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Published: November 21st 2005
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The Red Fort
Look at that detailing! I've officially survived my first 10 days in India, praise be! India is a manic place, hectic and noisy and frenetic and just all-around intimidating... But I've survived! I think joining up with the Intrepid tour has a lot to do with that, India is not a place I would want to brave alone.
I arrived in Delhi and the representative of my hotel pick-up service was nowhere to be found, so I tagged along with a couple I'd met on the plane and ended up staying in their hotel. I was a little sick (funny getting sick BEFORE getting to India, after all the warnings I'd had about getting sick IN India) so spent the next few days holed up in my dumpy little room, but did manage to spend a few hours wandering around my area, and was immediately assaulted by the smells, sounds, and sights of the country. There are, quite literally, swarms of people everywhere, piles of garbage littering the streets, and cows and donkeys quite happily dodging the crazy rickshaws weaving through the narrow alleyways. Smells of delicious dosas and pakoras will be suddenly overpowered by smells of sewage and garbage, and you really are
Coming Together
Feeding the hungry, whoever (and whatever) they may be. constantly stared at. I was, quite obviously, a little shell-shocked in those first few hours, and could quite easily have fled back to my hotel room and booked the first flight out, had it not been for the best masala dosa I've ever had in a little hole in the wall restaurant, accompanied by a blind Indian man who just happened to sit down at my table. We talked about the differences between his country and mine, and he essentially reminded me to keep an open mind and a sense of humour, and look past the pitfalls of such a vast and populous country in order to see the vitality of it. India is unlike any place I've ever been, and whether I end up loving it or hating it, I'm sure I'll be glad to have experienced it.
Meeting up with the Intrepid tour group I'll be traveling around Rajasthan with for the next two weeks was such a relief; it's a group of 11 people of differing nationalities and ages, but who are all united by a similar travel philosophy of socially responsible travel at a more local level, and I'm so grateful to have my experiences
The Taj Mahal
An undiscovered tourist attraction! here, um, cushioned by a group. Our leader is a 20-something guy from Bangalore, and it's, again, so nice to realize that all the little frustrations of organizing transport and hotels will be taken care of. I'd approached the idea of a tour with a little unease, but I think it'll be great.
Our sightseeing itinerary in Delhi was affected by the recent bombings, and so instead of meandering around Old Delhi we went to a Hindu temple, (briefly!) saw the President's home (you're not allowed to loiter for more than a few moments or the guards with the big guns will come in), went to the Gandhi museum which includes the place he was shot, and a Sikh temple. The Gandhi museum was an incredibly inspiring place devoted to such a wonderful man, and it was hard not to feel affected by bearing witness to the spot where his humanitarian ideals led to his assasination, but the place I feel most privileged to have seen is the Sikh temple. The temple itself was nothing special in my opinion, as the ornate kitschness of such places don't really appeal to my concept of beauty, but an extra-curricular activity attached
Sunset at the Taj
You never really believe you'll witness moments like these. to the place of worship blew my mind. Every day Sikh volunteers take it upon themselves to cook a simple meal of rice, dal, and roti to feed the community. A massive kitchen staffed by people of all ages is used to feed anyone who chooses to turn up, regardless of caste, race, age, social status, or religion. It's not a handout to the poor, but an act of communal good-will in the belief that we are all equal in the eyes of God. What a beautiful message, and a fantastic experience... We got to both cook and consume. Western religions espouse the same doctrines, but rarely express them in the same immediate, open-minded fashion.
Moving on to Agra I was struck with one of those funny travel moments when you really and truly realize the magnitude of what you're doing. I went to the Taj Mahal. To bear witness to such an iconic landmark was incredible. Being the somewhat cynical traveller that I am, I was less-than-impressed with the hordes of tourists surrounding the mausoleam (because clearly only *I* am allowed to see it), but it was truly a magical sight. It's a beautiful, artfully mastered building to
We're at the Taj Mahal...
and yet we're the tourist attraction. Weird. be sure, but it was more the sense of being part of (or at least privy to) something so inherently important to human identity that was incredible. It is one of the sights, the important cornerstones of morden man's unifying history - and I got to see it. The fact that the Indian tourists seemed to find our group more fascinating than the Taj lent a sense of ironic humour to the entire experience. We also went to Agra's Red Fort, a beautiful example of Moghul architecture that was entirely fitting with my preconceived notion of India.
Wistfully leaving behind the Taj Mahal, our group made its way to Bharaptur via local bus (I've said it once and I'll say it again, my legs are too long for Asia!) where we visited the Keleado Bird Sanctuary. Verena and I were cycled around a beautiful park by a lovely man named Om who impressed us with his extensive knowledge of the park and the birds in it, as well as his sheer determination that we see what felt like every bird in the vicinity.
The next stop was, perhaps even more than the Taj Mahal, something I will never
Serenity
At the Bird Park. forget. Traveling by jeep we arrived in the tiny village of Madhogarh, and made our way to our accomodation for the night - the local Fort. The Fort had been gifted to the owner's family generations back, but abandonned, and it's only been in recent years that he and his wife have decided to open it up to the public in order to bring in the money needed to restore it to its past glory. A beautiful, magic place, occupied by the wonderful, kind family and staff. We were taken on a walk through the village, and it was so apparent that this was a place (as yet) unruined by tourism. We'd been asked not to give the children any sweets, pens, or the like (unlike northern Thailand where they actually encourage it!) and only had one elected camera-person, and so were able to interact with the villagers on a more real level... And it was beautiful, because the people were warm and friendly and they weren't looking at us as walking ATMs, but rather as (slightly funny looking) people. We were swarmed by kids who wanted nothing more than to grab our hands and ask our named and laugh
Birders Extraordinaire
Om - what a cute little man! and play. It was a small place, and poor by Western standards, but the people were so happy and so at peace. We had a lovely evening in the fort, looking over the colorful adobe rooftops of the village, filled with the voices and laughter of an active community into a Rajasthani plain with a setting sun that made the sky glow as if aflame. We were fed a typically Rajasthani meal and encouraged to dance to the Indian musicians playing for us, and dress up in the saris lent to us by the owner's wife, Kuti (and turbans for the men). It was a wonderful evening, and an incredible experience. I mean, I knew I was coming to India, I knew I was coming to Rajasthan, but I never thought I'd be able to be part of a traditional community so warm and welcoming. It was very hard to leave, but there's lots more to see.
Jaipur is the total opposite of Madhogarh, and rendered all the more unappealing and threatening by that comparison. The Amber fort/palace just outside its walls is attractive, but the city itself is busy and chaotic, and again I feel as if I
have a dollar sign stamped on my forehead. Oh well, there are multiple sides to this vast country, and I don't have to love them all.
- Robin.
ps: There really are camels and monkeys everywhere. I'm still not over it.
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