Harrowing Journeys

Last week we watched a film called "Blood in the Snow". It consisted of interviews relating to a video shot by climbers in the Himalaya that shows Chinese Border Guards gunning down fleeing Tibetan refugees as they cross a pass toward Nepal. Yesterday we joined a volunteer conversation group with local students, mostly Tibetan refugees. Three out of the four people in my group had taken the same journey across the Himalaya as depicted in the film. One of the young men even had his group scattered by approaching Chinese Police and was left alone with his cousin to make the journey. They walked for 29 days, suffered frostbite, and were so uncertain of reaching Nepal that they thought they might die. But they did make it to Nepal, and then to Dharamsala, where they will study language and live with their own community. When they arrived they were granted, as all new arrivals are, an audience with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. They cried and he told them that there was no need, they were free.

Yoga in Rishikesh

Problems with Ass Piss

Again, I was stricken with diarrhea, and by the looks of it (and smells), it was bacterial. The time before, I took Cipro, which was awful. So, this time I took a course of Ayurvedic herbs that I received from a local Doctor here in Rishikesh.

To take three times a day for five days, an anti-bacterial pill was given. It contained these herbs, I was told.
Chirayata: for bowel regulation
Kutaj: for gastric disorders
Bael: anti-diarrheal
Isabgol: bowel regulation

A second pill was given, to eat after breakfast and dinner, which was for liver and kidney health. I don't know what was in that, but it was herbal as well.

Also, I had picked up Diarex, an Ayurvedic herbal medicine by the Himalaya Herbal Company. The Doctor told me that I could take that as well, and there would be no complications with these medicines. I took two in the morning, and two in the evening.

Throughout the course, for a week, I ate mostly Kicheri, a slow boiled rice and lentil dish, and veg soup and toast. I avoided dairy and oily foods, basically anything else. For a while I was getting better, and saw good results in the bowl, but traveling makes it hard to maintain a controlled diet, and somedays the soup was oily, or the daal heavily spiced. So my bowel function fluctuated, and after eating some curd seemed to return to a runny state again, strangely. So, I took another week of pills, adding to the concoction, Bael, from the Himalaya Herbal Company. Unfortunately, again my bowel health flucuated and one day I decided to eat pizza, after two weeks of soup. Of course, this sent my guts into a kind of intestinal madness just as I expected; clearly I was not close to eating "regular" foods yet after two weeks.

So, not wanting to spend my whole time in India eating soup, I took a kind of anti-biotics that I picked up earlier in Kathmandu called Tinidazole. I took 2 grams a day, in the morning and evening, for 2 and a half days. I kept a light diet of tibetan soups and breads, and followed the course with Bifilac pro-biotics to replenish intestinal flora.

This course worked fine, and I experienced no side-effects as I had with Cipro. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep up with the herbs, but I did experience their real efficacy, however, the patience and controlled diet required were difficult to maintain. If I was at home, cooking for myself, I think I could be healed over a period of two to three weeks, but on the road, that's a long time, and the anti-biotics did the trick in a day or so. But a herbal cure can work; I experienced it working, but it takes time. That time is likely worth it for the gentleness of the cure.

Agra, Taj Mahal

Decided against a "tour" package to visit the Taj Mahal, and instead acquired train to and from the city, in the morning and early evening. The train was the Taj Express (~180INR round trip), leaving from Nizamuddin station, a 30 minute rickshaw ride from Paharganj (80INR morning, 120 evening), and arriving at Agra Cantt.
The Taj Mahal costs a whopping 750INR to enter and the ticket appears to provide access to 4 other sites around the city. This is not the case; the "ticket" just gives a small discount, so you can visit Agra fort for 250 rather than 300. We had also paid a rickshaw driver 300rupees to take us around the city all day to visit these sites, and avoid the hassles of haggling every time we wanted to move. So, being on a budget for long and wide travels, this was a costly day, even having skipped most of the places. However, we came to see the Taj Mahal and see it we did, and it was magnificent, even as we tire of "sightseeing".
Its translucent marble (shine a light close in the dark of the interior), and intricately carved panels and details were lovely, though it was simply the imposing brilliance of the whole scene, dazzling white, that left a strong impression.

To Delhi International Airport from Paharganj

Hard to find information about this relatively easy trip, so here is how I went round-trip to pick up S and bring her into the Delhi madness.

Taxis will "quote" you prices between 200-600rupees one way, which is ridiculous. Rickshaw's as well will likely demand far more money than the trip is worth, and good luck getting those "shameless fellows" to use the meter (quote thanks to local stranger who helped us out).

Take the bus, and avoid all the haggling hassles.
Walk down to the East end of the Paharganj Bazaar and cross the street into New Delhi train station. Take the footbridge over the rails and exit the Ajmeri Gate. Walk through the parking area to the main road where buses are parked, near the New Delhi station metro entrance. I'm not sure of the times, but about once an hour, a big green ISBT bus will roll up, marked on an LED screen that it is an airport bus. Ask and make sure that it goes to the Indira Ghandi International Airport (or the Domestic Terminal if that's what you need). The fare is only 50 rupees, and barring traffic... only takes about 45 minutes. You can also catch the bus somewhere in Connaught place, but I don't know where exactly.

Going into the city from the airport, go straight through the doors in the arrivals lounge and hop on the same big green bus and ask for Connaught, or New Delhi station.
Or take a pre-parid taxi, but the bus is easy, clean and convenient. No need for hassles--Delhi will provide enough of those...