|
| |
|
This is
Problem! |
Posted:
Jul 3, 2003 11:12 AM |
|
"This is
problem!"
I first heard this phrase three years ago while at the airport in New Delhi.
I had arrived two days previously, and now was anxiously waiting for my
connecting flight to Leh, Ladakh to do some trekking on my first visit here.
The 6:00AM flight had been delayed until 6:30. Then until 7:30. Then until
8:00. Then until 8:45. Then they fed us all breakfast. The flight was then
delayed until 10:00. At this time, I asked someone at the ticket counter if
something was wrong. I was told that there were low-lying clouds in the Leh
area and that "This is problem."
"This is problem" is a simple statement that a problem exists. No solutions.
No partial solutions. No hints at relief. No ideas. Nothing to ease the
mind.
We finally did take off at 10:30 in the morning and had a beautiful flight
to Leh... until we got up here. The pilot found a hole in the clouds and
dropped through. We couldn't have been more than 500 feet above the ground;
when I see planes coming in this year, I realize how far down we actually
were. We were even with the cliff we had to clear to make our final turn to
land when we got clouded in. The pilot immediately pulled up and announced
that we would have to make another try at landing. Regarding the clouds,
"this is problem."
We got out on our treks, and found a beautiful area with crystal clear
streams. But no matter how high we trekked, even up to 17,000 feet, there
were always animals grazing higher and we had to treat our water. The
ponyman whose horses we hired simply said "This is problem."
During our stay here, we found out about the Kargil War with Pakistan just a
year before and 212 kilometers away. The town was empty of tourists when I
was here, and taxi drivers, hotel owners and shop owners all said in unison
"this is problem."
On my last trek, I ended in Padum in the middle of the Zanskar area. I was
looking at a miserable 2 day bus ride back to Leh via Kargil, followed by 3
more bus days to Delhi with only a day to spare before my flight back to
America. I reached Padum to find out that that village had been on strike
for 5 days already. This was due to 3 Buddhist lamas being assassinated at
the Rangdom Monastery. Contemplating doing in 4 days what is usually trekked
in 9 days as an alternative to get to the Delhi Road, I talked to the
government tourist officer in Padum. He simply said "This is problem."
The strike, fortunately ended the same day, so I got home. Last year, I
returned to Leh to teach for a year. I was thrilled to have a principal that
gave all his teachers respect, students that were polite, and an
administration that even built a house for me. I thought things would be
different this time around. Foolish me! The next day, I got up at 9:00 to
get ready for school, which starts at 10:00 here. No water in the tap. I
went downstairs to ask Mrs. Basu about this, and she said that we only get
water from 6:30 to 7:30 AM and 4:30 to 5:30 PM. "This is problem."
That afternoon, I got home and wanted to charge my digital camera batteries.
No power. I found out that power was only on between 7:00 and 11:00 PM each
day. "This is problem."
But, I can live with these kind of things. All I have to do is know what to
expect, right? Wrong. In August, we had one of the unusual downpours from
the monsoon that in recent years has made it over the mountains
occasionally. It had rained all day and my roof never had a leak. Until
exactly 15 minutes after the power went out (11:15PM). At this point, the
flat mud roof saturated and I had a waterfall turn on instantly above the
window sill hitting the sill and splattering onto the bed where I was
sleeping. A second waterfall was over the sink in the bathroom splattering
mud over my toothbrush and all my toiletries. The third waterfall was
exactly over the doorway leading me to the front room and then outside.
"THIS IS PROBLEM."
I wanted to post my first Backpacker article. I soon found out that at 2
rupees (4cents) a minute the screens change at about 3-4 minutes each on the
computers and that internet expenses would exceed food expenses here. "This
is problem."
But, I could accept internet slowness. In a remote area, this is to be
expected. But, then my articles started being lost when the server
disconnected at inconvenient times. Said shop owner Nawang Lhundup, "This is
problem."
Calling out of here on the phone is a problem, because getting a line is
difficult. "This is problem."
I found out AFTER hearing the Dalai Lama that there was an
English-translation section. No one told me. "This is problem."
No one at school knows for sure which days are holidays. "This is problem."
Bridge out on a trek. "This is problem."
Cows and donkeys in my front yard eating my neighbors' gardens. "This is
problem."
Sitting around for hours on end waiting for people that you need to talk
with, and then having 3 or 4 different people or groups all need you at once
causing you to have to rush. "This is problem."
Playing organ at church on Sundays at a service almost entirely in Hindi. I
quickly got to learn the Hindi phrases needed in order to turn on the
electric keyboard and get it ready to play the hymn. "This is problem."
Finding out that to ship something to America, you don't use a box like back
there. You have to find someone to sew you a white cloth package to put your
stuff inside. "This is problem."
I laugh at all of the above. Each one of these took some getting used to,
but I learned to take things as they come. Take yesterday, for instance. I
had booked my ticket to Delhi and then home back in early April. Well, now
with the tourist season in full swing, I now could finally get money off of
a credit card. Money in hand, I went to the Jet Airways counter to pay for
my ticket. They had lost my reservation, and there was a huge waiting list
for August 6th. So, I now am staying here a day longer, and have a ticket
for the 7th. What did the agent tell me? That's right, "This is problem."
------------Signature----------
I Love the Mountains |
|
