India Reflected

I finished editing the photos from the trip. I whittled them down from 900+ to 70. They can be found here.

You simply cannot appreciate a place until you have left it. This, I believe, is true. After I left India I headed for Hong Kong for two days. I didn't do much but walk around and enjoy the cleanliness and modernness of the city. Continuing to Hong Kong from India allowed me to join the round-the-world club. I traveled this routing: Denver-Chicago-Frankfurt-Delhi-Hong Kong-San Francisco-Denver.

The more the decompress from the trip and the immediate memories begin to fade I become more and more enamored with India. This is a place I will revisit! As I think back on the trip there are a lot of things I meant to mention, but I forgot to.

On day two we visited Agra Fort. The guide, a young dark Indian who spoke good English, explained that the land adjacent to the fort contained "dreadful animals" to discourage attacks. In addition there was a Parcheesi board made out of inlaid marble. The emperor would use his cortisons' as the game pieces. First of all, I had no idea that Parcheesi existed in the 17th century and secondly talk about decedent.

The memories from this trip are wonderful and intense. 

Departing India

One man down. Amy awoke with Delhi Belly. She said it was extremely unpleasant. She rested. The rest of us took in a yoga lesson on the roof of Homestay. The instructor was as authentic as it gets. This was the first time I have done yoga. It was a pleasant experience. It helped us feel relaxed and prepared us for the challenges that lay ahead.

Breakfast, again, with Harish and prepared by his wife. We sat and chatted with him for some two hours after breakfast. The rest of the morning was reserved for relaxing and packing. At 1:00pm we headed to the airport for our flight to Delhi. The flight was exactly like the flight in. It was full and the flight attendants were young and gorgeous.

We arrived at Delhi Airport's domestic terminal and had to take transportation to the International terminal. This is when the fun began. In order to enter the terminal you must provide proof that you hold an airline ticket. Unfortunately for two of us, me and Alex, the information was stored on our phones in our email. This should not have been a problem, but one could not access wi-fi outside the terminal building. There was a small desk with Internet access in the visitors lounge, but the Internet "went down." Here we were, stuck outside. Everything we needed to access the building was inside. We could not get inside because we didn't have the information required for entrance. After an hour of back and forth we discovered that one of the airport entrances had all the flight manifests. All we needed was to find our name on the list and presto. This was no problem for Alex. I was, or I thought, listed for a Cathy Pacific flight to Hong Kong. When I was handed the Cathy manifest I was not on it. SHIT! Another hour of brain storming and back and forth. Eventually I called AT&T and request an International data plan. After dicking around I was on the finally online and listed myself for the United flight to Newark. This got me in the door. I was now able to check-in with Cathy and see why I was not listed. After some back and forth between the Cathy and United agents I was handed a boarding pass with a seat to Hong Kong. This experience of trying to get in the front door of the airport was the lowest point in the tirp. It did teach me a lesson, however, to always have printed itineraries with you.

At 1:30am I departed for Hong Kong.

Varanasi, India

Friday, at least I think it was Friday, we awoke very early for our five hour journey from Jaipur to Delhi. It was quite a trip. Truck traffic was heavy the entire way. In true Indian fashion there were a few near misses along the way. The road was quite rough. Halfway to Delhi we encountered upon an accident. Our driver turned around, on the freeway mind you, and drove back to an exit to take the frontage road.

We arrived at the domestic terminal of Indira Ghandi International airport with plenty of time to spare. Check in with Spice Jet was quick. Lunch in the food court was unmemorable, but really when is airport food memorable? Spice Jet apparently only hires young attractive flight attendants.

We arrived in Varanasi with a thud. The airport is quite new and nice. The hotel driver met us with a sign. The drive to the hotel was your basic Indian unnerving ride. Swerve to miss a bike, swerve to pass a bus, swerve to miss a cow. I asked the driver if he every gets angry while driving. He said no.

We arrived at, what we would soon learn is, our oasis of a hotel. Homestay was almost equally as charming as our hotel in Jaipur. If you ever find yourself in Varanasi, trust me, this is where you should stay. The owner, Harish, is charming, spoke clear and intelligent English and was a delight to listen to. Over the course of our stay Harish grew quite fond of "the Americans."

By chance we arrived in Varanasi on the last day of Maha Kumbh Mela. This is a Hindu pilgrimage that occurs every twelve years. The pinnacle of Maha Kumbh Mela is to bathe in the water of the Ganges River. The festival lasts something like two months. It was estimated that over the course of the two months something like 100 million people arrived in Varanasi to take a dip in the Ganges River. That is the equivalent of nearly 1/3 the population of the United States.

We headed to the river to see the action for ourselves. We were in no way prepared for what we were about to experience. Varanasi was about to become the quintessential India experience we had all hoped for. The streets were jammed with sights I have never seen, nor probably will never see again. There simply is no way for me to express in words what it was like. We walked about a mile and a half to the river. It took us one hour. The crowd at the river was thick. It would have been impossible to even get near the river. All six of us enjoyed many stares from the festival goers. Many of these people are from deep rural India. They rarely see white kind. To them we were exotic.

We headed back to out hotel, out of the mayhem. Our hotel was truly a respite. Dinner was served by Harish's wife. It was home cooked and delicious. He chatted with us while we ate.

We headed to bed quite early as the next morning we needed to rise before sunrise.

Saturday, at least i think it was Saturday, we awoke before sunrise and headed to the river bank. We were taken, by car, south of the old city to catch a boat ride. Seeing the coast of Varanasi from this vantage was both pleasant and helpful. The photos we all took while on the boat ride were some of the best we took of the trip. Watching the sun rise on the Ganges is an experience I will soon not forget!

After the boat tour we headed back to Homestay for breakfast. Breakfast was again served by Harish's wife. It was delicious. After breakfast we headed to Durga Kund Temple. We requested transportation via pedal-cabs (bicycle cab), but there was some dispute over the price of the transportation once we were about a block from the hotel. We skipped out on the pedal-cabs and began to walk. About a quarter of the way there we found three more, reputable, pedal-cabs. They took us the rest of the way. The ride was most enjoyable. The Durga Kund Temple is famous for some reason. It is red, beautiful and dirty.

After our visit to the temple we headed back towards the river. We snaked our way through the alleys and narrow streets of Varanasi and eventually found the Ganges River. The scenes we witnessed along the bank are at this point and I'm sure will remain some of the most vivid memories of the trip. We searched for a restaurant suggested to us by Harish. After a couple wrong turns we found the place. We sat and enjoyed lunch, out of the heat, for two hours.

After lunch we continued our journey snaking through the alleys and streets back towards the river and eventually back towards our hotel. On our return to the hotel we spotted a mall. The mall was beyond dismal. There was, however, a haunted house. Alex and I went in first. When we emerged, we convinced Matt and May to try it too. The haunted house was as dismal as the mall itself, but I can now say that I have been to a haunted house in India. A small crowd of young men began to gather around us at the haunted house. When we first walked up to the place is was completely deserted. Matt, May and I payed the entrance fee for a few of the interested party members. I was well worth it to see their expression when they emerged from the darkness of the haunted house.  

Dinner was again with Harish. The food was among the best that we enjoyed in India. The sights, sounds and experiences of Varanasi have been overwhelming and wondrous. This is a very special place. I can truly say I was sad to leave.

Jaipur, India

Day 4
Khandela Haveli was probably the coolest hotel I have ever stayed in. Decorated like any hotel in India would be in our mind. The narrow french style doors with semi circular stained glass windows led to each room. All the rooms enjoyed direct access to furnished open verandas which looked over the courtyard and fountain.

Breakfast was of the western variety. We were most disappointed. 

After breakfast we headed to Amber Fort. This 16th century fort was built on the spine of a hill outside of Jaipur. It is surrounded by a wall which resembles the Great Wall of China. It was built on a truly beautiful location. We walked to the fort, but there was an option to ride an elephant to the top. We declined. May gifted all of us with marigold leis. She felt that our photos needed more color. This spoke volumes to the color palate of the group's wardrobe. Supposedly, the fort is home to the first non-electric air conditioning unit. They all say that.  

Lunch was excellent as usual. We were serenaded in true Indian fashion. We have truly mastered our restaurant ordering skills. We always start with six fresh lime sodas. It is simply 1/4 parts fresh lime with 3/4 parts soda. We have all become accustomed to drinking this at every meal. We order five main dishes, at least three of which are vegetarian, two bowls of rice and two orders of garlic naan. We have all been enjoying the Indian food immensely.

On the way from lunch Alex and Amy received henna hand tattoos. We also strolled around the old city for a we bit. We fed some birds as it is good karma to feed animals.   

The afternoon was reserved for resting.

In the evening, we all went for massages. This was mine and James first massage. It was a "traditional" oil massage. It was very nice. There was nudity and loin cloth involved in the beginning. Once I allowed myself to relax it was pretty awesome. It was a really nice way to let India soak in. This place is beyond chaos. It is unlike anything or anyplace I have or ever will experience. Having quiet time to allow it to fully digest or soak in is invaluable. The massage was very helpful in this regard. After the full body message, while laying on your back, they stream warm oil on the forehead. The stream goes back and forth across the forehead. It was odd and awesome.

Arriving back at the hotel we were met with a flower display for dinner. It was really beautiful. Marigolds were used as they are ubiquitous in India. While we waited for dinner we were entertained with a puppet show. Words simply cannot describe this show. I will post video of it when I return to America. Dinner was delicious. We are a group of six people that love Indian food, and I don't think that was the case when we began this journey.

It's India

It's India... is the phrase I have begun regularly using to explain any experiences we find odd. There are about ten light switches in our hotel room yet only one of them seems to do anything... It's India.

Alex has been keeping a travel journal which has become extremely useful when I publish my blog. I must say it is witty and informative, much like her.

Day 3
Sunrise at Taj Mahal. The glimmering white empress of a monument is stunning in the morning light. One enters the grounds of the Taj Mahal through a magnificent gate which will forever be overshadowed by the Mahal. Streaming through the gate with all the tourists who are about to see the Taj Mahal for the first time is an experience all in its own. Although this technically was our second time seeing the Taj Mahal, the experience changes with the shade of day, as the sun moves the color of the Taj Mahal changes subtly but constantly. As hard as I may try here, I simply will never find the words to describe the infinite beauty of the Taj Mahal.

Back to Hotel Raj Mahal, which means great palace in Hindi, for Indian buffet breakfast. The food to this point has been delicious. Masala is a spice used in both tea and savory items that we enjoy on a daily basis. Indian cuisine uses meat sparingly. This place is vegetarian heaven. The food is flavorful and filling. Cardamon, fennel and of course curry are used liberally. Rice is available for every meal, but we have been enjoying the Naan, Indian flat bread, much more.

After breakfast we began our journey from Agra to Jaipur. The road between the two cities is drastically different from the road we took from Delhi to Agra. Most of the route was a four lane road but there were sections that were two lane. The beginning of the drive was utter chaos. We dodged in and out of traffic using both lanes and the center of the road at any given time. It was like playing an Indian driving video game on crack. We were one small misstep from doom, and yet at the same time it was a beautiful choreographed opera of cars, trucks, buses  bicycles, rickshaws, pedestrians, camels and others. 

We stopped for a break at Fatehpur Sikri the city founded my Mughal emperor Akbar. The highlights were as follows. There was an area in the front garden where elephants would stomp convicted criminals to death. A beautiful room which, at one time, was adorned in jewels and mirrors was set up in such a way that if you lit one candle it would light the entire room. The sheer beauty of this room, in it's time, must have been breath taking. The emperors bed floated fifteen feet in the air and offered enough room for him and several concubines. The complex houses the largest gate in Asia, or so they say. The grounds of the palace were splendid, but when we stepped into the town square or religious section of the site it was intolerable. The temperature was getting hot. Foot soldier street vendors would follow us around begging/taunting us to buy their product. On top of this, we were required to be barefoot for this section of the tour. We were all too ready to leave. On our exit, I had a ten year old follow me for a quarter of a mile begging me to by some shit he was selling. We were ready to continue our journey.

The drive to Jaipur was long. From Fatehpur Sikri it took another four and a half hours. We stopped for a delicious lunch in the middle of somewhere. All in all it was a six hour journey. I noticed that the entire drive we were always in sight of at least one human. This country has a lot of people, and those people are everywhere!

We really had no idea what our hotel would be like in Jaipur. When we arrived we were nothing if not awe struck. This is probably the coolest hotel I have ever stayed in. It is as quintessential authentic India as we could have dreamed of. Jaipur is the city that the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was filmed in. Marigold has nothing on this place. I could stay here for months.

This India is a real mess of a country. I have never seen run down on this scale. In the true fashion of India juxtaposition it is absurdly beautiful and peaceful. It is overwhelming and calming. I feel so relaxed here I could float away. The pace of our trip is sonic like. I wish I had a day or a week or a month to just digest India. This is a place I think I will gravitate back to when I can. Mother India, you do not fail to impress!  

India Juxtaposed

India is a land of juxtaposition. Hindi comfortably resting with English; gleaming transcontinental highways that exit onto grimy chaos infested streets; Islam oddly mingling with traditional Indian religions; palaces and mausoleums constructed of marble adorned with jewels surrounded by squalor, beggars, stray dogs and confrontational monkeys.

Mother India is a very special place. I understand it's draw, allure and it's attraction. I may be smitten with India. We were duly warned about the ills, dangers and implications of traveling to such a dank and awful place. I can't say for them they were wrong. For me, however, they were sorely mistaken.

The general motion of the Indian people is as jagged and non conformed as a puzzle piece and yet it falls into place and rests snug and comfortably with the rest of the pieces. It's beyond the cliche of controlled chaos. It's a land of magnificent near misses.

This is a land of grey area. Rules, notices and precautions are blatantly and constantly ignored. Every world heritage sight we have visited is vigilantly guarded by a metal detector. Most of these metal detectors are unmanned and is set at such a sensitivity that allows its users to pass through with bags, cameras and such. One could literally ride a bicycle through one of these and it would nary an alarm, and yet the queue starts here to go through security. Traffic lights, lane dividers, traffic directions and lists of rules are all subject to optional adherence, and yet this lack to obey is not meant to be vindictive, disruptive or a nod to revolt. This simply is the ebb and flow of India. Gone from the blistering and busting from the seems streets is aggression. Every bicycle rider, tuk tuk driver, rickshaw puller, every pedestrian is the stream, no one is the rock. For if you were the rock you would be hit by a bus. The flow of India is a furious hum.

The ever present aroma of burning garbage fills the air with the hickory flavor which is regrettably lovely and enjoyed.

On Wednesday we headed to Agra. After a lovely made-to-order breakfast of Poori Bhaji and chai "masala" tea and coffee we set out. After a tenuous zig zag dodgy exit from Delhi we entered a spaciously crisp intercontinental highway. The journey from Delhi to Agra took five hours with minimal stops for state border tariff obligations, bowel relief  and masala tea served via a Dixie cup for twenty cents. The Indian countryside is reminiscent of that seen from interstate 80 while passing through Nebraska.

To pass the time on the drive we played a geography game. It entertained us for two hours but annoyed us the last hour.

Arriving in Agra is descending back into civilized chaos. A cow unconcerned with its situation acts as a road block on a very busy bridge exodus while frantic Indians pull and push the sacred beast out of the line of danger. A small tired Indian man, who is looking very concerned with his situation, attempts to push his bicycle, which is attached to a trolley, which is severely overloaded with burlap, up an incline in the middle of traffic chaos. A man is riding bitch on a moped cradling several pieces of mirror and glass. On the peak of every building are several red-assed monkeys watching the action below.

Lunch was at Indiana's as in Jones. Everybody ordered delicious food.

The first sightseeing stop of the day was to Agra Fort. We were fortunate enough to have a guide, named Akash. He gave a documentary feel to the visit to Agra Fort. Obviously Agra Fort is very important in Indian history but it's most famous for being the home of the of the Mughal  emperor, Shah Jahan, who is responsible for dreaming up and executing the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Next, it was off to the Taj Mahal. As cliché as it may be, seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time is an awe-inspiring incredible sensation. The Indians used durable yet beautifully shimmering marble in the construction of the Taj Mahal so it has certainly maintained its integrity through the test of time. After enjoying sunset at Taj Mahal we were abruptly encouraged to depart by Guards with annoying whistles and assault rifles.

We checked into a very nice hotel called Raj Mahal. We tiredly enjoyed dessert and tea.

Mother India

Sunday morning, Alex and I departed on the 6am flight to Chicago. We arrived at Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi, India on Tuesday at 1:45am. It took us 3 flights, 18 hours of flight time, and 12 hours of layover time. The highlight of the journey to India was the Lufthansa business class ride we got on their brand new 747-8. James met us in Chicago. Matt, May and Amy met is in India.

We checked into the hotel at 3am. After some much needed sleep the hotel provided a lovely breakfast of egg white situation, pototo dal, some sort of Indian flat bread (not naan), and a carrot colored messo penne. 

Our First stop was to Jama Masjid Mosque. It's 400 years old and on Fridays 20,000 people gather for  prayer. On ascent to the turret I has groped. 

Next was a quick stop to Raj Ghat. This is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. It is a beautiful green space. It was at our visit here that we realized the Delhi we had all imagined and been warned about was not the Delhi we were experiencing. This city is full of green space and foliage. Although enjoyable this was our least favorite stop. 

Humayuns Tomb was next up. Restoration of the complex and grounds was completed in 2003. It was very beautiful. More green space in the middle of this Indian metropolis.

Lunch was at the Red Onion. The food was very good, but the prices were high by India standards. I had chicken tikka masala and garlic cheese naan.

The last major stop of the day was to Qutb Complex. Housed inside is the iron pillar said to be far more important to Indian history than Taj Mahal. The pillar was constructed using technology that was thought not to be invented for 1,200 years.

The last stop of the day was to India Gate. It was quite obviously inspired by the Arc de Triomphe.

We had a great day! We have a great driver and guide. The traffic is standard Asian metropolis awful.   We have witnessed one accident. A man was hit by a motorcycle. He appeared to be unscathed. The city has a campfire smell due to the incessant burning of garbage. We seem to attract a bit of attention.

Off to Agra tomorrow to visit Taj Mahal.