India

---

India… Wow, so many words to describe it. It’s a lot like people say. You hate it while here, and then probably love it when you are gone. Hopefully it will get that way. India for me was way overwhelming, stressful and sad. It was worse than I expected, but I still have a lot of fun. I am so thankful I did a organized semester at sea trip because if I did something independently I would have been lost.

Friday
The first day when we could get off the boat was very interesting. But before we could get off we had to go through customs (passports being stamped) and a diplomatic meeting. I then went back to bed till 11. I then hung out with Ed, Amy, Kayla and Carly. I thought a small group would be best and the group I normally hang out with hangs out with always has too many people. The smaller groups make it easier for us to split up. We had lunch on the boat then headed out. We got on a shuttle to take us out of the port and when we were getting out tons of rickshaw drivers surrounded us. Rickshaws are three wheeled vehicles that speed past everything. Amy, Ed and I got in 1 while Carly and Kayla were in the other. We told our rickshaw driver to go the bank so we could get cash then take us to the market. When we were driving our Rickshaw driver pulled over and changed t-shirts, causing us to lose our friends. We thought we would see them at the bank but they went to a different one. This was not ok because we had Carly’s passport and Carly had Ed’s by mistake. (We weren’t allowed back into port without our passport) So our rickshaw driver then took us to a store that was not a market or anything we wanted. We were trying to figure out how to communicate with him when another driver came up and told to tell him to take us to a local area. When we got to this store it was still a little expensive compared to what we wanted, but we ended up buying a few things. Then we decided to ask our driver to take us to get stickers. He took us to Mega stickers; they didn’t have the flag sticker we were looking for so he took us a block away to another mega sticker. They didn’t have it either. He said there was one more he could take us to so we said ok. As we were reversing to get away from the store our rickshaw driver hit a guy. He reversed right into him, and then drove off! Like it was NO BIG DEAL! Anyways, that mega sticker store didn’t have a flag sticker either so we gave up. Then he takes us to one more store. Its sticker material and you can buy the flag colors to make the stickers. Amy said fine and bought it hoping to make good stickers. After that we still had no idea where Carly and Kayla were, our rickshaw driver asked us where we wanted to go and we had no idea. He was like bar? And Ed and I were like OK! We need a beer after this crazy day. After our amazing time of relaxation we went back on the traffic-y streets back to the ship. We tried to get back into the port but couldn’t. Amy had to use the restroom so she left and went to the ship. Ed and I waited till we found Carly and Kayla. We sat down and before we knew it hawkers (people trying to sell you stuff) were talking to us about buying drums. Ed bought one just so they could go away but they just kept hassling him. He ended up trading the small one in for a big one with a few extra rupees ($$). Then we found Kayla and Carly and hopped on the shuttle. We got back to the ship and got ready for a movie and dinner. We showered, which was pointless because it was so dusty and humid.
By the time we left for dinner and a movie it was 6:30. We went to the movie theater and got tickets for 7:30, Despicable Me. We got dinner, no idea what it was. A chicken and pita platter, but it was decent. I ate it because I was hungry. We then got to the movie and it was in 3D so we had to buy glasses. As we were watching the movie, people would clap, be on their cell phones and talk. Nothing like an American movie theater, there was even an intermission. After the movie we headed back to the ship. Ed and I were in one rickshaw and the girls were in the other. The girls ended up hitting a motorcycle in their rickshaw. I’m not surprised with how they drive and how much traffic there is here. By the time we got back it was 11:45 and I still had to pack for my 4 day trip. That took a long time because I didn’t know what was acceptable to take. Then I called my mom because the time worked out perfectly. I decided to shower after this because I was still up and didn’t want to do it at 4:30 in the morning. So by the time I finally went to bed it was 1:30.

Saturday
Up at four am! I tried to meet Ed for breakfast because his trip leaves at 4:30 and mine left at 4:45, but I didn’t see him till 4:25 when he trip was almost leaving. We talked for a while about the night before and how he got no sleep because of his roommate. We hoped we would be on the same flight since we were both going to Delhi. When we arrived at the Chennai airport I didn’t see the other group to begin. But at the security point I did. Ed and I found out we were on the same flight and I traded seats so we could sit by each other. While on the plane we looked out the window and saw elephants bathing in water! It was so cool. Then we both fell asleep for the last two hours. When we landed we said bye and went our separate way on our trips. My group went to see Qutub Minar. It’s a massive tower, 72.5 meters high, that was made out of sandstone and has never rusted. After that we drove and went passed all the different countries embassies. It was interesting to see the building and how they varied with each culture. We then were at lunch. The other two semester at sea groups were there too. So I got to see everyone again, for what I thought would be the last time. Lunch was ok. There was some curry chicken and naan (bread like food). The best part was the ice-cream. The ice-cream here was made out of cow’s milk and water buffalo milk, making it taste was different. After lunch we drove by the capital and went to check into the hotel. The hotel had a club and bar on top of it which was stupid for semester at sea to put us up in. But after check in we had an hour to walk around or relax then we were going on a tour. We went and saw the Indian Gate, a memorial of more than 90,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives during the Afghan Wars and World War I. Then we saw Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. That was really interesting, it was just black marble. After that we came back and had dinner. More semester at sea students were there. I ate super fast and only a little because I didn’t like the food being served. I then planned on going to bed because I was tired, but as I was talking to my roommate she told me she bought internet and I could use it while she was at dinner with her family. So I decided to Skype my mom and dad. We talked for 40 minutes. It was awesome and a great opportunity to catch up on what’s going on the world. After Skype I started to read my book. When I was getting ready to go to bed I was trying to figure out how to turn off the lights and it was on my alarm clock panel. I played with that for awhile because it was so interesting to me. The panel controlled the lights in the bathroom, and all around the room. When I was doing that my roommate walked in and then we talked for awhile and both decided we should probably go to bed because we had to be up at 5:15am. However, we turned on TV to catch up on the news. By then I was tired and actually went to bed.

Sunday
Today was a day where it was very important to be on time. Everyone was told we had to leave by 5:30 in the morning to catch our train on time. So my roommate and I got down there at 5:00 to get some breakfast. We got to the bus at 5:30 and we were waiting on two girls. We were going to leave them but Colin was like I will run up real fast to get them. The driver was so impatient he started to drive off without Colin. Brad got on his phone called Colin, said screw it and Colin was running back down with the two girls. I felt so bad that they were going to leave Colin for doing the gentleman thing to do. Well we got to the train on time. The train gave us tea which we were all skeptical of drinking. While we were on the train we saw many different homes and people. Ellie and I were just so hurt by the fact people had to live this way. We wanted to help. When the train passed out water we didn’t drink ours so when we landed we tried to give it away to people in need. However, only one person seemed to take it. We then got on our bus and went to have our second breakfast. They had chicken sausage, not a big fan. But then more semester at sea groups were there too. They told us they went to sunrise at the Taj Mahal and we were super excited because that’s where we were going next. By the time we got to the Taj Mahal there were more hawkers trying to get us to buy whips, shirts, magnets, basically anything unnecessary. But when we actually got to see the Taj it was mind blowing. It was so big and so pretty. It was better than I remember learning about in second grade. We couldn’t help but talk over 300 pictures. It was so beautiful from a distance, and as we walked closer it just kept mesmerizing me. I couldn’t get over the fact that it was built out of love and it is still standing. Inside was amazing and outside was crazy. The marble and the stones tiles were beautiful. When we left the Taj I was bummed. I could sit there all day and just stare at it. But after that we went to a tile making place. They showed us how they carved the stones that were on the Taj Mahal and how they make marble tables. It took over 30 days on certain pieces. They were so intricate. After that we went to lunch. Another semester at sea group was there and I saw Ed again. We were just missing each other. As we got there he was leaving. Lunch again was not my favorite. I ate more of the western side of the meal then just filled up on ice-cream for dessert. Then we went off to Fort Agra. Fort Agra was also built by the guy who built the Taj Mahal. Fort Agra is the most important fort in India. After the fort we went off to Jaipur. It was a six hour drive without traffic, but unfortunately we hit riots about 40 min in and had to backtrack twenty minutes and then take an hour detour. So we basically took a 7 to 8 hour drive. Not arriving in Jaipur till 10. The coolest part about the drives was the fact that cows were on the side of the road and crossed the road whenever. When we got to the hotel we ate dinner which again, I didn’t like but I filled up on the dessert again. The ice-cream was just so good! I then went to my room at watched the recruit on tv until I fell asleep.

Monday
I woke up super excited today because we were all hoping to ride elephants. We had to wait ten minutes for those two girls again to finish eating because they came to breakfast at 7:25 when we were leaving at 7:30. They made me very irritated because most people stick to schedules and they didn’t. But a lot of people around the world I learned are not so fixed and time oriented as Americans. Breakfast was interesting because it was spicy. I decided just to eat cereal. They also had watermelon juice which was interesting. After we finished breakfast, I put bug spray on and headed to the bus. We were on our way to Amber Fort in Jaipur. We passed through the old part of Jaipur, the pink city. That was so cool! All the buildings were colored the same and so pretty! Hawa Mahal was the prettiest because they had colored windows and at night would light up. But we drove through the town and went to the Amber Fort. The amber fort was awesome! We got to ride elephants up to the top and that was the coolest thing I ever did! The elephants were not as big as African elephants but they had painted faces and were so cute. I told Ellie that I wanted a huge elephant to ride and she told me to stop complaining we better just get an elephant. When it was our turn we actually got the biggest elephant of the group. We towered over everyone. And the elephant hauled ass up the hill. It was awesome; we started out like 7th in our group and got there 2nd. The elephant ride was really fun, but made me a little nauseous. I thought maybe I should have taken a Dramamine? When we arrived at the top there were more hawkers asking us to buy more stuff. At this point I have no patience and am just saying NO then walking away. Before we went into the Amber Fort, Brad told everyone to check for their passports just to make sure you didn’t lose it on the elephant ride. GO FIGURE… mines not there! I started to freak out. I didn’t know if I lost it there or just left it at the hotel. So I tell our group leaders then Brad came up to me and handed me my passport. That jerk! He took it from my bag when I sprayed down with bug spray. He just wanted to play a joke on me!
After we toured the fort we were headed to lunch. But before lunch we stopped at Jal Mahal. It is a half underwater palace. It was very cool to see little parts of the building and just know there were paths there, but not visible. We then took another detour before lunch and saw rugs being made again and block printing. Block printing is like stamps but you have multiple layers for 1 picture. The elephant he showed us had 4 different layers with different inks. Typically the inks dry in the sun, but he showed us a speed process in chemical treated water. The ink turned from shades of red to blue, orange and green. It was so cool. Then we went to lunch. Lunch was not good as usual. So I starved a little and ate a Twix. After lunch we were headed to the city palace in “Old Town” Jaipur and the observatory. We passed a fountain and I saw a guy bathing in it. I feel so bad that they resort to bathing in public places. We then got the observatory. As we got out of our bus there were hawkers from the Elephant ride trying to get us to buy our photos taken up there. Most of us already did but some of us didn’t want them. We just found it very creepy they followed us 45 minutes to the next stop. The observatory was very cool. They had many architectural astronomical instruments, it was like a huge area based of sundials, where the sun is positioned and even zodiac stuff. It was so cool! They seem to have more information on astronomy before anyone else did. After that we took a tour of the city palace right next door. The palace was very intricate and had amazing architecture. Every architectural building in India was super amazing. After the tours we went and saw how gems were made. There were rubies, sapphires, moon stones, diamonds, amethyst, any Birthstone possible and more! One necklace was 1,300$$. After we went there our guide gave us free time to shop. He said you could take a rickshaw back to the hotel or be on the bus at 7. Ellie and I went off. We ditched the huge SAS group and did our own thing. Brad was not happy we didn’t go with a guy but we just didn’t want a huge crowd. We were in one store and there was a black out! We just booked it back to the bus. We stopped at two more stores, bought some bangles and some more aladin type pants. We then got on the bus and started for the hotel. Once there we had the option of going to dinner. I ate like 3 pieces of naan and some icecream. Figured I would just wake up and have a big breakfast. I then went up to the room to get ready for bed. My roommate let people come into our room to do henna. I didn’t want any done but I stayed up and socialized for while. I used her computer once more to facebook a few people. It was perfect. I then went to bed.

Tuesday
Today was a long day. It started with breakfast. That was ok. I learned just to eat the cereal. So I had two bowls of that to fill me up for the long drive ahead. We were on our bus for five to six hours to head back to Delhi. The bus was so much longer than that though because we were stuck in traffic for like 1 more hour. Everyone on the bus was restless or sleeping. It was just miserable, and my ipod died! We had 1 stop for lunch. That was the best lunch I had all trip. It had amazing pasta. And STRAWBERRY ice-cream. We only had 30 minutes to eat though because we were on such a time crunch. We had to be at the airport so we could catch our flight. When we got to the airport our guides were basically like Ok, meet you at the gate. Fend for yourself. Glad I know what INDIA airports are like…NOT! So I just followed what the locals did. It confused me for awhile because the women and males had separate security lines. The airline personnel patted you down before you went on the plane. It was worse than any US airport I have ever been to. Once on the plane I talked for while, and then just fell asleep. By the time we landed we were ready to go and were super hungry! I was not in the mood for Indian food I just wanted to get back to the ship and order food. But when the bus pulled over and told us to get out and walk a little ways to the restaurant. We did as told and saw pizza hut! I was trying not to eat any American food on this trip. But this was by far the best meal I ever had. Pepperoni pizza has never tasted so good. After that we hopped on the bus and headed for the ship. Ellie and I thought logically about our placement on the bus because every girl had 2 or 3 bags which all had to be checked before loading on the ship. She and I got front seat and hopped off as soon as we could. Some people had to wait in line for 30 min.
After everyone showered we exchanged photos and hung out and talked for a while. Then we all went to bed.

Wednesday
Last day in India. THANK Goodness. I have never been so excited to leave a port. We were in Chennai which was way overwhelming to me and I didn’t really want to do anything. I was tired of getting ripped off by rickshaw drivers and didn’t want to deal with the headache of all the honking. So I decided to lay low in the morning then go out around 11. Me, Amy and Kayla went to the mall to buy some groceries and spend our left over Rupees. I didn’t buy anything and just decided to convert them back into USD. I then just waited for people to get back on. Exchanged more pictures and hung out. Watched movies, wrote most of my blog and even wrote emails to a few friends. Although I know it was the last day in India. I just didn’t want to deal with the crazy hecticness of the port. I was ready to go and wasn’t sad to leave.

India was an amazing port. I learned a lot about myself and did a lot of reflecting. I also saw tons of new things and felt terrible for a lot of it. I hate how there is so much poverty and I can’t do anything to change it. Even when I fed food to a girl, that’s only going to help her in the moment. There was no way to help her in the long run. Just seeing people have to beg and beg day in and day out devastates me. They live like that daily. Indian people were so nice even though they had it so rough. It was a great opportunity to see this, and it really was culture shock. I didn’t think India would affect me the way it did. But it was a life changing place.

---

Comments

[lisa jane]

Thank you for sharing. The poverty is a huge problem.I felt the same about the people there and knowing that there's nothing you can really do to help is just depressing.It leaves a bitter taste and it makes you feel guilty that you were born in a different part of the world.But India as a country offers such a diversity and seeing it is an amazing experience. Before going though there are some things everyone should consider. I travel back and forth from England to India and I've had accommodation problems in the past therefore now I always call beforehand to confirm my reservation. Calling to confirm might be a bit pricey but I use a call service which provides cheap calls to India - it's fast, easy to use and cheap and you will be on the safe side when it comes to accommodation. Also, one should be careful with the public display of affection - it's not appreciated. Once again - thank you for sharing. Im sure that you would visit again if you have the chance. Lisa