"Soldiers of Today and Yesterday"
" Honor,Dignity & Hope "

Day 2 of around the world.
In India and Calcutta their is basically 4 classes of people living here (1.) the wealthy. when I say wealthy actually they are the opulent. (2 ) moderate income,these are people who make aprox: 400 US dollars a month. Whis a lot of money there. ( 3) the poor if they make 5 US dollars a day Which is the mass majority of the people. ( 4 ) the out cast. I know that might sound strange to us Americans but they are the ones that live in card board or ten shacks. Remember the ones you saw in the movie "Slum Dog Millionaire. Yes folks that is real.
No matter your status the people in India are wonderful people. I actually fell in love with the Country. If you can over look the poverty and look beyond
that you can and will enjoy your stay in India They things I saw and did will
and has lingered in my heart till this day.
If you do any overseas travel i highly recommend this country
Now lets get back to our real life story.
Finding a moderate priced Hotel was not easy ! For the life of me I can not remember the name of the Hotel. After checking in and going to my room I found out the rooms are a lot different than back home. No TV, RADIO,or PHONE, that sucked especially since I was here on business. Once you tell one person that you are here on business the word spreads like wild fire. You don not have to advertise, earth seems to show up. One heck of a system. It seemed the whole city knew I was here. I had tons of agents for hand bag manufactures knocking on my door for days offering their wares and had each small factories for me to visit. What an experience. Going from place to place and seeing how these hand bags were mad was quite a trip.Little ladies and young children squatting on dirt floors and working 12 to 14 hours a day and making only 2 US dollars a day. This to me was slave wages. Every worker was so polite and thankful that I was there. I have now set the pace for my work for the next 6 months.
The next 6 months work was not all work and no play. The night life is really different there in Calcutta. What ever you want or desire you can have in India and cheep.
Just let your mind wonder a bit can you imagine Marijuana was 25 US Dollars a Kilo. Booze, Beer, Cigarettes, coffee, Cola you name it, it was cheap.Even the Girlies was cheap.

Well today is day 3 in our journey
At this point I have settled down doing due process weeding out the Mfgs'. Wow what a chore, I have now picked a few to visit and meeting friends and touring Calcutta. You cant' believe the things you see here. As I mentioned before the diverse living and standards. First the locals are warm and friendly.The old saying you have to know Jesus Christ to go to Heaven !!!! Well if you could meet such kind and loving people how could our God leave these folks behind. Yes a different religion, different culture,
I being a Catholic and the City where Mother Theresa had her charity, knows exactly how and what I feel. Yes I did meet her and discussed my feelings. She confirmed my thoughts. It was quite an experience and a blessing to meet her !
Right smack in the middle of Calcutta there sits a massive Memorial Hall in memoriy of Queen Victoria of England. She died Jan 2nd 1901.
Now let me tell this is out of place here. In the middle of all of this poverty.
But yet such a Beautiful place nothing out of place and there is a massive sports club for the wealthy.,with Polo club and Olympic size Pool. It is heart breaking to see that here.
( As a side bar , it is no longer called Calcutta it is called Kolkata just like Bombay is now Mumbai )
Now lets see you may ask did I visit the Polo Club ? Yes and they treat you like a king. Now this is really out of place here. It really broke my heart to see this,but such is life. andas I had other fish to fry and never went back. When you are in a place like Calcutta time goes by so quickly. You try and stay out of the sun as much as possible. It is so hot in this place called India. Let me relay a story to you. One day when two friends and I were in a Taxi cab and stopped at a stop light a young girl maybe 5 or 6 years old ran up to our window and had a cup in her hand. You see she was begging for money for her family. As I looked at her her tongue was swollen way out of her mouth it was infected and flies were hovering and she was trying to smile. That really broke my heart. I gave her all the money I had in my pocket at the time .I had night mares for days after and prayed to my God what could I do for her, could I taker to the Dr. and get it fixed and then something struck me. She is the sole provider of money and food for her family and if I got it fixed for her, her family would starve. I know that is sick but in India at the time is the way a person had to think. When you see such things you tell yourself what the Flip do you have to complain about.
There are many things I will write about in my Journey that may disturb you
but that was the life while I was there. I know things have changed by now but you will see these same things today. When you pick up the Telephone and call your Credit Card for Info, guess where you are connected to and talking to?? You got it right straight to Calcutta India. Yes I said change but not really. It will always be the same the rich get richer and the poorer get poorer.
Thar is it for today
Johnie Lee
See the link below

http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-monuments/victoria-memorial.html

Well folks I took last night off. I hope you didn't mind, sometimes one has burnt out and last night was one of those nights.
Tonight we again begin back in Calcutta or the New name is Kolkata. Crap it sounds the same to me. I will try and give you a bird's' eye view of the culture and things you see while there. If you have watched TV and watched stories of India you will see Cows wandering the streets. Well it is a fact seeing it first hand, even you can purchase any kind of Critter you want for pennies. The Cows in India are worshiped by a large group of people and they are sacred just like Monkeys or Rats. Yes I said Rats. One night outside of my hotel window I heard an awful noise as I looked towards the ground and there stood a man feeding a friggin' bunch of the biggest Rats you have ever seen. They were screeching and in an eating frenzy. It is a sight I will not forget..
The different forms of transportation you see is amazing. When you think of Rick-Shaw you would think of a sleepy village in Japan, well you got them here also. i feel they are inhumane .With this kind of heat it is a man killer.They should be outlawed . the wealthy own hundreds of them and rent them out as a Taxi Cabs. You can see tourists making these poor men race down the hot dusty streets. I feel and felt you should lock these damn tourists up and throw away the key. I know that sounds very harsh but that's how I felt. As far as the normal automobile Taxi they are made in India and except for the rich and famous all of them look the same. The cost is very cheap compared to the States and they drive on the wrong side of the road just like in England. Since I was in Calcutta for business I had a private driver at a moment's notice. At least during my first 4 or 5 months, which I will talk about a little later in my journey.
Food is another story. The locals eat very spicey to the point heck at times everything tastes the same. Curry spices is always in the air. They cook the most fantastic Breads. In Texas we call it Tortilla in India it is similar but a different taste. ( PAN ). and I don't know how to spell it. At night time, all of the streets abounds with vendors selling foods of any kind. You could not eat and drink enough to spend 5 US dollars. I have often said you could arrive at the Airport with 500 US dollars and live a minimum 6 months, Hotel, Food, Drink and Travel the whole country and have money left in your pocket when you got back on the plane. Eventhough today is January 5 th 2010 you could with maybe 700 US dollars you do the same. Even with the political climate today. with my knowledge I would go again because the East Indians are a wonderful, gentle people. As I said once before this is my love Country. I would recommend any young person with the wander lust give it a go. As you read my Journal you will see why !

Contemplating our evening journey I am surprised how far back a person,when willing, can go so far back in time. It has been over 38 years since my two feet were on Indian soil. Yep that is a long time. Over 2 third of my readers are not that old.
In yesterday's blog I would like to make a couple of corrections, I was talking about food and their bread I called it Pan well , I was wrong it is actually called Chapathi. You pronounce it the way it sounds. Looks like a tortilla but much better. There is another Chip called Papadam that is my wife Gladys' favorite. Poor man's food in India is Chapathi and Dalh. It is made from Veggie, Bean and plenty of spices .Yum yum. The vast amount of the people in India are Vegetarian. When you go to My Love Country get used to it..
As you read our journal I would love to share with you something I read. Here it goes and and I want you to ponder on it a little .
" I've learned that people will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel " This was written by Maya Angelou. Now sit back and swallow what you have read. What I am doing is with reference to my Escapade; I want you to Touch Smell and Feel Mother India and see in your mind how she makes you feel and you will never forget her.
Wow Johnie Lee we have started awful deep this evening. Some of you older folks ask " when you went to India did you go to find your Guru " ?
(a spiritual teacher ). You know what I mean you old hippies. No that is not why I was here , but I did meet a few, whom later became very large and very wealthy in the Hippie times.
This is just the start of our journey and Calcutta is only a small so-journ of my time spent here in Mother India.
After spending two months, I had to fly back to New York and give a full report of my time spent as a buyer for hand bags. I only spent a few days and that was too long and then back to Calcutta. What I did notice was in New York we as Americans take too much stock on material things, we never reach down and smell the roses. In a lot of ways I felt ashamed at us as a people because it is always money money and more money and the poor people in India had so little. I guess, such is life !
My brother-in-law can really relate to what I am saying. you see those who do not know my wife Gladys was born in Indonesia and when she was 9 years old the whole family moved to Amsterdam Holland. Her father and mother got divorced before they left, her father had remarried and Mom Lillie was left behind in Jakarta. The Children had very tough time with out there real mom so Gladys' brother decided he would hitch hike from Holland and Indonesia to see her. When he reached Pakistan border the conflict with Pakistan and India started and her brother was arrested in India and spent 7 months in prison. You see he had no Visa and that caused quite a stink
in his sell was one of those Gurus' that I spoke about before. It was a rough time for him. Till this day he can not get it out of his mind how people were treated and how much we have today compared to the people in India. Remember I said earlier you forget what they said or what they did but not how you feel. And to this day his feelings run deep for India. What a tough Man ! ! !
Johnie Lee

I thought instead of writing tonight , I would let you see with your own eyes Mother India.
Please Copy and paste the below the URL into your Browser.
When the national graphic comes up click on India.
You might find some things disturbing and very graphic. Enter at your own risk.

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/places/countries
-places/india/india-overview-dest.html

Hey Johnie.... wanted to let you know I really enjoy this web site and especially your travel stories. I hope that by my 68th birthday I can have a life as full of adventure like you.

Taylor Phillips says...
Hey Johnie.... wanted to let you know I really enjoy this web site and especially your travel stories. I hope that by my 68th birthday I can have a life as full of adventure like you.

Mr, Phillips I hope you are not calling me OLD. I am just beginning the better part of my life.
It is amazing and hard to reach back so far in my memory and remember all that I can. Yes it has been quite a life ride. What a life I have had and am having today, giving back instead taking as most people do .Just hope it continues.
Johnie Lee

Just to let our readers know, that Johnie has been pre-occupied with getting the website back on, it crashed and it took him a couple days to get it back on, so he'll be back writing his 'escapades' soon.

Thanks for your patience, Gladys

Well here it is the 18 th. day of January and we here minute by minute reports of all the death and destruction of Haiti and poverty just magnify that 6 fold and that is Calcutta, at least that was Calcutta when I was there.
It has been a few days since I wrote about my Escapades of Johnie Lee My World journey and I mentioned there was a Twist coming. And I mentioned earlier that I was in the process of a divorce from my first wife who has since then passed away from Breast Cancer. God Bless her soul. She called my Employer in New York and asked them to send her money and that upset Mr. Marvin the owner of the Company I worked fo let me go, That is right he fired my Ass and stranded in India. What a frigging position that left me in. Only a small amount of money left in my pocket. For the first few days life was a bitch and trying to find my way with not much money I learned to hustle any way I could. I new that Calcutta was not the place to be so I decided to travel via Train to Bombay. I new I was short of Money and clothing I traveed( 3rd) Third Class just like the natives. For you folks that have seen Pictures of Bombay it is a lot different than Calcutta. Sky scrapers,Huge Hotels Bolly Wood. and also huge poverty. What a contrast with those that have it all and those who have nothing. Beside the huge Hotels and Sky Scrapers there is thatched huts. It is a crying shame, the huge difference how people live. Just finding my way around was most difficult.I am now staying in a portion of Bombay called Electric House. This place is where most of the foreign travelers stay. Bombay is called the Gate Way to India. I thought you could find any thing you wished or wanted while I was in Calcutta. What a mind blower Bombay was. Trying to find a way to make money was a bitch. For a person to make enough money to get out of India especially for a foreigner is almost a miracle. Living is cheap,. A small hotel room and 3 meals a day cost less than 1 dollar a day. Just think a room with a bed and a sink and nothing else. There was a communal bath and toilet. You can imagine the food you would get while living there. I think last year , when massive Hotel Taj Mahal was burned ( It was all over the TV ), well I lived one block from the Taj. It sets very to the Bay of India which is called the Gate way to India. Such a difference in life here. At night, again the vendors come out at night and the coffee shops are always open . No folks they are not Star Bucks.,but the Coffee and the Famous Indian tea is amazing. To this day I still love the taste .For about 2 cents you can drink all you want.
I will take a break for a while and take My son for a hamburger and will return back shortly
Johnie Lee

http://www.26thjanuary.com/view/1276/watch-bollywood-movie-dhaai-
akshar-prem-ke/

Good evening every one, hope all is well with you and your families.
It is time to continue with my journey around the world. As you read last night , I am now in Bombay the Gate Way to India. I had lost my job while in Calcutta and took the long train ride to Bombay (third Class) of course. Wow what a long hot and dusty ride. But really the people on the trip were wonderful, very respectful and love foreign people. Once you get past the strong accent you can understand them when they speak. In school every one learns English even though it is British English. If you look back in history the British occupied India for several hundred years.
As I listen to the news from Haiti the News Casters say once the locals have their bellies full and have something to drink you can hear people singing in the distance. Well the people no matter how poor one is you hear and see the same thing. What one needs is not to difficult to see. All it takes is having one that cares. Us in the modern world don't realize how uncomplicated life is when you let it be. Sounds like something the Beatles sang. We as a people have too many wants, I feel that concept is skewed. Even to this day I still think the Indian way.
Now let's see we were in Electric house one of the suburbs in Bombay and had found a place to stay, all though not swank but it fit the pill to me. Knowing I was short of money and did not know which way to turn.
I began to scouer the neighborhood and began to meet people. You would not believe how many foreigners there are tripping around and from them you learn a lot. The best places to eat cheap and how to get around such a large City. I mean form every country around the Earth. At that time the biggest scoundrels were the French Tourist. You had to watch your back and your pocket book. So many of them were junkies because Dope was so cheap, as I mentioned before Marijuana was 25 US dollars a kilo.
Hash was even cheaper. If you wanted what ever it could be found. I being a Goat Roper that crap was not my bag. what ever trips your trigger ! ! !
Every one has heard when you travel do not drink the water, well not me with millions of people drinking and not puking their guts out, Just give me the water in this kind of heat. Same with the food from the vendors on the street , just fill my belly up as cheap as I could get it.
Now let's get down to finding work to get my ass out of here. Necessity is the Mother of Invention, whether it was shoveling crap with the chickens or what ever. That was my attitude. I was told that India had the largest Movie industry in the world. That's true. It is not Holly wood, here it is called Bolly Wood. Yes you heard it right. With so many movies being made they had to have Extras, and tourist in their movies. Well guess what I being in my late twenties and at that time slim and trim and Ha Ha handsome I was hired and for quite a while that was my line of income. Believe it or not what a heck of a way to make a living. The money sucked but it was a living.
I was a gangster, wrestler, cook, waiter , what ever they wanted, I found a way. Besides it was really a lot of fun and I learned a lot.. My first movie I was in, was "Johnny is my Name." Damn the first movie and they even used my name. I was not the Star just a gangster. The movies they made were kind of corny. To me they would be a very bad B Movie. One thing, the women in the Movies were knock outs, to say the least. I was able to meet most of them but they were way out of my class.
It was a life time experience.
Well this is all for now, I don't want to spoil you with too much .See you all tomorrow
.