Incredible India

I made it to Akshardam Temple on Tuesday, after all. The temple itself is closed for renovations, so I was only able to wander the grounds (which were beautiful) and check out the exhibitions. Exhibition #1 involved a series of rooms, each with a scene telling the story of Lord Swaminarayan's life, acted out by robots. Exhibition #2 was a 40 minute movie about his life. And exhibition #3 was a 12 minute boat ride (think: theme park) through the history of India. There were Catholic nuns on my boat, which I thought was pretty cool (seeing as this was at a Hindu temple). Although the whole thing was kinda kitschy, by the end of it, I did actually feel a sense of inner calm and tranquility. I even contemplated becoming a vegetarian for a minute or two.

That night, Nathan and I went for a walk through a sort of informal market area next to our hotel. What strikes me most about India is that even though people are living in squalor, there is this wonderful feeling of community and industry everywhere you look. It's a good reality check.

Yesterday, I took on Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort. The Red Fort was beautiful and tranquil; the perfect place to spend a hot, sunny day. But Indians are funny... every time I took out my camera, people started begging me to take their photo. At one point, a group of women came up and stood next to me. They didn't speak English and my Hindi is primitive at best, so I had no idea what was going on until I turned and saw a man with a camera, at which point there was nothing left to do but pose and smile. Apparently I am a tourist attraction.

A little later on, a family asked me to take pictures of their kids. I'd been saying no to people (mainly 20-something guys) all day, but since the kids were totally adorable, I couldn't refuse.



After I'd waved goodbye to the family, this little guy couldn't resist creeping over to me for his own photo op.


On I wandered to Chandni Chowk. Chandni Chowk is... confusing and overwhelming and completely amazing. It's a labyrinth of tiny streets and alleyways, lined with shops. And when I say shops, I really mean alcoves packed with wares. It is more crowded and even dustier than anywhere else I've been so far, with incense masking the scent of urine and rotting garbage. But amidst this filth you find colourful displays of fresh fruit and vegetables, thousands of glittering and miraculously clean saris, and smiling people all shouting hello. I'll say it again: India is amazing.

Here is one of the wider and more formal streets in Chandni Chowk:


On one of my rickshaw rides back to the metro (I had to take two because the first guy took me to the wrong place), I learned the lesson once again that Indians are obsessed with having their picture taken. As soon as this guy noticed my camera, he swerved in closer to make the shot.


To round off the day, Nathan and I had thali at a dhabba (sort of a cross between a restaurant and street food) we'd found on our walk the night before. The food was excellent, though a little too spicy for me, but the naan has ruined me for life. I will never be able to fully appreciate naan anywhere else ever again.

Today, I'm supposed to head over to the Lodhi Gardens. I'm still not sure whether I'll make it. The lazy bug has bitten me again today.

Tomorrow morning, we head off for our weekend getaway in the Himalayas. We've settled on Shimla; Darjeeling would have been nigh impossible. I guess this just means I'll have to come back! No complaints here.

Famous last words

"I want to try that!" I said, watching the dancers from the Punjab having the time of their lives.

"I think I could actually do that," Nathan said, realizing that his problem is an inclination toward dancing big, which was precisely what these dancers were doing.

"We want you to come dance with us," said the dancers, tugging at our arms.

Nathan went first. I have to say, he really rocked out. He also wimped out... 3 times. They had to keep dragging him back on stage.

I went second. As a seasoned dance performer who has dragged many a victim up on stage with me, I now understand the terror I've induced. But once I was up there, I figured I'd better go big or go home. Arms positioned, torso leaning back, big Punjabi grin, my hip went drop, drop, drop. My legs went flick, flick, flick. I went spin, spin, spin. We went conga, conga, conga. And it truly was the time of my life.

All this at the dinner we were invited to at the Imperial hotel. There turned out to be a 2 hour long dance show as part of the package deal (when I found this out, I think I may have squealed with glee). It even featured a guy who danced with 9 pots balanced on his head, atop swords and shards of glass, or with glasses clutched in his toes.

Here are some quick clips of the Punjabi dancers earlier in the night. Sorry the quality isn't great.





Incidentally, the Imperial is absolutely stunning. Compare, for example, this image of their pool with the one I posted yesterday of ours. It's almost embarrassing.


So yes, all in all a wonderful night. Great food, great dancing, great people, great atmosphere. By the time we took off, the metro was no longer running so we had to catch an auto-rickshaw to the hotel. About an hour of letting our hair blow in the breeze for the low, low price of rs. 250 (£3.69). I love this country.

I had planned on going to Akshardam temple today, and I still might... but last night really knocked both of us on our butts. It's now nearly 12:30 pm and Nathan's still sleeping. I'm not much further along. So... we'll see. It may well turn out to be another lazy day.

First impressions

India and I are still in the very early stages of becoming acquainted. I've seen the Delhi airport, my hotel (in the suburb of Noida), the shopping district in Noida, and the stretches of land in between. It has been a gentle introduction, for which I am grateful.

Urban India is rough around the edges. It is stinky, noisy, crumbly, and dusty. Power outages are frequent. People stare at your white skin. Young children chase and prod you with dirty fingers, begging for just 5 rupees. You get scanned and frisked every time you step into any public place. Traffic follows no set pattern, preferring the rush of near-collisions and incessant honking over the monotony of driving within the lines. Jay walking across 6 lanes of traffic is mandatory. Skinny cows poop and soak up the sun along the median.

But this is a place of contradictions. The metro is new, clean, smooth, and air conditioned. The clothing is elegant. The people are friendly. The food is good, cheap, and plentiful. And tonight, we've been invited to a dinner at the Imperial, supposedly the finest hotel in all of India.

I'm loving all of it, and I can't wait to discover more.

The view from our hotel room.


In the shopping district. Don't ask me what "Flavour of Canada" means.


View of the sunset from the metro station.


The rooftop pool, where I spent part of the afternoon.

The little engine that could

22 hours until my flight to India takes off. It turns out that the boy will be travelling with me, so hopefully that'll help the time go by a little less painfully.

I'm not sure what to say at this point, nor am I sure how I feel. Excited. Anxious. Nervous. Overwhelmed. Disbelieving. I'm pretty sure the words and feelings will all come pouring out of me as soon as I arrive.

We've been trying to decide where we want to go for our getaway in the Himalayas. This process has been unexpectedly difficult, since many of the places we would like to go are dangerous thanks to military/terrorism and/or scary mountain roads and even scarier bus drivers. So, our decision is coming down to places we can reach by train: Shimla or Darjeeling.

I'm rooting for Darjeeling because... how cool would that be?! Plus we'd get to ride this darling toy steam engine! The big downside is that it would take forever and a day to get there, and although we'd get to see loads of pretty countryside, Nathan would have to take an extra day off work. So we'll see. I'm sure Shimla would be really cool too.

I think I've also decided to take a day trip on my own to see the Taj Mahal in Agra. Supposedly it lives up to all the hype, so I feel I have to take advantage of what may be my only chance to see it.

It seems I'm going to be spending an awful lot of time on transport this trip. Hopefully it'll be worth it... and maybe help prepare me for my epic journey to Hawaii in May. After all, that's what all the hours I spend commuting in London every day are for, right? It's like training for a marathon.

I love planning - I just don't bother following plans

There's a lot going on with me at the moment, between work, career planning, my upcoming weekend in Sweden, and getting to see my man tomorrow for the first time in a month. But, as always, India's on my mind.

I received my visa in the mail today (YAYYYYYYYYYY!) so all is well and good in the world of travel (not only does this mean I can travel to India in a couple of weeks, it also means I have my UK passport back... which means I can go teach in Sweden this weekend without worrying about lying to the border guards). The only thing I still have to arrange is travel insurance.

Anyway, I figure it's time to start compiling a list of things I want to do while I'm there. It's not going to be a very long or comprehensive list; I'm still so overwhelmed by it all, and I think the best way to survive will be to just to go with the flow. But it can't hurt to list a few "must dos," lest I get caught up in the excitement and forget. This is also your moment to make recommendations, should you have any!

The general plan: Hang out in Delhi for a couple of weeks, with a side trip to somewhere in the Himalayas.

To do list:
- Shopping!!! Buy lots of cheap and beautiful clothes, scarves, jewellery, etc. (and possibly have some items custom made by a tailor)
- Learn to haggle so that I don't go bankrupt achieving the former
- Ride an elephant
- Do some volunteering
- Do some yoga
- Try some Indian dancing
- Learn some rudimentary Hindi
- Visit the Akshardam Temple (thank you, Alain)
- Visit Chandni Chowk
- Go to a Bollywood cinema
- Immerse myself in Indian culture; get to know some locals
- Take some pretty pictures
- Write some travel narratives
- Get a henna tattoo and my eyebrows threaded
- Cross the road without getting killed
- Not get too violently ill
- Begin to think of London as the boondocks

That's it... that's all she wrote! If you know of any good tailors, yoga or dance studios, salons, shopping districts, or elephant-riding places in Delhi, please feel free to name drop here. Your omg-you-can't-miss-this insider tips are also more than welcome. I'm more into doing/experiencing than I am into sight seeing, but I'm gonna want to do some of both. Perhaps ideally at the same time.

Dreaming of India

I can't stop thinking about India. I've been devouring websites, articles, travel blogs, books, videos, and photos in an attempt to prepare myself, even though I know nothing can really prepare me. I know that all of my basic assumptions will be challenged, and that it is best to assume nothing at all. I know that for all of my travel experience, this will be my first true adventure. This will be the first time I leave the familiarity of the Western world.

Here are my favourite writings about India so far:

With the Kama Sutra Tucked Under My Arm: My Madcap Misadventures Across India - I started reading this book about a year ago and I'm finally getting around to finishing it now. Travel writing that reads like a novel.

Our two rupees worth - Hilarious blog belonging to a couple living in India for a year. Clear illustration of why you can't assume anything over there.

Nathan's collection of India essays - These were originally emails my boyfriend wrote to his friends while he was living in Ahmedabad 8.5 years ago. His descriptions are a feast for the senses.

And of course... a few photos (Also courtesy of Nathan. I haven't asked his permission yet, so I hope he doesn't mind!):

"There were several families of groundskeepers that lived at Sangath itself. This is one of their younger members. As much as I enjoyed the architecture of India, I found its people to be the real works of art."

"Palitana is a mountain in the Saurashtra region of Gujurat, topped by 863 Jain temples. There are almost 4,000 steps on the marble staircase which leads up the mountain. Here, two pilgrims return from paying their respect to the temples."

"Inside the temple complex, there are thousands upon thousands of shrines, all carved out of marble and other stones. The site has been under construction for about 10 centuries."

"The "Blue City" of Jodhpur, as one might expect, is exceedingly blue. Here I was only trying to take a picture of the calf wandering past one of the very blue walls, but after snapping the photo I saw that a rather taken-aback-looking woman had wandered into the doorway. I apologized as best I could in Hindi. But then her children (two fearless girls of about five and seven) discovered me and my digital camera, which they thought was the greatest things since sliced bread (though I'm not sure they would have ever had sliced bread, come to think of it). That broke the ice, and everyone went away smiling."

"From the enormous 16th century Mehrangarh Fort which looms above town, Jodhpur appears as a surrealist's ocean of cubicle blue dwellings. Originally the blue paint signified the house of a Brahmin, but in these modern times, everyone can paint their house blue.
This photo was taken during the festival of Diwali, which is celebrated as New Year's throughout much of India. The festivities involve insane numbers of fireworks and firecrackers, which would periodically be lofted above the city, exploding at eye level."

"A small village of wonderfully sculpted mud, home to perhaps half a dozen gourd-farming families."

"A grandmother in the village. She said that it was okay for me to photograph her, but I could tell that she was nervous. Still, this is perhaps the single best photograph that I took in India."


I can't wait until I have my own stories and pictures to share. T-38 days.