May 7
10am Delhi time
We got up at 5am this morning and left around 5:15am to go see the sunrise on the Ganges. We took bikes that had a little 2 person carriage on the back of it.
Honestly, it amazes how many people hey can cram into tiny spaces. Sometimes you'll see 6-8 people crammed into a little tuk tuk. I think I've seen 4 people... With small children though... On these bike carriages.
In the road there are small divets that are evenly spaced sometimes. I don't know what they are for. Maybe speed bumps because when we went over what we consider a speed bump it was really uncomfortable in the tuk tuks and bike things. I don't think they are pot holes because they are all the same size and like perfectly spaced out around each other.
We went directly to the river and got on a boat. The boat sat all 12 of us that went and was wooden. It took us all along the coast of the Ganges. So many people are bathing in the river. There were men and women covered in white suds with bars of soap next to them. It's actually kind of nauseating because the water is very nasty. It's not really a brown color but there is trash all along the shore line and the water is not clear anywhere. It is dark and muggy.
People do laundry in the river, go to the bathroom in the river, bathe in the river, swim in the river, pray in the river, and as we found out later, die in the river. I guess it is more like they go to nirvana in the river.
There are a ton of what look like beach umbrellas on the side of the river. They are not as flimsy and I think they have cloth over the top of the wood, if that is what they are made out of. Along the main part of the river there are just stairs leading to the river. There is more of a shore line along the other parts but no one sun bathes. It is not like a beach. Along the shore line areas there were wooden planks set up for doing laundry.
A lot of young boys were doing laundry. They had rolls of sheets or clothes. They would dip the fabric in the water and slap it against the wooden planks and repeat a number of times. Then they would throw the "clean" laundry on the shore on top of a sheet so the laundry wasn't directly laying on the dirt. In other cities we saw people drying sarees directly on the dirt on the side of the river.
The Hindus consider the Ganges to be very holy so most, if not all of the people bathing in the river were Hindu. Z said he hasn't gone in it because he is Muslim.
There are many burning sites along the Ganges as well. If your body is cremated here, the Hindu religion believes you go directly to nirvana because this is one of the four holiest cities for Hindus.
It sounds like it is rather expensive. It costs about 300 or 400 rupees per kilo of burning wood. I don't know how many kilos of wood you need but the body burns for 2 or 3 hours. I think there is also a special kind of wood you buy that masks the smell of the burning flesh. If it is not totally cremated by the 3 hour mark the rest of it is thrown into the river. If it is totally cremated the family throws the bones into the river. They cremate about 200 to 300 bodies a day. I can't even imagine how many bones are at the bottom of that river. We have approximately 206 bones in the body and if 300 people are cremated a day, that is about 61,800 bones a day going into that river.
A man who works there came on the boat/canoe to tell us all the information. Because it is so expensive, for people who don't have families or are poor, there are 3 buildings at the burning sights that allow the homeless to stay. They are provided with food and shelter while they are there and then they are cremated once they die so they too have the chance to go to nirvana.
We saw 2 bodies be carried down. The men bring the body on a stretcher (the body is covered in fabric and flowers- the flowers represent innocence) to the river down a stairway. They dip the body into the river fully and then they uncovered the face, I think, and everyone put some handfuls of water on the deceased persons face. The first group of men actually were posing with the body and taking pictures which was strange. It was also strange because the same group of men saw some Westerners who were taking a tour near the sight and they just left the body laying there and went over to look at and talk with them.
We didn't see any of the bodies being cremated but during our free time Monica and Curtis went for an hour tour there. The spot they cremate the bodies is pretty high up in the buildings. There is an eternal flame (they said it was mostly just hot coals) that has been burning for 3,500 years. That fire is the source of all the flames that are used. Also, the only people who can control the flames are the "untouchables" which is the lowest class system for the Hindu people. I know nothing about the cast system though.
There are also certain bodies that won't be cremated for various reasons. Children are not because they decorate the bodies in flowers which represents innocence and children already represent this. Pregnant women are not cremated because they carry children who are the innocent. Holy men are also not cremated because they gave up their lives to pray to the gods. All of these bodies are floated out on the Ganges and then sink as whole bodies to the bottom of the river. The holy men can then continue praying to the gods for their whole life. Bodies with venom in them from snake bites are also not cremated. They are wrapped in banana leaves and also float along the river. The combination of the banana leaves and the soap from the people bathing in the Ganges is apparently what gets the venom out of the body. It was really difficult to understand the guy and for some reason I thought he said that people with snake bites were sent out down the river and that jungle people took them in and cured them of their bite for a week and then they sank to the bottom of the river. Ha. Lost in translation... Or I'm making things up. Either way it was wrong.
The large burning sight (there were also smaller ones along the river) was stacked full of so many piles of wood. It was crazy. Although with burning so many people a day every day they probably need a ton of wood. I wonder where it all comes from.
I'm also unsure if they put the ashes into urns or not. The big burning site is called Manikarnika.
The landscape of the buildings along the coast line are really beautiful. There is so much life along the coast as well. And it was pretty busy for 5:30am too.
When we were walking back from the boat ride, I had a guy following me trying to sell the same powder stuff as last night. I kept saying no and that I didn't want it. He followed me all the way to the tuk tuks and stuck around until we got in it to leave. The girls who bought theirs yesterday bought them for 100 rupees, Monica got hers for 60 rupees. They started at 200 rupees. He also said he was going to school and "you are beautiful" and the ever so popular "why you break my heart?" He actually dropped down to 50 rupees by the end but I did not want it and I don't have room for it. I actually had forgotten my wallet in the room and I told him that and then when he wouldn't leave me alone I showed him my bag which had my water in it. He kept saying "ask your friends, you borrow money."
Stacey said maybe they follow me because we are close in height haha. Maybe I'm just not rude enough.
We went back to the hotel for breakfast around 8:30am. I wanted to try French toast which I know isn't Indian food but We have had a lot of Indian food. It was okay but it is way better at home. Their bread is kind of strange here. The texture was kind of like eating a soaked sponge.
Yesterday I ate some trail mix on the train but I basically didn't eat for 25 hours or so. Maybe more because I felt so sick after the rooftop cafe in Agra. The diarrhea stopped though which was great considering it was going on day 3 and if it lasts past 3 days it won't go away and is most likely caused by a parasite or something. So that was a relief!
For the boat ride (150 rs) and the tuk tuks there and back (50 rs each way) we paid 250 rupees total which is about $4.50. That is so cheap. It's crazy that they work for so little money, which also just brings us back to their extremely low standard of living. It was strange because they always wanted to wait for us while we did whatever we were doing. They would wait for 3 hours sometimes. It doesn't make sense because they didn't go take other jobs during that time. They just waited.
In Jaipur we "hired" tuk tuks for a certain route and then they would wait for us while we were in there but we paid them 400 rupees total I think for 2 stops.
A random thing I have noticed is the kid toys are made out of balloons. They are kind of like balloon animals but it isn't an animal.
Our food at restaurants also never comes out at the same time. Whether it is 18 of us or 3 of us. This morning we didn't even get our tea until after we had been served and basically eaten our whole meal.
A lot of people say that they have been getting mosquito bites but I haven't noticed any yet. I have heard they are pretty bad in Cambodia though. I don't know if it will still be bad when I get there or not with all the season changes and everything.
Some other random things I have noticed:
1. All cell phones have a song or music ring tone
2. Lines don't exist here. People just push past each other and shove in where ever they can to buy ticket or water or snacks. They shove past you to go places too.
3. The hotel rooms we stayed in were all pretty nice. We had towels in all of them and were provided with rolls of toilet paper and soap and sometimes shampoo. The rolls of toilet paper are probably only one fifth of the size they are at home though and they only give you two. Maybe just one. They also set the AC really low everywhere. Like 18-24 degrees Celsius usually.
4. A few of the places we've been have ha little parties in the street. In one city there was a construction vehicle that had white party lights strung around it. Then there was music blasting and a group of people kind of wiggling and dancing in a group. In Varanasi, there are a lot of festivals an celebrations going on so there was always stuff all over the street. Lights, singing, chanting, strange processionals or parades, wedding cars decorated with flowers (the wedding season just started), and the normal hustle and bustle.
8:37am Delhi time
It's the next day. I decided to leave my journaling for today because we have a lot of travel time.
Yesterday after breakfast I journaled until about 11am when a small group of us went to go to Sarnath, a small city outside of Varanasi, which is where Buddha gave his first sermon. It seems like it is a very small town. We saw a museum that was 5 rupees to enter and had a lot of different Buddhist artifacts. The 4 headed lion is on the corner of the 500 rupee bill actually.
After the museum we went to the park which was 5 rupees for all Indians and 100 rupees for all foreigners. Once we got inside there was a guy there who was bothering us to give a 20 minute tour and Stacey ended up paying him 100 rupees. It was not too great. It also wasn't 20 minutes but he was cute. It was like a guessing game with his English though and he always made sure we understood what he said but it took a whole sometimes and he didn't say a ton haha. Inside was a lot of brick and stone that had been mosques. There were small stupas and large stupas. The huge stupa had been restored on parts of it. The old part had beautiful intricate designs on it. The guide told us that Buddhas bones are inside of the big stupa.
We wanted to go see the Temple that was there but we were told it was close from 11 to 130. Of course no one told us that and we left for the city at 11. We took time to go see a huge Buddha statue and then the driver took us to the temple. It may be Sri Lankan? I don't know. It is supposed to house the original bodi tree. So we saw that and it was a pretty quick visit for everything. We got back to the hotel a bit before 2pm. When we were driving in to the city there were a number of huts that had been made out of sand and were small and had hay or something for the roof. I don't know if people actually lived in them or not.
We stopped at the hotel for a quick snack. I had vegetable kofta or something like that. It was mixed vegetables that were then fried. It was actually pretty good. It was still flavorful and spicy and it was fried, but not covered in grease. It kind of reminded me of small latkes without all the grease ha. It may have even had potato in it.
At 3pm we met in the lobby again to go to see how silk is made. Varanasi is the place where pure silk comes from. It was crazy because I thought we were just going to go see a factory but it is actually this small community that makes all the silk products. There are about 700 workers I think the guy said. It was really loud with all the machines running so it was very difficult to hear what he was saying. I still don't know the process and can't tell it to you, but it was pretty cool to see. The children in the community were also so excited to see white people ha. They kept running around us and after us and waving and saying hello and wanting us to take their pictures. It was kind of weird but it was also cute since they were all small children. Not like the creepy men at the train station.
There were hand looms and power machines that they used. The hand loom was crazy. The guy was using his hands and feet to operate it. He was also weaving things through. I don't know how it was supposed to work. It looked difficult though. His feet were below the level of the floor but still extended down normally to work that part of the machine. They make all their own designs for the things they weave or sew or whatever as well.
After he showed us around the community, we were taken to a show room. The community was a number of small, winding streets with a lot of open doorways that had no doors. There were a lot of people around too. All the parts of the tour were in different rooms in different parts of the community. There would be absolutely no way I would figure out how to make my way around there. (Same with India though. I don't even remember seeing street signs. There were very few traffic lights and no cross walks or stop signs or yield signs or anything. Not even speed limit signs).
The show room was very nice and comfortable. It was cool which is always nice when it is hot as balls outside. We were also offered refreshments of our choice and there were cushioned pillows for us to sit on and lean against. I was not planning on buying silk because I didn't think I liked silk and as I said before, I don't really have the space to buy anything at the moment. They started showing us piece after piece and showing us the different qualities and prices and silks and cashmeres and wools and other things. Everything was so beautiful. And, I was wrong about silk. High quality, pure silk is very soft and nice. I saw a blanket that caught my eye and I didn't think I would buy it but I ended up doing it. It's so beautiful. I had it shipped home as well and because they export silk to most d the world I don't need to pay a ton of taxes for shipping. I figured at home a pure silk blanket would be a lot more expensive. I only paid $220 for it. It is blues and teals and I can't even describe the design to you other than saying it is gorgeous. I could also pay with a card which was nice. The guy walked us back to our hotel and we met up with Z and most everyone else for dinner. He was taking us to this little family owned roof top restaurant. You couldn't really get Indian food, it was Mexican, italian, and Greek but oh man it was so good. It was also a lot cleaner on every level than any of the other restaurants we had eaten it. The man was very nice as well. I had garlic butter pasta with tomato olive and cheese with some garlic bread. It was better than most pasta dishes I have had in the states. It was more expensive than a lot of our other meals but it was still less than $10 (500 rupees).
The drivers we had take us to the restaurant wanted to wait for us again. Z tried to tell them there was no point but they said they wanted to and he didn't argue with them after that I guess. He thought it was stupid though. At dinner we all reflected on our day. It was very relaxing and enjoyable.
I don't remember if I ever answered this or not. I can't ctrl find either so it's hard to find out. Z said religion is not mandatory in India and that you have freedom to choose what you want, but most families would be devastated if you decided against it. He also said during the monsoon in India people still stay outside for the most part and that they love the rain. But he also said that sometimes the first few weeks it rains pretty hard and that is when people try to stay inside.
That was our last full day in India. Today is really just a travel day. I don't know how I feel about leaving India. It definitely is not one of the cleanest places ever, and everyone else on my trip said Southeast Asia is cleaner and Elisabeth said she even thought Africa was more clean. The culture of India is so beautiful and the women in their sarees are still breath taking. I wish I could have seen more of India, maybe the south. Maybe even had more time to experience the culture and cities I did visit. It is definitely a different place to be and I have never been anywhere that compares to it. I don't think the 8 days was enough to really understand India and I think that may be why I am not feeling too enchanted by my time here.
However, Varanasi was by far my favorite city we visited.It's one of the oldest cities in the world. There is so much history but its not just a boring town. It's so lively and colorful and crazy. Even though there are not too many sites or monuments to see, it is just full of people doing things all the time and there is always something to watch. Maybe I like it so much because it seems a lot easier to understand the culture and way of life watching people here than any of the other cities. But I don't know. I definitely do not think 8 days did India any justice for me. I did like it though and I think I would come back again to see more of it.
I didn't get to do any henna so that was disappointing. We ran out of time yesterday because of the silk shopping. We were there for 3 hours as a group I think shopping. We didn't even move! He just rolled things out in front of us. We should shop like that in the US ha.
Off to Nepal!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Varanasi: The City of Life
May 6
11:24am Delhi time
Well, the train left at midnight last night (2 hours late) and we are still not there yet.
I have the top bunk which is kind of annoying but it's also nice because I'm with a family so being on the top puts me out of the way.
I was hoping I wouldn't have to go to the bathroom on the train but it got to the point I couldn't wait.
At this point in time I feel like I brought too many clothes and not enough toilet paper. Most places (public) don't have toilet paper an even at our hotels we end up running out of it. Good news is that shitting into a hole is surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. Bad news is I still have loose stool but whatever.
I had to go through my bag before heading to the bathroom to find my wet wipes because I knew toilet paper would be Jon existent. That assumption was 100% correct.
The sleeper train is actually pretty comfortable. I think I was so scared and felt unsafe last night because we had just been standing with a million men starring at us and being creepy and then I was tucked into a cabin on my own in the dark. I feel a lot better knowing I'm with a family with 2 small children. Maybe a 5 year old and a 1 year old. I just hope I get off when I'm supposed to now!
I also was looking at my itinerary stuff and realized I have a problem on the last day of my elephant conservation project trip. It says we arrive at 6:30pm back to the office in Chiang Mai and to not book onward travel until after 9pm... My flight out of Chiang Mai the travel agent booked for me leaves at 4:30pm and arrives in Bangkok at 5:30pm. Sooo I need to get that fixed
11:44am Delhi time
If men spot from outside the curtain that I'm white ill still see them just stand there and stare. Sometimes they will open the curtain to look. It's strange. The family I was with didn't stare at all. They did however eat a ton of food. They had a snack bag full of chips and other goodies and they kept buying nuts and other things.
Yesterday when we were driving Stacey wondered out loud what they do during the monsoon. Everyone is always outside... Shopping, working, sleeping. It would be interesting to see how it was different.
4:02pm Delhi time
Jeezus. We've been on the train for like 17 hours now. I have no idea when to know to get off either. There are no announcements for the stations... Or at all. Also, since I'm on the top bunk I can't see out the window. For a while I was spying on the other people in my group who were close by (which I didn't realize til morning because it had been so dark and there were curtains over every bed) through the curtain. Michael has bright yellow shoes so I was always making sure those were still there. A few times I didn't see them because he had gone to the bathroom but I could see Martina's jacket on her on the side of the curtain.
Steve, from the US (Missouri) just moved back here because he didn't know when we would get off. He was in B1 or B2 and he said they didn't have curtains and there were 6 beds per cabin, 3 and 3 bunked. He couldn't even sit up straight. We have about an hour left on the train.
Steve also said apparently there is a wait list and the train starts in Delhi so they started assigning the wait list seats since we weren't there so a few people were told they needed to share a bed with people they didn't know. They wanted Stacey to share a bed (because the beds fold up into seats so there are 2 seats per bed) with a family of 4 people! Z tried to negotiate it and give them a whole bed and have them take a bed to share with Monique so it was at least someone she knew but the family didn't want to do that. Z ended up sharing the bed with the family and he was moved from seat to seat throughout the night. It doesn't sound like he got very much sleep at all. The people from my group in the other cabins also said that people in their cabins woke up really early and were loud and that there was yelling about seats constantly. It seems like people just sit where they want even when there are assigned seats. It's strange. I'm glad that wasn't me though. I felt like I actually got a lot of sleep.
9:31am Delhi time
Yesterday was a full day. By the time we got back I started typing my entries up and fell asleep in the middle.
When we arrived in Varanasi we took tuk tuks. 2 people per tuk tuk this time because we had to fit our bags in and we did not have "trunk space".
The hotel we are staying at deferred us drinks (fanta and diet coke) upon arrival. It is a very nice hotel.
W had 15 minutes to freshen up because we were so late arriving and we had to make it to the flower ceremony.
We took tuk tuks there. The streets are full of people. I think there are more people than vehicles which is the first city I've seen in India like that. The road is more dirt covered than in the other cities as well.
Varanasi is so lively. There are shops and people and colors and so much history. T is the oldest city in india dating back to 12 B.C. It is also the most holy city for Hindus. People come here to die and bury loved ones and pray.
I was surprised because there were even glass windows over some of the shops. At some places it looked very metropolitan and out of place compared to the surrounding buildings.
People are very friendly. They want to know where you are from and tell you things about the city.
When we arrived a the Ganges, the flower ceremony had already started. We were the last tuk tuk if our group to get there because we had to stop for gas. The gas stations are a lot smaller with only a few pumps. I didn't notice notice how he paid.
You have to walk down a lot of stairs to get to the river. There, there was a stage like area where the prayers were being performed. They were chanting and there were different objects that were on fire that they would lift in the air and move around. There were maybe 10 men doing this- dressed in white robes. There were tall poles and open umbrella structures at the top. It was all covered in flowers and colored lights. Many people were watching or gathered down by the river to let a flower/candle float out on the river. It is said that whatever you pray for will come true if you set it free on the Ganges.
We saw a man that Zahid said was an aesthetic who has no clothes, home, or belongings and gave his life to Hinduism. His face was covered in ashes. We were allowed to go up and talk with him and take pictures but we were asked to donate some money because he only survives off of donations. Most people have 10 or 20 rupees but I only had a 50. I figured that was fine because it is about a dollar.
While we were walking around young girl kept asking me to buy this colored powder that had metal design stamps in a bunch of different shapes. A lot of the girls bought one but I didn't care for it. This girl literally followed me for probably 15 minutes. She would leave and come back again too. "All your friends bought one. You should buy too." "I need money because I go to school." "Only 100 rupees." "Why you break my heart."
I said "no" the most amount of times I ever have in my entire life in a time span of 15 minutes, ha. She followed me all th way out of the riverside and up the stairs. Finally she said, "fine. No problem ma'am." And left.
We went back to the hotel on a tuk tuk (paid 50 rupees each way) and went for dinner. I had gobi sunehari and naan and it was so good. It was pieces of cauliflower with different spices on it. I kind of expected it to be more like a sauce but it was still very good.
By the time we got to the room it was 11pm and I had to shower still. It is so humid here. My skin feels constantly wet.
I bought a 2 hour Internet card for 100 rupees ($2). I only had a 500 rupee bill and he kept trying to give it back to means say he didn't have change. It's strange because the ATM gives you large bills but no one ever has change for large bills. It took 6 minutes for him to find change in a hotel! So weird.
We couldn't find how to turn on the AC for the longest time. There was no remote. Finally, I saw a switch on the wall. It was set at 24 degrees Celsius which is pretty cold.
Every time I travel I get annoyed that we don't use the metric system. Heights, weights, temperatures, it just makes everything pretty confusing.
11:24am Delhi time
Well, the train left at midnight last night (2 hours late) and we are still not there yet.
I have the top bunk which is kind of annoying but it's also nice because I'm with a family so being on the top puts me out of the way.
I was hoping I wouldn't have to go to the bathroom on the train but it got to the point I couldn't wait.
At this point in time I feel like I brought too many clothes and not enough toilet paper. Most places (public) don't have toilet paper an even at our hotels we end up running out of it. Good news is that shitting into a hole is surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. Bad news is I still have loose stool but whatever.
I had to go through my bag before heading to the bathroom to find my wet wipes because I knew toilet paper would be Jon existent. That assumption was 100% correct.
The sleeper train is actually pretty comfortable. I think I was so scared and felt unsafe last night because we had just been standing with a million men starring at us and being creepy and then I was tucked into a cabin on my own in the dark. I feel a lot better knowing I'm with a family with 2 small children. Maybe a 5 year old and a 1 year old. I just hope I get off when I'm supposed to now!
I also was looking at my itinerary stuff and realized I have a problem on the last day of my elephant conservation project trip. It says we arrive at 6:30pm back to the office in Chiang Mai and to not book onward travel until after 9pm... My flight out of Chiang Mai the travel agent booked for me leaves at 4:30pm and arrives in Bangkok at 5:30pm. Sooo I need to get that fixed
11:44am Delhi time
If men spot from outside the curtain that I'm white ill still see them just stand there and stare. Sometimes they will open the curtain to look. It's strange. The family I was with didn't stare at all. They did however eat a ton of food. They had a snack bag full of chips and other goodies and they kept buying nuts and other things.
Yesterday when we were driving Stacey wondered out loud what they do during the monsoon. Everyone is always outside... Shopping, working, sleeping. It would be interesting to see how it was different.
4:02pm Delhi time
Jeezus. We've been on the train for like 17 hours now. I have no idea when to know to get off either. There are no announcements for the stations... Or at all. Also, since I'm on the top bunk I can't see out the window. For a while I was spying on the other people in my group who were close by (which I didn't realize til morning because it had been so dark and there were curtains over every bed) through the curtain. Michael has bright yellow shoes so I was always making sure those were still there. A few times I didn't see them because he had gone to the bathroom but I could see Martina's jacket on her on the side of the curtain.
Steve, from the US (Missouri) just moved back here because he didn't know when we would get off. He was in B1 or B2 and he said they didn't have curtains and there were 6 beds per cabin, 3 and 3 bunked. He couldn't even sit up straight. We have about an hour left on the train.
Steve also said apparently there is a wait list and the train starts in Delhi so they started assigning the wait list seats since we weren't there so a few people were told they needed to share a bed with people they didn't know. They wanted Stacey to share a bed (because the beds fold up into seats so there are 2 seats per bed) with a family of 4 people! Z tried to negotiate it and give them a whole bed and have them take a bed to share with Monique so it was at least someone she knew but the family didn't want to do that. Z ended up sharing the bed with the family and he was moved from seat to seat throughout the night. It doesn't sound like he got very much sleep at all. The people from my group in the other cabins also said that people in their cabins woke up really early and were loud and that there was yelling about seats constantly. It seems like people just sit where they want even when there are assigned seats. It's strange. I'm glad that wasn't me though. I felt like I actually got a lot of sleep.
9:31am Delhi time
Yesterday was a full day. By the time we got back I started typing my entries up and fell asleep in the middle.
When we arrived in Varanasi we took tuk tuks. 2 people per tuk tuk this time because we had to fit our bags in and we did not have "trunk space".
The hotel we are staying at deferred us drinks (fanta and diet coke) upon arrival. It is a very nice hotel.
W had 15 minutes to freshen up because we were so late arriving and we had to make it to the flower ceremony.
We took tuk tuks there. The streets are full of people. I think there are more people than vehicles which is the first city I've seen in India like that. The road is more dirt covered than in the other cities as well.
Varanasi is so lively. There are shops and people and colors and so much history. T is the oldest city in india dating back to 12 B.C. It is also the most holy city for Hindus. People come here to die and bury loved ones and pray.
I was surprised because there were even glass windows over some of the shops. At some places it looked very metropolitan and out of place compared to the surrounding buildings.
People are very friendly. They want to know where you are from and tell you things about the city.
When we arrived a the Ganges, the flower ceremony had already started. We were the last tuk tuk if our group to get there because we had to stop for gas. The gas stations are a lot smaller with only a few pumps. I didn't notice notice how he paid.
You have to walk down a lot of stairs to get to the river. There, there was a stage like area where the prayers were being performed. They were chanting and there were different objects that were on fire that they would lift in the air and move around. There were maybe 10 men doing this- dressed in white robes. There were tall poles and open umbrella structures at the top. It was all covered in flowers and colored lights. Many people were watching or gathered down by the river to let a flower/candle float out on the river. It is said that whatever you pray for will come true if you set it free on the Ganges.
We saw a man that Zahid said was an aesthetic who has no clothes, home, or belongings and gave his life to Hinduism. His face was covered in ashes. We were allowed to go up and talk with him and take pictures but we were asked to donate some money because he only survives off of donations. Most people have 10 or 20 rupees but I only had a 50. I figured that was fine because it is about a dollar.
While we were walking around young girl kept asking me to buy this colored powder that had metal design stamps in a bunch of different shapes. A lot of the girls bought one but I didn't care for it. This girl literally followed me for probably 15 minutes. She would leave and come back again too. "All your friends bought one. You should buy too." "I need money because I go to school." "Only 100 rupees." "Why you break my heart."
I said "no" the most amount of times I ever have in my entire life in a time span of 15 minutes, ha. She followed me all th way out of the riverside and up the stairs. Finally she said, "fine. No problem ma'am." And left.
We went back to the hotel on a tuk tuk (paid 50 rupees each way) and went for dinner. I had gobi sunehari and naan and it was so good. It was pieces of cauliflower with different spices on it. I kind of expected it to be more like a sauce but it was still very good.
By the time we got to the room it was 11pm and I had to shower still. It is so humid here. My skin feels constantly wet.
I bought a 2 hour Internet card for 100 rupees ($2). I only had a 500 rupee bill and he kept trying to give it back to means say he didn't have change. It's strange because the ATM gives you large bills but no one ever has change for large bills. It took 6 minutes for him to find change in a hotel! So weird.
We couldn't find how to turn on the AC for the longest time. There was no remote. Finally, I saw a switch on the wall. It was set at 24 degrees Celsius which is pretty cold.
Every time I travel I get annoyed that we don't use the metric system. Heights, weights, temperatures, it just makes everything pretty confusing.
Terror Stricken
May 5
11:03am Delhi time
As we all know from Alyssa's blog while she was in Senegal, traveling to new countries and experiencing new cultures comes with a price. Full disclosure here coming up! To say the least, my intestines were pretty unhappy this morning. I had my first bout of diarrhea! Yey! I just hope it stops before we have to be on a bus at 5pm to go see Baby Taj and then an over night train ride tonight. Thank god I have meds! I can't imagine having diarrhea in an Asian style toilet... On the train... In the middle of the night. This is TMI but its body functions so whatever. There was actually one point where I couldn't control it any longer and I was one foot away from the toilet and I ended up shitting my pants a bit so that's embarrassing. Again, best underwear ever... No leakage. And in pushkar we got back one evening and I wa getting to the point of no return and Z kept talking and talking. It was horrible. That night I survived without any disasters though.
We don't have to check out until 1 so we just get to chill this morning. Our first meeting time is 4:30pm. It seems silly to not do anything but honestly, constantly moving gets so exhausting so the few rest times we have are great.
I'm not used to living out of a back pack yet. I keep having to repack it different ways. I think I'm getting more used to it though.
4:30pm Delhi time
This afternoon we went to a local market (bazaar). It was an interesting experience and a great place to take photographs. But there wasn't too much for us to do or buy there so we didn't stay too long. There was a shop that had a bunch of sarees hanging in it and a few of the girls went up to look at them. A man came out and asked "laundry?" They left quickly. They thought they were being sold. I guess that is the problem of going to a local market. Most people didn't speak good English either, if any. It was a lot of fruits an the tuk tuk driver told us it was good to get shoes too but I didn't see any shoes. There was a shoe repair man though.
We went into a music store there as well. They were selling sitars and other instruments. Not sure what they are called but one was a bracelet you put around your wrist with bells on it so it is an "accompaniment" musical instrument. There was also a string instrument with 1 string an you squeeze the top part (where a fingerboard would normally be) to make different sounds.
Then we went to Sanjas Palace which is a rooftop restaurant that is said to have the best view of the Taj Mahal. It was a great view and also a good place to see surrounding houses. I know that is weird but I really like looking at that.
For lunch I wasn't really hungry so I ordered a mango shake and a fruit salad. The shake was terrible. I took a few sips and stopped drinking it. The milk was warm and it was kind of clumpy and it tasted funny. The fruit salad had mango, papaya, banana, and grapes in it. I probably shouldn't have eaten the grapes but I didn't even think about it until I was almost done with the salad. Everything I eat is supposed to be something that I can peel so I know it wasn't washed in the water and possibly contaminated. Messed that one up, self. Definitely a bad decision.
For breakfast we ate at the hotel and had an "American style" breakfast. There was toast with butter and jam, tea, and scrambled eggs (which were pretty white looking but tasted normal).
When we were leaving the restaurant on the rooftop we passed the kitchen. It wa pretty gross. I just didn't think about it. But it was dark and the people in there were sweaty and it looked super dirty. Bugs all over the place. Pretty much completely unsanitary. And food from there had just gone into my body.
When we wandered into shops on the street (Taj Ganges) after the restaurant the shop keepers would turn all the lights and AC on when we came in and off when we left. Just caught my attention. They end up spending most of their day in dark hot shops.
12:01am Delhi time
In the afternoon/evening we visited "Baby Taj" which is a tomb to a prime minister. It's not like the Taj exactly. It has surrounding gates similar to the Taj and it is made out of white marble as well. It is famous for its white marble screens- very intricate detailing.
There were a million monkeys all over as well. To the point where guards with big sticks just stand there all day to ward off monkeys. Literally so many monkeys. Baby monkeys all over the place too. Falling and dropping from trees, running around, being carried on the backs or stomachs of bigger monkeys.
I was standing a ways back from a monkey and taking pictures pictures of the Baby Taj and this huge monkey started booking it straight toward me. It was terrifying! On the white marble the monkeys feet makes a slapping sound that makes it seem forceful and attackish. I don't think it touched me but I have no idea because I was so focused on trying to get the fuck out of the way! I for sure thought I was going to get bit by a monkey and have to get a million rabies shots throughout the rest of my trip... Or die of rabies. Luckily none of those happened.
I wish I could have watched it happen because in my head it seems like it was probably super awkward looking. I can just picture me moving out of the way super quickly. I think I was even squatting on the ground and jumped up while lifting one leg in the air to try to avoid a bite from the monkey. Oh my god, ha. I can leave that experience in India I hope. I really hope that never happens again. Monica was watching and said she thinks the monkey swatted at my leg a bit.
There were women walking through the monument carrying things on their head and the old woman saw my camera and stopped and smiled and said "photo" so I took a picture. Then she wanted money. The man watching our shoes that we were required to take off also wanted money which none of us gave him. Which I didn't give her. That happens a lot.
After that, we went to the site across the river from the Taj Mahal. Rumor has it that Shah Jahan wanted to build a black Taj across from the white Taj and join them together with a bridge over the river. He wanted to be buried here. But because his son put him in prison he was never able to build the Black Taj. There is a garden on the actual land the Black Taj would have been built on. None of us went into it. It didn't look too exciting. Just lots of green. We took pictures by the river of the back side of the Taj.
We headed back to the hotel for about an hour and a half. I just journaled. I wasn't too hungry so I didn't get anything to eat. My stomach has also been bothering me still with the diarrhea.
We then headed for the train station. Our train was scheduled to leave at 10pm. Our bus got stuck in traffic on a road they closed for construction so we got another but we didn't leave til about 8:40pm. Z had said earlier it takes about an hour and a half to get to the train station. We weren't sure if we would make the train or not.. He told us to be prepared to grab our bags and literally run. In my head all I could picture was me running and falling over and not being able to get up again because of how large my bag is.
When we got in we found a spot to put our bags down and we still had half an hour... And then an hour. Z told us not to leave small bags lying around in the luggage pile because the monkeys will come and take them. I think all of us are pretty scared of the monkeys.
Z didn't want us waiting on the platform we were boarding because it was not lit so instead we waited in a more lit area. Then when we found out we had more time before the train would come he brought us to a waiting room with seats.
The one we originally went to was so hot and humid and full of men. My first thought after taking 3 steps into the room was are you kidding me? I don't want to wait in here! It was hotter than the first spot we had. A bunch of people apparently thought the same thing because I turned around and everyone was gone and we were left with a group of 6 of us and Z. He had us move rooms so we went one room over which was the first class ladies room which was the same thing except it had less people in it and it was cooler. Z and Curtis sat in a restaurant because they couldn't come into the ladies room. There were men in there that ended up getting kicked out by an official guy. There was also a man who was in there with his teenage daughter but he was allowed to stay because he was accompanying her.
Then we headed to the platform. We had to wait a bit still. Literally all the men basically surrounded our group and just stood there starring. It's the strangest thing and it is pretty uncomfortable feeling. Steve and Michael just kept staring back overly exaggerated or start taking pictures of them (they do that to us too) or asking them what they needed or if they were lost.
Sometimes Z will yell at them to go away but I think there were just too many it wouldn't have helped. They come up really close to you too and just stand there and stare.
While we were standing there, Z gave us all our seat/bunk numbers. It got kinda scary from there because most of us were alone. Z took me to my bed and said okay have a good night. I felt pretty uncomfortable because it was dark and I couldn't see. Once I got in I think I was terrified for a good half hour. I just laid there and couldn't really think. Then a man came and was asking for my ticket which I didn't have because Z had all of them. I told him my group leader had it and he left.
Z came around to check on us and help us find our beds. I was asking about the stop and how I knew when to get off. He said we arrive at noon or later so we should be awake and it's Varanasi.
The train has 4 beds on 1 side that are bunked, 2 + 2 and then 2 across the aisle on the other side. These are all compartments and then there are multiple compartments per car. We were in A1. I'm sharing a compartment with 3 other people... I think I feel better about it now but oy. I was terrified. At least it's overnight and I get to sleep most of it. I also wish I had locks for my bags now.
They provide you with a sheet and blanket but Z advised against using the blanket and I decided to use my sleeping bag. Thank god I have it.
All the advertisements I noticed are lighter skinned people. They put whitening creme in their lotion as well and today a beauty article in a magazine talked about every woman wanting make up that makes them as fair as Snow White. I'm going to try to sleep now. It's 1:12am
11:03am Delhi time
As we all know from Alyssa's blog while she was in Senegal, traveling to new countries and experiencing new cultures comes with a price. Full disclosure here coming up! To say the least, my intestines were pretty unhappy this morning. I had my first bout of diarrhea! Yey! I just hope it stops before we have to be on a bus at 5pm to go see Baby Taj and then an over night train ride tonight. Thank god I have meds! I can't imagine having diarrhea in an Asian style toilet... On the train... In the middle of the night. This is TMI but its body functions so whatever. There was actually one point where I couldn't control it any longer and I was one foot away from the toilet and I ended up shitting my pants a bit so that's embarrassing. Again, best underwear ever... No leakage. And in pushkar we got back one evening and I wa getting to the point of no return and Z kept talking and talking. It was horrible. That night I survived without any disasters though.
We don't have to check out until 1 so we just get to chill this morning. Our first meeting time is 4:30pm. It seems silly to not do anything but honestly, constantly moving gets so exhausting so the few rest times we have are great.
I'm not used to living out of a back pack yet. I keep having to repack it different ways. I think I'm getting more used to it though.
4:30pm Delhi time
This afternoon we went to a local market (bazaar). It was an interesting experience and a great place to take photographs. But there wasn't too much for us to do or buy there so we didn't stay too long. There was a shop that had a bunch of sarees hanging in it and a few of the girls went up to look at them. A man came out and asked "laundry?" They left quickly. They thought they were being sold. I guess that is the problem of going to a local market. Most people didn't speak good English either, if any. It was a lot of fruits an the tuk tuk driver told us it was good to get shoes too but I didn't see any shoes. There was a shoe repair man though.
We went into a music store there as well. They were selling sitars and other instruments. Not sure what they are called but one was a bracelet you put around your wrist with bells on it so it is an "accompaniment" musical instrument. There was also a string instrument with 1 string an you squeeze the top part (where a fingerboard would normally be) to make different sounds.
Then we went to Sanjas Palace which is a rooftop restaurant that is said to have the best view of the Taj Mahal. It was a great view and also a good place to see surrounding houses. I know that is weird but I really like looking at that.
For lunch I wasn't really hungry so I ordered a mango shake and a fruit salad. The shake was terrible. I took a few sips and stopped drinking it. The milk was warm and it was kind of clumpy and it tasted funny. The fruit salad had mango, papaya, banana, and grapes in it. I probably shouldn't have eaten the grapes but I didn't even think about it until I was almost done with the salad. Everything I eat is supposed to be something that I can peel so I know it wasn't washed in the water and possibly contaminated. Messed that one up, self. Definitely a bad decision.
For breakfast we ate at the hotel and had an "American style" breakfast. There was toast with butter and jam, tea, and scrambled eggs (which were pretty white looking but tasted normal).
When we were leaving the restaurant on the rooftop we passed the kitchen. It wa pretty gross. I just didn't think about it. But it was dark and the people in there were sweaty and it looked super dirty. Bugs all over the place. Pretty much completely unsanitary. And food from there had just gone into my body.
When we wandered into shops on the street (Taj Ganges) after the restaurant the shop keepers would turn all the lights and AC on when we came in and off when we left. Just caught my attention. They end up spending most of their day in dark hot shops.
12:01am Delhi time
In the afternoon/evening we visited "Baby Taj" which is a tomb to a prime minister. It's not like the Taj exactly. It has surrounding gates similar to the Taj and it is made out of white marble as well. It is famous for its white marble screens- very intricate detailing.
There were a million monkeys all over as well. To the point where guards with big sticks just stand there all day to ward off monkeys. Literally so many monkeys. Baby monkeys all over the place too. Falling and dropping from trees, running around, being carried on the backs or stomachs of bigger monkeys.
I was standing a ways back from a monkey and taking pictures pictures of the Baby Taj and this huge monkey started booking it straight toward me. It was terrifying! On the white marble the monkeys feet makes a slapping sound that makes it seem forceful and attackish. I don't think it touched me but I have no idea because I was so focused on trying to get the fuck out of the way! I for sure thought I was going to get bit by a monkey and have to get a million rabies shots throughout the rest of my trip... Or die of rabies. Luckily none of those happened.
I wish I could have watched it happen because in my head it seems like it was probably super awkward looking. I can just picture me moving out of the way super quickly. I think I was even squatting on the ground and jumped up while lifting one leg in the air to try to avoid a bite from the monkey. Oh my god, ha. I can leave that experience in India I hope. I really hope that never happens again. Monica was watching and said she thinks the monkey swatted at my leg a bit.
There were women walking through the monument carrying things on their head and the old woman saw my camera and stopped and smiled and said "photo" so I took a picture. Then she wanted money. The man watching our shoes that we were required to take off also wanted money which none of us gave him. Which I didn't give her. That happens a lot.
After that, we went to the site across the river from the Taj Mahal. Rumor has it that Shah Jahan wanted to build a black Taj across from the white Taj and join them together with a bridge over the river. He wanted to be buried here. But because his son put him in prison he was never able to build the Black Taj. There is a garden on the actual land the Black Taj would have been built on. None of us went into it. It didn't look too exciting. Just lots of green. We took pictures by the river of the back side of the Taj.
We headed back to the hotel for about an hour and a half. I just journaled. I wasn't too hungry so I didn't get anything to eat. My stomach has also been bothering me still with the diarrhea.
We then headed for the train station. Our train was scheduled to leave at 10pm. Our bus got stuck in traffic on a road they closed for construction so we got another but we didn't leave til about 8:40pm. Z had said earlier it takes about an hour and a half to get to the train station. We weren't sure if we would make the train or not.. He told us to be prepared to grab our bags and literally run. In my head all I could picture was me running and falling over and not being able to get up again because of how large my bag is.
When we got in we found a spot to put our bags down and we still had half an hour... And then an hour. Z told us not to leave small bags lying around in the luggage pile because the monkeys will come and take them. I think all of us are pretty scared of the monkeys.
Z didn't want us waiting on the platform we were boarding because it was not lit so instead we waited in a more lit area. Then when we found out we had more time before the train would come he brought us to a waiting room with seats.
The one we originally went to was so hot and humid and full of men. My first thought after taking 3 steps into the room was are you kidding me? I don't want to wait in here! It was hotter than the first spot we had. A bunch of people apparently thought the same thing because I turned around and everyone was gone and we were left with a group of 6 of us and Z. He had us move rooms so we went one room over which was the first class ladies room which was the same thing except it had less people in it and it was cooler. Z and Curtis sat in a restaurant because they couldn't come into the ladies room. There were men in there that ended up getting kicked out by an official guy. There was also a man who was in there with his teenage daughter but he was allowed to stay because he was accompanying her.
Then we headed to the platform. We had to wait a bit still. Literally all the men basically surrounded our group and just stood there starring. It's the strangest thing and it is pretty uncomfortable feeling. Steve and Michael just kept staring back overly exaggerated or start taking pictures of them (they do that to us too) or asking them what they needed or if they were lost.
Sometimes Z will yell at them to go away but I think there were just too many it wouldn't have helped. They come up really close to you too and just stand there and stare.
While we were standing there, Z gave us all our seat/bunk numbers. It got kinda scary from there because most of us were alone. Z took me to my bed and said okay have a good night. I felt pretty uncomfortable because it was dark and I couldn't see. Once I got in I think I was terrified for a good half hour. I just laid there and couldn't really think. Then a man came and was asking for my ticket which I didn't have because Z had all of them. I told him my group leader had it and he left.
Z came around to check on us and help us find our beds. I was asking about the stop and how I knew when to get off. He said we arrive at noon or later so we should be awake and it's Varanasi.
The train has 4 beds on 1 side that are bunked, 2 + 2 and then 2 across the aisle on the other side. These are all compartments and then there are multiple compartments per car. We were in A1. I'm sharing a compartment with 3 other people... I think I feel better about it now but oy. I was terrified. At least it's overnight and I get to sleep most of it. I also wish I had locks for my bags now.
They provide you with a sheet and blanket but Z advised against using the blanket and I decided to use my sleeping bag. Thank god I have it.
All the advertisements I noticed are lighter skinned people. They put whitening creme in their lotion as well and today a beauty article in a magazine talked about every woman wanting make up that makes them as fair as Snow White. I'm going to try to sleep now. It's 1:12am
Friday, May 3, 2013
Taj Mahal
May 4
7:01am Delhi time
I forgot to talk about the funeral processional we saw yesterday. While we were driving to the Bollywood movie, we had to pull to the side because there was a mass group of people walking down the road. The front few people were carrying what was basically a stretcher with sides on their shoulders. It looked like there was a woman laying on it. It was pretty high up so it was hard for me to see but there was a combination of colorful clothing (I think this is what she was dressed in) and white sheets (which were covering her or underneath her). It was a really large group of people. I can't remember exactly and I may be making this up but I think a lot of the people were men... If not all of them. They were wearing white robes with little white hats. All the drivers on the road pulled off to the side. It was a pretty cool thing to see.
Nick, one of the Americans from Alaska, is going to Africa after this. He is hitting up so many countries. I don't remember Ll of them but for sure South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, and many other countries on the east coast. That would be really cool.
I'm kinda jealous I'm not a man. I feel like it makes traveling so much easier. There are still a million precautionary things, but in general, the guys all seem pretty comfortable going out on their own. Plus they don't have to worry about shaving a million body parts or have a period. Honestly, tampons take up a ridiculous amount of space.
We woke up at 530am to make our 7am train to Agra. It was actually really nice being in one place for two nights. We're in Agra for 2 days (only 1 night) and then we take the overnight train to Varanasi. I'm assuming we won't have Internet on the train so don't expect a blog post that evening.
In the US I always choose to sit on the floor. I would NEVER sit on the floor here. People spit and cover one nostril to blow snot out from the other pretty much anywhere they wish.
It is really nice they give you free water on the train. Today I bought a water bottle at the train station for 15 rupees. That's the cheapest I've seen it. It's also crazy how normal drinking warm, or even hot water, had become. And I've only been here for like 5 days. Ha.
I'm also glad I am pretty easy going because I feel like not too much has bothered me. I feel like a lot of people I am with get frustrated over things that make no sense to get frustrated over such as the smells on the street, the tuk tuk drivers not knowing exactly where our hotel is, people constantly asking for money or asking you to buy something. They're all obnoxious but were only here temporarily and they are trying to survive off of us buying things from them or carting us around. I feel like its part of traveling to foreign countries with different languages and cultures.
This morning, Zahid said we were going to ride in tuk tuks to the train station and immediately, in my head, I was like LOL! Every time we have been in tuk tuks it has been 3 of us crammed butt to butt and shoulder to shoulder. How will our bags fit! Of course, some of them have little trunks. It was basically a rack on the back that we stood our bags up in. That made more sense. I was beginning to prepare myself for the most uncomfortable tuk tuk ride of my life.
They're serving us breakfast on the train again. So far we have a cup for tea with a packet of creamer, a little plastic pot with hot water, a few tea packets, some biscuits (cookie cracker ish) and a few hard pieces of candy.
11:15am Delhi time
Later they brought out bagged bread and butter, and a potato dish with spicy sauce on the side. It was okay.
When we pulled into Agra we passed above a street. The middle of it was covered with yellow. All of the tops of tuk tuks are yellow. It was just a huge mass if yellow haha.
There were also many houses lined up along the train track. They are literally built right next to each other. Some of the house had a large sheet or cloth they were using as an overhang to make a shaded area on their front porch. In front of the houses there were also just heaps of trash. I'm pretty sure it's black piles because they burn the trash. It's sad to see that much trash all over the place.
It's really beautiful to see their laundry hanging because of all the sarees with their colors and sparkles.
When we got off the train (it had AC and was very nice) we had a car waiting for us. It was a 17 seater van. He opened up the back to put our luggage in and it was smaller than a trunk in the US. There was enough space to lay down 2 bags across the floor along the door and then we stacked a bunch of other bags on top of it. There still wasn't enough room to fit everyone's bags and we had exactly the number of seats as we do people so we got a tuk tuk as well. It was pretty silly looking because it was our van and a little tuk tuk stuffed to the brim with a bunch of luggage. The hotel we are staying at is pretty nice. It has wifi but you have to pay for it. It is right near a Pizza Hut and a costa coffee. Aside from a McDonald's near the Bollywood theater, I haven't seen any stores or restaurants from home until now.
I am constantly thinking about what I can leave behind but there is still so many different things on my trip to come climate wise and country wise that I just have no idea what is important and what is not. My bag is so large though. Today when the bag boys were taking our bags to our room he stopped half way down the hallway to set it down and he made the funniest grunting noises to lift it again. I feel really bad. I'm pretty worried about trekking in Nepal with my bag. It's not too bad when it is all buckled up but I don't know if it will still be comfortable after 7-10 hours of carrying it on my back through the Himalayas.
I am staying in the same hostel/hotel before my trek starts and after it ends so maybe I could leave a duffle bag full of stuff I don't need on my trek at the hostel. I just don't know how safe that will be.
We have some free time now before Agra fort (which is HUGE). Then we will come back for lunch and have more free time in the afternoon before we head out to see the Taj Mahal at sunset this evening. Should be way cool!
3:24pm Delhi time
Agra fort is actually really cool. We had a tour guide because in India you are required to get a certification from the government to give informational yours out at monumental sights. Zahid does not have one of these.
The guy was very knowledgable. He gave us way more information than I can remember. I think it was built in the 1500s. It is 2.5 meters around the entire fort. There was a water moat with crocodiles, a wall, another dry moat with Bangal tigers, and another wall, and then canons and guns. It was very well protected haha.
It took about 90 years to build. You can see a great view of the Taj Mahal from the fort as well.
Some interesting facts I remember about the fort:
1. It was really hot (and still is) during summers in Agra- reaching up to about 49 degrees Celsius which I think is about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The walls are built so they are hollow inside. In the mornings, people would go around and fill the walls with water to keep it cool.
2. There are vent type things built into some of the walls for "AC". Women would stand behind it and their job would be I fan fan while they were in there so that air would circulate the room and cool the people down who were in there.
3. The guide said since they had no alarm clocks that the emperor would be woken up by women shaking their bangles from inside the vents. Honestly, I don't know if that's real or a joke. It was hard to tell the difference sometimes.
4. The emperor would drink 60 cups of wine a day! That's some crazy tolerance! And of course, I would remember a useless fact like that.
5. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. Then, his son overthrew him and imprisoned him in Agra fort so all he could do was look at his beautiful creation. He was buried at the Taj Mahal when he died (next to his wife).
6. Once a month there was a market in the fort for women only to do their shopping. This is where Shah Jahan met his third wife. Since only women were allowed, he dressed up as a woman!
It was funny because when we were getting back in the van we had probably 5 different guys standing at the door to the van shoving items in our face to get us to buy them. Books, Taj Mahal snow globes, fake peacock feather fans, and some other strange things I couldn't identify.
When we got back we went to lunch at a restaurant that serves southern Indian food. It was good I guess. I got vegetarian thali which is a platter basically like tapas so it allows you to try a number of different dishes in small amounts. I don't know how southern Indian food is different from northern Indian food though. The 8 of us had a lot of time to talk and hang out at lunch.
1:32am Delhi time
We saw another funeral processional today. It's definitely only men. This one had white sheets covering it with colored (red and yellow) flowers.
9:03am Delhi time
Fell asleep before I could finish writing about yesterday. The hotel we are at charges for Internet (100 rupees for 1 hour) and the pool (500 rupees for 1 day use)! Pretty ridiculous, so that's why I haven't posted anything in a while. And the exhaustion factor from constant traveling or doing something. I don't even think I would be able to type out everything I've written in one hour only!
We met downstairs at 4pm to go to the Taj Mahal. We all piles into our little van and set off. The van could only take us so close so we switched into a thing that looks like those tour vans like in Disney World or what we took around the Warner Brothers studio.
It took us to the East entrance of the Taj Mahal, also called the VIP entrance because VIP enter through this gate only.
We had to go through "Security" to get inside. We weren't allowed to being a lot of things in. Pretty much just money and a camera. I wasn't sure what to do with my money so naturally, I just shoved it in my bra. Well... That doesn't work well when you're sweating balls... Literally. I could feel balls of sweat running down my body. I was constantly checking my bra to make sure it hadn't slipped out. I'm sure I looked strange constantly "feeling myself up" but whatever.
So "security" was a lady (because we went through the women line... Obviously) frisking our hips and legs underneath a non-functioning metal detector. Then, if you had a bag it had to go through he security belt. Even when we were waiting for everyone in the shade it was ridiculously hot. I think Seth, the tour guide, said 42 degrees Celsius. So far India has been a pretty dry heat so I haven't been as sweaty even when it is hot. Here it is so wet I pretty much felt wet all day.
Once we were all through security, Seth led us in. After the east gate (there is also a south and west gate), there is a large gate you have to walk through to get to the Taj Mahal. It's a reddish brownish color. I can't remember how tall he said it was. At the top of it, there are 11 bells on each side (made of stone). Each bell represent 1 year of work it took to build the Taj. It took 22 year with a total of 20,000 workers working on it every day.
Shah Jahan married 3 wives. The first 2 could not bear children but the 3rd could. She gave him 14 children in 19 years of marriage. When she was carrying the 14th child, the emperor had to go off to the battlefield. She gave birth and became very ill while he was away. A messenger delivered an incorrect message to the emperor telling him his wife and child were both in good health so that he could stay focused on the battle. The doctors discussed it and decided to tell her he did not have much time left.
She said she wanted to speak to her husband and wouldn't die until he arrived at her side. Once he heard, he rushed back and made it home to her. She asked for 3 wishes from him. The first was he would not remarry. The second was he would look after all 14 of her children since she wouldn't be there to do so. The third was that he should do something to prove his love to her and the rest of the world. She died in 1631.
He then decided to build the Taj. He held a contest for a building design. The man who won was paid 1000 rupees a month. They used white marble because Shah Jahan really liked it. The gold for the building was found about 350km away which was far back then, especially when it was all being hauled into Agra. It's 1 of 2 buildings in India with a double doorway.
Everything on the Taj is symmetrical, even her grave would divide her body in half exactly. The only non-symmetrical thing is his grave because he told his daughter he wanted to be buried next to her mother but he died 30 years after the Taj was built.
Everything colored on the Taj is stone. Nothing was painted. There is a mosque facing west on one side of the Taj but for symmetry purposes they built an identical one on the other side as well.
He pillars were constructed at a 2 degree angle away from the Taj so that if something happened and it was attacked the pillars would fall outward and not destroy the tomb.
There is also writing from the Koran around the building sites and gate. In order to make this look parallel they made it larger on top and smaller on the bottom so it gives the illusion of looking perfectly parallel.
They say the Taj looks like Shah Jahan's tear drop.
I was a little disappointed because the water was not filled but it was still beautiful. When Seth was telling us the history and the story while we were starring at the Taj, it gave me chills. It's so beautiful. The detail of the work and architectural design is incredible as well for something that old.
Shah Jahan didn't want any of the workers to replicate the Taj so he "cut the hand" of each individual and paid their pension for the rest of their lives.
The way the sun hit the marble and made the colored stones sparkle was fantastic. While the sun was setting, the light on the Taj was perfect. It was really cool to see. I still wish the pools had been filled with water because I feel like it would have been so much more magical then.
When you go into the building to see the tomb, the area is circular and pretty small. You are required to take off your shoes or wear shoe covers. They shuffle you through that part pretty quickly. They shove people out while shoving more people in. The guards all have their whistles and are continuously blowing them and shouting at people to keep moving. It wasn't very peaceful for a tomb.
There are rooms surrounding the grab as well that you walk through.
There were monkeys on the railings. I was trying to get a good shot and it was walking toward me but because I was looking through my lens I didn't realize how close the monkey was. When I looked up it freaked me out for a second. While we were at the fort we had also seen monkeys and Seth told us to keep our distance because about 99% of monkeys have rabies. They will bite too. It freaked Stacey out too because she was also trying to take a picture.
While we were walking back from the Taj to the bus the street was lined with shops and therefore it also meant it was lined with shop owners trying to get you in their shops.
One kid selling post cards wouldn't leave me alone so I finally said, "I have no money" and he walked away instantly. That was the best part of not carrying a bag.
At the Taj they have us a complimentary bottle of water. It was a normal size bottle for the US, but the smallest bottle I've seen in India thus far. Not surprisingly, it was also warm.
After the Taj, we went to dinner. It was very good. I had a dish that was cottage cheese dumplings in a sweet gravy with dry fruits and nuts. And obviously naan. I actually didn't originally order any but the waiter said I needed to order some naan or rice. "This only sauce." I had my first beer here too. It is called Kingfisher. It's not amazing but tastes fine.
We spent the evening all crammed into a tiny, very hot room, playing waterfall or kings cup or whatever name you call it. My days of drinking games came in handy because they couldn't remember rules for all the cards.
For the Viking, instead of just holding the Jack and doing it whenever they feel like it, we did it so the person who drew the card did the Viking right away and had to make Viking sounds. The people to either side either rowed to the left if they are on the left of the Viking and vice-a-versa. The rest of the people were water. Then, the Viking has to pass the Viking off to the next person (whoever they choose). It keeps going until someone messes up and has to drink. It was pretty funny.
At one point, it was my turn (toward the end) and the 1 beer I had was gone and I drew a card that meant I had to take 4 sips. They said not having anything to drink is no excuse and to go take some vodka or spiced rum. I had no glass but they insisted I sip from the bottle. I started taking sips from the bottle and everyone couldn't believe i was actually doing it. They were going crazy. I told them I am a heavy drinker at home which I don't think is considered true but they were all like "Yeah! We believe you!" It was funny to me.
We slept with the lights on last night because the fan and lights are controlled by the same switch.
All over Agra; at the fort, the Taj, the restaurant we ate dinner at; there were Stars of David. I asked Z about it and he said that from the beginning of time the rulers in Agra were always about brining all the religions together. There is also the lotus flower from Buddhism, some signs from Christianity, and Hinduism.
Z thinks I'm very quiet because I have only asked him 2 questions. I told him I just like to take everything in.
Apparently I am still shy and not outgoing enough yet. He was nervous I wasn't enjoying it by I reassured him I have been
I always forget that on these group trips there is a lot of drinking. Not that I don't want to have fun but its so hot already that I don't want to dehydrate myself. I also son want to have a hangover or anything when I need to get up to do stuff, especially in this heat. Last night I was okay with it. I had 2 beers all evening, 1 with dinner. It was at the hotel in one of our group members rooms and we don't hav to be anywhere until 1pm!
Cheers!
7:01am Delhi time
I forgot to talk about the funeral processional we saw yesterday. While we were driving to the Bollywood movie, we had to pull to the side because there was a mass group of people walking down the road. The front few people were carrying what was basically a stretcher with sides on their shoulders. It looked like there was a woman laying on it. It was pretty high up so it was hard for me to see but there was a combination of colorful clothing (I think this is what she was dressed in) and white sheets (which were covering her or underneath her). It was a really large group of people. I can't remember exactly and I may be making this up but I think a lot of the people were men... If not all of them. They were wearing white robes with little white hats. All the drivers on the road pulled off to the side. It was a pretty cool thing to see.
Nick, one of the Americans from Alaska, is going to Africa after this. He is hitting up so many countries. I don't remember Ll of them but for sure South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, and many other countries on the east coast. That would be really cool.
I'm kinda jealous I'm not a man. I feel like it makes traveling so much easier. There are still a million precautionary things, but in general, the guys all seem pretty comfortable going out on their own. Plus they don't have to worry about shaving a million body parts or have a period. Honestly, tampons take up a ridiculous amount of space.
We woke up at 530am to make our 7am train to Agra. It was actually really nice being in one place for two nights. We're in Agra for 2 days (only 1 night) and then we take the overnight train to Varanasi. I'm assuming we won't have Internet on the train so don't expect a blog post that evening.
In the US I always choose to sit on the floor. I would NEVER sit on the floor here. People spit and cover one nostril to blow snot out from the other pretty much anywhere they wish.
It is really nice they give you free water on the train. Today I bought a water bottle at the train station for 15 rupees. That's the cheapest I've seen it. It's also crazy how normal drinking warm, or even hot water, had become. And I've only been here for like 5 days. Ha.
I'm also glad I am pretty easy going because I feel like not too much has bothered me. I feel like a lot of people I am with get frustrated over things that make no sense to get frustrated over such as the smells on the street, the tuk tuk drivers not knowing exactly where our hotel is, people constantly asking for money or asking you to buy something. They're all obnoxious but were only here temporarily and they are trying to survive off of us buying things from them or carting us around. I feel like its part of traveling to foreign countries with different languages and cultures.
This morning, Zahid said we were going to ride in tuk tuks to the train station and immediately, in my head, I was like LOL! Every time we have been in tuk tuks it has been 3 of us crammed butt to butt and shoulder to shoulder. How will our bags fit! Of course, some of them have little trunks. It was basically a rack on the back that we stood our bags up in. That made more sense. I was beginning to prepare myself for the most uncomfortable tuk tuk ride of my life.
They're serving us breakfast on the train again. So far we have a cup for tea with a packet of creamer, a little plastic pot with hot water, a few tea packets, some biscuits (cookie cracker ish) and a few hard pieces of candy.
11:15am Delhi time
Later they brought out bagged bread and butter, and a potato dish with spicy sauce on the side. It was okay.
When we pulled into Agra we passed above a street. The middle of it was covered with yellow. All of the tops of tuk tuks are yellow. It was just a huge mass if yellow haha.
There were also many houses lined up along the train track. They are literally built right next to each other. Some of the house had a large sheet or cloth they were using as an overhang to make a shaded area on their front porch. In front of the houses there were also just heaps of trash. I'm pretty sure it's black piles because they burn the trash. It's sad to see that much trash all over the place.
It's really beautiful to see their laundry hanging because of all the sarees with their colors and sparkles.
When we got off the train (it had AC and was very nice) we had a car waiting for us. It was a 17 seater van. He opened up the back to put our luggage in and it was smaller than a trunk in the US. There was enough space to lay down 2 bags across the floor along the door and then we stacked a bunch of other bags on top of it. There still wasn't enough room to fit everyone's bags and we had exactly the number of seats as we do people so we got a tuk tuk as well. It was pretty silly looking because it was our van and a little tuk tuk stuffed to the brim with a bunch of luggage. The hotel we are staying at is pretty nice. It has wifi but you have to pay for it. It is right near a Pizza Hut and a costa coffee. Aside from a McDonald's near the Bollywood theater, I haven't seen any stores or restaurants from home until now.
I am constantly thinking about what I can leave behind but there is still so many different things on my trip to come climate wise and country wise that I just have no idea what is important and what is not. My bag is so large though. Today when the bag boys were taking our bags to our room he stopped half way down the hallway to set it down and he made the funniest grunting noises to lift it again. I feel really bad. I'm pretty worried about trekking in Nepal with my bag. It's not too bad when it is all buckled up but I don't know if it will still be comfortable after 7-10 hours of carrying it on my back through the Himalayas.
I am staying in the same hostel/hotel before my trek starts and after it ends so maybe I could leave a duffle bag full of stuff I don't need on my trek at the hostel. I just don't know how safe that will be.
We have some free time now before Agra fort (which is HUGE). Then we will come back for lunch and have more free time in the afternoon before we head out to see the Taj Mahal at sunset this evening. Should be way cool!
3:24pm Delhi time
Agra fort is actually really cool. We had a tour guide because in India you are required to get a certification from the government to give informational yours out at monumental sights. Zahid does not have one of these.
The guy was very knowledgable. He gave us way more information than I can remember. I think it was built in the 1500s. It is 2.5 meters around the entire fort. There was a water moat with crocodiles, a wall, another dry moat with Bangal tigers, and another wall, and then canons and guns. It was very well protected haha.
It took about 90 years to build. You can see a great view of the Taj Mahal from the fort as well.
Some interesting facts I remember about the fort:
1. It was really hot (and still is) during summers in Agra- reaching up to about 49 degrees Celsius which I think is about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The walls are built so they are hollow inside. In the mornings, people would go around and fill the walls with water to keep it cool.
2. There are vent type things built into some of the walls for "AC". Women would stand behind it and their job would be I fan fan while they were in there so that air would circulate the room and cool the people down who were in there.
3. The guide said since they had no alarm clocks that the emperor would be woken up by women shaking their bangles from inside the vents. Honestly, I don't know if that's real or a joke. It was hard to tell the difference sometimes.
4. The emperor would drink 60 cups of wine a day! That's some crazy tolerance! And of course, I would remember a useless fact like that.
5. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. Then, his son overthrew him and imprisoned him in Agra fort so all he could do was look at his beautiful creation. He was buried at the Taj Mahal when he died (next to his wife).
6. Once a month there was a market in the fort for women only to do their shopping. This is where Shah Jahan met his third wife. Since only women were allowed, he dressed up as a woman!
It was funny because when we were getting back in the van we had probably 5 different guys standing at the door to the van shoving items in our face to get us to buy them. Books, Taj Mahal snow globes, fake peacock feather fans, and some other strange things I couldn't identify.
When we got back we went to lunch at a restaurant that serves southern Indian food. It was good I guess. I got vegetarian thali which is a platter basically like tapas so it allows you to try a number of different dishes in small amounts. I don't know how southern Indian food is different from northern Indian food though. The 8 of us had a lot of time to talk and hang out at lunch.
1:32am Delhi time
We saw another funeral processional today. It's definitely only men. This one had white sheets covering it with colored (red and yellow) flowers.
9:03am Delhi time
Fell asleep before I could finish writing about yesterday. The hotel we are at charges for Internet (100 rupees for 1 hour) and the pool (500 rupees for 1 day use)! Pretty ridiculous, so that's why I haven't posted anything in a while. And the exhaustion factor from constant traveling or doing something. I don't even think I would be able to type out everything I've written in one hour only!
We met downstairs at 4pm to go to the Taj Mahal. We all piles into our little van and set off. The van could only take us so close so we switched into a thing that looks like those tour vans like in Disney World or what we took around the Warner Brothers studio.
It took us to the East entrance of the Taj Mahal, also called the VIP entrance because VIP enter through this gate only.
We had to go through "Security" to get inside. We weren't allowed to being a lot of things in. Pretty much just money and a camera. I wasn't sure what to do with my money so naturally, I just shoved it in my bra. Well... That doesn't work well when you're sweating balls... Literally. I could feel balls of sweat running down my body. I was constantly checking my bra to make sure it hadn't slipped out. I'm sure I looked strange constantly "feeling myself up" but whatever.
So "security" was a lady (because we went through the women line... Obviously) frisking our hips and legs underneath a non-functioning metal detector. Then, if you had a bag it had to go through he security belt. Even when we were waiting for everyone in the shade it was ridiculously hot. I think Seth, the tour guide, said 42 degrees Celsius. So far India has been a pretty dry heat so I haven't been as sweaty even when it is hot. Here it is so wet I pretty much felt wet all day.
Once we were all through security, Seth led us in. After the east gate (there is also a south and west gate), there is a large gate you have to walk through to get to the Taj Mahal. It's a reddish brownish color. I can't remember how tall he said it was. At the top of it, there are 11 bells on each side (made of stone). Each bell represent 1 year of work it took to build the Taj. It took 22 year with a total of 20,000 workers working on it every day.
Shah Jahan married 3 wives. The first 2 could not bear children but the 3rd could. She gave him 14 children in 19 years of marriage. When she was carrying the 14th child, the emperor had to go off to the battlefield. She gave birth and became very ill while he was away. A messenger delivered an incorrect message to the emperor telling him his wife and child were both in good health so that he could stay focused on the battle. The doctors discussed it and decided to tell her he did not have much time left.
She said she wanted to speak to her husband and wouldn't die until he arrived at her side. Once he heard, he rushed back and made it home to her. She asked for 3 wishes from him. The first was he would not remarry. The second was he would look after all 14 of her children since she wouldn't be there to do so. The third was that he should do something to prove his love to her and the rest of the world. She died in 1631.
He then decided to build the Taj. He held a contest for a building design. The man who won was paid 1000 rupees a month. They used white marble because Shah Jahan really liked it. The gold for the building was found about 350km away which was far back then, especially when it was all being hauled into Agra. It's 1 of 2 buildings in India with a double doorway.
Everything on the Taj is symmetrical, even her grave would divide her body in half exactly. The only non-symmetrical thing is his grave because he told his daughter he wanted to be buried next to her mother but he died 30 years after the Taj was built.
Everything colored on the Taj is stone. Nothing was painted. There is a mosque facing west on one side of the Taj but for symmetry purposes they built an identical one on the other side as well.
He pillars were constructed at a 2 degree angle away from the Taj so that if something happened and it was attacked the pillars would fall outward and not destroy the tomb.
There is also writing from the Koran around the building sites and gate. In order to make this look parallel they made it larger on top and smaller on the bottom so it gives the illusion of looking perfectly parallel.
They say the Taj looks like Shah Jahan's tear drop.
I was a little disappointed because the water was not filled but it was still beautiful. When Seth was telling us the history and the story while we were starring at the Taj, it gave me chills. It's so beautiful. The detail of the work and architectural design is incredible as well for something that old.
Shah Jahan didn't want any of the workers to replicate the Taj so he "cut the hand" of each individual and paid their pension for the rest of their lives.
The way the sun hit the marble and made the colored stones sparkle was fantastic. While the sun was setting, the light on the Taj was perfect. It was really cool to see. I still wish the pools had been filled with water because I feel like it would have been so much more magical then.
When you go into the building to see the tomb, the area is circular and pretty small. You are required to take off your shoes or wear shoe covers. They shuffle you through that part pretty quickly. They shove people out while shoving more people in. The guards all have their whistles and are continuously blowing them and shouting at people to keep moving. It wasn't very peaceful for a tomb.
There are rooms surrounding the grab as well that you walk through.
There were monkeys on the railings. I was trying to get a good shot and it was walking toward me but because I was looking through my lens I didn't realize how close the monkey was. When I looked up it freaked me out for a second. While we were at the fort we had also seen monkeys and Seth told us to keep our distance because about 99% of monkeys have rabies. They will bite too. It freaked Stacey out too because she was also trying to take a picture.
While we were walking back from the Taj to the bus the street was lined with shops and therefore it also meant it was lined with shop owners trying to get you in their shops.
One kid selling post cards wouldn't leave me alone so I finally said, "I have no money" and he walked away instantly. That was the best part of not carrying a bag.
At the Taj they have us a complimentary bottle of water. It was a normal size bottle for the US, but the smallest bottle I've seen in India thus far. Not surprisingly, it was also warm.
After the Taj, we went to dinner. It was very good. I had a dish that was cottage cheese dumplings in a sweet gravy with dry fruits and nuts. And obviously naan. I actually didn't originally order any but the waiter said I needed to order some naan or rice. "This only sauce." I had my first beer here too. It is called Kingfisher. It's not amazing but tastes fine.
We spent the evening all crammed into a tiny, very hot room, playing waterfall or kings cup or whatever name you call it. My days of drinking games came in handy because they couldn't remember rules for all the cards.
For the Viking, instead of just holding the Jack and doing it whenever they feel like it, we did it so the person who drew the card did the Viking right away and had to make Viking sounds. The people to either side either rowed to the left if they are on the left of the Viking and vice-a-versa. The rest of the people were water. Then, the Viking has to pass the Viking off to the next person (whoever they choose). It keeps going until someone messes up and has to drink. It was pretty funny.
At one point, it was my turn (toward the end) and the 1 beer I had was gone and I drew a card that meant I had to take 4 sips. They said not having anything to drink is no excuse and to go take some vodka or spiced rum. I had no glass but they insisted I sip from the bottle. I started taking sips from the bottle and everyone couldn't believe i was actually doing it. They were going crazy. I told them I am a heavy drinker at home which I don't think is considered true but they were all like "Yeah! We believe you!" It was funny to me.
We slept with the lights on last night because the fan and lights are controlled by the same switch.
All over Agra; at the fort, the Taj, the restaurant we ate dinner at; there were Stars of David. I asked Z about it and he said that from the beginning of time the rulers in Agra were always about brining all the religions together. There is also the lotus flower from Buddhism, some signs from Christianity, and Hinduism.
Z thinks I'm very quiet because I have only asked him 2 questions. I told him I just like to take everything in.
Apparently I am still shy and not outgoing enough yet. He was nervous I wasn't enjoying it by I reassured him I have been
I always forget that on these group trips there is a lot of drinking. Not that I don't want to have fun but its so hot already that I don't want to dehydrate myself. I also son want to have a hangover or anything when I need to get up to do stuff, especially in this heat. Last night I was okay with it. I had 2 beers all evening, 1 with dinner. It was at the hotel in one of our group members rooms and we don't hav to be anywhere until 1pm!
Cheers!
Exhausted but still blogging late into the night
May 3 5:35pm Delhi time
So today we were left on our own to go do what we wanted. We split into a few different groups last night. I went with 8 other girls and we decided we all needed to sleep in so we called for tuk tuks at 11am.
We went to breakfast at the hotel around 10am. I ordered corn flakes and fruit. Elisabeth also ordered corn flakes and a lassi. Her corn flakes came out but it took about 15 minutes after that for my corn flakes to come out. It is just funny that they can only bring 1 bowl of corn flakes at a time. I think maybe they just forget about things because Marianna had ordered toast and tea and it took her forever to get hers too. My fruit was 2 slices of papaya and 2 bananas.
The tuk tuks picked us up at 11am to drive us to the amber fort. It was a pretty long drive. Maybe 30 minutes. It was outside of the city so we weren't driving through city streets. It was less crazy with the amount of cars but it was still like playing a game of dodge ball or something. We were weaving in and out of people and pigs and cows and huge holes in the road and other vehicles.
Another thing I have noticed is there is so much trash on the streets. There are no waste bins anywhere on the street either. But piles of garbage everywhere. To the point where one road we drove down had piles of black garbage surprise mixture or something ha. No idea how to describe it.
Our tuk tuk driver was actually very nice. He asked us questions and told us about what we were seeing. He also took us to photo sites along the way so we could stop and take pictures.
When we got to the amber fort we had to go up a winding entrance way through a garden. It was really pretty and you could see such beautiful views of the surrounding area. I had my student ID card with me so I got a discounted price on the entry ticket. Only 100 rupees.
On our way up we were being stopped constantly to buy this and look at that and it was all stuff we did not want like hats, umbrellas, these weird wooden doll puppets. it was actually exhausting. more exhausting than climbing all the stairs and walking up the hills.
There were a lot of really steep stairs and passageways and rooms (not covered) to wander through. Some of the walls were decorated very beautifully with mirrors and shiny things. Even the walls of the fort were pretty with multiple colors. There was black and red and brown.
The amber fort was inhabited by the Rajput maharajas and their families. It was built in the 1500s, if I am remembering correctly, and it took 25 years to build! It is known for its artistic style. We saw one of the other groups of our people when we were entering and they had spent about 2 hours wandering around. We only spent about an hour but it seemed like we saw a lot still.
12:01am Delhi time
While we were waiting by the tuk tuks for a few of the other girls we watched 2 different elephants go by. I have a picture of it and there's buses and cars around it and its funny to me. It also made me realize just how big they are and got me excited and also somewhat nervous for the elephant volunteer program. It's gonna be so cool though.
Once we were all back together, the tuk tuk drivers took us to take pictures of the water palace. It wasn't super exciting, but it was nice to look at. It's pretty self explanatory.
At that point they wanted to take us to go see some printing thing... We weren't sure what they were saying. We wanted to go to the tiger palace but they were charging a bunch of money to get there so instead we had them drop us off in the market so we could find a different one. The tiger palace is famous for the sunset activities. It is also a place Zahid told us had a very good restaurant and great view of Jaipur.
We started shopping. Also a very exhausting experience. Every shop owner and their brother and maybe distant friend twice removed was constantly in your face talking to you. "Ma'am, look at this please" "you come look at my store, just look, to make me happy, you no have to buy" "I give you good price" and a million other things. They are all very hospitable. We were always offered a seat (long benches in the shop or pull up chairs of some sort). One guy took the 5 of us in his shop and started showing us blanket after pants after skirts after scarves. None of us even wanted anything. One girl said she already had pants and he said, "yes but not from me! Why you don't want me to be happy?" He also said, "i make beautiful woman happy so I don't die of hunger." Very nice tactic ha.
At the end of the shopping trip I ended up buying 1 pair of these pants... They're crazy looking and they're all over the place. Obviously they match my color scheme. They are nice because they are light weight and allow you to wear them long or short. I only paid about $2.50 for them.
In between shopping we went to LMB for lunch. It was a restaurant Zahid recommended we eat at. They are famous for their sweets but I didn't get any. They also have really good Indian food which I did get. It was so good. I had garlic naan and some Indian dish. I can't remember the same of it now. It was basically slices of cottage cheese in a spicy butter tomato sauce.
We went back to shopping after that and both Elisabeth and I were tired of always having to stop and wait for the other girls so we left and went on our own. We then decided we were so tired from constantly being spoken to and followed and asked to buy this or that that we found a tuk tuk to take us back to the hotel. They always say they know where they are going but they never do. I think it took us about 30 minutes to get back when we were probably about 5 minutes away. It was pretty humorous to me. The guy was constantly pulling to the side of the road and asking people for directions. Finally we made it back though. At that point we only had 40 minutes until we had to meet Zahid for the Bollywood film.
We were so tired but we knew we couldn't sleep because we would never wake up. Unfortunately that meant I drifted off a few times during the movie.
The theater is one of the oldest buildings in Jaipur and it is one of the only theaters left that still allow viewings like this. The inside lobby area was beautiful with nice lights and chandeliers and nice carpet and a lit staircase. They sell pop and popcorn. I was still full from lunch and didn't get any.
The movie was interesting. It was a 3 hour ordeal. There is a maybe 10 minute intermission between the 2 halves. There were no subtitles so it was kind of hard to tell what was happening as a whole. People scream and cheer during it though and at random parts there are dances with an attractive sexy woman. It has nothing to do with the story but Zahid says it is to sell the movie. It happened like 3 times I think. It's pretty strange but also entertaining.
The movie was about this bad guy who wanted to go straighten his life out and become a good guy. So he went to college and tried to do well. But then he got frame or a crime he didn't do and was taken to jail so he was like well being good got me no where. So then he became bad and strong again in jail and learned all these bad things and escaped from jail. Then he wanted to take over the bad guy job in the city of Bombay (where the movie takes place) and there are a number of fight scenes that take place. Then in the end, he ends up getting shot and dying and his girlfriend actually double crosses him and turns him in.
It's a true story. It was called "shootout in wadala". It was a lot of fighting and blood and killing and sex. There were a few rape scenes and people actually cheered during that which was disturbing. There were also sex scenes. And there were 2 young children sitting in front of us so that seemed strange. It was extremely long as well. We started at 630 and got out at 930 or something like that.
Then Zahid took us to a pub. I normally enjoy that but I have been so tired I wasn't really up for it. I also was still full from lunch. But everyone seemed to want to go so I figure I could at least socialize. Cricket games were playing, and Zahid said cricket is the biggest sport in India.
About half of us ended up heading back around 11. Zahid called tuk tuks for us. We ha 6 people and took 2 tuk tuks. The second we got around the corner, they tried to get all 6 of us to fit in one tuk tuk. I don't know why. Maybe so one person could make more money. But we told them no.
We got back and showered... Normal shower, sorry to disappoint with no good bucket shower stories. And I'm staying up late again to write this blog ha. I know I'll appreciate it once I'm home though web though its a huge pain.
Tomorrow morning we get up super early... 5:30am to go catch a train to Agra. It's a 4 hour train ride. Agra is where the Taj Mahal is so that will be cool. Hopefully well have Internet there too. I don't know! My iMessage works on and off so you can try but no guarantees!
So today we were left on our own to go do what we wanted. We split into a few different groups last night. I went with 8 other girls and we decided we all needed to sleep in so we called for tuk tuks at 11am.
We went to breakfast at the hotel around 10am. I ordered corn flakes and fruit. Elisabeth also ordered corn flakes and a lassi. Her corn flakes came out but it took about 15 minutes after that for my corn flakes to come out. It is just funny that they can only bring 1 bowl of corn flakes at a time. I think maybe they just forget about things because Marianna had ordered toast and tea and it took her forever to get hers too. My fruit was 2 slices of papaya and 2 bananas.
The tuk tuks picked us up at 11am to drive us to the amber fort. It was a pretty long drive. Maybe 30 minutes. It was outside of the city so we weren't driving through city streets. It was less crazy with the amount of cars but it was still like playing a game of dodge ball or something. We were weaving in and out of people and pigs and cows and huge holes in the road and other vehicles.
Another thing I have noticed is there is so much trash on the streets. There are no waste bins anywhere on the street either. But piles of garbage everywhere. To the point where one road we drove down had piles of black garbage surprise mixture or something ha. No idea how to describe it.
Our tuk tuk driver was actually very nice. He asked us questions and told us about what we were seeing. He also took us to photo sites along the way so we could stop and take pictures.
When we got to the amber fort we had to go up a winding entrance way through a garden. It was really pretty and you could see such beautiful views of the surrounding area. I had my student ID card with me so I got a discounted price on the entry ticket. Only 100 rupees.
On our way up we were being stopped constantly to buy this and look at that and it was all stuff we did not want like hats, umbrellas, these weird wooden doll puppets. it was actually exhausting. more exhausting than climbing all the stairs and walking up the hills.
There were a lot of really steep stairs and passageways and rooms (not covered) to wander through. Some of the walls were decorated very beautifully with mirrors and shiny things. Even the walls of the fort were pretty with multiple colors. There was black and red and brown.
The amber fort was inhabited by the Rajput maharajas and their families. It was built in the 1500s, if I am remembering correctly, and it took 25 years to build! It is known for its artistic style. We saw one of the other groups of our people when we were entering and they had spent about 2 hours wandering around. We only spent about an hour but it seemed like we saw a lot still.
12:01am Delhi time
While we were waiting by the tuk tuks for a few of the other girls we watched 2 different elephants go by. I have a picture of it and there's buses and cars around it and its funny to me. It also made me realize just how big they are and got me excited and also somewhat nervous for the elephant volunteer program. It's gonna be so cool though.
Once we were all back together, the tuk tuk drivers took us to take pictures of the water palace. It wasn't super exciting, but it was nice to look at. It's pretty self explanatory.
At that point they wanted to take us to go see some printing thing... We weren't sure what they were saying. We wanted to go to the tiger palace but they were charging a bunch of money to get there so instead we had them drop us off in the market so we could find a different one. The tiger palace is famous for the sunset activities. It is also a place Zahid told us had a very good restaurant and great view of Jaipur.
We started shopping. Also a very exhausting experience. Every shop owner and their brother and maybe distant friend twice removed was constantly in your face talking to you. "Ma'am, look at this please" "you come look at my store, just look, to make me happy, you no have to buy" "I give you good price" and a million other things. They are all very hospitable. We were always offered a seat (long benches in the shop or pull up chairs of some sort). One guy took the 5 of us in his shop and started showing us blanket after pants after skirts after scarves. None of us even wanted anything. One girl said she already had pants and he said, "yes but not from me! Why you don't want me to be happy?" He also said, "i make beautiful woman happy so I don't die of hunger." Very nice tactic ha.
At the end of the shopping trip I ended up buying 1 pair of these pants... They're crazy looking and they're all over the place. Obviously they match my color scheme. They are nice because they are light weight and allow you to wear them long or short. I only paid about $2.50 for them.
In between shopping we went to LMB for lunch. It was a restaurant Zahid recommended we eat at. They are famous for their sweets but I didn't get any. They also have really good Indian food which I did get. It was so good. I had garlic naan and some Indian dish. I can't remember the same of it now. It was basically slices of cottage cheese in a spicy butter tomato sauce.
We went back to shopping after that and both Elisabeth and I were tired of always having to stop and wait for the other girls so we left and went on our own. We then decided we were so tired from constantly being spoken to and followed and asked to buy this or that that we found a tuk tuk to take us back to the hotel. They always say they know where they are going but they never do. I think it took us about 30 minutes to get back when we were probably about 5 minutes away. It was pretty humorous to me. The guy was constantly pulling to the side of the road and asking people for directions. Finally we made it back though. At that point we only had 40 minutes until we had to meet Zahid for the Bollywood film.
We were so tired but we knew we couldn't sleep because we would never wake up. Unfortunately that meant I drifted off a few times during the movie.
The theater is one of the oldest buildings in Jaipur and it is one of the only theaters left that still allow viewings like this. The inside lobby area was beautiful with nice lights and chandeliers and nice carpet and a lit staircase. They sell pop and popcorn. I was still full from lunch and didn't get any.
The movie was interesting. It was a 3 hour ordeal. There is a maybe 10 minute intermission between the 2 halves. There were no subtitles so it was kind of hard to tell what was happening as a whole. People scream and cheer during it though and at random parts there are dances with an attractive sexy woman. It has nothing to do with the story but Zahid says it is to sell the movie. It happened like 3 times I think. It's pretty strange but also entertaining.
The movie was about this bad guy who wanted to go straighten his life out and become a good guy. So he went to college and tried to do well. But then he got frame or a crime he didn't do and was taken to jail so he was like well being good got me no where. So then he became bad and strong again in jail and learned all these bad things and escaped from jail. Then he wanted to take over the bad guy job in the city of Bombay (where the movie takes place) and there are a number of fight scenes that take place. Then in the end, he ends up getting shot and dying and his girlfriend actually double crosses him and turns him in.
It's a true story. It was called "shootout in wadala". It was a lot of fighting and blood and killing and sex. There were a few rape scenes and people actually cheered during that which was disturbing. There were also sex scenes. And there were 2 young children sitting in front of us so that seemed strange. It was extremely long as well. We started at 630 and got out at 930 or something like that.
Then Zahid took us to a pub. I normally enjoy that but I have been so tired I wasn't really up for it. I also was still full from lunch. But everyone seemed to want to go so I figure I could at least socialize. Cricket games were playing, and Zahid said cricket is the biggest sport in India.
About half of us ended up heading back around 11. Zahid called tuk tuks for us. We ha 6 people and took 2 tuk tuks. The second we got around the corner, they tried to get all 6 of us to fit in one tuk tuk. I don't know why. Maybe so one person could make more money. But we told them no.
We got back and showered... Normal shower, sorry to disappoint with no good bucket shower stories. And I'm staying up late again to write this blog ha. I know I'll appreciate it once I'm home though web though its a huge pain.
Tomorrow morning we get up super early... 5:30am to go catch a train to Agra. It's a 4 hour train ride. Agra is where the Taj Mahal is so that will be cool. Hopefully well have Internet there too. I don't know! My iMessage works on and off so you can try but no guarantees!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Sensory Overload... Again
May 1 9:51am Delhi time
We're on a bus driving from Pushkar to Jaipur. The wildlife on the side of the road still gets me. Like oh, there's 15 monkeys... I don't think I will ever get used to that.
Zahid hired a private bus for us. We're supposed to take a public bus but he thinks everyone is more comfortable this way. There are actually 2 cabins. We are in the back cabin... It's like a normal private bus at home but without air conditioning. Then, there is a front cabin that allows the driver to pick up locals along the way to make a little bit of extra money.
At the hotel they tried to charge Elisabeth and I for 3 waters. They were ones we had already bought elsewhere and left in the garbage. We told them we had already paid and they didn't argue. That seems to be a normal scam because it happened at the last hotel to other girls as well. It is strange though because there is no mini bar or anything so I'm not sure how we could get water without paying for it.
A lot of men have bright orange hair. They use henna to dye their hair and there are only 3 color options. I actually saw an older woman today with the bright orange hair as well. It's rather funny although I didn't notice it really until someone pointe it out so it must not be too noticeable?
We have a 4.5 hour bus ride to Jaipur. I think we may try to get tickets to a Bollywood show tonight. (Zahid said we will try for tomorrow evening because right now the only thing playing is a horror movie which he said would be too hard to understand. There are no subtitles and the experience will be about 3 hours long. He said Friday is when a new movie comes out so if he gets tickets then it will be interesting. He said people scream and shout and clap and it is fun and crazy. The theater is also the oldest in Jaipur.)
The girls from Norway all watch New Girl and Game of Thrones. Ha. Great shows.
I just saw a dead animal in the road and it reminded me of this. In Delhi, on our way to the train station, there were puppies playing in the street and our driver ran over one of them. It was a terrible high pitch, sad, whimpering noise. Clearly the life of a cow is a better choice, at least in India. There weren't as many dogs in Pushkar, or really even any. (There haven't been a ton in Jaipur either so far. At least no where near as many as there were in Delhi. But we saw a dog on a leash today for the first time).
10:41am Delhi time
Ok. We drove past houses and apartments. It seemed like a more wealthy area but I don't know where we were exactly. There were also what looked to be huge gated private estates as well. They're like in Israel kind of. Made out of cement- very flat facades. Boxy.
11:34am Delhi time
We stopped at a place on the side of the road. I bought water and a bag of chips and it was 130 rupees. My lunch yesterday, vegetable korma, was 130 rupees. I also am not sure if I will drink the water. It's sealed but you can lift the cap and seal off pretty easily. I only noticed because when I opened the bottle both parts came off before I broke the seal. It was expensive for water but i would rather be safe than sorry haha. We also waited for a while for the driver to eat lunch. Ha. Never in America.
Also on the train the other day they passed out English newspapers. Apparently there are 1.2 million people in India and both the literacy rate and the female birth rate are increasing. That's a lot of people ha.
11:46pm Delhi time
When we got to Jaipur we went straight to the hotel. We ordered lunch and I had mushroom curry which was very good. The hotel is super nice. It looks like a palace or museum on the walls inside he lobby. Pictures and paintings and history and colorful rugs and furniture. The room is nice as well. There are archways above the beds and there is even a bath tub! Most of them have little spickets with a drain and buckets in the same room with the toilet and sink. No walls or barriers or anything. I actually took a shower this morning in Pushkar but there was a shower head so I didn't have to use the buckets.
After lunch we had about an hour and a half before our orientation walk with Zahid. I was so tired I went back to the room and took a nap. Most people went to the pool.
We met Zahid and began to wander IMO the city. Holy shit. I thought Delhi was overwhelming but wow! Jaipur is crazy too! There are people all over the place and a lot of vehicles. All you hear every second is horns honking. Zahid actually got hit on his hand by a car driving by today. You just have to walk into the middle of the road when you want to cross because if you wait, no one will ever let you in. If you go they stop. It's still scary though.
We are staying in the new city but we walked to the old city. It is called the pink city because when the price arrived it was all pink, which in Hindu is a welcoming color. It made him happy so he called it the pink city. Now it is more of a red color. There is a large entrance way with arches at the entrance of the old city. Everything there is the way it was 100 years ago. Well, it's supposed to be. The shops all have to have the same written script style and colors (white background, black writing) for their signs. They are technically only allowed to have the ground floor and 1 level above it but people with money have built other levels illegally. The government has the right to tear it down at any point in time. Z also said there are about 6 million people living in and around Jaipur. 4.5 million in he city I think and the rest on the outskirts. Many of the people with market stands set up everyday because they live in surrounding villages. This market is different from in pushkar. There were a lot of flowers being sold as necklaces and perfumes made from opium. It smelled very good. Jaipur is also famous for their jewelry so there are a lot of people selling bangles, the colorful jeweled bracelets. Many people had fruit or vegetable stands as well. When I say stand I don't necessarily mean that. Some people just had a blanket laid out with their fruit on it on the side of the road.
We walked along the side of the road in between people selling things on their blankets and the cars. That was weird. There was one guy who was on a bike and literally was driving very slow next to one of the girls just starring at her. It was creepy. But you also are getting honked at a million times and trying to navigate around the people and not step on products being sold and not get hit by vehicles. I told Z it was busy and he said that this wasn't busy. Ha. Oh boy.
He took us up on top of a roof so we could get some nice pictures of the small square and the street. There was a man below who kept gesturing at us to take pictures of him and then asking for money. We all took pictures but didn't give him any money.
We then were taken to a spice shop. I really wanted to get a mixed bag of spices for Shirley, but I don't have enough space in my bag yet to buy things. Plus, I know there will probably be a lot of good spices other places. The man in the store did tell us about the spices and let us smell them. He also told us how to cook the chai tea we had on the camel safari that was so good. It's basically malaki tea with milk, a little bit of water, a spoon full of malaki and sugar to taste. I didn't buy any of that either. It was tempting though.
On our way to a jewelry store, we stopped for some lassi. It's basically like a smoothie. They use curd to make it. I had a small one that had mango flavoring. It was really good and only 25 rupees which I think is like 50 cents or so. They serve them in pottery mud cups to help with the flavor. It was cold and refreshing.
We went to a jewelry shop that is the oldest in Jaipur. I think he said it is 300 years old. They have their own factory in the basement and we got to have a tour of that which was really cool to see. All of their designs are hand drawn, nothing is computer generated. It takes between 60 and 90 days to make one of the pieces of jewelry they showed us which was a jeweled necklace. They do everything by hand including cutting, polishing, design, set and check the jewelry before it is sold. It was pretty cool to see. When we were looking around the shop we had someone from the store with each of us showing us the jewelry. I think my guy was a little disappointed when he asked me what I do and I told him I am a student. The designs are very unique and very beautiful. They are known for that though so yeah. Most f the jewelry in Jaipur is made at this store and then other stores buy it and display it in their shops.
After that we went to dinner. I had butter chicken and naan. It was so good. It was a dish Z recommended.
I hit up the ATM for the first time. Wasn't too exciting. But earlier today, Z told us not to accept any ripped or torn money because the bank will not accept it and once you get it you're stuck with it. So at lunch it was pretty humorous when they kept giving us change and trying to get rid of a ripped 100 rupee bill. It was a huge group of us and we were all like uh, can I have a different one? He was running out of change so he seemed frustrated but I don't want money I can't use! At dinner I was nervous as well because I had 2 500 rupee bills that were taped in the middle. They accepted them though!
On the way back from dinner we paid 30 rupee each to get a tuk tuk back. This was an insane experience! I've already talke about the driving. But wow. Everyone just zooms past each other! We actually went directly into oncoming traffic for at least a few blocks. The tuk tuk has a little bench in the back. The whole thing, including where the driver sits is covered by a roof. The sides are open. The tuk tuk is like a moped kind of. That's what the steering handles look like, with brakes on the handle bars. It makes that noise as well when you're driving it. Always constant honking. I'm coming through whether you move or not! Pretty much is what the honking means in my head.
Some of the girls rode in a tuk tuk that had rope lights around the inside and was blasting music. It was funny.
The rest of the evening we just hung out at the hotel and talked for a while. All in all a good day.
I don't think I've talked about smells though. But it also doesn't really occur to me. It's a lot like Budapest where someone's there are just areas that smell like piss and feces. But it is also crazy because there are a million different smells. I don't think I can even describe the ones I want to talk about. I'll try to think about how to do that. There are smells apart from the food and flowers and stuff. Like the people have distinct smells as well. That's weird but I don't know how else to describe it.
I think that's it for tonight. My iMessage isn't working right now so if you tried to message me and didn't hear back, it's not because I'm ignoring you.
We're on a bus driving from Pushkar to Jaipur. The wildlife on the side of the road still gets me. Like oh, there's 15 monkeys... I don't think I will ever get used to that.
Zahid hired a private bus for us. We're supposed to take a public bus but he thinks everyone is more comfortable this way. There are actually 2 cabins. We are in the back cabin... It's like a normal private bus at home but without air conditioning. Then, there is a front cabin that allows the driver to pick up locals along the way to make a little bit of extra money.
At the hotel they tried to charge Elisabeth and I for 3 waters. They were ones we had already bought elsewhere and left in the garbage. We told them we had already paid and they didn't argue. That seems to be a normal scam because it happened at the last hotel to other girls as well. It is strange though because there is no mini bar or anything so I'm not sure how we could get water without paying for it.
A lot of men have bright orange hair. They use henna to dye their hair and there are only 3 color options. I actually saw an older woman today with the bright orange hair as well. It's rather funny although I didn't notice it really until someone pointe it out so it must not be too noticeable?
We have a 4.5 hour bus ride to Jaipur. I think we may try to get tickets to a Bollywood show tonight. (Zahid said we will try for tomorrow evening because right now the only thing playing is a horror movie which he said would be too hard to understand. There are no subtitles and the experience will be about 3 hours long. He said Friday is when a new movie comes out so if he gets tickets then it will be interesting. He said people scream and shout and clap and it is fun and crazy. The theater is also the oldest in Jaipur.)
The girls from Norway all watch New Girl and Game of Thrones. Ha. Great shows.
I just saw a dead animal in the road and it reminded me of this. In Delhi, on our way to the train station, there were puppies playing in the street and our driver ran over one of them. It was a terrible high pitch, sad, whimpering noise. Clearly the life of a cow is a better choice, at least in India. There weren't as many dogs in Pushkar, or really even any. (There haven't been a ton in Jaipur either so far. At least no where near as many as there were in Delhi. But we saw a dog on a leash today for the first time).
10:41am Delhi time
Ok. We drove past houses and apartments. It seemed like a more wealthy area but I don't know where we were exactly. There were also what looked to be huge gated private estates as well. They're like in Israel kind of. Made out of cement- very flat facades. Boxy.
11:34am Delhi time
We stopped at a place on the side of the road. I bought water and a bag of chips and it was 130 rupees. My lunch yesterday, vegetable korma, was 130 rupees. I also am not sure if I will drink the water. It's sealed but you can lift the cap and seal off pretty easily. I only noticed because when I opened the bottle both parts came off before I broke the seal. It was expensive for water but i would rather be safe than sorry haha. We also waited for a while for the driver to eat lunch. Ha. Never in America.
Also on the train the other day they passed out English newspapers. Apparently there are 1.2 million people in India and both the literacy rate and the female birth rate are increasing. That's a lot of people ha.
11:46pm Delhi time
When we got to Jaipur we went straight to the hotel. We ordered lunch and I had mushroom curry which was very good. The hotel is super nice. It looks like a palace or museum on the walls inside he lobby. Pictures and paintings and history and colorful rugs and furniture. The room is nice as well. There are archways above the beds and there is even a bath tub! Most of them have little spickets with a drain and buckets in the same room with the toilet and sink. No walls or barriers or anything. I actually took a shower this morning in Pushkar but there was a shower head so I didn't have to use the buckets.
After lunch we had about an hour and a half before our orientation walk with Zahid. I was so tired I went back to the room and took a nap. Most people went to the pool.
We met Zahid and began to wander IMO the city. Holy shit. I thought Delhi was overwhelming but wow! Jaipur is crazy too! There are people all over the place and a lot of vehicles. All you hear every second is horns honking. Zahid actually got hit on his hand by a car driving by today. You just have to walk into the middle of the road when you want to cross because if you wait, no one will ever let you in. If you go they stop. It's still scary though.
We are staying in the new city but we walked to the old city. It is called the pink city because when the price arrived it was all pink, which in Hindu is a welcoming color. It made him happy so he called it the pink city. Now it is more of a red color. There is a large entrance way with arches at the entrance of the old city. Everything there is the way it was 100 years ago. Well, it's supposed to be. The shops all have to have the same written script style and colors (white background, black writing) for their signs. They are technically only allowed to have the ground floor and 1 level above it but people with money have built other levels illegally. The government has the right to tear it down at any point in time. Z also said there are about 6 million people living in and around Jaipur. 4.5 million in he city I think and the rest on the outskirts. Many of the people with market stands set up everyday because they live in surrounding villages. This market is different from in pushkar. There were a lot of flowers being sold as necklaces and perfumes made from opium. It smelled very good. Jaipur is also famous for their jewelry so there are a lot of people selling bangles, the colorful jeweled bracelets. Many people had fruit or vegetable stands as well. When I say stand I don't necessarily mean that. Some people just had a blanket laid out with their fruit on it on the side of the road.
We walked along the side of the road in between people selling things on their blankets and the cars. That was weird. There was one guy who was on a bike and literally was driving very slow next to one of the girls just starring at her. It was creepy. But you also are getting honked at a million times and trying to navigate around the people and not step on products being sold and not get hit by vehicles. I told Z it was busy and he said that this wasn't busy. Ha. Oh boy.
He took us up on top of a roof so we could get some nice pictures of the small square and the street. There was a man below who kept gesturing at us to take pictures of him and then asking for money. We all took pictures but didn't give him any money.
We then were taken to a spice shop. I really wanted to get a mixed bag of spices for Shirley, but I don't have enough space in my bag yet to buy things. Plus, I know there will probably be a lot of good spices other places. The man in the store did tell us about the spices and let us smell them. He also told us how to cook the chai tea we had on the camel safari that was so good. It's basically malaki tea with milk, a little bit of water, a spoon full of malaki and sugar to taste. I didn't buy any of that either. It was tempting though.
On our way to a jewelry store, we stopped for some lassi. It's basically like a smoothie. They use curd to make it. I had a small one that had mango flavoring. It was really good and only 25 rupees which I think is like 50 cents or so. They serve them in pottery mud cups to help with the flavor. It was cold and refreshing.
We went to a jewelry shop that is the oldest in Jaipur. I think he said it is 300 years old. They have their own factory in the basement and we got to have a tour of that which was really cool to see. All of their designs are hand drawn, nothing is computer generated. It takes between 60 and 90 days to make one of the pieces of jewelry they showed us which was a jeweled necklace. They do everything by hand including cutting, polishing, design, set and check the jewelry before it is sold. It was pretty cool to see. When we were looking around the shop we had someone from the store with each of us showing us the jewelry. I think my guy was a little disappointed when he asked me what I do and I told him I am a student. The designs are very unique and very beautiful. They are known for that though so yeah. Most f the jewelry in Jaipur is made at this store and then other stores buy it and display it in their shops.
After that we went to dinner. I had butter chicken and naan. It was so good. It was a dish Z recommended.
I hit up the ATM for the first time. Wasn't too exciting. But earlier today, Z told us not to accept any ripped or torn money because the bank will not accept it and once you get it you're stuck with it. So at lunch it was pretty humorous when they kept giving us change and trying to get rid of a ripped 100 rupee bill. It was a huge group of us and we were all like uh, can I have a different one? He was running out of change so he seemed frustrated but I don't want money I can't use! At dinner I was nervous as well because I had 2 500 rupee bills that were taped in the middle. They accepted them though!
On the way back from dinner we paid 30 rupee each to get a tuk tuk back. This was an insane experience! I've already talke about the driving. But wow. Everyone just zooms past each other! We actually went directly into oncoming traffic for at least a few blocks. The tuk tuk has a little bench in the back. The whole thing, including where the driver sits is covered by a roof. The sides are open. The tuk tuk is like a moped kind of. That's what the steering handles look like, with brakes on the handle bars. It makes that noise as well when you're driving it. Always constant honking. I'm coming through whether you move or not! Pretty much is what the honking means in my head.
Some of the girls rode in a tuk tuk that had rope lights around the inside and was blasting music. It was funny.
The rest of the evening we just hung out at the hotel and talked for a while. All in all a good day.
I don't think I've talked about smells though. But it also doesn't really occur to me. It's a lot like Budapest where someone's there are just areas that smell like piss and feces. But it is also crazy because there are a million different smells. I don't think I can even describe the ones I want to talk about. I'll try to think about how to do that. There are smells apart from the food and flowers and stuff. Like the people have distinct smells as well. That's weird but I don't know how else to describe it.
I think that's it for tonight. My iMessage isn't working right now so if you tried to message me and didn't hear back, it's not because I'm ignoring you.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Camels through the Desert
April 31
5:49am Delhi time
We've already been up for an hour now. We loaded all our stuff into cabs. If it isn't obvious, cabs here aren't like at home. It's kinda like a small van with forward and backward facing seats and luggage carriers on the top. I noticed them strap the luggage to the car when we arrived on pushkar but I didn't notice that in Delhi. I kept waiting for us to lose a bag.
I have only taken like 10 or 15 pictures. Normally I would have at least 50 by now. I think it's hard to even think about pictures when everyone is bustling past you. It would have been nice to take pictures of the street or market or the ridiculous amounts of traffic.
It's also really hard to determine when it is okay to take a picture. I struggled with this in photo class too. When taking pictures of other people, technically you are invading their privacy even though it seems harmless. You're supposed to ask enforce you take pictures of people. I'll need to work on this. It is also hard in general to stop and take a picture when everything is so fast moving around you. Plus the second you stop in Delhi someone comes up to ask you a million questions. And I don't want to be rude and take pictures of people's misfortune or low socioeconomic status.
The businesses are all crammed together. Kind of like in Europe... Maybe most like Greece but there's still a difference. They're practically on top of one another, signs overlap even, and they are very run down.
Yesterday, Julia and I walked past a dairy stand that was closed. All the product was behind a black piece of fabric. You could have just lifted it up and taken something I'd you had wanted.
I'm not sure if its like in Europe in the sense that people live above the shops or not. I don't even know if I have seen a house. An alarming number of people sleep on the streets. Many park their various vehicles of transportation on the side (the same vehicle they transport people around in all day) of the road. They drape themselves over their bikes or sleep in the back of their trucks or tuk tuks. There were groups of people sleeping together on the sidewalk. Single men with a massive stack of blankets... Like huge, so they're practically standing but more leaning into the blankets a little bit. We passed people sleeping in their businesses (one that sticks out is a man sleeping on the couch of a tourist office). When we got to the train station a bunch of people were sleeping on the floor at the entrance as well.
Our CEO told us that a lot of people have really bad standards of living and aren't paid very much at work. As a tour group we try to tip them a little bit to help them out. We are doing a collective group tipping. We each paid 1000 rupees for all 15 days of the trip. So basically for 2 weeks I am tipping a total of $20 (there is approximately 2 dollars per 100 rupees.
He also said not to give kids begging money because then it teaches them that is an acceptable way to live. That's why you see children with their limbs cut off because their parents think they'll make more money then. Yesterday in the market, kid kept walking alongside us and tapping our arms asking for money until they realized we weren't going to give them anything. When we were on our way to the train station and stopped in traffic there were children going around to cars as well asking for money at the windows.
We're on a train to pushkar now. It's a very holy city, so much so that even alcohol, meats, and eggs are not allowed in the city.
The train is pretty nice and spacious. Although, I am way too short to lift my bag above my head and put it on the luggage rack. Apparently being vertically challenged is an issue internationally and not just in the US. So, my bag is in front of me in between my legs. Not super comfy for a 6.5 hr train ride but it will do. I'm sure I look ridiculous with my bag too. I bet it goes at least a foot above my head when I'm wearing it... If not more. It's pretty heavy too but when it's on my back the weight is distributed pretty evenly. I feel like I don't even have that much stuff but clearly I do.
Now for 6.5 hours on the train!
9:06am Delhi time
They came around and gave us bottled waters and crackers. Later they served breakfast which was some type of shaped mushy potato thing with a side of carrots and green beans. There was also a mango juice box which I didn't drink and bagged bread. The first time I had experienced box wine was with Alyssa in France on a picnic in the park. I have never had to tear open my bread from a sealed paper bag. There was even a description telling us that the Egyptians were the first to add yeast to bread to make it rise. So strange. Honestly it tasted good though. So, I guess boxed and bagged things are on the yes list.
There are also people from Austria here. And my roommate got drunk in Thailand and approached a dog too quickly and was bitten. She may have rabies and has to get the 5 shot series. She also stopped taking her malaria pills because the chance of getting it is so small... No thanks though, I'll not take that chance and keep taking my pills.
I'm assuming it is the makati me but last night when I was finishing up my blog post and drifting off I had weird imagery and sounds going on. I don't know how to describe it yet because it hasn't happened enough. It kinda reminds me of schizophrenia- although I knew it wasn't reality. It just somewhat felt like it at the time haha. Basically, I apologize if something in the blog last nigh toward the end made no sense.
3pm Delhi time
Pushkar is so beautiful. It is near the water and in the mountains. The views are breath taking.
For lunch I had vegetable korma and naan. Yum yum. We ate at our hotel. It's actually really nice. Which I wasn't expecting based on what I was seeing when we drove in.
The city is still busy, but it is different from the business of Delhi. More of the women are wearing saris and for some reason it is more what I think of when I think of India. There are monkeys and cattle all over. The vehicles look a bit different but are still similar. We rode here in a van. 1 and the driver in the front, 3 in the middle and then the back has 2 benches facing to the middle of the van and we squeezed 4 of us back there.
The people here are thinner than those in Delhi as well. It is more houses and buildings rather than store fronts crammed every which way.
It is hotter here than it was in Delhi too. Pushkar is in the dessert. I'm actually laying out by the pool right now writing this. I'm so white.
The 2 joiners are American. I think nick is from Alaska. I don't know where Steven is from. I didn't even know they were American until I saw their passports to be honest ha. So I'm not the only American here anymore.
12am Delhi time
I won't go into detail but holy moly did I have a menstral disaster on the train. I also had my first hole toilet experience on this trip. not bad. probably because i had used them before? it was also light outside. Again, quick dry clothing came in handy and Sarah, you are right. That exofficio underwear is amazing. Moving on...
After lunch and the pool, we headed to the market. I love markets. This was really cool. It reminded me of some of the markets in Italy with all the stalls lined up right next to each other so it makes a path down the street. Many people were just sitting in their stalls further back in the shade. There was one woman who was laying on the floor with her back to the street watching tv. I thought that was kind of funny. I don't know if they sleep in their shops or if they go home to somewhere. There were so many colors and different items to look at from clothing to knives to jewelry and other things. Pretty much normal market stuff actually. It was kind of cool too because there were a fair amount of Hebrew signs. I am assuming because this is a holy city and Israel is holy as well, but that is just a guess. We didn't really have time to shop but we will shop in Jaipur which has great markets as well. I kept laughing to myself when we were walking through the market though. I would be terrible here. It seems like most people just sit around all day and wait. Tonto and Chris can attest to the fact that I can't sit still for more than like 3 minutes. I would for sure go insane. Or drive everyone else around me bonkers... Most likely that one haha.
I am kind of upset because I am having a really difficult time paying attention when our CEO, Zahid, tells us things. I miss a lot about the history which is really a bummer. Today he was talking about the story of the brahma temple and the mythologies and such. There's just so many other things to pay attention to I can't focus on all of it at once. But basically there are 3 gods, the trinity, and one of them was married to one or something like that and when she left he went with another one and when she got back she was angry. So now pushkar is the only place of the one gods temple because she wouldn't let him be worshiped elsewhere as punishment. I realize that was terrible so sorry ha. I'm trying my best. Zahid also said there are about 200 temples in pushkar. All over the place!
In the middle of the market we got to the brahma temple (spelling?) which I think is the one that can't be worshipped elsewhere. You had to leave your shoes and belongings outside to go up. We ascended a staircase and at the top was the temple. It was a lot of white and black marble with the language engraved in the stone. It was not super exciting actually. It was pretty small and the marble was very hot where the sun was shining directly on it. We were told to make sure we don't accept flowers while in the town because it is mandatory that if you accept a flower you must pray. He said it sometimes turns into a scam and you end up paying a bunch of money. You had the option to collect flowers at the top of the temple. I passed...
From there we went to go see another area I don't remember what it was called. It was beautiful though. There were temples and the pushkar lake. If you walk within 30 feet of the lake you have to remove your shoes. We stayed up further on the stairs. It was all white marble again.
Then we went to go to a camel ride! It was like Israel all over again. But the camels are not nearly as fat here. We rode camels for 2 hour through the desert. At first it was great but then I started running out of water and wanting to fall asleep because of the hot sun beating down on us. I was scared I was going to pass out for a hot second. It would have been entertaining I'm sure... As long as it didn't result in accidental death by camel stomping or something ha. A lot of people were complaining of being sore but I haven't noticed or felt that yet. Maybe I just got lucky? Or I'm more flexible than other people? I don't know. I'm fine with not being sore though. While we were riding we passed a few different communities f people. There were a few tents and a handful of people. One kid by where the camels drank water was playing with a goat. It was kind of strange to watch but cute.
I am sorry that I am not posting photos. I don't know how to do it through my phone yet. I know that would make this more enjoyable.
When we got to our stop, we hopped off the camels... Mine was named Mr. Joansie... And went to take a seat outside. There were blankets laid out with places for us to sit and little tables... But like so you could sit on the floor and eat off it still... We were given water, thank god ha. And some amazing chai tea. It was so good. Then we saw a magic show, the guy was very good. The sun set toward the end of that and we waited for our other entertainment to arrive. They used to do snake charming but in the past few year that has been outlawed because of animal cruelty. Now they make their money trough entertainment and dancing. We got to do some Indian dancing which is pretty fun! Fire was involved an even fire eating.
Finally at like 9 pm maybe we got our food. Lots of naan, a hard piece of spicy thing bread, and 2 balls, one we crushed in our hand into our lentils and ate. The other was a sweet roll and it tasted like cookie dough... Snickerdoodle-ish. There was also cooked vegetables and a pickle... Not a pickle like we think... more like spicy chutney. I'm not sure why it's called pickle. It was a ton of food and I couldn't finish all of it and I felt bad for wasting it. Retrospectively, i don't know if I really want hungry or if I was put off after being told they cook their food over cow dung to give it flavor. We also had to dress in traditional clothing. Cute! I didn't get the colors I wanted but it was only for a few hours so I didn't care too much. It was really long though and made dancing difficult. Thank you again to being vertically challenged!
The stars were gorgeous. You could see everything. It was very peaceful.
They finally kicked us out, which at that point I was ready because I was so tired! I think this will be a common theme. No complaints though. Just noticing my state of mind. On the drive home we took a van and squeezed in the trunk again. I again was surprised by the number of people out on the streets. It wasn't nearly as busy as Delhi but for a smaller town at 10pm it seemed busy.
I did better today... Took about 140 photos. Back to my old self!
In the van on the way back people were talking about getting black out drunk on their journies. I get wanting to have fun and I get wanting to go partying but it blows my mind that people get trashed in a foreign country they don't know how to navigate when they are by themselves. Like we have all had our fair share of shit shows at home or school but what?! I guess I'm just not adventurous enough. I won't be venturing toward that though anytime soon I don't think. One guy woke up on a rock and couldn't remember 4 hours of his night.
Anyway, I'm trying to keep up with this blog thing so that was today and I need to go to bed. It's almost 1am here and we have another early morning. Not as early... We had the option to get up at 5 again to go hike to one of the temples on a hill for sunrise and while I'm sure that would be amazing, I need to kick this cold and try to rest. I still need to get up pretty early though. We are leaving for Jaipur at 9am. We need to be packed and ready to go and eat breakfast. I need to tackle the bucket shower again too.
5:49am Delhi time
We've already been up for an hour now. We loaded all our stuff into cabs. If it isn't obvious, cabs here aren't like at home. It's kinda like a small van with forward and backward facing seats and luggage carriers on the top. I noticed them strap the luggage to the car when we arrived on pushkar but I didn't notice that in Delhi. I kept waiting for us to lose a bag.
I have only taken like 10 or 15 pictures. Normally I would have at least 50 by now. I think it's hard to even think about pictures when everyone is bustling past you. It would have been nice to take pictures of the street or market or the ridiculous amounts of traffic.
It's also really hard to determine when it is okay to take a picture. I struggled with this in photo class too. When taking pictures of other people, technically you are invading their privacy even though it seems harmless. You're supposed to ask enforce you take pictures of people. I'll need to work on this. It is also hard in general to stop and take a picture when everything is so fast moving around you. Plus the second you stop in Delhi someone comes up to ask you a million questions. And I don't want to be rude and take pictures of people's misfortune or low socioeconomic status.
The businesses are all crammed together. Kind of like in Europe... Maybe most like Greece but there's still a difference. They're practically on top of one another, signs overlap even, and they are very run down.
Yesterday, Julia and I walked past a dairy stand that was closed. All the product was behind a black piece of fabric. You could have just lifted it up and taken something I'd you had wanted.
I'm not sure if its like in Europe in the sense that people live above the shops or not. I don't even know if I have seen a house. An alarming number of people sleep on the streets. Many park their various vehicles of transportation on the side (the same vehicle they transport people around in all day) of the road. They drape themselves over their bikes or sleep in the back of their trucks or tuk tuks. There were groups of people sleeping together on the sidewalk. Single men with a massive stack of blankets... Like huge, so they're practically standing but more leaning into the blankets a little bit. We passed people sleeping in their businesses (one that sticks out is a man sleeping on the couch of a tourist office). When we got to the train station a bunch of people were sleeping on the floor at the entrance as well.
Our CEO told us that a lot of people have really bad standards of living and aren't paid very much at work. As a tour group we try to tip them a little bit to help them out. We are doing a collective group tipping. We each paid 1000 rupees for all 15 days of the trip. So basically for 2 weeks I am tipping a total of $20 (there is approximately 2 dollars per 100 rupees.
He also said not to give kids begging money because then it teaches them that is an acceptable way to live. That's why you see children with their limbs cut off because their parents think they'll make more money then. Yesterday in the market, kid kept walking alongside us and tapping our arms asking for money until they realized we weren't going to give them anything. When we were on our way to the train station and stopped in traffic there were children going around to cars as well asking for money at the windows.
We're on a train to pushkar now. It's a very holy city, so much so that even alcohol, meats, and eggs are not allowed in the city.
The train is pretty nice and spacious. Although, I am way too short to lift my bag above my head and put it on the luggage rack. Apparently being vertically challenged is an issue internationally and not just in the US. So, my bag is in front of me in between my legs. Not super comfy for a 6.5 hr train ride but it will do. I'm sure I look ridiculous with my bag too. I bet it goes at least a foot above my head when I'm wearing it... If not more. It's pretty heavy too but when it's on my back the weight is distributed pretty evenly. I feel like I don't even have that much stuff but clearly I do.
Now for 6.5 hours on the train!
9:06am Delhi time
They came around and gave us bottled waters and crackers. Later they served breakfast which was some type of shaped mushy potato thing with a side of carrots and green beans. There was also a mango juice box which I didn't drink and bagged bread. The first time I had experienced box wine was with Alyssa in France on a picnic in the park. I have never had to tear open my bread from a sealed paper bag. There was even a description telling us that the Egyptians were the first to add yeast to bread to make it rise. So strange. Honestly it tasted good though. So, I guess boxed and bagged things are on the yes list.
There are also people from Austria here. And my roommate got drunk in Thailand and approached a dog too quickly and was bitten. She may have rabies and has to get the 5 shot series. She also stopped taking her malaria pills because the chance of getting it is so small... No thanks though, I'll not take that chance and keep taking my pills.
I'm assuming it is the makati me but last night when I was finishing up my blog post and drifting off I had weird imagery and sounds going on. I don't know how to describe it yet because it hasn't happened enough. It kinda reminds me of schizophrenia- although I knew it wasn't reality. It just somewhat felt like it at the time haha. Basically, I apologize if something in the blog last nigh toward the end made no sense.
3pm Delhi time
Pushkar is so beautiful. It is near the water and in the mountains. The views are breath taking.
For lunch I had vegetable korma and naan. Yum yum. We ate at our hotel. It's actually really nice. Which I wasn't expecting based on what I was seeing when we drove in.
The city is still busy, but it is different from the business of Delhi. More of the women are wearing saris and for some reason it is more what I think of when I think of India. There are monkeys and cattle all over. The vehicles look a bit different but are still similar. We rode here in a van. 1 and the driver in the front, 3 in the middle and then the back has 2 benches facing to the middle of the van and we squeezed 4 of us back there.
The people here are thinner than those in Delhi as well. It is more houses and buildings rather than store fronts crammed every which way.
It is hotter here than it was in Delhi too. Pushkar is in the dessert. I'm actually laying out by the pool right now writing this. I'm so white.
The 2 joiners are American. I think nick is from Alaska. I don't know where Steven is from. I didn't even know they were American until I saw their passports to be honest ha. So I'm not the only American here anymore.
12am Delhi time
I won't go into detail but holy moly did I have a menstral disaster on the train. I also had my first hole toilet experience on this trip. not bad. probably because i had used them before? it was also light outside. Again, quick dry clothing came in handy and Sarah, you are right. That exofficio underwear is amazing. Moving on...
After lunch and the pool, we headed to the market. I love markets. This was really cool. It reminded me of some of the markets in Italy with all the stalls lined up right next to each other so it makes a path down the street. Many people were just sitting in their stalls further back in the shade. There was one woman who was laying on the floor with her back to the street watching tv. I thought that was kind of funny. I don't know if they sleep in their shops or if they go home to somewhere. There were so many colors and different items to look at from clothing to knives to jewelry and other things. Pretty much normal market stuff actually. It was kind of cool too because there were a fair amount of Hebrew signs. I am assuming because this is a holy city and Israel is holy as well, but that is just a guess. We didn't really have time to shop but we will shop in Jaipur which has great markets as well. I kept laughing to myself when we were walking through the market though. I would be terrible here. It seems like most people just sit around all day and wait. Tonto and Chris can attest to the fact that I can't sit still for more than like 3 minutes. I would for sure go insane. Or drive everyone else around me bonkers... Most likely that one haha.
I am kind of upset because I am having a really difficult time paying attention when our CEO, Zahid, tells us things. I miss a lot about the history which is really a bummer. Today he was talking about the story of the brahma temple and the mythologies and such. There's just so many other things to pay attention to I can't focus on all of it at once. But basically there are 3 gods, the trinity, and one of them was married to one or something like that and when she left he went with another one and when she got back she was angry. So now pushkar is the only place of the one gods temple because she wouldn't let him be worshiped elsewhere as punishment. I realize that was terrible so sorry ha. I'm trying my best. Zahid also said there are about 200 temples in pushkar. All over the place!
In the middle of the market we got to the brahma temple (spelling?) which I think is the one that can't be worshipped elsewhere. You had to leave your shoes and belongings outside to go up. We ascended a staircase and at the top was the temple. It was a lot of white and black marble with the language engraved in the stone. It was not super exciting actually. It was pretty small and the marble was very hot where the sun was shining directly on it. We were told to make sure we don't accept flowers while in the town because it is mandatory that if you accept a flower you must pray. He said it sometimes turns into a scam and you end up paying a bunch of money. You had the option to collect flowers at the top of the temple. I passed...
From there we went to go see another area I don't remember what it was called. It was beautiful though. There were temples and the pushkar lake. If you walk within 30 feet of the lake you have to remove your shoes. We stayed up further on the stairs. It was all white marble again.
Then we went to go to a camel ride! It was like Israel all over again. But the camels are not nearly as fat here. We rode camels for 2 hour through the desert. At first it was great but then I started running out of water and wanting to fall asleep because of the hot sun beating down on us. I was scared I was going to pass out for a hot second. It would have been entertaining I'm sure... As long as it didn't result in accidental death by camel stomping or something ha. A lot of people were complaining of being sore but I haven't noticed or felt that yet. Maybe I just got lucky? Or I'm more flexible than other people? I don't know. I'm fine with not being sore though. While we were riding we passed a few different communities f people. There were a few tents and a handful of people. One kid by where the camels drank water was playing with a goat. It was kind of strange to watch but cute.
I am sorry that I am not posting photos. I don't know how to do it through my phone yet. I know that would make this more enjoyable.
When we got to our stop, we hopped off the camels... Mine was named Mr. Joansie... And went to take a seat outside. There were blankets laid out with places for us to sit and little tables... But like so you could sit on the floor and eat off it still... We were given water, thank god ha. And some amazing chai tea. It was so good. Then we saw a magic show, the guy was very good. The sun set toward the end of that and we waited for our other entertainment to arrive. They used to do snake charming but in the past few year that has been outlawed because of animal cruelty. Now they make their money trough entertainment and dancing. We got to do some Indian dancing which is pretty fun! Fire was involved an even fire eating.
Finally at like 9 pm maybe we got our food. Lots of naan, a hard piece of spicy thing bread, and 2 balls, one we crushed in our hand into our lentils and ate. The other was a sweet roll and it tasted like cookie dough... Snickerdoodle-ish. There was also cooked vegetables and a pickle... Not a pickle like we think... more like spicy chutney. I'm not sure why it's called pickle. It was a ton of food and I couldn't finish all of it and I felt bad for wasting it. Retrospectively, i don't know if I really want hungry or if I was put off after being told they cook their food over cow dung to give it flavor. We also had to dress in traditional clothing. Cute! I didn't get the colors I wanted but it was only for a few hours so I didn't care too much. It was really long though and made dancing difficult. Thank you again to being vertically challenged!
The stars were gorgeous. You could see everything. It was very peaceful.
They finally kicked us out, which at that point I was ready because I was so tired! I think this will be a common theme. No complaints though. Just noticing my state of mind. On the drive home we took a van and squeezed in the trunk again. I again was surprised by the number of people out on the streets. It wasn't nearly as busy as Delhi but for a smaller town at 10pm it seemed busy.
I did better today... Took about 140 photos. Back to my old self!
In the van on the way back people were talking about getting black out drunk on their journies. I get wanting to have fun and I get wanting to go partying but it blows my mind that people get trashed in a foreign country they don't know how to navigate when they are by themselves. Like we have all had our fair share of shit shows at home or school but what?! I guess I'm just not adventurous enough. I won't be venturing toward that though anytime soon I don't think. One guy woke up on a rock and couldn't remember 4 hours of his night.
Anyway, I'm trying to keep up with this blog thing so that was today and I need to go to bed. It's almost 1am here and we have another early morning. Not as early... We had the option to get up at 5 again to go hike to one of the temples on a hill for sunrise and while I'm sure that would be amazing, I need to kick this cold and try to rest. I still need to get up pretty early though. We are leaving for Jaipur at 9am. We need to be packed and ready to go and eat breakfast. I need to tackle the bucket shower again too.
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