India Part 5... Jaipur and Agra!

JAIPUR! Sung as though I am singing Jai Ho! :)

I really liked Jaipur! It was a larger city but not so big that I felt like I would get too lost in it.  It was not smoggy and did not have that in your face difference between wealthy and poor like Mumbai. I may have liked it so much because of how I felt about Mumbai, but I had a great time in Jaipur.  It also helped that our guest house that we stayed at was AWESOME! We stayed at the Krishna Palace Guest House and if you are every going to Jaipur, you MUST stay there!  The room is perfect, A/C, internets, hot and cold water, and a wonderful and delicious restaurant. The hotel staff has been some of the most helpful and kind staff we have interacted with. 

We saw quite a few things while in Jaipur- Jantar Mantar (my favorite), City Palace, and Amber Fort.  We just missed the Jaigher Fort but it was okay because we were spending a lot of money on entrance fees anyhow.  They were very cool and different from what we had been seeing.

Jantar Mantar is one of my favorite places so far because of its astronomical significance.  I saw a minute.  There were two sundials, one that is the world's largest but you could not get too close to and a smaller one where you could get really close to it and see the minute pass based on the sun shadow pass.  Pretty amazing if I say so myself.  Our guide was pretty interesting and kept making us stand awkwardly close to him before he would tell us about the instrument.  He would also say general facts, such as this is a sundial or this is the king of all the instruments without telling us exactly why it was so important... not quite worth the money for a guide but we did learn some things.

City Palace and Amber Fort were interesting but there wasnt a lot of sinage to inform us of what we were looking at. We kept taking the cheap tours, i.e. following other English speaking tours and awkwardly standing close to them while we pick up small facts. This isnt the most effective way and a lot of times we end up making up comments based on a few words that we picked up but it does make some of the sites more interesting. At least more fantastical stories come out that way.

So this portion of the blog is being written on Air Asia X. Not quite sure what the X is for but it’s on there. All I know is they nickel and dime you for everything in the hopes that it will make the ticket cheaper but it seems that once everything is all said and done, it is just an average price just like other airlines and other tickets.  Let’s just say it is not Jet Airways. 

However, I am sure it will do the job and really all we need to do is get to Malaysia! On that note, so plans have changed.  Originally I wasn’t planning on being in Malaysia until after January 4^th but as a group we decided to push up our tickets and head to Malaysia first.  This change is not a reflection of India or my feelings towards it.  Although I did not speak too highly of Mumbai or Anjuna, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time.  There is way too much to see in the short amount of time we have been here.  It also is a little overwhelming of a country to travel in.  It seems that although it is fairly easy to travel within and between places, with planes, trains, buses, and all kinds of automobiles, everything is a constant rush.  You have to buy your train tickets a few days in advance and then wait in a line where people are skipping you because people don’t wait in lines.  If you want to pay twice as much as the ticket is worth you can have someone else reserve it for you but then they are trying to get you for the most money that they can. Once your ticket is bought, you have to negotiate to get to the train station and then be hassled while you are there.  This doesn’t just happen to tourists but it is definitely elevated.  It can be exhausting and overwhelming if you are not in the mindset to deal with it.

Again, it is all part of the experience and for the most part I LOVED it and it can be exhilarating and exhausting! I love buying the tickets and figuring out the train schedule.  I love bargaining for a tuk tuk and getting what is a good tourist price.  I love finding a driver whose meter isn’t mysteriously broken.  I like the thrill of the crowds even though at times I can get a little claustrophobic. 

Speaking of train debacles, on our way to Agra what should have been a pleasant and easy 4 hour train journey turned in to a two hour journey going the wrong way from Jaipur, getting a unreserved ticket and keeping up a family as they so nicely shared their bunks on a two hour train journey back to Jaipur, then trying to figure out a train schedule that would work to get to Agra, not finding one and then figuring out a bus schedule.  Once we bought our bus tickets, we had a 10 minute wait before we took a nice A/C bus that was either freezing or hot and where we were knocked out of our seats at least three times while being groped by a drunk guy.  Arriving at 6:00 in the morning would have been a good thing because we could have gone straight to the Taj Mahal but we decided it probably would cloud the experience seeing as how we were tired and annoyed.  What should have been a 4 hour train ride turned in a 4 hour corrective train ride and a 6 hour annoying bus ride. 

But on the train with the nice family was an older gentleman that asked for my autograph.  I am not sure why but I wrote out my name for him and upon seeing the Singh part was really excited.  He kept telling me that I have Indian and Sikh in my family. I explained that my father is and he laughed and asked why I didn’t mention something sooner.  I wasn’t aware that I was supposed to introduce myself as Indian descent, but now I know.  A lot of my fun stories from India have stemmed from sharing that I have Indian background.  I have gotten a free tuk tuk ride, the actual “Indian” price of items (although I still have doubts on that one), to a marriage proposal. 

The marriage proposal came from a tuk tuk driver in Agra as we were leaving the fort and heading back to the hotel.  I was a little flustered with the thoughts of negotiating for a fair price and just walked up to this driver, demanded a 40 rupee price for the ride in a very take-it or leave-it fashion.  Startled by my boldness and with competition honking at us all around him he immediately accepted and ushered us in the tuk tuk.  He was extremely friendly in a very respectful way and kept saying how that price is better than even Indians or meters would have given. Who knows the truth but it was fun to hear.  He tells us all sorts of things and tells us how Indians don’t really care about the Taj Mahal and it is only foreigners.  His English wasn’t the clearest but it worked and was pretty funny.  He had us laughing on the 20 minute ride home.  He asked if I was Indian and almost had to pull over in astonishment.  Because he was so good, we booked him to take us to the train station the next day for our final train trip- Agra to Delhi. 

The next day, he showed up a little late but immediately threw all our bags in the back and ushered us in.  We paid 60 rupees which was better than any of the hawking tuk tuks that were disbelieving that we already booked a guy.  On the way to the train station, he proposed to me.  The day before he asked how old I was and guessed that I was 37! I asked him how old he was and I guessed around 87 (joking of course) but he turned out to be 28.  He was shocked I wasn’t married already so insisted that I marry him.  He promised to take care of me.  Oh, he also has a wife and two sons, 11 and 8, and has been married since he was 16, his wife 14.  But in India: no problem… ;)

So we left Agra, seeing the Taj Mahal was amazing.  It was everything it was supposed to be and I definitely want to return and see it again.  It was beautiful and awe inspiring.  That is really all I can say about it.

We kind of hibernated in Delhi and stayed in our hotel room.  None of us wanted to spend more money shopping or going out so we stayed in and soaked up the internet.  I have begun my applications for that three letter word that scares me (j-o-b) and thinking about the future.  While I love contemplating where I might be in 7 to 8 months, it is a little scary.  The world is so big and so small with so much to offer.  My teaching career can take me literally all over the world so it all depends on where I want to end up and which school accepts me.  Huh.

India has been great. I will travel here again, taking my time through the states and spending more time in areas.  Thank you for all of those who have been reading my blog and I hope you have enjoyed my stories.  Now we head to Malaysia to visit with family I haven’t seen in 15 plus years…

Happy Diwali! Happy Deepavali!

India Part 4... Anjuna and Mumbai/Bombay

Anjuna is in Northern Goa and has A LOT of tourists, both locals and, from what we could tell, hippies that just never left.  Back in the day it was where the party was at and was really the beginning of all that is Goa... but now... let's just say it wasn't my cup of tea.  Between the people coming up to us on the beach and street with all kinds of offers, from jewelery to sarongs to hash, it was quite overwhelming!

Apparently the thing to do in Anjuna is go to a rave.  So we found out about one and showed up.  1. We showed up around 9pm (it started at 5), so either we were early or we missed the whole thing. 2. There were two groups of people there: Indians on vacation drinking Bacardi Breezers and sitting around the 'dance' floor or the Hippies I told you about dancing like they were worshiping extraterrestrials.  3. No. Never is that ok. 4. Outside of this 'rave' was a stairway to the beach where there were about 15 food stalls set up, ALL of them only serving omelets.

In all honesty, that is the impression that will stick with me about Anjuna.  It might not be fair, it definitely isnt an accurate representation of that area but it is my experience.

From there we headed up to Mumbai/Bombay.  We couldnt book a train ticket so we booked a sleeper bus.  Seriously, a bus with beds in it took us from Anjuna to Mumbai.  It was 8 or so hours and it originally looked REALLY comfortable. They had curtains drawn to cover between your bed and the aisle.  It was like sitting/laying in a pillow and blanket fort that we all made when we were kids.  It was so cool! But then you lie down to sleep and as the bus is winding around the hills and over the mountains, you kind of feel like you are going to fall off at any moment. You cant really sleep because you have to keep bracing yourself.  Not the easiest way to travel but if I was sitting up the whole time and not sleeping, it would have been good.

Mumbai. Known for its Bollywood films, its industry, the glitz and glamor, the large Taj Mahal Hotel, the terrorist attack a few years back, Slumdog Millionaire, there are a lot of things that people associate with Mumbai.  This isnt the most accurate representation of it though.  Things I have come to know Mumbai for... its incredible amount of smog, the huge disparity between the wealthy and the poor, the weird tourist traps, the delicious Laxmi Vilas restaurant, the helpful hotel people, and the worst recommended trip- Elephanta Island.

The smog. I have realized I have never been in a city that has a smog problem.  I have driven through, I have seen it, I have experienced a little bit of it but I have never stayed in a city that feels as though it is hard to breathe solely because of the amount of pollution in the air.  When you are riding in to the city or taking the train out, you can see and feel the difference in the air.  Wow. And some people still dont think our actions have any consequence on the environment...

The huge disparity.  You have the Taj Mahal Hotel and Tower, this giant beautiful hotel that apparently is even better on the inside and then not even a block behind it you have people (lots of children included) sleeping in the streets. You have wealthy tourists and businessmen (not just Westerners but people from all over the world) coming to stay in Mumbai and experience the glitz and glamor of the city and there are people that are starving and dying in the streets.

One thing I have realized while traveling through India is that India is a lot more honest about its poverty.  They dont try and hide them from the general public, they dont have laws saying you cant sleep on the streets or beg in front of restaurants like they do in America. I am still not sure how I feel about this.  On one hand I think it is honesty and isnt that the best policy. It makes it real and in your face and doesnt try to hide the fact that there are millions of people living way below the poverty line.  But on the other hand, it also means that there arent enough social programs to help this and that people and kids are sleeping on the streets and are subject to all sorts of degradation, humiliation and unsafe ways of living. To be a child, on the streets, begging/stealing/selling for small change just to survive, that isnt the way kids should grow up.  These kids have experiences no one should ever have.  It breaks my heart to see them on the street but at the same time I cant really do anything about it, such a helpless feeling.

The last thing I will gripe about Mumbai: Elephanta Island.  I am going to be brutally honest right now, but it was a waste of time and money for me.  While there were interesting caves and carvings, I wouldnt really recommend it to anyone.  The hour long boat ride through thick smog was disgusting and then once there, the island was so dirty from pollution.  The caves were interesting and would have probably been more interesting if we hired a guide but we were there too late to get the free guide that came with the ticket (late by like 10 minutes).  We were hassled the whole time and just was not an enjoyable experience.

It sounds like Mumbai is the worst city and I dont wholely disagree with that. It has been the worst city I have traveled to in my limited experience.  Maybe I did it wrong, maybe I didnt see it for its history and charm, maybe I didnt spend enough time there or go to the right places at the right time, there are a lot of factors that influence the experience but for me, I can say I have seen Mumbai and now I do not have to come back. 

As I am writing this, I am sitting in Delhi on the night before I fly out. There are a lot of wonderful experiences between this post and today so I will try and write those now.  Everything is good and even though Mumbai and Anjuna werent the best places we have seen, I wouldnt change it.  I am glad I went there and experienced those places.  That is what traveling is about: experiencing all places, the good and bad.

India Part 3... Palolem, GOA

Goa! It does not disappoint, lives up to your expectations, and is every bit what you see and hear about it. It doesnt exaggerate and it does not exceed expectations, just simply lives up to the tropical-esque paradise it claims to be.

Our first stop was in Palolem.  We are in Anjuna right now and for first impressions, I think we did Goa backwards.  I say this because Palolem was completely laid back and a genuine paradise.  Beautiful, BEAUTIFUL sand beaches, palm trees, bamboo huts, rocky edges, everything you want a beach to be and then some. Although it had to grow on me for a minute.

We arrived around 530 in the morning after a long and weird train ride.  Weird because the seat assignments did not make sense to us really.  People would get on with the same seat numbers on their tickets and did not seem to have a problem with it... odd.  But I guess because it was during the day, no one really minded? Who knows.   Anyhow, we arrived in Palolem early in the morning and met some pretty odd characters.  There was only one place that was open and we hadnt booked a room yet so we had a little bit of time to kill.  While sitting there we saw what a bar/party area looks like in the wee hours of the morning where you still have some of the leftover partiers from the night before... not a good sight. 

The first impression I had about Palolem was not a pleasant one but once we settled in to our guesthouse, took a short nap, and got back to the beach, my impression changed.  There were lots of different people from all over there.  They werent all coupled up so we actually were able to meet and chat with some others. It was kind of refreshing to be able to meet new and exciting people.

The beach was amazing, perfect water and the first time we have really been able to swim without fear of a rip tide or a strong current.  I feel a little guilty on posting just how much I havent been doing, I keep feeling as though I should be volunteering or working or something while I am traveling.  Something should be nagging me... homework, research, work projects, grants... something but honestly I think this is good for me.

Our last night in Palolem was great! We met so many people and had such a good time that I was really sad to have to say goodbye.  But thats the way it is when you travel, meet people for a short time and hope those quick bonds last for a while. 

India… Part Two

It's looking like each part will be an area or place we stay but who knows how I will continue about India.
Varkala, oh, Varkala. You are beautiful, you will be missed, and I definitely recommend it to people wanting to get away to somewhere quiet. We are going up the Arabian coast towards the end of its off-season so that may explain the quietness of Varkala but whatever the explanation; it is laid-back and quiet in this area. We arrived early, jumped in a taxi, and arrived at our bamboo hut. It had the usual, two twin beds with an extra bed thrown in for the third person, a nice bathroom, mosquito netting, small porch outside, and a fan. Simple and exactly what we wanted.

Varkala is a smaller town that has a cliff-side sea side. It has small patches of beach down from the cliffs and, while we were there, perfect beach weather. It was nice in the morning, warmer in the afternoon, and warm with the whisper of coolness at night. We ate more western style food while we were there but did sample quite a bit of their seafood. Freshly caught fish and delicious prawns picked and prepared with local spices, all for the price of 4-6 dollars, including chips and a salad. The last night we had a brain fart and decided to go with pizza instead of the seafood but it was good enough. I also splurged a little and had a BLT, oh America, I miss you sometimes!

I am not sure what it is though, but it seems every place we have visited has been a couple's paradise. Every place in Sri Lanka, the foreigners were all paired up. This would be fine if they were social couples but for the most part everyone kept to themselves. A part of traveling is meeting other travelers but we have not had that much luck on that front. Oh well, hopefully Goa will be better in the foreign relations part.

While in Varkala, I did make a friend though. Aisha. She sold clothes, jewelry, blankets, sheets, basically everything a tourist would like to buy. And buy I did. She introduced herself one night as we were walking by and I started a conversation with her. She made me promise to come back the next day to 'just look' at her stuff. Of course I went back the next day and walked out with two new shirts and a desire for a LOT more. She is a wonderful saleswoman. She was incredibly nice and helpful though and was honest with us. If you visit Varkala, look her up, and tell her I say hi.

This led to somewhat of a 'shopping spree' and later bought anklets and a bad henna experience. I kept seeing people with henna on their hands and really wanted it as well. But being gullible and not the most confrontational person, I was suckered in to a henna situation that fortunately, mostly washed off that evening. Oh well, you live and learn. I do need to stand up for myself a little more when it comes to hustlers. I think that people are good and genuine, and I still think that is true in most situations, but I should probably be more careful. 

We also went on a canoe trip outside of Varkala on the backwaters of Kerala, mainly around a small village where people either worked in the cashew factory or digging up sand. Our canoe guide was incredibly nice and kept repeating my name when he would ask a question or make a statement. It was SO peaceful and quiet. I don't think I could live in that village because every once in a while I like to blast my music while dancing/cooking/cleaning/homework… and if you were to play anything louder than a whisper all of your neighbors would hear! It was amazing how quiet it was!

We kept seeing children walking around in their school uniforms in the middle of the day. We asked about it and he said there was a strike going on. Apparently it was a students' strike with something involving bus fares. We never got the full story but he said that if the teachers strike there would be a big problem but since it is just the students, there is not a problem. Interesting, I have never heard of primary or secondary (elementary, middle, or high school) striking. It would be interesting to see in a students' strike in America.

This morning was our exit from Varkala and now we are on a 20 hour train ride up to Goa. We don't really have a plan for Goa and tried calling around to find a place but to no avail. Apparently with it still being in monsoon season for this region, most places (especially the bamboo huts on the beach) won't be built up until the end of October. So, we are about a month early but it should be good.

India… Part One of who knows how many

I must put this part in there; otherwise Parks would more than likely never stop bugging me about it. So if you are going to fly anywhere around India or Sri Lanka, you should take Jet Airways. They are incredibly courteous, AWESOME in-flight entertainment and free beer. Their food was delicious and still included in the price. Wow. We were able to watch some back episodes of The Big Bang Theory, a television show I have fallen in love while in the Peace Corps. It is amazing how I watched way more television shows in the Peace Corps than ever before. Big Bang, How I Met Your Mother, House (although I did watch this occasionally before with my old roommates… seems like a lifetime ago), Grey's Anatomy, Community, Glee… But even when I do eventually get back to America, I don't know if I will watch television. We will see.

Back to India. So Jet Airways was amazing and made our entrance into India very enjoyable even though the visa people and passport control was atrocious. How is it that three people with the exact information on their customs form each have different experiences? Mine was, to say the least, a frustrating experience I wouldn't want for anyone.

Almost in tears after finally getting in to India, we meet our taxi driver who my Aunty Gindu has arranged to meet us at the airport and then take her to her house, about 4 hours away. Oh, and we arrived around 11 at night… Around 3:30 in the morning the three of us arrived at the gates of the house to lots and lots of barking dogs and a sleepy aunty. We said our hellos and then quickly said our goodnights. We slept in the next day for quite some time, more than planned on.

The next few days were wonderful! It was great to see my Aunt and begin my journey to meet family, the whole point of the traveling. She was kind, welcoming, embracing, and we had wonderful conversations about everything under the sun. She has quite a few view points on life and a few of them struck me. One of the things she said was, "I am too old to tell stories anymore." She was referring to telling made up stories about her life or made up answers to questions that might be incriminating. It was fun to hear stories about family and makes me feel a little more connected to this side.

We also met some amazing characters while staying at Aunty Gindu's in Thiruvannamalai. The day after we settled in, we decided to climb the mountain Arunachala to go see the ashram and the caves where a guru lived for first 16 years and then moved to a cave higher up and lived there for 7 years. We met Aunty's friend Veejay who walks up the mountain every morning and waters the plants on the way. He has been doing this for the last few years and does it because he wants to. He doesn't really give a reason more than that. He is a funny, quick-witted man that told us a lot of jokes and one-liners. He said that meditation was for greedy people because 6-8 hours of sleep a night should be good enough. He also said that he doesn't pray because if God doesn't already know what he needs than he doesn't want to pray to Him anymore.

After coming down, we have a delicious breakfast made up of idlis, dosai, coconut sambhar, tomato sambhar and potato curry. Idli-s are these delicious steamed, soft, spongey type cakes. I don't know how to describe it other than that. We then go for our coffee or tea at the tea shop where people gather to read the paper, meet up, or just to grab a quick cup. Every tea shop is about the same but people definitely have their favorites. We go to Veejay's chosen spot and run into a friend of Veejay's and Gindu's. His name is Dev and he later posted on his blog about us… pretty cool. He is extremely interesting and quick-witted as well. He is a photographer and a proud doer of nothing (his words, not mine). Although he does not have pictures available to show us, he snaps a few of us and Danya takes a few with his camera.

The whole day was such a cool interaction because everyone knew everyone and the ashram had this whole outside community of locals and ex-pats. I know that most ex-pats form their own community but this, from what I saw, was intertwined with locals and foreigners alike. I liked it. While staying at Gindu's, I met a lot of interesting people and I had a wonderful time. Gindu is also a wonderful cook and although she did not trust me to make the chipatis, I picked up a few tips and tricks from her. We ate very well while in her care. I might even become a vegetarian, there was such a variety in her diet. It was delicious and so healthy.

Other things we did while there: went to the temple where I was booped on the head by an elephant. We took a day trip to Pondicherry/Puducherry/Pondi. It was a good day although we went on a Sunday and therefore a lot of the shops were closed. We also went to a really, really weird place that is an international community outside of Pondi. Auroville.  It was weird. In the middle of its community is a structure that apparently houses a crystal, the third or fourth largest or something. But it looks like a golf ball/Epcot ball. Visitors can't go closer than an assigned viewing area. Very bizarre. During our lunch, we also saw a foreign woman who was crazy and being really horrible to a miniature dog that she had chained up and kept dragging around. No one really seemed to know what was going on with her either… very strange.

After spending four wonderful days at Gindu's we decided, on advice from another ex-pat we met there, we bought tickets to Varkala in Kerala. We took a 14 hour train ride from outside of Thrivandrumahal and on to Varkala. We arrived around 9:30 in the morning and jumped in a taxi to our new 'home' for the next 4/5 days. It was sad to say goodbye to Aunty but it was wonderful to see her and to spend time with her. I have a few new thoughts on life and a few new ideas to ponder over these next few months. It was a great time!

Until next time…