I Left My Heart in Delhi

June 17, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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The song might be all about leaving your heart in San Francisco but I left my heart in India. I first visited India back in 2003 and cycled with some amazing people as part of Bike for Bibles there. We rode from Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, to Delhi. I visited again in 2005 and cycled from Delhi to Chandigarh.

India is an incredible country that must be experienced to begin to understand the attraction it holds. The colour, the sights, sounds, smells, the most amazing food and some truly wonderful people.

One of my Indian friends just asked me on Facebook when I’m heading back to Delhi. It’s been over six years since I was last there and I would love to be able to jump on a plane and head back for a month or so. If money and time weren’t an issue I’d book a ticket today.

Unfortunately I’m not likely to return any time soon. I’ll have to be happy with some amazing memories for the time being but one day I hope I can get back to Delhi and explore even more of that amazing country.

I can’t imagine calling anywhere but Perth home but India is constantly calling as a place to visit.

I’m wondering if there are places you’ve been that you’d like to visit again. What part of the world holds a special place in your heart? Has the travel bug bitten you or are you happy to stay home?



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Termites Chew Through Millions

April 25, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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I was interested to read today that police in India are investigating a rather strange bank robbery.

According to several news sources, termites have apparently broken into a bank’s strong room and eaten their way through an estimated 10 million rupees in bank notes. That’s over $200 000 in Australian dollars.

Staff at the State Bank of India in Arthur, near the northern India city of Luck, opened the steel vault to discover that termites had been lunching on a steady diet of Indian currency.

It seems that the building which houses the strong room was riddled with termites. Termites had previous damaged bank furniture and documents before turning their attention to the strong room, where cash was stored.

For such a small creature they seem to have incredibly expensive tastes.

Matthew 6:20-21 (New Living Translation)

20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Maybe we need to add termites to moths, rust and thieves.



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India Celebrates

April 3, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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There aren’t too many experiences that compare with sharing celebrations with good friends. If I had the money I’d book a plane right now and head to India to party with the nation that captured my heart when I first visited back in February 2003. I’m not a huge cricket fan but knowing how much the game means to millions of Indians, I know that the joy of beating Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup will be the cause of huge celebrations.

The six wicket win has placed the cup in Indian hands for the first time since 1983 and it was the first time a team has won the tournament on home soil.

Wherever I travelled in India I saw children playing cricket. From the green fields around India Gate to dusty, sand covered patches of land, wherever there is enough room to swing a bat, you’ll see children imitating their cricketing heroes. Some have shiny cricket sets, others use rough pieces of wood as they imagine themselves hitting the winning runs to clinch the game. Cricket is everywhere in India.

It’s been over six years since I was last in that amazing country but I still think about India every day. One of my very favourite memories is being in the country during the 2003 World Cup. The Massey family had invited my good friend Mark and me to their home for some home hospitality. After we were served a truly incredible meal we sat in front of an old colour television to see Australia and India battling it out on the cricket field. There was a lot of good-natured banter as we barracked for our respective home countries. As I said, I’m not a massive cricket fan but watching that game with some amazing Indian friends will remain a treasured memory for life.

India, enjoy your win. I wish I was there with you today.



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Recording Your Dreams

October 29, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Can you imagine being able to record your dreams? Is that something that excites or frightens you? It’s a little bit of both for me.

I guess we’ve all had those dreams that seem so real and so wonderful at the time but then we wake up and we’re left feeling a bit let down as we try to scramble our memory to search for all the pieces to the amazing scenes we’ve just experienced. I’ve visited far off, exotic locations and met with some amazing people but then I wake up to find that not only wasn’t it real, but the memory of those dreams is slipping away incredibly fast. I love the dreams of being back in India or of cycling across Australia.

Maybe you’ve also had those dreams that you don’t remember having at all when you wake up, but then something happens during the day triggers a memory and the dream you had last night floods back.

Now we’re being told that US scientists hope to record people’s dreams.

They’re in early stages of research at the moment but it may one day be possible to TiVo your weird and wonderful night time adventures. If it ever happens, sign me up, but first I want to ensure that the recordings are kept secure, with me being the only one to watch my dreams. I’m sure that there’ll be stuff I’ll show others or even post online once I’ve edited it but having my mind in its most unguarded moments streamed live isn’t something that would thrill me.

How about you? Have you had some dreams that you’d like to be able to re-visit? Would you want to record your dreams?



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Dreams of India

June 16, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Taj MahalWhere do your dreams take you?

I was so pleased to be in India last night. I said over and over that it was so good to be back in India. Unfortunately I woke up to realise that it had all been a dream.

I’ve been to India a couple of times and would be back there in a heartbeat for another visit if I could afford the ticket. In my dream I was busy catching up really good friends that I’ve met on my previous visits and seeing some of the sights I love, as well as seeing new parts of India that I haven’t experienced yet.

One of the things I’d love to do in India is visit some communities on the coast. I got to do that in my dream last night. We were driven around a bay where the water of the ocean was washing over the road. We were traveling in a van and the van driver just kept going right on through the swollen waters. I remember thinking that I was perfectly safe because he was an Indian driver who knew the conditions and I could trust him completely to get us to our destination safely. I lifted my small suitcase onto my knees to avoid it getting soaked by the water which was now swirling around my feet.

India is such an amazing country and I’ve only experienced such a small sample of what the country offers. I really was dissapointed when I woke up and realised that I wasn’t actually there.

The most disappointing thing about realising it was a dream was that I hadn’t got around to eating an authentic curry before I woke up.



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