70,000 camels... REALLY? The kind you can smoke???

Following breakfast, the members of the team followed Bani out the gate, first to be assaulted by the locals selling the very best genuine fake jewelry. After successfully fending off the hookers ( really, that is the local's term for these entrepreneurs) we turned left and suddenly I realized that the lowing of the cattle the previous night had emanated from several head of cattle, right outside our gate.  What I did NOT expect was the blustering and the coughing of the next beasts we saw.

The Nagaur Agricultural Fair is an annual event where "farmers" bring their horses, cows, bulls and yes, of course, their camels for enter of the largest trade shows of its type in the world! I have never seen so many camels, but my guesstimate was roughly 20,000 of these creatures, which appear to have been assembled by a committee.  Everywhere we looked, there were camels and their handlers. There were blackish ones, tan ones, coffee brown ones, tall ones, really tall ones, baby calls, bulls, cows and you name it. There were plain ones and fancy ones with tattoos, there were those who were literally festooned in pompoms and there were ones that had been shaved on their sides leaving rather elaborate and intricate patterns to attract one's eye.  There were even some that one could swear  had mascara and their eye lashes curled!  I am not joking.  This gathering of even-toed ungulates was something straight out of central casting from a Cecil B. deMille extravaganza. We watched as buyers and sellers bartered, or is a better term haggled... The wads of cash were plentiful and the barking taking place, as a price was agreed to, only to change when the actual stack of the 500 rupee notes were counted off, and came up a few short.  We watched as one owner had his camel performing for the crowd. A couple of jockeys galloped their "steeds" up and down the fairways. I was informed that a good buy on an exceptional camel was $20,000 and there would be several such sales.  We wandered through the tents and observed the booths where camel saddles were being sold, as well as bridles and blankets.

I was also informed that during the ten days of this agricultural fair, that between 75,000 and 80,000 camels will be brought, bought and sold. Pretty impressive number!

We moved into the cattle sections and then tried to find the dancing horse! Seriously!

It was time to head back to our tent village located on the periphery of the fair, to have some lunch and then be prepared to board our bus for the next destination - the Golden City of Jaisalmer. 

You have arrived!

Returning to our half-day journey in the van, Linda and I finally realized we were getting close to our destination, as we turned onto a road that led us through literally hundreds if not thousands of cattle. It was difficult to determine, since it was pitch-dark outside, but we saw a sign with a large arrow, pointing us off the road and down a very dusty path and ending at an enclosure "gate" made of  brightly colored fabric. This signaled us that we had, at last, arrived at the tent village where we would stay for the next two nights.  Bani, who works for HiPoints, was there to greet us, as well as the owner of the tent company, who remembered us from the previous year.

Although the rest of the Dream Team had turned in for the night, our bags were taken to our respective tents and we were directed to the "dining" tent for a very late dinner.  Bani had waited to eat with us which was most thoughtful.  Although we ate very little, it felt good to finally reach the team, whom we were sure had some amazing tales to share with us the following morning.

When I arrived at my tent,  I was pleased that the porters had placed a hot-water bottle inside my bed.  Since we were tenting in the desert, it could get very chilly and sleeping in a warm cot was a bonus.  Sleep being the operative word, it was an elusive one at best.  There were lots of strange sounds, kind of like cattle lowing, but also off in the distance, piercing the quiet of the night, were the very strident sounds of a Rajasthany troubadour, wailing his story, not unlike some of the emotional "stories" told in our own country-western music.  One or two songs would have done it for me, but this was not to be... The "singing" continued on, throughout the night, even until the dawning of a new day!

Both Linda and I wandered down to the dining tent and were greeted by other members of our team, who had lots of questions about our experiences from our Saturday.

Bani announced that we would be leaving for a walk-about at the Nagaur Fair, in a short while, and we should get ready for a 9:30 departure.  

Police reports and then some!!!

Have you ever been inside a police station in India? Well, up until the 16th, neither had I.  Following breakfast with the rest of the team on Saturday morning, most of them boarded a bus and departed for the airport to then fly to Jodhpur. Since Linda had lost her passport, she could not board a plane to fly anywhere, and since the American embassy is closed on the weekends AND it is Presidents' Day on the 18th, nothing can be done to issue her a new passport until the 19th at the earliest!  That meant Linda would have to remain in Delhi for the weekend, doing ton thing and not partaking of the sights and sounds and smells of the places we were to visit.  It only seemed right that I also stay behind, arrange for her to go to the police station and file an official report and then see what we could sort out for the rest of the weekend.

I spoke with Sanjiv and indicated that I would stay back, work with Linda in getting the report filed and then we could hire a driver to take us to Nagaur to meet up with the rest of the Dream Team. "Elias, do you have any idea how far that is to drive? It takes between twelve and fourteen hours!" Well, so be it. This is the only plan which made sense to me so we implemented it.

The rest of the team departed for the airport, after I removed my bags from the bus, and Linda and I had a driver take us to the police station.  When we arrived, we were told that it was the wrong police station end that we had to go to another one on the other side of the city from where we were to file the report. The driver took us to the station near Connaught Place. When we arrived and walked through the gate we smelled what seemed to be "weed" being smoked but I am sure it was simply some street people who were "easing the pain" outside the confines of the station. Our escort took us into the station and we began the process of filling out the paperwork. Without going into detail, this process took about an hour and then we left to be driven to another part of the city to meet our new driver for the long journey west.


We met up with Rakesh and boarded his van, somewhat cramped on the inside, but what would be our home for the next half-day! Linda and I talked about our Rotary Club projects and other travel experiences as we headed toward Gurgaon, where we would meet yet another driver, who would ferry us through some horrific construction areas.  Little did I know what we were about to experience. It seems that for the past decade, roadways in India have been under major construction. One of the objects of this construction is to build "fly-overs" in then congested areas of towns located between major cities. These "fly-overs" will move traffic along, even while local traffice will be diverted off the main roads in order to move everyone along at a more efficient pace. The interim, however, creates cavernous ditches, which if one were not careful, one could have his or her vehicle totally swallowed up!!!

Our "new" driver was temporary, but particularly skilled in maneuvering around and through this new congestion. I took some photos and a video out the window, but have not been able to upload it to my iPad to include in this posting. Possibly at a later date.

The first stint in the van was just under 4.5 hours and when we had travelled around the city of Jaipur, on the bypass, I suggested we should stop for getting out of the vehicle and possibly grabbing something to eat.  We had already dropped off the other driver, and when Rakesh located a "restaurant" on the side of  the road, we pulled into the parking area.  He kindly opened my door and I found I was unable to move. I had been cramped into the back seat behind him for over four hours and had lost all mobility! He helped me out of the van, but I was not sure if my legs would hold me without buckling. A few minutes of just standing and leaning against the van worked and I was finally able to walk to the restaurant. Both Linda and I had to use the facilities, which were, in and of themselves, "rustic".  We then came out to the open area and washed our hands at the wink next to the garden!

We went in to sit at me of the tables in the restaurant and could not read the menu,but decided to have some fried rice and some garlic and buttered Nan. Although neither of us wanted a soft drink, the restaurant served no beer, wines or spirits, so we settled for bottles of Coca Cola. We finished up our snack and returned to the van for the next leg of our journey.  During that part of the ride, I remembered the telephone number if a friend in Jaipur and called him. He was pleased to hear from me, asked

Lots of new "experiences"

Well I am sitting here in the business center of the Hotel Royal Plaza in Delhi, having eaten a hearty breakfast and re-packing two suitcases which I will leave behind for a few days, to be brought out to the dam site tents on the 20th.

Eight of us arrived after flying in from Newark. It was an interesting "experience" because our flight was delayed for over an hour due to "mechanical" difficulties.  When I saw the captain and first mate leaving the boarding area, I decided to find out just what was going on. I learned that our plane had come into Newark that morning from Mumbai and was full of mosquitoes!!! Well it was necessary to spray for the little beasts and everything was thought to be alright. Not so! Wen our flight crew boarded the plane to prepare it, they discovered the spraying had been unsuccessful and the plane still was infested.  They contact the exterminators who came and  re-sprayed the plane. We had to wait for about an hour for the pesticide to work.  

In the meanwhile, while we were waiting, all of us wearing our "safety green" work tee shirts, emblazoned with the Rotary emblem and our slogan, "ROTARIANS ARE DAM COMMITTED", the is little doubt than anyone could have missed us.  Several folks came up to us to say that they were Rotarians and to find out what we were all doing on our way to India. There was one man who came to us, who had just given his classification talk at his Rotary Club that day. He was on his way to Idia for raising awareness of Autism and he was almost in tears to learn that we were all Americans but were going to India at our own expense to immunize Indian children against polio.  His name was Vijay.  

Then a woman spoke to me and her name is Sarah Sweetwater. She was so pleased to meet us and know what we were doing, not only as a Rotarian but also as a polio survivor herself. She plans to travel with us next year!

Finally, an Indian gentleman approached me and called me by name. He said he heard my voice and recognized me from my voice and that he had heard me speak at a district conference in North Carolina a few years ago, and because of my message, had decided to join a different group of Rotarians from his own district, coming to immunize children against polio.

Time to board, a I was upgraded to first class where I happily was able to sleep on an extended seat-bed for several hours. I was very grateful for the upgrade and didn't ask "why?"  While in my seat, I actually was able to reach out and swipe and kill a couple of mosquitoes who had missed the toxins!

Upon our arrival, we all went through customs and immigration at Indira Ghandi airport and were met by Bani from HiPoints in the reception area.  We were guided to our bus and traveled through the dark streets and arrived at our hotel. Others from our group arrived at different times and we would see them in the morning.  

When I came down for breakfast, I met Linda Bertuzzi and Colleen Baird from Las Vegas.  They had arrived shortly after we had, but had encountered a "new experience" - namely, Linda had lost her passport, wallet, credit cards, cash, etc. between the airport and the hotel. She is panicky to say the least, but I am confident that our United States Embassy will straighten out the entire situation and she will be joining us later on.  Pete and Kim Miller are off for a few days on their own, and the members of our team from France, who are currently skiing in the northern part of India, will all meet us on the 20th at the damsite.  

We are off now to Jodhpur by flight, and then to participate in the festivals ongoing there and then on to Jaisalmer.   

So far, it has been a wonderful journey, with a few bumps in the road!

DOWN TO THE WIRE...

It is now 4:30 in the morning, Thursday, February 14th, and I am sitting here at my office, writing the last BLOG entry, before leaving for the airport in Boston, to fly to Newark, where I will meet up with several of the DREAM TEAM members from the USA, who will be flying out this evening on United Flight 82, direct to Delhi.  We will arrive in Delhi, Friday, February 15th, at about 10:30 in the evening, to be greeted by several Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Delhi-Megapolis and then transported to our hotel for a few hours of sleep before we then get up in the morning, have breakfast and then travel on to Jodhpur and Jaisalmer - the GOLDEN CITY, in the state of Rajasthan, and close to the border with Pakistan.  There we will visit sites, such as the Jaisalmer Fort, which unlike many forts in India, is considered a "living fort" - complete with shops and restaurants, etc.

Following a tradition of about nine years, those of us who are flying out this evening will all gather in front of Gallagher's Steakhouse in Concourse C at Newark's Liberty Airport.  Once there, we will enjoy a dinner in the banquet room, getting to know one another better, and renewing past friendships.  There are shirts to distribute and the new iteration of our working TEE Shirt will be shared for the first time.  Undoubtedly, in the coming postings in this BLOG, you will be able to view the new shirts and possibly get a laugh out of our new slogan.

Before signing in to this BLOG, I checked and had received an Email from The Rotary Foundation indicating that most of the funds had arrived and been processed through the system.  Now, once the remaining funds are processed, we will receive notice that the funding is approved for release and be able to move forward with our dam building project.

Yesterday was ASH WEDNESDAY, the official beginning of the Lenten Season in the Christian Church.  I attended services at my own church, and strangely closer to the place we would call "home" for the next fifteen days.  When the priest marked each of us with a smudge of ashes (made from burning the palms from the previous Palm Sunday) in the form of a cross, my mind returned to the many times I have received markings on my forehead from priests and others in India. 

NAMASTE!

GOOD NEWS!!!

Dear Rotarians Saran and Thomas III:

Congratulations!  Your Matching Grant Application submitted by the Rotary Club of Delhi Megapolis and the Rotary Club of Sanford-Springvale, for funding to help provide a check dam for a water harvesting project in Bhudleen Wala Besai Meo and Ferozpur Zhirka villages, Mewat District, Haryana, India, has been approved by The Rotary Foundation (India) ("RF(F)") and The Rotary Foundation ("TRF"). The total grant budget for the project is equivalent to $19,435.00.

WHAT GREAT NEWS!  As I understand it, all of the participating Rotary clubs and Districts, as well as any individuals, have already wire transferred or Overnighted the appropriate funds for processing at The Rotary Foundation. 

It is always heartening to know that the good works of Rotarians from throughout the world, in our efforts not only to raise the funds necessary to underwrite the costs of such a project, but also to implement the project and actually WORK AT THE DAM SITE are not only appreciated but also approved by the funding arm of Rotary International.

As I sit here, looking out at even more snow, following the BLIZZARD OF 2013, soon to be followed by torrential rains and temperatures today into the 40s, I am eager to meet the members of the team from the USA, who will be traveling overnight to India, leaving on Valentine's Day.

It is wonderful to have received this notice from The Rotary Foundation, and for those reading this who are not familiar with Rotary International or The Rotary Foundation, please visit the official website:  www.rotary.org and learn more how you can become involved in your own communities, and help us as we END POLIO NOW!!!

Together we are realizing PEACE THROUGH SERVICE and ENGAGE ROTARY and CHANGE LIVES!

 

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

HOLY SMOKES!!!
Not since the great blizzard of February 1978 can I recall a "snow dumping" of these proportions.  Funny, reflecting back on that time, I was getting prepared to leave for a three week holiday in Spain with my family and the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts had closed its borders and we ended up staying up all night in Portland and flying out with Ronald Reagan the next morning, on our way to New York to the fly out to Spain.  He had been the guest of honor at a dinner I hosted in Portland and strangely enough we ended up on the same plane the following morning.  Fun memories.

Now, onto THIS journey, well, in a couple of days.  Perhaps it makes sense for us to get the man who has access to a D-6 to come he and scoop us out so our regular plow man can clean up. Then, we should be able to walk over to the garage to get the bags to pack so I don't have to worry about them on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Have tons to pack...
1) 55 team Polo shirts for everyone coming with me from Germany, France, Australia and the USA, as well as the Rotarians from India who will join up with us. We will all wear these on the National Immunization Day (against polio) on Sunday, February 24th. We will be administering oral polio vaccine to all children under the age of five years. We must continue in our efforts to make sure that we END POLIO NOW!!!
2) 55 work tee shirts for the team which we will wear while we are working on the construction of our FOURTH water catchment dam in a remote area in Haryana State.
3) 50 pair of work gloves which were generously donated again by our friends at Springvale Hardware store in Springvale, Maine. These are much sought after by all of the locals when we finish our work and leave for the travel portion of our trip.
4) 250 necklaces to take for children in the villages where we will be working (sort of like the ones used at Mardi Gras)
5) a carton box of about fifty hand spinning "helicopters" to take for kids, generously donated by the office of my dentist, Dr. Ray Beaudoin in Sanford, Maine
6) about fifty "pens" containing Purell hand sanitizer to share with my teammates.
And, oh right, probably some clothing for me to wear while I am there! I am not even sure if I even have room for my own pants, sneakers, sandals, socks and underwear. Oh well, guess I will have to deal with it, once I get all the shirts packed.

The young man just arrived to help shovel us out, and when he knocked on the door, asked, "what did Mark DO, anyway???"  Already, since I moved my car to the top of the driveway about three hours ago, another foot of snow has fallen!!!  REALLY???  I am just hearing that there may be another major storm coming to our area on Thursday. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Don't they KNOW that my team from the USA is flying into Newark that day and that we are all flying out to Delhi, India that night???