It’s been far too long since my last post, so I offer sincere apologies to you all. I even got some great news from WordPress.com that my blog had made it to the WordPress homepage for a day (woohoo!) and what did I do? Stopped writing on it – oops.
It became very difficult to find time to hop onto a computer and write about the days events. Even summarizing some of the days in my journal became daunting – so much going on, so many stories and sights!
Well, I’ve got time to kill now. I’m back in Nepal (in Pokhara actually) and there is a two-day strike happening – all stores and roads are closed so it’s an opportune time to catch up!
I spent a total of 10 days in India – it sounds short but it felt quite long! After being delayed in Kathmandu by nearly 6 hours, I finally arrived in Delhi. As I exited the plane, an intense blast of hot air welcomed me – it was a bit shocking to feel such heat! Darryn was patiently waiting in the airport and it was SO awesome to see her gorgeous smile once again (it had been well over a year).
Delhi. Delhi. Delhi. It’s chaotic, dirty, busy, over-populated, and overwhelming. But it’s home to 12 million people and they seem quite proud of their city. I found the people of Delhi much more interesting than the sights – people watching at the train station was unreal. The streets of Delhi are basically all under construction due to the Commonwealth Games coming up in October 2010. Hopefully they are ready, but I somehow doubt it.
classic street scene in Old Delhi.
We had a decent hotel in the seedy tourist district located close to the train station and (thank GOD) we had air conditioning. We left Delhi after only 1.5 days and within that time we sorted out what appeared to be an epic train schedule, visited the Red Fort, a brilliant spice bazaar, and the Hyman Tomb (nicknamed the mini Taj, it’s of Persian decent).
Spice Bazaar, Old Delhi
Most importantly, Darryn and I caught up on life while feasting on Thali dinners and lunches. We giggled away at recent stories, lamented about missing our boyfriends (hers is currently doing a 6 month stint in Borneo finishing research for his M.A.), and got pretty darn excited for what we were about to embark on.
And embark we did. We toured around three other Indian cities together – Jaipur, Agra, and Varansi. We crammed ourselves into teeny compartments on trains with villagers and their massive bags of wheat, grains, rice etc. (in fact, I slept on a berth covered in curry powder and rice – how much more Indian can one get?!) We endured 47 degree weather in Varansi as we dodged funeral processions and idly boated on the Ganga, one of the dirtiest rivers in the world.
We experienced the majestic Taj Mahal in all its glory. We explored several forts and temples – learning slowly about Hinduism and India’s horrific and lengthy history. We saw devastating scenes of poverty and slum living and several shouting/fist fighting matches. We saw children stop playing in the street, amused and in awe by our female Western presence. We shopped in bazaars as the chanting of Muslim prayers lingered in the air….
We fell in love with India.
And the people. OMG the people! So endearing and friendly. Nearly every train ride we took ended with our brains bursting with Indian knowledge. Everyone is so eager to share their culture and learn more about ours.
I encountered this one woman who asked me very personal questions – how much I make, how long my mother was in labour with me, if my boyfriend ‘touches’ me (insert awkward blushing right about here). I answered all of them truthfully, hoping that if anything, she would learn a bit about cultural differences and accept that we do not all practice the same religions and rules.
I will admit, the touts, hotel owners, and rickshaw drivers can get under your skin – it’s exhausting always bartering and they always have an answer for everything. But, they are trying to make a living in a tough country – I get it.
I could also do without the mouth-wide-open, no blinking, full-on staring from most men (and women) – but again, I just kept telling myself they are curious about our white skin and foreign ways. It’s nothing personal…but okay, I’m pretty sure some of the male stares were sexual in nature, and downright creepy.
So there you have it. A teeny snippet of my short stint in Incredible India! I wish I could share more, but internet is pricey in this small mountain town.
I’ll post again on my final 3 days in India (which were spent in Punjab and I must admit, I think they were some of my fav days – minus the whole passport swapping situation with Dharamsala bound Darryn, which turned out a-okay). Here’s a few pictures to sum up the experience… they aren’t necessarily my favorites, just decent ones I can make out from the thumbnail previews!
Sunrise boating on the holy Ganga (Ganges) river.
Varansi
My favorite shopkeeper. So many shirts, pants, pashmina's..such fun!
the 'honeycomb' palace in Jaipur. The windows were for the kings wives to watch the street activity.
cute little guy, at the Gata (monkey man) temple, outside of Jaipur.
A typical train station site. This man would wake the daughter up every few minutes to go beg. It was awful to watch.
there she be - the taj!
• tea • times • 