things that should have happened in month one

I leave India in 5 days... It's crazy to think about coming home, though for these past couple of weeks, I've been having intense deja vu, thinking of trips to the salad bar at whole foods, or taking a drive through town, or even catching the 6 train at rush hour from Astor Place, and it feels like these past 7 months have been entirely compressed to just a few sparkling moments.

That said, this past week has been a bit hectic, a bit relaxed, and in a way I think I'm doing everything I was supposed to do in the first few weeks in India- namely, get really sick and get really worked over by a street guy. After a few months of travel, I thought I was immune to these things, but I guess it's impossible to completely avoid these common travelers' woes..

I had some trouble eating when I first arrived in Bhagsu, and a few days later a doctor told me that I had an amoebic parasite in the right side of my intestine. He gave me some herbs to clear the amoeba (and the inevitable eggs it was laying) out my system... Agh, the thought of some wormy multi-legged, egg-laying thing squirming around in my body did nothing to help my appetite. Over the days I kept getting worse, despite the herbs, until finally I had a wretched fever, and my dear friends came running with another doctor from down the road (at this point I had decided to move from my mountain isolation into town because god knows a 20 minute hike to get to bed is not the best thing for getting better), who informed me that no, there's no parasite, just an intestinal infection, and he gave me some more medicine and a strict diet (which I could start when I felt like I could eat something). Well this doctor sure was something because within a few hours my fever broke, and I've been feeling better and better each day, despite the fact that I still have virtually no appetite. Call it a 'leaving India' fast, I guess- though I am sad that I probably won't be able to enjoy all the spicy greasy delicious goodness and indian thali before I leave.. We'll see- I've still got time- I've got to have at least one mutter paneer before departing..

So now I'm feeling a bit better, pretty weak, but able to get around-- now for the getting worked over by a street guy. My friend Santosh introduced me to a friend of a friend of a friend (etc. etc.) who said he would introduce me to some painters. I really wanted to have a painting of a map of India to bring home with me... And being that I'm in thangka world (buddhist style painting, beautiful, colorful, and detailed), I figured I could comission a painter to do it for me. The man who said he would connect me to a painter promised to have it 4 days hence, on the 11th, which was yesterday. I gave him some advance (and therein lay my error), and he gave me a receipt in the form of a business card with his number. Well the 11th was a beautiful and sunny day (for once amid all the rain), so I set into town (McLeod Ganj town, which is about 15 minutes by walking) to pick up my painting. Went to the bookstore where I met this man, and was told he was out for a few hours. No problem- I ran a few errands, and returned back. Still no sign- I left my number, and wandered around a little more. Returned back, and found that I had JUST missed him, and no one knew where he is. Hmm- I tried calling, but no answer.. Was getting a little suspicious, especially when his friend, with a pained look on his face, told me that the painting had not been finished- in fact, as of yesterday, the painting had not been started, as the man 'with all the connections to many many painters' had not found someone to do it. Moreover, the friend, with an even more pained expression, told me that this man had thrown a grand party yesterday- and when asked where the money came from, he simply said 'he came into some business'. Well this business wasn't just any business, it was MY business, and MY money that I had foolishly given this man. When I heard this I wasn't surprised, wasn't irritated, I was angry. I told this friend that I wouldn't leave his side until we found this man, and if we didn't then the police would be notified. Any mention of the police, and folks who deal with tourists just about freak out, so he asked me to calm down, and we began to search. Place to place, checking restaurants, shops, asking any and all acquaintances, no one knew where this man was. To be honest, I was getting a little excited at the thought of bringing the police in- the amount of touts and scam artists we've dealt with in these 7 months, and this would be like one big payback... But just as my patience was about to completely wear out, the friend got word that the man was in the bookshop. Over we went, and as soon as I saw him I started yelling. I wanted a scene, I didn't care- I wanted to embarass him. I don't know what came over me- I wasn't hysterical, I was hmm, how should I put it- I was a girl from New f*ckin Jersey (forget New York, you dont want to get on the wrong side of a Jersey girl...) who was PISSED OFF and didn't feel like being told 'yes darling yes darling'. The man, Manu is his name, just looked sad. His shoulders hunched. He didn't say anything when I told him why I was angry. He didn't protest when I told him he had spent my money on booze for his friends. He didn't say anything when I called him a liar and a con artist. He just looked at me sadly and kept asking if we could speak privately. Well, I may have been foolish once, but to go down an allyway with this dishonest man would have just been beyond silly. I laughed at this request, so in public view we stayed. He said there was a painting, but it wasn't ready. I demanded to see it, so off we went to Nick's Italian restaurant. There, on the middle table, was a half completed painting. It was the map of India, very colorful- all that was missing was the route I had taken that I wanted painted in. That was the main part of the painting- to have this piece of art that detailed my hectic crazy journey throughout this hectic crazy country. 35 places in 7 months. That was missing, and Manu promised me it would be done soon. Seeing the painting quieted me a little- it was by no means in thangka style, and by no means worth the money I had paid him, but still, it was there, and it would be finished "soon", he promised. I demanded that it be done by noon the next day, and he obliged. I asked who the painter was, and he said it wasn't possible to meet the painter, though the man is a 'very good friend of his'. He tried to tell me he didn't like seeing me like this, his darling friend, and I could only respond and say that 'I'm not your friend- we made a business transaction- a bad one on my part'. With that I turned and left and couldn't look back.

This situation left me feeling pretty bad- it's complicated... Because I know that Manu has pocketed a great deal of my money and has most likely spent it partying with his friends. Still, there will be a painting- a day late, but there will be a painting- I don't feel bad that I yelled at Manu because he's a slippery guy who needed to be put straight. Still, it leaves me feeling bad because this painting, this simple painting, which was to be my big souvenir from the trip is filled with bad energy. Well, maybe, to put a silver lining on it, the souvenir symbolizes just one big lesson-- if you want something, in India especially, you've got to play the game, and if you play it wrong, you get worked over. I'll never forget that lesson whenever I look at this painting. Seven months, and you can still be as new as day one. Travelers' arrogance can hit even the ones who least expect it, and perhaps I did get a little arrogant towards the end of this trip. Getting sick and getting worked over have brought me down a little, but sometimes the most basic lessons need to be learned over and over from the beginning to the end and beyond.