An Incredible Journey
Part Two

Driving in Navsari is done by a concept called ‘mutual understanding’. This is because in this town of 300,000 (small by Indian standards) there are NO traffic control devices: no traffic lights, no stop signs, and no yield signs. No lane markings or traffic controls. Just an occasional traffic circle. Nothing, nil, natta, bupkus. It is amazing because somehow it works. We never saw an accident in Navsari and no traffic jams.

It’s now day two and we are going to Raju’s office to meet with the city administrator Mr. Suresh and his staff. Ron gave a presentation, comparing Sri Lanka, Portland and Navsari. There were about nine or ten men present and I was the only woman. During the presentation, pistachio ice cream was served around 11:00 a.m. Being a klutz, I managed to drip some on my skirt and the floor. I was sitting near Mr. Suresh who quickly handed me a hand towel to clean my mess. When I leaned down to clean the floor, he insisted that I not clean the floor and called for someone to come into the office to handle it. All this is happening while Ron is trying to talk about local government. When the meeting adjourned we were presented with bouquets of marigolds, roses, and goldenrod. After the meeting Mr. Suresh took us to a housing development that the city is providing for the poor of Navsari. These houses are two small rooms with a toilet in the back. One room is for sleeping and one for cooking. Many of the residents stood by as we went into one of the structures still under construction. We also stopped by the new Olympic sized swimming pool the city built. It is a great facility with a gym up stairs with workout equipment. India, like Sri Lanka, is a modest culture, particularly for women. Yet I saw women in the pool. Piyash turned to me and said, “You won’t see any bikinis here” so I was curious as to what women wore. We stood around long enough for me to see. The bathing suit for women comes down to the knees and it short sleeved. It reminded me of the early bathing suits in America except these were made of Lycra and brightly colored.

Later that day Piyash took me to the mall. The mall in Navsari is quite small by our standards but I was looking for hand block printed blouses and there was a shop in the mall that carried them. They were having a sale so I got 4 blouses for $13! That night we turned in at 11:30 but the family started looking at TV then.

The next morning, Saturday, we were to leave at 6:00 a.m. for a 400-kilometer trip to a famous 2000-year-old temple. We got up, showered and went downstairs soon to discover that we were on Indian time. We left the house at 7:00. Raju had rented a small bus with driver so we could all go in one vehicle. It was Raju’s immediate family, Sangita’s brother and his family, a council member and the two of us. Thirteen in all. Raju had many activities and sites for us to see. Throughout our visit he never let us pay for anything. He said we were not to spend one rupee while with him. He even came to the cyber café where Ron was sending a message to his office in DC and insisted paying Ron’s Internet charges. On this two-day road trip, Raju paid for all our meals and lodging and any other expenses like bottled water, etc. In addition we were always given the best seats in the van or in the restaurants or the best rooms in the hotels. On the first day we saw numerous bullock carts, hillsides that were the color of dried dung and small mud covered houses the same color with straw on the roof to keep it away from the animals.

We saw a bad wreck that looked like it had been a head on collision. No one was around; the cars were left in the road. One windshield was completely gone as many cars have no seat belts or worse, people don’t use them. I would doubt that there are wreckers around in the rural areas because before the weekend was out we saw two more wrecks with no one around yet the vehicles remained in the thoroughfare. After we got gas for the bus we soon needed to find a place to use the restroom, (you all know my tiny bladder). Later we stopped to pray at a shrine/temple of Hanuman, the monkey god.. Next came the botanical gardens, a stop by some waterfalls that had no water, as it is the dry season. Next came a stop at the mountaintop for breakfast. It was noon and we had some great Indian food here. Giant dhosas (pancakes) filled with a fried diced potato, onion and chili mixture. Throughout the trip tapes of wonderful Indian classical music played. Sangita has a beautiful voice and often sang along with the tapes. I had to pinch myself because the day was so perfect in every way. I felt so much a part of the family and felt as though I was experiencing India as it truly is with all its qualities.

We saw women construction workers in their bright beautiful saris, we saw beggars with their rail thin bodies, we saw scenery that you could only see here, such as the under layment of a highway being laid by hand, and bare dirt villages. The day was long and at times hot even with AC. Everyone slept off and on. We stopped for refreshments and saw a marionette show which the kids loved. At 6:00 we arrived at the Temple Trambakeswar, a 2000-year-old Hindu temple. There was a one and a half hour line to get in. We got in line and fairly quickly Ron and I were asked to get out of line as this temple is sacred and for Hindus only. Raju is a deeply religious and intelligent man. He asked for special permission for us to enter the temple. He told us he would pray that his guests from America could see this very special place. While we were waiting to see if we could get in, a man walked up and asked if his family could have their photo taken with Ron and me. He thanked us for coming to his country. Needless to say, we stand out here, particularly in the rural, out of the way places. This happened again the next day at another temple.

Not only were we allowed to enter the temple; we were taken to the front of the line. Two guards attempted to stop us but someone in charge told them to let us enter. The temple is sacred because it has three naturally occurring stones that represent the Brahma, Vishnu and Siva-the creator, the preserver and the destroyer. Another way of saying this is Generator, Operator, and Destroyer – GOD. There was a lot of pushing and shoving to get to this spot. Once there you may remain only a few seconds, as the demand to pray at this spot is so great. Another difference in our cultures, Indians have a much closer sense of personal space and this is most evident in temples in my experience. More about that later. Since we got out before the rest of the family, we went outside and had a fresh squeezed sugar cane juice. While there a young person was staring at us and Ron asked him if he spoke English and the kid said ‘no’ which made us all laugh because he understood the question and responded in English.

Next we drove back to town to wade in the Godavary Panchvaty River. I hope I have the spelling correct because I can’t read my writing. My notes were often taken while riding in the bus. Here we all shed our shoes and went into the river that is known because it will wash away bad karma. Many people were there and it was great fun holding onto each other as we crossed a branch of the river that had been diverted through this town square. Since the river was flowing over concrete, the surfaces were slippery. None of us fell. We were there as the sun set.

We went to one more Hindu temple that has replicas of gods from significant temples throughout India. They were quite colorful and lifelike. We checked into our hotel and went to dinner at 10:30 p.m. Before I came to India I would have never guessed that I could wait to eat that late in the day but I never seemed to have any problems with low blood sugar. More families with small children came in after us. Many restaurants in India, like Sri Lanka do not change the table linens so you are often eating with a soiled placemat or cloth. We went to bed at midnight and were up at 6:15 so we could leave at 7:00. Since most everyone else was staying in one room with several bedrooms but only one bath, we invited the family to come use out bath also. We managed to get away at 8:00. We went to the Sai Baba Temple, another famous Hindu temple. There was a long line with an expected 1.5-hour wait to get inside. The cue was controlled by railings on both sides although you could stand almost three abreast. It was very crowded. We got in line with crying babies, squirrelly teens and adults who liked to ooze ahead of you, just like Sri Lanka. Needless to say our large family group got separated into about three smaller groups due to the cutting in ahead of some folks in the line. There was constant pressure to move ahead and be on guard that more people didn’t cut in front of you. There were overhead TV’s in some parts of the building so you could watch the holy men bless the items devotees were bring to the temple. It was quite hot, even with overhead fans in some areas. It ended up taking almost three hours to get inside the temple.

Once we entered the temple the space for the line narrowed considerably and there was an incredible surge to get up front where the holy men were, what we might call the altar. It’s the area where you pray. I was shoved up against the railing a few times with absolutely no control. Once we were at the ‘altar’ you have 40-60 seconds to say your prayers because of those behind you in line. There were guards who directed worshippers and moved them along. It was noisy as a consequence. Once we got outside we went to collect our shoes. In Thailand, India and SL, you remove your shoes before entering a temple. Someone really liked my shoes and took them. They were nowhere to be found. Raju, being the incredible gentleman that he is, was insistent that I wear his shoes back to the car and for the rest of the day. We had lunch at 5:30. I can’t find any notes for what happened next but I think we just headed for home and arrived at 11:00. Dinner was waiting for us but Ron and I decided we needed sleep more than food so headed to bed.