[meteorite-list] India report #3

From: Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:25 2004
Message-ID: <20031011120803.29091.qmail_at_web20912.mail.yahoo.com>

Good evening. I have just got back to my hotel after a
full day of tourism. I visited Konark and Puri, the
most sacred place in India. It is a 2300 year old
temple city, with the sun temple the most spectacular
archeological item I have ever seen. It is huge,
completely covered with carvings, virtually all are
Kama Sutra type scenes, by this I mean extreme sex!
2300 year old pornos if you will. Unbelievable.
I also saw the most horrible thing that I have ever
seen in my life, i need to tell it here just to get it
off my chest.
As I said, every time you get in a car here, you are
taking your life at serious risk. I have seen terrible
remains of car wrecks all over the roads, but today
saw one moments after it happened. We came upon a
large bus that had litteraly crushed and ripped in
hafe a minivan, here in India, the game seems to be to
see how many men, women and children you can put
inside a vehicle, then put some more on top, on the
hood, and hangin off the sides. The bus crushed most
of the van, and ripped the rest completely off. It
must have happened within one or two minutes before I
got there, as there were bodies piled everywhere, and
blood still running out of the van all over. I saw at
leat 7 or 8 dead people, with some children crushed in
the metal, and parts laying on the road. there was
nothing we could do, already alot of people there, but
no one survived in the van, I think 10 or more people
likely, but impossible to tell. I was about 2 feet
from it, and I almost vomited. The children here all
play in the road, and ride on the top or hang out the
windows of the overloaded cars, i think most of the
dead I saw where children.
I am so afraid here now, driving terrifies me, and I
hope that I can get out of here. We have had so many
close calls that I think my share is about used up.
I dont see how anyone lives here. It is terrible the
way life is thrown away.

I am really messed up right now, trying to forget what
I saw, knowing that i will never forget that, ever.

As far as the meteorite goes, we got a call that they
have almost found the large piece of the hut smasher,
and should call us in a few hours. I want them to
bring it here, there is no way in hell that I am going
back on the roads at night here ever again. Anyone who
comes to India, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE drive at
night, just stop, i dont care where you are, sleep in
the car, driving at night here is worse than pointing
a loaded gun at your head and pulling the trigger. I
almost soiled myself so many times last night on the
way back to the hotel, it isnt worth it.

I have one more day to recover some meteorite, so
hopefully we will get a call.
If not, I will be in Calcutta for a and a half day to
see the museum there, then on my way home, arriving
Wednesday night, home for a week, then on to Gifhorn
and Munich shows.

Mike Farmer
Received on Sat 11 Oct 2003 08:08:03 AM PDT