Well, it looks like I'm gonna be in Pushkar for longer than expected.... :)

I was having a chat with Dieter, the guy who's currently running the "Joshua project" school for street kids next to my guesthouse, and he said that seeing as a few people are leaving, I'm welcome to join in and help for the last 2 weeks before he heads back to Belgium and the project closes for 2 months. So, at first I wasn't sure, I mean 2 weeks is a long time when I have only 5 weeks left in India...But then I thought: how selfish am I that I can't spare 2 measly weeks that I probably would have just wasted getting wasted anyway? So I accepted his offer, and today was my first day working with these kids. They really are a great bunch! Very hyperactive, but soo friendly and fun... It's very tiring tho, as the school day is from about 1:30pm to 5pm, which is the hottest part of the day. I spent about 2 hours playing football on the dusty pitch today and the soles of my feet are burnt raw! :o It's really nice to be able to get to know these kids, as you normally only really experience them as a nuicance; they spend the rest of their time when not in school hassling tourists for money....

I've got a bloody horrible sore throat at the moment, which sucks. Cant complain tho I suppose... ;)

I had a rather bizzare experience yesterday trying to "score" some beer....: Pushkar is a holy town, so meat, eggs, and alcohol are all banned. However, a black market does exist for those with the right connections....! We heard from a guy who knew a guy that one particular restaurant might be able to sort us out with a couple of cold ones, disguising them as non-alcohlic Becks.... So we went to this restaurant, and whilst ordering some food, i whispered from the corner of my mouth, "mate, can you sort us out with some beer?". he looked around furtively to make sure no-one was watching, and then gave me a knowing nod, and walked away. He came back a minute later and said "one bottle 100 rupees". Now this is twice the normal price, but were talking a controlled substance here, so we agreed, and asked for 3. he went off to use the phone, and when he came back he told us apologetically that his contact had let him down, and the last bottle had just been sold. "You wan't cannabis lassi instead?" He asked us loudly and openly! On further inspection I found that cannabis lassi is actually on the menu!! So here we are in a restaurant that serves cannabis openly, trying to score a bottle of beer like a bunch of junkies! It was a surreal moment to say the least....

A freind of mine told me a similar story about a hotel owner he'd met coming back from the nearby town of Ajmer. he asked the hotel owner about buying beer, and the hotel owner pointed to his bag and winked. "You've just bought beer in Ajmer?" enquired my friend, excited to have been brought into this secret smuggling operation... "No, chicken!" replied the man.... Smuggling chicken!!!!! Whatever next.... :)

I went for a bike ride this morning. I didn't know where I was going, I just peddled off into nowhere to see what i could find. After about 5 miles, having only found a dead goat, I turned around and headed back.... On the way back, I had to pass a school, and when the students saw me approaching, they swarmed out into the road, creating a human roadblock and signally me to stop. Not having a great deal of choice in the matter, I stopped and said hello. The eldest kid became the spokesperson and asked me a few of the usual questions: "where u from, what your name" etc.... Meanwhile, the 70 strong crowd of kids around me became restless, as started trying to dismantle my already decrepid bike! They tryed lifting the back wheel off the ground with me still on it, and succeeded in bending the mudguard such that it stopped the back wheel from turning, ruining my attempt at escape! Eventually i manged to free the back wheel, and started peddeling, straining against the combined power of about 7 kids still holding onto my bike.... after I built up enough speed they had to let go and just ran along behing me until I outpaced them..... :) It was narrow escape, I can tell you.... ;)

I've just finished reading a book called "India: A Wounded Civilization" by V.S.Naipul. It's been a very enlightening, if somewhat depressing experience. He talks about how the hindu culture has stunted indias growth, and I have to say that now I understand the Hindu system and it's various interpretation throughout the years, I'm inclined to agree with him. For example: The Hindu system is based on caste, and your caste is dependent on how you behaved in your previous life. So, if you are a shit sweeper now, it is becasue you fucked up (pardon my frence) your duty in your previous life. The best thing to do then, is to dutifully perform your role as shit sweeper in the hope that in your next life you might get promoted to a higher caste, like maybe a road sweeper! Likewise, the people who are born into a higher caste, with all the advantages it has to offer, need not feel guilty that ppl around them suffer, because they deserve to be who they are, as they obviously perfomed very well in their previous life. I think you can see where this is going... Basically, this idea of karma and Caste not only excuses peoples complete indifference to the suffering of others, it also leads those who are suffering to believe that it's their own fault, and the only way out of it is to put up with it and wait to die! I think India has progressed slightly since then, but the country is still completely emotionally dependant on this way of thinking. It is their survival mechanism for dealing with the unbelievable poverty and injustice of India, but at the same time it is the destructive force that creates it in the first place. Pretty fucked up huh? Anyway, just thought I'd share that with you, if you wanna know more, go read the book! :)

Ok, I'm gonna go now, but before I do, can i just say what a pleasure it is to be writing this for such a distinguished and lovable audience.... LOL :) By the way, George Dubbya, if your reading this: Shoot yourself!!!!!!!! You know it's the only humane thing to do!

well, it's been a long time since my last post and I apologise, but so much has happened I really dont know what to write first! I guess I'll start at the beginning. So: Jaipur was horrible. I really started feeling like I didn't like India anymore, because everytime I left the guesthouse I found myself desperately wanting to get back again! As soon as I hit the street I was beseiged by rickshaw wallahs, street kids etc, and they just didn't give up...also it was damn hot and very crowded. I also got the feeling that i couldn't trust anyone, even if they were being really friendly, because everyone seemed out to pull a scam of some kind! I had one great experience when I went to get a pedlo rickshaw (an old syle rickshaw with a guy cycling it). I asked the guy sat on the rickshaw how much too the minaret? We agreed on 10 rupees....then he got off the rickshaw, and this old man came out from behind the moto stand.....He must have been at least 75 years old, and was quite clearly drunk and stoned! He climbed on the rickshaw, which I was already sat it, giggling to himself... I turned to the other drivers, and asked "Is he drunk and stoned?!", to which they all giggled profusely..... Then it was too late, he had already started turning and riding us directly into the oncoming traffic! He put his arm out to indicate to the traffic that he was planning on cutting them all of as he trundled across to the correct side of the road...Cars flew by us, missing by a whisker, horns blaring and fists shaking....... We made it to the correct side of the road, still alive, barely. The my poor driver started struggling as we hit a slight incline, making me feel very guilty. I wanted to offer to cycle while he sat on the back, but then what's the point in taking a rickshaw?? Eventually he got me there, refusing to stop 200 metres before as I asked, and insisting on taking me all the way there, still giggling....

I saw one of the other drivers a couple of days later and asked him if my driver had been high. "Yes baba, I give him joint and he drinking, him very high" he told me, grinning from ear to ear.... Well, I'm still alive, so I guess I can put it down as a good experience! :)

So, after a few days in Jaipur I was feeling very sick of India, so i jumped on a bus to Pushkar in the hope it would be better. And it IS!!!! :) It's awesome here! It's just a small town, in the middle of the desert, but it's very holy. It surrounds a lake, and has mountains around it, with samll temples at the top. I can see one of these mountain temples from my bedroom window. When I arrived in Ajmer (the nearest local town), I was befriended by and Indian guy. The first thing i noticed about him was that his teeth seemed to be trying, quite successfully, to escape from his mouth. The second thing i noticed was that he had an honest face and a friendly smile, so when he told me he had a guesthouse and showed me photos of it, I decided to follow him. Normally when ppl try to take me to their guesthouse in this manner, I deliberately avoid them like the plague, but this guy, Monti, seemed so honest that i couldn't refuse.

I arrived and immediately liked the place! It's so quiet and peaceful. Next door to me there is a group of europeans running something called the "Joshus Project". It's basically a school for street kids where they get to learn some stuff, eat a bit of food, and play. It's such a nice project! I would have like to have joined, but it's closing in about 12 days, and they already have all the help they need.... maybe some other time....

Last night I went on a Camel safari into the desert with Pablo and Haduwich, 2 belgians that have been working on the Project. It was really good fun. Riding a camel is pretty damn uncomfirtable though, let me tell you! I'm afraid I may never be able to have children after the pounding my testicles took on that ride...... We slept out in the open with the stars as out roof, and woke with the dawn. magic! :)

There was a crazy festival here the other night also. There was this big procession through the main street, with hundreds of light bulbs, and one very bizzare mechanical statue of a monket god who opens up his own chest revealing a red light bulb inside (his heart?) whilst opening and closing his mouth! There is also very loud and seeminly tuneless music blaring from speakers all over the place. Amazingly, this cacophony of noise is coming from a brass band, led by a guy with one of those tiny casio keyboards which he holds in one hand and plays with the other! As Obelix would say, "these Indians are crazy!".....

So, we're at war. Poo on you Mr Bush! It makes me sick the way this war is being covered by the media like a goddamn American Footbal game!! The fact of the matter is this: Innocent people are getting injured and killed. Until someone gives me a good reason to justify this, I still say this war is a sham. Sick sick sick.

Anyway, just thought I'd let you all know that I'm enjoying Pushkar, although it's getting too hot now..... Move to the moutains soon.... :)

seeya! :)

Wow, what a journey! It all started 2 days ago......

Me and mitsuru got the bus to Ajanta to see the caves there.... or at least we tried to.... when the conductor came to give us tickets and we said "Ajanta", he just said, "No, Silom", and we said "ummm, no, Ajanta please", and he said "No, silom"... I tried asking him what he was going on about, but he didn't speak english, and all the while the bus is driving steadily towards ...ummm...somewhere.... So I shouted at the rest of the bus "Hello! Does anyone speak english??".. Luckily a woman came and helped translate, and told us that despite what at least 3 ppl had told us at the bus stand, this was not the Ajanta bus, but it would take us about half way, and we could catch another bus from there.......

So anyway, we got there in the end, and the caves were once again pretty mindblowing! Although to be honest my biggest thrill was just singing in them and listening to how cool my voice sounded!! :)

So then we went to Jalgaon to saty the night before getting trains the next day. The Hotel we stayed in was amazing!! It was like...well.... a Hotel! With clean white walls and stuff! And the manager was extremely helpful. he kept treating us like we were guests at the Hilton or something! :) We even had a TV!

Then we went to eat and he told us that he had a restaurant next door, and that although it looked expensive, it was really very reasonable... So we went out to find it, but the only place we could see was this REALLY posh place with a doorman and everything that quite clearly costed an arm and a leg and 4 fingers, so we went back and asked him to show us where it was. Well, it turns out this IS the place! So we go in and sit down at the glass table in the immaculate air conditioned dining room, and when the menu comes we are pleasantly relieved to find it is not going to cost a weeks budget at all, and it is as he said, very resonable. The food was pretty good too! So afterwards we go to bed, and I cant help but notice that the beathroom and part of the room have no roof, just a metal grid seperating us from the great outdoors. I kil about 5 mosquitos, and think hey, it'll be ok, and go to bed. I get up at 5am, say goodbye to Mitseru, and head for the train station. Once on the train, i notice what looks like a rash on my shoulder.... I pull my shirt back and realise that this "rash" speads over most of my arms, shoulders, back, chest..... in fact all of the parts of my body that were outside my sleeping bag...... It really does look like I have the measles!!! But it doesn't itch, so I think nothing of it.....

About 6 hours later, some of the bites start to itch, then more, then even more, until I am a living itch, all my senses obscured by one overwhelming sensation of itchiness..... I have now had a look at myself in the mirror, and I have to say that it is morbidly fascinating! I tried to count them, but lost count at about 87..... No amount of Mopiko can combat a mozzie attack of this scale. I think a bath of calomine lotion might help for a while..... Anyway, on with the story....

So, My first train takes me to Kandwar, where I have to change. My helpful hotel manager has infomed me that I will be given a free retiring room there in which to spend the 7 hour wait before my connecting train to Jaipur, but when I arrive the station master just laughs at my request for a free bed and tells me it's 100 rupees or nothing! So by now i'm so tired i can barely keep my eyes open, but I'm determined not to spend 100 rupees for a few hours sleep, so i head off into Kandwar. Now this is the first time so far i've been in a place that is not mentioned in my Lonely planet guide, and I soon realise how much I rely on that wonderful book! No map, no suggestions of where to eat.... I end up in a roadside cafe sharing my table with a large group of flies who keep rudely trying to taste my coke.... I discuss cricket with the owner for a while, pretending to know what i am talking about with the few pieces of information I have picked up from Paul (cricket is turning out to be a very useful conversation starter!), and eventually it's no good, I simply have to close my eyes, so i head back to the station, pick my way between the 100's of bodies sprwled all over the platform, and try to find the least dirty piece of floor with the least globs on phlegm on which to lie....

Eventually i find a spot and lie down, much to the amusement of the locals, who gather round to stare at me. I am of course the only foreigner in the entire town, and I start to suspect that i may be the only foreigner EVER to have been to this town.... or village, or outpost or whatever you want to call it......

After a few hours, a man comes up and aks me why i'm lying on the floor outside instead of in the first class waiting room with the fans and the chairs and the clean floor. I don't have an answer for this, except to thank him shyly and find my way to the waiting room, which is completely empty! I sit in here a while and then get on my train....

On the train I have a very long and interesting talk with an 18 year old Indian student, who want's to find out how I feel about the "problem" of muslims trying to dominate other religions and cultures... he is a Hindu, and as well as vehemently hating the Pakistanis, he also hates the Indian Muslims in india. Or at least he thinks he does. After about an hour we both agree that the only way there is ever going to be a solution to these conflicts is through better understanding between cultures. He tells me that even though he is very proud to be a Hindu, he feels that the only way the world can really live together peacefully is if everyone becomes christian.... Why?? I ask..... because that's what England and America and Australia have, and they don't fight, he tells me! This I find quite hilarious! I try to explain to him that Britain is about as Christian as he is Muslim, and that if he really wants to use these western countries as role model, then he shouldn't be talking about christianity as a slution, but instead a kind of secular godlessness based on earning as much cash as possible and experimenting with psychotropic substances.... When i tell him that churches in england are empty bar a few OAP's he stares at me in disbelief. So anyway, all in all a pretty interesting discussion that i think we both learned from...another victory for peace!

So, 36 hours after leaving Jalgaon, i finally arrive in Jaipur, and here I am. I'm bloody hungry, and I've already been on here far too long, so I'm gonna sign off now.....until next time.... :)

ok, the Pune days of unlimited internet and a laptop are over. back the old net cafes.....
Well, I have so much to tell i dont know where to start, so i guess I'll start from the beginning.....

I left Pune once again with the shits! Why?! Why does it only hit me when I have a long bus ride?? Anyway, I survived the bus ride and got to Aurangabd, which is where I am now. After I arrived, I was feeling very sorry for myself cos I felt shit and for the first time since flying out here I was alone again.... I almost decided to just go to bed (it was about noon) but then kicked myself into gear and set off to see the Ellora caves. As soon as I left the guesthouse I was put in a good mood, as almost everyone under the age of 20 stopped to shake my hand and say hello! So I reached the bus stop, and got on a bus, and made friends with the only other foreigner on the bus (in fact the only other foreigner I'd seen at all!) who was japanese guy called mitserui. So, Once again I was only alone for about 20 mins!!

We wen't to the Ellora cave temples, and my god, they are out of this world. Imagine something the size of St Pauls Cathedral, but carved out of the side of a cliff, from one single piece of rock, with the most ornate carving ever.... It took 7000 monks 150 years to build just one temple, and there's about 30 of them. Go figure....!!! And this main temple was built all in honour of Shiva's dick! I kid you not!! In the main internal room of the temple is a big phallic thing which represents shiva's knob, and ppl come for mile just to give it a rub! It's a funny old world.... I took photos. but I dont think they really do it any justice....
So then me and my new found friend, after having to pose with numerous indian tourists for photos (this happens a lot!), went back to Auranagabad to get dinner. At the restaurant we met The german ozzie guy travelling with his daughter who i met In Panji in goa! It's a small world.....

So, today was the hindu festival of Holi. I was warned not to go out before 12 noon, cos all the indians have been up all night drinking, and they canm get a bit rowdy, so at abt 12, I put on my worst clothes and headed out with mitserui. Everone that passed us was covered in brightly coloured paint! It was crazy. Pretty soon a group of guys came over and started covering our faces in paint, and soon after we were pulled into a dancing throng in front of a shop and not allowed to leave until we had danced to at least 10 hindi songs, all the while getting more and more covered in paint! Of course I had to get on equal terms with these guys, so i went and bought myself a bag of paint powder and covered veryone I saw with a beautiful blue! :) After dancing a while, getting covered in even more colours, and shaking hands with everyone prtesent at least 20 times, we managed to escape by promising that we would be back in a mo..... Back at the guest house, we took some photos and later went to wash. This is when i discovered that the pink paint stains your skin and wont wash out! So now i look like I have a bad case of Sunburn, if a very patchy one......

Anyway, it was the most fun I've had in ages, and ppl who say you should stay indoors and lock your doors during holi should be locked up permanently! Boring buggers! :)

Anyway, I better go, misterui is waiting for me.....

laters... :)

well well well,

before I begin, I'd like you to go and see this little movie clip I've finally uploaded. It's of this couple of boys, one with a monkey mask on (falling off!) his face, and they're trying to get money out of me by performing some bizzare little song. It's something to do with that Shiva festival I went to and was filmed at Kudle beach next to Gokarna. Download it here

We went to the osho party last night. It was ok, but nothing special... It was actually quite cold in the early hours of the morning! I was huddled round a fire trying to get warm! Who would have thought it!? :) Anyway, the music was the typical trance that seems to be the only music they play at parties here, but I had a good dance anyway (for abt 15 mins!). Paul has gone off to the airport now to catch his flight to Sydney, and I'm off in the morning... Travelling alone again!!! It'll be the first time I've been travelling alone since the 3 hours I spent alone between saying goodbye to Marc and Telly and meeting Danell! Lets see how long this one lasts.... People always say to me "it must be lonely travelling alone no?", but the reality is that you very rarely stay alone for more than a couple of days maximum before you meet some people, so you're never lonely!

I went for a walk around Paul's house yesterday evening, and I met the guy from the other day who works in the ice factory! I passed him in the busy street and thought "huh? he looked familiar!", and when I turned back he was also turning, and he smiled and said "Billy!". He remembered my name! I can't rememeber his tho... oops! Then he came over and I gave him my hand to shake, which he did, but then didn't give me it back! He held on to my hand for the whole 5 mins we were chatting, and at first I was a bit uneasy, cos I felt like he was trying to stop me from leaving, but afterwards I realised that this is totally normal in India. In fact, I've seen guys sitting together chatting who are almost "fondling" each other's hands for want of a better word, like a couple being lovey dovey! Playing with one another's fingers etc. It's totally normal here for men to hold hands with one another while walking, or play with one another's hands while talking! When I told this to Danel a few weeks ago he refused to believe me at first, instead choosing to believe that there are just a lot of gay men in India!

So anyway, he told me that he was working at the moment just down the road outside the market selling blocks of ice of the back of a cart, so i went along with him to have a look. After saying goodbye I went for a wander through the market and took in the sights sounds and smells (oh the smells!) of asia. After wandering the hectic street for a while and narrowly avoiding being run over on more than one occasion, I suddenly stumbled across a big glass door to somewhere called the "pyramid shopping centre", so i wandered in... Reverse culture shock again! It was like being in singapore again! 4 floors of designer labels, digital cameras, deli counters, delicatessants etc! And lots of rich indians wandering around looking at items of clothing that cost more than the average indian earns in a month... So I went and bought a box of chocolates for Paul's parents as a thankyou gift, and then ran for the door! Back in the comforting grime of the street I wandered home.

Paul was telling me the other day that all Pakistanis are evil and that we should blow up the entire country. I asked him if he'd met them all personally, and he said he'd met enough. I said I thought that it was a pretty racist staement and he was very shocked. "It's not racist, it's a fact!!" he told me, "You wouldn't understand unless you're indian..". While i still maintain that most Pakistanis are just normal friendly people trying to live their lives, I started to get some idea of why he feels this way after a phone conversation with my girlfriend. She asked me if i'd heard the news about the bomb blast in Bombay. "What bomb blast?" I said, surprised that i hadn't heard about it. It turns out that 11 ppl were killed and about 70 injured on thurs when a bomb exploded in a crowded train carriage in Bombay station. When I told Paul about it, he was like "oh". Completely indifferent! "This is India Billy!" he said, "This happens all the time!". When I read the newspaper to find out more, it turns out it was the work of, ummmm, no one's quite sure, but definitely one of the many militant islamic groups fighting for Kashmir..... So I can sort of see how this kind of blind hatred for another nation and it's population comes about. After a while it's no longer a case of logical reasoning, it's just a case of raw emotion. The same is true of the Israeli's. Although the Israeli's i know were able to admit that not all palestinians are itching to strap on some C4 and blow themsleves up for the "cause", with every bomb that does go off, that ability becomes less and less, until all that's left is just the raw emotions of loss and hatred.

It's crazy hearing the stories told by Israelis. Every time a banger goes off you can literally see all the Israeli's jump and then cringe. In Jerusalem and Telaviv, where most of them live, everyone has somehow been affected by a bombing, and most have had a near miss. All have heard bombs go off more than once, and the sound of a bang in the distance automatically triggers a nervous response. I'm not going to comment on the political rights and wrongs of this conflict, beacause i don't know enough about it, and it just goes back so far, but i will say that for ordinary Israeli's and Palestinians, with every bomb that goes off and every building that is bulldozed, a little more of that ability to think rationally slips out of the window, and the irrational power of hate gets an even stronger foothold. I find it hard to see how a downward spiral like that can ever be reversed, but I sure as hell hope it can.....

well, on that happy note i think I'll take my leave... :) Happy Holi everyone!

welcome to the machine.

ho hum. where to begin? Paul was telling me something interesting the other day about the Parsis. Parsis are one of the many religious groups in india, and one of their beliefs is that nothing should be wasted, so when they die, rather than creating or burying their bodies, they hang them up in a designated area and let the vultures eat them! cool huh! Unfortunately the public aren't allowed to go and watch.... Personally I think they're missing out on an excellent money making opportunity. If it was up to me I'd construct a big viewing tower and rent out binoculars to tourists.. :) Paul's mum was also telling me that in Bombay the Parsi poulation is quickly outgrowing the vulture population, meaning the vultures aren't able to finish off all the bodies! Given that half the population of India are in a state of perpetual hunger, I would of thought the solution should be obvious.... waste not want not! :)

Today me and Paul went on the "Pune Darshan", which basically means "Pune Tour" but with slightly more holy connotations. We got on the bus at 9am and it finished at 5pm. To be honest, I didn't really see anything very interesting! But it was a fun day anyway. I didn't bother to go into a few of the "attractions", cos the price for foreigners is just silly! For example, at the first fort, Paul paid 5 Rupees, while I was expected to pay 100! Then at the museum Paul paid 12 Rupees while i paid 150.... and I'm the unemployed one here!! It was funny being on a bus tour. It felt like I was on a school trip! This effect was enhanced by the fact that the tour guide would give a sever telling off to anyone who returned to the bus even 5 mins late! Oh, and I was the only non-indian on the bus by the way. All the commentary was in Hindi!

We're going to a big trance party at a farm tomorrow. Should be good. It's all trance here! boom boom boom boom.... and all the DJ's play CD's of MP3's that they download of the net!! How unproffesional! hehe. I'm a vinyl snob and proud of it!

I've actually started getting interested in Cricket since being here! Can you believe it! But it's hard not to, everyone is simply obsessed with it, and it IS the world cup after all.... :)

I went for a walk in Pune yesterday and got quite lost. I started off in Buffalo street, which is so named because, yep, you guessed it, it's full of bloody buffalo! The first thing I noticed was that there was loads of rather enormous shits on the road, and then I passed a small side road that has scores of buffalo down it! Apparantly that's just where they keep them, right in the middle of town! If you've never seen a buffalo up close, let me tell you, they are BIG! About twice the size of a cow. And they just wander around on the road as if they own it, which I suppose they do...
After a while I found a park to sit in and read my new book I bought. I chose myself a nice spot in the shade and sat down. After about 30 seconds a man came over and sat next to me and started chatting. He was in his late 30's and had the obligatory uniform of the indian working class man: ironed shirt, ironed trousers, 50 year old flip-flops (slippers). He told me he worked in the ice factory, although he wouldn't explain to me how they make ice despite my genuine interest. All I managed to discover is that apparantly they don't just stick troughs of water in a giant freezer. I need to know now!! We chatted about England and india for a while, and then he wen't to join all the other indian men sleeping on the floor in the shade. That's one thing you see all the time in asia, people sleeping all over the place during the day. I guess if you've got no job and no money, and it's bloody hot, sleeping is probably the best option available. I know sleeping is one of my favourite pastimes... :)

In case you didn't know, Pune is home the the Ashram of Osho the Bagwan, where westerners comes in thir 100's to attain spritual enligtenment through shagging, swimming, saunas and sensual massage. Sounds good to me! In order to enter the ashram, you have to get an HIV test (and pay a wad of cash)! Osho moved his ashram to the states a while back, but was kicked out after the authorities got a bit freaked out by his cultish spiritual shag fest ideas... Anyway, Pune is full of these white folks in white robes spreading their spiritual seed to the needy and greedy...

Right, that's a damn long blog entry if I might say so myself! I hope your all enjoying my ramblings! I say "all", when in fact i only know of about 3 ppl who are actually reading this... If there's more, please raise your hands! :)

adios amigos!

hello again,

well, I've just spent hours resizing my photos using microsoft Paint, and now it wont let me upload half of them, and now my connections gone cos Paul's using the phone! Grrr. Ok, nevermind, I'll try again in a bit. anyway, the photos are at:

http://photos.yahoo.com/billymation

so, yesterday i went to a pub with Paul called "10 Downing St"! Unfortunately Tony wasn't there so I couldn't spill my pint on him...
It was quite strange really. I felt like i was having what I have decided to call "reverse surrealist culture shock". You see, I have spent the last month being in "India", and then last night I was in an English Pub, but full of well to do Indians (of which I have so far seen virtually none) spending more on drinks in one evening than I have been spending in a whole day on everything! Even tho beer was still cheap by uk standards, it seemed so expensive to me! however, after a few, this soon subsided....

Right, I've got to get up, so bye bye!

Well, it's official, I have finally left the beach! I am in Pune now at my friend Paul's house. I left Anjuna last night after saying goodbye to Danel and Huan. It really feels like the end of an era, as i've been travelling with Danel now for a month! It's amazing how fast you get to know someone when you travel with them. You spend almost every minute of the day with them and even share a bed! Anyway, Danel, you've been a great travelling companion, cheers! Maybe see you in Rajastan..... And Huan, see you in Chile!

So, I got the "sleeper" bus last night at 7:30 pm. At about noon I had started getting diorreah, which incidentally I can't spell, and I had to take some immodium, as the thought of having to piss thru my ass for 12 hours on a bus that stops once every 3 hours was not an appealing prospect... Anyway, the dam held until I got here....

When I arrived, i stupidly fell for a taxi driver's scam which I had already seen in Goa: I had just woken up and I saw that we were in Pune. Then the bus stopped and someone started walking up and down the bus shouting "Pune! Last stop! Pune! last Stop!"... So I got up and got off the bus, which promptly drove off, leaving me in the middle of nowhere..... Then I remembered that this was what the rickshaw drivers do: they get on the bus when it stops and start shouting last stop in order to make you get off and then try to offer you a rickshaw to get to wherever it is you wanted to go in the first place... bastards. So then I try to find a phone, and the drivers all follow me, refusing to take no for an answer... i eventually find a phone, and call Paul on his mobile. I tell him what happened and he asks where I am. I haven't got a clue, so i ask the group of drivers that still surrounds me... "Cartharage Bypass" says one of the men, and so he takes the phone and starts giving Paul directions. So, I go and wait by the roadside, and the rickshaw drivers continue to try and hustle me.....

After about 10 mins, a guy comes up to me and says "this one not cartharage bypass baba, this man he a cheater, i am no cheater, I am walking man, no cheat you". So it turns out this guy had deliberately given paul wrong info in the hope that eventually i would give up and take a rickshaw! Luckily, my new "walking man" offered to give paul new directions, and so eventually paul found me. So now I'm at Paul's house, nursing my rather sore stomach... In fact, I think I need to go the the toilet again..... wish me luck! :)

hello again!

well, the party is over finally! It started at about 10pm sat night and ended 10pm sunday night! I'm very tired..... Heading to Pune tonight to see paul. 12 hours on the bus again... :( i'll tell u more abt the party etc later......

I left Om Beach! Wow... on a spur of the moment descision we just packed and left this morning to come up to anjuna to try and catch one party before we go seperate directions... I'm gonna head to Pune either tommorow or the next day..... :) I spoke to Paul and he's in Pune now..... I forgot his birthday tho! Sorry mate! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL!

We got the train today from gokarna to Margau. and we arrived at the station just as the train was pulling out! we tried to run for it, but the guy shouted 'ticket!" and waved us towards the ticket office... we ran to the window and tried to shove the money at him, but the train was pulling away quicker, and we decided to just run and jump on, which we did! I nearly dropped my bag off the edge of the train! Then we wondered what we were gonna tell the conductor, but for 2 hours, no conducter came, so in the end we travelled for free! To be honest we all felt a bit guilty at having cheated them out of 20 rupees! It was an accident! honest! :)

We shared a taxi here with 2 american girls and an english guy... Funnily enough i'd actually seen these 2 girls a couple of days before walking on the beach and overheard them arguing about who was more interesting, the English or the Ozzies!

(american accent) "Oh my gahhhd! but the english are just soooo funnny ya know? They're like...so interesting!"....................
"yeah, but the Ozzies just have something ya know?"....................

I pretended to read my book and listened to their praise secretly, an undercover hippy hard at work......
I told the girls this, and they said something or other very loudly, I forget now..... Americans... Tsk! ;)

Ok, i'm gonna go and find a party now! First gonna see the night market......... Hope all is well with you all! :)

Hey all,

well, things have been pretty interesting here lately! Last night I went swimming in the sea in the dark and there was that phosphorescence like in the movie "the beach"! It's the most amazing thing! It looks like there are sparks streaming from your body as you move in the water. To anyone watching it, it looks like you're an angel with a glowing aura around you! So cool! Also, they've been filming an indian movie on my beach for the last few days. It's called "An Ode to Lost Love"..... pretty original huh? It's very bizzare because it's movie about a movie being made, so we're wathing them make a movie about making a movie! And to top it off, i'm filming them, so i'm making a movie about people making a movie about making a movie! :) They've got tracks for the camera trolleys and everything. It's very odd trying to figure out who's a member of the crew, and who's an actor playing a member of the fictional crew, and if some of them are actually doing both to save costs! Yesterday I saw them film a shot in which the make-up man comes and powders the face of the lead actor (played by...the lead actor). Of course before he comes on the real make up man has to do HIS make-up! It's all very confusing....

I'm trying to leave this beach now and head up to Pune... Today is the day when i organise everything..... later..........
It's damn hot here!

by the way, go sign this petition: http://www.moveon.org/emergency/ and mum, can you sign it for me too please? :) The connection here is just too slow! I've been on over half an hour and only read one mail!

wow, this place is crazy! :) I've just been throwing bananas at children in a giant chariot being pulled down the street by all the townsfolk..... It's the festival of Siva something or other, and they have these enormous chariots, about the height of a 7 storey building, with a big cone shaped roof like you get on a mosk (spelling?? help me out ahmad..) but made out of coloured paper flags or something. Then there's guys everywhere selling bananas, and the idea is to throw the banana as high into the roof of the chariot as possible..... or to hit a small child in the face... whichever you prefer. The town is packed full of ppl today, and the atmosphere is really something.

I slept in our new room last night and soo wished I'd slept on the beach again.... As soon as I went to bed, this spoilt little german toddler next door started crying and continued to wail all night. I could have strangled the little shit.... :) So tonight it's back to the beach I rekon. :)

ok, that's all for now...... seeya!

I'm in Gokarna at the moment, which is in Karnataka, so I have finally left Goa. I like it a lot! It's a mad little place. It's considered very holy by the hindus. It's packed full of indians at the mo cos its some festival. We arrived last night only to find that ALL the rooms in gokarna were fully booked!! So we got the last boat to Om Beach just as the sun was setting, and went to namaste cafe (the only guesthouse), but they were also fully booked! Then they said "hang on..." and took us round the back to a shed and said "here, have this..."! No lights, no beds, just a mud hut with a mud floor covered in ants. We were just like mary and joseph in the nativity!.... except Danell's not pregnant, just constipated.... ;) So anyway, in the end we slept on the beach, and it looks like we'll be doing the same tonight, cos everythings still booked, even on om beach! I wish I had a hammmock. Most ppl have hammocks and just sleep outside between two trees.... When we went to choose a spot on the beach, it was pitch black, and we couldn't figure out where the tide came up to or whether it was going in or out. The beach isn't very wide, so the sea came almost up to the edge of the sand..... In the end we decided to risk it and camped on a tongue of sand that stuck out into the bay. When I woke up this morning I realised that we had waves coming towards up from both dierections! Luckily for us the tide was going out all night...... :)

Gokarna is very cool. It feels like "proper" india. Just very different from anywhere else I've been yet. It's quite funny being surrounded by hundreds of tourists but them all being indian. Most of the hawkers here don't bother me at all, because everything they want to sell is aimed at the indian tourists: plastic wind up dogs that spin on the spot, multicoloured powders, slippers (which i just bought...) and so on..... :)

Om beach is pretty nice. It's mainly Israelis and British ppl smoking lots of Chillums and lying around doing nothing at all... It would be nice to have a room or a hammock tho. Sleeping on the sand is all very well, but it's a bit lame when you go to wipe your mouth in the night and realise your hand's covered in sand, and that come to think of it, so is your mouth..... But it was amazing to wake up and watch the sunrise..... :)