JAN 29, 12 .. PONDICHERRY .. MY TAILOR ..

I just love this business of copy and paste ..  THANKS TO CHAD 45039 .. I have finally learned to use .. control + C and control + V to  copy and then to paste .. so I am now free of the mouse and its right click magic .. 

This copy and paste magic has allowed me to 'borrow' from my own web site .. http://babakaps.net .. For What It's Worth..  111.. January 28,  2012 ..  in which I did a 'text writing' with no photograph(s) ..

I have these nylon athletic warm-up and jogging trousers .. I use them a lot because they are easy to wash .. they dry in an instant .. and are light and cool .. and they are white so I can be seen .. and being white I wash them a lot ..
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BUT .. they do NOT have belt loops .. and so .. they keep working their way down from my waist to my hips as I walk and I am constantly pulling them up .. I mean constantly ! .. for YEARS mind you .. but in the United States I am not walking around with so many things in my pockets .. camera .. wallet .. passport .. cell phone .. all .. with the assistance of gravity .. pulling my trousers down .. down .. and .. down ..


A week-or-so ago  .. as I passed an elderly tailor .. sewing away on his sewing machine out on the street .. I decided .. I will have him stitch belt loops onto my warm-up trousers ..

I stopped .. discussed it with him .. got a quote .. 40 Rupees for six belt loops .. two in front .. two in back .. two (one each side) on the sides .. and told him I would be back after I went home and changed from my warm-up trousers to my walking shorts ..
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I did and he said .. "Come back at 5PM to pick them up" .. and I did and he had done just a wonderful job .. a perfect job ..


So .. stressing the cost .. I said firmly to him .. "Forty  Rupees !"  .. the elderly gentleman quietly nodded in the affirmative  .. and so I pulled out a brand spanking new crispy Fifty Ruppee Note and .. putting it into his front shirt pocket said .. "THANK YOU VERY NICE JOB !" ..

This kind  elderly gentleman just MELTED with appreciation !  .. In fact he almost 'teared up' .. 
Over a twenty-cent tip ! .. and a few nice words of appreciation !

Friday .. I went back .. gave him my walking shorts  (which also had no belt loops and also kept slipping down on  my hips) ..  when he saw me coming  .. holding my walking shorts ..  he knowingly smiled and said  .. "Belt loops !" .. I smiled in the affirmative as I handed them to him  .. he said .. "6PM" ..

I missed our 6PM appointment Friday but yesterday .. on my way here .. I stopped by and picked them up .. same routine .. a firm .."Forty Rupees !" .. he again nodded in the affirmative .. and again I gave him a nice clean new Fifty Rupee Note .. and again he just melted with his appreciation ..

In FWIW.. 111.. at .. http://babakaps.net .. I said .. "I just by gosh may take a photo of him .."

Well I have and here he is below .. pretty 'dark photo' but you can see his machine ..

Again.. still very dark .. but .. you can still see him at his machine ..

And .. taa-daa .. he would NOT .. he simply would NOT .. smile .. I did all I could do to encourage him to smile and .. he would smile .. and go back to being serious before I could snap him smiling .. he REALLY IS VERY GENTLE AND VERY KIND .. in the below photo he does not look 'that part' however .. 

Here we go ..


"Cap.. just what is it you love so very much about India ?" .. "The people !" .. 


MUCH LOVE .. Cap ..


Will you all look at what Clement in France at 73160 did for us with a dark photo ..

 Awesome.. totally awesome .. THANKS CLEMENT .. he still is NOT smiling however !  Smiles ..

JAN 10, 12 .. OFF TO PONDICHERRY ..

Do I have any National Football League Fans reading  along with me here ..

It has been widely reported in the press that the Executive Vice President of the Denver Broncos Football team .. one John Elway .. reportedly told one Broncos Quarterback .. namely Tim Tebow ..  "Pull the trigger !"

SO I DID .. I PULLED THE TRIGGER .. read on ..

The following is BOOKED and PAID IN FULL ..

Wednesday (tomorrow)  .. January 11, 2012 ..  LEAVE New Delhi at 10:30PM (2230 Hours) via the TAMIL NADU EXPRESS ..

Friday.. January 13, 2012 .. ARRIVE Chennai in SOUTH India at 7:15AM (0715 Hours) .. two (2) nights on the train ..

Saturday.. January 21, 2012 .. LEAVE Chennai at 10PM (2200 Hours) via the TAMIL NADU EXPRESS .. two (2) more nights on the train ..

Monday .. January 23, 2012 .. ARRIVE New Delhi at 7:00AM (0700 Hours) ..

BOBBA and THE BOBBSEYS .. ARE GOING TO 'PONDI' .. we ARE going to Pondicherry .. Puducherry .. word I have gotten here is that the storm damage is past 'Pondi' .. yes or no we will find out ..

Damn the Cyclone Thane storm torpedoes and full speed ahead .. much joy.. bobba and the bobbseys are rockin' .. much love.. cap..

Do you want more info .. go to ..   http://babakaps.net ..  January 10, 2012 ..

JAN 9, 12 .. GOA .. ARAMBOL BEACH ..

 ONE FINAL GOODBYE TO ARAMBOL BEACH ..

THANKS .. FOR THE MEMORIES .. OH LITTLE CHAPEL .. DAILY .. I WALKED PAST YOU AND SMILED AT YOU AND JUST COMMUNED WITH YOU .. OH YES .. I WILL MISS YOU ..  AND I WILL MISS SEEING THE FRESH FLOWERS THAT ADORNED YOUR CROSS ..

 HIDDEN AWAY .. WELL OFF THE MAIN ROAD .. VISIBLE TO THOSE OF US LIVING IN YOUR SHADOW ..

 OH SO SIMPLE .. OH SO PLAIN .. OH SO VERY VERY ELEGANT ..

 WHEN SOMEONE IN THE VILLAGE WOULD PASS AWAY .. IN THE EVENING .. THE BELL IN THE CHAPEL TOWER WOULD BE TOLLED .. IT WAS SOBERING TO HEAR WHEN IT TOLLED ..

JAN 9, 12 .. GOA .. ARAMBOL BEACH ..

THANKS .. FOR THE MEMORIES .. OH BOB HOPE .. I CAN JUST HEAR YOU SING YOUR SONG .. 

SOME FINAL MEMORIES OF ARAMBOL BEACH IN NORTH GOA .. INDIA ..

My last morning on the beach .. looking due North in the morning mist ..

And looking due South on the beach ..

  And ? .. looking due West on the beach .. 

 WITHOUT MY LIFEGUARD STATION AS MY ONE MAJOR LANDMARK .. I may have gotten lost on the beach at Arambol and never been heard from again .. looking North and East ..

 Looking due East .. my apartment is in the distance as you look to the extreme left of the photo out in the distance ..

 Looking South and East ..

Looking .. from a distance .. North and East ..

  And below .. the morning catch-from-the-sea ..is underway ..

Mornings like the last one above in Arambol Beach .. are what I LOVE about India ..

JAN 8, 12 .. AGRA CANTT .. PAWAN HOTEL ..

THE WORLD HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THIS .. 

How many Indians does it take to change a light bulb in my hotel room .. and you ask me .. "Cap.. Cap oh Cap.. what exactly is it that you love about India ? !"

 First .. notice the table at the bottom .. when the young man came in and put down this table .. I said to him .. "I AM much taller than you are.." .. and so I climbed up onto the table and I could NOT reach the light fixture .. he was totally unabashed .. "I'll get my friend.." .. and off he went .. and back HE came with additional height ..

 I DECIDED .. (command decision captain ?) .. I am NOT going to climb up there on that second piece of furniture .. I AM going to capture this action with my camera ..

 Well .. they DO good work .. so .. let there be light in my room above my bed tonight .. smiles ..

JAN 8, 12 .. AGRA CANTT .. JEEVAN ..

Mister Jeevan Lal standing beside Mister India Bag which Jeevan created in December of 1990 ..

A shot of me wearing the safety vest I often wear since I do a lot of walking along the edges of the roads here in India .. with Mister India Hat with India Bag and my back pack on the trolley I use .. note my Wells Lamont rawhide trucker's gloves I wear when I am handling my bags .. they are absolutely vital to protect my hands .. you can see them on top of India Bag in the above photo ..

Jeevan with an admirer in front of his shop ..

You REALLY do get-to-know all of the cows wandering the streets !

JAN 8, 12 .. AGRA CANTT .. PAWAN HOTEL ..

Well I have finally LEARNED .. take tbe photos of the room BEFORE (see the last photo below)
I move my bobbseys into the room and before they jump out over each and over every single surface in the room .. when I stepped up to the front desk of the Pawan Hotel here in Agra Cantt .. the man on duty calmly stated .. "YOUR room is ready" and it truly seems to be MY room .. the below photo .. was taken as you step in the door .. I will NOT re-configure the beds .. IF I was staying longer .. the bed on the right would have its mattress put under the mattress on the left and the open space would fill up with bobbseys quickly ..

 

Looking back across the room you see the below scene ..

In the above photo .. go to the wall on your left and look back at the entry door and the door into the bathroom and this is what you see in the photo below  ..

India Bag and my Back Pack are on my 'trolley' to your left just inside the door .. it is a large and it is a comfortable room .. it has no windows to the outside .. its windows are for ventilation at ceiling level and face out onto the corridor that you can see outside the door .. it is very comfortable .. I like it .. it costs me 500 Rupees per day which is about .. eleven dollars and thirty six cents ($11.36) .. well I think this is what I pay per day .. I have written a lot of post cards (well into the hundreds) over the years sitting at the table and the chair you see above ..

The below .. close up .. photo of Mister India Bag and Mister India Hat on top of my back pack was shot outside of my door in the corridor my room faces ..

 The above travelers have logged a lot of miles with yours truly .. they are really my friends ..

OK .. in FWIW..  135.. above you have seen the below 'changing the light bulb' photo .. WHAT I want you to see is HOW the bobbseys have already LEAPT out of India Bag and my back pack and are all over the place .. can you see them along the wall on the left of the photo and ON the BED.. when it is bedtime .. it is project time .. oh sigh .. what am I going to do witch-you-all my beloved bobbseys !

 The young man holding the furniture seems to be enjoying himself BECAUSE I was almost hysterical with joy capturing this wonderful photo .. "Cap.. why do you love India so much ?"

JAN 8, 12 .. AGRA CANTT .. WILDLIFE ..

 You ask me .. here we go .. " Cap.. what exactly is it that you love so very much about India ? " .. I mean isn't this something .. the temperature here in Agra Cantt has plummeted to 50 F degrees so naturally .. to save the life of this goat .. the owners have gone 'to any length' so it does NOT get a serious chill ..

 The below photos are touching too .. the owner of these two goats evidently is not quite so 'well heeled' as that of the above goat's owner .. who has a 'stylish' winter coat adorning its back ..

 "Yes Zilla ?" .. "I canNOT answer you as to WHY the little 'kid goat' does not have a winter coat as does its Mama" .. in the background to the left is an auto ricksha ..

 They are busily licking up minerals from a deteriorating sidewalk .. goats wearing their winter coats at 50 F degrees .. some one loves them .. and you ask what it is I so love about India ..

JAN 8, 12 .. GOA .. ARAMBOL BEACH ..

Talk about being busy .. go to ..  babakaps.net ..  web site for a lot of text about what is happening ..


You have good and you have bad .. you have happy and you have sad .. and when I left Arambol Beach in Goa I was a 'little sad' because I did NOT get to say goodbye to a special friend and his wife .. 

My second day in Arambol Beach .. I heard this absolutely 'haunting music' coming from my next door neighbor .. I was absolutely transfixed .. and .. with cell phone in hand and with Patti connected .. I followed the music to my neighbors .. and I followed the music up their front steps to the second floor .. and I followed the music into their home .. and this absolutely wonderful couple invited me in .. and the lady-of-the-house took me to the source of the music and I put my cell phone up against the speaker .. the lady-of-the-house graciously provided me with the name of the CD.. by Deuter .. titled .. Garden of the Gods .. Patti got a copy and has a second one on order .. they have given to Patti and to me an invaluable gift of this special music .. and I did NOT say good-bye NOR THANK THEM AGAIN profusely.. I was very SAD .. so I planned to write them a thank you ..

I told Patti .. as I was waiting for my bus from Arambol Village to Pernem last Wednesday .. January the 4th .. MAYBE Tom will come past me on his motorcycle so I can THANK TOM AND HIS WIFE..    

W H A T ! !

 HOW .. will YOU tell me .. HOW does this sort of thing happen .. I think it and TOM APPEARS ..

Mister 'Music Man' .. Tom was a drummer on the beach at Arambol at sunset .. and was so friendly and supportive of me during my seven weeks in Goa .. I put Patti on the cell phone and she got to thank Tom as well ..

JAN 2, 12 .. GOA .. ARAMBOL BEACH ..

In addition to my walk from my apartment into the Arambol Beach business district and back to my apartment .. which I have chronicled in detail in FWIW..  101 and 102 .. and in FWIW.. 107 and 108 .. my second most prominent walk of some distance is from my apartment to the Post Office and return to my apartment .. in the below photos and continuing into FWIW..  127 .. I want to show you what the walk FROM the Post Office back to my apartment looks like.. the below photo shows you what the END of the walk from my apartment to the Post Office looks like.. make a right at the intersection and the Post Office is on your left ..

Now go straight ahead .. cross the street .. turn around 180 degrees .. and you see what I have shown in the below photo .. NOTICE in the distance straight ahead Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church and to the right below the school .. and notice the sign to Arambol Beach since in the below photo technically we are in Arambol Village .. 

Now we are at the Church and will bend to the left to follow the road  .. sometimes .. actually quite  often .. I will walk straight and go up the driveway and past the church .. often I will stop and sit in Mount Carmel Garden which I have photographed several times for you all.. 

A little jog left below and then a little jog right in the next photo ..

Now the little jog to the right ..

And after we bend to our right at the end of this short curve around the church .. straight on down the road we will go ..

Looking down the road .. if you really strain to see it  .. to the left will be the sign you see in photo 8 below .. once you see it in photo 8 .. maybe you can come back to the below photo and .. knowing what you are looking for.. spot it below .. it is right where the road bends slightly to the right ..

I will write about the below photo in FWIW..  127..  I am showing it twice to enable you to transition more easily from this post down to FWIW.. 127 ..

The walk from my apartment door to the door of the Post Office takes me from 11 minutes to 15 minutes .. totally depending upon how hard I want to push the pace I walk along at .. 

JAN 2, 12 .. GOA .. ARAMBOL BEACH ..

OK.. coming down from FWIW..  128.. above .. I have repeated the below photo so you don't have to jump back up to FWIW..  128 .. to re-orient yourself below ..

Notice the sign prominent on the left side of the photo ..  it is a BIG DEAL to have laundry done with a Washing Machine .. many places do it by hand  .. what we take for granted .. now we walk straight up the road to the white building in the middle of the below photo .. and turn left and shoot the second photo below .. 

Walking further along the road we come to the white building shown above and on the right edge of the below photo .. above the road in the far distance is a yellow Yoga sign hanging above the road .. we will see it in the third photo below ..

Below is our yellow Yoga sign above the road  .. our next landmark is the blue tarp over a frame you can see in the distance up the road .. go left here below and you get to Magic Park Restaurant I have written about and photographed .. one of my favorite restaurants ..

OK .. there is our blue tarp 'roof' .. on the right of the below photo .. these little 'shops' are just thrown together with bamboo poles and tarps .. a strong wind and they would all blow away !

There is no real landmark in the distance in the above photo so we just walked forward down the road .. and here we are .. see the prominent sign .. on the left .. HAPPY BABA .. well this is where I turn to my left and begin the walk to my apartment that I have chronicled in FWIW.. 108.. straight ahead in the beloe photo is the 90 degree right turn to go into the main part of Arambol Beach ..  see FWIW..  101..  photo 7 .. NOW in photo 6 below we turn left and look up the walkway we have walked up before ..

To the bottom right of the below photo you can clearly see the HAPPY BABA sign shown above .. just maybe the pink building at the end looks familiar to you from FWIW..  108 .. now do you see the 'land mine' on the ground to the right edge of the path .. I talked about it above in FWIW.. 108.. photos 1 and 2 ..well I got a GOOD CLOSE UP OF IT on this walk and you will see it in the last photo below .. 

Mister India Hat was SO happy to be out for a walk with me on this trip .. he loved posing with the old tree stump in the below photo ..

I MEAN IF YOU STEP IN THIS IN THE DARK .. OR TRIP OVER IT IN THE DARK.. you could REALLY HURT YOURSELF .. IF I lived here I would get an axe and remove it and level it off .. it is a real LAND MINE .. and it is BIG ..  even scooters and motorcycles who run up this path need to beware of it .. hey .. maybe it is meant to be a NATURAL SPEED BUMP .. 

JAN 2, 12 .. GOA .. ARAMBOL BEACH ..

I went 'mountain climbing' some more to get you some additional photos from 'high up' above Arambol Beach .. and to show you a special monument I have not shown you before .. so here we go .. the first two photos below are of two business establishments at the extreme north end of the main beach at Arambol Beach .. immediately below is the 'Eyes of Buddha' .. I was sitting in this restaurant drinking water to cool off from climbing the mountain behind it .. and the most 'haunting' Buddhist music was playing in the background .. so I telephoned Patti to let her hear the music and promised her a photo of the place she listened to it ..

Below is the 'Blue Fin' .. a guest house next to the 'Eyes of Buddha" at the extreme end of the main beach at Arambol Beach .. what I want you to see is the white monument visible at the top right edge of the hill and the skyline behind the 'Blue Fin' .. I climbed up the 'mounntain' to get more photos of it up close ..

To give you more perspective .. the  below photo is taken after walking further south after shooting  the above two photos .. in the below photo look straight ahead in the middle of the photo along the skyline at the top of the photo .. you can 'make out' the monument shown at the top of photo 2 above .. do you see it ? .. toward the lower left of the below photo you can see the sign for the 'Eyes of Buddha' shown in photo 1 above .. to shoot photo 4 down one photo from below .. I walked straight forward to the base of the building you are looking at below .. and looking up .. shot photo 4 between  the coconut palm trees ..

OK .. using the 'telephoto' capacity of my sweet little Nikon COOLPIX S4100 (and yet AGAIN .. thank you ALL at 48073 '1616' ..) .. I shot the below photo of the monument aiming my camera up between the coconut palm trees above the restaurant and guest house you see above ..

 Now we are talking a short 15 to 20 minute 'WALK' up the 'mountain' or small hill .. depending on your age and stamina .. man alive I am not what I was twenty years ago .. BUT hey .. not bad for age 75 either is it ? .. standing right at the base of the monument I shot the below photo ... BEING sure I did not lose my balance (see photo 6 below this photo) and 'topple backwards' .. DOWN the 'mountain' .. you KNOW I got my balance and my footing just right ! .. stunning .. Goan Blue Sky .. whew !

Now I walked around to the north side and shot the below two photos facing south from up above the main Beach at Arambol .. I like the below photo with the monument shown in profile .. do you all see WHAT I MEAN ABOUT NOT WANTING TO LOSE MY BALANCE AND TOPPLE BACKWARDS ? ..

And below is another shot looking south down the main beach at Arambol Beach .. I mean to TELL THE WORLD .. Lisa and Bert and Trudi SURE GOT ME TO THE RIGHT BEACH in Goa for me to be situated at ..

And lastly .. fair IS fair .. at the top of this 'mountain' hill is also a sweet little Hindi Monument .. it stands to the west of the Christian Monument shown above ..

After shooting these photos .. I then walked north and eventually came to the point where I previously had taken photos down upon Sweet Water Beach and Lake .. I was wondering IF I would be able to do this .. as I said above .. when back safely down .. I NEEDED to rest and to drink water ..