Mountain Man

Well it’s been a while since my last post, sorry to those who actually read this, I’m not sure how many people actually read this. When I write this, I feel as if I’m releasing my experiences and stories to the entire internet (which I am), and therefore I picture thousands of people reading this. I have to laugh because there are maybe 10 people who probably check this frequently. So sorry those people!

Anyway, we are now in Mussoorie, and this has to be my one of my favorite places. It’s located on the mountains and has a much cooler climate. We are staying in Landour Community Hospital, which is a mission hospital that was founded during British rule while there were many mission hospitals being founded then. All of the staff and doctors are Christian (Methodist mostly), which is interesting as we’ve really only had exposure to Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists. It runs at a much slower pace than the government hospitals in the city. All of the patients come in the morning because the transportation in the mountains is better then, and there are very few patients in the afternoon. We have seen a few tuberculosis patients (the biggest killer in India), many urinary infections, skin rashes, auto accident trauma cases (auto accidents are the second greatest cause of death in India), and many other primary care cases. The doctors really seem to have a passion for the poor here, as about half of the patients are very poor “mountain people” and the other half are wealthy Indian tourists visiting Mussoorie. It is a big tourist destination town because of its cool climate in the summer and beautiful mountainside location.

I only have a few more minutes on this wi-fi but I will spend the rest of the time uploading pictures. I will be saying goodbye to Callie and Zack tomorrow,  I can’t believe it’s been a month and that my new good friends will be leaving. Callie is heading to Europe for a month of touring there, I’m incredibly jealous! Zack is heading back home to Kansas to see his 4-year-old sister and rest of the family.

I will try to update the blog again this weekend.

Until next time!

Clayton

P.S. Sorry for any typos, I didn’t get a chance to proofread this time.

Monsoon!

Mussoorie

The view from the hospital. You can see the greater Himalayas in the background

Callie getting her nose pierced, Indian style.

Weddings In the Streets

It’s been another great week in Dehradun. I’ve learned a lot about Obstetrics, especially about the stats in India, which are a bit daunting (i.e. their Infant Mortality Rate is 20/100, or 1/50 and those are the registered deliveries that occur in hospitals. A great portion of the population, mostly the uneducated, delivers its babies at home. The IMR is much higher in these cases, but are unregistered.) Also, much of the population (again mostly the uneducated) does not care for contraception, but aren’t afraid to abort their babies. This was shocking to me, probably because I’ve grown up around Catholics, who don’t compromise on either of these issues. The OB/GYN, Dr. Nisha Guera, is a wonderful doctor who practiced in Iran for 11 years then moved back to India with her husband (who is an anesthesiologist) and has been practicing in her own clinic for 19 years. I asked her about Iran and she told me that the Iranian people never restricted her practice and were actually very welcoming and encouraging of her practice. We hear a lot of things from the media, and while we should keep up with what is going on in the world, it’s good to try to understand both sides of the story. I’m not saying I’m an Iran fanatic now at all, but I think we only hear the very negative things that support the case our country supports. I was shocked to hear that the Iran government would support the successful practice of a woman, but I guess I’ve never been told this story in the papers. She has taught me a lot about the Indian mindset when it comes to pregnancies. Most people in the cities do not want more than 2 children, for financial reasons in the majority of cases. It is illegal in India to disclose the sex of a child before birth, this is because males in the past, and still now, are favored over females. Males stay with their families their whole lives (in the past and still in some cases now mostly in the rural areas) and have traditionally been held responsible to take care of their elderly parents. Dr. Guera said this mindset is changing and most parents are happy to have females (even if it is their second female child) because the culture is definitely changing and there is a much stronger egalitarian mentality nowadays. It was good to hear that, but a bit difficult to swallow when hearing that some parents are upset when they have their child. It’s at these times I have to remind myself that I have grown up in a culture very different from this one, and that I have to be open-minded and try to understand. I can imagine if I had two females, knowing that they would move out of the house by the time they were 20 years old to their husbands’ families locations, I would not necessarily be as ecstatic if I knew my children would be around the rest of my life. I’m happy to hear that this is uncommon to find unhappy parents during their child’s birth now.

I’ve been with the ophthalmologist Dr. Ramola in the morning this week. I’ve spent 6 hours in the OR this week and have seen 14 cataracts surgeries. Yes, 14 in 6 hours. They churn out the patients here, with no time between cases. There are usually 3 patients in the OR at a time: 1 being operated on, and 2 laying there waiting for their local anesthesia to kick in and for their turn to come. Dr. Ramola works at the government hospital, and will have up to 25 surgeries a day. He performs at expert pace with a flawless hand. He does these surgeries all the time and everything goes very fast. He restores the vision of thousands of people each year, what an incredibly rewarding job! I feel like I get more excited every minute I spend in the operating room. Can I just skip medical school and residency? I am so excited for my career. After many hours of shadowing doctors and businessmen, I feel so comfortable and excited with my career decision. I also feel very lucky to be in this position because I know this is not extremely common among students my age.

I’ve found that the best parts of living in India have come in two forms: first, in random lessons and tidbits from my host mom and doctors I’ve shadowed; and second, in forms I couldn’t have ever predicted for myself before coming here. For example, I had never learned how head gestures work here. When someone moves his or her head from side to side in America, it usually signifies mediocrity or slight disapproval, not being fully content. I had assumed it meant the same thing here. People do it all the time here, so I had started to conclude that people don’t necessarily vocalize their disapproval, but simply signify it with this head nod. I also have realized that people don’t vocalize their gratitude as much as we do in America (I feel like people are always saying “thank you” in America, that’s not how it is here). Whenever I would tip a driver or give money to a shop owner to buy something, they would respond with this head nod. It made me uncomfortable and made me think people weren’t the most grateful here. I then was told that this means thank you… I started laughing at thought of all the times people were saying thank you, and not presenting an aura of displeasure or ingratitude. This was just one example of how you can never judge or assume something about a person when you don’t know them fully.

On my way to the internet café today, there was a wedding procession/parade going on in the street. Everyone was dancing and singing. But as soon as the tall white guy (me) showed up filming and taking pictures of the scene with his fancy iPhone, everyone turned to look. I started laughing because even during a huge wedding parade through the city, everyone in what was supposed to be the destination of all glances turned to and pointed at me. I walked away laughing and smiling, thinking about the irony of the whole situation.

Zack, Callie, and I have become very close, so it will be sad to see them leave in about a week. I can’t believe 3 weeks have gone by this fast. I’ve become very comfortable and “at home” here. I always get excited when I think about the rest of my trip because I know only incredible things are to come.

Apna khayal rakhna

Clayton

One of the rivers we pass on the way to Dr. Guera's OB/GYN clinic. Its trashy and dry nature will be fixed temporarily by the upcoming monsoon.

In Dr. Ramola's operating room

Traffic jam type 1

Traffic jam type 2

The wedding parade

Rishikesh

Well I am back in Dehradun, still trying to get over how much I loved Rishikesh. We were only there for a couple of days, but they were very busy and relaxing at the same time. The city sits on the Ganges (they say and spell it “Ganga”) with very large mountains jutting up on both sides of the river. Right when we arrived, we headed up the valley to go river rafting. The water was not as intense as a previous rafting trip I went on with my dad and my friend from college Brent Smith, but it was still very fun and beautiful. We got to get out of the raft for a bit and just float along the boat in the Ganges; it felt incredible in the heat.

We relaxed for the most part afterwards and got to see the city at night. Just like the rest of urban India, it was at its busiest around 9 PM. Even more than I had anticipated before coming to India, I have grown very comfortable with many many cows walking throughout the streets almost acting as equals to humans. It’s amazing how there are so many “homeless” cows, yet they’re all well fed. When anyone finishes his or her mango, banana, etc., the peel or remaining fruit immediately gets thrown to a cow. I’ve grown very fond of cows since being here: they’re so patient, calm and content (or so they seem). I love how everyone pitches in to keep them fed and healthy. Even the poor street venders or beggars will throw them some remaining scraps before eating all of their food.

I got my first much needed Ayurvedic massage on Sunday morning after a week of yoga. After a relaxing morning, we went out for some great shopping and exploring of the city. It’s difficult to explain the vibe of Rishikesh, but I’ll make an attempt: if you mix hippie, yoga, spirituality, travelledherefromacrosstheworldbecausethebeatleswerehere50yearsago American people, natural beauty, young people, and smiling, you can start to get the feeling. Everyone seemed so happy and excited to be there. I miss it already.

Anyway, I am back in Dehradun now and our clinical rotation is very interesting this week. In the morning we shadow an ophthalmologist and an OB/GYN at night. We will get to see surgery every other day, so I’m super excited.

The power is likely to go out soon so I better get going. I have experienced anywhere from 3 to 5 power outages per day so that has become an expectation. India does not produce enough power to supply everything all the time, so they will cut power in different locations at different times so that there is enough power to last throughout the day and night.

I have to go, but I will try to update the blog soon. I don’t know if you can read this between the lines in my blog, but I’m having the time of my life. I can’t believe I’m already ¼ of the way done, but happy that I still have ¾ of it to experience.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Clayton

Getting ready for some rafting down the Ganges

In front of one of the ashrams

A real hippie based off his looks and what he's selling...

One of the main bridges in Rishikesh

Ran into this guy as I was about to cross the bridge

A statue of one of the gods in the marketplace

I think he was posing for me

In the ashram during sunset

This almost looks like a painting but it's blurry from driving fast by these elephants on our way back to Dehradun

In our newly acquired Indian garb

Where Have 2 Weeks Gone?

It is Friday night, the 15^th of June, and it is our last night in the Himalayan village of Patti. I have fallen in love with the way of life here. Wake up, yoga, tea with breakfast, work for 4 hours, rest for 2 hours, tea, work for 2 hours, yoga again for an hour, relax for an hour, eat, then sleep. The slow paced, rural, mountain lifestyle has been a nice change of pace from the very fast-past urban lifestyle in Dehradun. I keep thinking, “If I have the money when I’m older, I’m definitely going to have a house in the mountains.” Whether it’s the Himalayas or the Rocky Mountains, I always seem to be more relaxed when in the mountains.

Dr. Paul has been another great doctor to spend time with. He’s got a great sense of humor that I will definitely miss. Yesterday, when Zack opened the shower door, Dr. Paul was standing there just waiting to scare him. I just about got sick from laughing so hard (Zack ended up getting Dr. Paul back by locking the shower door from the outside while he was showering, also very funny).

The people working in the CFHI clinic are here in the village of Patti Sunday night through early Saturday morning. They then drive down to Dehradun for the weekend to see their families. They all get paid very little as they are working for a non-profit. They all feel strong draws to rural medicine as well as to a good cause: giving free medical care to people who wouldn’t otherwise have any access to medical services. I greatly admire their work and dedication to this clinic. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to give up seeing my family 5 days out of the week no matter what the work was, so I know how difficult it must be for them.

Dr. Paul prescribes both Western, pharmaceutical-grade (allopathic) medicines that we’re used to in the states along with Ayurvedic, plant-based medicines to his patients. Dr. Paul said that most Indian medical schools teach their students to use both types of medicines, which I think is very neat. I believe that having an understanding of both types of medicines keeps doctors open-minded and balanced. I hope that by the time I am practicing, I will have a better understanding of these Ayurvedic, traditional medicines so that I will be able to recommend/prescribe numerous types of treatments that best suit the patient and illness. A few hours ago we went on a walk around Patti and Dr. Paul pointed out about 15 different plants that he uses as medicine. It was really fascinating because I hadn’t thought much of the surrounding flora for anything beyond its aesthetic value. After the walk, I realized to a greater degree as to how much we can utilize the natural world in healing and other beneficial practices.

During one of our break times on Wednesday, I looked out at the rice paddies and saw some of the kids playing cricket. Everyone loves cricket here. My yoga instructor for the week was down there playing and he waved me down. I ran down and immediately he said, “Okay you are pitcher.” Having only seen a cricket pitch on television, my first few pitches were interesting to say the least. But all the kids, trying to hold back laughter, were very helpful and showed me the proper technique. I then batted, which I was much better at. Cricket is like baseball but much more fast-paced and exciting in my opinion. I had so much fun, and I’m glad that I’ve now played in a real Indian cricket game.

Tomorrow morning we’re getting up early to head to Rishikesh for the weekend. This is where The Beatles visited and lived for a short period. They composed many songs there, so I’m very excited to maybe see some remnants of Beatlemania. There is also some great river rafting down the Ganges (it is clean too, not polluted because it’s in the mountains and close to the source), which we are planning on doing. It’s also the yoga capital of the world, and since I’m now a yoga master after this week, it should be interesting to see the city where it’s most popular.

That’s all for now, but I will be posting more frequently this week since I will be in Dehradun where I’ll have access to Internet cafes every couple of days.

Namaste,

Clayton

A Himalayan Village

To pick up from where I left off in Agra, we ended up having a more eventful Saturday night than what we had originally planned. In the hotel we were staying at, there was a large Muslim dance birthday party going on on the floor below us. We knew this because the music was very loud and we could hear it through the floor. One of the girls in the group we met up with on our trip to the Taj Mahal, Sasha, and I were going down to the front desk of the hotel to pick up a blanket, but we decided to peek our heads inside the party to see what exactly was going on. Immediately, we were spotted and pulled somewhat forcefully into the party (although I think we deep-down wanted to go in to experience a Muslim dance party). They took us straight to the bar. I’ve come to realize that everyone here associates white, American men with beer. I always hear, “Do you like beer? I can get you beer!” They don’t drink much at all here, but they are very interested in American culture and definitely get the picture that we drink more in America than in India. After watching them open up a new bottle of whiskey and Pepsi (don’t worry mom and dad, I made sure we weren’t getting drugged), we decided to have a couple drinks. You have to realize that while this was going on, we were in our pajamas and they were all dressed up in their formalwear. Also, it felt as though an entire Bollywood film crew was surrounding us catching every second of these random white people partying at their young child’s birthday party. It was quite the sight to see. We were dancing to the techno music with these Muslim men while the rest of the party watched almost dumbfounded, especially because there was a girl who was drinking and dancing with the men. It ended up being so much fun, but eventually we left to get our blanket.

The ride back from Agra to Dehradun was rough again but memorable. On the way back, out of boredom and incredulity, I took a series of pictures of babies riding on motorcycles out of the back window of the taxi. I think I should create a tumblr along the lines of “biker babies.” If anyone else has a better name, I’d love to hear it.

I have spent the last 3 days in the small Himalayan village of Patti, and it’s probably going to be my favorite location while living in India. It is a serene, quiet, simple village with very few people living here. There are not many large towns or cities in the mountains here like in Colorado, but hundreds upon thousands of very small villages scattered throughout the mountains. This makes it difficult to get medicine and medical care to people. The non-profit I am here with, Child Family Health International, built a clinic and supplies all medicines and care for free to those who seek medical attention. We have seen patients who have traveled up to 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) throughout the mountains just to see Dr. Paul (the Indian doctor we are here with). He’s been here at the clinic since its opening in 1999. Since then, the word has spread throughout this area that there is free medical care in Patti by a respected doctor, so the people have come. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Dr. Paul hikes to nearby villages to reach more people. These villages can be anywhere from a 45 minute hike to a 3-hour hike each way. We hiked on Tuesday to a nearby village that only took about an hour to get to. The kids were so cute, spying on us and sneaking up on us just to see the tall, white, blonde (in Callie’s case) American people. We played with them for a while and showed them some of our foreign toys like our iPhones, cameras, etc. They loved all of them. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the hospitality is amazing. I think part of it is because we are with doctors most of the time, and doctors are some of the most respected people in the country. But mostly, this culture is very welcoming, which is so nice! It’s been fun exploring the nearby villages and the one we’re in. The people along with the mountains here are beautiful.

My average day here has been so much different than how it was in the city of Dehradun. First, we wake up at 4:45 or 5:45 depending on if we want to go on a morning run. Then, we have yoga from 6-7 AM, then quiet time (I usually go back to sleep) until 8, breakfast and tea from 8-8:45, clinic from 9 AM-1 PM, lunch from 1-1:30, rest from 1:30-4 PM, tea and biscuits right before clinic, clinic from 4-6 PM, yoga again from 6:30-7:30 PM, dinner from 8:15-8:45, then games, reading, etc., then sleep. I love this schedule because I feel like I’m getting in lots of physical activity while also getting time to rest and reflect. I’m also getting lots of clinical time in to see patients that are different from those in the city. This morning a woman came in with a very large abscess in her armpit, and we got to watch Dr. Paul surgically drain the abscess and remove the excess skin. It was very interesting.

I am getting more and more comfortable with taking people’s blood pressure and listening for certain red flags in the lungs with a stethoscope as the days go on. In fact, in the village we went to on Tuesday, I took the blood pressure of a 110-year old woman who had been lying in the same spot on a concrete floor for the past 10 years. Her blood pressure was healthier than the average patient we have seen here. Pretty amazing. Dr. Paul asks us to “check BP, check lungs” with almost every patient, as the majority of problems are related to these areas. I’ve heard from all three doctors I’ve worked with that if you can have a healthy blood pressure and healthy lungs, you eliminate so many of the problems that can arise as you get older. So, passing this information on, if there is anybody reading this with a high blood pressure, go to the doctor and ask him/her how to best manage it, it’ll add years to your life!

Right now I’m lying in bed during our rest time between clinical sessions glancing out the window at the mountains and rice paddies (much of the farming here is rice farming, everyone is preparing their fields for the monsoon. So when I am back here in 1 month, all of the fields will be flooded and the rice will be growing.) A day hasn’t gone by where I haven’t thought about how lucky I am to be here. Although I miss some very special people in my life, I know this experience is shaping me even more into the person I am supposed to be. I am learning a lot about others and myself and I know these lessons are invaluable. So, thank you to everyone who has helped me get to this point in my life, and to everyone who supports me today, I truly appreciate it. Finally, these past two weeks have made me think a lot about destiny and if it is real. I’m still not sure if it is, but what I have realized is that if there is something within yourself that is calling you or telling you to do something, if you listen to that voice, you will be happy. I know this is very simple and not unheard of, but I truly believe now that if you are doing what you love, everything else will fall into place. This can apply to one’s professional career, family life, or simply just an every day decision. Following your passion and caring for others really sums up life in my opinion (this probably sounds hilarious coming from a 20 year oldJ). Hopefully I can remember this for the rest of my life, and if not, send me the link to my own blog.

I will try to keep writing as often as possible. I am writing this on Wednesday, June 13^th but probably won’t get to post it until Saturday or Sunday when I will have access to wi-fi.

See you guys soon,

Clayton

Having a drink at the unexpected party in Agra

We'll be in someone's home video!

The first addition that will be added to my tumblr "Biker Babies"

On the way to Patti

A view from the clinic in Patti

Zack, Callie, and I on a hike

Horseback riding crushing

The Himalayan foothills

Dr. Paul with some of his younger patients

With the children in a nearby village

A father showing his kids how to till the rice paddies in preparation for the monsoon

Learning how to play cricket under the Himalayan sun!

Playing some frisbee next to the clinic

A shot I took from the clinic

The Taj Mahal

Don't have much time to write now, but here are some pictures from today at the Taj Mahal. It was absolutely incredible. Even standing in front of it, it didn't seem real. Zack, Callie and I went to Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) with two other CFHI interns Sasha and Aarushi. We've all been getting along so well, it's been a ton of fun. We took an overnight cab (10 hour drive) in which I slept for about 30 minutes because the roads were so rough and the drivers are CRAZY. Even at 4 AM there was constant passing, slamming of the breaks, etc. We arrived in Agra around 7 AM, went to a local coffee shop to get some food, slept for a few hours, then walked to the Taj Mahal around 2 PM. It was incredibly hot today, reaching a high of 112, but it really didn't seem too bad when we were touring because there were many clouds looming. The begging here is unlike anything I've ever seen, so many young children following you up to miles at a time, sometimes even crying just to get a rupee or two. Extreme poverty is everywhere. It's a very difficult situation because giving the beggars money only acts as a reward, but not giving anything to a small child seems coldhearted.

The day was amazing and so worth the 10 hour drive. We will head out of Agra back to Dehradun and then to the village of Patti for the rest of the week where I'll have no internet. I have heard that this village is stunning. I'll be doing yoga at 6 AM and 6 PM every day along with meditation and clinical rotations. Lots of hiking ahead as well, I can't wait.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I'll see you next in about 9 days.

Namaste ;)

Entering into the Taj Mahal

Classic Taj Picture

Zack, Callie and I

Doesn't it look fake?

EVERYONE wanted a picture with Callie

For anyone who knows about my obsession with monkeys, you could probably guess how excited I became when I saw these guys

Off To See the Taj

Well the word around town is “monsoon”… It’s been getting cloudier and cloudier the past few days, a sign of the monsoon. Our friend Mr. Singh took us for another drive today up through the foothills of the Himalayas and said that the clouds will gather and condense for days and weeks and then the hardest and longest rains in the world will be upon us for a month or two. While it sounds terrible, I’m excited at this point because the heat here when the sun is out is borderline unbearable. The Indian people don’t seem to mind as they continue to wear their jeans and long sleeve shirts. I’m wearing these very light, button-down shirts with light long pants to rounds every day. They’re definitely cooler than regular khakis and polos but they don’t change the fact that it’s 105-110 degrees every day. Today was much cooler, with overcast skies, thankfully. Mr. Singh told us that this has been the hottest summer in 64 years, lucky us! Most of the time we are indoors, with fans, out of the sun and pollution thankfully (I have not mentioned that I’ve never been somewhere more polluted, I can actually feel a difference in my breathing even after a few days, the air quality is extremely poor here, a very large contributor to the high asthma rates).

These things aside, the week has flown by and I can’t say how much fun it has been. I’ve learned so much about the doctor-patient relationship simply by observing. Intently watching the countless interactions in another language could not be more helpful and insightful. Never have I learned so much about body language: what seems to be of comfort to the patient and what doesn’t, what is reassuring, all things that are just as, if not more important than the actual diagnosis and prescription.

We have been in Dr. K.B. Joshi’s office from 5:45-8 PM every night this week. He is a general practitioner, as well as a cardiologist (chest specialist). He is a very kind man and another amazing doctor. He works from 8 AM until 10 PM EVERY DAY and sees about 20 patients an hour, yes 20. Although this number may seem a bit disconcerting, you must understand the medical situation in India. There are 1.2 billion people here, and a shortage of doctors. Not like the shortage in America, but like a waaaayyyyy greater shortage (sorry for the lack of numbers, I’m writing this post at home without internet so I can’t look it up. If someone knows/can look it up and wants to comment I’d be really interested to know). If doctors didn’t churn out patients very quickly, millions of people would not get seen nor treated by a doctor. This is why Dr. Joshi sees 20 patients an hour and works 14-15 hours a day. While observing him in clinic, he always stops and explains the situation of each patient to us, and teaches us everything we need to know about the sickness/disease to understand the diagnosis and situation of the patient. We feel bad sometimes when he does this because he is incredibly thorough with us, and takes a lot of time teaching us while the patients sit there waiting. The doctor patient relationship interests me greatly, and it’s amazing how respectful and reverent the patients are of the doctor and his services. All of the doctor’s words and opinions are respected. It is how I believe the relationship was in America 60 years ago. This style of relationship has its plusses and minuses (a minus maybe being that the doctor has too much power and never doubts his own abilities, getting carried away with a prognosis or prescription). Anyway, this week has been great with Dr. Joshi and I am grateful for everything he has done for us and taught us.

To the surprise of my mother and sister and all those who are aware of my fear of shopping (with the exception of ties and shoes), I have been shopping my ass off here with Callie and Zack. The number of shops and the prices are jaw dropping. And by jaw dropping I mean I bought 7 scarves, 4 pairs of pants, 1 tie, an elephant figurine (made of silver and another alloyish material), a kurta (formal male Indian shirt), 2 sets of bed sheets (including pillow cases), and another huge blanket, all for around $50.

I’m learning more and more about the mindset here, so much having to do with destiny. My Indian mother, Mrs. Sethi, always says, “It was our destiny to meet up in this life. I always try to enjoy every moment I have because in my next life I may not be a human. So I enjoy every moment that I can while I am here.” What a great way to look at life, so fascinating and enriching.

We’re heading to see the Taj Mahal in a couple hours, and I’m incredibly excited. It’s about a 10-hour drive from Dehradun, and we’re joining up with another couple of interns to join us on our adventure. I’m incredibly excited. I will try to write another post this weekend if I have internet. If not, it will be 8 days before I do, so farewell for a bit!

Peace, and I hope everyone is having a safe and fun summer so far.

Dr. Joshi with a patient

Driving throughout the foothills of the Himalayas

Some yummy fresh spices in the bazaar (market)

One stretch among many in the bazaar

The menu is a bit simpler here without beef...

To the Taj Mahal!