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Published: August 14th 2010
Bamboozling India! We found India to be mystifying, confusing, frustrating and inspiring.
As we walked out of the airplane and stepped down onto the tarmac we were greeted with the sweltering 112 (42) degree heat of
Delhi. Once we were in the airport Xiomara started to have people speak to her in Hindi. This would just be the beginning… Everywhere we went, people thought that she was Indian. She thought she was so cool because she blended in.
Culture shock started to set in during our taxi ride to our hotel. There was a lot of construction going on because India was preparing to host the upcoming Commonwealth games. There were families living under tarps as they worked to construct metro tunnels and decorative rock walls around the city. The streets were littered with garbage and were full of cars, rickshaws (India’s version of tuk tuks), cows, dogs, and people. Our hearts sank…
We were very happy to reach our hotel and get out of the mess. We had read about traveling in India, but nothing can fully prepare you for the Paharganj area of Delhi! We had dinner that night on the rooftop of our hotel, which
was good, but very spicy. Once in a while we would peak over the edge and look down on the congested streets below. The sight would bring on excitement, nausea and despair all at once.
We then went to take showers and we discovered that there was no water. So we notified the receptionist about our predicament. One of the hotel staff members asked to enter our room and try to fiddle with the shower to see if he could get any water to come out. It was hilarious, I already told him that I tried everything and that there was simply no water. However, he insisted on entering the bathroom and turning all of the faucets and knobs like they were buttons on a spaceship. After several seconds of trying different configurations, he left our room and said he would return with a large bucket of water. After a few seconds he buzzed the bell at our door and he delivered the bucket to the bathroom. He left, only to return a few seconds later when Xiomara was in the shower to give us another bucket. After our bucket showers I decided to go buy a bottle of
water. As I open the door…. (Guess who?) The same guy was standing in the hallway right in front of our room. He asked, “Is everything ok? Would you like another bucket?” I kindly declined and asked him for a bottle of drinking water, which he promptly brought. It seemed that everyone was trying desperately to earn tips.
The next day we crossed the street and had a nice breakfast. After leaving the restaurant we took a rickshaw turban taxi (see photo) to the main shopping area. So we walked through the blistering heat, dust/pollution clouds and what seemed like millions of people to look in a few shops. After visiting a few places we were directed to a very nice restaurant for lunch. Upon entering we were promptly greeted by the friendly staff and escorted to a nice booth. Then came a barrage of food, they just kept coming. As soon as we cleared a small space on our plate they would refill it. The food was excellent and we left the table with full stomachs. After going back outside to the dust/pollution oven we found an underground bazaar. It was great to escape the heat but the
constant hassling by vendors became a constant background noise. They firmly believe that being extremely persistent (to the point of being extremely annoying) pays off.
After exiting back to the surface we stopped by a travel agency in an attempt to find a train or a bus out of Delhi. However, they only offered the luxury bus and they did not sell train tickets. So we decided to walk back to our hotel. We refer to this walk as “The End of Days Walk” we walked and we walked. The dust was so thick that you could not see the faces of the other people on the street. It looked as if it had just been bombed! Some of the buildings were half destroyed, the street was dug up and full of debris and it really seemed like we were walking through the set of a post apocalypse movie. The bad part is that it was no movie, this was real and these were the lives of real people in India. Every time I felt like complaining I would look at the people around me and remember that I had nothing to complain about. Because I was just a
visitor, these unfortunate people had to live in this every day.
The next day we both woke up with respiratory and sinus colds. We knew that in order for us to get better we had to find some fresh air! That afternoon we took a taxi to
Majnu Ka Tilla, which is where the lonely planet book recommended anyone to stay that needed to escape the congested parts of Delhi. It was an improvement but we it was still too close to Delhi for our liking. The area was full of Tibetan refugees and it was not nearly as crowded. After finding a hotel we went to a pharmacy and bought some antibiotics to kill off our respiratory and sinus infections. Every restaurant that we went to had exactly what we needed, hot lemon ginger tea with honey. It seemed like we were not the only ones to arrive to this place from Delhi with an illness.
We spent the next few days relaxing and trying to find a way to Northern India. Our search took us to the main bus station. This was madness… It looked like a bad prison, men behaved like animals and the buses
were falling apart. There were ticket vendors sitting behind iron bars and a moving mass of men on the other side, all reaching and pushing desperately to get a ticket. After a few minutes of observing the chaos we hurried back to the peaceful little Tibetan refugee town.
We found a tour agency that sold us tickets to Dharamsala which is where the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile have taken refuge.
After an uncomfortable overnight bus trip we arrived to this little mountain town of
McLeod Ganj which is a suburb of Dharamsala. The town is beautifully placed in the Himalayan Mountains. What a gift it was to be able to breathe fresh air!
After searching several hotels we found a great deal on a room that had spectacular views. We spent a couple days just walking around the town, eating and looking for volunteer opportunities. We also went to the local cinema and watched Kundun which tells the enchanting story of the 14th Dalai Lama.
The next day Xiomara did a yoga class and then we both volunteered that afternoon at a center that helps Tibetan refugees learn English. We were very
moved by the experience. My student was a monk, which was amazing in itself…. I, helping a Tibetan monk learn English, in India! He told me of his treacherous journey through the Himalayas. He said they would search for a nice place to hide and sleep during the day and then they would walk under the cover of darkness to avoid being seen by the Chinese military. They risk frostbite, starvation, dehydration, being attacked by wolves, yettis (sasquatch/bigfoot), bears and snow lions/leopards. If they were discovered by the Chinese, they risk imprisonment and torture. Despite all of this, thousands of Tibetans make this journey every year in hopes of finding a better life.
Later that evening we attended the showing of Cry of The Snow Lion. This is an emotionally charged documentary film about the illegal occupation of Tibet by the Chinese government. The film does a great job of informing all who watch it about Tibet’s struggle for freedom.
The next day Rustin attended the same yoga class while Xiomara rested her sore muscles. Later on, we both volunteered at 2 different English classes with refugees. Then we started our week of sickness. Xiomara and I had
food poising… The good thing is that we alternated times when we were very sick, so one person was always healthy enough to take care of the other. We also had a local puppy that would come by to visit us and brighten our spirits. Rustin named him Yetti and he was adorable! After buying some puppy food, we would give him food and water a couple of time per day. Whenever we left our room he would usually follow us everywhere we went.
Then the day came when we were going to leave. We were both sad to leave him but we were happy to have met him. As we walked out of our room with our bags he saw us from the next building over and ran towards us letting out a few angry barks. It was the first time that we ever heard him bark! He knew that we were leaving and he did not approve. So we met him at the entrance of the hotel as he rounded the corner of the building. We both pet him several times and told him to go play with the dog he was with before he saw us
leaving. As we walked away he looked at us with sad puppy eyes for a while and then walked away.
After spending so much time in 3rd world conditions, it became quite obvious that it had taken quite a toll on us. We were tired! After some careful consideration we decided to cut our trip short in India. We would hire a driver to see some of the key sights and we were going to up our budget. Also we changed our future plans and canceled Kenya and Egypt. So now after a few more weeks in India we would enter Western Europe! We instantly felt better, as if a large weight had been lifted off of us.
We then took a taxi to the airport and flew to Delhi. From the airport we had arranged for a travel company to pick us up and take us to their office to rent a car with a driver to take us to see the Taj Mahal and around the state of Rajasthan.
After negotiating a fair price, we were off with our driver to the city of Agra. It felt so nice to be in air conditioned car that
was going to take us where ever we wanted to go.
That evening we arrived to the crowded city of
Agra. It had just rained so many of the streets were flooded which only made the traffic worse. We arrived to our hotel late but we were so happy to be in a nice room. Nice compared to where we had been staying.
The next day we woke up early and walked to the Taj Mahal. As fortune would have it, that day the admission was free! The Taj Mahal met our expectations, the building is beautiful. We took a few photos and walked around the grounds. When we entered the building we were a little disappointed as it was rather plain. It seems most of the construction time was spent on how beautiful the exterior was going to look.
We started to notice more and more Indians doing a distinct head wobble during our conversations with them. To all foreigners this response to a question can be very confusing! It can mean yes, no, maybe or that the person has no idea. As time passed we were able to decipher it correctly most of the time.
Sometimes we even tried it ourselves. Xiomara really liked it and keep doing it to Rustin in London.
We then returned to our hotel and had breakfast before heading off to see The Agra Fort. This was an immense fortified city with a moat that used to be infested with crocodiles. We explored nearly every corner of the giant city and Xiomara even stopped and fed some hungry chipmunks.
After touring the fort we traveled to
Jaipur. This crowded city made us feel homesick again and then we saw it, a shining gem in a pile of garbage. We had found a Pizza Hut! We walked inside and felt like we had teleported to another country! Everything was sparkling clean and the aroma of pizza was intoxicating. When our pizza arrived, we were overwhelmed with happiness! Xiomara asked Rustin if they could spend the night there!! We were so happy and we stayed as long as possible.
The next day our driver showed us the old town which was called The Pink City. We then made our way to
Pushkar, which is one of the oldest cities in India and is one of five sacred pilgrimage sites
for devout Hindus. This small city of less than 15,000 people is already overtaxing its poor infrastructure. Yet it hosts the annual camel fair, where 300,000 people and over 50,000 camels, horses and cattle. For five days, the camels are dressed up, paraded, shaved, entered into beauty contests, raced, and traded. A huge carnival is held, with an array of musicians, magicians, dancers, acrobats, snake charmers and carousel rides to entertain the crowd.
We walked across the (then dry) lake and explored the town. We tired some great Israeli food, which consisted of hummus, bread and some fresh veggies. We also viewed several temples, where thousands of people come to bathe in the sacred lake when it is full.
The next day our driver then took us to
Bundi, where we arrived in the hot afternoon sun. We checked into our hotel that had been converted from an old haveli (house). To one side was a sacred lake (unfortunately it was dry) and to the other was the Bundi Palace and the Taragarh Fort.
The next morning we ventured out to see The Bundi Palace. The amazing structure was built in the early 1600’s and was an
addition to the Taragarth Fort which was built in the late 1300’s. It was so incredible to walk through the palace without anyone hassling you for a guided tour or without seeing any other tourists. Apart from the monkeys, we were the only one’s exploring the ruins. There were several murals on the walls and on the ceilings that were still in great condition. It felt like very little time had passed since this was palace was pristine and glamorous. It was easy to imagine the daily lives of those who once lived there.
The next day we traveled to the city of
Udaipur. When we arrived at our hotel it was pouring rain and the streets were flooded. We thought that with all of the rain the lake might fill up. We discovered later that it was almost half full. The city was charming and the lake was pretty. In the center of the lake we spotted the famous Taj Lake Palace. This hotel was used in the making of the James Bond film Octopussy and it looked to be the most expensive hotel in the city.
The following morning our driver took us to a shop
to find Xiomara a sari (the typical Indian dress.), which she needed to buy for a friend’s Indian themed wedding. I sat and read a book during the extravaganza. The two owners were pulling out sari after sari. Xiomara was standing with mountains of fabric all around her. At one point I lost sight of her entirely, I was just about to go spelunking (cave exploring) when she blasted out one side of the mountain and said, “What do you think of these two?” After careful consideration she chose one and we were out the door.
That evening we went to an impressive show that consisted of authentic music and dance. We have a photo of a lady dancing with 3 pots on her head. Well she added one by one, dance after dance until she had 13! After the show we met a nice couple and had dinner with them. The guy was from Guatemala and was the first Central American person we have met during the whole trip.
Unfortunately Rustin ate something that led to food poising AGAIN! The next day he was miserable but Xiomara took excellent care of him. He kept telling himself that
he would be better for the flight the next day and he was. Well better enough to make the trip anyway. We flew to
Bombay and then on to
Bangalore. We really enjoyed Bangalore during our short stay there. It seemed much cleaner than the other places that we had visited in India.
The next afternoon a taxi drove us outside of the city to the beautiful ashram of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. In 1982 this guru founded The Art of Living, which is an NGO that has centers in over 150 countries around the world. We had already completed the part one course and it was a life changing experience. They teach an enlightening meditation technique that works wonders. It has helped millions of people around the world find inner peace. Please check out their website to learn more about this extraordinary organization: http://us.artofliving.org/
We could feel the energy shift as we traveled further from the city and closer to the ashram. The grounds were full of vegetation and everything was so neat and clean. We registered for the Part II advanced course and spent the next 5 days in a state of euphoria! We met several
good people and we had a peaceful and joyful experience. One of the people that we met reminded us of how inquisitive the people in India are. She was standing behind us in the dinner line when she introduced herself. Within one minute she had asked the following: Where are you from? Did you go to college? What is your job? Do you have any kids? Why not? Are you married? Why not? Then without us asking her anything she proceeded to tell us several details about herself, her husband and her children. Xiomara and I laughed about this encounter for days.
We stayed an extra day at the ashram and then the next morning we flew to London. Amazingly we finished our tour of India, feeling refreshed and reenergized. The time that we spent in the Ashram gave us the serenity that we needed and helped us to appreciate the positive aspects of the enigma that is India.
~by Rustin
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Karina
non-member comment
WOW
Hello Guys!!!!! I am so glad you are having such a beautiful experience, sorry you had to cut ur trip, but u will looove London. Hope u keep having a great time!Kisses!!