We walked through our own door around four o’clock on Wednesday afternoon. After such a long day (or two, really) of travel, we were beyond exhausted. But in an effort to get back on Florida time, we forced ourselves to stay up till eight. We went to the bank, started unpacking, ordered a pizza, and finally let ourselves drift into dreamland. At five a.m., we were wide awake.
Ok, so it will take a few days for us to get back on schedule; at least I don’t have any obligations for another week and a half or so when I head to Illinois to see my family and throw a baby shower for my sister. I can lie on the couch and watch movies or read books while I ease myself back into my normal life.
But poor Brandon went back to work today. He had only Thursday to recover before starting a three-day shift, and I know he’s not feeling too happy about being back at work. At least it’s not so hard getting up at five in the morning, though, as it will probably feel like three in the afternoon to him for quite some time.
And while Brandon slaves away at work, I had to cancel my coffee date with my friend Katie earlier this afternoon. I felt absolutely fine all day yesterday, but as I was going to bed, I started experiencing stomach cramps almost as bad as those I’d had in Goa. So it looks like I’m pretty much knocked out on the couch for the next few days, except when I’m up like lightning to get to the bathroom. Coming back from a trip like this sure is difficult.
In a rare moment of calm and comfort earlier today, I was thinking about how hard our bodies are working to get India out of their systems. And I had to wonder if that’s simply because our hearts are having such a hard time letting go. Yes, I was thrilled to walk through my front door on Wednesday afternoon. I have enjoyed sleeping in an air-conditioned house on a pillow-top mattress for the past two nights. And I know that Brandon, although he had to go back to work, is glad to be back in the comfort of his reality. But we miss India already – the sights, the sounds, even the smells. Our bodies will eventually get whatever this is out of their systems (and the sooner, the better), but our hearts will hold onto India forever.
It’s kind of saddening to know that, after all of the planning and preparation, the trip has come and gone. But the good news is, it will live in our memories forever.
Brandon and I have now been married for over a year. This blog is drawing to its end, as I realize that I am several days past the point of documenting just my first year of marriage. But what better time to close than now? We have just punctuated the last moments of our first year of marriage with a multitude of exclamation points And, as we come back to a reality that is perhaps not so exhilarating, I am slightly dismayed that all of the excitement and joy of this year – beginning with our beautiful wedding and ending with our incredible trip – is over. But as we begin our second year of marriage, I delight in the fact that, surely, in the many years that Brandon and I still have to spend together, there is so much to look forward to. So many exclamation points to come!
I don’t know what they will be or where or when they will happen, and I certainly don’t want to rush them. Time must take its course, for better (being in India) or worse (being sick on the couch after returning from India).
Brandon and I are no longer newlyweds, but, as our days together pass into years, we are ever more in love. Our first year of marriage was an incredible one, and I have no reason to believe that the second, third, tenth, twentieth, and fiftieth will be any different.
Thank you for joining us on this small portion of our journey. And now we must continue down our path, walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand, writing our love story moment-by-moment.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Day 371: Days 20, 21, & 22 of Our Indian Adventure
Our adventure in India is very near over. We are sitting here now, in Mumbai’s airport (more on that later), waiting to check in with Lufthansa and anticipating our return home. It was hard to say goodbye, but now that we are on our way, we are looking forward to returning to our real lives. But before we do so, a few notes on our last few days in India.
Sunday night, after our exhausting but oh-so-fun afternoon with the kids in the dalit village, we went to Achen’s for a sort of goodbye dinner. We ate an amazing meal (as is always the case at Achen’s), after which we just talked and shared and laughed together.
Brandon had brought over his new tablas, and Binu, Achen’s son, who has a small amount of experience playing these drums, tried to teach Brandon the basics. Once Brandon had it down, Binu got out his guitar, and we all played music and sang late into the night.
As we were saying a difficult goodbye, Achen expressed that he and Kochamma felt blessed that they have not only been able to reunite with a daughter but have also now met and grown to love a new son. It meant the world to me to hear that, even after all of the time that has passed and all of the volunteers that have come and gone since it was my turn, Achen and Kochamma think of me – and now us – in that loving way. They were my family for that one year, and they will be a part of my family forever.
On Monday, we had a few loose ends to tie up. In the morning we headed into town on the bus to find a restaurant serving masala dosa. This was always my absolute favorite meal during my stay here five years ago, and, although you can sometimes get it at any hour of the day, it is a breakfast specialty. I’d been talking about it since the moment we arrived in Delhi, but, as it is really a South Indian dish, I’d waited to give Brandon the chance to try it. He liked it but not nearly as much as I do. Still, I think he wouldn’t mind if I were ever able to figure out how to make it at home!
Full and happy (as usual in Kerala), we stopped by some bakeries for take-home snacks like banana chips (no one makes them like the Indians) and Tiger Cookies (you can’t get them at home)! We packed our bags – one full of mostly dirty clothes and one full of our souvenirs and, of course, all those snacks. I hope we don’t get stopped at Customs in Miami!
We also took a drive to Cherai Beach. About a 30-minute taxi ride away, this wasn’t a place I ever visited often, but I probably went four or five times during my year here. It is a quiet beach, with just a few hotels and snack stands that mostly cater to Indians out for the day or taking a weekend away. I just wanted Brandon to see it because it’s a place where I have some special memories, like watching children flying kites with their dads on lazy afternoons; joining with locals on Christmas Eve to honor the one-year anniversary of the 2004 tsunami, which, luckily, did not strike this area directly but certainly did have an indirect, but profound, impact; and watching the sun set beneath the horizon the night before my parents had to go home.
So Brandon and I just walked and watched the waves of the Arabian Sea as they hit the shore.
Later that evening, we went over to Varghese John and Jyothi’s house for one more goodbye dinner. Varghese John was the principal of the college while I was volunteering there; he oversaw the projects I did and helped me adjust to become involved in the college life as much as he could. His wife, Jyothi, was a chemistry professor at the college back then and is now head of the chemistry department there. She and I had always taken to each other, and she used to look out for me the same way a mother would look out for her own child. I was always a welcomed guest in their home, and now I would get the chance to go back there with Brandon.
They made a wonderful dinner for us. We’ve had nothing but good meals here, but I can’t say enough times that the best meals are made in Indian homes. But more than the food, Brandon and I once again enjoyed the wonderful company of our Indian family.
As the night drew closer and closer to its end, we wished for time to move more and more slowly. But the time did come for us to part, and we did, with hopes of returning again someday.
Yesterday morning, we counted out the last of our rupees to pay for our room at Chacko Homes, then headed to the airport in Kochi. We had a flight at 11 that got us into Mumbai around one in the afternoon. Tuesday has only just turned into Wednesday, so, if you do the math, you’ll see that we’ve already been in Mumbai’s airport for 11 hours. We spent the first few hours in a little restaurant (apparently the airport’s only one), eating periodically but mostly playing cards. We then spent the next few hours sitting on the sidewalk outside the international terminal, not wanting to go in because we were warned that there is no water or food inside at all. Now that we are in, we see that this is true. Outside, there wasn’t much, but at least we had some snack stands. But the need for a chair finally outweighed the need to be near food and water, so here we are, waiting for Lufthasa’s desk to open so we can check in. It should be happening any time now. We have a three a.m. flight, so we are down to just three hours out of the 14 we will have spent here. Brandon has come down with a cold and is sleeping soundly in a hard, plastic chair, waking up with a miserable look in his eyes every time someone bumps him into consciousness. It’s hard to think that, after 14 hours in this airport from hell, we still have some 20 hours to fly.
But we will get there, and then I know we will miss all of the things that, at midnight on Day 22 of our Indian adventure, are driving us insane – the noise, the smells, the way they try to fit 20 people in a space meant for 10. At this moment, our cultural tolerance is wearing thin, and we just want to be home. But I bet our bags won’t even be unpacked before we wish we were back in India.
The Lufthansa desk is open, and Brandon is awake. Time to fly home...
Sunday night, after our exhausting but oh-so-fun afternoon with the kids in the dalit village, we went to Achen’s for a sort of goodbye dinner. We ate an amazing meal (as is always the case at Achen’s), after which we just talked and shared and laughed together.
Brandon had brought over his new tablas, and Binu, Achen’s son, who has a small amount of experience playing these drums, tried to teach Brandon the basics. Once Brandon had it down, Binu got out his guitar, and we all played music and sang late into the night.
As we were saying a difficult goodbye, Achen expressed that he and Kochamma felt blessed that they have not only been able to reunite with a daughter but have also now met and grown to love a new son. It meant the world to me to hear that, even after all of the time that has passed and all of the volunteers that have come and gone since it was my turn, Achen and Kochamma think of me – and now us – in that loving way. They were my family for that one year, and they will be a part of my family forever.
On Monday, we had a few loose ends to tie up. In the morning we headed into town on the bus to find a restaurant serving masala dosa. This was always my absolute favorite meal during my stay here five years ago, and, although you can sometimes get it at any hour of the day, it is a breakfast specialty. I’d been talking about it since the moment we arrived in Delhi, but, as it is really a South Indian dish, I’d waited to give Brandon the chance to try it. He liked it but not nearly as much as I do. Still, I think he wouldn’t mind if I were ever able to figure out how to make it at home!
Full and happy (as usual in Kerala), we stopped by some bakeries for take-home snacks like banana chips (no one makes them like the Indians) and Tiger Cookies (you can’t get them at home)! We packed our bags – one full of mostly dirty clothes and one full of our souvenirs and, of course, all those snacks. I hope we don’t get stopped at Customs in Miami!
We also took a drive to Cherai Beach. About a 30-minute taxi ride away, this wasn’t a place I ever visited often, but I probably went four or five times during my year here. It is a quiet beach, with just a few hotels and snack stands that mostly cater to Indians out for the day or taking a weekend away. I just wanted Brandon to see it because it’s a place where I have some special memories, like watching children flying kites with their dads on lazy afternoons; joining with locals on Christmas Eve to honor the one-year anniversary of the 2004 tsunami, which, luckily, did not strike this area directly but certainly did have an indirect, but profound, impact; and watching the sun set beneath the horizon the night before my parents had to go home.
So Brandon and I just walked and watched the waves of the Arabian Sea as they hit the shore.
Later that evening, we went over to Varghese John and Jyothi’s house for one more goodbye dinner. Varghese John was the principal of the college while I was volunteering there; he oversaw the projects I did and helped me adjust to become involved in the college life as much as he could. His wife, Jyothi, was a chemistry professor at the college back then and is now head of the chemistry department there. She and I had always taken to each other, and she used to look out for me the same way a mother would look out for her own child. I was always a welcomed guest in their home, and now I would get the chance to go back there with Brandon.
They made a wonderful dinner for us. We’ve had nothing but good meals here, but I can’t say enough times that the best meals are made in Indian homes. But more than the food, Brandon and I once again enjoyed the wonderful company of our Indian family.
As the night drew closer and closer to its end, we wished for time to move more and more slowly. But the time did come for us to part, and we did, with hopes of returning again someday.
Yesterday morning, we counted out the last of our rupees to pay for our room at Chacko Homes, then headed to the airport in Kochi. We had a flight at 11 that got us into Mumbai around one in the afternoon. Tuesday has only just turned into Wednesday, so, if you do the math, you’ll see that we’ve already been in Mumbai’s airport for 11 hours. We spent the first few hours in a little restaurant (apparently the airport’s only one), eating periodically but mostly playing cards. We then spent the next few hours sitting on the sidewalk outside the international terminal, not wanting to go in because we were warned that there is no water or food inside at all. Now that we are in, we see that this is true. Outside, there wasn’t much, but at least we had some snack stands. But the need for a chair finally outweighed the need to be near food and water, so here we are, waiting for Lufthasa’s desk to open so we can check in. It should be happening any time now. We have a three a.m. flight, so we are down to just three hours out of the 14 we will have spent here. Brandon has come down with a cold and is sleeping soundly in a hard, plastic chair, waking up with a miserable look in his eyes every time someone bumps him into consciousness. It’s hard to think that, after 14 hours in this airport from hell, we still have some 20 hours to fly.
But we will get there, and then I know we will miss all of the things that, at midnight on Day 22 of our Indian adventure, are driving us insane – the noise, the smells, the way they try to fit 20 people in a space meant for 10. At this moment, our cultural tolerance is wearing thin, and we just want to be home. But I bet our bags won’t even be unpacked before we wish we were back in India.
The Lufthansa desk is open, and Brandon is awake. Time to fly home...
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Day 368: Day 19 of Our Indian Adventure
We are now counting down the few short days until our adventure here is over. We do this not in any kind of joyful way, although we are exhausted and definitely in need of our pillow-top mattress. Oh, we are spoiled, aren’t we?
That thought, however, brings me right into the next part of our story. When I was living here five years ago, I made some connections with a dalit community very close to the college and Chacko Homes. In case you are not familiar, the term dalit literally means untouchable. It was based on the Hindu caste system, and, although the designation of such a community of people and the discrimination against them have technically been outlawed in India, there are dalit communities all over the country.
These people live in extreme poverty. As you walk through this neighborhood, you see one-room homes with dirt floors, shared by several generations of a family. Children play with sticks that they pick up from the ground, and they run around without shoes on their feet. Women work hard at washing and cooking, while their men go to hard-labor jobs, if they have one at all. It is abundantly clear that they live with so much less than we do; and yet, if you enter one of these homes, there is barely a moment to say hello before someone is pouring you tea and asking you if you want a snack. You can hardly bear to take anything from the minimal provisions they have; but they won’t let you say no.
Five years ago, I found a place here in this dalit community, going there in the afternoons to tutor the children in English and creating a two-week summer program for them in conjunction with the YWCA, which operates close to their community. I made friends with the mothers as I played with their children and held their bare-bottomed babies. And, since my return to the USA, this has been the part of India that I have missed the most. Isn’t that an incredible thing to say? Of course, I miss traveling and seeing sights, I miss the lazy afternoons of card games and reading in the Chacko Homes courtyard, and I miss my friends at the college and around the community. But I miss the time I spent in the dalit village the most, perhaps because it’s where I felt my presence was the most meaningful, or perhaps because seeing how happy these people were with the small amount they had impacted me so deeply.
Whatever the reason, going back to visit the people in the dalit community was an absolute must on our itinerary. As our plans came together, we decided to fill a suitcase with toys and games to share with them. We brought coloring books and crayons, jump ropes, Frisbees, bubbles, plastic recorders, and kaleidoscopes, and today we took this suitcase full of stuff to the community and gave it to the kids. They were thrilled, and so were we. So much so, in fact, that we ended up hanging out with them, throwing Frisbees around and blowing bubbles, for almost three hours. Brandon, who often claims he isn’t that into kids, didn’t want to leave. And those kids did not want him to. They were jumping on him hanging on him and, in our game of Red Rover, the only real goal for each of the teams was to get him on their own side! It was the cutest thing to hear them say, “Red lober, red lober, Brandon come!” (They never did quite get the rhyme down!!!)
We now have just two nights left in India, and it is starting to hurt a little bit. This is especially true after having spent this special afternoon with the children of the dalit community, most of whom remembered me from five years ago and were absolutely thrilled to see that the white girl was back! I’ll never, ever forget the joyful looks on their faces, as we opened the suitcase and passed out their new toys. I’ll never, ever forget the wonder with which I watched Brandon throwing Frisbees and twirling kids around and finally saying, “Do we really have to leave?”
I feel the same way – do we really have to leave? But we had to leave the dalit village, as we have another commitment tonight; and soon we have to leave India for our real lives 8000 miles away. I am certainly ready for my pillow-top mattress, but, despite the ache in my back, I can’t imagine how I’m ever going to force myself onto that plane that will take me away. I’m just so happy today. I’ve always been so happy here.
That thought, however, brings me right into the next part of our story. When I was living here five years ago, I made some connections with a dalit community very close to the college and Chacko Homes. In case you are not familiar, the term dalit literally means untouchable. It was based on the Hindu caste system, and, although the designation of such a community of people and the discrimination against them have technically been outlawed in India, there are dalit communities all over the country.
These people live in extreme poverty. As you walk through this neighborhood, you see one-room homes with dirt floors, shared by several generations of a family. Children play with sticks that they pick up from the ground, and they run around without shoes on their feet. Women work hard at washing and cooking, while their men go to hard-labor jobs, if they have one at all. It is abundantly clear that they live with so much less than we do; and yet, if you enter one of these homes, there is barely a moment to say hello before someone is pouring you tea and asking you if you want a snack. You can hardly bear to take anything from the minimal provisions they have; but they won’t let you say no.
Five years ago, I found a place here in this dalit community, going there in the afternoons to tutor the children in English and creating a two-week summer program for them in conjunction with the YWCA, which operates close to their community. I made friends with the mothers as I played with their children and held their bare-bottomed babies. And, since my return to the USA, this has been the part of India that I have missed the most. Isn’t that an incredible thing to say? Of course, I miss traveling and seeing sights, I miss the lazy afternoons of card games and reading in the Chacko Homes courtyard, and I miss my friends at the college and around the community. But I miss the time I spent in the dalit village the most, perhaps because it’s where I felt my presence was the most meaningful, or perhaps because seeing how happy these people were with the small amount they had impacted me so deeply.
Whatever the reason, going back to visit the people in the dalit community was an absolute must on our itinerary. As our plans came together, we decided to fill a suitcase with toys and games to share with them. We brought coloring books and crayons, jump ropes, Frisbees, bubbles, plastic recorders, and kaleidoscopes, and today we took this suitcase full of stuff to the community and gave it to the kids. They were thrilled, and so were we. So much so, in fact, that we ended up hanging out with them, throwing Frisbees around and blowing bubbles, for almost three hours. Brandon, who often claims he isn’t that into kids, didn’t want to leave. And those kids did not want him to. They were jumping on him hanging on him and, in our game of Red Rover, the only real goal for each of the teams was to get him on their own side! It was the cutest thing to hear them say, “Red lober, red lober, Brandon come!” (They never did quite get the rhyme down!!!)
We now have just two nights left in India, and it is starting to hurt a little bit. This is especially true after having spent this special afternoon with the children of the dalit community, most of whom remembered me from five years ago and were absolutely thrilled to see that the white girl was back! I’ll never, ever forget the joyful looks on their faces, as we opened the suitcase and passed out their new toys. I’ll never, ever forget the wonder with which I watched Brandon throwing Frisbees and twirling kids around and finally saying, “Do we really have to leave?”
I feel the same way – do we really have to leave? But we had to leave the dalit village, as we have another commitment tonight; and soon we have to leave India for our real lives 8000 miles away. I am certainly ready for my pillow-top mattress, but, despite the ache in my back, I can’t imagine how I’m ever going to force myself onto that plane that will take me away. I’m just so happy today. I’ve always been so happy here.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Day 367: Days 17 & 18 of Our Indian Adventure
Yesterday morning, we got up early and, after one more delicious and filling meal, we left Kirthy's house for the bus station. We were headed to Kumarakom, where we would rent a houseboat and celebrate our first anniversary in style.
What's that? Oh yes...it is our anniversary. Did you not notice the date???
We got to Kumarakom around noon and boarded our houseboat almost right away. I'd been on one of these houseboats before, when my parents visited me the year I stayed here. And I'd learned that, relative to many Indian accommodations, these houseboats are downright luxurious. You get toilet paper and air conditioning, for one thing. But you also get incredible meals, a truly comfortable bed, and one amazing ride. As far as anniversaries go, I don't know how Brandon and I will ever top this, our first.
We boarded the houseboat and were immediately given coconuts to drink. They say that the purest water on earth comes from inside a coconut. And, although neither of us really likes this "purest water," we took it and made the best of it. Plus, it always makes for cute pictures, standing there holding a coconut!
Once we were settled, we spent the entire afternoon cruising Kerala's backwaters. There really is nothing like it. All around you is water and palm trees. For miles and miles and miles, there is simply nothing else. You might see children playing on the banks, their mothers washing clothes at the edge of the water, or their fathers fishing. But everything is calm and serene, and it all exists as if it were the only place on Earth. Technology is nonexistent; the hurry and bustle of the crowded cities is far, far away; there is just you, your boat crew, and the nature that surrounds you as you slowly cruise down the waterways. And it is absolutely wonderful.
For the entire afternoon, we just let the world go by. They served us fried fish (a Kerala specialty) for lunch and tiger prawns for dinner. We’ve eaten pretty well on this trip, but there have not been any meals like these!!! Plus, you can’t beat the view from this floating restaurant.
We went to bed full and happy, our India trip nearing its end, a full year of marriage behind us, but a lifetime of happiness to look forward to.
As well as we’d slept, it was hard to wake up and get off the boat this morning. But we had another big day ahead of us. We caught a bus from Kumarakom to Kochi, Kerala’s biggest city. Kochi is a place I used to spend a lot of time. It was only about a 45-minute bus ride from Aluva, and I used to go there to shop or just walk around when I felt like getting away. It’s a fantastic place because one part of the city is all tourist sites and quaint shops with old-world charm, where you can buy beautiful souvenirs for next-to-nothing; then, not too far away (a short boat ride and a moderate walk), is a downtown that could be anywhere in the world – big hotels, big stores, big restaurant chains (Pizza Hut, for one).
Brandon and I did all of it today. We started in the old part of town, where we saw a few sites and did some last-minute souvenir shopping. Then we rode the boat to the new part of town, where we walked through the mall, found my favorite bakery (yes, another one), and ended up in a fancy restaurant in a big hotel on the main drag of the downtown. We ate our most expensive meal of our trip there – a fabulous shared entrée of fish curry served over basmati rice and, of course, several beers, all for about 12 dollars. That’s expensive in rupees, but we figured we were still celebrating.
We made it back to Chacko Homes just before they shut the gate for the night, and we are exhausted. Two more thrilling days in India are now a part of our memories forever.
What's that? Oh yes...it is our anniversary. Did you not notice the date???
We got to Kumarakom around noon and boarded our houseboat almost right away. I'd been on one of these houseboats before, when my parents visited me the year I stayed here. And I'd learned that, relative to many Indian accommodations, these houseboats are downright luxurious. You get toilet paper and air conditioning, for one thing. But you also get incredible meals, a truly comfortable bed, and one amazing ride. As far as anniversaries go, I don't know how Brandon and I will ever top this, our first.
We boarded the houseboat and were immediately given coconuts to drink. They say that the purest water on earth comes from inside a coconut. And, although neither of us really likes this "purest water," we took it and made the best of it. Plus, it always makes for cute pictures, standing there holding a coconut!
Once we were settled, we spent the entire afternoon cruising Kerala's backwaters. There really is nothing like it. All around you is water and palm trees. For miles and miles and miles, there is simply nothing else. You might see children playing on the banks, their mothers washing clothes at the edge of the water, or their fathers fishing. But everything is calm and serene, and it all exists as if it were the only place on Earth. Technology is nonexistent; the hurry and bustle of the crowded cities is far, far away; there is just you, your boat crew, and the nature that surrounds you as you slowly cruise down the waterways. And it is absolutely wonderful.
For the entire afternoon, we just let the world go by. They served us fried fish (a Kerala specialty) for lunch and tiger prawns for dinner. We’ve eaten pretty well on this trip, but there have not been any meals like these!!! Plus, you can’t beat the view from this floating restaurant.
We went to bed full and happy, our India trip nearing its end, a full year of marriage behind us, but a lifetime of happiness to look forward to.
As well as we’d slept, it was hard to wake up and get off the boat this morning. But we had another big day ahead of us. We caught a bus from Kumarakom to Kochi, Kerala’s biggest city. Kochi is a place I used to spend a lot of time. It was only about a 45-minute bus ride from Aluva, and I used to go there to shop or just walk around when I felt like getting away. It’s a fantastic place because one part of the city is all tourist sites and quaint shops with old-world charm, where you can buy beautiful souvenirs for next-to-nothing; then, not too far away (a short boat ride and a moderate walk), is a downtown that could be anywhere in the world – big hotels, big stores, big restaurant chains (Pizza Hut, for one).
Brandon and I did all of it today. We started in the old part of town, where we saw a few sites and did some last-minute souvenir shopping. Then we rode the boat to the new part of town, where we walked through the mall, found my favorite bakery (yes, another one), and ended up in a fancy restaurant in a big hotel on the main drag of the downtown. We ate our most expensive meal of our trip there – a fabulous shared entrée of fish curry served over basmati rice and, of course, several beers, all for about 12 dollars. That’s expensive in rupees, but we figured we were still celebrating.
We made it back to Chacko Homes just before they shut the gate for the night, and we are exhausted. Two more thrilling days in India are now a part of our memories forever.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Day 365: Day 16 of Our Indian Adventure
This morning, we took an early train from Aluva to Kottayam. It was a mere two-hour ride, which is nothing compared to some of the journeys we've been on this trip. And we even splurged for the air-conditioned car. The heat, exhaustion, and overall culture shock must be getting to us!
Anyway, just before noon we arrived in Kottayam, a relatively small city that is home to my very best Indian friend, Kirthy. I met Kirthy at the college. She was in her second year and studying psychology the year I was there to volunteer. It took me almost four months to make a friend whom I trusted enough to be absolutely, completely myself around. But Kirthy is just one of those people - warm and inviting, always ready to share, and always trying to make you laugh.
I still speak to Kirthy (Keer'-tee) frequently. When I get on the computer in the morning before work, Kirthy is often signed in, taking a break from her studies around supper time to check in with the rest of the world. When Brandon and I were planning this trip, it was an absolute must that we see her. Brandon has heard so much about her and has even chatted with her online himself. I'll never forget the time Kirthy started a chat with Brandon, who was signed in under my name. I had already gone to bed, but they ended up talking for quite a while. In the morning, Brandon said, "Guess what! I chatted with 'Kur-thee' last night!" Who??? I still laugh out loud at that.
Anyway, since then, Brandon has learned how to pronounce her name, and we have been so looking forward to getting together with her. Today is a day I have honestly been looking forward to for five whole years. This is a dear friend, who made my year in India so much more than it would have been had she not been a part of it. And back in the USA, I miss her like crazy.
We didn't do anything special today, and we didn't need to. Kirthy showed us around Kottayam and took us for an "American" lunch of fried chicken, pizza, and French fries. Then we walked and shopped and talked and laughed. And just when I thought the day couldn't get a whole lot better, Kirthy's mom came out of the kitchen with the best butter chicken in all of India. Actually, make that in all the world! We ate like we hadn't seen food in two and a half weeks!
And, although we still haven't gotten used to the firm mattresses they sleep on here in India, I have no doubt that we will sleep well tonight, here in the home of our very good friend Kirthy and her lovely family.
Anyway, just before noon we arrived in Kottayam, a relatively small city that is home to my very best Indian friend, Kirthy. I met Kirthy at the college. She was in her second year and studying psychology the year I was there to volunteer. It took me almost four months to make a friend whom I trusted enough to be absolutely, completely myself around. But Kirthy is just one of those people - warm and inviting, always ready to share, and always trying to make you laugh.
I still speak to Kirthy (Keer'-tee) frequently. When I get on the computer in the morning before work, Kirthy is often signed in, taking a break from her studies around supper time to check in with the rest of the world. When Brandon and I were planning this trip, it was an absolute must that we see her. Brandon has heard so much about her and has even chatted with her online himself. I'll never forget the time Kirthy started a chat with Brandon, who was signed in under my name. I had already gone to bed, but they ended up talking for quite a while. In the morning, Brandon said, "Guess what! I chatted with 'Kur-thee' last night!" Who??? I still laugh out loud at that.
Anyway, since then, Brandon has learned how to pronounce her name, and we have been so looking forward to getting together with her. Today is a day I have honestly been looking forward to for five whole years. This is a dear friend, who made my year in India so much more than it would have been had she not been a part of it. And back in the USA, I miss her like crazy.
We didn't do anything special today, and we didn't need to. Kirthy showed us around Kottayam and took us for an "American" lunch of fried chicken, pizza, and French fries. Then we walked and shopped and talked and laughed. And just when I thought the day couldn't get a whole lot better, Kirthy's mom came out of the kitchen with the best butter chicken in all of India. Actually, make that in all the world! We ate like we hadn't seen food in two and a half weeks!
And, although we still haven't gotten used to the firm mattresses they sleep on here in India, I have no doubt that we will sleep well tonight, here in the home of our very good friend Kirthy and her lovely family.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Day 364: Days 14 & 15 of Our Indian Adventure
Last night, we arrived in Kerala. It was a long day of traveling. Although Goa is only a two- or three-hour plane ride from the airport in Cochin (Kerala’s biggest city), we had to layover in Bangalore. So our three-hour journey took us most of the day. By the time we arrived in Cochin, we were just exhausted. But we were reenergized when we saw Thomas John (or, as we lovingly know him, Achen) waiting for us with open arms. I ran right up to him and gave him a giant hug - the hug of two very close friends who haven't seen each other in years. Brandon was surprised when Achen embraced him after he'd let me go, but I wasn’t at all. Not only is that just the Indian thing to do, but Achen must feel he’s known Brandon almost as long as he’s known me. No, Brandon wasn’t physically here with me, but he was certainly a part of my year in India.
Speaking of which, I am now home. Aluva, which is about 20 minutes from the airport in Cochin and a relatively small city in Kerala, is where I stayed when I was here five years ago. It is where I have friends and where I know my way around. It is where most of my memories are and where I am capable of noticing the changes that have occurred since I made those memories. Back then, when we were feeling a little bit fancy, we used to eat at a restaurant called Taal, and I was looking forward to taking Brandon there. I noticed today that this restaurant is now called BreadWorld, and it appears to be a combination bakery and restaurant. I’ll still take him there, but it won’t be quite the same.
Some things haven’t changed much at all, though. My favorite bakery was called Royal. I used to get cakes, candies, and other snacks there. (Life in India was so much about the little joys!) Royal Bakery is where I ordered my birthday cake, which I shared with the children in the dalit community. Even though I gave them the correct spelling of my name, the cake said, “Happy Birthday, Shallot.” I still smile when I think of that. Royal Bakery is also a place where Jenika, a volunteer who lived on the other side of Aluva, and I used to meet each other often for lunch or coffee or ice cream. I must have visited Royal Bakery several times a week while I was living in Aluva. I remember taking my parents there for Royal’s version of pizza when they visited. And I took Brandon there for lunch today. They still had the pizza. He liked it but thought it was on the spicy side! I love it, mainly because it was just like I remembered!
On our way out of the bakery, my hands loaded down with Tiger cookies (Brandon just HAD to try those later), I saw recognition in the eyes of one of the workers. I certainly recognized him, although I never did know him by name; but when I smiled and said hello, I was shocked to learn that he actually remembered me. “It has been long time,” he said. Brandon got a real kick out of that. Five years later, I’m still remembered as a “regular” at this bakery! I guess I earned it!
So, full and happy, we went onto our next activity – a trip to the elephant preserve. Nearly six years ago (at the very beginning of my first trip), Achen had taken our group of six volunteers there. We’d ridden the elephant in groups of three that day. Six months later, when my parents visited, they rode the elephant together while I took their picture. Today, I wanted Brandon to ride the elephant too. I’d warned him to wear pants because elephants are not nearly as smooth as they look in pictures; in fact, their hair is long and coarse.
Brandon followed my advice, but it wouldn’t have mattered. The elephant was being given a day off from rides today. When the ticket-taker told me this in his very broken English, I just couldn’t believe it. I was sure I'd misheard him, but I absolutely hadn't. In our hallway at home, we have a picture of me on that elephant nearly six years ago. I’d been planning for years to put a similar one of Brandon up right beneath mine, but now it will never be. To say I was disappointed is a gross understatement. Brandon was, of course, disappointed too. He’d said no to the camel ride in Pushkar in anticipation of his elephant ride in Kerala. And where else in the world is he going to get to do this?
We also spent 600 rupees to get there, and there is simply no time for us to come back later in the week. The whole thing seemed like a big waste of time and money, but we made the best of our time there – taking pictures of a baby elephant, posing with a bigger one while trying not to slip in his giant piles of poop, and watching as the teenagers followed their mom to a work site, where they would haul big bunches of leaves and grass from one area to another.
After this, we killed some time in the “zoo,” where there were simply too many monkeys for my taste. Brandon liked them, though.
On our way home, we pondered our failure of an afternoon. It sure hadn’t gone according to plan, but as we talked it through, we realized that this was really the first time in this big, crazy adventure, that our plans hadn’t worked out. It was the first time that we'd really been unlucky. So we had to laugh it off, and we had to live with it. What else could we do?
In any event, Brandon did get to see this place that I've talked about hundreds of times. He got to see the baby elephant up close, and he got to witness the bigger elephants earning their keep at the preserve. Plus, he really enjoyed those monkeys!
Tonight, after a just slightly disappointing day, we will spend our second of seven nights in Chacko Homes. Chacko Homes is the retirement community where I lived when I was a volunteer. That year, I had one tiny room with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a chest of drawers. This time, we are staying in a three-bedroom apartment that even has an air conditioner. It's not all that nice, really, but it is a huge step up. And it's costing us about nine dollars a night.
It's not necessarily comfortable, but it is India. And some things will never stop surprising me!
Speaking of which, I am now home. Aluva, which is about 20 minutes from the airport in Cochin and a relatively small city in Kerala, is where I stayed when I was here five years ago. It is where I have friends and where I know my way around. It is where most of my memories are and where I am capable of noticing the changes that have occurred since I made those memories. Back then, when we were feeling a little bit fancy, we used to eat at a restaurant called Taal, and I was looking forward to taking Brandon there. I noticed today that this restaurant is now called BreadWorld, and it appears to be a combination bakery and restaurant. I’ll still take him there, but it won’t be quite the same.
Some things haven’t changed much at all, though. My favorite bakery was called Royal. I used to get cakes, candies, and other snacks there. (Life in India was so much about the little joys!) Royal Bakery is where I ordered my birthday cake, which I shared with the children in the dalit community. Even though I gave them the correct spelling of my name, the cake said, “Happy Birthday, Shallot.” I still smile when I think of that. Royal Bakery is also a place where Jenika, a volunteer who lived on the other side of Aluva, and I used to meet each other often for lunch or coffee or ice cream. I must have visited Royal Bakery several times a week while I was living in Aluva. I remember taking my parents there for Royal’s version of pizza when they visited. And I took Brandon there for lunch today. They still had the pizza. He liked it but thought it was on the spicy side! I love it, mainly because it was just like I remembered!
On our way out of the bakery, my hands loaded down with Tiger cookies (Brandon just HAD to try those later), I saw recognition in the eyes of one of the workers. I certainly recognized him, although I never did know him by name; but when I smiled and said hello, I was shocked to learn that he actually remembered me. “It has been long time,” he said. Brandon got a real kick out of that. Five years later, I’m still remembered as a “regular” at this bakery! I guess I earned it!
So, full and happy, we went onto our next activity – a trip to the elephant preserve. Nearly six years ago (at the very beginning of my first trip), Achen had taken our group of six volunteers there. We’d ridden the elephant in groups of three that day. Six months later, when my parents visited, they rode the elephant together while I took their picture. Today, I wanted Brandon to ride the elephant too. I’d warned him to wear pants because elephants are not nearly as smooth as they look in pictures; in fact, their hair is long and coarse.
Brandon followed my advice, but it wouldn’t have mattered. The elephant was being given a day off from rides today. When the ticket-taker told me this in his very broken English, I just couldn’t believe it. I was sure I'd misheard him, but I absolutely hadn't. In our hallway at home, we have a picture of me on that elephant nearly six years ago. I’d been planning for years to put a similar one of Brandon up right beneath mine, but now it will never be. To say I was disappointed is a gross understatement. Brandon was, of course, disappointed too. He’d said no to the camel ride in Pushkar in anticipation of his elephant ride in Kerala. And where else in the world is he going to get to do this?
We also spent 600 rupees to get there, and there is simply no time for us to come back later in the week. The whole thing seemed like a big waste of time and money, but we made the best of our time there – taking pictures of a baby elephant, posing with a bigger one while trying not to slip in his giant piles of poop, and watching as the teenagers followed their mom to a work site, where they would haul big bunches of leaves and grass from one area to another.
After this, we killed some time in the “zoo,” where there were simply too many monkeys for my taste. Brandon liked them, though.
On our way home, we pondered our failure of an afternoon. It sure hadn’t gone according to plan, but as we talked it through, we realized that this was really the first time in this big, crazy adventure, that our plans hadn’t worked out. It was the first time that we'd really been unlucky. So we had to laugh it off, and we had to live with it. What else could we do?
In any event, Brandon did get to see this place that I've talked about hundreds of times. He got to see the baby elephant up close, and he got to witness the bigger elephants earning their keep at the preserve. Plus, he really enjoyed those monkeys!
Tonight, after a just slightly disappointing day, we will spend our second of seven nights in Chacko Homes. Chacko Homes is the retirement community where I lived when I was a volunteer. That year, I had one tiny room with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a chest of drawers. This time, we are staying in a three-bedroom apartment that even has an air conditioner. It's not all that nice, really, but it is a huge step up. And it's costing us about nine dollars a night.
It's not necessarily comfortable, but it is India. And some things will never stop surprising me!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 362: Days 12 & 13 of Our Indian Adventure
If I knew someone who were just getting over a bad case of Delhi Belly, I would warn them to continue taking it easy for a few days. And I would hope that person wasn't staying at a beautiful resort in Goa, where the food is delicious and the drinks are cheap.
Yes, Brandon and I have been living it up. We woke up Sunday feeling good for the first time since our arrival in the gorgeous state of Goa. And it occurred to us right away that we only had two more days to get a week's worth of fun out of this incredible resort!
So, for two days, we did...
Need I say more?
Yes, Brandon and I have been living it up. We woke up Sunday feeling good for the first time since our arrival in the gorgeous state of Goa. And it occurred to us right away that we only had two more days to get a week's worth of fun out of this incredible resort!
So, for two days, we did...
Need I say more?
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Day 360: Days 10 & 11 of Our Indian Adventure
People sometimes say that things have to get worse before they get better. That has proved most definitely true of this bug that Brandon and I caught. We had both felt quite a bit better on Thursday (the day of the infamous bikini wax), but it was all downhill from there.
Thursday night, we barely slept again. Both of us were up and down all night long. I got into a habit of getting up to run to the bathroom, reading a chapter in my book, then falling back a sleep. A little time would pass, and I would repeat the process. I don't know how many times this happened over the course of the night. Sometime around four, I must have lost count.
So Friday we were exhausted, and we spent most of the day in bed. We watched TV, read our books and magazines, played cards, and napped. We did go down to the restaurant once. We weren't sure if food would help or hurt us, but we had to put something back into our bodies. Thankfully, the resort has an American menu; we hate to be missing the delicious Indian food, but the last things we need in our bodies are curry and chili powder!
Friday was hard because we felt like we were missing our vacation. We never intended to spend it in a hotel room, and, although we need the rest and recovery time, we just don't want to miss anything!
Fortunately, we woke up feeling much better today. Friday was a relatively good night. We were up and down only a couple times, and we both slept pretty well. We got up just in time this morning to catch the breakfast buffet, and when we'd kept that in for a while, we decided we could probably try to venture out.
So we went to the beach, first Calangute, which is just a five-minute walk down the road from our resort.
So you can see that the beaches here are not the same kinds of "resort beaches" that we would see in a Sandals commercial. They are dirty, just full of litter. It's sad to see people doing that to their own world! I just want to take India by its shoulders, shake it, and say, "Why are you ruining your beautiful, spectacular country?" You can't judge a foreign country by your own country's standards, but this is just so disheartening to see. Still, it's a beach, and we did enjoy walking along it.
We also managed to find some corn on the cob...
We didn't stay too long, though. We ended up making our way through the cities down to the better-known and better-kept Baga Beach. Here, we saw a lot more people bathing in the water. People were splashing and swimming, and some were just sitting - all in their regular clothes! We just waded and watched and were happy.
And on our walk back home, we found a Domino's. Perhaps this is what we needed all along - a day at the beach and a pizza!
Thursday night, we barely slept again. Both of us were up and down all night long. I got into a habit of getting up to run to the bathroom, reading a chapter in my book, then falling back a sleep. A little time would pass, and I would repeat the process. I don't know how many times this happened over the course of the night. Sometime around four, I must have lost count.
So Friday we were exhausted, and we spent most of the day in bed. We watched TV, read our books and magazines, played cards, and napped. We did go down to the restaurant once. We weren't sure if food would help or hurt us, but we had to put something back into our bodies. Thankfully, the resort has an American menu; we hate to be missing the delicious Indian food, but the last things we need in our bodies are curry and chili powder!
Friday was hard because we felt like we were missing our vacation. We never intended to spend it in a hotel room, and, although we need the rest and recovery time, we just don't want to miss anything!
Fortunately, we woke up feeling much better today. Friday was a relatively good night. We were up and down only a couple times, and we both slept pretty well. We got up just in time this morning to catch the breakfast buffet, and when we'd kept that in for a while, we decided we could probably try to venture out.
So we went to the beach, first Calangute, which is just a five-minute walk down the road from our resort.
So you can see that the beaches here are not the same kinds of "resort beaches" that we would see in a Sandals commercial. They are dirty, just full of litter. It's sad to see people doing that to their own world! I just want to take India by its shoulders, shake it, and say, "Why are you ruining your beautiful, spectacular country?" You can't judge a foreign country by your own country's standards, but this is just so disheartening to see. Still, it's a beach, and we did enjoy walking along it.
We also managed to find some corn on the cob...
We didn't stay too long, though. We ended up making our way through the cities down to the better-known and better-kept Baga Beach. Here, we saw a lot more people bathing in the water. People were splashing and swimming, and some were just sitting - all in their regular clothes! We just waded and watched and were happy.
And on our walk back home, we found a Domino's. Perhaps this is what we needed all along - a day at the beach and a pizza!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Day 358: Day 9 of Our Indian Adventure
Last night, Brandon and I both barely slept. He wasn't feeling too bad by the time the sun went down, but my little, annoying stomach ache had turned into full-blown, angry cramps. They were so bad at times that I had to moan in pain. Poor Brandon, feeling good or feeling bad, could never have slept through that!
So yes, we were up all night. But finally, we both drifted off to sleep, and we were able to stay in bed until late this morning. I woke up still feeling icky, but in the light of day, the aches in my tummy were certainly subdued.
When I decided I was probably well enough, I also decided it was a perfect day to treat myself to a treatment at the resort spa. So I called and made an appointment for a bikini wax. I'm going to be wearing nothing but a swimming suit for the next week, so I figured I might as well. Plus, the service cost the equivalent of three dollar. Yes, three dollars.
You would think this would have been a warning to me...
I went to the spa around one o'clock and told the man at the desk what I wanted. He called the girl out, and she took me into a relatively clean room, where she told me (with her hands) to lie down on the table. I was pretty sure I had to take my clothes off first, though, so I started to do so. And she went right ahead and helped me.
I don't know if I've mentioned it, but the Indian culture does not incorporate a ton of personal space. It's not that big of a deal, but it can be a little surprising at times. Anyway, after this sweet little Indian lady had helped me out of my underwear, we were all set to go.
Now, let me just say that I do not do this all that often. I have possibly had two or three bikini waxes in my entire life, and two or three times it has hurt like hell! But for some reason, in India, it was worse. Much worse. The good news was, it definitely took my mind off of the Delhi Belly.
After she'd waxed me and ripped me several more times, she indicated that she was done and asked me (in so many words) if it was ok. So, excuse me, please, if I have to get a little graphic now, but I looked down at myself, and, well, no, it absolutely was not ok! First of all, it was uneven - all crooked lines and jagged edges. But that was the least of my worries, because, well, the hair was gone from all the wrong places!
I will spare you any further details. Suffice it to say that this little activity did not go according to plan. The lesson in this, I suppose, is that you get what you pay for. In my instance, I also get a funny story from my trip in India to share.
Oh, and a lot of little red bumps. Don't forget those!
So yes, we were up all night. But finally, we both drifted off to sleep, and we were able to stay in bed until late this morning. I woke up still feeling icky, but in the light of day, the aches in my tummy were certainly subdued.
When I decided I was probably well enough, I also decided it was a perfect day to treat myself to a treatment at the resort spa. So I called and made an appointment for a bikini wax. I'm going to be wearing nothing but a swimming suit for the next week, so I figured I might as well. Plus, the service cost the equivalent of three dollar. Yes, three dollars.
You would think this would have been a warning to me...
I went to the spa around one o'clock and told the man at the desk what I wanted. He called the girl out, and she took me into a relatively clean room, where she told me (with her hands) to lie down on the table. I was pretty sure I had to take my clothes off first, though, so I started to do so. And she went right ahead and helped me.
I don't know if I've mentioned it, but the Indian culture does not incorporate a ton of personal space. It's not that big of a deal, but it can be a little surprising at times. Anyway, after this sweet little Indian lady had helped me out of my underwear, we were all set to go.
Now, let me just say that I do not do this all that often. I have possibly had two or three bikini waxes in my entire life, and two or three times it has hurt like hell! But for some reason, in India, it was worse. Much worse. The good news was, it definitely took my mind off of the Delhi Belly.
After she'd waxed me and ripped me several more times, she indicated that she was done and asked me (in so many words) if it was ok. So, excuse me, please, if I have to get a little graphic now, but I looked down at myself, and, well, no, it absolutely was not ok! First of all, it was uneven - all crooked lines and jagged edges. But that was the least of my worries, because, well, the hair was gone from all the wrong places!
I will spare you any further details. Suffice it to say that this little activity did not go according to plan. The lesson in this, I suppose, is that you get what you pay for. In my instance, I also get a funny story from my trip in India to share.
Oh, and a lot of little red bumps. Don't forget those!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Day 357: Day 8 of Our Indian Adventure
This morning, we left the chaos of North India for the respite and peace of Goa. Known as the country's resort state, Goa draws Indian and foreign tourists alike. And when planning this portion of our trip, the most important thing was the resort itself. Goa does have a rich history, and there are plenty of sights to see. But we have done much more than a week's worth of sight-seeing in the past seven days, and now, we want nothing more from Goa than a comfortable room, a couple calm and sunny days, and perhaps a cocktail or two.
Our resort is everything we could have hoped for. The surroundings are gorgeous, from the landscaping outside the rooms to the infinity-edge pool. The room is spacious, comfortable, and clean! The mini-bar is stocked, the restaurant menu is big, and the room service comes quickly!
After the fast pace of our first week, we are so looking forward to a week of rest. We knew, when planning the trip, that we'd need it by now; and we anticipated that this week would go down as our favorite part of this incredible vacation.
The problem is, Delhi isn't totally behind us. On the hour-long drive from the airport to the resort, my tummy started feeling a little funny. I didn't say anything at first, but then Brandon mentioned that he wasn't feeling too well. And as the afternoon has progressed, both of us have just gotten sicker. It could have been the Kingfisher or the "mutton" from Spl. Chikan or anything else that we've been eating. It's probably a combination of many things - basically that entire crazy week all rolled into one big stomach ache. Anyway, a trip to India just isn't complete without a little case of Delhi Belly. I just hope that's all it is.
I mean, here we are, at this beautiful resort, where the pool, the restaurant, the bar, and - oh, did I mention there was a spa - all await us. But as much as we want to enjoy all of these things to the fullest, the only thing we really can do is enjoy the fact that we have a clean and relatively comfortable bed in our room.
So we'll just have to see how this plays out over the next few days. It could be absolutely nothing, and our trip to Goa will go on as planned. Or it could be something, and then our "amazing trip to Goa" will turn into "that time we were sick in Goa."
But I am trying to think positively, so I will say this: At least we are here, at this nice, clean, accommodating resort, rather than trying to make our way, all alone, on an overnight train to who-knows-where!
Our resort is everything we could have hoped for. The surroundings are gorgeous, from the landscaping outside the rooms to the infinity-edge pool. The room is spacious, comfortable, and clean! The mini-bar is stocked, the restaurant menu is big, and the room service comes quickly!
After the fast pace of our first week, we are so looking forward to a week of rest. We knew, when planning the trip, that we'd need it by now; and we anticipated that this week would go down as our favorite part of this incredible vacation.
The problem is, Delhi isn't totally behind us. On the hour-long drive from the airport to the resort, my tummy started feeling a little funny. I didn't say anything at first, but then Brandon mentioned that he wasn't feeling too well. And as the afternoon has progressed, both of us have just gotten sicker. It could have been the Kingfisher or the "mutton" from Spl. Chikan or anything else that we've been eating. It's probably a combination of many things - basically that entire crazy week all rolled into one big stomach ache. Anyway, a trip to India just isn't complete without a little case of Delhi Belly. I just hope that's all it is.
I mean, here we are, at this beautiful resort, where the pool, the restaurant, the bar, and - oh, did I mention there was a spa - all await us. But as much as we want to enjoy all of these things to the fullest, the only thing we really can do is enjoy the fact that we have a clean and relatively comfortable bed in our room.
So we'll just have to see how this plays out over the next few days. It could be absolutely nothing, and our trip to Goa will go on as planned. Or it could be something, and then our "amazing trip to Goa" will turn into "that time we were sick in Goa."
But I am trying to think positively, so I will say this: At least we are here, at this nice, clean, accommodating resort, rather than trying to make our way, all alone, on an overnight train to who-knows-where!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day 356: Day 7 of Our Indian Adventure
Yesterday was a long one. In New Delhi, Brandon searched for tablas. He found them with the help of a kind Indian gentleman who, just for the fun of it, wanted to lead us around all morning. We didn't mind, and he didn't want anything in return - just to find us the best deal on tablas and show us the most amazing and amazingly cheap hole-in-the-wall lunch spot. That two-dollar meal (total, not each) may have been our best yet.
So Brandon got his tablas, and then it was my turn to search for something. I could remember very clearly shopping in a market when I visited India five years ago. I just couldn't remember where it was or what it was called, and every time we ask for shopping, the rickshaws only take us to the shops that pay them commission. I figured the only way to get to this market I remembered was to walk there (and hope my feet could recall where to go).
Problem was, they didn't. So we just walked and walked and walked and walked. This went on for five miles or so, until I finally gave up. But by then we were so close the the India gate, we had to keep going.
Then, once we were ready to catch a rickshaw back to the hotel, we couldn't find one. (This never happens!) So we just walked some more. Finally, someone picked us up, and wouldn't you know it - he passed right by the market we'd been looking for all afternoon!!!
I wrote down the street names just in time, and I knew we'd be all set in the morning. I let us sleep as late as we could (we had walked an awful many miles), and this time, rested and reassured, we found the market. We spent the whole day there, haggling with street hawkers and only wandering into the actual shops when we needed a blast of cool, conditioned air.
Then, hands full and pockets empty, we made our way back to Hotel Ajanta for our last night in Delhi. But we refused to go out without a bang, so after we'd cleaned up, we went right back out. We were just going to grab a nice, hearty dinner at one of the restaurants we'd passed on our way home, but on the way we came upon Spl. Chikan, a little street cart where they were selling chicken tikka masala kabobs. And who doesn't need an appetizer? Especially one like that!
So we walked to our restaurant, eating our appetizer and wondering what else might be in store for our last night in Delhi. We chose a dirty little joint where we were sure the food was incredible, and we both ordered something spicy! On our way home, we stopped at the liquor counter for a few last beers - not that they won't have any in Goa, but we are celebrating our last night in Delhi! And, since we were celebrating, we decided to stop at Spl. Chikan once again. No, we weren't still hungry; we were just having a good time.
The chicken tikka masala kabobs were all gone, so they gave us mutton sausage instead. And, as luck would have it, we had a leftover chapati from the restaurant, with which we were able to make a "mutton burrito." Kingfisher, mutton burritos, and card games - this all awaits me back in the room. And is there a better way to spend a last night in Delhi? I think not!
So Brandon got his tablas, and then it was my turn to search for something. I could remember very clearly shopping in a market when I visited India five years ago. I just couldn't remember where it was or what it was called, and every time we ask for shopping, the rickshaws only take us to the shops that pay them commission. I figured the only way to get to this market I remembered was to walk there (and hope my feet could recall where to go).
Problem was, they didn't. So we just walked and walked and walked and walked. This went on for five miles or so, until I finally gave up. But by then we were so close the the India gate, we had to keep going.
Then, once we were ready to catch a rickshaw back to the hotel, we couldn't find one. (This never happens!) So we just walked some more. Finally, someone picked us up, and wouldn't you know it - he passed right by the market we'd been looking for all afternoon!!!
I wrote down the street names just in time, and I knew we'd be all set in the morning. I let us sleep as late as we could (we had walked an awful many miles), and this time, rested and reassured, we found the market. We spent the whole day there, haggling with street hawkers and only wandering into the actual shops when we needed a blast of cool, conditioned air.
Then, hands full and pockets empty, we made our way back to Hotel Ajanta for our last night in Delhi. But we refused to go out without a bang, so after we'd cleaned up, we went right back out. We were just going to grab a nice, hearty dinner at one of the restaurants we'd passed on our way home, but on the way we came upon Spl. Chikan, a little street cart where they were selling chicken tikka masala kabobs. And who doesn't need an appetizer? Especially one like that!
So we walked to our restaurant, eating our appetizer and wondering what else might be in store for our last night in Delhi. We chose a dirty little joint where we were sure the food was incredible, and we both ordered something spicy! On our way home, we stopped at the liquor counter for a few last beers - not that they won't have any in Goa, but we are celebrating our last night in Delhi! And, since we were celebrating, we decided to stop at Spl. Chikan once again. No, we weren't still hungry; we were just having a good time.
The chicken tikka masala kabobs were all gone, so they gave us mutton sausage instead. And, as luck would have it, we had a leftover chapati from the restaurant, with which we were able to make a "mutton burrito." Kingfisher, mutton burritos, and card games - this all awaits me back in the room. And is there a better way to spend a last night in Delhi? I think not!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Day 355: Days 5 & 6 of Our Indian Adventure
After a gloriously restful Saturday afternoon and a very good night's sleep, we were once again up with the sun to make our way from Jodhpur to Pushkar, yet another new adventure for me!
We actually took the train to Ajmer. I didn't know much about it, but the rickshaw driver who picked us up assured us it was worth putting off Pushkar for an hour or two to see some of Ajmer's sites. He took us down a busy street, to a place called Dargah Sharif. We couldn't go inside with our backpacks, but it was neat to see from the street. This mosque is the most sacred Islamic shrine in India, and a pilgrimage here is considered second in importance only to a visit to Mecca. There were people everywhere, coming to make this pilgrimage.
We then visited Svarna Nagari Hall, an unassuming building just behind a Jain temple. It's hard to describe, but, as you ascend the steep staircase inside this building, you come upon a sort of fantasy world - a collection of tiny gilded figures that are supposedly celebrating scenes from Jain mythology. It's impossible to make out what any of it means, but it is a sight to behold, regardless.
Finally, our driver took us to a lovely park on a peaceful lake. Remember how we'd become instant celebrities at the Red Fort in Delhi? Well, it happened on a whole new level here. People were running up to us from all over the place, asking if we would take "one photo" with them. We did, of course.
Then we boarded a bus to Pushkar, which is on the other side of a small mountain from Ajmer. We drove up and then down that mountain, and 45 minutes later, we were where we wanted to be.
There isn't a whole lot to Pushkar. It is a pilgrimage site for Hindus, who come to bathe in the holy lake. Other than that, there is a lot of shopping and a few camels roaming around.
But despite this anti-climactic description, Pushkar has, so far, been one of my favorite places. I think it was just nice to spend a day walking around and looking around and just being around, rather than rushing from place to place, praying we had enough time to get everything in. No, yesterday, in Pushkar, we just walked. And we shopped. And we stopped to take pictures of camels and traffic jams. And then we had an incredible dinner.
Later that night, we rode the bus back to the train station. And then we rode the train overnight back into Delhi. We arrived this morning just before six o'clock. Back at the hotel, we had a long shower and a quick nap, and now we are going out to face another day on the streets of this chaotic city. It's New Delhi today; I wonder what new adventures are in store!
We actually took the train to Ajmer. I didn't know much about it, but the rickshaw driver who picked us up assured us it was worth putting off Pushkar for an hour or two to see some of Ajmer's sites. He took us down a busy street, to a place called Dargah Sharif. We couldn't go inside with our backpacks, but it was neat to see from the street. This mosque is the most sacred Islamic shrine in India, and a pilgrimage here is considered second in importance only to a visit to Mecca. There were people everywhere, coming to make this pilgrimage.
We then visited Svarna Nagari Hall, an unassuming building just behind a Jain temple. It's hard to describe, but, as you ascend the steep staircase inside this building, you come upon a sort of fantasy world - a collection of tiny gilded figures that are supposedly celebrating scenes from Jain mythology. It's impossible to make out what any of it means, but it is a sight to behold, regardless.
Finally, our driver took us to a lovely park on a peaceful lake. Remember how we'd become instant celebrities at the Red Fort in Delhi? Well, it happened on a whole new level here. People were running up to us from all over the place, asking if we would take "one photo" with them. We did, of course.
Then we boarded a bus to Pushkar, which is on the other side of a small mountain from Ajmer. We drove up and then down that mountain, and 45 minutes later, we were where we wanted to be.
There isn't a whole lot to Pushkar. It is a pilgrimage site for Hindus, who come to bathe in the holy lake. Other than that, there is a lot of shopping and a few camels roaming around.
But despite this anti-climactic description, Pushkar has, so far, been one of my favorite places. I think it was just nice to spend a day walking around and looking around and just being around, rather than rushing from place to place, praying we had enough time to get everything in. No, yesterday, in Pushkar, we just walked. And we shopped. And we stopped to take pictures of camels and traffic jams. And then we had an incredible dinner.
Later that night, we rode the bus back to the train station. And then we rode the train overnight back into Delhi. We arrived this morning just before six o'clock. Back at the hotel, we had a long shower and a quick nap, and now we are going out to face another day on the streets of this chaotic city. It's New Delhi today; I wonder what new adventures are in store!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Day 353: Days 3 & 4 of Our Indian Adventure
It is a relatively relaxing Saturday afternoon after quite an adventurous Friday! We caught a train out of Agra at 5:10 on Friday morning (don't even ask how early we had to get up to manage that!) and arrived in the city of Jaipur at 9:30.
Jaipur is a city in the state of Rajasthan. You may not have heard of Rajasthan, but you've definitely heard about it. This state is what we Americans often view as the "typical" India. It is the deserts, the camels, and the snake charmers, and the beautiful colors that we see on TV and in movies. It is also home to the three "colorful" cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur (pink, blue, and white, respectively). We saw the pink and the blue city on this journey but will sadly have to miss the white one. Maybe next time...
Friday we were in Jaipur, the largest city in the state of Rajasthan, with a population of nearly four million (although that's nothing compared to Delhi's 13 million or Mumbai's 16 million). The city is not quite pink, but more of a soft, burnt orange, the color of the sandstone used to erect the buildings of the old city.
There are tons of sites there, and we had to move fast in 110-degree heat to hit them all. Our driver for the day, Raj, was so sweet to us, taking us everywhere we wanted to go and throwing some of his favorites in too! We started at a place called City Palace, which is now mostly a museum but also still houses the royal family of Jaipur. They no longer have any power, but they still have an awful lot of money; well, I guess that means they still have power too.
We walked around there for a little while, then headed right across the street to Jantar Mantar. This is a medieval observatory. Built between 1728 and 1734, it is beautifully preserved but looks more like something out of a science-fiction movie than anything truly functional. We learned, though, that some of the instruments are still used today!
Jaipur is a city I've been to before, and Jantar Mantar was one of my favorite sites. It was so cool to share this wonderfully intriguing place with someone I love. It was so neat to watch him looking around with wonder in his eyes, the same way I'm sure I did five years ago. But it was twice as hot there as it was "cool," so on we went.
Our next stop, Gaitor, was Raj's pick. This was not a place I'd heard of before, but Brandon and I were both really glad Raj took us there. It is a walled garden that houses these gorgeous marble structures that have been erected over cremation platforms. The royalty of Jaipur was once cremated right here!
We were the only people visiting the site, and it was wonderful to share a few moments that belonged to just the two of us before we went on to the Amber Fort - most popular stop in Jaipur.
All of these Rajasthani cities used to be small kingdoms, and many of them have impressive forts that were used for protection, as well as housing for the royalty. The Amber Fort will probably go down as the most impressive fort we see on this trip (although the one in Jodhpur - see below - does give it a run for its money). The thing about the Amber Fort, though, is that you truly appreciate it when you get there, because you most likely walked up a mighty steep hill to reach it. Oh, and you did that in 110-degree heat, by the way!
It's also quite an experience because you are free to explore wherever you want to. There are no roped paths to follow or "Do Not Enter" signs to heed. You just go through one doorway and decide which way to turn. Then you do it again, and again, and again. And just when you think you've gotten yourself lost, there's that first door you walked through!
Who knows how long we played in the fort. We were having such a ball! Finally, though, we were just too hot and too tired to go on. Down the steep hill we went, and as we looked for Raj, we also found some orange "ice candy," otherwise known as as popsicle! That's just what we needed!
Raj picked us up and took us on our way. We had one more quick stop before we were going to call it a day. Jal Mahal is not a place you can actually visit, but it's quite the photo op! Built in 1799, it is literally a floating palace. I can't say much else about it except that it makes for a gorgeous picture!
So after that, we paid Raj. We took down his name and number too, in case anyone we know ever plans a trip to Jaipur. Raj will come with our highest recommendation. Except for his last piece of advice to us, which was to go eat dinner and watch the sunset at Nahargarh Fort, "just a little way up the hill."
It was six pm, and our train didn't leave till one in the morning, so we took the advice and went on our way alone.
It turned out that, "just a little way up the hill" was an hour-long walk (and it's still 110 degrees, remember; plus we have our backpacks with us) up a steep, winding incline that ends about 1200 vertical feet later. Several times, we stopped to wonder if a) this restaurant was really going to be up there and b) if it was even worth finding out. But we had nothing else to do, so we just kept walking and sweating. And wouldn't you know it, we made it to the top. We walked quite a ways further, and just as we were about to give up hope of finding this place, we spotted it. And it really was a little restaurant at the top of a mountain. Better yet, it had ice-cold Kingfisher just waiting to be drunk.
So we sat down, we cooled off, and we ordered up some cold beer and hot food. And then we just rested and enjoyed ourselves, up there on that mountain, as we watched the world go by below us. The city of Jaipur goes on forever; you just cannot see the end of it. But just below our seat on our mountain was a clearing in the rocky sand that is Jaipur's landscape. And in that clearing, little boys and their fathers were playing a friendly game of cricket. We watched them for quite some time, and then their mothers called them in for supper.
The night grew dark, and we decided to make our way down the mountain. We'd had several hours to rest and replenish our energy, and now we just had to make it onto our train, where we would spend the night. The problem was, it had been light out when we walked up the mountain, and as we tried to make our descent, we weren't quite sure what direction to go. At one point we turned left and walked for about 20 minutes without seeing any landmarks. It finally occurred to us that we'd turned the wrong way. So we walked 20 minutes back and were finally on the right course. An hour or so later, we were at the train station.
When we boarded the train, a little boy was already asleep in Brandon's middle bunk. He graciously took the top, but he really regretted it. There is no window up there, and the fan does absolutely no good. I don't think he slept a wink, but just lay there sweating and praying for morning. I slept fine; I always kind of liked India's overnight trains, but poor Brandon had not had a good first experience. (Fortunately, we only have to do that one more time!)
This morning we arrived at the station in Jodhpur just after seven. This was a new city for me, and despite the short night, I was incredibly excited. Even though it was really early, we took a rickshaw to our hotel, where they were gracious enough to let us into our room well before check-in time. Thank goodness, though, because we were able to shower, change, and eat a decent breakfast before we went out exploring for one more day.
Jodhpur is a neat place, but there isn't as much to see here as there was in Jaipur. We really only spend the morning exploring the blue city. We went to Mehrangarh Fort, which was not as pretty as the Amber Fort in Jaipur, but was every bit as impressive in size. Much of this fort has also been made into a museum, so we wandered around, taking in everything from a weapon collection to a room full of intricately painted cradles for royal babies to a hall of palanquins - the large "chairs" that the royalty sit in as they ride along on the backs of elephants! What a cool place.
After a bit of shopping, we went to Umaid Bhawan Palace, which the maharaja of Jodhpur still calls home. Much of the palace has been turned into an overpriced hotel, but some of it remains a museum. Honestly, the tour left a bit to be desired, but the palace itself is gorgeous.
Now, we are back at our hotel - a lovely, restful place with beautiful gardens, a pool, and a bar. After our sight-seeing we went in search of samosas and found the largest, most beautiful samosas we have ever seen. We are going to enjoy those, along with some Kingfisher, as we lounge in the pool. We definitely need a rest. We've had two jam-packed days, and we leave for Pushkar bright and early in the morning.
Jaipur is a city in the state of Rajasthan. You may not have heard of Rajasthan, but you've definitely heard about it. This state is what we Americans often view as the "typical" India. It is the deserts, the camels, and the snake charmers, and the beautiful colors that we see on TV and in movies. It is also home to the three "colorful" cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur (pink, blue, and white, respectively). We saw the pink and the blue city on this journey but will sadly have to miss the white one. Maybe next time...
Friday we were in Jaipur, the largest city in the state of Rajasthan, with a population of nearly four million (although that's nothing compared to Delhi's 13 million or Mumbai's 16 million). The city is not quite pink, but more of a soft, burnt orange, the color of the sandstone used to erect the buildings of the old city.
There are tons of sites there, and we had to move fast in 110-degree heat to hit them all. Our driver for the day, Raj, was so sweet to us, taking us everywhere we wanted to go and throwing some of his favorites in too! We started at a place called City Palace, which is now mostly a museum but also still houses the royal family of Jaipur. They no longer have any power, but they still have an awful lot of money; well, I guess that means they still have power too.
We walked around there for a little while, then headed right across the street to Jantar Mantar. This is a medieval observatory. Built between 1728 and 1734, it is beautifully preserved but looks more like something out of a science-fiction movie than anything truly functional. We learned, though, that some of the instruments are still used today!
Jaipur is a city I've been to before, and Jantar Mantar was one of my favorite sites. It was so cool to share this wonderfully intriguing place with someone I love. It was so neat to watch him looking around with wonder in his eyes, the same way I'm sure I did five years ago. But it was twice as hot there as it was "cool," so on we went.
Our next stop, Gaitor, was Raj's pick. This was not a place I'd heard of before, but Brandon and I were both really glad Raj took us there. It is a walled garden that houses these gorgeous marble structures that have been erected over cremation platforms. The royalty of Jaipur was once cremated right here!
We were the only people visiting the site, and it was wonderful to share a few moments that belonged to just the two of us before we went on to the Amber Fort - most popular stop in Jaipur.
All of these Rajasthani cities used to be small kingdoms, and many of them have impressive forts that were used for protection, as well as housing for the royalty. The Amber Fort will probably go down as the most impressive fort we see on this trip (although the one in Jodhpur - see below - does give it a run for its money). The thing about the Amber Fort, though, is that you truly appreciate it when you get there, because you most likely walked up a mighty steep hill to reach it. Oh, and you did that in 110-degree heat, by the way!
It's also quite an experience because you are free to explore wherever you want to. There are no roped paths to follow or "Do Not Enter" signs to heed. You just go through one doorway and decide which way to turn. Then you do it again, and again, and again. And just when you think you've gotten yourself lost, there's that first door you walked through!
Who knows how long we played in the fort. We were having such a ball! Finally, though, we were just too hot and too tired to go on. Down the steep hill we went, and as we looked for Raj, we also found some orange "ice candy," otherwise known as as popsicle! That's just what we needed!
Raj picked us up and took us on our way. We had one more quick stop before we were going to call it a day. Jal Mahal is not a place you can actually visit, but it's quite the photo op! Built in 1799, it is literally a floating palace. I can't say much else about it except that it makes for a gorgeous picture!
So after that, we paid Raj. We took down his name and number too, in case anyone we know ever plans a trip to Jaipur. Raj will come with our highest recommendation. Except for his last piece of advice to us, which was to go eat dinner and watch the sunset at Nahargarh Fort, "just a little way up the hill."
It was six pm, and our train didn't leave till one in the morning, so we took the advice and went on our way alone.
It turned out that, "just a little way up the hill" was an hour-long walk (and it's still 110 degrees, remember; plus we have our backpacks with us) up a steep, winding incline that ends about 1200 vertical feet later. Several times, we stopped to wonder if a) this restaurant was really going to be up there and b) if it was even worth finding out. But we had nothing else to do, so we just kept walking and sweating. And wouldn't you know it, we made it to the top. We walked quite a ways further, and just as we were about to give up hope of finding this place, we spotted it. And it really was a little restaurant at the top of a mountain. Better yet, it had ice-cold Kingfisher just waiting to be drunk.
So we sat down, we cooled off, and we ordered up some cold beer and hot food. And then we just rested and enjoyed ourselves, up there on that mountain, as we watched the world go by below us. The city of Jaipur goes on forever; you just cannot see the end of it. But just below our seat on our mountain was a clearing in the rocky sand that is Jaipur's landscape. And in that clearing, little boys and their fathers were playing a friendly game of cricket. We watched them for quite some time, and then their mothers called them in for supper.
The night grew dark, and we decided to make our way down the mountain. We'd had several hours to rest and replenish our energy, and now we just had to make it onto our train, where we would spend the night. The problem was, it had been light out when we walked up the mountain, and as we tried to make our descent, we weren't quite sure what direction to go. At one point we turned left and walked for about 20 minutes without seeing any landmarks. It finally occurred to us that we'd turned the wrong way. So we walked 20 minutes back and were finally on the right course. An hour or so later, we were at the train station.
When we boarded the train, a little boy was already asleep in Brandon's middle bunk. He graciously took the top, but he really regretted it. There is no window up there, and the fan does absolutely no good. I don't think he slept a wink, but just lay there sweating and praying for morning. I slept fine; I always kind of liked India's overnight trains, but poor Brandon had not had a good first experience. (Fortunately, we only have to do that one more time!)
This morning we arrived at the station in Jodhpur just after seven. This was a new city for me, and despite the short night, I was incredibly excited. Even though it was really early, we took a rickshaw to our hotel, where they were gracious enough to let us into our room well before check-in time. Thank goodness, though, because we were able to shower, change, and eat a decent breakfast before we went out exploring for one more day.
Jodhpur is a neat place, but there isn't as much to see here as there was in Jaipur. We really only spend the morning exploring the blue city. We went to Mehrangarh Fort, which was not as pretty as the Amber Fort in Jaipur, but was every bit as impressive in size. Much of this fort has also been made into a museum, so we wandered around, taking in everything from a weapon collection to a room full of intricately painted cradles for royal babies to a hall of palanquins - the large "chairs" that the royalty sit in as they ride along on the backs of elephants! What a cool place.
After a bit of shopping, we went to Umaid Bhawan Palace, which the maharaja of Jodhpur still calls home. Much of the palace has been turned into an overpriced hotel, but some of it remains a museum. Honestly, the tour left a bit to be desired, but the palace itself is gorgeous.
Now, we are back at our hotel - a lovely, restful place with beautiful gardens, a pool, and a bar. After our sight-seeing we went in search of samosas and found the largest, most beautiful samosas we have ever seen. We are going to enjoy those, along with some Kingfisher, as we lounge in the pool. We definitely need a rest. We've had two jam-packed days, and we leave for Pushkar bright and early in the morning.
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