"Hellow to 2009"

I know Grant is writing also but I thought I would put my perspective in as well since it has been one hell of a two days, or has it been three? So since the last blog we stayed the night in "challe de prostitute" I swear that what blood on the wall. We all got an early start on the morning and headed out of town we got about 2k before we heard the famous "vooorooo chu chuck ck" which means that the piston was yet again broken. All of our hearts sank, it was a very very low point. The boys pushed the rickshaw the 2k back into town while i steered. As we were slowly rolling along we realized that it was Sunday and it would be next to impossible to find a place open. The fear of losing yet another day made our spirits sink even lower. As we got into town we pulled over next to some beat up rickshaws hoping that perhaps there was a mechanic near. There was no mechanic nearby but there was Rosey. And most importantly of all...Rosey spoke English, very good English. Let me take a side break to explain how males treat females in India. Men ignore for the most part all females, they will not talk to a female directly, they only speak to your husband, or another male who is with you. This is very discouraging to me since I love to talk to everyone and I am the most willing to go up to a stranger and talk out of the group. This morning I was feeling extra sensitive about this matter like I have been continually pushed back and ignored, that's Ongle for you. When Rosie showed up it was like a HUGE ray of sunshine came over my head. She only talked to me mostly because I was a girl and she pampered me and she told us where a mechanic was and when he would be in and she made sure he would not rip us off. She did all this then she invited us into her shack of a home which was probably only the size of our bathroom and her mother fed us. I must announce that at this meal I did eat chicken, it was one of those one in a million situations and I did. Afterwards Rosie showed me two shacks down where she got the chicken from. Then she proceeded to take my 5 day old clothes off and dress me in one of her very own sari's from her meager collection of clothing. She helped translate all the mechanic mumbo jumbo and by 2pm we were able to hit the road. But not before we went to church to pray. I thanked god that day in that church while funeral processions were happening. I left feeling completely different than I had that morning, it is amazing how things can change so quickly. We began driving like crazy to get a little catching up time since we spent most of the day in Ongle. This is where we had our first and last night driving experience. Luckily we had Grant "stressful situation guru" at the wheel to guide us slowly and terrifyingly to the closest hotel, which is a little confusing sometimes since they call restaurants hotels also. The next morning we set out with me behind the wheel. I lasted all of 2 minutes in the city before Grant got back behind the wheel. An hour later and one injured bicyclist later we were back on the road. It was a fairly smooth ride into Raja-somthing and then today it has been sore behinds, a new battery, and running out of gas which is totally fine as long as our "Lady Jaqualine" sails smooth. I am ending this novel and will post again when I can. -britt

animal spottings: pigs, rats, monkeys, water buffalo, cows, dogs, and lots of mosquitos