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Ye Ol'Bucket Bath...somethings never change!

I have been coming to India since I was 2 years old. Since then the one thing I always remembered about being here was the bucket baths. At first we use to have to wait for the water to boil, then we would fill one bucket half way with hot water and the rest with cold and another bucket with the rest of the hot water and cold water - this way two people could take a smei-warm bucket bath. You had to be smart and not waste the water, otherwise you had to take a cold bucket bath. Sometimes we took cold, I mean REALLY cold, bucket baths when we were leaving early in the morning and it would take too long to warm up water and have a lukewarm bucket bath. Then one year I came to india, and the bucket bath was no longer, and people took showers - well, that was until they realized that it was simply a shower head they put up in the wall and really it didn't work, so in the end you took a bucket bath! In Mumbai, it is the fashion for all people that have nice places to have showers, yet people still keep the bucket around, just in case. I will say one thing about the bucket bath - after living in Nepal, there is quite some logic to it. If you have the time to bucket bath, then it is great. Showers are high pressured cleaning systems that tend to waste water. Bucket baths are a slow, water saving way of taking a bath. If you have never had a bucket bath, then you will be wasteful, i have learned to bath - fully that is - with 3/4 of a bucket. This is done by simply ensuring that every drop that hits my body is strategically placed to remove any and all of the soap. The longest time is taken to clean your body of the soap. The greatest part of the bucket bath by far is the end, when you get to take the remaining water yell "Om Shiva" or "Ahh!" and pour the water all over your head and feel the water rushing over you one final time! Then you hope that you have not left any soapy parts, because otherwise you have to fill the little cup with some more water to clean yourself. Bucket baths are awesome. I must say, when i was little that was my favorite time was bucket bath time and that was simply waiting for the water to poured all over my head by my mom and dad, and eventually when i got bigger than the bucket and could pick it up with some water in it, then doing it myself. I must say though, if you have not bucket bathed, that it is something you do! you would be amazed with how clean you can get from just one bucket of water! But, I must say, a cold bucket bath, that is BRUTAL! far more brutal than a cold shower, simply because you know that each time you pour water on your it will be cold and it is the equivalent of chinese water torcher! The anticipation of the cold water and then how slowly it goes over you as you shiver while you try to soap yourself - brutal. I would not suggest it, unless YOU really need to wake up...

i know i have written this before, but i am still amazed by the way they drive out here in India. It is a constant dodging of people, with a flurry of horns, with people going which ever way they please at any point in time. I can only imagine how being a drunk driver here would be - i mean everyone seems to be driving drunk! haha! i guess, they are even more out of control. But honestly, here when you are driving you not only have to be aware of your car, but the cows, water buffaloes, people, biclycles, motorcylce, scooters, dogs, kids, birds, taxis, other cars and trucks! People use all forms of transportation that is available to get around and everyone goes were everyone else is! haha! mind blowing...people zig zag in and out to get around people, they rely on their breaks to save them - i am surprised i have not seen more accidents, everyone comes close - driving on the street is like a constant game of chicken - when both people flash their light and then either duck in front or behind the person they wanted to pass - then in the end they get passed by the person they passed...every light is like the beginning of the India 500 - when people see the clock on the stop light (yes they have a seconds till green timer) get to 5 seconds, they start to go regardless if there is any on coming traffic! it is amazing! and no traffic cops do anything...but watch. Rikshaws (these little three wheel black bug looking thing) are stuffed with at least 15 little kids coming from school - you see their bags hanging out the back and when you look inside all you see is kids and not even the driver! it is amazing...yet somehow people get around - usually by sticking out their hands and honking, thus displaying that they want to go in that general direction...people constatly waving their hands...

alright - today has been a good long day, it has rained, which is nice - cools things down a little - but lots done and lots more to accomplish!

till later...

posted by ravi @ 5:55 AM