Shiva, Pushkar

I saw Shiva no more than three brief periods of maybe 15-20 minutes each, before he invited me to his cousins wedding in Pushkar, a 40 hr train ride from where we were in Gokarna, on the Karnataka coastline. And with my ever cautious western mind, I needed some time to think about this amazing offer from a virtual stranger. After a few days lazing on a nearby beach, I decided that I would be crazy to turn down this opportunity. In making this decision, I had changed the entire plan of my visit to India. Instead of covering both coastlines of the south, I would instead head north to the deserts of Rajasthan, and afterwards onto the cultural Hindu heartland of Varanasi, then North east to the Himalayan region of Sikkim. It's always good to keep an open mind!

So one month later I met up with Shiva in Pushkar. Everywhere I went I was offered food and chai. I was introduced to Shiva's entire family, and shown around the families farm. All his friends and relatives were incredibly welcoming. The hospitalty shown towards me was very heart warming. Life has been very tough for the farmers in Rajasthan for a few years now, like many farmers the world over. One of my favourite meals was a few varities of of chapati, a dahl (all prepared over an open flame in a mud hut come kitchen), and some deliciuos, rich buffalo curd which was fresh that evening. I was served first and made to eat twice as much as anyone else. Even though times are financially difficult and very frustrating for Shiva's family, I was amazed by their generosity and happiness. Food has never tasted so good as when it has come from someone who cannot afford to share it. This is one meal I will always remember.

This is not so much a story about the wedding, that is another one entirely, but more about friendship and generosity. Shiva just wanted to share with me, a complete stranger, some of his culture, to have a new friend. Our friends are one of the most important gifts we have in this life.

A Day on the Train, Mumbai

It begins early with the chai and coffee "wallahs" that parade up and down with their fresh brews and their own unique way of yelling out their goods. I mean, does anyone really feel like a chai at 4am, apparently so! These guys are closely followed by the food vendors with fresh samosas, vadas (a lentil pattie), fried veg cutlets or some other tasty morsel. Sometimes you are lucky enough to be sitting with a family, and when it's lunch time, everyone eats, including you. It is normally a chappati based meal with rice, a dhal and a potato curry style dish. Most of the time it comes from a family who speaks very little english, but they are only too eager to share with you their family meal. Sometimes your swamped by a carriage of small children, who after a few minutes of shyness, are climbing all over you, laughing and smiling.

When you travel in the unreserved third class, you may have to stand for quite some time before getting a seat. That could be in the aisle, next to the toilet, or hanging out of the open door. Those without tickets sit on the roof, not recommended! Even though you may not have a seat, theres still plenty of smiles and conversation on offer. A friend and I decided to catch a peak hour passenger train in Mumbai(Bombay), with our backpacks! That turned out to be one of the hardest workouts of my life. I'm not the smallest guy in India by any stretch of the imagination, but there were times when I was convinced my feet weren't touching the ground. Quite a few people were surprised that we were attempting that in peak hour, a few even asked, " What the hell are you doing here?" Even under the immense crush, there was still more conversation, plenty of smiles, and even a few lifes, as well as a few pickpockets!

If you can manage to excuse yourself from a conversation, you find yourself staring at the mesmerizing scenery. The south is a vivid green, splattered with hundreds of coconut palms, rice paddies and glistening rivers. The north is a vast desert, with wild rock formations, towns popping up like an oasis and camels shading themselves under sparse vegetation. Sometimes you pass through tiny villages, close enough to the living room of a family house that you can see what's on television. On the toy train from Darjeeling, we passed by a guy bathing himself on his front step, close enough that you could have taken his soap from him! No place to be shy in India!

Travel around India can sometimes be a painfully slow experience, but the train system is a huge network that provides so much fun and beauty. It is such a huge part of the Indian experience.