Chai for Christmas

Morning thoughts:

I am not happy this morning. I’m really really trying to be - I’m trying to remind myself that I’m in India having a once in a lifetime experience, and something little like living arrangements shouldn’t upset me so much. I think it’s the fatigue showing through. Everything annoys me: the pidgeons that woke us up at 7am, the lack of refrigerator and therefore lack of breakfast, the lack of coffee, the fact that NONE of the outlets will keep a connection and so I can’t charge any of my electronics OR curl my hair, the sad attempt at water pressure and minimal heat in the shower, AND the fact that I can’t talk to my parents or best friend OR update the blog like I promised I would. Yeah, I’m a little unhappy this morning.

The one ray of sunshine - the sweet little makeshift vase (i.e. water pitcher) of daisies sitting on our table. They’re happy and bright and maybe if I stare at them long enough and remember how good yesterday was, the rest of the ickiness will fade. I really don’t wanna be in a bad mood. We’re going to the village today and I want to enjoy that. I’m sure though, that once we get there, all of this won’t matter. New day, new attitude, right? Let’s hope…I’ll let you know.


Afternoon thoughts:

So…today was awesome.

After we got dressed this morning, we stopped by the boys’ for breakfast (since we’d left our cold items there), then headed over to get on the bus. IT was about an hour drive to the Ashram (where we picked up the lady that started it) then an additional hour drive to the village.

When we arrived, there were two lines of little girls waiting outside of the school to greet us. As we walked past them, they showered us with marigold petals (remember the lei from the first day? Marigolds are a sign of welcome). Upon reaching the gate of the school, a small group of boys began playing the drums to welcome us in. They were all so happy and energetic, and the teachers were all smiles.

We were ushered into a small conference room and asked to sit down. We then went through some introductions (all the teachers, ourselves, a few others) before getting a quick tour of the school. All of the kids attend class in a collection of four small rooms, where they are split up according to their “standard” (the equivalent of US “grades”). All of the kids were very well behaved, and each classroom had prepared a song or poem for us - it was soooo sweet.

After our school tour, we were able to go on a village tour. According to Dr. Anand, this sleepy little village is home to about 72,000 (guys…that’s the size of FAYETTEVILLE! And this is a VILLAGE…geez). We didn’t see the entire thing, just the portion that was closest to the school (and housed a little over a thousand residents).

I simply can’t describe the village in words, so here, have a few pictures…jk, stupid internet. There will be pictures later.

As intense as the setting was, the people were all incredibly warm. They didn’t mind one bit that a bunch of foreigners (the first ones to visit their village…ever) were wandering around taking pictures of their houses and chickens. I mean, imagine trying do walk into Orange Mound and snap a few photos of people or houses or pets…you’d get shot. These people welcomed us into their homes warmly, let us look around, take pictures, talk to their children, hold their baby livestock - it was incredible.

I was in shock for a majority of the tour - it was just so much to take in. We returned to the school after the tour and watched the kids participate in races and games - we even got to play a round of musical chairs (once for the boys, once for the girls). They seemed to love watching US play their games. Then, they presented each of us with flowers (I’m liking this tradition), performed several dances and songs for us, let us hand out the awards to the winners of the races, and thanked us (multiple times) for visiting their village and experiencing their culture. That felt backwards to me - we should have been thanking THEM for letting us be a part of their lives. The experience was incredible.

Before leaving, we spent several minutes taking a million photos with the kids (they loved having their picture taken), letting them take pics of us (which they liked MORE than having their picture taken, even if it was with our cameras and they couldn’t keep the pics), and shaking hundreds of teeny hands. They all ask the same question “What is your name?” - I loved feeling like my name was special.

Right as we left, there was one little girl standing off to the side all by herself, just watching us. I couldn’t decide if she was scared or just overwhelmed. I pulled my flower out of my bag and handed it to her. The look on her face was priceless and heart-melting. It was confusion and shock at first, kind of a “me? That’s for me?” look, but then it transformed in to the biggest, happiest, most ecstatic smile I’ve ever seen. She clutched that tiny flower to her chest, ran over to who I assume was her brother, and waved it back and forth, jumping up and down the whole time. I wish I could have caught that moment on tape, not that I’ll ever forget it, but so that other people can see how incredibly happy something so small can make someone. It made my whole day.

After the village, we drove back to the apartments for a brief break before heading out to explore the city and grab dinner. We took the bus to MG Road (the shopping district), and wandered through one of the shops there called Cauvery. It’s a government run store - meaning we didn’t have to haggle (YAY!) and they had good prices. Pree, Mary, and I bought sarees and most of the others got souvenirs and gifts to take back home. The issue we then faced was: where on EARTH do we get these fitted? So began the epic tailor-hunt.

The Cauvery people had told the tailor was up the street…not a good description for India. Up the street could mean ANYWHERE. So, hoping we were smart enough to find this tailor (bad plan, I’m aware), we just started walking. A few minutes passed and we realized we had no hope of finding this place alone, so we stopped in one of the stores that looked like they might know. The guy there told us to go to the utility building “that way.” Well, at least we had a direction. We walked “that way” hoping that maybe we would just somehow know what a utility building was supposed to look like. We didn’t. We stopped in ANOTHER store and asked for a tailor and/or the utility building. The guy had no idea where a tailor was, but “utility building” he understood. “Oh, utility building, yes yes, tailor is there. About one and a half minute walk there. Big, taaaaall, building. That way.” Good…I think…we were at least still headed “that way” and now we knew to look for a “taaaall” building. Turns out, ALL of the buildings are tall. Also, “one and a half minutes” is really really vaugue in Indian time…

Just as we were wondering if we’d ever find this place, the buildings parted and this skyscraper appeared. Aha! “Taaaall” building! So, now at least we had a building, just need the tailor. We walked in and, after asking about three more people, a kind lady took pity on us and walked us to the tailor. We would have NEVER found that place on our own like we thought.

The tailoring experience was…interesting. He took our sarees, then took our measurements (very quickly, might I add), wrote a few figures down on a piece of paper, and told us to come back “day after tomorrow.” What he’ll do is take some of the fabric from the saree, cut it to our measurements, line it, and sew it all up to make a blouse. Then, the saree just wraps around. Sounds simple enough, right? Maybe I’ll have magical saree wrapping talent…

After that adventure (which I’m pretty proud of - we just got sarees tailored in INDIA), we went to find the others for dinner. We ended up at a very Dickson Street-esque bar and stayed for a while - it felt so much like home. I think a lot of us have been missing home, so that touch was nice. The ride home was an entirely new adventure.

We had been told to take auto-rickshaws back to the apartments. We had also been told not to wait too late to get them because no one would be willing to take us. Well, we apparently waited too late. The first six or so people we talked to told us no. Then, a man appears out of nowhere and offers to drive us…for 800 rupees. Heck no! That ride is supposed to cost like 60 to 90 rupees…you’ve GOT to be kidding us! Well, no one else would take us, and that guy kept talking, so once Seth got him down to 350, we agreed. Thing is, there were four of us. The auto rickshaws fit two, maybe three. The next twenty minutes was both terrifying and hilarious.

Seth, Kevin, and I squeezed into the back of the rickshaw and had Amanda lay across our laps. We sped through traffic, dodging busses and cars and motorcycles, praying that we wouldn’t crash or flip or fall out. Kevin got the whole experience on video…I’ll see what I can do to add that later. We made it, finally, all in one piece. We paid the guy and thanked him, then headed upstairs to tell everyone of our adventure. All in all, it was a good night. I feel like I’ve had a well rounded India experience now. Almost dying via auto rickshaw will do that…

Evening thoughts:

I’m quite annoyed again. Honey, Kevin and I went to pick up our laundry - which we ended up paying way more than expected for - and not only were things crazy mixed up, they were WET! What are we supposed to do with wet clothes?!? Ugh…we’ll survive. This country is an emotional roller coaster. It’s probably a good thing I’m only here for three weeks. I might lose my mind otherwise. I thought I understood the concept of culture shock…no. THIS is culture shock. THIS is what ethnocentrism feels like. Nothing before has come close - that was just me adjusting. This is screwing with my emotional stability…I’m going to bed.

I'm skipping the days we spent at Kabini for now. I'll add them later, promise. Anyway, here's another update:


Today started off with our first laundry experience in India - we folded our clothes and dropped them off with the office to be washed, ironed, and returned to us. It was a little scary to leave such a large chunk of my clothes with a stranger, but I’m trusting the system. After dropping off laundry and having a fantastic breakfast (yogurt and cereal - I love having a kitchen and groceries - I got to Skype with Mom and Dad for an hour or so. I’m so excited to have internet! The whole morning was pretty relaxing, just getting ready, eating breakfast, and a brief meeting with the leaders, then we left for our company visit.

We traveled to Electronic City and visited the WIPRO campus. WIPRO (formerly Western India Products, Ltd), is the second largest outsourcing company in the world. To me, that conjured images of several call centers stocked with people answering tech support and product inquiry calls. Wrong. They do so much more than that.

When we first got there, we were greeted with bouquets of gerbera daises (so sweet), and ushered upstairs to a really nice conference room. After brief introductions, we walked to a dining room full of tables set with WIPRO china (a really nice touch) and a lovely smelling buffet lunch. Turns out it wasn’t just lovely smelling, the lunch was FANTASTIC - they had chicken parmigian! We all really enjoyed it. I normally don’t crave familiar American food this much when I’m abroad, but something about this trip has really made me miss it. I think it’s cause we’re starting to feel like Indian cuisine is a bit repetitive and homogeneous. I’m sure if you’ve grown up here, the dishes probably seem quite different, but being from the States where we have so many different genres of food (Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Thai), we’re all feeling a bit “food bored.”

Following lunch, we returned to the conference room and started our series of meetings. We learned a lot about who WIPRO is and what they do - they have four main divisions: IT, Personal & Home Care, etc. Then we had a tour of the training facility (THAT was IMPRESSIVE) and a few more meetings. Everyone seemed fairly engaged, asking questions and making comments. I think we all really enjoyed it. Up next was dinner and free time.

So, remember how I mentioned earlier that we were all kinda craving American food? Well, that was reflected in our dinner choice tonight - Pizza Hut. We walked from the apartments to the restaurant down the street. Honestly, walking was about as stressful as driving feels. I was sure I was going to trip on one of the holes or steps or random rocks or tree roots or broken patches. I’m not the most graceful person, so it’s bound to happen at some point, I’d just prefer it NOT happen on a concrete sidewalk near a super busy street full of Indian traffic. We made it safely, despite one of the access covers nearly flipping over underneath my feet, and the second we walked into the restaurant, stress vanished. It smelled like home.

Now, it’s important to note that Indian Pizza Hut is NOT like American Pizza Hut. First, a majority of the menu is vegetarian (which one would expect given that one of the main religions here doesn’t eat beef and the other doesn’t eat pork), and so a good number of the entrees are much more interesting than our standard American fare. We’ve noticed this at several of the “American” chains we’ve visited. Remember my paneer wrap from McDonald’s? It makes sense once you’re here, but I never would have considered the implications of opening a traditionally American restaurant in a culture that has such restricted diets. I

If you’ve ever cooked for a vegetarian, you understand. It’s not that you just don’t use meat, you don’t use ANY animal products - oils, lards, certain extracts, occasionally eggs, milk, and cheese. It’s tricky. You can’t just change a recipe to remove the obvious meat, sometimes you have to completely redesign it. For example, apple pie sounds safe and vegetarian, right? Nope. Quite often crust has lard in it, so you have to find a new recipe. And with companies that sell food, a redesign of a recipe is not a simple undertaking. You have to do through a whole new gambit of testing, approvals, measurements, more testing, etc. Entering this market given that so much of the menu would have to be recreated is not as simple as I would have thought.

A bonus to the challenge? It resulted in a much more creative, very interesting menu. We ended up choosing from the Tuscany offerings - I had a pizza with gouda cheese, basil, mushrooms, bell pepper, baby corn and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It was fantastic.

After dinner, we headed back to the apartments. We had found out earlier that we would have to move apartments - apparently they have to do some work on the one that we were in, so they were moving us to another building. Originally, they had said that we had until 11 to move (which was good seeing as we weren’t packed and wanted to get dinner). When we got back, however, we were being rushed to get out as quickly as possible - frustrating. So, we quickly grabbed our stuff and shuffled out. Then came what we were sure was either a practical joke or a nightmare.

The new apartment is on the seventh floor of the building. Sounds nice, but consider the fact that it’s really hot here and heat does what? That’s right, rises. So, the lower apartments are the more desirable. It’s okay, we were gonna give the apartment the benefit of the doubt - perhaps it was more like a penthouse. NOPE! It’s awful. We moved from a lovely apartment with a nice living room, two nice bedrooms, a great kitchen and internet, so a tiny, hot, three bedroom apartment with scary couches, minimal lighting, no refrigerator/coffee maker/supplies, and NO INTERNET. We didn’t even have a modem. Oh and the phone didn’t work. AND he forgot to give us a key. I wanted to cry. I almost did. Is this real life? Surely not.

We all kinda stared around, dazed. I couldn’t stay. I picked up our leftovers, yogurt, juice and milk and walked over to Kevin’s to see if we could store our stuff there. Then I stayed put for a little while, trying to get on the internet to let people know what was going on (and cancel all of my Skype dates), but that didn’t go well. Thanks for understanding, people at home. I stayed for a little bit longer to collect myself then headed back to our place.

Once there, it turns out that they had found us a “refrigerator” (i.e. a small coldish 1.5 x 1.5 box), so at least we can store provisions. Still no internet, but we’ll survive, right? They’ll supposedly bring us a modem in the morning, but I’m not crossing my fingers. I’m trying to stay positive. I am in India, after all. I need to focus on the big picture. I think it’s just that I’m missing home and I was so excited to talk to them and now I feel like that opportunity has been ripped away from me. Add to that the fact that as we were moving out, we were rushed cause someone needed to move in. Turns out that “’working on the apartment” was a lame cover for “we have someone we like better that want the room.” *sigh* This will be okay, right? I’m going to bed. I can’t think about this anymore.

OMG longest day ever! We only thought we were busy yesterday. No, no. Yesterday was a breeze. Today, I was chauffeured via elephant up a mountain, called a queen (and a stingy one at that), hounded by paparazzi, pulled into traditional Indian dance, and hit by a car.

We got up this morning at about 7 am for breakfast (they had baked beans and the closet Anglophile in me was really excited about that). We’ve noticed an odd mix in the breakfast selections. The hotels seem to include a wider range of breakfast “styles” (traditional Indian, British influences…corn flakes). I know a lot of us are grateful to see something familiar in the mornings, especially when the rest of the day is mostly foreign.

.After breakfast we headed out to Amer fort. I have been looking forward to this site since I found out we were going on the trip. We were going to ride elephants to the top. ELEPHANTS! We queued up in a sweet little garden waiting our turn to ride up, and it was at this point that we realized the only two Indians on the trip (Vikas and Varun), were NOT taking the elephant ride. I think we all had a moment of “uh oh, should we not? Is there something we don’t know?” Dr. Anand reassured us, telling us that to Indians, “elephants are like cats” and there was nothing novel about riding one up a mountain….ok…

We made it up to the front fairly quickly given the length of the line when we arrived, and were seated on the back of the bumpiest piece of transportation I have ever experienced. Don’t’ get me wrong, we had a blast, but it was a work out. I had to keep my abs clenched the entire way up the mountain to feel like I wasn’t falling off (and that didn’t always help). I kept sliding into poor Kevin cause I was sitting up front (closest to the ears) and he had the tail lend. Our driver, who insisted on calling Kevin and I a “maharaja” and “maharani” (king and queen) was a typical Indian driver - aggressive and willing to sneak into any opening he saw available. We passed about five other elephants on the tiny mountain road…we felt like a part of elephant NASCAR.

Once we made it to the top, our driver, who had been kind and talkative most of the way, began asking the Maharaja for his tip - apparently Maharani don’t pay for things…this I like. He kept saying ”you are Maharaja and Maharani, I am a simple driver. Tip more” Oh no, mister elephant driver man, we know your wiley ways. Our tour guide warned us about you - 50 rupees it is. We escaped his pleas with claims of “that’s all we have (it wasn’t) and “sorry” (we weren’t). I know now that I wouldn’t wanna do that everyday - your back and butt would be sore all the time. Now I understand why the two Indians opted to take Jeeps up the mountain.

Now, when you hear the word “fort,” what do you think of? Probably the same thing as me. A big, sprawling fortress-like structure made to withstand countless enemy attacks? Yeah…this was NOT that kind of fort. This was beautiful. The archways were covered in delicate paintings and all of the stone work was intricate and elaborate. The royal family used this fort more as a home and palace than a defense mechanism. There were meeting halls and Jacuzzi tubs and bedrooms galore - not to mention the entire hall covered in teensy mirrors. We had a great time exploring the fort. It would have been easy to spend hours at that site (mostly because there was so much to see, partially cause it would have been really easy to get lost in all the tunnels and passageways). When we were done, we took jeeps down the hill - elephants down hill would have been a terrible plan.

After the fort, our next stop was a local jeweler. Our guide took us to a place where the “locals” know to shop. The store owner greeted us and explained where they get their stones and the process that goes into cutting and polishing the gems, then he let us see one of the workshops. Jaipur is the gem capital of India (and they supply something ridiculous like 80% of the world’s gems). Daddy wanted a sapphire, so I found the loose stones and spent the entire time there - so many tiny sparkly things! I found him a stone - a dark cobalt-blue sapphire, but I found myself one too (oops). In trying to determine what color I was looking for, the guy showed me several different stones. One was a gorgeous cornflower blue sapphire that was a unique hue, even for that shade. It caught my eye and I fell in love with it. As we know, I have excellent taste, so, of course, I managed to pick out one of the rarest colors of sapphire they have…making it a bit more expensive than the other. I love it, though, and they guy offered to put it in a ring for me with two little diamonds on the side. How could I say no? He said he’d put it all together and have it delivered to my hotel that evening.

As I was entirely consumed by the stones the whole time, I had know idea what was happening with anyone else. When we’d gone into the store, only Seth and I were really looking to buy something. Turns out, there were only one or two people that ended up NOT buying something - for themselves, their mothers, girlfriends, wives, etc. The salespeople. were all so nice and easy to deal with, and the shop was just beautiful - it makes sense. It was neat to shop in a place like that- it was very much a family run business, run out of their home, but supported by all of the people who lived nearby. I wonder if they live nearby because they help with the business or if they help with the business because they live nearby…?

After spoiling our selves with sparkles, we were famished, so we stopped for lunch at a traditional Rajasthan restaurant. We’re getting better at ordering (starting to recognize things we like and trust), but we’re also usually willing to branch out and try new things. Every now and then that plan backfires…that happened today. We ordered a vegetable dish that sounded good on the menu, but en execution, was just weird - pineapple and green peas and cashews and something else we weren’t sure of. Yeah, that didn’t get eaten. The rest was delicious, though.

After lunch, the most entertaining scene of the trip unfolded. Aaron felt the need to apply bug spray, so he stepped out of the bus. Well, there was an entire crowd of Indian men standing around (like they seem to be prone to do) just outside of the bus. As Aaron stood there, completely oblivious to the scene, the men stared at him with a mixture of confusion, amazement, and a bit of mocking. Then, out of nowhere, and entire herd of beggar women appeared, all toting a child or two, all with their hands out. Aaron didn’t notice them until they were right in front of him and there was not escape! When he looked up, a look of panic came across his face, and he made a beeline for the bus, herd of women tailing him all the way to the steps. Poor thing.

Up next was Jantar Mantar. This is were the day really got interesting. Jantar Mantar is an 250 year old observatory park. So, naturally, there were school groups ton field trips there. If you haven’t noticed, II’m blonde. There aren’t a lot of fair kilned, blue eyed, blonde headed people in this country. (shocker, I know). So, I became part of the field trip. We had boys in uniforms following our group around the entire time. Once we got a bit of free time, Amanda and I took a break near one of the star sign calculator statue things. Within two minutes of sitting down, we had a small group of boys come up to us and ask for pictures. They looked harmless enough, so we said okay. Thirty seconds later, a group of not-so-small boys also asked for a photo. This time we were a bit more hesitant. They were, as most people are here, aggressive, though, and one of the guys jumped in between us before we knew what was happening. Then, oh then, as his buddy was about to snap a pic, he threw his arms around both of us (VERY inappropriate in Indian culture. You do NOT touch a member of the opposite sex). At that point, Dr. Anand saw us and came over to pull us away. We headed over to where the rest of the group was sitting, and were safe for a few minutes before another group of ogglers started to form. Dr. Anand whisked us away again and we decided it was time to head out. Once back on the bus, thee boys were told to keep an eye out for us…geez. Thanks adventure curls, thanks.

Next stop: bapu bazaar. Two words. SENSORY OVERLOAD. Ohmygosh I have NEVER been that overwhelmed by a shopping experience. After that, I could kick black-Friday-ToysRUs in it’s butt. There were all sorts of noises (voices, animals, cars, random hobo children) smells (I’m not gonna describe) sights (colors everywhere!) and people. The sheer number of people - I just…ugh. Also, I think the beggar women make their children cry on cue. These babies are quiet until I ignore the pleas of their mother and then they start bawling and I feel like the worst person in the whole world, l. And they must know that American women are weak, cause they stick with you for ages. I gotta give em points for persistence.

I did make a few purchases - though I’ve discovered I suck at haggling. I feel too mean. I could have done better with my bargaining, but my overwhelmed brain couldn’t process the sensory overload and the guilt att the same time, so sensory overload won.

After the market, we had a few short minutes back at the hotel before we headed out to Chohki Dhani. The easiest way to describe this place is like the Indian version of Silver Dollar city. It’s a recreation of a typical Rajasthani village - complete with performers and an “authentic” meal (it was served on plates made of banana leaves and we weren’t sure what 9/10 of the stuff on our plates was…). We had to take our shoes off (ick…I wasn’t happy about that. If you knew what Indian streets looked like, you’d never wanna take your shoes off…EVER) and we sat on the floor. It had rained earlier, so this experience was rather undesirable. Other than that, we had a good time. We toured the place for a bit after dinner (which was entertaining since our waiters were fighting the whole time), and at one point, a girl in traditional Indian dress grabbed my hand and pulled me onto a platform with her (I wouldn’t go without Pree), and we got to participate in the dance. And by participate I mean be-really-confused-and-laugh-hysterically-while-attempting-to-mimic-what-she-was-doing. At one point I heard Pree say, “Oh, look at Kevin!” I turned around and someone had grabbed him, too…and turned him into a cow…and told him to bounce up and down. Apparently we were to then dance around him. It was one of the most ridiculous and fun things we’ve done yet.

After our dancing escapades and tour, we headed back to the hotel. On the way out, our group apparently wasn’t moving fast enough for one of the cars, and they totally HIT ME! Like ran INTO my leg. I’m not sure what Indian protocol is for that situation, but American protocol told me to give them a “go to you-know-where look,“ almost pound on their hood, and shout not very nice English phrases at the driver. He was not apologetic in the least. Whatever, driver man, may you come back as one of those beggar children that’s taught to cry on cue.

Now, I’m home, exhausted, and ready for bed. We have to be up at 3am..so I should get at least a little bit of sleep.

I woke up today at 5:15 am…without an alarm. Darn you, jetlag! Oh well, it ended up paying off. I was up early enough to get ready and pack my bags all by 6:45 (when we were scheduled to leave for the Taj Mahal). Everyone showed up on time! A repeat of yesterday’s tardiness could have cost us a great morning, so I’m glad no one let us down.

We left early enough that there was minimal traffic, and we arrived at the Taj right as the sun was rising. I kinda wish we’d left a little bit earlier, cause I would have loved more of a time cushion for pictures of the sunrise. At least we made it through security quickly - again, the girls had their own line and little curtained booths so that no one could see you get your security check…why do they do that? Is it offensive to be checked maybe? As if they’re somehow accusing you of being sketchy? Odd…

We finally made it through the main gate to the monument. The fog had lifted a bit from the night before, so the view was beautiful. Postcards don’t do this place justice. The incredible detail on everything, from the entrance gate to the gardens to the monument itself simply cannot be captured in a photo (but believe me I tried).


I took so many pictures! Every angle of the place was photo worthy, down to the water drains. They were so intricate, with little six sided stars for openings. We just loved it and I’m sure we could have wandered around taking pictures for several hours. We had several other places to be, however, so we snapped as many as we could and met back up at the gate.

So, you know how I mentioned that no one let us down this morning by being late? Well, that didn’t last. We had a group member show up nearly 45 minutes after the designated meeting time. Our schedule was so packed today that a delay that large could cost us an entire activity…like breakfast! It almost happened. They closed the buffet at 10 am, we made it back at 9:55ish. Too close for comfort in my opinion. Do you have any idea how crabby I would have been if we’d had to go the rest of the afternoon food and coffee-less? It would have been bad. Especially since we weren’t getting lunch until late that day. Ugh, I was annoyed.

No matter, we made it back, had breakfast, and headed back out for our second monument of the day - Agra Fort. That place is huge! And, since it’s built out of red sandstone, the color added to the hugeness to make it even more impressive. It was a beautiful place, quite neat to visit, but I have to admit I liked the Taj better (probably only because it’s a little more girly and romantic - I mean come on, has anyone given YOU a which marble palace lately? Didn‘t think so). Oh, almost forgot to mention, we saw MONKEYS! Itsy bitsy ones, too. They were just relaxing, munching on grain under a tree, waiting for all the crazy tourists to ooh and ahh and snap their pictures. We fell for it, hook-line-and-sinker.


We made it back to the bus, despite getting attacked by a thousand hawkers (that’s gonna take some getting used to), and headed out for our third and final monument of the day. We made a stop on the way at a roadside pharmacy and sweet shop (which we had to cross a street to get to…I’ve never been so afraid of crossing a street in my life). Dr. Anand picked up some candied pumpkin at the shop, apparently Agra is famous for it. It wasn’t my favorite (a little too sweet for my taste), but it was good.

The drive to Fatehpur Sikri was different from yesterday’s trek in that it was mostly through village land. The streets were covered in trash (apparently the waste management system here is not very functional), there are animals everywhere, and the sides of the roads are lined with collections of cow dung cakes. We saw some of the women “collecting” them - they mix cow dung and mud together into small disks, then let them dry in the sun. Once they’ve hardened, they’re used as fuel for cooking.

The idea of that being someone’s job, something that they go do everyday for hours, was really hard for me to grasp. I know I’m spoiled by where I live and how I’ve grown up, and in my world it’s a foreign concept, but it’s still gross and hard to believe. They don’t seem to mind it, though. That’s something I’ve noticed. Even the people in the grips of poverty have lives. They make due, they get along, and they seem content. It’s just their lives, plain and simple, and they’re living them for all they can. It makes me feel quite selfish for getting so annoyed at the little inconvinences in my life - like the dishwasher not getting my plates clean or Walmart being out of my brand of hairspray. Really?!? I get annoyed at those things? What on earth is wrong with me? I’m living like a queen compared to a majority of the people in this country and I don’t appreciate it at all. It’s quite pathetic really.

Okay, off that soapbox and on to Fatehpur Sikri. This last monument was a complex and palace built by Akbar (the guy with the tomb from yesterday) back during the Mughal Empire. We kinda buzzed through it because we were short on time (and if we didn’t get on the road to Jaipur at a certain time, our trip would take several hours more than planned). Buzzed through or not, we still got a good dose of history from it. We also learned that Akbar really liked his Hindu wife, liked his Christian wife okay, but wasn’t a huge fan of his Muslim wife. Okay, we may not know that for sure, but the vast differences in the sizes of their accommodations seems to hint so. The Hindu wife got an entire courtyard and tons of rooms, the Christian wife got a building with about four rooms in it, but the Muslim wife got a multi-purpose one room building. Poor thing. As for his area, the bed was pretty neat - it was elevated to prevent nighttime attacks and they were able to flood the floor in the summers to keep the room cool (nifty idea).


Once pictures had been taken and potty breaks had, we headed out for Jaipur. The first part of the drive was fairly predictable: lots of traffic, lots of honking, lots of trash, lots of run-down looking buildings (also, I miss grass. Where are they hiding their vegetation?), but the predictability did not last long. Some protesters had taken up residence on the road that we were supposed to take, so we ended up taking a detour through some teensy tiny villages. It may have been the most beautiful part of the trip yet. It’s not that the scenery was all that nice, but the experience was incredible.

Imagine with me that you have lived your entire life in a small Indian village that is totally bypassed by the interstate system. You exist, day by day, with minimal electricity, no running water, and very little contact with the rest of the world. Now, imagine that one day, a caravan of cars, trucks, and busses appears on the dirt road outside your house. How would you react? If you answered, grab your entire family and run to the edge of the road and watch everyone drive by, then you would be correct. In each village we passed, EVERYONE was poised on the edge of the road, staring at the funny little parade we’d accidentally stepped into. I should point out that unlike American charter busses, our bus did not have tinted windows - you could see straight in. So, go back to that scenario we just visited and add that the people in one of these vehicles are white, blue eyed, and blonde headed. Now how do you react? I wonder what was going through their heads when they saw us. We noticed, very quickly, that simply smiling down at them resulted in huge grins. When we paired those simple smiles with enthusiastic waving, the results would have made your heart explode. It’s amazing what a wave can do. We had children jumping up and down, waving back so hard I was afraid their arms would fall off. They ran along with the bus and shouted what was probably the only English they knew - loud, beautiful choruses of “Hi, Hi, Hello!”

We had a BLAST! We opened windows and stuck our heads out and waved until our hands hurt. I have never seen so many people get so excited by a single wave. It was incredible. Most would smile and wave at the bus as we passed, and when we returned the gesture, they’d punch their friends and point as if to say “Did you see that? They waved back!!” We made it our goal to get at least all of the children to smile. In India, smiling and laughter is reserved for times when it is really merited. In the States, we smile to be friendly, we laugh a joke to be polite, we wave at strangers. Here, that type of behavior is seen as frivolous unless the situation fits. It was hard, but we were able to get most of the villagers, even the men (the toughest crowd) to at least smile back. My heart has never been so touched - and to think, it was all because of a detour. Maybe we should take detours more often. It took us three extra hours to go the few kilometers that the protesters had blocked off, and we missed lunch but it was far more than worth it.

We did finally make it back to the highway and stopped at another of those roadside restaruants for dinner. The menu was quite similar to the first and there was a small gift shop attached…which I’m pretty sure makes those restaurants the Cracker Barrels of India. We had a yummy dinner, picked up a tag along tourist who followed our bus to the hotel in Jaipur (they were apparently super lost), and finished the drive to Jaipur (I slept the whole way). We have another full day tomorrow, so I’m off to bed. Don’t wanna miss those elephant rides!

Our first morning in India! It looks a little more like “India” in the daylight. After last night, breakfast came quite early. It was worth it, though. We had fresh fruit, chicken sausage, and a breakfast bread called pani (I think…). No coffee, but they did have tea (so I’ll take what I can get). North India is apparently more of a “tea” area, while south India prefers coffee. I’m getting the feeling I’ll get along better in south India. We’ll see.

After breakfast, several of us collected money and exchanged dollars for rupees. That was an interesting experience - he took copies of our passports and gave us receipts out of a carbon copy book. Not the most advanced method of banking…

Next up was a visit to the mall. It wasn’t at all what I expected it would be. It was big, and modern, and clean with all sorts of nice stores - very much like the malls we have at home. I think that is what surprised me. The drive there was most definitely not “home” but then, out of nowhere, there’s this building that looks like it jumped out of suburban America.


One major difference greeted us right at the entrance - security check. We couldn’t go in without having our bags checked and letting them wave a wand up and down us. The really big surprise? The man who opened the door for me motioned me forward towards what looked like a changing room behind him. A lady security guard walked out and waved me in. SHE then checked me. Apparently, the men don’t check the women and vice versa. I guess, looking back, I should have expected that, but it still felt a little odd. I mean, back home, a security check is a security check (well, unless you’re getting patted down, but this was just a wand). Different mindset, I guess.

A huge Christmas tree greeted us in the lobby. That was kinda nice - a reminder of home. Only the bottom half was fully decorated, though. The top was a bit sparse, as if they couldn’t reach up that far. Our first stop was Reliance - a clothing store. Reliance is the company that was depicted in Guru, one of the movies we watched in class. We were a bit early, but one of the workers, sensing (correctly) that we would spend money, let us in anyway. The shop was set up very similarly to those we have in the states - different sections were focused on different “genres” of clothes and there were several mannequins dotting the store displaying some of the outfits. We did notice that the women’s’ section was about 80% traditional Indian style, 20% Western while the men’s section was the opposite - mostly Western. There was also an area where you could select fabrics and have things custom made (we should have that option back home!) After browsing for a bit, I found a beautiful kurta set. It’s a rose colored fabric with a sheer overlay woven with gold thread and some really pretty embellishments across the top. It came with green pants and a scarf. I’m not sure yet where I’ll wear it, but I LOVE it. AND it was on sale!

Big Bazaar (kinda like an Indian version of Walmart) was our next stop. We needed to pick up a few provisions for the trip - toilet paper, snacks, shampoo, a hair dryer (you know, the important stuff). We walked into the men’s clothing section, and at first glance, it looked a LOT like a Walmart, even the shelving was similar. The similarities kinda ended there. The women’s clothes were, like at Reliance, mostly traditional style. Past the clothing section was a series of seemingly mismatched clusters of things - dishes, electronics, chocolate, plastic boxes. There wasn’t any particular order to the sections, they just seemed to be stuck in at random, making it difficult to figure out where to find things we needed.

We finally found the toiletries and began our search for the list of things we needed. FYI, shopping is trickier when the prices aren’t stuck on the shelf under the product (the prices are normally listed ON the product itself). I’m apparently much more reliant on prices to help me choose than I thought I was. I really had a hard time picking out things when I didn’t know which cost what. Snacks were even harder to shop for. The food section seemed all jumbled, and there were a LOT of cookies. And chips. Granola bars, not so much. We finally found those in the international section.

There were still a few things we couldn’t find, but the salespeople were very attentive (and everywhere!), so they helped us. Turns out, hair dryers are stored with the computer mice. Make sense, right? Also, Big Bazaar does NOT carry umbrellas…hmmm…

After shopping, we all met back at the huge tree. And by all, I mean most. We had a few stragglers. I’m not a fan of people not being punctual, so I’m hoping this does not become a trend.

The rest of the day was a really, really long drive. We left Delhi for Agra after we finished up at the mall. It didn’t take us long to find the traffic that didn’t seem to exist late last night. There were SO MANY PEOPLE! There’s really no way to describe exactly what we drove through in words, so I’ve included a handy diagram: (which I'll add tomorrow cause I'm super tired right now)

Also, you can’t get the full experience without a background soundtrack of incessant honking. They keep telling us we’ll get used to it…

As you can see from the diagram, traffic is INSANE. It’s as if lines are painted on the road for decorative purposes only and the concept of “your side of the road” is totally lost on everyone. There are “vehicles” (I hesistate to use even that word to describe the types of objects we saw amidst all this traffic) of every shape, size, color…breed. You’ve got trucks (painted up like parade floats), auto rickshaws (the Indian version of a taxi, but with only three wheels), cars, tractors, horse drawn carts, motorcycles, bicycles…cows (no, not with riders, just kinda hanging out). Part of me was very entertained by the circus happening on the road, the other part was terrified. I was torn between keeping my eyes open so that I didn’t miss anything and covering my face so that I didn’t see us run over one of the meandering cows.

The traffic wasn’t the only eye opening part of the drive. I started noticing little settlements dotted all over. It’s apparently common practice to set up a tent (or several tents) just about anywhere. I asked Dr. Anand about it and he said that people accept the practice here and that it has resulted in crime not being directly correlated with poverty or slums. That makes sense seeing as it would cut down on resentment or resorting to rule breaking in order to survive. It was sometimes heartbreaking to see, however.

We stopped for lunch at this little roadside restaurant. We got to sit outside, which was lovely, and there was even some “entertainment” (snake charmers that I stayed far away from). Lunch was great, but, from what we’ve heard, a bit overpriced. I don’t think any of us minded - the food was good and it was a sunny break from the bus.

The rest of the ride is a bit of a blur. I slipped in and out of sleep once it got dusky, so I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to what was happening outside. We did stop and see our first monument of the trip - Akbar’s tomb. That was neat ‘cause our group did a presentation on the Mughal Empire, so I totally knew who he was!

A little bit later we made it to the hotel - the really, really nice hotel. We checked in and rested up for just a bit, then a small group of us went for dinner at Only Restaurant (a cute little place just down the street). We were all pretty up for it until we got there, sat down, and were still, then the tired set in. We ate, had coffee, and walked back. That was a semi-nerve-wracking walk - I’m pretty sure I almost got hit several times. Once back at the hotel, Honey was watching some Indian soap operas. Interestingly, these shows (which were on several channels) all seem to revolve around an event rather than people. You know how in the States, people follow soaps for the characters? Well, all of these episodes, on each channel we tried, centered on an engagement ceremony, leading us to wonder whether it was the characters or the concept that people follow these shows for. I didn’t watch for long - it’s been a long day and a shower was required, followed now by bed. Taj Mahal tomorrow!

That was the first thought I wrote in my journal...

We're here! It's a bit hectic right now, but we're having a great time already. I'll update more later, just wanted you to know we're safe. 'til then!

Namaste! I have to be at the airport in less than twelve hours. I’m packed, my clothes for tomorrow are laid out, I’ve paid rent and other bills, I’ve hugged and kissed family members and left the puppy in the care of my parents (she’ll be fine…I hope THEY survive). Now all I have to do is get a decent night’s rest…yeah…we’ll get to that in a minute. Blogging sounds like more fun.

How ‘bout I tell you what I packed for this grand adventure? Good plan? Thought so. I’m a seasoned traveler, so I’ve become fairly methodical in my packing - I’m only taking a medium checked bag and my small backpack (I wouldn’t advise a less seasoned packer to attempt such a feat).

In these bags I have:
Clothes (for two different climates)
A jacket
An extra pair of shoes (and flip flops for the shower)
A towel
A sleep sheet
Toiletries
A curling iron & straightener (though I’ve been told I’m not allowed to wear curls while I’m there…crazy things happen when I let my hair stay curly…crazy things)
A first aid kit
Like a thousand batteries (my camera eats them)
My Mountainsmith bag
An umbrella
A small sewing kit (I’ve needed it on every trip I’ve gone on, believe it or not)
Gifts for our hosts
My netbook & charger
My cameras (video & still) and chargers
A teensy tripod
Accompanying cords
My iPod & headphones & charger
A plug adapter (for all those chargers)
My journal
A book for the plane
My passport, ID, credit card, and cash
A folder with all of the information I could ever need

I’m sure there are other things, but that’s all I could remember off the top of my head. I also have a small bag full of all the gifts we’re taking to the orphanage (board games, candy, bracelets, stickers, pencils, toothbrushes, etc).

I can’t wait to get there. I know it’s going to be like nothing I’m imagining - we’ve been warned of that several times. I should arrive in Delhi about 9:30pm on Monday. I’ll update as soon as I can. ‘til then!