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Published: September 5th 2009
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Outside of Humayun's Tomb
Designed as a red version of the Taj Mahal !ndia! What a mysterious and intriguing subcontinent! For so long I have heard stories and testimonials describing this place- shocking, challenging, colorful, dirty, intense, flavorful, INCREDIBLE were just some of the words used by others about this mysterious travel destination. Therefore, I had to capitalize on the opportunity to take a nice long vacation to this exotic land.
After watching the news of record breaking heat of 50C (130F) in Delhi several weeks prior in Seoul and a long flight from Korea that involved sleeping on the airport bench for several hours in Bangkok- I made it to Delhi- tired, jet lagged and dirty. I was proud of myself for successfully catching a bus from the airport to New Delhi train station where all the cheap accommodations are located. Upon getting off the bus I found myself in a daze as a result of all of the madness around me- cars, motorbikes, animals, bicycles, people sleeping on the shoulder of the street, beggars. The worst part of all the hawkers- Hello my friend! Where are you going? You need rickshaw? You need taxi? You want hashish? Pretty girls? Guesthouse? Hotel? Change money? You want buy shawl? Spices? After drawing quite
a crowd (I am sure they could tell I just got off the plane) I met a friendly guy from Manali that helped shoo them away.
"How long have you been in India?" he asked.
"I just arrived today." I responded.
"Don't ever tell anyone that! Be sure you tell them you have been here for a few months. Where is your guide book?" he advised.
Upon pulling out my new Lonely Planets book bought several days earlier by my wonderful friends in Korea he said "Don't ever walk around with this out. It looks so new. People will be able to tell very quickly that you just got here and will try to take all of your money."
"I will take you to a government approved travel center that will be able to find you a very cheap hotel. Follow me." He then walked me to the subway station and even paid the 4 rupee fair for the subway ride as a welcome to India gesture.
I thanked him and he said "If I ever come to your country, please help me like I am helping you."
We parted ways and I had a
chance to enjoy a cup of water in the air conditioned "government approved" travel center. I was then greeted by a charming salesman who was showing me beautiful pictures of his country.
"How long do you have in India?" he asked.
"About two or three months." I responded.
"Ok, may I suggest an itinerary for you? First go to Kashmir, you can stay on my friend's houseboat, they will take you trekking in the mountains for a week. Then we will go to Ladakh for two weeks and enjoy more trekking in the beautiful valleys- look at these pictures."
"That sounds nice but all I want is a hotel for tonight. Can you help me book something for tonight?" I asked.
"Ok if you dont like that plan why dont you go to Rajasthan first for two weeks and we can go on a jeep safari to A,B and C. Then we will go to D, E, F and G."
That sounds like fun but I really would prefer to travel without a plan. I like flexibility" I explained.
"This is flexible! You need to have some idea of where you want to go- India is a huge country.
You cant just get trains anywhere like in Europe. This is India! You need to plan in advance unless you want to travel like this." he said as he pulled up a picture of an overcrowded train with people hanging off the roof, doors and windows.
"How would you like to ride in one of these? Lets see how tough you are then." He said.
At that point I got up and didnt feel like arguing with him anymore. "I'm going to find a hotel. All I want is a hotel here in Delhi for one night!"
As I was storming for the door his coworker approached me and walked me out. "What just happened in here?" he asked.
"All I want is a hotel for one night and he is trying to get me to spend over a thousand dollars on tours. Thats way out of my budget but your friend wont take no for an answer" I explained.
Then he apologized and took me to another place where I met Shabir, who was the exact opposite of the pushy salesman I just finished dealing with. Shabir said his uncle had a boat in Srinigar,
Kashmir at a place called Nageen lake that looked like paradise on earth. "This price includes 5 nights on the houseboat, all meals, a one way plane ticket to Kashmir and a hotel for tonight in Delhi" he stated calmly.
I agreed to his offer of what seemed like a good deal considering I was planning on going to Kashmir anyway by bus or train. The air mode of transport seemed a bit more appealing than taking a 24 hour bus ride to the Himalayan town. Next he introduced me to his friend Bilal who would take me on a city tour in his car.
Bilal took me to Humayun's Tomb- a stunning red version of the Taj Mahal where a king and his family are buried. Next he took me to the largest Hindu temple in India, which much to my surprise had monkeys climbing the walls and running a few feet in front of me as I turned the corner.
Next Bilal and I ate dinner and I enjoyed my first India meal of Tandoori chicken, daal, naan, curd and rice. Over dinner, Bilal told me a bit about his life and how he views
it as one of survival and suffering to help put food on the table for his family. We discussed several things interesting topics including the worldwide misconception of the Muslim population. "How does your country view Muslims?" he asked.
I felt an obligation to tell him and honest truth that right now Muslims do not have a good image in my country. With increased public awareness and education, Muslims will have a better image around the world. Unfortunately many people associate Islam with terrorism and negativity. I further explained to him that the sad reality is many people don't know that Islam is a very peaceful religion.
"Exactly!" he chimed in. "Those people that bomb buildings and planes are not Muslims. Islam is a religion of peace. The only time a Muslim should fight is if someone stops him or her from practicing their religion, as stated in the holy Quran. It is up to you and I to inform people the reality of Islam, which is misconstrued by the news."
Bilal continued "I wish I would have the opportunity to travel like you. You must be like a journalist. Ask questions to everybody you meet and
tell everybody in your country about India. I can't travel, but I get to meet people from many different parts of the world and learn from them. This my way of traveling."
Bilal, originally from Kashmir, came to Delhi to work at his friend Shabir's travel center driving around and organizing itineraries for customers. Turning 30 in a few months, he said if he does not find a wife in the next year his family will arrange a marriage for him with Kashmiri girl from the mountains. "I am ok with that. I would like to find someone I love but arranging marriages is very normal in India" he said.
Indeed this line of thinking is much different than my prior experience. I guess this is the traditional line of thinking in India. With that we decided to call it a night and rest up for my flight out to Kashmir the next morning.
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