Though I am not a world traveler (yet ☺ ) I think I can safely say that there is not another place in the world like India.
The first indication that India would be different than the previous countries we have visited was the fact that the crew saran wrapped the entire boat before arriving to prevent the dirt from getting everywhere. The second was the fact that we had not just 1, but 2 pre-port meetings with semester at sea to prepare us as best they could.
The night before arriving in India Liz and I hosted a fashion show in room 3018. It took us hours to find clothes that would be suitable to wear in the blazing weather yet appropriate for the culture. Many laughs took place as we attempted to be conservative without looking like we borrowed our clothes from a librarian.
Yes, India was bound to be unique.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
We arrived in Chennai, India on the morning of the 6th at 0800.
CRAZY how it happens. Days earlier I was studying for two tests. I finished the tests and wake up the next morning and I am in INDIA!
India, India, India, India. INDIAAAAA! ½ way around the world from little ole South Carolina. I wonder if I will ever be this far away from home again…….
Liz, Alison, Katie, Colleen, and I jumped off the boat ASAP and headed for the city. We found a rickshaw driver that looked like his rickshaw would fit 3 people. We fit 5. I would also like to remind you that Liz, Alison, and Katie are all 6 feet tall. They sat in the back with Colleen spread across them and I shared the front seat with the driver. Oh the driver… more will follow about him later, but for a short description he was wearing a skirt which he frequently lifted to wipe his forehead. I also am pretty positive that deodorant doesn’t exist in the country of India. Realllll up close and personal.
Our first stop was the San Thome cathedral or St. Thomas’s cathedral. St. Thomas the Apostle came to India from Palestine in around 52 A.D. where he was killed. The San Thome cathedral was built in honor of St. Thomas and his relics are kept inside. There are only 3 churches in the entire world that are built over an Apostle of Jesus Christ.
Because it was Sunday there was a church service going on when we arrived. Walking around a church that was built over the remains of an Apostle of Jesus Christ while listening to singing coming from within he cathedral was incredible.
We attempted to do a little shopping that afternoon to find some more exciting, appropriate clothes to wear while in India, but our rickshaw driver had his own agenda. He proceeded to take us to overpriced tourist stores which paid him commission for bringing us there. Needless to say. We didn’t acquire many purchases.
We headed back to the boat after our driver went a bit crazy and started yelling at us to pay him more money. There is a thick line between charging us more because we are tourists and majorly ripping us off. He jumped the thick line and a little more. Sitting next to him on the ride back to the ship was loads of fun considering I was afraid he might push me out of the rickshaw into the road he was so mad at us. We made it back to the ship safely which was wonderful!
You live and you learn. Don’t get in a rickshaw with a crazy man in a short skirt who multiplies the cost by 7 when you are ready to go home.
We headed back to the ship to pack for our trip to Agra and Varanasi.
At the airport we were notified- no razor blades, no batteries, and no spices. Yes, no spices.
Also, our airline was appropriately named “Spicejet”
I spent the entire 3 hour plane ride to New Delhi reading my National Geographic guide book. India is filled with so much history. The entire history of the Unites States could fit into one bullet point on the time line for India’s history. I won’t bore you with facts and details, but I learned so much about the history and culture of India! IT WAS AWESOME!
We arrived in New Delhi, India around midnight and headed to the hotel to get some rest. We are going to the Taj Mahal tomorrowwwwww!
Monday, March 7, 2011
We woke up early at 5am and grabbed a delicious breakfast at the hotel. I could already tell I was not going to be losing much weight in India. We traveled to the train station and took the Bhopal Shatabdi Express to Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal!
We were fed another breakfast on the train ride and got a good nap in before arriving in Agra. Our guide told us to stick together and head straight for the bus. I don’t think any of us were prepared for the atmosphere outside of the train station. It was so overwhelming. Hundreds of beggars swarmed us. Many of them were children. They kept telling us how hungry they were and it was so difficult to keep walking towards the bus after I had already eaten twice and it was only 8am. It made me sick to my stomach.
Our first stop was Fatehpur Sikri also known as the ghost city. When we arrived at the city a large group of kids swarmed the bus asking us to come visit their stall in the market located next to the city. Asif was a little boy who followed me all the way from the bus to the entrance of the city. He made me laugh out loud when he asked me if I was from Obamaland, and gave me his card to visit stall #28 in the market. We soon learned this was a common experience when visiting any tourist attraction in India.
Fatehpur Sikri was beautiful. It was built by the Mughal Dynasty in 1571 and was abandoned just 14 years later! It is a remarkable city and is still in great condition. It is amazing how much intricate design and architecture is in each of the buildings. Very cool!
Driving in India is very unlike anything I have ever experienced before. To say it is frightening would be an understatement. It is TERRIFYING.
Our tour guide told us when driving in India you need 3 things. A good horn, good breaks, and good luck. He also told us that there are 3 ways of driving- the right side of the road, the left side of the road, and everywhere. India drives everywhere.
We stopped for lunch at the Gateway hotel. I LOVE INDIAN FOOD! It is so wonderful.
After lunch, we went to visit Agra Fort which was also built by the Mughal dynasty. Emperor Akbar built his fort between 1565 and 1573. It is a double walled fort made of red sandstone, a distinguishing feature of many buildings built by the Mughal dynasty. The fort was huge!!! It felt so powerful and strong. It was also like Fatehpur Siki in that the architecture was so ornate and detailed. It was walking into Agra Fort that I caught my first glimpse of the Taj Mahal. WOW. I couldn’t wait.
After Agra Fort, we stopped at a marble company where we saw a demonstration of marble making. Our tour guide told us that in America you can tell someone is rich if they have marble in their house, but in India marble is so common that you can tell someone is rich if they have hardwood floors. Marble is such a beautiful material. We saw the process of workers hand carving the colorful designs into a piece of marble. It is such a slow methodical process and each peace of marble is decorated with all different types of beautiful stones. It is no wonder why marble is so expensive for us! I declined the purchase anything from the marble store… tad out of my price range. ☺
AND THE MOMENT I HAD BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!!! THE TAJ MAHAL!!!!!
Though I know you don’t want boring facts and would probably rather just see pictures.. I am sorry… I can’t help myself… hehe
The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan (also a Mughal) as a memorial for his wife Mumtaz Mahal who died in 1631 while giving birth to their 14th child. She was said to have been the emperor’s wife, companion, adviser, and support for 17 years.
Emperor Shah Jahan wanted to get it right- He assembled a council of top architects and craftsmen from Persia and beyond. Craftsmen, laborers and the semiprecious stones that embellish the marble came form all over the world! It took 22 years to build the Taj Mahal. AH! What love!
You enter through one of three gates to the complex and at first you cannot see the Taj Mahal. On the great gate is inscribed the quote known as Al-Fajr- “O Soul that art at rest. Return to the Lord, at peace with Him and He at peace with you. So enter as one of His servants And enter into His garden.”
As I turned the corner the Taj Mahal came into full view through the opening of the gate. It didn’t feel real!
I took a break from my surreal moment to discover that my big attempt to not dehydrate myself left me in desperate need of a toilet. I noticed on my walk to the restroom that there was an entire class on Indian girls who looked to be in about the 4th grade headed from the restroom as well. Call me crazy but I took up a sprint to beat them there. I paid my 10 rupees and waited in the small line. There was a moment there in the small bathroom at the Taj Mahal that I thought I wasn’t going to make it. The smell was beyond anything I had experienced before. Though there was one door labeled “WC Indian” and another labeled “WC Western” they both consisted of a hole in the ground. By this point in my voyage I can handle the hole in the ground. It was the penetrating smell and dampness of everything (including the door) that really got to me. I finally got my turn at the hole and when I emerged after a minute of not breathing the entire population of the restroom erupted in laughter (45 4th graders and 20 older Indian women). I didn’t say anything funny so I am guessing that my face told the story of my discomfort. I figured that I had provided them with some entertainment (silly, silly western girl) and didn’t think it would be offensive to pull out my camera and snap a pic ☺ They loved it.
Back to being in front of one of the 7 wonders of the world.
My words cannot do it justice and neither can pictures. The Taj Mahal is much more grand and beautiful than both my words and pictures.
I still cannot believe I have been to the Taj Mahal! AHHHHHH!!!!
Today was absolutely incredible and exhausting in every way possible. When we had been waiting in the Agra train station for an hour waiting for our train back to Delhi my friend Colleen described it best. We were like little kids who had a REAL long day at Disney world and were waiting for the metro. Like a little kid at Disney world, we had just had the greatest day of our lives- one we had dreamed about for so long- but we couldn’t even speak or change facial expressions we were so exhausted. Our senses had been overwhelmed, overloaded, and overworked. My brain hurt from everything I attempted to absorb. IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
We were granted a full 4 hours of sleep last night. Hopefully I managed to grab a full sleep cycle!
We began the day with a delicious breakfast followed by a bus tour of Delhi. The city of Delhi is divided into three parts- New Delhi, Old Delhi, and British Old Delhi.
We drove past the Raj Ghat, the cremation spot of Mahatma Ghandi.
Side note- I have spent a good deal of time learning about the importance of Ghandi to the people of India and I feel as if he more than deserves a mention in my blog. After witnessing the racial apartheid in South Africa, Gandhi retuned home to India to help fight for freedom. He used tactics such as nonviolence and truth to achieve a united, independent India. He was a strong leader in the fight for Indian independence and saw its independence in 1947. He was assassinated by a Hindu extremist who was angered by Gandhi’s tolerance of Muslims in 1948. *** finish
We drove past La Qila (red fort), the Jama Masjid (India’s largest mosque), and India Gate (memorial for the 90,000 soldiers who died in WW1 and the Afghan war).
We stopped at Humayun’s tomb which is the monument that is the forerunning to the Taj Mahal. Built 87 years earlier, it is said that the Taj Mahal was inspired by Humayun’s tomb.
New Delhi is the Washington DC of India. It’s capitol hill is Raisiana Hill, India’s political center.
I won’t bore you with the pages of facts I learned from my guide book (☺)
That afternoon we caught a flight to Varanasi. The stark contrast between the city of Delhi and Varanasi was evident as soon as we left the airport. The “main road” to the airport was dirt and we practically blew small villages over as we road past in our big bus.
We checked into the hotel and were instructed to quickly put our things away so we could head to the Ganges River. Key word quickly. This became an issue when the hotel elevator decided to quit working in between the 3rd floor and the lobby. Hmmmm. It appeared as if we were stuck in an elevator in India. At first it was funny…. Then the 6 of us crammed into a small elevator started profusely sweating and we realized the alarm in the elevator wasn’t functioning. Problem. All I could envision was a scary movie in which the elevator disconnects and crashes all the way to the ground floor. HA. Luckily 7 long minutes passed and the elevator began moving again and dropped us off in the kitchen of the hotel. My roommate Liz was smart enough to video the whole thing. It is worth watching for a good laugh. ☺
We headed to meet our rickshaw drivers who were going to take us though Varanasi to the river Ganges. There are two different types of rickshaws in India. The first is like a 4-wheeler with a seat in the back that we rode the first day in Chennai. The second type are the ones we rode in Varanasi. Two people can squeeze onto the seat of a buggy type contraption that is carried by a bike.
My friend Kendal and I picked the toughest looking rickshaw and hopped in. The rickshaw ride was AWESOME!!!!
We were speeding over pot holes, dodging cars and various animals such as camels and water buffalo. Once we loosened our death grip on the handles we really absorbed what was around us. It was SO COOL! We were on the streets of India breathing in the same dirt as the tons and tons of people walking around. We whisked past women wearing beautiful sari’s, temples dedicated to Hindu gods, and stalls selling everything from jewelry to sticks that were supposed to be tooth brushes.
This was my first experience really feeling apart of the culture. No one seemed to notice the massive amounts of rickshaws carrying camera clad westerners. Everyone was engulfed in their daily lives and we were able to be apart of it! AHHHH. It makes me so excited just thinking about it! The rickshaw ride was by far one of my favorite experiences in India.
Varanasi is the holiest city for Hindus. Just to visit it once in a lifetime is every Hindu’s goal. The city is overflowing with pilgrims traveling to and room the river. Every night thousands gather to worship at the River Ganges.
We ended our rickshaw ride at the River Ganges. In the Hindu faith, the River Ganges is as sacred as a god. The experience was so real. It wasn’t a reenactment of something that has occurred in the past. It was the real thing- untouched by the passing of time.
We waked around absorbed by all of the activity around us. Incense, prayer, singing, pilgrims rejoicing at having made their journey to the river. It was INCREDIBLE!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Wake up call at 4am and then back to the Ganges River to watch the sunrise and early morning rituals.
On the walk to the river I noticed many pilgrims returning from the river. I am so fortunate that I was able to see something that is so important to so many people.
Floating down the River Ganges in a boat was like going back in time. The calmness of the river mixed with the chanting of rituals was an experience unlike any other I have had on my voyage so far.
We watched as pilgrims arose from sleep and made their way to bathe in the river. Hindu’s believe that the water from the river is purifying and to bathe in the waters is to cleanse oneself of the karma of previous and current lives.
The mood all over was serene. It was an unforgettable experience!
We headed back to the hotel for breakfast and then visited Sarnath, a holy city for Buddhist people. Buddah preached his first sermon at Sarnath and began the basis of the future development of the religion. SO MUCH HISTORY IN INDIA! It is so amazing!
PICTURE
We stopped at a silk factory on the way back from the hotel. Silk is famous in Varanasi. I picked up a few gifts ☺
We headed back to the hotel for lunch, packed our things and headed back to the airport for our 4th flight of the week. Whew. The flight was delayed, but we eventually made it home (back to the ship) a little after midnight!
SO! After 4 plane rides, 4 train rides, lots of bus rides, and quite a few rickshaws, I experienced the cities of New Delhi, Agra, and Varanasi. India has been the most fascinating place I have traveled so far! I wish I had more time!!!
Stimulus overload- I cannot believe the things that I did, saw, heard, and smelled.
Thursday March 10, 2011
We found a rickshaw driver named Shakir to be our personal guide for the day. We did lots of shopping and sightseeing around Chennai.
For lunch, Shakir took us to one of his favorite Indian restaurants where we ate off leaves!! The food was DELICIOUS!
At the end of the day Shakir took us to see his home. His neighborhood was one of the worst I have seen since I have been in India. He lived with his wife and 3 kids in a one room apartment with only a concrete floor, no bed. It was so heart breaking to see where Shakir lived after we had spent the entire day shopping.
Sometimes it just hits me. Why am I so blessed? I am not thankful enough for the blessings that I have been given. Such simple things such as a bed slip my mind. I have never worried about where my next meal will come from. For a large portion of the world this is not the case. They worry. They have “real” problems of which I know nothing.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Today I visited the Missionaries of Charity Orphanage. The orphanage was founded by Mother Teresa and is home to abandoned kids, many of which have mental and physical disabilities.
It was heart breaking. I kept thinking to myself- What is going to happen to these kids? Most of them are never going to be able to take care of themselves. One little boy in particular had the worst cleft palate I have ever seen. It was painful. He was so severe he barely spoke. It broke my heart.
I spent most of the time passing out stickers and silly bands. The kids loved them! They received such satisfaction out of something that kids in America have hundreds off.
The sisters who ran the orphanage were great. They really cared about each of the children there. It was comforting to know that the children there were taken care of, but still extremely sad.
They need so much love. I wish I could have stayed longer.
Again, it leaves me counting my blessings. I cannot get the faces of the children of India out of my head. Their eyes tore straight through you and yet we had to walk away again and again.
I am adding some of my favorite pictures from India.
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