Ajanta and Ellora Caves Part 1: Nature Calls in Nature

Last weekend, ACM took my classmates and I to the Ajanta and Ellora caves, two World Heritages sites. This meant a bus ride that started around eight in the morning and brought us to our destination at nine at night; and India, not known for its public facilities, provides frequent adventures for the hydrated female.

I found, our schedule depended upon two variables: whether or not Anju, ACM's community mom, felt the call and the availability of organic cover. When these two conditions were present, the bus would come to a stop in seemingly the middle of nowhere, and Anju would yell "Potty break!", rousing us all from our Ipods, books, or naps. We would then stumble from the vehicle, Anju would separate the four boys from the herd, and then lead the girls into the available foliage. The first time we pushed our way into a cornfield (a difficult and painful process as Indian corn stalks are both bigger than American varieties and planted closer together), squatted literally arm-lengths away and within perfect view of each other, before releasing the flood.

Upon getting back to the bus, snacks would immediately be distributed. I think this was a kind of classical conditioning, trying to give us positive reinforcement for an otherwise unpleasant experience.

For any female attempting an Indian "potty break", a few tips to bear in mind:

1.) Roll up your pants!
2.) Face downhill
3.) If possible, make a hole with your foot (cuts down on splash back)
4.) Always have sanitizer handy (good for other things too--friendly strays, eating, etc.)
5.) Get used to drip dry (better for the environment!)

There are a couple more tips that I found out during the last pee adventure. That time we stopped at some bushes next to a sugar cane field. Sugar cane is a strong, rough plant that is a foot taller than I am and generally planted in an impenetrable mass, which also serves as a great hide out for jaguars and leopards...

So I chose the bushes, which just so happened to be surrounded by mud and composed of thorns. Two other girls and I navigated the mud, the thorns, and settled in (once again within full view of each other). Soon one of the girls yelled "Mosquitoes!" and started twitching forcibly back and forth. Since both her hands were holding up her korta (long dress-like shirt), her bare butt was an indefensible target for the swarms that the standing water nearby had bred.

Luckily, I am apparently not as tasty and was done; so I quickly pulled up my pants and got back to the bus.