India’s great, of course! It’s quite a diverse land, not all just curry and chai. Although, we’ve had PLENTY of chai, and it’s been most delicious! We are currently in the city of Jammu in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. From here we will be going to a variety of places including going up further north to maybe Poonch and Srinagar.
One of the things that has struck me the most, has been the nature of the Gujjar people. They are nomads, or semi-nomadic people. Most of them migrate up and down the mountains twice a year, according to their animals. Goat, and sheep are the main migrating animals. As we have been on a couple overnights, we’ve had a little bit of a chance to observe the people. We have always been welcomed with such warm hospitality! We trekked up a mountainside to where these people were living. We were immediately offered chai and roti. After a little bit of visiting and resting, we were then served a delicious meal of rice, dahl and peacock. Second supper, I guess!
While we have seen gracious hospitality almost everywhere we’ve been, the affection of the nomadic people that has really stood out to me. The way an uncle will tousle a niece’s hair. Or the way a grandpa will pinch a baby’s cheeks. More often, it has been the way that people my age are with each other. Girls who are friends will walk arms draped over each other. Or more uncommonly to us, twenty-something-ish guys will walk hand in hand. They are merely displaying their friendship. It’s quite exceptional. It’s also quite heartening, when my friend Nagina grab
s my hand as we ramble up the mountain.We also stayed in a small village in which the people care for water buffalo. They remain at their location year round. It was really neat to be able to visit them. As they are very affectionate with their children, they also take great care with their animals. It was a very grass roots type of farm. Everything was done by hand, although they did have a few hours of electricity per day. Everyone is up before the dawn, milking and feeding the buffalo. Craig had his attempt at milking, but was only “moderately” successful! One of the neighbors was churning the butter just as the sun was rising up. The milk was brought to market on a horse drawn cart.
My favorite time was absorbing the sunrise and the twinkling of the stars just before they disappeared. Here, I got to examine a woman in her 9 month of pregnancy. It was quite astonishing to actually hear the heartbeat of this tiny babe growing inside of her! It was even more fun to let the local ladies hear the heartbeat as well. They were so expressive and excited!The houses are made from trees, hand made bricks, straw, cow patty\mud paste, and SOMETIMES, cement. The feed for the animals is also made by hand. They don’t have refrigerators, and all of the food is prepared from scratch. With no running water, it makes washing and even eliminating even an adventure! The serenity was wonderful and well worth the extra effort.
We are getting used to dre
ssing according to culture, especially Ruthie. The shalwar chameez and head scarf (duputta) are not my favorite for hiking, but they ARE pretty comfy! Plus, they come in some amazing materials!All and all it’s been a good time here so far, not to busy, which has allowed us to adjust to this different culture as well. Day to day, we are usually here in the city, with our warm cozy bed and wireless internet. I enjoy the rustic side of life, but I’m also thankful for modern amenities!
