex already has a turban, from the camel ride.

trev - thanks for the gender inclusive terms. very thoughtful. al and harjap are always talking about/reproducing eddie murphy standup out here. al isn't at the internet place right now, but i'll tell him that you asked about mr. k's email.

marc - while you're having your christmas sushi - which is almost the right colours already with seaweed and roe - we'll be eating chapatis, dal fry and other assortments of mush that i haven't learned the names of yet, but that are all tasty and spicy. i don't know about any xmas traditions - the only thing close was all the cell phone vendors playing jingle bells and silent night on their phones in mumbai. please also send our holiday wishes/greetings to peace-keeping curtis. and thankfully, al did shave the whiskers.

adam - don't worry, we're having fun enough for you. but that's no excuse for you not to stop coding, leave your computer, grab erin and your family of cats and fly off somewhere for a vacation (winnipeg doesn't count). hope you really do get a break from work and have some good relaxing holiday time.

mikulas - the apple cake is all gone. it was very very very appreciated. the sidewinders were for us to drink - only one has been drunk so far, but thankfully, alex now has the task of carrying the 11 remaining bottles. malgosia - how was the exam? are you done everything now?

ewa - alex isn't writing today, but i have instructions to let you know that everything is going really well, and that we are all happy and healthy. hope that the same is true for you. unfortunately, i doubt that i'll be able to convince alex to come back with me ;)

mom and dad - i'm glad to hear that you are going south! this city reminds me of puerto vallarta a bit because it's built into a hill and there are little flights of stairs everywhere. plus it's hot like crazy - and there are siesta here, which we take huge advantage of for reading and resting.

brennagh - why no posts? are you too tired from your scottish bar job? send some stories. it was nice to talk with you before i left. i told alex your 'irish boy' story, he thought it was hilarious.

we'll post again from one of the goan beaches where we're planning on living the full out beach-bohemian life for a few days at least.

kaleigh and alex
panaji, north goa, - Tuesday, December 17, 2002 at 01:18:16 (EST)
Yo, Tem-londin,

we are still in Panaji and will be here until tomorrow afternoon (18th). But we will be in Goa for another few days after that, checking out the beaches and other things.

So, dude, let me know if you cell will be working here, and post as soon as you get here. If you are in Panaji before tomorrow afternoon we are at the Mandovi White House, right behind the Republica Hotel, up the hill.

Aight, later.

Harjap
Panaji (Goa), - Tuesday, December 17, 2002 at 00:24:05 (EST)
Hey Kaliegh/Alex/Everyone Else,

Have fun travelling and such. Have so much fun that it makes up for everyone stuck working!

Adam Furgal
Boston, MA, - Monday, December 16, 2002 at 12:59:54 (EST)
hey kaleigh and Alex, your trip sounds amazing, i wish i had been keeping up to date on your adventures..
I will be thinking about you this holiday while i chug back the sushi and rice and sake at my traditional Japanese christmas. Say hello to all the exstacy dealers in Goa for me, Alex. ill send you my address later for the shipment (nudge nudge, wink wink)
Curtis chow says hello From Croatia, i just chatted with him yesterday, all is well on the peacekeeping front.
well kids, i hope your travels are fantgastic, and not too smelly. alex, for gods sake... shave the whiskers.

sayonara,

Makusahn

Marc
Arida-shi, JAPAN, - Monday, December 16, 2002 at 12:11:46 (EST)
Hey folks, I won't be using boys anymore to make it a more inclusive letter, and give some love to Kaleigh as well. Al, I fwd the letter to Gregors, so you should recieve some goods from him in the near future. I have my last exam tomorrow, and then it's time to celebrate. I been studying as hard as a person who studies really hard, wow that's deep. I took a study break tonight and slapped on the Eddie Murphy standup on vinyl you sent, and it was fab. I was giggling, no I was straight out laughing to myself in my room, it was sweetass! Went up to whistler with some bros this weekend and it was the best grass conditions I've ever been on. A learning experience to say the least, I now have the opportunity of learning how to p-tex my board, good times. Well I'm sure I'll be getting sloppy after me exam tomorrow, but I'll pour some of my O.E. out for you and all our other homies in lockdown

P.S. Do you have Mr. K's e-mail in Squamish? I want to hook up with him.

Trev
UBC lifer, - Monday, December 16, 2002 at 03:46:13 (EST)
Hello K&;A at al
the usual sunday am in wpg- except it is so mild- ran in the park-no snow left to speak of and can run with one layer, no gloves...perfect for running but leaves one thinking that more white fluffy stuff is necessary for Christmas. we are well,tree is up, house is decorated,some small gift buying and wrapping left to do and then we will likely fly away south...looking at a few 'deals' for Mexico or Dominican Republic..we will let you know. I like this guestbook because it helps me know where you are (sort of)Take care, be safe love mom & dad

lynn smith
charleswood/wpg, - Sunday, December 15, 2002 at 14:00:14 (EST)
aite fellas,
we're in chennai lopping up the food and enjoying the conveniences of a decent hotel - ready to make the move to goa to visit the two of you nogooders.

where are you? what does your schedule look like?

we can leave for goa tonight and reach there the morning of the 17th at the earliest. if you guys are posing in goa and wouldn't mind spending more time there, we'd like to take a couple more days to check out the local scene. so let us know as soon as possible.

temo , FL

temo & frankyL
chennai, - Sunday, December 15, 2002 at 06:24:03 (EST)
*** MESSAGE FOR HARJAP ***
We checked out of the hotel at around 2PM. Had lunch at that same restaurant. We will go back there and wait for you. It's the "New Light Restaurant" on Arthur Bunder Road - same road as the hotel (just up from it). We'll wait there from 3 PM until 4 PM and we'll check email right after that.

alex and kaleigh
mumbai, india, - Saturday, December 14, 2002 at 04:14:09 (EST)
K, dude, I have to start organizing a ticket to Goa. I think I'm going to go check it out in a few minutes after getting some names of guest houses etc. If you read this, tell me if you are around. I'm going to check the board one more time before I book my ticket and I'll be around VT station (same as CST station).

Otherwise, if I don't hear from you I'll catch up with you in Goa.

Later.

Jimi Gotta Go
Mumbai, - Saturday, December 14, 2002 at 03:45:20 (EST)
K, doggy, I need to know where the hell you are (if you are still in town, Mumbai) so that I can meet up with you. I take it all three of us want to take off sometime today and I don't think we will get the train. Anyway, I don't even know what part of Mumbai I should "hang around" because I don't know where you are staying. Anyway, I'm in Colaba right now, near the hotel you stayed at the first night. I'm going to try and find something to do, maybe a place to read or some shit. I'll check again in an hour or so, but remember, time may run out for us to get bus tickets, if that's what we want to do.

later

Jimi Roaming Aimlessly
Mumbai, - Saturday, December 14, 2002 at 02:03:51 (EST)
Alex, emergency...

Ok, tourist quota for Goa has been filled for two days. I checked into a bus going to Goa and it will cost 250. It leaves here at 5:00 and arrives in Goa at 9 in the morn. I'll check email in a few hours and also pass by your hotel to see if you guys are there.

If I don't meet you at the hotel, we should decide on a place to meet around Colaba or VT station. Since I'm waiting for your email, you just decide on a place and I'll try to make it there. Right now it is 10:20 and I'll check mail again around 12:00.

Sorry I didn't get a chance to email before I left Gujarat, but I was really busy.

Anyway, let me know about the bus and where to meet and I may see you at the hotel.

Later

Harjap
Mumbai, - Friday, December 13, 2002 at 23:49:12 (EST)
Hi Kaleigh & Alex,
It is good to hear that Kaleigh has arrived safely in India, (just a few hours late).
Anyway have a good time and discover the land of chai.
Keep posting.
ps. say hello from me to Harjap

ewa
nanaimo/bc, - Friday, December 13, 2002 at 12:45:00 (EST)
first off - mad welcomes to kayleigh, ya the dogs and the cows on the roads will be the least of your troubles as the days go on.. hope you have great fun!

harjap, alex - my bus was predictably late - i reached home at 11 am for a 9am wedding, i made it to the wedding at the very last just as the bride and the groom were leaving,

(small parenthesis - i admit that i've been reconsidering my stance at arranged marriages after one look at the bride - man! she was the prettiest laydie i've ever seen at weddings, maybe it was all that makeup!) its so much fun to be riding around in a nice car after all those rickety bus rides - luxury at my aunt's expense is something i'm willing to "sacrifice" a few more days to.

you guys can reach me in chennai on my cell ph - 9885082431. give me a shout tomorrow if you can.

harjap - i'll be checking out that khadi exhibition today
alex - i've got some sort of an aptitude test with infosys tomorrow - wacked! india is the land of exams!
navraj - biyatch you got to let us know if you're coming - i need to decide when i'll be going to indonesia depending on your arrival.

peace
temo

temo
hyderabad, - Friday, December 13, 2002 at 04:00:14 (EST)
hello hello..

kaleigh is beside me here at an internet cafe. we're about to go get food at a restaurant that i've gone to a couple of times now. good dal/curd. it was closed for prayers when we passed by the first time.

anyway, picking up kaleigh wasn't as easy as i thought it was going to be. i got there over two hours in advance only to discover that kaleigh's flight was delayed from 11:30 PM to 3:00 AM ! When the plane eventually arrived it took over an hour for kaleigh to emerge from the immigration lineups.

kaleigh brought lots of little suprises from family. cards, cakes, chocolates, and all those extra things i asked for. incredible. oh ya, kaleigh even lugged the two six packs. we will be pounding those back over the next few days. 'aight?

the magician - i will definitely take you up on that drinking/jamming/singing offer. i don't think the aussies will make it though. i can't recall Renny by name, but i'm sure that if we've met i'd recognize him. yeah, i *still* can't believe dempsy posted. that's pretty crazy. did you let him know about this msg board ? pls give him my email address... it would be nice to keep in touch.

lynn - we will try our best to keep you posted: every few days guaranteed.

ok, time to go!

alex
mumbai, india, - Friday, December 13, 2002 at 03:10:40 (EST)
kaleigh posting from india, instead of reading about india. this is a fun switch. i arrived nearly 4.5 hours late because of technical problems in amsterdam. of course these technical problems were only noticed once everyone was on the plane, and for security reasons, we weren't allowed off. so i arrive on the 13th, and alex waited 7 hours at the airport.

i'm crazy happy to be with al, even though he has catfish whiskers that *someone* told him not to shave. mumbai is unlike anything i've known or really even imagined. we bused, trained and cabbed. take those activities as you know them, and either add 100 times more passengers or reduce the vehicle size by 50%. there are dogs here that lie in the middle of the road and the cabs drive around them (the dogs don't even blink) and we passed two cows on the sidewalk.

thanks to everyone who sent me christmas greetings. mikulas: thanks again for lunch, chocolate (there is maybe one row left of that huge bar) and everything.

mom and dad - don't worry and try to get *out* of winnipeg for the holidays! i'm thinking of you both lots. i'll post more when we do something.

matt - thanks for the post! i'm so sorry to miss you when you're in montreal. hope that you are skating your best and still having as much fun as always. you'd have a horrible time skating in india, unless you could jump over dogs, cows and about a bazillion people.

we're going to eat now and buy tickets for goa. harjap will be here tomorrow and i think the plan is for all of us to take the train to goa.

kaleigh
mumbai, - Friday, December 13, 2002 at 02:53:08 (EST)
hello kaleigh and alex and harjap
hope kael arrived on schedule and is not too weary from the long travel time. i read with interest some of the entries in your guestbook- if you can post often so we know where you are, that would certainly help me and Bill make it through the inevitable parent worries.
have a wonderful time together and keep us posted.
love (according to 'the new boy') chatty, sweet mom

lynn smith
charleswood/wpg, - Thursday, December 12, 2002 at 22:18:18 (EST)
Wholy cow! I can't believe Dempsey signed your guestbook and you are driking like a real Canadian should. These aussie guys should come out with us. We'll drink, jam, and sing their ears off all night long. I saw Renny tonight in the Malaspina library ( I work thursday nights as software support for library users). I just met him formally tonight, and he's a good friend of Dempsey and Brian. You probably know him as well. Helped him burn a powerpoint presenation to cd. He's in the RMOT program at Mala. Small world. Anywho, got to get back to work helping my fellow library users with microsofty applications. PEACE!
Constantinos
Nanaimo, - Thursday, December 12, 2002 at 21:45:20 (EST)
I have no idea how this sketchy thing works. I only know one person I think that goes here and that is Kaliegh. I have been far away making many stops. I did however return to my house and canada for like 2 seconds which was a morbid tease but there was a message from you Kaliegh wishing me a merry Christmas. I was so very impressed and totally amped, it's crazy that you remember to do stuff like that, you know like calling me on my birthday, how do you keep it all straight, it must be your analyst skills. Anywho if you actually get this l'il letter, I called your house to get your montreal number and talked to your mom who was sweet a syrup and talkative also. We chitchatted for a handful of minutes. She tells me I missed you by a day, I swear sometimes time is very cruel to me especially since I was also calling to tell you on my way home to canada I stop into montreal on the 28 29 30 of december for a major skating event and coulda spent some time visiting and got you guys some VIP passes and stuff, but like I said time=cruel. So you are in India, that is so rad. Don't say anything bad about cows. You must be very stoked huh? Did you know I ate a samosa once cause i did a project about ghandi it had alot of curry and celantro but hey no big deal ya know. Your mom was worried about your safety so be careful and keep your nose clean. Well I should get going I hope you have an awesome time and my prayers are with you. Thanks again for the phone call it made my day and was very thoughtful. You have a merry Christmas and a happy new year as well. Please give me call whenever the heck you get back and spill the noise on your trip I'd love to hear and we havn't chatted since the 80's. Yer sk8r pal matt j
MATT JOUDREY
i'm not sure, i'm in a plane, - Thursday, December 12, 2002 at 19:19:39 (EST)
Correction, addendums, and late breaking news.

Correction: i told harjap that i would shave before kaleigh's arrival and he flipped out.. so now i'm keeping my "cast-away look" for kaleigh to see. the thing is that harjap says that in some "****ed up way, it actually look 'aight".

Addendums: temo went to Hyderbad to attend a wedding. we are intending to reunite in a few days (or a week or something) down south.. goa or kerala.

late breaking new: yesterday was our first day in Mumbai. we took a sleeper train that arrived at 8:30 AM. got a hotel after much hussle & bussle. took care of a lot of things yesterday including going to the canadian embassy and exchanging traveler's cheques and stuff like that. we split up for a few hours and met back many kilometers further, at Ideal Cafe across from Chowpatty beach. We got completely hammered with a couple of Australian guys. Harjap took off at 9PM or something and I stayed with the Aussies. We drove by taxi back to Colaba are where we ran into India's Albert E... or at least a guy with his hair and all. Anyway he talked his sweet way into getting a free beer at "the cheapest bar in Mumbai". So we drank even more there. Then we split from "Albert" and just when i thought i can't take any more alcohol, the Australians entered a third bar!!! i told them that i can't take another sip.. but somehow they managed to get another bottle or two inside me. they said that i did canada proud. i was so happy when they said that. we talked and laughed all night. it was so fun. i didn't get to bed till well past midnight, and slept till 11 AM today !!! holy, talk about sleeping in.

I can't believe this day has finally arrived. I am about to go pick up kaleigh at the airport. All day i've been trying to lose track of time so that the day wouldn't drag on forever. I went to a restaurant and had two tandoori roti's, curd (plain yogurt), dal fry, sweet lassie, and finally a chai. it was all so good. then i just sat there and wrote and wrote and wrote some more for like three or four hours.

ok, i gotta go and get ready to head for the airport in the least expensive way. bus, train, taxi. it should cost me 50 rupees each way.. as opposed to 300 or more if i were to just take a taxi.

jat - ok.. i'll check out your bad regardless. i'll take a picture for you.

navraj - massive word up. have you bought your ticket for india yet ?

amy - i will look for "darren". news sites: militant == good. can't get to the second one. can you check the spelling. starbucks == bad. your friend who returned to canada == sad.

harjap - we'll wait for you to arrive on the morning of the 14th. we'll spend the day in mumbai and take the evening train to goa (on the 14th). should i book for kaleigh and i separately ? cuz i could book for all three of us no problem. pls let me know asap!

dempsey - holy !!! is that really you ? man, it's been a long time. thanks for writing what you're up to. we should catch up if i come to rupert in march. send me an email... get my address off your bro, or brian. yo demps, remember the merry xmass wish from Tu-mac ? i still have that note!!! i'll show it to you one day. take it easy.

alex
mumbai, india, - Thursday, December 12, 2002 at 08:24:12 (EST)
Holycow,long time no talkie my polish sausage bro! Sounds like your havin a good time in india. Give my repects to jatmali if he doesn't read this k. I'm doin fine and I've just been fishing crabs here, no not the one's at the Belmont but Dungeness and we do a bit of Halibut every year. I'm savin up to go to lakewood college in Alberta to take a fireman diploma course and i'll be movin there after the summer with my girlfriend of 2yrs. If she put up with my poo for this long then she could be the one. Well its late and i'm going to bed soon, so say hi to your brother chris for me when you talk to him and don't listen to too much Bally Sagoo.jj Remember I'm the real tag team fan around here....yeahhhh well eat some snake for me and just make sure its not a pink one, jj I'll write again soon bro!
Dempseydog
Prince Rupert still!, - Thursday, December 12, 2002 at 02:24:23 (EST)
aight sweetness, I've booked my ticket for coming back to Mumbai. I got it for tomorrow night (13th) and I'll be in Mumbai the morning of the 14th. I am thinking I'm going to book my ticket for Goa right away because there seems to be waiting lists for some people. We can get a seat most likely because we are tourists, but it still maybe difficult.

Anyway, let me know what your plans are tonight sometime, or early tomorrow morning. Election security and etc. here is pretty crazy. There is a bunch of kids and other people running around with Congress flags on, so hopefully they will win.

Aight D diggity dog, let me know the plan, and if you guys leave for Goa before I get back, let me know of the hotel or whatever you are staying at, when you get there, how long you are staying, and where you are moving on to. I'm thinking I'll be in Goa on the morning of the 15th.

later.

Harjap
Ahmedabad, - Thursday, December 12, 2002 at 02:15:31 (EST)
hi al, i'm leaving in a few hours. i'm at dana's now and we're about to eat. i hope that there is a very important reason for me to be carrying 2 heavy 6 packs of sidewinders. i've got pretty much everything that you asked, *and* fit all my things into the little red pack. can't wait to see you.

xoxo k.

kaleigh
montreal west, - Wednesday, December 11, 2002 at 14:35:30 (EST)
in a rush to train station. ok, will shave. bring only the latest issue of macleans. i want to see what kind of news magazine is available to canadians (by canadians ???)... we're thinking of starting one after seeing India's "Outlook Magazine". don't waste time looking for back issues. Temo left on a bus for Hyderbad at 8 PM. Harjap and i are catching a train at 11:30 PM for Mumbai. We'll arrive at 8 AM and spend the day together. In the evening i'll stay behind and Harjap will go to Gujarat to see the last day of elections.

That's all for now. Talk to you from Mumbai!

alex
Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, - Tuesday, December 10, 2002 at 11:43:11 (EST)
nonono facial hairs!!! please! i thought that once was enough ;) i'm going to be coming on the plane with a bazillion things. why the macleans? i don't think that i can find back issues unless i scout out doctors offices - and i really don't think i'll get the chance. i have the book for you already, and plan to go to royal tomorrow. i'm getting marking and writing done today. so crazy - i'm not going to bring runners - i'll buy some there if i need them - space is a premium (especially with two packs of sidewinders).

love you see you soon - thanks for the confirmation that you'll be at the airport. what about harjap? hope he's there too!!!

see you thursday (holy).

xoxoxo k.

kaleigh
montreal, - Tuesday, December 10, 2002 at 11:07:46 (EST)
Party people!!! Yeaaaah!!!
Tag Team musik in full effect!!!

Sorry for being so short yesterday but we were in a real rush because the internet-shop was closing... and i just wanted to get the backup plan out.

We have had a fantastic time with Temo.. we've covered an incredible amount of ground and we've seen a lot of really amazing sights. We didn't stay in Bhopal; instead we took a bus to a nearby town (45kms) called Sanchi where we spent one night. We went to a museum there and chilled in a lovely garden. After a huge traffic jam on our return to Bhopal we immediately boarded a train and several transfers later ended up in a place called Jalgaon early in the morning (3:30 AM). After a couple of chai's each we walked across town and caught a bus to the famous Ajanta Caves. The caves were pretty intense. Around 30 caves - actually massive rooms carved into the outter wall of a horse-shoe shaped gorge. After Ajanta we took what seemed like an absurd number of buses and transfers to a place called Lonar - the sight of a crater formed by a meteorite that hit earth 50 thousand years ago. The diameter of this thing is 2 kms, and it's 150 meters deep with a lake and temples at the bottom. There were monkeys, billy goats and peacocks in the forest inside this crater. We walked half way on the inside, along the water, and the other half along the ridge. We also came upon a temple that had a huge stream of water pouring off a rock slab beneath which kids were washing themselves and people were collecting the water for food prep and drinking. Temo and I got underneath the heavey water fall and "showered". It was so refreshing 'cause the sun was crazy hot all day. That afternoon we took another combo of buses to Aurangabad - where we are now - with the intent of seeing the famous Ellora caves. We're gonna head there by bus (45 minutes) as soon as we're done with this Internet stuff.

kaleigh - i can't wait to see you. the hotel i've pointed out is in "Colaba" area. The address is "30 PJ Ramchandani Marg". Marg means road. The phone number is 2840229. That said, of course I will put my life on the line to be at the airport to pick you up... you should not be worried about that. Can you please bring for me the latest copy of Canada's MacLean's (spelling/name ???) magazine (and if you can also get one or two back issues that would be cool). But most importantly, can you please bring two six packs of lemon sidewinders ? Make sure to put them in a non-trancparent bag, and carry it on board with you. It will not be a problem as long as you don't open them on the plane. We brought 2 six packs of kokanees so you should have a problem either. Please remember the Richard Stallman book i mentioned earlier. And the grey card if you can get it cheap.. otherwise not. i miss you very much and can't wait for your arrival.

PS. I've been working on a little suprise for kaleigh: I look like Tom Hanks from "Cast Away"... OK, OK, it's not that bad... but if I look down I can see my facial hairs. Also, I haven't showered for weeks... No, No, just a couple of days.

I'll respond to everyone else's comments from Mumbai!

alex
Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, - Tuesday, December 10, 2002 at 02:33:00 (EST)
kaleigh - back up plan: you can leave a message at the Canadian Embassay, as you suggested.. but in case i don't show up, please also go to "Shelleys Hotel" in the Colaba Area and please wait for me there... don't wait for me at the airport beyond midnight (i don't know the distance, but don't pay more than 100 rupees) !!!

more later.. the guys are waiting for me.

alex
Aurangabad, - Monday, December 09, 2002 at 12:48:02 (EST)
hey alex & harjap -
here are a couple cool news type sites to check out -
www.themilitant.com
www.mraxmail.com
if you dont have time to check them now - which i am sure you dont, you definately have to check them when you are more settled.
also, something that kind of made me sad the other day...my friend that had been teaching in korea for a year went home to canada a couple weeks ago. she emailed me to tell me how happy she was to go to starbucks with her mom...she had gone often when she was here, and and said "it was nice to be somewhere that felt so much like home". *sigh* this was also the friend that was in china, and the forbidden city and saw a big crowd at one end of the fortress..when she got closer to see what all the people were lined up for, she realized it was a starbucks...*double sigh*
be strong.
if you see my friend darren (he just went back to india) tell him to email me!!! you never know - i hear india is a pretty small place...(note evident sarcasm)
also, please continue to stay safe and take good care of kael! have tons of fun! wish i could visit...

amy
far east, - Monday, December 09, 2002 at 08:59:27 (EST)
Whats up Alex, Japs.
Just dropping in to say hi & a massive 'word up'

Navraj
Nairobi, - Monday, December 09, 2002 at 08:03:14 (EST)
There is no body living in our place in india right now. I think its rented out or something. Ill have to find out. Bye
Jat Malhi
hotown, - Friday, December 06, 2002 at 17:28:03 (EST)
hi al, this is already on the guestbook, but i'll write it again. plus, i'll double check my ticket when i get home.

Wed, Dec 11 - Thu, Dec 12, 19h30-8h10
klm 0672
dorval to amsterdam

thu dec 12, 10h20-23h30
northwest 0042
amsterdam to mumbai

sun jan 12, 1h35-7h10
northwest 0067
mumbai to amsterdam

sun jan 12, 4h05-5h20
klm 0671
amsterdam to montreal

so i get to mumbai late thurs the 12th. i'll be in montreal on the 8th, so i'll be able to send more info then.

can't wait. xoxox k.

kaleigh
holetown, barbados, - Friday, December 06, 2002 at 08:44:13 (EST)
Hello people!

We have met up with Temo, here in Bhopal, following a 16 hour bus ride from Udaipur. We went for lunch together and we're about to head some 40 kms north of here to a place called Sanchi to stay for the night. I think we will be together until the 10th or 11th, at which point we will split up. Temo will go to Hyderabad to attend a wedding, and Harjap and I will go to Mumbai to meet Kaleigh!!! Yeay!!!

I think we'll split up at Jalgaon after seeing the Ajanta caves. So that's the plan for the next few exciting days... we will probably get into some trouble in that time.

brian - "my lime bus" sounds great! i'm excited about your live shows... will you be recording them ? you should!!! please let us know how fri/sat turns out.

kaleigh - holy!!! it's been sooooo long. i'm very jealous of your barbados trip. the caribbean is so awsome. are the locals addicted to Salsa there (holetown ???) ? i'd love to be there / go there with you. kaleigh, you will have to soon provide me with your ETA... i need to know if you're gonna be in Mumbai on the 11th or 12th, and at what time. it's important that i know a few days in advance.. so that i can plan a number of things. Mumbai is brutally expensive.. the most expensive place in india i think. at least for hotels/guesthouses so i don't want to arrive too early. i'm thinking of getting there one night before you arrive, and planning on leaving the night after (unless we can find reasonable accomodations)... so i think it would be good to spend two nights (and three days) there before heading for Goa. missing you incredibly!!!

jat - we will almost definitely visit your village, but in February when we're back in Punjab. So i will ask you for directions then. Who is living at your house in Talwandi Malian now ? grandparents ?

alex
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, - Friday, December 06, 2002 at 04:19:46 (EST)
hey alex, my hometown in india was Talwandi Malian. Its close to Moga. If you get a chance check it out. I would give u directions to my home, but that would be quite extensive. Hope your trip is coming along as planned. Talk to u later, Bye

Jat the Scat man

Jat Malhi
Hotown, - Friday, December 06, 2002 at 00:44:15 (EST)
hey alex, my hometown in india was Talwandi Malian. Its close to Moga. If you get a chance check it out. I would give u directions to my home, but that would be quite extensive. Hope your trip is coming along as planned. Talk to u later, Bye

Jat the Scat man

Jat Malhi
Hotown, - Friday, December 06, 2002 at 00:43:39 (EST)
hi from barbados. sorry to be out of touch - no real computers here. it's gorgeous here - i've never been to the caribbean but now i get what puerto rico must have been like. there are these huge waves along one of the coasts and people surf here. apparently we just missed some big contest.

i've been swimming a bit and we took a boat out to see some turtles. the food is soooooo good and spicy - it's a warm up for india. and did you know that i'll be seeing you in 6 days? i'm crazy excited!!!! can't wait!!! (fffff).

i'll reread the things you told me to bring, and will write when i get home on sunday.

miss you like crazy here - we need to come here together one time. hi to everyone else who reads this too. it's pretty wonderful here. there's something completely relaxing about waking up to warmth, sun and ocean everyday.

miss you miss you,
kaleigh.

kaleigh
holetown, barbados, - Thursday, December 05, 2002 at 16:51:03 (EST)
man, you's smart. you got it right on the head with that one. how bout "my lime bus" thats what we are going with i think. andy, the trombone player rehearsed with us last night and it went sweet. so i am soooo stoked for fri/sat should be good. gotta run, take it easy there. oh yeah, dino is in seatle for an interview today!! wicked wow. later eh
brian
vancouver, - Thursday, December 05, 2002 at 15:53:28 (EST)
Hello All!!

We have spent five days in Udaipur and we're now doing a quick message check before racing out of here by bus to Bhopal to meet Temo. I will write again from Bhopal to give you some updates. We went to a pretty awsome "cultural dance" thingy-majigy last night. And some fine Canadian action saved a number of dogs from some serious cruelty and eventual premature death. More later. We're now off for apple cake then off to the bus.

Brian - "secret decoder ring" was a funny thing for you to say. About "the lime bus". The first time i read it, nothing really occurred to me.. except that i thought of jim morrison saying "the blue bus, the blue bus is calling us.. driver where are you taking us?". Then while showering this morning something hit me: is "lime bus" supposed to be a play on "sublime" ? It would make sense.. and by that association i like the name. Harjap suggested that you take out "the" and just leave "lime bus" if you're gonna go with that. anyway, let me know if the connection is correct.

alex
udaipur, rajasthan, india, - Thursday, December 05, 2002 at 02:16:21 (EST)
hey, whats up? i was reading your chai and omlette recipes and i was thinking you had gone mad or your fingers had become swollen. this was all because i couldnt figure out why you needed "W" amounts of something. i figured at first that you meant "2" cups, but had pushed the W first. but upon further scrolling o found the secret decoder ring. yeesh, maybe its too early. i slept for 12 hours tonight, mild hybernation never hurt anyone. i will be back at the silvertone tonigth for another open mic, and then this friday and saturday we are at the fairview (dec. 6-7th) i am looking forward to it, although i am not sure how it will go. we had rehersal on saturday, it went good i guess considering ryan hasnt played bass for years. we have another one tomorow and yet another on wednesday. so by then things should be good. either way it will be fun. school is coming to a grinding halt here in the next couple of weeks. hard to believe that first term is over. i have three final assignments and a bunch o mid terms. shouldnt be too hard. i am not worried. k, i'll let ya get back to the rest of the messages. what do you think of
"the lime bus" for a band name. kirk thought of it. let me know. take it easy cheesy.

Brian
Cloverdale, - Monday, December 02, 2002 at 12:43:11 (EST)
We left Jodhpur for Mt. Abu by a night bus. Spent the day in Mt. Abu, seeing the main sights, including a walk around the lake, and walk to "sunset point". In general this place can be skipped, as it is very Indian-tourist-oriented. So most of it is in existence for the sole purpose of tourists, and the place including the lake is really unkept... we were quite disappointed about that. However, given a long visa, I'd still recommend Mt. Abu as a destination for the pure sake of the scenery on the ride from Mt. Abu Road (a town several kilometers away) to Mt. Abu (I know, the names are confusing). Mt. Abu Road is situated in the plains, while Mt. Abu town is 1200 meters high (on a mountain... called Mt. Abu ????). The drive was very spectacular, in particularly because of the trees (which are a monkey's paradise, and hence perhaps the reason for their (the monkeys') abundance).

I shot two amazing pictures from the bus while we were at a "rest stop". In one shot, another bus stopped to let goats cross the road, while in the second shot, it was a string of camels that had to cross. Both had a wonderfull contrast between the black road and the light sand of the desert. I shot both at 300mm zoom, and 1/1000 sec shutter speed... I don't remember my aperature, but the indicator was on the money. For the sake of National Geographic magazine, I sure hope these two turn out!

From Mt. Abu we took another bus to Udaipur (the city of the "lake palace") where we have already spent one night. We are sleeping at a great guesthouse.. great because the dorm beds are 50 rupees and are very clean.. and there are lockers, squating toilets, and hot water.

I am now writing to you on our second day here. We spent the day walking around as usual. We stepped into a number of art galleries.. the best art i've seen in India.. because it's most progressive.. i'm not much into the traditional stuff. We also spent some time at a local museum having a nice large gallery of modern art (local to Udaipur). A lot of it is absolutely amazing.

I think i'm going to rip a hole in my budget and throw down 3 or 4 thousand rupees tomorrow for an amazing painting. Ouch !!! .. anyway, i'll update you within the next one or two days.

Also, while walking around today we stumbled upon a "german bakery" selling some lovely pastries, two of which were Apple Crumble, and Apple Pie. So we ate both, and to my absolute amazement, the Apple Crumble was nearly identical to my Mom's "famous" Apple Cake!!! We continued by having a Rum Ball, followed by a Coconut Corner. We decided to complete sampling the bakery's selection by having the last two remaining things: a Chocolate Ball, and a Chocolate Cake. We both agreed that the apple pasteries were superior, and in fact we're going again tomorrow afternoon; however tomorrow, we're bringing along three folks from Vancouver's West End (Davie/Denmon area), and we'll be having coffee as well, which is supposedly (as per the bakery's guestbook) "the best coffee in India".



Below are two Chai recipies (as promised) and a bonus recipe for a spicy omlette...


Lina's Indian Chai (obtained in Malaysia)
-----------------------------------------
Boil W cups of water in a pot.
Once boiling, add C cardamom seeds, C cloves, F fennel seeds.
Next add T teaspoons of tea (so this means you must not use bags),
and M cups of milk. When the solution boils again, you can serve it.
Note that these servings are much, much smaller than the Canadian
sizes we're used to. So add 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup poured.
By the way, you will of course have to pour the tea through a mesh
to separate the liquid product from the remaining solid ingredients.

servings   W       C   F    T   M
---------------------------------
4 1 1/2 8 25 4 2
2 1 5 15 2 1



Chai by Harjap's Mami-Ji (in Jandi, Punjab, India)
--------------------------------------------------
Add X cups of water, Y teaspoons of tea, Y broken cardamom seeds,
3Y teaspoons of sugar.
Cover and let boil.
Once boiling, slightly uncover and leave boiling for 3 more minutes.
Add X cups of milk.
Cover and leaving only a small gap for 1 minute (if the milk is already warm, as from a cow), or until boiling otherwise (if the milk is cold, as from a fridge).

servings   X      Y
-------------------
3 1 1/2 3

This recipe serves 3, but again, think small servings, not the larger western sizes.

For a really different kick from your chai, you can add a washed and pounded small piece of ginger (about the size of your thumb), to the early stage of either of the preparations above.



Lina's Spicy Omlette (obtained in Malaysia)
-------------------------------------------
Slice (not dice) X small onions.
Slice (not dice) X small fresh (as opposed to dried) red chilly peppers.
Break Y eggs in a mixing bowl and whip the eggs well (until the solution is consistent).
Add Z teaspoons of red chilly powder (different from the chillies diced above).
Add Z teaspoons of ground black pepper powder.
Add W teaspoons of salt.
Mix well, then add the sliced onions and red chillies from above.
Mix again. Add oil to frying pan, and bring to MED heat.
Pour the entire solution into the pan.
Flip when the underside is golden.
Remove from pan and serve when other side is golden too.

servings   X    Y   Z    W
----------------------------
4 1 4 1/4 1/2
2 1/2 2 1/5 1/5

I can't exactly recall, but I think this omlette will taste similarly to street-side evening omlettes available throughout India. We eat these nearly every evening. Super spicy, and super tastey.


malgosia - yes, i'm speaking of Contempt, the old movie. It's in French, but it also comes with English subtitles (which is the version i watched several times). Brigitte Bardot sounds right.

magician - thanks for the update on things in your life. It all sounds really fun. How about that pub night... how do you handle the IIS crowed? I can't imagine... But anyway.. why Seattle ?... why has everyone forgotten about Canada ? What's going on ? Big points on the "null modem" joke.

Aleeeex
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, - Monday, December 02, 2002 at 09:51:34 (EST)
It's been a long time since I posted . . Where has the time gone?. I think we are having your mamma and bro for Christmas dinner this year so dat should be coolio. Things happening in da magician's life right at this moment: Colleen and the kids are doing awesome, Kiera and Aidan are now joining forces against the evil empire (Dino and Colleen), hack report on IIS unicode exploit a success, finally finding time to actually read some shezat on PHP (perl is a long time coming buddy), meeting with a potential employer on Thursday in Seattle pending a job running a wireless internet company servicing rich Americans living on islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland, final exams on da way, playing with PHP-NUKE in my spare time (http://its.constantinos.ca), trying to study intrusion detection systems. Wish I was traveling da world holding hands and skipping with da locals. Here's a question for ya: If you play a first person shooter over a null modem cable, are you a serial killer?
Da Magician has left da building!

The Magician
Lantzville, - Sunday, December 01, 2002 at 02:52:46 (EST)
Hehehe, you're so funny Alex. You're such a wigga, too. ("peace in the mofo house" Q.E.D.)

Hey, when you say "Contempt", do you mean that old movie with Brigitte Bardot? Or not... I'll have to go check it out. But yeah, did you know she really can't sing? (Don't ever even attempt to listen to her "Harley Davidson" song. Oy.) (We listened to maybe half of it in french class. Oy.)

I have some catching up to do in this gbook. I didn't read about your camel trip yet. Wait, wait. Did I read somewhere that you were "reciting" Baby Got Back to your camel? Wait. Hold on a sec. HAHAHAHAHHA.

I'll be emailing you soon. ("Soon", is Malgosian jargon for maybe a week. Or two. You know, after exams.) No, really... soon.

I almost forgot! The whole point was for me to tell you that we received your postcard! Thank you Alex! Nice to know that you think relatives are ok. =) Kaleigh brought it over on Sunday when she came for supper. (Hi Kaleigh!) You know, I was really, really surprised that you actually sent postcards. Really. Super cool. Ok czesc, pa!

Hey! (afterthought) I had a 4-hour break at school today, so I went for a walk, around the school ya know. And I befriended a total of... 3 math teachers. They're so funny! I think you'd get along real nice with them. You can talk about matrices and SOH CAH TOA. Ok czesc, pa.

Malgosia
Montreal, - Friday, November 29, 2002 at 00:09:01 (EST)
Whoomp there it is... Hit me!
Whoomp there it is... Louder!!
Whoomp there it is... Yeah!!!!!,
Whoomp there it is!

Yo yo yo.. wazzup ?!?!?

I tried to write you all a message a few days ago but the freak'n power went out and didn't come on "forever". To get you up to pace, after the camel safari we stayed in Jaisalmer for a few nights and then headed to Barmer for one night, and now finally we're in Jodhpur.

So... yesterday evening we arrived in Jodhpur to scope out the scene. Last night we didn't do much.. just got some grub and walked around. I wasted three shots last night trying to take a picture of a milkman doin' his thang, but some guy walked into each frame. Anyway, the milkman thing in India is so cool: they have very very large shallow pans in which the milk sits all night long while being heated from beneath by fire. Every once in a while the milkman scoops a bunch of milk into one clay pot, raises it head-high, and pours it into another pot near his big belly. And so you can imagine this flowing white stuff over a steaming pool of the same. It looks so cool.

Today we spent most of the day at the Fort here. It was super wicked near the end of the day because the light became incredible as the sun got lower in the sky. I snapped so many **epic** photos that i prey to the Gods of Exposure that they turn out. I also found three amazing places (two in the fort, and one just outside it) to make three sad movie scenes. They would be as sad as the scenes of the movie which you all must see: "Contempt", and these three scenes would be almost still (motionless), similar to some scenes of Contempt, and would have the theme song from Contempt: "Theme De Camile"... my favorite classical piece.

Next time I write, I will write out a CHAI recipe... or two.. or three.

Jat - I'll be there. Just confirm that you're talking about July 2003. Also, pls tell me the village you're from and we will consider going if it's on the way. Even if it's not on the way, I still want to know because at least now I'll have a pretty good idea about where it is... as opposed to some abstract name on a map.

Matthieu - Yes I want to see you. kaleigh and i will probably be in Paris in August, so we'll come to see you in Leon for sure.

Kaleigh - Can you please bring me Richard Stallman's "Free as in Freedom"... you can try ordering from http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/freedom/ but if you don't have time, don't buy from Chapters or Indigo... only from Paragraph. Also, can you please bring a small grey card ? You can pick one up cheap from that photo shop called Royal Photo. Don't pay more then 15$!... or ask Bogecho where to buy it.. And another thing.. i'm wondering if you could bring one small container of Tylenol (night time relief). And two packets of NeoCitron just in case.

Peter - thanks for checking in. Thanks for writing about mtl and what you're doing. Please write again as often as you want... i love to know what you're up to.

Bri - yo, how about them canuck! that's wicked news! although isn't it unlike them to win? cuz you said "they rule as usual" which would indicate that this is normal. if you send me exact dates of your open mics and stuff, i can update your website!!! and pls keep me posted of things happening around you. did you see Dino lately ? Say hi to him for me. Also say hi to the whole house in nanaimo!

Mr. Hacksaw - that was some funny shiznatz.. so here's a treat:

Below is a list of good material. I got through it in slightly different order, but in retrospect I think this is better:

First off, you just have to start out with the right mind set: Chomsky is God. Continue from there, as follows:

Watch "Manufacturing Consent" (the movie) & have along side the movie companion book: "Manufacturing Consent, Noam Chomsky and The Media" by Mark Achbar... it's a great book.. cuz it's a word for word, play by play of the movie... and it's short and thin, unlike the book the movie is based on.

Read "Chomsky and Globalisation" by Jeremy Fox... a great first book to read because it's not by Chomsky, so it won't be scary, but it's all about what Chomsky has to say and it has *really* good references... i always look up each footnote and recommend this practice for chomsky's stuff.

Read "A New Generation Draws the Line: Kosovo, East Timor and the Standards of the West" by Noam Chomsky... this is really good, and a good second book, and you will quickly grow to dispise the policy makers of the US and Britain... by quickly I mean by the end of the first page!

Read "Latin America, From Colonization to Globalization" by Noam Chomsky... this will get you very up to speed on US foreign policy toward Latin America, and you'll find it a good to read following the Balkans/East Timor book... hence, this should be your third book.

Read "Rethinking Camelot: JFK, the Vietnam War, and US Political Culture" by Noam Chomsky... if you think you admire JFK you should read this. You will encounter proof that JFK was not going to withdrawl from vietnam without victory. It will also be a great way to verse yourself on a corner of southeast asia. You can skip the VERY needless, and very heavey 40 page intro. I think only now, I might be ready to reread that intro and actually come away with the intent. If you don't already know what it is, you will have to look up what is the Tet Offensive on the Net, and I suggest you do so the first time Chomsky mentions it.

Read "Rogue States" by Chomsky... but if you've read and retained the above you may find a few chapters very repetitive.. there are a number of gems however, so you might as well go cover to cover.. plus it's always good to go over things to help your memory.

Read "9-11" by Noam Chomsky... is OK.. but perhaps as a fourth book to read... though note that this book is not even a required read... so it can be skipped until a later time.

Read "Perspectives On Power" by Chomsky, but skip the first two chapters which are not related to politics. This one can be skipped until a later date as well.

Read "Year 501" by Chomsky... this is one of those don't try this at home things... what i mean is, don't touch this book until you've done the first 6 things above.

If you don't know what is Marxism, Communism, Lenin's Communism, the difference between the later two, the Bolsheviks, etc.. that's OK. Just read the short 40 page intro of the "Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Eingel Friedrick, and you'll be set. The intro is not by them, but some other dude whose name escapes me.

peace (in the mofo house).

alex
jodhpur, rajasthan, india, - Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 10:54:58 (EST)
The girls are all around,
but none of them wanna get with me,
my threads are fresh and I'm lookin def,
yo what's up with the L-O-C?

Sup Bin Ladies?

Sounds as though you're still having the time of your lives over there in Nepal. Alex, you're a prolific writer and the message board is very entertaining - butterflies, chai tea, extreme left literature - I just can't get enough. I'm putting together a reading list based on the titles that have been thrown around in the hopes of making myself a better person.
Harjap, I just read your last manuscript. With a dry, cool wit like that you could be an action hero. Chest bumping the Dalai Lama? Gold I tell you. Over here, I continue to bilk senior citizens out of vast quantities of cash as ethically as possible. Also, I have recently rediscovered my rap traxx 2 tape and have been playing it ad nauseum in my new ride - a 1990 two door Toyota Corolla, blue with a rust trim and pop-up headlights. You hold on to a car that cherry. Rap traxx 2 has many boss tracks such as Say No Go by De la sol - from a time when there was still some positivity in rap - and I'm the type of guy, by LL Cool J.

I'm the type of guy to make her say, 'why you illin B?',
You're the type of guy to say my lower back is killin me
If you catch my drift

It's become clear to me that I don't have too much to say in this message. Just wanted to say hi and keep the updates coming.

Cause that's the type of shit Katash be pumpin in the Volvo
Homies hittin me up like nigga what's up with that solo?

So long, farewell, au weidersein, goodbye

-Leon

Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Montreal, - Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 12:39:35 (EST)
hey buddy, whats new in the land of chai tea and butterflies? here things are pretty cool! we went out lastnight to the silvertone (pub) and played at the open mic. got a real good reception and managed to get an opening spot before dubfreque at two of their shows at the fairview (pub). i am so stoked. i have two weeks to prepare. there is a dude in my class who is going to play bass and kirk will play the drums. so thats what i got going for that. also i am planning on attending more open mic nights, monday being a regular spot. thed weather is great here, nice and clear, and so there is no snow on the hills yet. welll i guess there is, but only on blackcomb. the nucks are on a 7 game winning streak, they rule as usual. and i dont think i have much else to sqay, well i do but i dont want to ramble on and on and on and on and on and on....etc etc etc..yeah so take care, i hoe things are still rockin! take it easy cheesy.

Brian
Vancouver, - Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 16:36:24 (EST)
Good Morning Alex and Harjap, finally got to catch up with your adventures! do note that your guestbook kinda reads reverse. It's 1am and probably -4 degrees in Montreal and I actually put the air conditioner back in and have the fan going because they are incapable of heating/cooling this place properly and cause mcgill construction (2 new buildings) starts every morning at 7am. all is well, I had to become a networking expert in your absence which turns out to be kinda fun. next objective is to create a business network of people in the u.s., kinda what i did in the last job but I'm on my own now and it'll be scary at first.
ps. the editor of lonely planet say that the world is too big and life is too short to just spend vacations on a beach. so i am picking up a ticket tomorrow and heading out to join you three. Hah! just kidding bye4now

Peter
Montreal, - Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 01:56:06 (EST)
hey guys,

hope you're doing well, i just moved to Joburg for a couple of month. I am working for a french company that built and produce oxygen.
So if you want to see me, tell me...




Matthieu BLANC - Lyon (FRANCE)
Johannesburg (SOUTH AFRICA), - Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 07:22:27 (EST)
Hey Alex, what city are u guys in right now. My wedding will be on July 19th-20th. So make some time for it, please. Maybe you should go to my old town and pay a visit. Well i guess thats it for this one. See ya

Jat Malhi
DELTA, - Saturday, November 23, 2002 at 15:19:14 (EST)
Hey Alex, what city are u guys in right now. My wedding will be on July 19th-20th. So make some time for it, please. Maybe you should go to my old town and pay a visit. Well i guess thats it for this one. See ya

Jat Malhi
DELTA, - Saturday, November 23, 2002 at 15:18:50 (EST)
Hello! We are now back from four days and three nights in the desert. Will expand on that shortly... gotta get it together first.

trev - pls ask greg to check-in and say whadup.. i just want to know that he's still kick'n. regarding rupert, is it holding together ? also, did mike morse already teach his baby daughter to ski ?

bri - the land of chai is super sweet. the chai on the camel safari wasn't very good, but still 'aight. also, 7 aloo gobi sabjis (potato/coliflower curry) in a row didn't go over well... i could hardly tolerate the last two.

puppy & rita - thanks for taking the time to read and write here. have either of you been down south ? if so, can you recommend anything we should not miss ?

chris - in retrospect, and especially because you still haven't read the book i gave you, i STRONGLY suggest that you go buy a book called "CHE". Harjap has been reading it and he was glued to it for days. He told me of many amazing parts along the way... and based on the books you told me you like, i think you might really like this one. It's freak'n big, but it's WELL worth your time. Please tell me if you go ahead with this. I'd recommend that you read this book before the one you already have. I don't know who it's written by, but it's big (800 pages or something), it's mainly black, and has an orange/yellowish picture of Che on it. Let me know if you have trouble finding it, and i'll look for it online.

temo - i have a rebutle to your tuition fee argument, but only in private. will we see you soon ? approx when ?

kalig - you mentioned snow in one of your earlier posts. it's semi-strange not to be in cold weather for such an extended period of time.. at this time of the year, and especially in the absence of snow, and double especially in the presence of a desert. was fisk as amazing as i built him up to be ? did he make a concluding statement ? at the talk i went to, he did, and it wasn't sympathetic... it was realistic and blunt. he was talking about the middle east, and up to now he is still right. the place you mentioned in Kerela is in the very south, so we probably won't get there right away, but eventually yes. i'm reading a "teach yourself french" book (two of them) but it doesn't help when the author refers to english grammer to teach french grammer, given that i don't know english grammer. i never took it, or at least don't remember taking it. for example, i don't know that the two forms of present tense are "to be" and "to have"... what the heck is that all about ? what about "to know" ? i suppose "to want" is a future tense form ??? anyway, i don't understand.. maybe you can explain... but maybe in person when you come, cuz otherwise it might be a wasted effort. i'm just gonna keep reading along and pick up whateveri can.

missd - what's this about a chomsky film ? which one ? MC ? or the new one ? let us know!

brian - bonjourno! dude, where's my car; and dude, where's cloverdale? sorry that i don't know... but i can't even guess. so did you create some new songs in recent time ? you still haven't said anything about that.

trina - yo yo yo... yeah, your monitor was a clear indicator of how much you'd be using your computer... but that's OK! let me know when you hit the hills.. i'm super jealous... and actually skiing has been on my mind recently cuz over the years i've made it a point to ski at least once per season.. and this season will be a tough call. but i figure if i'm back by march, and there's snow in canada (which i think there usually is).. i just might be able to pull it off. i didn't know you play squash.. we should have a game when i get to "the island".

kalig - believe you me, we were sore as hell from camels. several days before we went, some guy told us that he heard that people have complained of soreness from camel riding.. and i of course thought: "what a bunch of sissies", amongst other things. anyway, so basically it was one of the most painfull groin "excersices" i've ever experienced. i haven't looked *yet* but i might be missing skin. ouch! yeah, we were pretty much doing leg gymnastics for four days, and if i'm ever gonna be able to do the splits it's gonna be tonight. i will try and let you know, but i think i'll never be a gymnist. thank dog.. i mean god. do not be worried about your belief that you are ill prepared for this big trip. anything you forget can be purchased here for three cents... or at most one dollar. for instance, an awsome pair of sandles, like the ones you got me, but better, will cost 75 cents. other than what i wrote in the list, i can't think of anything else you should bring. but definitely don't bring more than your tiny red back pack.

jat - I'M SO EXCITED about what you have said!!! Of course i'll be there.. when is it?? I'll be in Van in either late Feb or early March.

alex (back on solid ground)
jaisalmer, india, - Saturday, November 23, 2002 at 10:57:29 (EST)
alex, if you are checking - i am online. it is sat 22nd 10am montreal time.

k.

kaleigh
montreal, - Saturday, November 23, 2002 at 09:59:24 (EST)
Hey Alex, whats new in india. I wish I could of joined you on this big journey. How you holding up, when is the return date to Montreal or Canada. Me just chilling. Did I tell you that Ill be getting married next year, so you have to come. You better come. Well until next time, keep fit and have fun. Your buddy ol' pal Jat Malhi.
Jat Malhi
DELTA, - Saturday, November 23, 2002 at 00:39:16 (EST)
alex - i just wanted to let you know that your postcards arrived today. i will send them off this afternoon.

xoxo k.

kaleigh
montreal, - Friday, November 22, 2002 at 11:10:27 (EST)
hi al and harjap - hope that you aren't sore from the camels. i just got back from ottawa. i went for a day to get a travel visa (cause i leave everything last minute, and it's cheaper to bus there than to mail my passport).

while i was there, i realized that i am totally unprepared. what do i absolutely need to bring? al, i went to mec while i was there and got sunscreen, bug stuff, a mosquito net and i bought one of those sleeping bags like ollies (don't worry- all cheap). i got a long bag so that if you want i'll leave it with you.

but other than that, can you think of any important things i need before i come?

miss you lots and lots (al), and harjap too.

k.


kalig
montreal, - Friday, November 22, 2002 at 09:47:19 (EST)
Hi Harjap and Alex,
I just got the address to this site a few days ago. Thought I would say hi and see what kind of trouble you've been getting yourselves into so far. Sounds like you guys are having an awesome time, especially Alex, great butterfly story. Robbie told me that was a must read.

Rita (Harjap's cousin)
Vancouver, - Friday, November 22, 2002 at 00:51:27 (EST)
Yo, Yo, India Ho,
Howdy Al, sorry I havn't written, but you know I am not very big on the computer thang (my computer screen might have given you a clue). Anyhow, I just wrote a final. Yahoo! One down, Three to go. It has been raining like crazy here, I guess our wet winter has begun, but I am sure Mt. Washington is getting some snow - it is suppose to open in a couple weeks. So while I am envious of your adventures, fun on the hill will have to do.

Gotta go, time for a riveting game of squash.

Take care, and stay crazy!

Trina
- Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 20:48:46 (EST)
Hello ALL !

Last time I posted was in Delhi because all internet "cafe's" since have been insufferably slow, and/or too expensive. Since then we took a train to Jaipur, stayed there two nights. Took a day trip to Fort Amber (outside of Jaipur). On the 17th we bussed to Pushkar via Ajmer to see the super famous Camel Fair. Lonely Planet says that upto 200,000 (two hundred thousand) people flock to this fair, including 6,000 (six thousand) tourists, PLUS 50,000 (fifty thousand) CAMELS! Let's say, for the sake of not exagerating, that we were amongst half, or even a quarter of this claim. That's a lot of people, and a lot of camels. Indeed, it was.

Last night we left Pushkar to Ajmer by bus. Then caught another bus to Jodpur, then a train to Jaisalmer (where we are now).

Tomorrow morning (8am) we are going on a four day camel safari. Here's some of what we're expecting for 500 rupees each, per day (ie. 2000 rupees each for the safari, and hence, this is what we save our good ol' rupees for when we skip stuff like "The Red Fort", 'aight?):

jeep ride to the desert (45 kms away); each our camel the whole time ("to each his own camel"), breakfast,luch,dinner X 4, frequent chai/fruit/snack breaks, matresses,blankets,pillows, unlimitted bottled water, village admissions prepaid, 3 nights sleeping in the sand dunes - with no other tourists in sight (except the 5 others coming for this trip), and we cover a lot of ground, visiting many villages and sand dunes. jeep pickup from another location and return to hotel around 5pm on the 4th day. Plus, guaranteed money back if unsatisfied, and guaranteed room upon return at same price or better (we're paying 40 rupees per night (20 each), for a double bed with hot water and a private toilet. plus our man said that if we take a smaller room upstairs with no private toilet, we can stay for free for as long as 5 days. crazy!), and our backpacks can remain behind in locked storage at the hotel while we're gone... of course we always take our most valued possessions: cameras, documents, money, AND MY JOURNAL!

In 5 days i will let you know if we got the above quoted trip.

I've decided to address my memory problem. I see that many people know a lot of "useless" stuff, and i'm quite envyous. I'm of the opinion that the more useless stuff one knows, the better. It's the basis of many conversations. People know about who starred in what film, and who sang what song... and very often people actually know lyrics to songs. So i'm addressing this issue by selecting three lovely pieces of proper english literature to absorb to my memory:

1) Tone Loc's Funky Cold Medina
2) Sir Mix-a-lot's Baby Got Back
3) Tag Team's Whoomp! There It Is.

I will let you know how my progress is coming along after the safari. I will be reciting these pieces to my camel, and anyone else within earshot.

HOLY!!!! I just a crazy warning from the internet "cafe" operator: At exactly 1 pm, power will be shut off. I gotta go! I'll reply to all the people who wrote upon return from the dessert.

PS. Somebody think of a better name for internet cafes then "internet cafe". At least get rid of the word "cafe". It's so misleading. There's no cafe anywhere to be found.

increase the peace!

AL in the mofo house!
Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India, - Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 02:25:58 (EST)
bonjourno! whats up in india? notta much makin news here in cloverdale. spent the rainy day in inside on the computer. i have spent the last two months in front of the computer. in fact, i have reached extreme tubbyness. send more stories about butterflies and such. take it ease.
brian
cloverpale, - Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 00:09:44 (EST)
hey al and harjap -
just finished a weekend at the Pusan International film fest...couldnt get in to the chomsky film cuz everything sold out in like 5 seconds, but did managee to get in to see a bio of glauber rocha the cinema nova movement in brazil in the 60s and 70s - it was awesome...saw some anti wto demostraters, which was wicked, cuz i havent seen anything like it since i got here - here are some sites to check out:
www.screenquota.org/english/default.htm
(see: our message) - and:
www.pusanweeb.com/piff/piff2002/index.htm
glad you guys are having such a wicked time - alex: i cant believe how early you get up every day...ok, actually - i can...

missd
sk, - Monday, November 18, 2002 at 08:27:05 (EST)
hi al and harjap... have you been trying to access mail and guestbook? i think something was wrong. and if you haven't been trying, then i'm writing to berate you for not writing at all since wednesday. that's a long time!

montreal is blanketed in snow today. and as it's one of the first snowfalls, it is actually white outside and not dirty-salty-brown montreal slush. i'm going to see robert fisk talk tonight at concordia - i'll post what he says. plus, it's interesting because concordia administration has imposed a complete moratorium on the discussion/'promotion' of israel-palestine issues. ndp mp's were blocked by a court injunction from speaking on the topic a few days ago because of the threat of violence (caused by activists/students). it will be interesting to see if the moratorium affects fisk's public talk (he spoke yesterday too, but i don't think there were any problems).

also, reminder that there's less than a month for you guys to get to mumbai... i'm getting very excited - al, thanks for the list of things to bring.

i made a copy of batori ukranian borscht that isn't that great, but isn't bad. cept i still cook like you live here and will eat everything, so now i have piles of leftovers and will be eating borscht for the next hundred years. don't really have that problem with cookies and apple crisp though. strange. i was thinking of our winter walks up the 'mountain' and what a good slider you are on ice. i even almost wanted to go skating today. oh - i got the snowboard-deal all figured out and even joined the club at mcgill so that i can go up every weekend (did i tell you this already?).

i talked with a few people about places in kerala and i think varkala was a beach recommended. ok - i just looked at these backwater tours too and am sooooo excited (for oliver: how excited? sooooo). can't wait. i promise not to be scared by the water.

al, i miss you lots lately. especially cause it's wintery. especially cause you've been gone so long. i do elephants lots when i walk. and i've seen some driving maneuvers that would start you shouting. (some is an understatement).

are you really reading french books? louigi had une soiree en francais last night and we all spoke only french all night long. it was tons of fun and really really good practice. also the snow here has me thinking that we should like near real mountains. you are right.

love you (blankie) miss you mowai jijoush-robuck. i get sealskin still all the time.


kalig
montreal, - Sunday, November 17, 2002 at 13:42:45 (EST)
batko and harjap,
sounds like your having a great time ... i hate delhi too but one can't avoid it. i've never been to old delhi though, I imagine its a lot more crowded than south delhi.

where are you guys headed next? I have a good mind to join you in a couple of weeks. there's only so much juice i can squeeze out of hyderabad!
keep me posted.

temo
PS: about the 100 rupees for the entry to the old fort..is it any less reasonable than the five fold tution fee international students have to pay in canada?

temo
land of biryani, - Friday, November 15, 2002 at 22:47:39 (EST)
the book has not been touched except for the back describing what its about. i don't have time right now, but in the near future i'll read it. the map though, is always being used as i dream to visit exotic places to set my ass in the surf and sun. take care of yourself, we'll catch up when you come back, new years in india, what a trip!!
chris b
ktown, - Friday, November 15, 2002 at 20:17:29 (EST)
Hey Guys, Phew I finally found your site! This is most cool. I'm having a blast reading Alex's entries to my mom. She's splitting a gut laughing. I am sooo envious of your guys. Man, I'd love to me in your place. Looking forward to reading LOTS more. Have fun!
Puppy (Harjap's cousin)
Vancouver, - Friday, November 15, 2002 at 13:13:01 (EST)
oops
Brian
Cloverdale, - Thursday, November 14, 2002 at 12:14:40 (EST)
what up in the land of chai? i just had some good old regular coffee. mmmm tasty. thanks for the update via the email and what not. all the way across the world and you're still the mang. midterms are done, canucks are winning, that awful rash is going away, and i learned to tie my shoes. see ya later velcro!! so yeah, things are kickin. gonna head to school now, cant wait for traffic, WOO HOO!! k buddy, take care, play safe, dont take candy from stangers, and always, ALWAYS, wipe front to back. later
Brian
Cloverstale, - Thursday, November 14, 2002 at 12:14:11 (EST)
what up in the land of chai? i just had some good old regular coffee. mmmm tasty. thanks for the update via the email and what not. all the way across the world and you're still the mang. midterms are done, canucks are winning, that awful rash is going away, and i learned to tie my shoes. see ya later velcro!! so yeah, things are kickin. gonna head to school now, cant wait for traffic, WOO HOO!! k buddy, take care, play safe, dont take candy from stangers, and always, ALWAYS, wipe front to back. later
Brian
Cloverstale, - Thursday, November 14, 2002 at 12:14:06 (EST)
what up in the land of chai? i just had some good old regular coffee. mmmm tasty. thanks for the update via the email and what not. all the way across the world and you're still the mang. midterms are done, canucks are winning, that awful rash is going away, and i learned to tie my shoes. see ya later velcro!! so yeah, things are kickin. gonna head to school now, cant wait for traffic, WOO HOO!! k buddy, take care, play safe, dont take candy from stangers, and always, ALWAYS, wipe front to back. later
Brian
Cloverstale, - Thursday, November 14, 2002 at 12:13:33 (EST)
Hey Boys! Al Gregor's injury is healing up he just got his dad to remove his cast this past weekend, but he won't start biking/skiing till Decemberish. I went back to the Pdot Rdot for the long weekend and visited the family. It was tres relaxing. I just ate amazing food, sat on the couch and downloaded tunes on my parents supa fast Prince Rupert dial-up connection??????????????????? There's not too many people left but I had some good quality time with some peeps mainly cuz Mike. Mike and I also had a wicked 4 hour talk with Oliver's parents over some coffee and biscuits. Met up with the Crest staff and Mikey Morse showed me a picture of his beautiful baby Kate. Alright boyee gots to go to class.

Trevor
Vancouver, - Wednesday, November 13, 2002 at 15:09:13 (EST)
Ok, Navraj, just to let your lame ass know that I actually wanted to go see the fort but batko himself was unwilling to pay, aight. Anyway, dude, it's unfortunate that i can't let you know on a consistant basis how lame your jokes are. You are probably having the time of your life thinking you are lighting it up with your jokes. Here is a reminder.. your jokes are lame. Some of your names are aight though. Dude, keep us up to date about the details of your trip so we can meet up at some point, aight. later.
Gabar Singh
Delhi, - Wednesday, November 13, 2002 at 00:51:40 (EST)
Alex,
Non -Indians (i.e non resident indians & foreigners) pay extra at ALL tourist locations (its a rule set out by the govt of India). So its a 100 rupees (2 bucks)- just pay it. Do you seriously want to miss out on all that for afew lousy rupees? DONT LISTEN TO HARJAP. Hes an idiot. Tell him that. Tell him i also miss calling him an idiot. Hehe.
-tumara bhap.

Navraj
Montreal, - Tuesday, November 12, 2002 at 15:41:05 (EST)
After spending the night on the infamous Chandani Chowk street, surrounded by killions of people, we have ventured to the more normal end of town; and we're staying right next door to the guesthouse Olive stayed at when he was in India. "Oli's place" had no vacancy.. there was "no vacancy at the inn". So we pulled a lefty-loosey, right-tighty, and proceeded to the next stop. Just two (or three) doors over is a sweet place with a roof top restaurant - that serves Banana Oatmeal Poridge !!! WAZZUP!

Anyway, i gotta go because my 60 minutes have expired. We spent the day in book shops and other places, including rolling rotis for over an hour at the Gurdwara.

oh yeay, we also tried to get into the Red Fort. Harjap tried to get us in, and he was to pay 5 (five) rupees. When they looked at me, they wanted 100 (one hundred). What the hell !?!?!? So we decided to skip "The Red Fort", to "go shopping" instead.

louigi - that wasn't my first chomsky; it was probably the sixth. we could have talked about saving the world as long as four months ago. but anyway, we'll talk when i return.

alex
delhi, india, - Tuesday, November 12, 2002 at 12:16:18 (EST)
thought you might be interested to know that bill gates is going to india very shortly, and his foundation has promised 100 million dollars to help fight the spread of aids in india ... he's going to New Delhi, Bangalore, Bombay and Hyderabad. maybe you can heckle him.

your last long entry was really fun to read ... funny, but also great to hear about what you're reading these days ... when you get back we'll have to have some good long talks about how to change the world and how to stop this impending war :) something which N.C. said which was inspirational was that, compared to the '60's, we're actually way ahead in terms of organizing. people are trying to stop this war before it even starts, which (he says) wasn't the case with anti-Vietnam War activities.

en tout cas, take care and stay safe, and keep up the funny stories. anything about hitting people and grandmothers is almost guaranteed to be funny in my books.

louigi
the 514, - Monday, November 11, 2002 at 13:38:11 (EST)
Muthulee bana Muthulee.
Mera Bacha
Montreal, - Monday, November 11, 2002 at 11:14:29 (EST)
we're in a hell called delhi. will be staying at a Gardwara in Old Delhi tonight - but outdoors again because non-families can't get rooms. we're quite tired from our incredibly long night and day on the train from Ludhiana to Delhi. will write again once rested.
alex
hell (delhi), - Monday, November 11, 2002 at 07:02:13 (EST)
jimi bounce,
definately cant come in Dec or early Jan. I've planned stuff with family.
Go check out the tigers now..while you can. I dont know how long i can stay in India. If i'm pushhed for time it might be 2-3 weeks in which case its gonna be tigers & whatever else i can fit into the trip.
Keep having a good time.
Dont get stressed.
Tell beb-bee-jee that Harjap is asking for "chai aur tora whiskey".
She'll chappa him with a danda.
S

Tumara Bhap
Ottawa, - Saturday, November 09, 2002 at 23:35:20 (EST)
Whazzzup, y'all...

we're in Ludhiana, and i'm typing this message using Harjap Uncle's laptop at his
office here. When I say "Harjap Uncle's", I do mean that, and not "Harjap's Uncle's"
(which would also be correct, but i'm stressing the fact that his name is "Harjap" and
he's an uncle).

We will spend the night here because Harjap Uncle wants to take us to a club. This
doesn't mean that we're gonna be hitting the dance flo', but rather some "gentlemen's
social hangout"... at least there will be endless free beer supplies.

Tomorrow evening (midnight-ish) we're taking a train to Delhi (intending to arrive
at sunrise (6am-ish). Speaking of sunrise, it's been consistently rising at 6am
but over the last few days it's been moving onto 6:15am. The sun has been consistently
setting at 6pm-ish (i haven't taken note of the new sunset time, but it's probably
5:45-ish).

My favorite event of the day in Jandi (the village) was the following:
wake up at around 5:45am, go pee (this was an emergency pretty much every morning,
because each night i went to bed having drank at least two cups of water and a cup
of milk), after relieving my bursting bladder i continued the "event" by brushing
my teeth, rinsing my face, then grabing a steaming hot chai. But wait, the best
part is just around the corner. I'd return to our room, and by this time it would
have turned to 6am. Harjap of course still hasn't even budged, or if anything,
he has hidden himself under a blanket. I proceeded the daily routine by opening
the window behind our bed - letting the sunrise flood our room. The i'd jump back
on our bed, sit up, and pick up a book. And by the morning sun i'd read for two
solid hours. The ritual would come to a grinding halt each morning when Harjap's
Beebee-jee (grandma) stood at the screen door screaming at Harjap to get up.
Ok, ok, she didn't scream, but i kind of pretended that she did because no amount
of her talking to him in Punjabi even stirred him. Then beebee-jee would gesture
for me to hit Harjap, so i did. After many such mornings it got to the point where
Beebee-jee would just look at me and smile, and I'd start hitting Harjap while she
screamed at him. And then we'd have to get up and prepare for more chai and rotis.

Once we were done breakfast, Harjap would want to read, so we'd go back to our
room and sit back and read (still with the sun lighting our books). Sometimes
we'd read until lunch, then repeat till dinner, then repeat till our eyes hurt,
then we'd pass out.

Sometimes we'd take one, or two, or three of those slots and discuss politics
and how we're gonna change the world. Sometimes we'd scream at eachother in
disagreement (i think that sometimes the people in surrounding farms thought
we might be killing eachother).. but Sometimes we'd talk for hours and hours
on end in full agreement... We have so many ideas it's ridiculous.
I think that the best outcome of this trip is the brainstorming end of it.
Of course, i'm writing down everything. I think with Kaleigh's help i'll be
able to pump out a few "essays of change".

By the way, today I finished Chomsky's "Rogue States". The USA government is so
brutal... it's now doubt that this is of no suprise to most of you, but if you
read some of their historical records you'd be so shocked that you'd probably
start rioting. Seriously - it's quite sad.

I rarely shower on this trip (and continue this "bad" habit at the village, mainly
cuz it gets in the way of reading time; and on the road, showering is a hassle).
Sometimes when Harjap's family questioned him about me not showering, I'd give in
and wash. Anyway, this morning as i was taking a shower I got a wicked idea:
I think that Canada should pull out of the G8 and join the G77 (now over 130 of the
poorest countries in the world, representing something like 80% of the planet's
population). This would have to be supplemented by the creation of a regieme of
countries that will only trade with one another on the grounds that they are not
in violation of any human rights, or environmental policies. Anway, there's a lot
more to it, and there's a lot of reasoning behind this, but of course this is not
the place to elaborate. I'm just mentioning this so that you think about politics
in a different way, if don't already.

------------------------
An entry from my journal (of September 28th, 2002)... (not of Jandi, but another
village):

Coca-Cola has go itself into the matchbox sized dwelling of a poor senior couple,
in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere in India. Not only are these barely
breathing folk quenching their thirst with the fizzy poison, but it's also their
beverage of choice in gesturing their guests with a drink. I rejected the offer
in preference of chai.

In a land that has thousands of years of tradition and real culture, the Coca-Cola
Company's invasion is completely offensive; and it is an example of the capitalistic
approach to globalization that I am against.
------------------------

kaleigh - things to consider for india trip:
--------------------------------------------
4 simple and light t-shirts (consider just 2)
2 shorts
1 super light pants
1 long-sleeved (shirt)
swimsuit - no g-string.
only flip-flops, no socs, no shoes
no sleeping bag.. rather a light bed sheet
tooth brush, but not paste (i have lots)
floss
sunglasses
hat with rim
no need for another camera
40-50$US cash for emergency
25-50$US traveler's cheques per week
no wallet - use an air-tight ziplock bag instead
no credit cards, no bank machine card
deoderant stick (or share with me)
liquid soap (small bottle)
one roll of toilet paper (for nose/ears)
passport (and photocopy of passport AND indian visa)
one extra passport sized photo of yourself

malgosia - harjap and i are practicing for geography quizzes, so prepare yourself as well. i can't write polish at all, but try to figure this out, and tell baba this: ya nie przedluze pobytu.

jimi tiger - butterflies are wicked... i think as much so as tigers... so take it easy. we will try to find some tigers however... maybe when you get here. i will report shutter experiences from delhi.

jimi pig - we will call you from delhi most likely... or we'll just talk by msg board. we are very excited that you have made it to your mother land, and we will see you in december... but of course that's negotiable - maybe late november, we don't yet know.

msaund - i will definitely be calling you up if i'm passing through alberta. in return, i'm extending an invitation for you to stay with me if you're in nanaimo or montreal. keep in touch.

navraj - take it easy with the proper punjabi ok? first of all, harjap says i'm right, and secondly i'm only interested in an approximation.. if lonely planet puts out a punjabi phrase book i'll buy it and learn it properly... 'aight ? also, why are you coming to india so freak'n late ? like what's the point man ? dude - think about it, kerala is gonna be the best thing going, and we'll have left it by the time you get your sorry ass down here. so be realistic, and get to kerala by late december or the first week of january. holy, don't stress me out. jeez.

bri - it's always wicked to here from you. thanks for saying things of canada... it's nice to have these little reminders of things back home... even things like the fact that it was raining when you were writing. it made me think of rupert. and now that i mention it, do you want to go to rupert for a week when i get back ? i want to go visit some peeps up there, and maybe you'd like to take a break or whatever... that will be in march i think, but nothing is set in stone.

trev - i can't believe that you take halloween seriously.. anything you do, you go big (rarely home)... so i think that of all people i know, for being the best sport, i'm presenting you with the internationaly recognized "Batko Award of Keep'n it Real"... the official ceremony will take place when i get back, at a date yet to be announced. word, my dog, we will rip it up at whistler/blackcomb again... and we will have to do it with greg and adam (and Northerlights Xtra), and we'll have bring along Elton John's "Tiny Dancer", and adam will be the lead screamer (singer). ps., is greg's limb fixed ? tell him to post something.

chris - i no longer sport the "all american smile"... it's now the new and improved "All-Canadian smile". i will continue asking you as usual, until you answer... i want to know about the book and the map, and whether they're 'aight ?

more to come later.

alex
Ludhiana, Punjab, - Saturday, November 09, 2002 at 08:08:31 (EST)
hey al, you just fully brightened up my day with that story. i could see everything, and i'm kind of, well, still seeing orange and red sparks like a light headed blow. i can see your huge "all american" smile! biking down that road. well see ya, i'll write in a couple weeks. take care of yourself and harjap.
chris b
- Friday, November 08, 2002 at 18:34:55 (EST)
Hey Al, I loved you David Suzuki entry about the butterflies, talk about vivid man! I laughed to myself (or had an internal smile if you will) when I pictured you riding your bike down the winding path yelling hello to everyone. I laughed because that's exactly what 'Alex' would do and I love that! I haven't done many entries, but I always jump on looking for new stuff. It's been pretty mellow here, just schooling and working. Went out on a halloween boat cruise for my faculty, great times, although I somehow got suckered into dressing up as Hugh Hephner and a playboy bunny, guess who was wearing the fuzzy bunny ears (damnit!). I think our days of sun are finally over, but the arrival of the clouds, warms me up b/c I know this means the snow will be falling soon, and that means whistler. We've got to do another trip, that one we had was most memorable (remember "safety first Al.")
Trev

TrevorM
Vancouver, - Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 13:07:06 (EST)
dude, its thursday morning, totally pissing out, and just all around stinky in cloverdale, and i just read about your advenures with the butterflies!! holy s*#@ dude, thats so wicked!! the mental pictures were wicked, i am sure the actual ones were ten times as sweet. sounds like you are living in a different time there. well i guess everything is all whacky and obviously a lot different. its funny that a farmer would wander up to see what you were doing, especially if you were like squating. he might have gotten more than he bargained for. are they not cautious of a white boy hangin around in the woods behind their farms? maybe its just your all around great aura. well, reading your last adventures was a wicked thing to do first thing in the morning, inspirational for sure! take it eez and keep the stories coming. peace
brian
cloverdale, - Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 11:00:40 (EST)
Alex,
Its sat-sri-akal not sasrical. What other Punjabi have you learned?
My trip to India will only be for about 4weeks. Maybe 5.
Also i will only be coming in late Januaray/ early feb.

Navraj
Ottawa, - Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 10:35:58 (EST)
Sasricall. We have just arrived in Jagraon from Amritsar. We got to the Golden Temple at 3pm and didn't leave until the next morning at 9am. We slept on the marble floor outside and had a great time. I will write more on this when we're not in a rush. Right now it's dark and we still have to get to Jundi... by tempoo (a large version of an auto-rickshaw, from which people hang from all sides).

*** MISSION PAKISTAN *** FAILED ***

Looking for some serious action, we took a bus to the india/pakistan border 45 minutes out of Amritsar, but we could only get within 200 meters because the boarder was closed to tourists until 4pm, and we got there around noon. Oh well.

Malgosia - Ludhiana to Amritsar is 5 to 6 hours.

More later.

alex
Jagraon, Punjab, India, - Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 08:17:20 (EST)
Sup people, I haven't been posting for a while and didn't think I needed to with all of Alex's detailed posts. Anyway, our northern tour is complete. We just arrived backed from Amritsar (Golden Temple) and after a failed attempt to reach the Pakistani border we are now focused on southern India. We will be heading down to Delhi in a few days. Temo, I'll try to call you before we leave, the phone services in the villages of Punjab are suspect. I will definately call when we are in Delhi though. Navraj, get your wack ass down here. You can do Kerala with us and then head up through the east side eventually to punjab. I'm game for checking out some tiggers and I think you may as well make the planned trip for two months. For all others out there, the trip has been a blast so far and we still have lots ahead of us. I just don't feel like I can justify what we are doing on a post so I will continue to allow Alex tell the stories due to his experience and keeness to do so. Hope all you peeps are doin' aight and I will be seeing some of you soon, and others not so soon but later. k gotta go
Harjap
Jagraon, - Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 08:05:18 (EST)
Hi again Alex,
Sounds like you're having a great time so far. So much stuff has been posted to the board since the last time I checked it that I only read the recent posts.
Lee Anne and I have settled in edmonton now. We've been here about two weeks. We like it. We dropped by socs shortly before we left, to have lunch with everyone. I got to see everyone except phil, who was on vacation that week. It's a shame I didn't get to see either of you in person before I left. When you get back, if you're passing through edmonton and need a place to stay, just let me know ok. Enjoy the rest of your time there,

msaund

msaund
edmonton, - Wednesday, November 06, 2002 at 21:42:12 (EST)
sup jimis,
i landed in desiland yesterday morning at 3 am and took the opportunity to engage in some hawker skirmishes at the airport.
give me a call at my grandparents, i'll soon be getting a smell phone, but till then, call me at 040-7224224.

eatinglikeapig,
temo

temo
hyderabad, - Wednesday, November 06, 2002 at 19:48:16 (EST)
Jimis,
You guys look to be having a lot of fun. Repeat the lassi experience. I'm leaving for Kenya on the 15th. I'm seriously thinking about coming to india for 4 weeks or so. I want to see a tiger reserve in M Pradesh, Rajistan, Golden Temple & Kerela. It might be 6 weeks. It all depends on ticket $$ from Nairobi to Bombay - but i hear i can get one fopr 250-300 $ US return which is fiti kabisa.
My cousin met this girl from Toronto & got married to her. I went down for the wedding. IT was crazy. Many first cousins who i have not seen for about 7-18 years!!! HAd a few good drinking sessions.
anyways, the next one in line (or in the cage) is Gundip.

go out & look for tigers! F*** the butterflies you'll find those all over the world. I bought the Rough Guides to India. The Gir Forest is the **ONLY** place on earth that contains the Asiatic Lion. about 200 or so exist. Its more rare than the Tiger. Its in Gujrat. Check them out if you can.

please report back any "shutter" experiences (ask Harjap if this confuses you)


Navraj
All over the "place", - Wednesday, November 06, 2002 at 10:23:51 (EST)
Sasrical, Alex!

So what can I do for you, eh?

I tried calling you around 9, but it was busy. Lotsa people calling, eh? I asked the operator to help me out, because I wasn't getting a signal. I gave him the number, and he said "In Punjab, eh?", "Ludhiana, eh?", and I said "Yes, yes, eh? Sasrical, eh?". Yes, not nearly as fascinating a story as your butterfly adventure, I know. (Sounds like fun, by the way. Lookin' forward to seeing all your pictures!) So what's up? How are you? Are you able to check your e-mail? Can I e-mail you at abatko AT cs.mcgill.ca?

We went to Kaleigh's for lunch/dinner on Sunday, and ate huge quantities of yummy food. We met Kaleigh's mom! And Brennagh and Danielle were there. It was great! They're all so nice.

Mom said you're going to Amritsar tomorrow. No wait... I read that in your post. I looked Amritsar up on my map. How long is the trip from Ludhiana to Amritsar, by the way? Speaking of my map, it's doing great. Well actually... I wrote some stuff on it in what is supposed to be non-permanent marker, and now it won't come off dagnit! But don't worry, I'll try using windex. It should get that crap off. Oh! So yes, I gaze at my map all the time! In fact, it's hard not to, since it takes up half of my wall and all. And I can't wait for you to come back so we can have quizzes! Yay! Heehee.

From Aba: Ukochanemu wnukowi Olusiowi z prosba aby na siebie bardzo uwazal i nie przedluzal pobytu bo bardzo mi brakuje jego obecnosci. Pozdrowienia dla Harjap'a i jego rodziny. (Aba misses you very much. I'm printing out all your posts for her. She wants to make a journal with all your adventures.) :)

Well ok, you have fun in Amritsar and say hello to Harjap and his family. Later, Al!

(Tomorrow, I'll buy the U2 cd. Do you want me to buy it for you, and safe-keep it until you come back? I believe the limited edition comes with a DVD. I'm excited.)

p.s. Dad just came back from work. He says hi and don't drink and drive.

Malgosia
Montreal, - Wednesday, November 06, 2002 at 00:33:56 (EST)
hi al, lovely flutterby story. i think that when i have time, i will splice all your stories from the guestbook together, and you can add a link to the file. that way it'll be easier for people to read your entries. i've sent you emails. also, i added to the news site - with two pictures that are pretty damn funny.

loveyoumissyoudeerlove,
kaleigh.

kaleigh
montreal, - Tuesday, November 05, 2002 at 12:29:27 (EST)
here's a little story:
--------------------------------------------------
A few afternoons ago I went biking by myself because Harjap wanted to stay behind to read his book on Che. I road to a strip of the woods amidst farm land, a few kilometers away from the village. The day before I had scoped out this area and intended to return with my camera to photograph some butterflies.

Over the course of a few hours I discovered many varieties of butterflies and even got a feel for their behaviours (depending on type). The orange/black/white butterflies that I was so fond of at the butterfly park in Kuala Lumpur were easy to find but rarely motionless, let alone with an aspect square to the camera. Another difficulty was finding a butterfly that was close enough that I could maximize its wing span in a frame.

Following some light-green butterflies made me realize yet another factor: these ones in particular never spread their wings when resting. They do however flutter their wings very rapidly in flight, so I could have tried to capture them ripping around but I didn't want to take my chances.

The flying pattern of the light-green ones, like that of most butterflies, but moreso than the orange/black/white ones, is incredibly unpredictable. Other than when they're playing games following one another they seem not to have a goal in their flight paths. Their movements are seemingly random and impulsive: one second a butterfly might be resting, the next second it might leap a few feet into the air, catch a light breeze, spiral out of control, then a few spurts later it may fly into the trees, realize there's nothing up there, and decide to cruise back down and bother another butterfly on the way.

I saw one yellow type of butterfly that moved so quickly that I could barely keep my eyes on it. It seemed to be in three places at once, and also having no apparent destination.

There was an absolutely gorgeous butterfly of many different colors, perfectly coordinated - mother nature must have spent an unfair time arranging them. This butterfly in particular was easy to capture on film. It may have been because its wings, when closed, blended into the ground so well that it was well camoflaged. Maybe the butterfly stayed still because it thought that I couldn't see it. As I snuck up on it I lost track of it a few times. But when that happened, I'd just wait, starring in the general direction until it momentarily spread its wings - as if airing them, or perhaps just stretching. Moving incredibly slowly, I snuck up on the butterfly and managed to position myself so close that at a zoom of 300mm I reached the macro limit of the lens. I waited for a long time, crouched close to the ground, with my forehead pressed against the camera for extra stability, my left elbow on my left knee, and my eye on the target. I got so square with it that when that butterfly had its wings closed it appeared as nothing more then a sliver with two antenas protruding from its tiny pin-head. But amybe once every 30 seconds, it would open its wings to full span, and fire its colours against my retina like a violet explosion (remember, this was all incredibly magnified with the zoom). Just for safety, I snapped four shots.

That butterfly flew away when a farmer came out of the bushes curious to see why I was starring at a single spot on the ground for so long - perhaps fifteen minutes. I made a gesture with my hand, opening and closing my palm and he said "titly" - punjabi for butterfly.

It was difficult finding more butterflies that fit all the criteria of being photographable (is that a word?). There were a couple of butterfly types having a modest two-color pattern: black/yellow, and black/orange, but they were restless. The frustration of this exercise made me wonder how a US foreign-policy maker might approach this problem. One method might be to physically capture the little besties, smash their brains, and then manually pry their wings apart to photograph them. Another approach, and probably a lot easier, would be to spray a whole forest with a chemical that would put the butterflies to sleep (or just kill them), making them easy to find and photograph.

So anyway, after disrupting these grounds with my presence, I decided to head back toward Jandi, but still with a keen eye searching for more subjects. After passing the bridge that I would normally turn left onto, I maintained course, and stayed off the beaten track, in persuit of more butterly playgrounds.

Eventually I stopped in the shade of a tree, and stepped into some tall grass. There were many butterflies there, mainly dancing in pairs or threesomes. I got a couple of great close-ups of two more butterflies, one of which I was able to get especially close to.

With two shots left (the 36th, and the consistently luck 37th extra), I began to make my way back to the bike when I spotted the strangest shaped butterfly yet. It looked like two butterflies attached to one another - like a two-for-one. The structure happened to land on a nearby branch so I approached with caution, so as to not scare it away. Upon close inspection (especially close with the good ol' 300mm zoom), I confirmed that it was two butterflies indeed. One perched lengthwise on the body portion of the other, but facing in the opposite direction - sort of like a rear-gunner on an old prop-fighter plane. I believe these two were mating, but I intruded anyway, firing my last two shots. One shot with their wings open, and one with their wings closed. Because I accidentally budged their branch while moving in with the zoom, the wings of the bigger butterfly clamped those of the other (for stability).

As my camera engaged auto rewind, and to the hum of the film retracting, a strange feeling of satisfaction filled me for having captured that intimate moment. With an internal smile, I hopped back on the bike and peddled down the path.

Just as I thought the story was going to end, some ways ahead I spotted that the ground in the forest was made up of scattered mounds of hard-pact dirt, or dry clay. So I veered in and peddled quickly up and down the mounds, swirving past the thinnly scattered trees.

Back on the road, I was so happy that I yelled "sasrical" (punjabi for hello) to almost everyone I passed. And I carved out broad S's from shoulder to shoulder all the way back to the village.

--------------------------------------------------

Last night there was a festival called Diwali throughout India. Our closest equivalent in Halloween, but without the "scary ghost" stuff, and no pumkins, just fire crackers. So in the confines of our farm compound, we detonated about as many explosives as were dropped in WWII. Fire crackers are freak'n loud here, and super powerfull. Just one bomb broke apart a metal paint canister. We also sent a metal bowl about 50 feet into the air. It was pretty crazy... and I'm told we're going to do the same thing tonight.

Harjap and I are planning on heading to Amritsar tomorrow, and spend the night there. Then back to Jandi (the village), and the day after head out for our southerly leg (with a quick stop in Delhi). But our next major destination is the camel-riding desert in Rajastan.

kaleigh - thanks for the news page. please don't remove it... if anything, just add to it. i will have to read it in short bursts as we go to internet shops along the way. best time to call the village is 7am my time... it would be cool if you called again before we left for the south. also, thanks for giving the number to dana.. she was able to call a few days ago... at least it feels like a few days ago (it could have been yesterday afternoon).. oops. we are excited about the news in Brazil, and the progress in the anit-smoking campaign in BC.

phil - thanks for that mindterm url.. if i hadn't already thanked you.. it's so fantastic.

brian - you can now send me a new song or two or three (and lyrics) and i can put them up on your site. but i won't be able to listen to them until i get back probably. oh well. so how do you like the school you're at ? speaking of midterms... i was *definitely* not created to be able to take them.. let alone finals. nasty.

shannon - what do you mean about not using the left hand, and why? when commenting on 1984, i was strictly speaking of myself. i think that in highschool i didn't know enough about the way the world works in order to make the connections and appreciate the book fully. some understanding of international relations and US foreign policy is helpfull in this case.

amy - i told you that you should have tried my red chili paste.. you could have conditioned yourself. so have you tried the fried noodles and eggs ? if so, do you regret not having some when i made them ? i think so. hahaha.

chris - i'm missing our time in tofino.. we will go again when i return.

tomek - it's cool that you're reading this message board. can you guys call me again as soon as possible ? i have something to ask malgosia.

alex
jagraon, india, - Tuesday, November 05, 2002 at 03:17:04 (EST)
hey man, you havent entered any exciting messages for a couple fo days. probably up to something extra exciting then!! me, nothing exciting, studying fro midterms!! i feel as though i was not created to do midterms and other such tests and examinations. k, back to the books! take care.
brian
cloverlame, - Monday, November 04, 2002 at 18:25:43 (EST)
i always liked tropical countries,so far i seemed to be immune to all things, i was jast lucky!!!!!!!!!!!and i was 25.
but i would like to see more....

tomek
mtl, - Sunday, November 03, 2002 at 12:47:45 (EST)
hey alex, i can't keep up to the guestbook, there's so many entries. not having a computer makes it harder, anyway work takes up my time right now but i try to get on as much as i can. i think about our time in september, i see the beach, the sun, waves crashing on our heads, and all we can do is yell "supe' power!!" too bad i was in the wrong part that day but at least you got to ride some tsunami's. those days spent with you and mom were like the best days i've had in many years. i hope you're doing alright, i miss you. sucks not being able to just pop by your place. maybe one day or another life we can actually spend some more time together. funny how life works though, you go your own way or you lose the trail. happiness comes in many forms. you must make your own. i drive across the bridge and smell that salty aroma. it draws me closer to my most content dreams. the coast where it all began. your brother, chris.
chris b
- Saturday, November 02, 2002 at 01:45:03 (EST)
just when I thought Korea was absolutely insane...it gets a little bit crazier...went for lunch today, and guess what my friend suggested, and then proceeded to order for me?!?! noodles and eggs. complete with hot red pepper sauce. I thought I was in the twilight zone. Who knew!? Batkosis is spreading...
missd
pusan, - Friday, November 01, 2002 at 07:23:34 (EST)
whats up there big guy? sounds like you are having some tasty treats! i went to a vegetarian chinese restaurant today for lunch. it was pretty good, i think its just the texture that is off. oh well, i filled my guts and now i am a big tubby. got midterms already next week. i cant believe how fast school is going, flying by. not much new, keeping up the creativity and attempting to harness it. must pull myself away from computer and get some hydration happening. i wish i was riding bikes with ya guys right now!! take care, stay in drugs, drink your school, and dont do milk! later
brian
vancouver, - Thursday, October 31, 2002 at 18:21:41 (EST)
hello... we're in a city that's about half an hour ride from the village. today we went for a nice relaxing bike ride. relaxing for a number of reasons: the bikes have huge wheels so it seems like they go faster with less effort. there is only one speed: no gears. there was a light breeze, and it was dead quiet all around... we were riding through some narrow passes between farms. tomorrow we're going to ride to Harjap's dad's village.

we're eating the most amazing indian food.. and it's only available at the farm (at the village). this observation is based on the fact that it's better then anything we've eaten in the entire northern leg of the trip... and this type of food is barely available in the south. so if it's best in the north, and based on our sampling, it's best in the village. that means it's the best in india. QED.

harjap is calling me.. gotta go. i will respond to people's comments next time around.

bye for now.

alex
jagroan, punjab, india, - Thursday, October 31, 2002 at 06:36:18 (EST)
brazil results official: Sao Paulo Former union boss Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election runoff by a landslide Sunday, marking a historic shift to the left for Latin America's largest country.
kaleigh
montreal, - Monday, October 28, 2002 at 10:06:31 (EST)
al, we tried to call you last night from dana's at the old number 011 91624 41351, but you weren't there, or at least that's what i understood. too bad, cause aba really wants to talk to you. i said that i'd asked you to send a letter to her in polish and she got very excited - but anyways, what's your number, and can i call you monday night for me, tuesday morning for you?

xox k.

kaleigh
montreal, - Monday, October 28, 2002 at 09:37:22 (EST)
Glad to hear you have discovered the toilet paper free way of life. You won't use your left hand for a year
when you get back. Baby is crying so I can't say much.Who says you can't read 1984 in high school and
take it seriously? Read Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.Have some fun for me. Shannon

shannon and maya
Oona-middle-of-nowhere-River, - Sunday, October 27, 2002 at 16:08:05 (EST)
hi al, i'm going to call you tomorrow at 21ish my time, so 7am yours. is that too early? can i call at the same number you gave before? also, did you get the mail from me that your mom sent?

i'm going to the mikula's for dinner tonight, can't wait. i think that you should write and mail a real letter to aba.

miss you lots - why are you verging on insanity, and out of curiosity, are you any closer to the verge than usual?

xox k.

kalig
montreal, - Sunday, October 27, 2002 at 15:35:56 (EST)
yo, whats happening? sunday morn, nucks lost last night. made me very sad. montreal won, toronto lost, edmonton won, calgary..um dunnno, ottawa lost. for full updates on standings, please stay on the line and an associate will be with you shorty... set our clocks back last night, gonna be gettin real dark, real soon now. too bad, no time for roller hockey after school. the sniper was caught. two of em, one 17 years old, from jamaica. crazy mo fo's! true dat. k buddy, i'll fill ya in on the goods later. bye bye
brian
clovercrap, - Sunday, October 27, 2002 at 14:50:37 (EST)
phil - thanks for the url, i'll get back to you upon success/failure. could someone at socs scan a photo or two of the race and post a link?

brian - keep us posted about the canucks (and other canadian teams).

kaleigh - privitization of education: brutal. i finished Orwell's 1984. i'm so glad that i read it at this stage in my life, and not in highschool. it's incredibly amazing, and should be taken very seriously... i was reading it late into each night, and first thing each morning. one morning when harjap woke, i told him that we must act quickly to 'save the planet'. i'm writing this message using Col. Harjap Uncle's (harjap's uncle's) computer... it has a ghostly personality... every few seconds "things" happen that i didn't engage.. so i'm not sure if i will be able to write everything i want to write. of most importance right now, i'm wondering if you could please look into the Nestle problem at McConnell. i sent an email the one of the VPs at engineering (who is in charge of the ice cream parlore).. i need you to follow up and find out what he has done about it. just go to their office (adjacent to EUS photocopy center) and please inquire about the matter. i'm happy that you now have the ticket and are coming to restock the secret notes. don't worry about Larium.. i think most of those side-effects are induced for placebo reasons. tell vik and zeyad that i found their Indian twins here in India, and their names are Honey and Kirpal... both body builders.. both resemble vik and zeyad in appearance and personality.

chris - you didn't answer my inquiries re map & book.. pls reply... i'm very curious.

leon - we were semi-following the freedom fighter story here via indian news papers.. your version was FAR more interesting. by your signature, are you indicating that you're a big fan of Sprinkles ? cool.

brian - i'm always looking into the tosh prospects, but so far not bright. i will post your new tunes on your website as soon as i return (mid-march at latest). very excited.

navraj - in regard to TP, i only use it to blow my nose and clean my ears... not for the standard issue. harjap justified it for me like this: wiping your ahole with TP only is like only ever cleaning your hands with a rag, and not soap and water. your "area" can never be clean if you don't use water. i haven't used TP that way for over a month, and i will continue this method whenever i can upon return. squating is also FAR superior to sitting. i think that as far as reinvention of the wheel is concerned, the sit down was a poor reinvention of the squater. with some flexability and balance work, it is possible to simulate the squater on a sit down toilet by lifting the toilet seat and actually proping yourself on the porcelin rim of the toilet... and letting the natural thing happen, if you get my drift... no straining necessary... no huffing and puffing (and you'll save a tree or two). aight ? let me know if you try. we are looking into developing a roll each. so far i've shot 5 rolls and i'm half way through my sixth.

kaleigh - what dya know bob ? i figure that november will roll by quickly, so all i really have to endure is the few days in december. i will tell you detail about what to bring and all that when i'm on a better computer/connection... i've been thinking a lot about it, and have revised a mental list many times. red pack good enough. socks not required.. i've only wore my shoes ONCE!... flip-flops all the way. 40$-60$ US cash, rest in 50$US traveler's checques. thanks for the news page.. i will check tomorrow afternoon (from a "cyber cafe".. (lame term)). missing you, and on the verge of insanity.

more tomorow afternoon. goodnight.

aleeex
Ludhiana, Punjab, - Saturday, October 26, 2002 at 16:29:42 (EDT)
! warning to other readers !: this might be cheezy, cause i miss al lots today. you have been warned.

hi alicks, welcome back to your online fansite. i miss you alot today cause i'm listening to my jazz cds and imagining your reaction if i was playing them at home. and cause i heard well what dya know bob, well whatdya know dipper? i have my ticket - 2 more months. can't wait. please let me know what i need to bring. i'm only going to take my little red pack. also, what do you guys need? do you want more white socks that used to have green seams? what about cash? are there bank machines? i'd prefer that, better exchange.

newswise - i've made a page so as not to clutter this guest book. http://www.MCB.McGill.CA/~kaleigh/india/

the sniper from washington dc was caught (media declares him guilty - appropriate, as media was responsible for his security - false leads/reports drew away attention from facts that lead to his arrest, and media responsible for him being arrested). anyways, it's bad on two levels: a) he's muslim, converted, lastname muhammed but used to be williams - guess which name the media is using. b) he's black. he's a us soldier who served in gulf war. i've included a great article about bush's call for arafat's assination (yes, he actually made a formal request) and the sniper's actions.

other news is that there is north-american wide mobilization for a march in dc to 'stop the war before it starts' this saturday (the 26th).

but go to the page i made. i'm not too familiar with brazilian politics, but put a few good articles. the main thing is that the worker's party had a big success and lula is president.

miss you lots lots!!! i went to a workshop last night that you will be interested in. can't wait to talk to you about it. fbfbl.

xoxox xoxoxo xoxxoxo k.

kaleigh-girlfriend
montreal, - Friday, October 25, 2002 at 14:07:18 (EDT)
Just curious...are you guys using T.P ?
Forget about double exposures...just take proper exposures i.e set the camera on FULL auto. hehe.
jimis , when you going to post us some pics?
I'm leaving for the homeland for 5.5 months. If i have money & feel like seeign yoru ugly mugs i'll visit India.

peace dawgs.

Navraj
Montro, - Thursday, October 24, 2002 at 18:37:57 (EDT)
hey buddy, me again, i am signing my city as vancouver cause i am at school. nice and sunny here, just a little chilly, well actually, not that bad, i cant make up my mind. started working on some new tunes, i think you would like em. well of course you would! yeah, got some neato burrito sound clips integrated into them. hope you are still gettin crazy and trying new things. tosh it up for me too if ya can. that would be tres cool. kokanee gold, could be your other favorite beer. k dude, take care, stay cool, be farty and maintain your stool!!
brian
vancouver, - Thursday, October 24, 2002 at 17:25:57 (EDT)
Dear Baharji and Batkosis,

I don't know if you've heard, but there's been this crazy dude running around sniping people in their respective melons all over the D.C. area. The body count is presently at ten, with three injured. Luckily Martin is alright. I spoke to him recently and he is staying alive by walking the streets in a zig-zag (don't get excited you chronic fiend) pattern and wearing a kevlar helmet to the gas station (a favourite target area). Chances are you'll end up sympathizing with sniper's cause anyway though - he's probably a freedom fighter of some sort.

I'm glad to hear you are enjoying your trip so far and staying out of trouble. I'm sure the Nikon is getting quite the double exposure workout. I'd suggest some exotic places to visit in India but I've actually never been there. How about Kathmandu? Just joking you bastard.

Life in Montreal continues to be a real struggle. Seriously though, the numbers are dwindling rapidly as all those overachievers who manage to obtain their degrees in under seven years leave town. Pretty soon I'll be forced to either make some new friends or pack up and head back to Toronto. At least I'll be there when the Leafs win the cup. Time to pretend as though I'm doing some work.

Keep it very real,

-Sprinkles

Leon
Montreal, - Thursday, October 24, 2002 at 15:05:24 (EDT)
yo al, happy birthday and all. if you think i was late on this one i wasn't the computer was backing up some data and processing some information so it took a really long time to send the messege cause it was clogged full of crap. well maybe not, but since you don't take your birthday seriously anyway its not a big crime. hope you're having a good time. i'll talk to you later.
chris b
- Thursday, October 24, 2002 at 00:29:12 (EDT)
Yo Japs,
Check your mail. Important message.

Navraj
Montreal, - Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 23:22:49 (EDT)
hi guys - i looked up a bit of latin american politics - but i don't have a report ready yet. the ftaa speaker was philip oxhorn - dean of research here and a polisci guy. it was alright, though i disagreed with many of his arguments regarding privitization of education (his argument: public education won't be affected cause politicians aren't stupid enough to let that happen.) but he didn't talk about quality of public vs private or about the increasingly two tiered education system here.

we (bruce,louigi,navraj and i) saw bowling for columbine, michael moore's new documentary on american gun culture and the shootings at columbine high school. it was a major commentary on american govt, policies, regulations and culture. soooooo good. al, you'd love it. we'll see it when you are back.

i think that sprinkles is a nice name.

i was trying to combine and then negate two things in polish - ya kohum chebia and temperatura che zmienia. i knew that it would be wrong, but i tried. sorry that you didn't understand. did you know the whole reason that i'm coming to india is to restock your bags with little notes?

navraj is off to ottawa soon, and then to kenya on the 15th (i think that's right) - he's super excited. i told him we'd take lots of pics in india and send them. i'm going to the opera tonight because stefan (he's a post-doc in cs) is signing in the choir and had inexpensive tickets. i'm pretty excited.

that's it - i'll start taking my malaria pills soon cause i have to see if the sideeffects are very bad. they sound like fun - frightening dreams, dellusions, anxiety, depression, heart palpitations.

my sis, danielle and mom come next week. can't wait - i've already enlisted vik and zeyad to take bren & danielle out to clubs. perfect! wish you were here to visit with us too, or take sushi lessons.

this is long - sorry. i missyoumisou. lotslotslots. xxoxooxoxo k. i'll call you monday night my time? so tuesday morning for you.

kaleigh
mcgill, - Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 10:42:40 (EDT)
hey buddy, happy belated birthday. just cooked some fish, looks likes its gonna be pretty good. the nucks won 5-2 last night, what a game. schools going. my car is only getting 600kms in the city. gold member is supah funny, glad you had the chance to see it. must check on fish again. peace
brian
cloverstank, - Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 23:16:22 (EDT)
mindterm: http://ftp.cs.mcgill.ca/

Forgot to mention that AndrewB developed the pictures of
the race. We can see you smilling at the finish line
(I think because of the distance Carlton has managed
to create). Very funny stuff and great memories :)


Philippe Ciaravola
Montreal, - Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 17:05:07 (EDT)
mom - i can't check my email.. but i will reply to your messages as soon as i can log into my SOCS account. i'm hoping that in ludhiana i will be able to do so. i have a bunch of things to ask you and tell you, but i think it would be better by phone or private email.

phil - what's the url to that javascript virtual terminal server thingy, from which i could potentially check CS mail ? please say hi to all the guys at SOCS for me. and also tell ron that i think of him quite a bit because there's a lot of great woodwork here, and "for some reason" i've come to associate him with that.

alex
mcleod ganj, - Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 03:31:16 (EDT)
Hello - we're still in 'the ganj', but leaving first thing tomorrow morning. We are going to a place where Sikhism supposedly originated.. it's called something like Anandpur Sahib. We're inteding to stay there for one night, then head to Ludhiana for maybe two nights, and finally back to the village (Jandi) for at least a week. So that makes three nights, so kaleigh, please call me in maybe four or so.

robbie - harjap was greatfull for all the NBA related info you posted. he's upset that you don't reply to all the emails he sends you.

kaleigh - we will probably be in the village in about a week from today, so please call me because i'd love to talk to you. also when you have a spare moment, could you please post a message regarding any new developments in south america, in particular regarding elections (in brazil)... we tried to do some research here the other day but the net connection is so slow and unreliable that we did not discover anything after an hour of attempting to load numerous websites. sad. yesterday i finished Chomsky's Rethinking Camelot, and today i started Orwell's 1984.

navraj - i've recently nicknamed Noam Chomsky "Sprinkles" because he sprinkles his text with mindblowing bits (sprinkles) of information that often double as revelations and connections. So spread the word: our Noam is "Sprinkles".

phil - thanks so much for fixing the guestbook problem. i'm amazed to know that you are now restarting the webserver every thirty minutes. regarding the zombie (stale?) cgi process problem, the bug report i made can be tracked (and updated) at the following URL.
http://nagoya.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=11331
normally if there's an update, a notice is sent to me at CS, but since i'm not checking that mail, i think one of you guys should monitor this bug report (and update it to raise the developers' attention.. especially if you've done some recent tests that could be insightfull). i am still very curious about the job quiz and whether you feel that it was a successfull venture. my heart skipped a beat when i read 600. nice.

kaleigh - i thought dana was going to give you some egg holders.. oh well. at first when i read "mojo" i thought of Austin Powers, because sadly, we went to see Goldmember the other night. sad in general... except for the wicked intro and a bit of the "yeah baby" stuff. who was the speaker at the ftaa talk ? in mcleod ganj, each day i eat the following. morning: banana oat poridge, plain tibetan bread (topped with peanut butter that i recently purchased at the ecological developement center, and honey that i recently aquired from a fantastic australian couple). lunch: Om special Thoukpa (with egg and tofu)... it's an amazing soup filled with tons of veggies and noodles.. and it's nice and spicy. before bed harjap and i both have a bowl of spinach soup, except harjap always gets the version with mushrooms. what am i seeing ? in mcleod ganj we have an amazing view from the terrace of our guesthouse. we are overlooking a sort of shallow valley, with a portion of lower dharamsala in the hazy distance, a thousand feet below. what are we doing ? well, besides walking the streets, yesterday we ventured to a waterfall far above mcleod ganj. i dove into the water and actually swam around for a while. it was pretty cold, but quite nice, given the usual afternoon heat.

dana - what a lovely message you wrote. i'm quite upset that you had to mention what you mentioned, but since i'm not within screaming reach, i'll wait until i return. anyway, if i were there, and you did coincidentally make cake, ofcourse i would have "a few samples". tell baba and tomek that all is well, and that so far i seem to be immune to all things. ask kaleigh when is the right time to call me at the village.

malgosia - how is the world map doing ? are you still gazing at it ? will you be prepared for a "little quiz" when i return ? holy, good stuff on your school work.

kaleigh - thanks for all those things you wrote.. i was just thinking today, how nice it would be to find a new secret note from you somewhere within my luggage.. but i already found everything before even leaving canada... so the electronic notes are a perfect substitute. i didn't understand the very last one... maybe consulte malgosia, and she will help you.

mom - you made me very sad, i miss you very much. say hi to chris for me.. it seems that he doesn't have access to a computer.

alex & harjap
mcleod ganj, - Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 03:22:50 (EDT)
Happy Birthday Jimi Bounce.
Jimi nomad
montreal, - Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 03:13:27 (EDT)
oops, I do not know what has happend,
miss you,
Harjap, I hope you have fun. Take care of yourself boys, eat well. ewa.

mom, again
nanaimo, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 22:55:18 (EDT)
Hi Olus,
Everyday is a special day (this is what I learn from you), but today is your "special day", and you know what I mean (25TH BD).
I wish you HAPPY DAY and HAPPINESS ALWAYS
And, if you have some special dreams you are hoping will come true...I wish they will.
Have a good time and be well. Love, Mommy
ps. I e-mail to you already in the morning.














mom
nanaimo, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 22:43:55 (EDT)
al, i'm writing again cause i didn't get to write this weekend as the guestbook was outofservice. i'm not writing cause of the date, but it does make me think of you (even more, if it were possible). you are hugely missed here, it's not the same without you.

pardon the spelling, moya mauwe jijoush, moya mauwe robuck, moya mauwe piecek - moya kohum za chey nie chezmenia.

xoxox k.

kalig
montreal, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 15:45:22 (EDT)
Hey Alex and Harjap! How ya doin'?

This is Malgosia. Its my turn now, after Mom. Shes feeling very humorous today, Dads workin and Abas sleepin. I have a Micro (micro sucks crap) midterm tomorrow, and Im freaking out. Im not gonna wish you a Happy Birthday, because I know you haaaaate birthdays sooooooo much, so Wesolych Urodzin, kurde mac. Listen, sorry for not writing to you earlier, I feel guilty, really I do. So for what its worth: Have a great trip, guys. There ya go. Sounds like yer having a great time, though. Thats good to hear. Hope you come back soon though, cause you know what? I actually miss my annoying cousin Al. Its waaaaaaay too quiet in Montreal without you around. By the way, Im getting my computer back tomorrow. Thats 5 weeks without the damn thing. I should do this more often, you know. Get Dad to hide my computer somewhere for a month. Im actually getting good grades this term thanks to that. (I got 117% [who the heck knew that was possible??] in a math assignment the other day, and I told Dad and for the FIRST time he didnt say Well you couldve gotten 107%, you know. Bwahahhaha.) Anywho, I have to go. Hope to hear from you guys soon. Take caaaaare.

p.s. Cool, Phil fixed the g-book! Good job!

Malgosia
Montreal, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 14:08:05 (EDT)
Hey Oleczek / Alex & Harjap !!!

From the frequency of our writing to you, you probably thought that all the Mikulas & family have disappeared. I was so scared to write! First I went to see some specialists to test my IQ, I got OK from them, although Im not sure what was the limit? Over or less 100?

Anyhow, the real problem is that our computer No1 (Malgosias) is under Kennys care till next week (since the time you left). What kind of problems this situation brought to our household you can easily guess. But today is a special day, so I said to myself no matter what the obstacles, Ill get to my keyboard and figure out how to use this guestbook thing. Ill make it! And I did so because:
TODAY IS OCTOBER 21ST
And all the insiders know what meaning this day holds. Nobody would dare to sing Happy B. or Sto Lat, but if you were here we would be for sure sampling with you some puppy, pardon, poppy cake for starters, and apple cake as a main dish. We love you, we miss you soooooo much and we are waiting for your safe and triumphant return in March. As we want you to come back in good condition, we hope that nigdy wiecej nie bedziesz pil nie filtrowanej wody, cholera jasna! I have the right to say so, because Ola and I were hunting for a baby carriage and diapers for you 25 yrs ago (and I was ironing and changing those stinky diapers quite often).

Anyways, take care guys, well try to call you again. (Last time we tried, the only thing we understood was Alex? Harjap? Noh! BABOONA! BABOONA!)

Ciotka Dana (Day-nah)
Montreal, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 14:05:13 (EDT)
*huge* thanks to phil for fixing the guestbook.

al, i miss you lots. some news:
1. i bought those little boiled egg cup holders. so i'm happy.
2. there is a mojo near my house (pretty far really, but not as far as parc) and it's owned by mohammed and is bigger and nicer and one of the same guys works there, so i got to chat with him!!

today is a ftaa talk i'm helping organize - hope that it is good and that lots of people come out. i saw the sept11 international movie on sunday with breed and louigi - it was very powerful. seeing bowling for columbine on tues.

miss you love you - tell us what you are doing, seeing and eating.

xox k.

kalig
montreal, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 13:09:57 (EDT)
Ok. All is well.

The problem came from the fact that we upgraded the web
server and that in the process disabled suexec. We
were trying to resolve the non-dying cgi process problem
(alex, I know it's hard to believe, but we are constantly
running out of processes; we are now restarting the web
server every 30 minutes).

All the files now have the correct permissions and ownerships.

Alex, don't worry about the Tosh thing. Glad that all
is well.


Philippe Ciaravola
Montreal, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 12:19:40 (EDT)
Testing
Philippe Ciaravola
Montreal, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 12:11:18 (EDT)
Alex, I'm running into problems. Had to change your guestbook directory to 777 for things to work. Also, the files within guestbook have changed ownership from you (abatko) to the www account (33). Now things work, but things are not very secure. What do you want me to do?
Philippe Ciaravola
Montreal, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 11:48:06 (EDT)
Testing; Are we back online??

I first thought that it was a quota problem. Doubled your quota to 600Mb.

In fact, it was a permissions problem. Your guestbook directory was readable but not writable. Can't figure out why.

Philippe Ciaravola
Montreal, - Monday, October 21, 2002 at 11:32:51 (EDT)
What's up boys. How's my Bharat? Alex, good work on the detailed message posts (informative and at the same time entertaining).
As for Harwap... Whadup brother! I have received all the emails you have sent. I replied to one of them, did you get it? Did you get me anything yet you snake? As for what's happening here, I'll be jumping from topic to topic, it's late, just bombed a midterm and I'm lacking sleep. Anyways the restaurant is opening on Oct 29. Mom and dad are going to be here Saturday morning. The construction is moving pretty quickly. I ended up going to the Ravi Shankar concert. My seat kind of sucked, from my angle I didn't get to see Anoushka. The 'view' was obstructed by one of the tabla players. The tabla players were actually Bikram Gosh and Tanmoy Bose, which was a bonus. To cut a long review short, Ravi and Anoushka were good. Towards the end of the show, Bikram and Tanmoy each got a chance to do a solo, and at that point they pretty much stole the show. I still might try to get a last minute flight to come down there towards the end of December. It will depend on how busy the restaurant will be. Some news to get you excited... Shaq out for 2 to 3 months with toe surgery. For incomprehensible reason the editors at GQ have decided let thefreak Garnett grace the cover of the sports issue.
Alright it's 1am, I have to be up in 4 hours.
phone me in the next couple of days so I can find out what's happening on the 'business' side of your 'working vacation'.
Keep the updates coming.
I would write 'Take care' but I think we both know it wouldn't be genuine... So later brotha.
Alex keep it tight aight.

Robbie
Vancouver, - Friday, October 18, 2002 at 08:37:26 (EDT)
Kalig, i'm so happy to hear that you have bought a ticket. This is just a quick little message to let you know that we arrived in Dharamsala at 4am this morning.. slept in a vacant bus until day light (6am-ish) and walked to McLeod Ganj, peeling off layers as the sun rose (along a seriously steep hill).

kaleigh - i wish you were here with me.. this place is so relaxing. goa/karala will be even more amazing.

Oliver - we found Om Guesthouse and are staying there until we leave this area (there are many other guesthouses available.. for cheaper then the 100rps we're paying, but given how wicked Om is, we're staying). I had porridge again this morning (9am-ish) and read till noon on the terrace.

I forgot to mention that yesterday, when we emerged from the mountain-side farms, we decended to the Beas river bed where there was a beach of gorgeous white sand. Pete & Chris: I collected a fair sample and will try to bring it back.

Gmaster - harjap translated the joke. good stuff.. did you make it up ? I also heard about the "flutter flutter" joke.

vola - tosh prospects look bad. only h around here, no m.

alex
McLeod Ganj, - Thursday, October 17, 2002 at 09:12:27 (EDT)
hi guys. so i bought a ticket today. i talked with several agents, and a friend of vik's parents' had the best option. *sorry to non-alex and non-harjap readers - this is the only way i have to communicate with them too* prob won't really be sure that i'm going until i have the tic in hand, but here is the travel info:

Wed, Dec 11  -  Thu, Dec 12, 19h30-8h10
klm   0672  
dorval to amsterdam

thu dec 12, 10h20-23h30
northwest 0042
amsterdam to mumbai

sun jan 12, 1h35-7h10
northwest 0067
mumbai to amsterdam

sun jan 12, 4h05-5h20
klm 0671
amsterdam to montreal

al, i miss you lots today cause it's the same kindof weather as when we lived on jeeniemeenie. at least in my new house the heat is already on and the door locks. and i miss you lots. and lots - deerlove.

xoxo k.

kaleigh
montreal, - Wednesday, October 16, 2002 at 19:04:12 (EDT)
Alex, Harjap
When you get a chance scan us some pics. How many rolls a week are your burning?

Aji->Rawbert : is pileh ko liquid oxygen meh dal dho.
Rawbert->Ajit : Mugar kyu boss?
Ajit->Rawbert : abe beehvakoof! Oxygen usko marni ni dehgi or liquid usko jine ni dehgi.

jimi nomad
montro, - Wednesday, October 16, 2002 at 13:17:52 (EDT)
Hey everyone!

We have just returned to Mandi from a crazy trip up north.
Manali is a small, yet incredibly busy town (now that i say
that, i think i haven't yet seen an idle town, but anyway)
with a lot of jems like street-side omlette&chai; stands,
apple&sweet;-lemon stands, dhabas, handi-craft shops, and
equally as many jeeps and rickshaws as people. Vashisht
is also only 40 minutes walk from Manali (and Oli, we found
Ganga guesthouse, but didn't stay there, instead we went
to Old Manali). Old Manali is also about 40 minutes from
Manali, so these short distances provided us with wonderfull
morning and evening walks. For anyone in the know, Special
Lassi is core, and not to be abused... what a nightmare.

We left Manali headed for a festival in Kullu, but hours
after arrival we decided to skip town and move on to a
middle-of-nowhere town called Aut (which would be a great
starting point for the next morning)...

This morning (wed, oct 16) we took an early morning bus
out of Aut in the direction of Mandi, but we got off at
a Hindu temple we spotted on the way up (i don't recall
how many days ago, but it feels like a lot).

Anyway, a 9am boat took us across the Beas River of Kullu Valley.
Then as usual, one thing led to another and we found ourselves
climbing yet another mountain. We sat on a ridge for a while
then headed down the other side of that ridge... into terraced
farmland. We literally walked through thousands of feet of
mountain-side farmland that would probably give any prairie
farmer a heart attack. You will see the pictures. Crazy.

Oh yeah, we also walked through a school yard in the side
of this mountain... the kids went nuts, nearly rioted (ok,
no riots, but close)... everyone was trying to get as close
as possible and when we whipped out the cameras of course
everyone *needed* to be in each frame... so we may get some
very lively shots. The school teachers pretty much called
it quits due to our disruption, but it was fun for everyone.

So anyway, we're back in Mandi but heading out on the 11pm
bus to Dharamsala (a 5 hour ride).

For the guys at SOCS, i've been drinking unfiltered water and
haven't had a related problem yet. The food is amazing and
best at these places called dhabas. Each day I bank on about
100 rps for food and 50 to 75 for a bed. With the usual round
off, count 200 rps per day... which is something like 7 to 8
canadian dollars per day.. 5$US. Not bad at all.

Let me know anything you are curious about in India and I'll be sure to let you know next time I post.

Kaleigh - i figured that "consistently/constantly" would surface a question... and it's been boring a hole in me since i pressed "Submit". I'm glad about your thesis progress and especially about conference & workshop potential. Can't wait to see you again... i'm brain storming slogans for the sign i want to make to catch your attention at the Mumbai airport.

mom - i miss you very much.. i'm so sorry for being away so long. i have so many things to tell you.

chris - no word from you.. what's up? let me know about the book and the map.

bri&dino; - you guys are so awsome for writing.. it hurts so bad to read your writing because it makes me miss you guys even more. i'm thinking about the next time we can share a case of kokanees.

oliver - in Leh i started a hunt for porridge, and so far i've had it in a number of places. It's a wicked high altitude treat. And as you suggested, I will be looking for Tibetan porridge and Korean food in McLeod Ganj.

bye4now.

kaleighkaleighkaleighkaleighkaleighkaleighkaleighkaleigh

alex
mandi, india, - Wednesday, October 16, 2002 at 10:05:21 (EDT)
Hey buddy! Happy Thanksgiving. Saturday night in da house, me and bri are drunk as shit. How drunk is shit? Is it drunk at all? Do you think that shit even gets drunk? Maybe not. But I think that potatoes are probably the most meaningful vegetable when it comes to cleaning your car. Hope your doing good. (P.S. Dude MCduder was me yo. Ha)
bri and dino
lantzville, - Monday, October 14, 2002 at 03:59:53 (EDT)
al - consistently or constantly? ;) fblf

xox k.

kaleigh
montreal, - Sunday, October 13, 2002 at 18:44:47 (EDT)
hi guys - happy thanksgiving.

al, oliver and i went to the mikula's last night for a big mikula dinner. aba is sad that you are gone so long. ritchie met us there for dinner too. it was a very very good time. everyone is doing well, and we ate lots of food and apple cake.

i got my shots and am drinking some seriously disgusting typhoid juice. but, i still am not confirmed on a flight. but the travel agents are working on it.

i saw your nanaimo and tofino pics at dana's. they look great. and there's one of you and harjap catching your india flight. my thesis is going well. very close to all done, and mike and i plan to submit to this conference that happens in july in australia! i'm going to barbados nov 28ish - dec 7 for a workshop. then hopefully to see you and harjap in mumbai on the 13th. i'm crazy excited for goa. oliver says we can travel down the coast and go surfing in kernala (sp?).

oliver and i are at work now, and i'm just going to make us a soylatte. are you two drinking gallons of chai and eating great food? any mountain climbing or other adventures?

miss you lots. love you more. xox k.

kalig
montreal, - Sunday, October 13, 2002 at 11:50:13 (EDT)
al,glad that you and harjap survived! i'm in nanaimo for thanksgiving. got some crazy brainstorms happening regarding school and the possibilities around different genres. its getting cold here now, old man winter is waking up and i think he's pissed! start the skytrain commute next week, gonna try and save my car as well as our atmoshpere. all is well in the land of beautiful bc. dont really think i have all that more to say. i'll stop here for now. take care, and remember, always wipe front to back. peace
Brian
Nanaimo, - Saturday, October 12, 2002 at 11:57:34 (EDT)
hello, hello

We have officially survived kashmir. Leh was really wicked
and the jeep drives were supremely picturesque. We all had
splitting headaches on the way there, but it was all good on
the way back. I'm always looking for potential wives for
harjap, and i keep telling him he should ask for numbers,
but he's not giving in. we'll see.

we're constantly told that Goa is the place to be for new
year's... so that's probably where we'll be. did you know
that Goa Trance (techno music) originated there ?... and
then the father/son team went to montreal and still play
there.

we'll be in manali for another day or two, then we'll head
south through Kullu, and then to Dharmsala.

kaleigh - pls ask ritchie to go for thanks giving dinner as
well. i can't wait for the apple cake, i've told people
about it. i'm thinking of you consistently.

chris - did you start the book about Che yet ? let me know
because i have something else lined up for you when i
return.

trev - i don't understand this sugar-coated download stuff,
but i'm sure you can explain it to me sometime. did you get
the sweet wax ? did that crack you up ? i think it might.

gmaster (jimmie homeless) - harjap says he's gonna make
you stick with us on this trip all the way to Punjab..
be ready. you need 25$US per week. humara mission complete
hai.

alex
manali, india, - Saturday, October 12, 2002 at 11:17:04 (EDT)
Al & Harjap, well if living my life vicariously thru you for the next bit is how it is going to be, then so be it. I clicked on the lovely piece of artwork today (that being your "master plan" map, and fully cracked up. It's not that it is bad... it's just that from the description in the e-mail I was expecting a sugar-coated download. Needless to say I think it kicked ass, and I'll have to click on it each time I visit the site. Can't wait to read your next entry. How goes the sleeping? Climatized yet?
Stay safe boys.

Trevor
Vancity, - Thursday, October 10, 2002 at 13:27:26 (EDT)
Harjap,
Congrats on making the hike to Kashmir. Is it as wonderful as we hear? I was reading all the messages on the board.....they're hilarious......tell Alex he's too funny.....
Did you meet any potential prospects? For you and Robbie of course!
Make sure you find the most dippiest chick for Robbie.....he'll fall in love with her traditional values.......
So you're spending New Years in Goa? That would be soo awesome!
Have fun and try not to drink too much of the "Lal Toofan" stuff...

Cheers,
Reena

Reena
Vancouver, - Thursday, October 10, 2002 at 11:38:12 (EDT)
Mere Bacho! Mission kashmir hone ke bhad, hum sub drinks peeyengei.

Or yadh rakhna - Mission Kashmir hojai-ga.

Tumara Bhap
Montreal, - Wednesday, October 09, 2002 at 11:09:05 (EDT)
*** M i s s i o n K a s h m i r ***

Since the last time we wrote, we've been through a lot.
We left Patiala on the 5th and headed to Kalka through
Chandigarh. Oct 6th (4 am) we caught a train from Kalka
to Shimla. Got a bad vibe in Shimla so we caught the 3pm
bus to Mandi. Arrived in Mandi after a roller coaster bus
ride... our driver was seriously crazy. The next morning
we took a bus to Manali, passing through Kullu. A few hours
later we hired a jeep to take us to Leh, Kashmir. The jeep
left at 4am on the 8th, and arrived that same day in Leh at
11pm. Passing through the Himalayas was incredble, and i'd
like to tell you about it, but i'm being charged 2 rupees
per minute!

Gotta go...

kaleigh, i'm thinking of you.

matt blanc - i will confirm france in april 2003.
oliver - manali is wicked, leh is even sweeter.

alex
Leh, Kashmir, India, - Wednesday, October 09, 2002 at 09:58:50 (EDT)
al&harjap;!!! i miss you guys. hope that travels are good and a bit less cushy now that you've left harjap's relatives.

al, oliver and i are going to the mikulas for thanksgiving. yumm, can't wait. i spoke with aba today and she misses you like crazy. when i told her i'd be trying to go to india, she was so happy. then she told me to bring you back with me ;) don't worry, i said no. but i am arranging for an applecake delivery to india.

saw craig from lorne today - he made the mcgill bball team for next year!! he's happy.

day of action against ftaa is coming up, so pgss is working on some plans for that. too bad you're missing it.

i still don't have a confirmed flight, but my travel agent is pretty ontop of things, so i think it'll work. tomorrow i go to use cocaine to clear my sinuses and become immune to all viruses.

love you. miss you. k.

kaleigh
montreal, - Tuesday, October 08, 2002 at 19:45:29 (EDT)
I guess you're doing well , I don't have time to read everything. Just let you know that I am in France next Summer we might travel to Island in July. So tell me if you want to come over.
See You

Matt BLANC
Lyon, FRANCE, - Sunday, October 06, 2002 at 21:28:46 (EDT)
No time to write - we're trying to get the first bus
out of here.
Shimla is sketchy so we're heading north to Mandi.
We will write maybe tomorrow.

a & h
shimla, - Sunday, October 06, 2002 at 05:17:19 (EDT)

window.location="http://www.supermanhomepage.com/images/comedy/Stupid.jpg";

Dude Mcduder
Witch-ee-taw, Texas, - Friday, October 04, 2002 at 18:28:00 (EDT)
A'ight! I'm pick'n up what you put'n down!

Thanks Alex.

Phil Ciaravola
Montreal, - Thursday, October 03, 2002 at 17:10:54 (EDT)
al, i'm confirmed on frankfurt->mumbai dec 13, and mumbai->frank jan11, frank->mtl jan12. still waiting on mtl->frank, but i think it'll be ok. i'm excited. it's almost for sure - though my fam is not totally impressed. what does l.p. say about mumbai and goa?

if it happens, i will bring you apple cake from aba.

praise to phil for the new lines.

wife ;) ? xox . xox thanks for the email.

kalig
montreal, - Thursday, October 03, 2002 at 16:27:03 (EDT)
phil: peter tosh.
alex
same place, - Thursday, October 03, 2002 at 15:56:50 (EDT)
I'm going to need the secret hint. I have a couple ideas of what it could be but I couldn't say for sure. If you send something, please make sure it doesn't affect you budget.
Phil Ciaravola
Montreal, - Thursday, October 03, 2002 at 14:47:53 (EDT)
We've arrived in Patiala today - by bus from Ludhiana.
The ride was pretty crazy, but a few weeks of south asian
traffic conditioning helped us get through it. To say the least, it was a hairy ride... i guess the closest appoximation to something in NA would be a roller coaster ride.
So we're on beer #2 in india. The other night we tried Sand Piper. Tonight it was Kingfisher. Both light beers, and both absolutely satisfying (ie. up there with Kokanee).
I am very happy to say, that yesterday I had the raw pleasure of meeting someone with the exact same line of thinking (with regard to many aspects of life) as my own. This person was Harjap's Uncle (Col. Harjap Singh)... pretty crazy, harjap (our harjap) has an uncle of the same name (who happens to be an ex-military man, and happens to share the same ideas as me). So basically these ideas are largely anti-establishment... i'd really like to discuss them here but it's probably not the right place... but we'll see.
*Jimi's all around the world* - harjap has instructed me in all that EV scale business. i'm not bracketing... i normally leave my apperature at the extreme and just scroll through the different shutter speeds until the indicator is on zero. I think that as the days go on, I will fine tune this proceedure... but the results may be regretable.
As for TP, i'm pretty much done with it as far as the "civilized world's" use is concerned... more on this later (when a certain of my social barriers falls).
*brian* - could be worse is right... try a highway-side tent, a family of five, and about a thousand equal neighbours (on either side), a power line running over head, and a house-hold (tent-hold) income of 60 rupees (2$CAN) a day (if you're lucky). wicked.
**kaleigh** - my dear wife, please come whenever you can, for as long as you can. harjap doesn't mind at all. get your ticket as soon as you can and let me know when to pick you up. 1/6 sounds like we can see a lot together.
*phil* - thanks for fixing the newline problem. i have really wanted to give details of the trip, but time constraints have been largely responsible for lack thereof. Tomorrow morning, I will get back online (because it's readily available at the relative's house we're staying at), and i'll give you a lot a info. In short, the food is the best thing going so far, and no problem at all in terms of the infamous Deli Beli. Sleeping is OK in terms of absence of rats and crawling things, but BAD in terms of tossing and turning all night long due to climat factor. The budget is crazy good. So far in India we have spent the equivalent of probably 5$CAN (in total). I expect this to go straight out the window starting the day after tomorrow, as we're going north. The people are super nice so far... we've been mainly surrounded by relatives, so i'll have to get back to this at a later date, when me deal with many more strangers. I haven't purchased a weapon yet, as the outlook seems favorable. Phil, listen, i'd like to send you a "package". Do you want it ? It would be coming from Shimla.. you know what i'm say'n ? Are you pick'n up what i'm put'n down ? Just say yes or no. If this is too out of context, say so and i'll give you a secret hint. Wazzup.

batko & harjap (sleeping)
patiala, punjab, india, - Thursday, October 03, 2002 at 14:30:15 (EDT)
Fixed your little newline problem!
Alex, give us more details about your trip. How are you eating/sleeping? How's the budget? How are the people?
All is well in Mtl. Thinking about you.

Phil

Phil Ciaravola
Montreal, - Thursday, October 03, 2002 at 10:08:18 (EDT)
al, i'm trying for mumbai. i could get there after dec 12 (say in the 13-15) range and come back to montreal jan 12ish. is that too long? it's almost 1/6 of your trip. harjap, would you be unimpressed? please let me know for sure, because i need to book a seat as there are almost none left. xoxo k.
kalig
montreal, - Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 12:03:58 (EDT)
hey al, great to hear you're still kickin it up a couple notches everyday, but i think i would stay away from getting kidnapped or whatever it is you wanted to do. yeah, making new music still, gonna start recording some acoustic shisat. jack johnson is a surfer/cinematographer/singer/songwriter. he opened for ben harper on one of his tours, now he is headlining i guess. he is in van on the 15th of this month i believe. school is going pretty good, its nice to be interested in what the teachers are talking about. my new place is alright, my room feels like a cabin on a ship, very small, no windows. oh well, could be worse. take care buddy.
Brian
Cloverdale, - Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 11:29:59 (EDT)
hey al, great to hear you're still kickin it up a couple notches everyday, but i think i would stay away from getting kidnapped or whatever it is you wanted to do. yeah, making new music still, gonna start recording some acoustic shisat. jack johnson is a surfer/cinematographer/singer/songwriter. he opened for ben harper on one of his tours, now he is headlining i guess. he is in van on the 15th of this month i believe. school is going pretty good, its nice to be interested in what the teachers are talking about. my new place is alright, my room feels like a cabin on a ship, very small, no windows. oh well, could be worse. take care buddy.
Brian
Cloverdale, - Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 11:29:54 (EDT)
Incidently both Kate & Duplikate have run off with Peter & Repeter. LOL
Jimi Jacko
Montreal, - Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 10:34:42 (EDT)
Yo Jimi Bounce et Jimi Shutter!, Sema sema jimi. Dont listen to Harjap. Hes a nutcase. Put your Camera back on Full-Auto. Even in Manual mode you can take great pics..with abit of help from the readings on your E.V scale. Your camera has to have it. Its a scale going from -2 to +2 (in 0.5 increments). The camera will tell you wether you are over or under exposing the picture. 0 E.V is correct exposure. Tell Harjaps his pictures wont come out. hehe. 4 ruppes for developing...impossible...think about it. Even T.P costs more. so Jimis, Patiya storo. HArjap: Sona kahan hei?
Jimi Jackson
Montreal, - Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 10:32:52 (EDT)
We're currently in Ludhiana and staying with one of Harjap's Uncles. Mama-Ji (the uncle from the village we were at) drove us here. I think we'll be staying for a few days before going to Pataila, then north to Shimla, Dharmasala, and maybe J&;K (Leh). wassup. *** *** mom & family - still tick'n, haven't taken a lick'n. Barrs - it looks like pakistan is out of the question considering planes from pakistan must first fly through bangladesh before landing in delhi. plus the border is closed... plus what Jenya wrote. andrewb - harjap has me going on "manual" mode on my camera, so i have no great expectations from my pics... but that's ok cuz harjap continuously reminds me that his pictures are better then mine. andrew, please tell me how that job quiz is going.. i'm curious. kaleigh - i shot one roll in Malaysia, and i'm a quarter way through my second (which was started in the village). harjap's bag is smaller because he thought he didn't need a bigger one.. as a result he's been asking me to carry his things... i probably will once his bag rips open because it's so packed. i took the bag with the yellow straps. also kaleigh, regarding flying to india. i will pick you up from mumbai and we'll stay in goa for new year's and if time permits we can cruise down to kerala. paulina - it's great to hear from you.. i hope you make it to canada once you're finished with school. remember about Triumph if you're still interested. chris - i just consulted harjap, and he says "yeah yeah" to us importing some tiger beer from malaysia. for now we have some tiger beer shirts. word. brian d - regarding U2 and beautiful day.. i always give u2 the benefit of the doubt with whatever they're doing.. so far it seems to be an OK approach. have you written any new music ? for those interested listen to brian's music here: http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~abatko/briandragseth/ and you should also check out The Unicorns: http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~abatko/unicorns/ they are also amazing. trev - sorry for not hooking up in van but i was busy running around. trev, listen... there's this band called "the strokes".. they're playing in van. you have to see them, they're so bloody amazing. at least for me. and see if you can bootleg the concert.. i'll pay you. lots. i can't take credit for the wax you're supposed to pick up from greg. some stuff is mine like the winx and the pad, but the rest is stuff just to sample.. harjap and mark pickup those records in montreal during our first year. trina - who is jack johnson ? are you talking about bri ? what's going on ? let me know. if bri is playing, someone better record it. amy - you made it to south korea.. good stuff. say hi to marc for me if you see him. so did you get the ibook ? diana - how is *your* ibook ? i hope you're happy with it. peter - i'm sitting here wondering from which angle to approach your post. fiji ? cables ? kava ? 1-900 numbers ? jojo ?? holy... ok, the temperature here is up there... so far we've been lucky to sleep in places with ceiling fans. my india quest didn't start with real world.. i was trying to remember the other day, and i think it was in grade 12 or something like that.. somewhat due to being friends with Jatinder Malhi. harjap is familar with most of punjab or something like that.. cuz he's been here before. he also has a "contact" in like every back alley we've hit so far. so we're being watched from all sides and there's no chance of losing trail.. at least for now. i'm actually hoping on getting lost and hurt. discovery ? right now we've had pretty crazy discoveries in malaysia.. i still have to post about that in the future. india's discoveries are still pending.. but i'll leave you with this: slice your tomatoes and squirt lemon juice on them.. you can also add a bit of pepper and salt.. the effect is crazy.. i'm addicted. i'm assuming that the ethernet cable you require is quite short. so just walk on down to SOCS (McConnell building on mcgill's campus) and go to room 209N or 208N or 206N. there's usually something laying around and maybe they can hook you up with a short cable. if you need a cross-over made, talk to kailesh.. i showed him how to do it so i expect that he still remembers. how many computers do you have ? i thought it was two. if you added another one to you arsenal, you should use a hub to make things easier. depending on if the hub has a cross-over port built in, you may or may not need to even acquire a cross-over cable. to straighten out the details of your setup, ask kailesh or Ron at SOCS. you can also call them: three nine eight 7087. ok, that's enough. kate & dupli kate: harjap will respond... he's already told me the joke... and he's trying to think of something clever to say (he'll ask around). wait, today harjap was quick: he went into a camera shop and when he came out he told me that the cost of developing was 4 rupees. neither of us could believe it... so i asked him if he asked in english or punjabi. he said both. i said he should have thrown in some japanese... HE SAID: "I did. When i asked for FUJI film". isn't that funny ? ahahhahaahahah holy... msaund - so where did you decide to settle down ? vik - we're waiting for you... keep us posted as to when you're coming. we'll definitely try to catch up with you if you make it out here. *** ok, well, that's all folks ***
batko
ludhiana, punjab, - Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 08:21:29 (EDT)
what's shakn' star! Looks like things are going well for you in the motherland, pour out a glass of goat's milk for me. anyway my parents are heading to india this dec and after all my school crap is over i might be headed there too, depending on how much time i have for the visit. i'll keep you posted as to if and when i'm coming so that we can meet up. Thank god india isn't as big geographically as it is in population. great hearing from you, be safe. P.S. tell my cousin's i say namaste ... laaaaates
Vik
MTL, - Tuesday, October 01, 2002 at 14:46:10 (EDT)
Hey Alex, sorry that I didn't get to see you before you left. I hope that you have a fantastic experience in India. It was a pleasure working with you at socs. All the best.
msaund
montreal, - Monday, September 30, 2002 at 22:19:06 (EDT)
mera bachas! if you guys make it up to dharamsala, get a stiff drink before getting into the bus, cause that ride's going to make your hairs stand on edge. also, try making it up to McLeod ganj if you get to those parts. its real sweet. and what's the word on the tainted beverages? Rawbert asks if you have broken your oath of vegetarianism....and if you have chased any free range chicken? ajit PS: my henchman will be waiting for you with a bahuth important delivery in mcleod ganj. PS1: my other henchman will be landing in mumbai on the 5th nov. PS2: only $299.99 cdn PS3: coming soon....
Dupli Kate
ajitgaon, - Monday, September 30, 2002 at 20:33:05 (EDT)
harjap, Tumari ma hamare kubze mein hai.
Kate
ajitville, - Monday, September 30, 2002 at 20:27:27 (EDT)
if i repeat one crossover over another, how many cables does that make? PreReq: IQ 100+
Repeter
Junction, - Monday, September 30, 2002 at 20:23:59 (EDT)
make that yo alex and harjap ! hope you're both having an awesome time. Is Harjap familiar to all the areas that you are heading to or 10% , 30%? How much pure discovery is happening? i still need cable someone, actually if i'm sticking a hub do I need 3 cables and I get rid of my 2 crossovers? Does this thread do technical while they are riding camels...?
Peter
me again, - Monday, September 30, 2002 at 03:03:24 (EDT)
yo alex ! I hope all is going awesomely. i just tuned in to this outing to India. I hope I'm not next on the list. It was just a fling in Fiji. You should understand now how incredibly tough it can be to catch some sleep in 30Celcius surrounded by sexy non-americans. (hostels are mixed in australia, not so in fiji) I think it was the kava did me in. Hah! Anyways chill out and enjoy. give us some more low-down. I feel a bit responsible for you venturing to India because I showed you Real World Hawaii where the spoiled roomies took off to India on that luxury junket (remember how they visited such an amazing place and were still navel-gazing like in Hawaii). Take it all in. I have like 15 tapes of one of my mentors, Jojo the astrologer, of how she was spritually inspired by India. (she might be in jail now cause of that 1-900 number but whatever). bye4now, pete ps need one more cable when u back?
Peter
Montreal/BC/OZ, - Monday, September 30, 2002 at 02:17:12 (EDT)
Everyday I have so many things I'd like to say to you all, but as time passes, most thoughts expire. Today, as during the last post, we are under some pressure to finish quickly. We're currently in a small town near Ludhiana in the state of Punjab (in northern India). I guess from all the things I'd like to tell you, the only thing that I really want to stress is how much I miss my friends and family. I'm keeping a physical record of our trip, so next time we're at an internet cafe and we're not pressed for time, i'll whip up a summary of major events experienced thus far. Kaleigh, I feel every moment apart from you. It would be nice if you could come here in December. You would most likely have to fly into Mumbai. However that said, it's a semi-selfish thing to ask of you - India is far from a vacation destination. It's actually quite tough given the western luxuries that we have become accustomed to. I am hoping that if you come, we will spend New Year's together in Goa - where I think it actually will be a bit more of a vacation spot. The village where we're staying is incredibly peacefull and relaxing. We feel most welcome there and in fact it's a great entry into our India trip. Anyway, with the time I have left, I'd like to say that I never thought that people would say offensive things here. In the case of the things that have been said, you should know that some gay people are on this list, and I would not be surprised if they were turned away. OK, talk to you all later.
alex
near ludhiana, punjab, india, - Sunday, September 29, 2002 at 02:19:51 (EDT)
Hey people. We have been in India for about three days and everything is great. After choking on some nasty exhaust as soon as we arrived we made it to my mom's quiet village with fresh air and it's been great. Batko is getting right into the thick of things, milking the cows, making the chapatis and the chai. He's even managed to go to the washroom. All else is pretty good. I'm really liking the way people do certain things here. I was telling some that they live a very self sustained lifestyle and that is quite accurate. Every thing from the food to the gas for cooking it is made at the house. It's really quite remarkable. And the food has been amazing. People are very please to see Alex, as many have never seen a white person before. A little girl actually skipped school just so she could come by and see him (but I'm assuming she must have been disappointed). Batko has also managed to pick up some Punjabi, but still working on it. Just to update about malaysia, it was fun as well, we did everything from running barefoot through a malaysian jungle to a wine tasting in a elite club in kuala lumpur. The weather has been quite hot in both places, but not too bad. We are on our way, in the next few days to check out the key places in Punjab and then on to Dharmasala and Shimla. Update will follow soon. I believe Batko will provide a more elaborate account of our travels, but don't believe everything he says about me, or himself for that matter. Anyway, hope all is well and I'll talk to you peeps later.
Special Agent Grewal
Reporting from the Motherland, - Sunday, September 29, 2002 at 01:54:35 (EDT)
Chris, I am totally with you. Al and Harjap I also found those comments totally uncalled for. That's it. New rule for the message board. Only people with an IQ over 100. Hope you are having a blast and you are having the most amazing time eating your way through India. I'm soooo jealous!
Diana
budapest, - Saturday, September 28, 2002 at 04:38:04 (EDT)
hey a and h - so so happy to hear of all your adventures and all those posting who are so concerned about you - and your lack of tp and your raging sexuality...hmmm: i never knew. i have been in korea for a week now and love it - i definately recommend making the trip if you find yourself with some extra time and/or cash!!...then you can try soju and see how it compares with the tiger beer...one drink will knock you on your ass!...cant believe how many of us are all over place - japan, bosnia, turkey, italy...whenever we are all on the same continent again, there will have to be a reunion! ok - off to buy my ibook now...miss you and hope you are still having a blast!
amy in sk - not saskatchewan
pusan, - Saturday, September 28, 2002 at 01:59:12 (EDT)
Hey Alex, hope things are excellent, as I am sure they are. Nancy and I are still COZY as ever in our COZY apartment. This weekend I am going to be in the time-warp of hardcore homework, but next weekend I am taking off to Van. to see the Jack Johnson concert - actually I think it might be the weekend after. O.kay so there is nothing really exciting happenning in my life for me to tell you about, so just keep us posted on your adventures. Take Care
Trina
- Friday, September 27, 2002 at 19:08:33 (EDT)
This is where alex and harjap are (or are close to, i think) in case people are interested. ludhiana, punjab, india. there's a good map at http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/punjab/h3s2602.htm
kaleigh
montreal, - Friday, September 27, 2002 at 10:15:53 (EDT)
al, i'm calling about flights today. just to get info, no promises. where do you think you will be between dec 20-25, city-wise? oliver is coming into town this weekend and we are going to a concert and making salad and special sauce. miss you. hope that these tags ended up working. xoxo k.
kalig again
montreal, - Friday, September 27, 2002 at 10:11:37 (EDT)
Doggy style? Alleykat and Harjap hope you guys are having a ripping good time, and testing the limits of you liver. Keep the wine "tasting" up it's probably safer than water. Alex sorry I haven't tuned in till so late. Oh yeah, what happened to us not hooking up while you were in Van? Man I was crushed, for really. That's alright I'll have to be satisfied with my electronic downloaded version of Alex I guess. I haven't got to pick up my wax from gregor yet, that was too much, I can't thank you enough. Can't wait to hear them, I know you have the best taste when it comes to tunes. Take care boys. Trev
Trevor
Vancouver, - Friday, September 27, 2002 at 00:22:22 (EDT)
hey al, heading to vancouver today with all the rest of my shit. start school on tuesday, cant wait!! hope you and harjap are having a blast. i saw an NBC commercial the other day advertising its new fall line up. i think it would have made you cringe, they had U2's Beautiful Day as the background tunes. sorry dude, hope you'll be ok. take care.
jackson
nanaimo, - Thursday, September 26, 2002 at 14:02:27 (EDT)
al, i tried to call, but i didn't work. not sure why. but your mom emailed that she got through. i'm looking into it. thanks for the call. you made my day. xoxoxo fk.
kalig who can't use phone
montreal, - Thursday, September 26, 2002 at 12:17:20 (EDT)
hey alex and harjap, how's it going? i'll email you personally later, but i just wanted to let those assholes making rude comments know that it is totally uncalled for. what a shame to read things like that on a public guestbook. hope you're having a good time, and bring me back some Tiger beer! sending love to both, see ya, Chris.
Chris Batko
BC, - Wednesday, September 25, 2002 at 15:15:28 (EDT)
Alex & Harjap, have a great time over there. Steal some jewels off the Taj for me. (And who's the craaazy talking about Napalm?? Is he taking crazy pills?)
Nene
Seattle, WA, - Wednesday, September 25, 2002 at 12:08:19 (EDT)
Hi Alex. It's so nice to have news from you after such a long time! :) Thanks for including me in your broadcast. Have a great time in india and send some photos :) Paulina
Paulina
Gdynia, - Wednesday, September 25, 2002 at 04:27:49 (EDT)
hi al, miss you lots. wish that you could email instead of post. miss you lots again. walked by aylmer house today to pretend that we all still lived there. amy is gone to s. korea. bern just died again, so i called andrew to do a manual reboot. i have only a few days left, and mike wanted me to recode several things. my letter for you arrived in nanimo so your mom sent it to harjap's uncles. that way you can travel with bkie. post more info about your adventures! have you taken lots of pics? why is harjap's bag smaller? did you take the green or the blue and yellow. wish that we weren't so far apart. sorry if this is too personal for everyone else reading this guestbook. really, it's just intended for alex myohmy. xox k.
kalig
montreal, - Tuesday, September 24, 2002 at 18:42:30 (EDT)
Hi Harjab, Take good care of yourself and Alex.
andrewb
Montreal, - Tuesday, September 24, 2002 at 10:59:28 (EDT)
Hi Alex, Just wanted to let you know that we miss you here at SOCS. Stay alive and take good care of yourself.
andrewb
Montreal, - Tuesday, September 24, 2002 at 10:57:06 (EDT)
Hellllllooooooo. All I can say is, wow. This is really inspiring. The fact that you guys took the leap to do this is amazing.
Mike DUbs
Prince Rupert, - Tuesday, September 24, 2002 at 10:40:46 (EDT)
We've arrived back in Kuala Lumpur, and we're flying to India tomorrow. We'll update Penang soon... here are a few working titles for the upcoming post: 1) Life: One thing leads to another. 2) Through the jungle and back. 3) Observations: Malaysia. 4) Pagleh Bandher (Crazy Monkies). --- Great to hear from you all; Harjap and I will be responding to your posts ASAP.
alex & harjap (dungy)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, - Tuesday, September 24, 2002 at 01:18:07 (EDT)
This is a test.
alex
- Tuesday, September 24, 2002 at 01:06:45 (EDT)
oops
jackson
nanaimo, - Monday, September 23, 2002 at 22:08:56 (EDT)
hey al, what's shaking? your ass maybe? due to the lack of tp!! things are great here, i am actually laying in a pile of toilet paper rolls as i type this. oh so soft! hope all is well. take care and beware of the nicotine stains in thy underwear.
jackson
nanaimo, - Monday, September 23, 2002 at 22:08:17 (EDT)
hey al, whats shaking? your ass maybe? due to the lack of tp?? things are great here, i am actually laying on a pile of toilet paper rolls as i type this. oh so soft!! hope your doing well. take care and beware of the nicotine stains in the underwear!!
Jackson
Nanaimo, - Monday, September 23, 2002 at 22:05:43 (EDT)
Alex, if you are into Islamic art and architecture, you should definitely check out Lahore if the Indo-Pak bus line is running. The Badshahi Mosque is beautiful. I think a bunch of Seekh gurus are buried right next to it as well. Hope you guys have a digital camera, so you can post some pics.
Barrs
Chicago, - Monday, September 23, 2002 at 14:46:01 (EDT)
Ahhh....you guys are great. I mean the ones making fun of Harjap's sexuality. It's great that we have reached a point where mankind can finally make fun of sexuals. Keep up the good work!! I'm a bit confused, but what do you mean when you say "the land of no TP". do they have sanitary napkins, or fresh-scented baby wipes at every resto/bar/gas station crapper? cause i think that is amazing and all of North America should get into that. NO TP. All baby-wipes ROCKS!!!!! Alex, you are sooooo lucky. Harjap, take lots of black and white pictures as part of your budding photography hobby. Mark W. i am a dick for not replying to any of your lengthy and entertaining e-mails during the past 9 months. Dawn, i am a dick for not returning your email back in June. You are dick for not hooking up with me....ever. Sorry, you lost your chance. Nathan, how many times are you going to change your address, phone number and email? i have a tough time keeping track of all your changes. Leon, i will call you tonite. Joe, ease up with the warm hang hook!!. LJ, keep it in the attic cause the basement it too cold BRRRR. Videotron, F U cause i ain't paying you last month's bill. Custom's agents, Alex said your mom give it up to all the graffiti boys on Lexington and third. Enjoy your trip
Martin G.
Wash D.C., - Monday, September 23, 2002 at 12:46:02 (EDT)
You guys should really eat more food. Harjap it your obligation to get Alex onto HOT food and I don't mean like Canada hot which is mild like a fresh stream, but India Hot, which is ferocous and crashing like thunderous surfing waves. I'm still interested in the first no TP event.
ritchie
montreal, - Sunday, September 22, 2002 at 18:14:43 (EDT)
I love the smell of Napalm in the morning. The smell of victory. Soon, this war will be over.
Sathya Sai Baba
Apox, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 23:25:10 (EDT)
Good to hear from you guys! Alex - good luck in the land of no TP when diarrhea hits cause I hear it's not if, it's when.
Dawn
Vancouver, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 17:13:23 (EDT)
it sounds like you guys are having a great time already, while we here in Corn Field, U.S.A., (nathan and jesse can back me up on that one) are getting rounded up for war;) harjap, after i heard you brought your whole wardrobe on this trip, i have no doubt whatsoever you're looking to get yourself a wife. alex, you have the grave responsibility of keeping him inline. and alex, the cooler you are the greater your chances of clashing wtih US customs officers--kim was just denied entry into the US coming to visit me! so i guess she is the absolute coolest! anyone who's visited pakistan in the past 10 years on a tourist visa is on the right track, no need to lug around flight manuals.
Jenya
Princeton, NJ, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 16:52:24 (EDT)
enjoy yourself boyz.
jesse
beersheva, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 06:11:11 (EDT)
Wow - this guestbook doesn't preserve newline characers. That sucks, sorry about that.
alex
Penang, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 06:09:03 (EDT)
Holy !!! It is totally amazing to hear from you ALL! Harjap and I are sitting at an Internet cafe in Penang, Malaysia... we were laughing out loud - so excited by every word you wrote. They're playing 60s music, so it's a great soundtrack to our first mail check. We just came in on a bus out of Kuala Lampur, and will be staying here for a couple of days. We're heading to Delhi, Inida on the 25th. OK, so how did we get here ? Right after parting with my mom in Vancouver, we bought two six packs of Kokanee to bring to Harjap's relatives in Malaysia. The customs officers were jerks.. i'm sure Harjap will have something to say about that. Then my weapons were confiscated at the security check. Greg G, I think you might get a phone call about that... I'm hoping you will *please* pick them up for me. I tried to bribe pretty much the entire Air Malaysia flight crew into upgrading us to first class... it didn't work. On the plane we drank free boos and played multi-player chess on their back-seat game machines. Malaysia is pretty crazy. The clash of rich and poor is quite disturbing at times. It's much too serious to discuss here. We were in Kuala Lampur for two days. Mornings there begin at 5 AM, because Muslim prayers are broadcasted over super loud speakers over a major part of town. I really love the sound of Muslim prayers... so I made a short recording of it for those of you who will be keen to listen. Yesterday we walked through town and saw some major sights: the Petrenos Towers and the KL Tower, china town, the national Muslim mosque, and we went to a Muslim museum (I fell in love with Islamic art in March 2001 when kaleigh and i went to NYC's MET). I highly recommend for all of you to hit your local islamic art exhibit. Last night we went for a wine tasting with Harjap's aunt and uncle. It was really wicked 'cause I got really hosed while performing a thorough and systematic approach to testing wine. Then we went for more drinks in the bar downstairs. I think my eyes were crossing by 9 PM. We also had a wicked vegeterian chinese dinner, after which I passed out in the car. We're both vegeterians since early this year. Mom, mikulas, kaniastys - we're alive and well.. so far. Chris - are you reading this ? Kaleigh - I miss you. Did you use LP Rome ? Shannon M - pls tell us places to see in india. Mark w - your children will return. Barrs & nate - take it easy on Harjap.. he almost cried. flynn - harjap's alright once in a while. brian - don't listen to anything that Barrs & nate say. brennagh - pls put me on your mailing list. mark b - i wouldn't forget you. heidi - pls tell those guys up at SOCS to write here.. and also, pls give more destination suggestions. magician - i can't believe that your powers don't reach here. our eyes will be peeled for uncle O. mr k - Impulse = Change in Momentum. oli - sorry i didn't call before leaving, but i got your message too late. greg - sorry if you have received a suprising call. trev - did you get the records ? zuzia - sorry we didn't get in touch, the last few days in van were quite crazy and we simply ran out of time. You should all try TIGER beer - it's crazy good. Kaleigh, have you tried anchovie stuffed olives ? That's what turned me on to olives. we both brought cameras. i think it'll be OK - as long as we don't get robbed.. that will suck, and i'll have to do some serious kung foo fighting. harjap has the smaller pack but he has ***** WAY ***** more stuff. i think he brought his entire waredrobe. I brought next to nothing and i think i stink already. It's freaking hot here - I've never been so close to the equator. f. Until next time.
BATKOSIS
Penang, Malaysia, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 06:07:32 (EDT)
By the way, the abuse that I'm taking on this board is really uncalled for and those responsible should be ashamed of themselve. You guys are assholes. I don't understand how you can be so cruel. (Sniffle Sniffle) Sai Baba, look forward to meeting you and your illustrious fro.
Harjap
Penang, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 05:37:09 (EDT)
harjap, you've got to keep alex away for authority figures, especially if they're american or have any type of weapon. alex, free turtles. rome is fascinating. it's been one week and has flown. the conference is very very educational and daunting. pretty sure that i'm one of the youngest (other than the superstars who are 21 and faculty at mit). everyone is very helpful and friendly. italian is a whole lot like french. these tiny tiny little cars make so much sense, you never have to // park cause they are shorter than a lane. different packs of conference people have been going to all these very fancy dinners. i've never eaten better, ever. al- i think i like olives now. oh, and the icecream is beyond compare (even beyond ben and jerrys). al, we should spend at least one italian week next summer, becaseu i didn't make it to any small towns or villas as there is a train strike. hope that you are both getting into the backpack routine. which one of you ended up bringing the camera? who has the smaller pack? al, please don't forget to send me a phonenum when you stop somewhere. happy and exciting travels. k. bf. f. bl. ff.
kalig
roma, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 05:24:02 (EDT)
In Malaysia right now, and as of early this morning we have actually started back packing. The trip started off much as I would of expected traveling with Batko. Vancouver airport, Sept. 17th., Batko decides to piss off a US customs agent. It was pretty amusing. And then he gets caught trying to carry a knife on the plane. And then I find flight manuals in his bag (actually that didn't happen). But the rest did. Anyway, parts of malaysia are just what I expected and the rest is space aged. Next post will probably be from India. Later peeps. Batko is really worried about about taking a dump without TP, I'll let you know about his first experience.
Harjap Grewal
Penang, - Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 04:47:55 (EDT)
Canucks 3 Edmonton 2 baby, da winna
Canuck Fans
Vancouver, - Friday, September 20, 2002 at 17:19:32 (EDT)
Alex, this should be quite the experiance. You may feel more than just a little over wellemed at first, but tough it out, the memories/experiance are what life is all about. Eat well, I know India has some fantastic spots to see, I will tell some of my students of your plans they may have some great ideas. Take care, be carefull, have fun, think Physics.
Mr K
Squamish/Rupert boy, - Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 12:51:07 (EDT)
You know my powers cannot reach into the depths of India, so you better be careful. Watch out for the Taliban cuz I hear they have candy to lure you into cars.
The Magician
Nanaimo, - Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 00:29:13 (EDT)
Hey Batko! I can't believe you're actually doing the India thing. That's so awesome. And YAY! --you're going to McLeod Ganj. PLEASE go to the Jorphell Tea Shop. The man and woman who run it are awesome (they gave us their precious brownie recipe!) Also, you should check out the Tibetan Children's school. I'll email more stuff you should see later. gotta go (to Microcomputers...) Later, Heidi
Heidi
Montreal, - Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 11:28:34 (EDT)
Aleeeex -- thanks for including me in your broadcast. May your travels bring you enlightenment and whatever else you seek.
Mark Ballora
State College, PA, - Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 09:16:04 (EDT)
Hey Alex and Harjap....excited to hear your stories....i'm headed to europa shortly for some adventures of my own...with a stop in montreal to see my lovely sis first. alex- let me know if you'd like to be added to my list for group emails from europe. good luck and be safe!
Brennagh
Winnipeg, - Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 23:32:52 (EDT)
Oh dear. Did I start all this intolerant talk about people. Harjap, I'm sorry I "outed" you.
Barrs
Chicago, - Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 19:52:30 (EDT)
My children, I am waiting for you. Amen
Sathya Sai Baba
Motherland, - Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 19:31:38 (EDT)
so why are you really going al? i mean almost everyone on this message board has made a comment about your travel "partner" being , so it makes me kinda wonder what your intentions really are. if you have run away to get married, i guess i can understand, just dont rush into anything. take lots of pictures and enjoy the honeymoon. may jah be with you, or something.
jackson
nanaimo, - Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 18:06:57 (EDT)
Party 'till you puke.
Andrew K.K.
New York, - Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 17:06:13 (EDT)
I don't want to be the only one not to include some sort of sexual Harjap reference. All I gotta say is: If he starts bringing out the 'elephant dance', you gotta get the hell outta there. Something bad is happening, and you don't wanna be a part of it. Also...Harjap, this is probably not the correct forum, but you said you'd call, and you haven't. Call before you leave.
Nate
London, ON, - Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 14:05:31 (EDT)
alex why are you hanging around with that loser harjap? just keep your money on you and your pants on when you're sleeping... hah j/k have a good time kids!
dave eng
frisco, - Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 13:38:34 (EDT)
Hey Alex and Harjap. So in what cities will you be having deviant sexual sex?
Barrs
Chicago, - Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 13:22:08 (EDT)
Isn't India shaped like a boot? Where's the little island off the end? Confusing...
Mark
Canberra, - Monday, September 16, 2002 at 19:35:28 (EDT)
Hey Alex Don't quite know what the deal is with this, but will write anyway. Hope I am doing it right. You are so goddamn lucky guess this is only for a quick word or something? Have fun!
shannon vanderheide
oona river, - Sunday, September 15, 2002 at 11:33:48 (EDT)
have the best adventure al. please please keep everyone updated with this guestbook.
kayligh
montreal, - Saturday, September 14, 2002 at 11:46:25 (EDT)
This is a test.
Alex BATKO
Montreal/Vancouver, QC/BC Canada - Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 00:41:16 (EDT)