I have made it back to the states alive and have been home for a week getting back into life. I have a ton that I should update on in addition to my little proposed guide of Kerala hotels and foods. For now though I have photos.... More to come
Ft. Cochin 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049063&id=29503181&l=c399a4f5b1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049320&id=29503181&l=a2a3612468
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049557&id=29503181&l=e4c045c3d3
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
As the end approaches
Although I have been able to get some things which I miss from home I have had them on rare occasions. Other things are just not possible here in India so I present my lists…
Things I miss from the US:
Foods:
Burgers
Salads
Reeses
Wawa- mac and cheese and subs
Cold cuts and mustard and sandwiches (though I’ve had a lot of subway recently)
Good chocolate (most chocolate tastes wrong here)
Chocolate chip cookies
Brownies (home made)
Sushi
Starbucks (There has been some coffee compensation at times)
Mashed potatoes
Mexican Food
Green beans (I don’t know why either)
Bagels and cream cheese
Avocado
Other:
A comfy bed
Being able to throw toilet paper into the toilet instead of into a nearby receptacle
Being in a NJ mall
Summer rains
Being able to cook
Being able to drive
Things I will miss in India:
Tea time
The songs cars play when they back up
Rickshaws
Not getting sunburned!
The really sweet guys who serve us at our meals
Red carrots
Making your own lane of traffic on the road
Soda coming in glass bottles
Weird Indian English
Additionally, I added more photos... Probably the last batch before I leave. I haven't been able to get the videos uploaded yet but I do have a few including our tabla performance and a little tour of the lake area.
Things I miss from the US:
Foods:
Burgers
Salads
Reeses
Wawa- mac and cheese and subs
Cold cuts and mustard and sandwiches (though I’ve had a lot of subway recently)
Good chocolate (most chocolate tastes wrong here)
Chocolate chip cookies
Brownies (home made)
Sushi
Starbucks (There has been some coffee compensation at times)
Mashed potatoes
Mexican Food
Green beans (I don’t know why either)
Bagels and cream cheese
Avocado
Other:
A comfy bed
Being able to throw toilet paper into the toilet instead of into a nearby receptacle
Being in a NJ mall
Summer rains
Being able to cook
Being able to drive
Things I will miss in India:
Tea time
The songs cars play when they back up
Rickshaws
Not getting sunburned!
The really sweet guys who serve us at our meals
Red carrots
Making your own lane of traffic on the road
Soda coming in glass bottles
Weird Indian English
Additionally, I added more photos... Probably the last batch before I leave. I haven't been able to get the videos uploaded yet but I do have a few including our tabla performance and a little tour of the lake area.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Comparing methods of transportation in India
Rickshaw: While the rickshaw may be costly due to an imposed “white tax”, it may be my favorite. It is always an ordeal to haggle with a rickshaw driver but sometimes you can get a fairly reasonable price and you can’t beat the convenience of going exactly where you want to go. There’s something really exciting about being so close to the road (and the traffic) and having the “fresh” air rushing by. If you are lucky enough you might even get a rickshaw driver to blast Indian music in your ears as you speed down the highway. I’ve seen ten people crammed into one little rickshaw so they are also very space efficient (if you are willing to squish).
Bus: The bus wins points for being the most economical, however it is also generally the most unpleasant. I’m not unfamiliar with cramming a large number of commuters into a small space back at home but India is inherently different. A person in New York can be pressed up against you in a subway car but still ignore you; a person in India may strike up a conversation. The concept of social space doesn’t exist here. Of course there is also the added interest of the fare collector making his way back and forth across the bus on a semi-regular basis. If you are taking a long distance bus then be prepared to be crammed into a seat with at least two other people in the heat for the next few hours.
Despite the crowding, the bus experience often redeems itself when one makes a friend. There is almost always someone who is interested in talking to the clearly out of place Americans or helping them with their large bag of purchases from the day.
Cabs: For those who have the money, there is the option of the cab. It costs 500 rupees for four hours and it will take you anywhere (except the airport). If you put five people in a cab that’s only 100r (about 2 dollars) for the luxury of having your own personal driver. We’ve been opting for these a lot lately because it means we can travel to multiple places without having to fight with a rickshaw driver on each trip. While there are cabs about it is not a very widely used option by most Indians due to the cost.
Trains: There are two types of trains: long distance trains and commuter style trains. The commuter trains run in the city and are a pretty cheap and good deal. Depending on the time you travel it can either be very pleasant or very unpleasant. I have been on one extremely crowded train which was as bad as a bus but all my other experiences have been fairly spacious. There are female only cabins and then general compartments which both are reasonable. What I like best about the trains is that there are no doors, or at least they very rarely seem to be closed. You can watch the city outskirts rush by and feel the breeze, though sometimes the smell is enough to make you wish the door would close.
As for overnight trains these seem to range in comfort and quality by a large amount. There are a range of classes one can ride in on the overnight trains from general class (which I’ve been strongly advised against) to regular sleeper to sleeper AC. General Class may leave you without a seat, sleeper will get you a seat which converts to a bed. The sleeper AC classes come in three-tier and two-tier which denotes the amount of beds in a compartment. AC three-tier is like regular sleeper in which three beds will unfold per side of the wall and there is air conditioning. Two-tier is nice because you get a little compartment with four beds (2 per side). I’ve found some trains to be extremely bumpy and a bit nauseating while others have been fairly smooth. Sleeper class is pretty grimy and you will feel gross once you get off the train ten hours later. AC is not quite so bad and sometimes you get shifted around to a different compartment so that it is all female or all male instead of mixed. While trains are generally reliable you may find yourself sitting at a station for four hours for some unknown reason. As with everything in India it is always a gamble.
Bus: The bus wins points for being the most economical, however it is also generally the most unpleasant. I’m not unfamiliar with cramming a large number of commuters into a small space back at home but India is inherently different. A person in New York can be pressed up against you in a subway car but still ignore you; a person in India may strike up a conversation. The concept of social space doesn’t exist here. Of course there is also the added interest of the fare collector making his way back and forth across the bus on a semi-regular basis. If you are taking a long distance bus then be prepared to be crammed into a seat with at least two other people in the heat for the next few hours.
Despite the crowding, the bus experience often redeems itself when one makes a friend. There is almost always someone who is interested in talking to the clearly out of place Americans or helping them with their large bag of purchases from the day.
Cabs: For those who have the money, there is the option of the cab. It costs 500 rupees for four hours and it will take you anywhere (except the airport). If you put five people in a cab that’s only 100r (about 2 dollars) for the luxury of having your own personal driver. We’ve been opting for these a lot lately because it means we can travel to multiple places without having to fight with a rickshaw driver on each trip. While there are cabs about it is not a very widely used option by most Indians due to the cost.
Trains: There are two types of trains: long distance trains and commuter style trains. The commuter trains run in the city and are a pretty cheap and good deal. Depending on the time you travel it can either be very pleasant or very unpleasant. I have been on one extremely crowded train which was as bad as a bus but all my other experiences have been fairly spacious. There are female only cabins and then general compartments which both are reasonable. What I like best about the trains is that there are no doors, or at least they very rarely seem to be closed. You can watch the city outskirts rush by and feel the breeze, though sometimes the smell is enough to make you wish the door would close.
As for overnight trains these seem to range in comfort and quality by a large amount. There are a range of classes one can ride in on the overnight trains from general class (which I’ve been strongly advised against) to regular sleeper to sleeper AC. General Class may leave you without a seat, sleeper will get you a seat which converts to a bed. The sleeper AC classes come in three-tier and two-tier which denotes the amount of beds in a compartment. AC three-tier is like regular sleeper in which three beds will unfold per side of the wall and there is air conditioning. Two-tier is nice because you get a little compartment with four beds (2 per side). I’ve found some trains to be extremely bumpy and a bit nauseating while others have been fairly smooth. Sleeper class is pretty grimy and you will feel gross once you get off the train ten hours later. AC is not quite so bad and sometimes you get shifted around to a different compartment so that it is all female or all male instead of mixed. While trains are generally reliable you may find yourself sitting at a station for four hours for some unknown reason. As with everything in India it is always a gamble.
Friday, April 3, 2009
PHOTOS!
Finally I've uploaded all the photos I currently have on my camera so I'm presenting them here.
Ashram part 1, 2, and 3
Mysore Trip, North Trip 1, 2,3
Random things
Ashram part 1, 2, and 3
Mysore Trip, North Trip 1, 2,3
Random things
Sunday, March 29, 2009
For Narnia and the North!
Hello again! So I’ve been pretty slack recently with the whole blogging thing and I know I didn’t really give Holi it’s proper due because it was really awesome but I think the pictures speak pretty well on that count. Everyone from all over campus came together with colored powder and colored water and attacked each other with color. It was a nice way of mixing with the Indian students and by the end everyone was so colored that you couldn’t distinguish who was Indian and who wasn’t.
Last week I took a trip up to the North which was really fabulous and I figured I should give an update on that ( It wasn't to Narnia but it was to the North).
I left last Wednesday (the 18th) night with Jessica and Mary for Jaipur, which is up in the Northwest state of Rajasthan. We took a night time flight on a tiny little plane which was quite nice. I enjoy being in airports and although it was weird to not be going home it was fun to be in the airport. I got to have a really yummy coffee drink which resembled a caramel frappacino and so I was quite happy.
Our 1.5 hour flight arrived at the tiny Jaipur airport at 10:30 and we got a cab to our hotel. It was a very nice hotel (a little more costly than our usual 200r per night accommodations) and we regretted that we were only going to be in it a short time. The plan was to spend Thursday around Jaipur/lounging at the pool and then at night take a bus up to Agra and see the Taj Mahal for sunrise (one of the prime viewing times according to guidebooks). We would leave Agra again by noon and take the 5 hour bus ride back to Jaipur and have a few hours before we had to catch a train over to Bikaner in the West of Rajasthan to do an overnight camel trek. However, if there is one thing I have learned about India it is that nothing ever stays stable or goes according to plan and sure enough India held up to her reputation.
As we were lying around our hotel after the flight just before we went to sleep, Mary was dutifully reading up on Agra in the Lonely Planet book when she realized that the Taj is closed on Fridays – the day we were planning to be there (side note: if anyone working at LP is reading this and wants to pay me for endorsing them please let me know. It’s a great book by the way). We already had our train tickets for Bikaner so the only time to do the Taj was the following day instead of touring Jaipur. It hadn’t occurred to us, nor apparently to the numerous people we consulted before leaving, that a national monument/a wonder of the world would ever be closed and so we were all very surprised. I believe it is closed because Friday is a Holy day for Islam but I still feel it’s like closing Disneyland on Fridays- you just don’t do it.
Accordingly, we had to rush to a bus the next morning so that we would get there with enough time to see the Taj at sunset which was closing time. I think it worked out just fine although we had hoped to have a relaxing day before starting up our travels. We arrived with a few hours until closing time and got inside fairly quickly. I had never realized that there is a huge gate around the Taj complex because every picture I’ve ever seen has been solely of the main building. As we walked inside I was worried that perhaps all the pictures I had seen would make the actual event of seeing this monument rather underwhelming but it was a silly concern. The building is more breathtaking in person as I could ever have imagined it to be. I’ve wanted to visit the Taj Mahal for pretty much as long as I can remember but I never really expected to do it. To be standing in front of this incredible work of art in the middle of India was just so intense. The fountains were a little bit sad looking since they were empty but otherwise everything was amazing. There were a lot of people there but for the most part that wasn’t really a bother.
When you approach the Taj you need to remove your shoes or put shoe covers on to walk up the steps and to enter the building and it was really nice to walk barefoot on the marble and tile. The inside of the Taj I did find to be disappointing mainly because people are all crammed inside and being herded around in a circle around the tomb. It was surprisingly noisy inside and though pictures were technically not allowed there was plenty of photography. What I enjoyed much more was sitting outside to watch the sun set and bathe the Taj in a golden glow. It was peaceful out there despite the crowds.
Since we had changed our plans we ended up getting a hotel in Agra for a night and going out to dinner. Everywhere you walk in Agra you get assaulted by massive amounts of vendors and people offering you things. It was one of the more stressed places we have traveled for sure. We were courted by many people when we wanted transportation to dinner but we ended up with 3 non-auto rickshaws. These are called rickshaws but they have no motor and consist of a man on a bike pulling a double seat carriage behind him. At least two of the drivers were not large men which is why we ended up in three different rickshaws because we tried two and they couldn’t carry us. I was amazed and a little horrified at the whole process and wondered how strong their legs must be from carrying people around all day. They waited for us outside the restaurant while we ate and we decided to pay them well for their trouble. They said they would be waiting for us the next morning to take us shopping and they weren’t lying. The north seems to have an interesting concept which is pay “as you like”. We are used to fighting with our rickshaw drivers over prices but on a number of occasions were told we could pay “as we liked”. I wish they would have this concept down in the south.
We let our rickshaw drivers take us to a store the next day since they got a commission for it and they were quite nice. They also found us a nice quite place for lunch. In the afternoon we hopped a bus back to Jaipur and then went straight to the train station to catch our train to Bikaner and camel trekking. It was a late evening train which arrived at 6:25am at Bikaner where the Camel man( seriously that’s his name, or well his business) was going to pick us up.
I don’t know if it was the two coffee with ice creams and spicy noodles I downed before getting on the train (though I suspect not as we all ate the same food) but I woke up several hours before the train was due to arrive feeling horrifically sick. Our train was one of the more bumpy ones I’ve been on, throwing us back and forth which certainly didn’t help. Needless to say, after trying to sleep again I ended up spending the rest of the time until we arrived between the bathroom and the space in between the train cars where I could get fresh air. I still felt rotten when we arrived and I was worried that I might not be able to make it on the camel trek.
Luckily the camel man also operates a guest house in addition to running treks so there were rooms we were able to stay in. It was only 7am and nothing would be starting until 10 at the earliest. I collapsed onto a bed and slept soundly until around ten when breakfast was. I did actually get up for breakfast and ate lightly since I felt better. Miraculously I felt pretty decent and ready to go so we headed out at 11.
First we drove with our guide to a small village where we met our camels. We had one guide and one person to lead each camel as well as drive the cart full of supplies. We were a little miffed at first about not being able to direct the camels ourselves (not that they needed much direction) but it was fine. One man led each camel on foot and then sometimes they would hop onto the cart and hold the reigns from there. A camel is a rather bumpy ride, a bit like a horse so it was a pretty interesting experience.
We passed through some towns and some places with schools along the way before we got to more serious desert. There was a lot more vegetation than I expected and our guide explained that certain trees had been planted by a coalition with the Israeli government and that these kinds of trees had grown successfully in Israel and now were growing well here. There were also random shrubs and flowering trees but they all had a desert-like quality to them. Our guide told us that the desert areas are spreading and the trees are an effort to keep the desert in check and not use up all the fertile lands.
By mid-day it was extremely hot and we were glad when our little caravan stopped for lunch. The three of us collapsed under the shade of a small tree on some mattresses they laid out for us while the guides cooked up a meal on little camper style gas stoves. The food was excellent though we did ask for no spices because all our stomachs were still a bit unsettled. They had the traditional rice and dal and chapatti bread as well as amazing vegetables including red carrots, which so far I’ve only seen up north. We rested for a while at the site and everyone napped until the sun had gotten a little lower in the sky and then we were off again!
The second half of our trip seemed a lot longer though it was very nice because we got deeper into areas of sand dunes and more typically the way I’d imagined a desert. The sun was getting pretty low in the sky when we finally stopped on a hill near a little cement building and preparations for tea began. We were sore and sweat-soaked and happy to get off the camels by that point. Moments after we arrived, we were joined by an Irish family (Father, son and daughter) who had done an afternoon trek and were spending the night with us. We had a good time getting to know them and talk with them as a table was arranged in the middle of the sand and tea served.
We got to watch the sun go down and suddenly it was much cooler and more pleasant. Three tents were set up to be shared by the six of us and we ate dinner by lamplight in the darkness. It was pretty dark out there except a little light coming from two nearby villages. We saw a decent amount of stars although the light from the towns did interfere a little. I was also amused to find that when I turned on my cell-phone I actually had reception.
The night was extremely windy and I woke at one point wondering if there was a sandstorm or if our tent was going to blow over because the sides were shaking like mad and making a loud noise. The wind did die down though and I was grateful for bringing a sweater with me.
In the morning after breakfast, we rode back by camel cart as our camels had been taken back to the village the day before. It was a nice rest for our legs and not too uncomfortable. Unfortunately, by that time Jessica had started to feel sick and didn’t appreciate our driver pushing the camel to run on several occasions.
Our train didn’t leave until the evening so we once again took a room and all collapsed for the day. I ventured outside into the yard for a bit when it rained because I was so excited to see rain but it was a short event. There was also rain on the bus ride back from Agra but we were sad because we couldn’t get out and experience it and had to settle for poking our hands out the window. I love rain and since we get so much of it at school I never thought I’d miss it but I do miss it quite a lot. This was the first rain I’d seen in almost three months in a hot climate.
Our train was once again an overnight train though this time less bumpy. We arrived in Jaipur very early in the morning and headed back to our same hotel. By that point I was the only person who didn’t feel terrible. Jessica was still bordering on sick and Mary had gotten a fever. We decided we’d spend most of the day just sleeping and watching movies in the hotel even though we were on a trip and there were things to see. It’s amazing how much energy traveling can take out of you.
After lunch we decided to devote a little time to the city. None of us felt like extensive sight-seeing so we opted for a little shopping in one of the markets. I went out first and the two of them planned to join me a bit later. The rickshaw driver wanted to take me to a store to get his commission and I agreed since we had no real agenda for the day. The shop was amazing but way out of my price range. It was a jewelry store (which is what Jaipur is famous for) with extraordinary pieces. It was a very classy place and I was given a tour of the workshop downstairs which was incredible. The salesman showed me how stones were polished by machine and by hand then took me to the concept drawing area where their designer jewelry is created. This particular store works with a theme each year and makes one-of-a-kind pieces of incredible handy-work. I got to see jewelers crafting each segment of the jewelry then fusing it together and then polishing it. The whole thing was incredible as was the gallery he showed me upstairs of their designer pieces. He knew I wasn’t going to buy but he said it was worth seeing and I have to say it was. One theme was lotus and the other was peacock and everything was exquisite.
After my extensive tour I continued on to the regular market and walked around. It was a pretty standard market and there were a lot of fun things there including the shoes I bought! Back at our hotel we had dinner and an early night. We had to be up at 4am for our flight so we wanted to make sure we got sleep. The hotel called us a taxi in the morning and we were soon back in the tiny airport.
In a typically Indian fashion the airport process was slow and tedious. Our airport in Hyderabad is large, swanky, and International but Jaipur is just a tiny domestic airport which looks like it was once a railway station. We had to wait for our flight to be called to even pass through security then we waited on line for a ridiculous amount of time while they straightened out the Bangalore/Hyderabad flights and finally started giving out boarding passes. After the waiting it was a simple matter of being shuttled out to our plane and boarding. We made it back on time and safely with no complaints and were even able to make it to classes on time.
I am not planning on traveling any more until the end of the semester (which is pretty soon!) because there’s not a whole lot of time and its costly so I’m gonna save for my final trip. We have internet on four computers at the house though still no wireless (I doubt there ever will be). I’ve only got about four more weeks and then two weeks of traveling and then I’m back! I don’t want anyone to think I’m not having a good time because it is great here and I’ve learned so much and experienced so much but I do miss some of the familiarity of home. India is a truly wonderful country but it takes a lot out of you to live here; that is the best way I can described it. I have read similar things from other people who have lived and studied here and now I understand what they meant. It’s hard to communicate but there is something about India which is very energy-consuming in its awesomeness. It’s just a different place and without living here it is hard to know what that means but I certainly wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.
Last week I took a trip up to the North which was really fabulous and I figured I should give an update on that ( It wasn't to Narnia but it was to the North).
I left last Wednesday (the 18th) night with Jessica and Mary for Jaipur, which is up in the Northwest state of Rajasthan. We took a night time flight on a tiny little plane which was quite nice. I enjoy being in airports and although it was weird to not be going home it was fun to be in the airport. I got to have a really yummy coffee drink which resembled a caramel frappacino and so I was quite happy.
Our 1.5 hour flight arrived at the tiny Jaipur airport at 10:30 and we got a cab to our hotel. It was a very nice hotel (a little more costly than our usual 200r per night accommodations) and we regretted that we were only going to be in it a short time. The plan was to spend Thursday around Jaipur/lounging at the pool and then at night take a bus up to Agra and see the Taj Mahal for sunrise (one of the prime viewing times according to guidebooks). We would leave Agra again by noon and take the 5 hour bus ride back to Jaipur and have a few hours before we had to catch a train over to Bikaner in the West of Rajasthan to do an overnight camel trek. However, if there is one thing I have learned about India it is that nothing ever stays stable or goes according to plan and sure enough India held up to her reputation.
As we were lying around our hotel after the flight just before we went to sleep, Mary was dutifully reading up on Agra in the Lonely Planet book when she realized that the Taj is closed on Fridays – the day we were planning to be there (side note: if anyone working at LP is reading this and wants to pay me for endorsing them please let me know. It’s a great book by the way). We already had our train tickets for Bikaner so the only time to do the Taj was the following day instead of touring Jaipur. It hadn’t occurred to us, nor apparently to the numerous people we consulted before leaving, that a national monument/a wonder of the world would ever be closed and so we were all very surprised. I believe it is closed because Friday is a Holy day for Islam but I still feel it’s like closing Disneyland on Fridays- you just don’t do it.
Accordingly, we had to rush to a bus the next morning so that we would get there with enough time to see the Taj at sunset which was closing time. I think it worked out just fine although we had hoped to have a relaxing day before starting up our travels. We arrived with a few hours until closing time and got inside fairly quickly. I had never realized that there is a huge gate around the Taj complex because every picture I’ve ever seen has been solely of the main building. As we walked inside I was worried that perhaps all the pictures I had seen would make the actual event of seeing this monument rather underwhelming but it was a silly concern. The building is more breathtaking in person as I could ever have imagined it to be. I’ve wanted to visit the Taj Mahal for pretty much as long as I can remember but I never really expected to do it. To be standing in front of this incredible work of art in the middle of India was just so intense. The fountains were a little bit sad looking since they were empty but otherwise everything was amazing. There were a lot of people there but for the most part that wasn’t really a bother.
When you approach the Taj you need to remove your shoes or put shoe covers on to walk up the steps and to enter the building and it was really nice to walk barefoot on the marble and tile. The inside of the Taj I did find to be disappointing mainly because people are all crammed inside and being herded around in a circle around the tomb. It was surprisingly noisy inside and though pictures were technically not allowed there was plenty of photography. What I enjoyed much more was sitting outside to watch the sun set and bathe the Taj in a golden glow. It was peaceful out there despite the crowds.
Since we had changed our plans we ended up getting a hotel in Agra for a night and going out to dinner. Everywhere you walk in Agra you get assaulted by massive amounts of vendors and people offering you things. It was one of the more stressed places we have traveled for sure. We were courted by many people when we wanted transportation to dinner but we ended up with 3 non-auto rickshaws. These are called rickshaws but they have no motor and consist of a man on a bike pulling a double seat carriage behind him. At least two of the drivers were not large men which is why we ended up in three different rickshaws because we tried two and they couldn’t carry us. I was amazed and a little horrified at the whole process and wondered how strong their legs must be from carrying people around all day. They waited for us outside the restaurant while we ate and we decided to pay them well for their trouble. They said they would be waiting for us the next morning to take us shopping and they weren’t lying. The north seems to have an interesting concept which is pay “as you like”. We are used to fighting with our rickshaw drivers over prices but on a number of occasions were told we could pay “as we liked”. I wish they would have this concept down in the south.
We let our rickshaw drivers take us to a store the next day since they got a commission for it and they were quite nice. They also found us a nice quite place for lunch. In the afternoon we hopped a bus back to Jaipur and then went straight to the train station to catch our train to Bikaner and camel trekking. It was a late evening train which arrived at 6:25am at Bikaner where the Camel man( seriously that’s his name, or well his business) was going to pick us up.
I don’t know if it was the two coffee with ice creams and spicy noodles I downed before getting on the train (though I suspect not as we all ate the same food) but I woke up several hours before the train was due to arrive feeling horrifically sick. Our train was one of the more bumpy ones I’ve been on, throwing us back and forth which certainly didn’t help. Needless to say, after trying to sleep again I ended up spending the rest of the time until we arrived between the bathroom and the space in between the train cars where I could get fresh air. I still felt rotten when we arrived and I was worried that I might not be able to make it on the camel trek.
Luckily the camel man also operates a guest house in addition to running treks so there were rooms we were able to stay in. It was only 7am and nothing would be starting until 10 at the earliest. I collapsed onto a bed and slept soundly until around ten when breakfast was. I did actually get up for breakfast and ate lightly since I felt better. Miraculously I felt pretty decent and ready to go so we headed out at 11.
First we drove with our guide to a small village where we met our camels. We had one guide and one person to lead each camel as well as drive the cart full of supplies. We were a little miffed at first about not being able to direct the camels ourselves (not that they needed much direction) but it was fine. One man led each camel on foot and then sometimes they would hop onto the cart and hold the reigns from there. A camel is a rather bumpy ride, a bit like a horse so it was a pretty interesting experience.
We passed through some towns and some places with schools along the way before we got to more serious desert. There was a lot more vegetation than I expected and our guide explained that certain trees had been planted by a coalition with the Israeli government and that these kinds of trees had grown successfully in Israel and now were growing well here. There were also random shrubs and flowering trees but they all had a desert-like quality to them. Our guide told us that the desert areas are spreading and the trees are an effort to keep the desert in check and not use up all the fertile lands.
By mid-day it was extremely hot and we were glad when our little caravan stopped for lunch. The three of us collapsed under the shade of a small tree on some mattresses they laid out for us while the guides cooked up a meal on little camper style gas stoves. The food was excellent though we did ask for no spices because all our stomachs were still a bit unsettled. They had the traditional rice and dal and chapatti bread as well as amazing vegetables including red carrots, which so far I’ve only seen up north. We rested for a while at the site and everyone napped until the sun had gotten a little lower in the sky and then we were off again!
The second half of our trip seemed a lot longer though it was very nice because we got deeper into areas of sand dunes and more typically the way I’d imagined a desert. The sun was getting pretty low in the sky when we finally stopped on a hill near a little cement building and preparations for tea began. We were sore and sweat-soaked and happy to get off the camels by that point. Moments after we arrived, we were joined by an Irish family (Father, son and daughter) who had done an afternoon trek and were spending the night with us. We had a good time getting to know them and talk with them as a table was arranged in the middle of the sand and tea served.
We got to watch the sun go down and suddenly it was much cooler and more pleasant. Three tents were set up to be shared by the six of us and we ate dinner by lamplight in the darkness. It was pretty dark out there except a little light coming from two nearby villages. We saw a decent amount of stars although the light from the towns did interfere a little. I was also amused to find that when I turned on my cell-phone I actually had reception.
The night was extremely windy and I woke at one point wondering if there was a sandstorm or if our tent was going to blow over because the sides were shaking like mad and making a loud noise. The wind did die down though and I was grateful for bringing a sweater with me.
In the morning after breakfast, we rode back by camel cart as our camels had been taken back to the village the day before. It was a nice rest for our legs and not too uncomfortable. Unfortunately, by that time Jessica had started to feel sick and didn’t appreciate our driver pushing the camel to run on several occasions.
Our train didn’t leave until the evening so we once again took a room and all collapsed for the day. I ventured outside into the yard for a bit when it rained because I was so excited to see rain but it was a short event. There was also rain on the bus ride back from Agra but we were sad because we couldn’t get out and experience it and had to settle for poking our hands out the window. I love rain and since we get so much of it at school I never thought I’d miss it but I do miss it quite a lot. This was the first rain I’d seen in almost three months in a hot climate.
Our train was once again an overnight train though this time less bumpy. We arrived in Jaipur very early in the morning and headed back to our same hotel. By that point I was the only person who didn’t feel terrible. Jessica was still bordering on sick and Mary had gotten a fever. We decided we’d spend most of the day just sleeping and watching movies in the hotel even though we were on a trip and there were things to see. It’s amazing how much energy traveling can take out of you.
After lunch we decided to devote a little time to the city. None of us felt like extensive sight-seeing so we opted for a little shopping in one of the markets. I went out first and the two of them planned to join me a bit later. The rickshaw driver wanted to take me to a store to get his commission and I agreed since we had no real agenda for the day. The shop was amazing but way out of my price range. It was a jewelry store (which is what Jaipur is famous for) with extraordinary pieces. It was a very classy place and I was given a tour of the workshop downstairs which was incredible. The salesman showed me how stones were polished by machine and by hand then took me to the concept drawing area where their designer jewelry is created. This particular store works with a theme each year and makes one-of-a-kind pieces of incredible handy-work. I got to see jewelers crafting each segment of the jewelry then fusing it together and then polishing it. The whole thing was incredible as was the gallery he showed me upstairs of their designer pieces. He knew I wasn’t going to buy but he said it was worth seeing and I have to say it was. One theme was lotus and the other was peacock and everything was exquisite.
After my extensive tour I continued on to the regular market and walked around. It was a pretty standard market and there were a lot of fun things there including the shoes I bought! Back at our hotel we had dinner and an early night. We had to be up at 4am for our flight so we wanted to make sure we got sleep. The hotel called us a taxi in the morning and we were soon back in the tiny airport.
In a typically Indian fashion the airport process was slow and tedious. Our airport in Hyderabad is large, swanky, and International but Jaipur is just a tiny domestic airport which looks like it was once a railway station. We had to wait for our flight to be called to even pass through security then we waited on line for a ridiculous amount of time while they straightened out the Bangalore/Hyderabad flights and finally started giving out boarding passes. After the waiting it was a simple matter of being shuttled out to our plane and boarding. We made it back on time and safely with no complaints and were even able to make it to classes on time.
I am not planning on traveling any more until the end of the semester (which is pretty soon!) because there’s not a whole lot of time and its costly so I’m gonna save for my final trip. We have internet on four computers at the house though still no wireless (I doubt there ever will be). I’ve only got about four more weeks and then two weeks of traveling and then I’m back! I don’t want anyone to think I’m not having a good time because it is great here and I’ve learned so much and experienced so much but I do miss some of the familiarity of home. India is a truly wonderful country but it takes a lot out of you to live here; that is the best way I can described it. I have read similar things from other people who have lived and studied here and now I understand what they meant. It’s hard to communicate but there is something about India which is very energy-consuming in its awesomeness. It’s just a different place and without living here it is hard to know what that means but I certainly wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
And there were photos....
Since I am about to embark on a third trip for which I will have mountains of pictures I've managed to get my act together and post up the Goa photos on facebook so here they are. Civic duty completed.
I'm working on the ashram pictures.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046079&id=29503181&l=6b36b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046080&id=29503181&l=6d2c8
***EDIT****
I've added the photos from Holi which is a celebration of colors and of spring (har har its already 100 degrees here). On Holi everyone throws colored powder and water at each other resulting in a big but completely awesome mess. I've been wanting to celebrate Holi since before I came to India. Oh, Also they showed Outsourced on tv on Holi and I was happy. HAPPY HOLI!
I'm working on the ashram pictures.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046079&id=29503181&l=6b36b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046080&id=29503181&l=6d2c8
***EDIT****
I've added the photos from Holi which is a celebration of colors and of spring (har har its already 100 degrees here). On Holi everyone throws colored powder and water at each other resulting in a big but completely awesome mess. I've been wanting to celebrate Holi since before I came to India. Oh, Also they showed Outsourced on tv on Holi and I was happy. HAPPY HOLI!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Updates and Tiruvannamalai
After two weekends in a row of traveling I am enjoying taking it easy around the house this weekend. We finally have air-conditioning in our rooms! Very exciting times over here since it hot 39 degrees C today which is somewhere around 100 F. Maybe now that we have AC I won’t wake up looking like I have the chicken pox every morning due to mosquito bites but we shall see. Reportedly there may be a chance the internet will return to our dorm this week but as it has been almost a month now without it I’m not planning on getting my hopes up. So for now I’m hanging around here and battling an epic cold which I picked up over the weekend. Luckily my roommate is traveling this weekend so I can sleep a lot and not bother her with my sniffling and sneezing.
Traveling has been amazing though. This past weekend was such a treat. A friend of the family offered to show me around the ashram and town he has visited a number of times. Five of us took up Martin’s and his traveling companion Peter’s offer and took the trip down to Trivuvannamalai ( go ahead and try and pronounce it) which is in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a long trip down there because it is farther then Chennai which is itself a good distance. We took many modes of transportation on this adventure: A rickshaw from campus to the local trainstation at lingampally, a train to the larger train station in the city and then an overnight 12ish hour train to Chennai. From Chennai we caught a cab to the bus station and at the bus station a 4ish hour bus to Tiruvannamalai. This was my first train ride ( we were in Sleeper class non-AC) and I liked it although it was cold at night. Transportation in India is a whole other issue which I intend to devote an entry to at some point because there is so much to say about it.
We arrived Friday afternoon and found that our hotel was extremely close to the ashram which worked out very well. We had some difficultly with the arrangement of rooms and the fact that we couldn’t never got the cot we were supposed to get for our fifth person but the rooms were clean enough ( despite the lack of a shower head) and we only planned to sleep in the rooms anyhow. We ate at a very interesting and hippie kind of café next to our hotel.
We met up with Martin and Peter and they showed us around the ashram and explained a little bit about its founder Shri Ramana Maharshi. He was a boy who left home and basically meditated until he became enlightened at age 16 by asking the question who am I?
The ashram was full of wildlife particularly monkeys and peacocks and the usual resident dogs. The main building of the ashram had a meditation hall and a room with a shrine. In the large meditation room, which was also used for chanting in Sanskrit and Tamil ( the state language) was another type of alter with deity. People come and show their devotion before it but another very common practice is to walk around it in a circle. The whole shrine itself is a rectangle and so people do pradakshana around it. The manner of devotion is entirely personal and some people walk quickly and others slowly, some for a long time and others just a few times. No matter when we were in the ashram there was always someone walking.
We were invited to eat dinner at the ashram which was a really neat experience. Everyone eats in a large room and sits on the floor with either a banana leaf or a sewn together mat of leaves as their plate. People come around and spoon food onto your plate. I don’t really know all the things we ate but it was fairly standard Indian food. There was rice and some type of dhal and ghee and then other accompaniments as well as ‘buttermilk’ which turned out to be yogurt with water and salt.
Saturday was the only full day we had so we packed a lot in to the day. In the morning we went to visit the largest temple around. The location of the town is at the base of a large mountain ( possibly an extinct volcano) called Arunachala, literally translated as Red Mountain ( Aruna + Achala). The mountain is sacred because it is where Shiva is supposed to have appeared of a lingam of fire ( basically a pillar of fire) to show his power and masculinity etc.. In many temples you will find lingams being worshiped because of Shiva. This first temple we visited was a massive complex of smaller temples and also housed the small underground room where Ramana spent his years meditating. It was absolutely beautiful there and so peaceful (as was everything there). We also had the opportunity to be blessed by an elephant at the temple. To receive the blessing you put a coin in the elephant’s trunk and then he taps you on the head. Laura actually took a video of me getting blessed which I will have to try and get from her at some point.
After lunch and a bit of rest a few of us moved on to another temple while the rest kept out of the heat. This was a much smaller temple and more secluded but with very interesting sculpture. The outside was guarded by 12 large and colorful statues. Unfortunately power had gone out in the area and so it was hard to see some of the things inside the temple. There were cows being cared for at the temple and a whole huge bunch of monkeys which came out and climbed over all the statues. We walked back from the temple by going through a kind of village. The walk was one segment of the inner mountain path walk which Peter did every morning. People walk either the inner or outer ring around the base of the mountain as another kind of pradakshana. The whole trek is between 6-8 miles.
Peter handed us pens to give out to the children we passed in the village since they love to get pens. Children swarmed us and it was a bit like being back at the labor rescue school. Everywhere we went people waved and smiled and children followed us around. When we ran out of pens I tried entertaining them with my camera. They enjoyed having their pictures taken and kept asking us to take more. The village had amazing views of the mountain and it was incredible to think of people living there.
When we got back I spent a little time around the ashram waiting for us all to meet up for tea. The meditation room was so calm. I walked around a bit, sat for a while, followed some peacocks around and enjoyed watching people. There is a very interesting crowd down there and a lot of westerners. There was something very moving about that place and I could really feel the stillness there. After chai we hiked up the mountain to skandashram which was the ashram up near the top of the mountain. The views were absolutely flooring and from a spot near the top we could see the temple we had been in earlier. We walked up with an Indian fellow who was traveling around to different ashrams after having lived in one for a long time. He didn’t speak Tamil either and I think he was glad to have some company of English speakers as he spoke Hindi and English.
At the ashram at the top the monk who tends the place was singing a devotional song which we were able to listen to for a while. It was beautiful up there. There was a path which would go up higher but it was a very serious and ambitious hike and it was already late afternoon. Another path would go down into caves as well. We talked to some of the people who we met there was well which was interesting. We hiked back down and most of us decided to take dinner at the nearby restaurant where we had gotten coffee and breakfast. And yes, I have to say it was amazing to have coffee!
Since we had to leave so early on Sunday in order to make it back to our train on time we had decided to save our part of the mountain base walk for Sunday morning. We met up at 7:30 and started the long walk. There were some very lovely views of the mountain along the way and some little shrines along the side of the road. Many other people were walking and out and about as is usually the case in India. It is hardly ever empty anywhere. We stopped at one nice little temple set back a way from the road which we stayed at for a while. It was just off the inner mountain path but could get lost behind the trees if you didn’t know it was there. From there we walked back the way we had came. Martin and Peter gave us some little books on Ramana Maharshi so that we would have a better sense of the philosophy and then we parted ways so we could get ready for our trip home.
The trip was a very nice change and a very different side of India javascript:void(0)than what I’ve seen so far, but exactly the kind of thing I wanted to see in India. What’s next? I have no idea! Well, actually there is a CIEE planned trip to Mysore next weekend and then it’s Holi, the festival of colors, which I am hoping we get to celebrate. After that I don’t know. I need to figure out where to go when. There is some talk of traveling to the islands off the coast but who knows? It is getting so hot and I still need to get to the Taj Mahal!
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