John Kruth is travelling in India making music, visiting with friends, and blogging. Following is the first of what will hopefully be many dispatches - ed
What an ordeal! The flight from JFK, scheduled at 7:15, didn't take off until 10 pm. But it was a good quick flight, We were then herded off the plane through security, then back on the plane again (without time to shop - how un-Heathrow!) for about 8 hours to Mumbai with the biggest fattest most fidgety kid sitting right in front of me. I saw some dumb Woody Allen mystery flick ain't never saw before. By the way Indian Airlines just pours you the biggest glass of Johnnie Walker Red they can and gives it to you free! Ah knockout drops! I couldn't finish the second one...
Finally off the plane in Mumbai where I got my first mosquito bite - swelled up to the size of I'd say one peanut M&M and of course was too late for my connecting flight so had to pick up my bags and wait then got on a connecting flight 3 hours later to Chennai. The view from above was beautiful, a red and orange smeared dawn sky with old gnarly. busted knuckle mountains down below - gotta say the best airport music i've ever heard in my life - in Mumbai - sitar and tabla ragas, in Chennai - double imp horn nagaswaram greetings and of course there was no driver waiting for me by then so got a crazy cab ride through anarchistic traffic.
Anything that moves in every direction - cars, buses, motor bike rickshaw with grandma and babies piled on motorcycles zig-zagging - everyone cool, calm, business as usual - constantly honking - but gently at each other just to let them know they are there. Got to the hotel amazingly enough - driver had no or little idea where he was going - stopped to ask other cab drivers. The room is clean enough with a firm double bed, tv, air conditioner that works. The shower that barely dribbles and there's a western toilet - where one needs not squat - and a spinning overhead fan. Went for a walk but (percussionist friend) Ganesh was gone for the day - turned out to be an auspicious holy day - when I later saw him he had 3 streaks of ash across his forehead. So I wandered around til I was ready to pass out - warm - 80's but not hot - lots of dust, noise, chaos etc - exhausted went back to the hotel and crashed out until 7 pm Chennai time (about 12 hour difference) walked down to see Ganesh - he lives in one of the nicest buildings on the block - who was happy to see me - had some tea and cashew sweets but he had to go see Shubash - his uncle/brother in law/ percussionist as krsna - Shubash's keyboard playing son is getting married - Krsna will start teaching me the Carnactic scales tomorrow or the next day - he's about 25 - then there are plans to play and maybe record - Ganesh said (mandolin maestro) Rajesh has called and wants to see me - so all is well so far! it's an amazing web/maze of food stalls, tailors etc. about what you might expect - otherworldly -
talk to you later jdk
Anything that moves in every direction - cars, buses, motor bike rickshaw with grandma and babies piled on motorcycles zig-zagging - everyone cool, calm, business as usual - constantly honking - but gently at each other just to let them know they are there. Got to the hotel amazingly enough - driver had no or little idea where he was going - stopped to ask other cab drivers. The room is clean enough with a firm double bed, tv, air conditioner that works. The shower that barely dribbles and there's a western toilet - where one needs not squat - and a spinning overhead fan. Went for a walk but (percussionist friend) Ganesh was gone for the day - turned out to be an auspicious holy day - when I later saw him he had 3 streaks of ash across his forehead. So I wandered around til I was ready to pass out - warm - 80's but not hot - lots of dust, noise, chaos etc - exhausted went back to the hotel and crashed out until 7 pm Chennai time (about 12 hour difference) walked down to see Ganesh - he lives in one of the nicest buildings on the block - who was happy to see me - had some tea and cashew sweets but he had to go see Shubash - his uncle/brother in law/ percussionist as krsna - Shubash's keyboard playing son is getting married - Krsna will start teaching me the Carnactic scales tomorrow or the next day - he's about 25 - then there are plans to play and maybe record - Ganesh said (mandolin maestro) Rajesh has called and wants to see me - so all is well so far! it's an amazing web/maze of food stalls, tailors etc. about what you might expect - otherworldly -
talk to you later jdk
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