Last days on Indian soil

-It has been 3 weeks since I'm back in Europe, never having finished my last post properly, so here it is, sorry for the wait-

I didn't stay long in Delhi as I wanted to get to Jodhpur, in search of a rare to find Kamaycha violin. I just had to renew my visa for a few days as I had before miscalculated in booking my flight, overstaying my visa by 5 days.
At the FFRO office, all went swell this time and got my passport stamped within the hour. It is a truly chaotic and over swarmed place, but as me and Maarten had been at the place a few times already, it was less daunting. In relaxed manner I went through all the paperwork, had to wait a bit and talked to 2 immigrant youths from Congo about their life in India, trying to set up a little business . Other westerners (and FFRO first-timers) were not dealing well with adapting to the chaos. At one moment an Israeli guy (no surprise, who else could it be...) started arrogantly screaming to the officials who didn't want to give him what he wanted as he probably lacked paperwork or solid proof for a visa renewal. Yeah, just waste your time with such an attitude and see how you won't get helped.

Now, I don't want this to turn into a bad generalising slur but I need to say that in all our time in India, of all westerners along our trip the Israeli tourists have always been the worst, the most obnoxious and most annoying ones. Thankfully, we also met genuine and openhearted Israeli's like Gil, Roy and several others, but the sad truth is that the majority of Israeli tourists will just haggle hard and harshly for everything and thereby treating the locals like lower life forms. How's that for generic irony?
Really, we've seen it too many times to remain objective on that part and Maarten even once had to intervene in a verbal fight between a clueless Israeli girl and an honestly sincere shopkeeper about some itty-bitty costs.
Because of the abusive attitude of such bad apples, the good Israeli travellers also suffer from this. Nowadays, many Indians are starting to hate Israeli travellers and some guesthouses have already put up signs saying 'No Israeli allowed' as well as that some shops have signs on them explaining in Hebrew script that one should always haggle with respect and dignity. Only time and a hopeful change of attitude can tell how long this will go on.

In the evening I took a bus to Jodhpur for some unfinished business with the Rajasthani folk institute and acquiring a rare kamaycha, the thick stringed violin from the desert surroundings of western Rajasthan. In the Rajasthan institute I met Kuldeep again and had dinner with him and a Ukranian and American project student, who were in Rajasthan for several months now. The next day I wandered about Jodhpur for the last time. Such a nice place, with its busy bazaar and market and streetlife all about, expanding itself. Together with Jaisalmer it is the nicest and most atmosphere filled place in Rajasthan, even for such a big city. Spices, glass bangles, cloth, veggies, fried snacks, old tapes, dusty junk, plastic utensils. Everything there, filling the wooden stalls or spreaded on thick groundcloths, Kabeliya women and teenage girls squating below. All eagerly talkative to get your attention and you just go along with it, to enjoy those last Rajasthani spheres. After all those months in India, you can't be put off anymore by such bustling market action in eye-winkling manner.

In the afternoon back to the institute, seeing the Kamaycha being strung up. I peeked through the immense folk library and picked up a book on Hungarian folk music by Zoltan Kordaly, an authority on music patterns and the history behind it. Interesting read, in which he claims that nearly all gypsy music in Hungary, Romania and surrounding countries has been taken from old Hungarian folk songs. Its melodies remixed by the travellers in their own context. Through comparing patterns he can trace back the gypsy songs to their original Hungarian source and likewise for instrumental compositions. If you have more than an interest in eastern european folk music and/or gypsy music, get your eyes on this book. The Kamaycha was just made ready and I had to run for a rickshaw to get to my train. Only 15 minutes left, oy oy and ushered the rickshaw man to race for it. Made it just on time, the train leaving 3 minutes after, ouff.

Back in scorching Delhi, it was just 2 days and 1 night more for relaxing and buying souvenirs for friends and family home.
That also ment fun like getting stuck in a traffic jam in severe pollution. Or like the bizarre experience of having a few helpfull artist posh boys driving me around in their big mercedes that pumped out the loudest and worst trance tunes while slowly passing streets. That is India; one extreme after the other by the hands of local people who put you into weird situations. Expect the unexpected, that is India's exciting bliss to which one gets addicted to.

I was slowly winding and closing down this 6 month travel. It was a bit weird, having the feeling of leaving India behind and heading back to the West. How would things be there, what was awaiting me, would life become more boring? and so on. Returning from a long travel only gives you feelings of vagueness. At the airport, all was smooth and peacefull in the terminal. Quite different to several months before, when our girlfriends flew back home and the place was utter chaos. I checked all my bags and was told that I had 20kg excess bagage, which would cost me 11000 rupees, ouch! I had no cash on me anymore and my credit card did not want to work in the several times they swiped it. The staff turned a kind eye and let me go with a wink, my baggage unpaid and forgiven. Sometimes it's lucky not to have your credit card working. ;)

Maarten is still traveling about and should now be in Nepal for a few weeks before heading back home, overland or by air?
He has been a quite busy boy and spent two weeks in the jungle somewhere in central India. There he did some filming for a documentary on a Belgian NGO and their doings in everyday life for people in tribal area's. Soon he should post up something about his experiences there and more.

I might write a last post about readjusting to life in the west, comparing it with India and what is (not) missing here.
We will start working on our immensly gathered sounds and visuals when Maarten is back here. I hope to update the blog now and then on what is happening with our material in terms of releases, documentary, collages, presentations, screenings and performances. Who knows what might come from it.
If you want to be regularly updated about our sounds and visuals, please send us an email and we'll add you to some sort of list (see right hand section for our addies)

signing off for now.... (seb)