Marc and I have waved farewell to India... a bit sad, I must admit. Our last day and a half was spent in Mumbai (Bombay). Incredible city. Despite our short amount of time in this massive, rather developed city by Indian standards, we managed to see and experience a fair amount of it. Well, not really, as it is so spread out, but we did venture out of the major tourist beat!
For me, it was really cool being in Mumbai, as I was just finishing up the book, Shantaram, (a fabulous read, which is mostly based in Mumbai), so I was busy checking out how places compared to the way I imagined them!
After five weeks in this grand country, I know I will be missing some things about it in the weeks to come, and perhaps even upon our return to North America. The friendliness of the people; 1 L water bottles; McDonald's!; the famous Indian head wiggle; the painted advertisements (KingFisher beer, chips, sodas, chocolate bars, building materials...) on houses, shops, fences, i.e., stone walls; the delicious food, especially the Naan bread! There are more, but I'll move on for now.
In Mumbai we realized we'd adapted to India, as much as is possible in five weeks, at least. The smells, the crowds, the garbage everywhere, the constant hassle from taxi drivers/rickshaw wallahs/street vendors, etc... Initially I simply thought Mumbai lacked the bulk of these things (we didn't see any cows, although we did see - and smell - evidence of their existence), until I took a second look around with fresh eyes and nostrils, and realized it was all there, we'd just grown accustomed to it. Having said this, however, the city is very developed, and has a much different feel from the other cities we've visited across the country.
I didn't have an opportunity to write much about South India, and to be honest, at the moment I'm having difficulty wrapping my head around my thoughts. I will point out a few of the things we noticed in the southwest. We flew from Delhi directly to Kochi (Cochin) which is on the lower west side of the country, in Kerala. From there we moved north into Karnataka and Goa to breathe some fresh air and lounge in the Arabian Sea (or, on some days, ride the waves but that doesn't sound as relaxing!). Check out the Map of Our Destinations link on the right menu bar.
Okay, thoughts. Kochi was found to be much more developed, cleaner and advanced than previous cities we'd visited in the north. The streets were lined with billboard after billboard advertising new housing (condos) - and they were rather attractive! The literacy rate is incredibly high in the Kochi and backwaters area. One region boasts a literacy rate of 99.8%! English is more widely spoken in Kochi. There is plenty of clear English signage on shops, although still not on streets - where are the street signs? Speaking of signage, the writing is different in the South, and, given the Portugese influence, Catholicism is common. We were happy to have included the South in our itinerary.
Almost forgot... Marc and I arrived at a beach in Goa, literally on the sand with our big packs on, and we hear a shout, look over and see Chris, one of the guys on our North India trip who was continuing on for a two week tour of the South, along with four others from our tour in the North. Knowing our timing was not meant to match up with their South India trip schedule, we were surprised. It turns out they couldn't stand their incompetent tour leader and ditched their tour - with no refund! Lucky for all though as more than half of our original group was back together again for a couple of days!
Bangkok hit us as hard as our initial arrival in Delhi. Who knew it was so developed? It felt as if we'd arrived home. Brand-spanking-new airport, a/c leather-interior taxi, English speaking taxi driver, lines on the roads, 7-11s and McDonald's everywhere, Mango, Zara, so many shops from home, subway and SkyTrain, air conditioning!... I suppose when tourism is your main industry it's to be expected, but Marc and I certainly weren't ready for it! Unexpectedly, we also weren't prepared to be in a vehicle driving faster than 60 km/h. The cab was cruising along at 120 km/h and it felt as if we were flying! Another example of something we became accustomed to in India. :)
Did we tell you about all of the festivals in India? Yesterday, while we're still dealing with the culture shock, we venture out on foot for dinner. On our way we encounter the main street clogged with thousands of people - drums, chanting, bright lights, flowers, gods on moving pedestals... wait, this is all seeming very familiar... Just when we thought we'd left India, we walk directly into a Hindu celebration. Small world, no?
Our hotel, pre-booked from Ottawa, is superb. Completely unexpected, and it's class! We are enjoying the upscale break and have already managed to fit in some shopping. We've also discovered Marc has suffered significant weight loss so we're on a mission to fatten him up again! It's a good thing he loves Thai food - and there is plenty of chocolate and McDonald's available!
The plan is to move north in the next couple of days, wade through a few cities and make our way over to Laos within the next two weeks.
What's happening at home (other than the Canadian dollar jumping over the US$!)? We're two months into our trip... emails, comments on our blog - keep them coming please!
Missing you all,
Trish
Monday, October 22, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Comforts of Home
I cannot be blamed for failing to stick to my weekly post promise. We've been on the move at an unbelievable rate and when we've had the opportunity to stop and use the Internet, it has either been a completely outdated version that prevented us from accessing the sites we needed, or, the electricity has been down so the lifeless computers were useless to us!
Relaxing on the beaches in Goa and Karnataka has been a wonderfully well deserved reward after nearly five weeks of sweating in the dusty heat of India. Catching up on emails and facebook messages has eaten into our swimming and sunning time though, so I will post a proper blog hopefully later this evening - as long as the power holds up, as we went the bulk of yesterday with no electricity and no water.
Tomorrow morning we are leaving Palolem, the beach we are currently enjoying, and heading to the Goa airport for our flight to Mumbai. A full day and a half in the city and we're catching another flight to Bangkok!
We're almost at the midway point in our trip... While it feels as if I could go on for months more, there are some things we've begun to miss:
- Trish
Relaxing on the beaches in Goa and Karnataka has been a wonderfully well deserved reward after nearly five weeks of sweating in the dusty heat of India. Catching up on emails and facebook messages has eaten into our swimming and sunning time though, so I will post a proper blog hopefully later this evening - as long as the power holds up, as we went the bulk of yesterday with no electricity and no water.
Tomorrow morning we are leaving Palolem, the beach we are currently enjoying, and heading to the Goa airport for our flight to Mumbai. A full day and a half in the city and we're catching another flight to Bangkok!
We're almost at the midway point in our trip... While it feels as if I could go on for months more, there are some things we've begun to miss:
- Doing our own laundry, in a machine, instead of hunched over a bucket - and instead of paying someone else 10 rupees to do it for us (this is the best rate). Worse, when your clothes are returned and your only fleece comes back with dark blue stains all over it!!
- Still feeling clean 10 minutes after you've showered. Luxury.
- Salads! Spinach, mixed greens and romaine lettuce... Oh, how I've missed you. And so many other foods you can't find in Asia, or just aren't the same as at home. Despite all of the Italian restaurants the food just doesn't compare to my mom's dishes!
- Proper roads - and not being stared at constantly.
- Taking the liberty of speaking for Marc, I think he's most missing being able to eat whatever he fancies, without suffering the consequences for the next few days! My poor husband :(
- Trish
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Escape to the Mountains
Sometimes the heat just gets to you... After suffering in intense humidity in both Varanasi and Kolkata (Calcutta) for the past few days, Marc and I were happy to head north to Darjeeling (yes, where the tea is grown) which is 2,200 metres above sea level. On a clear day, you can see Mount Everest. Unfortunately, it's raining today.
We successfully made our own way on an overnight train from Kolkata, arriving in time to catch our Toy Train (short, narrow gauge train) to Darjeeling. We rushed to the platform, stepping around the three goats relaxing on the stairwell, and found ourselves looking down at a tiny set of tracks surrounded by grass. Nope, we haven't left India.
While the scenery was fantastic, the 88 km trip was a little long, given the train moves at a pace of about 10 km/h. The length was made worse by our train derailing... everyone got off to check it out, and Marc ended up in the thick of it, getting the wheel back on the track! Of course, while the men were at it, it started pouring rain... The best part of the trip was seeing the people in the villages on the way up. The train runs roadside for much of the journey, and it was as if we were walking by people's homes and shops. All of the children were on their way home from school, in their pristine uniforms. The British influence is highly evident here.
We're hoping the skies clear so we can check out the sunrise tomorrow morning, but if not, we'll trek out to see all of the monasteries and other sights around the city.
And yes, it is colder up here. The rain may be making it a bit worse, but we're actually wearing our hiking shoes for the first time in India! Pants and long sleeves... feels strange.
Hoping everyone is well and had a lovely Thanksgiving!
- Trish -
We successfully made our own way on an overnight train from Kolkata, arriving in time to catch our Toy Train (short, narrow gauge train) to Darjeeling. We rushed to the platform, stepping around the three goats relaxing on the stairwell, and found ourselves looking down at a tiny set of tracks surrounded by grass. Nope, we haven't left India.
While the scenery was fantastic, the 88 km trip was a little long, given the train moves at a pace of about 10 km/h. The length was made worse by our train derailing... everyone got off to check it out, and Marc ended up in the thick of it, getting the wheel back on the track! Of course, while the men were at it, it started pouring rain... The best part of the trip was seeing the people in the villages on the way up. The train runs roadside for much of the journey, and it was as if we were walking by people's homes and shops. All of the children were on their way home from school, in their pristine uniforms. The British influence is highly evident here.
We're hoping the skies clear so we can check out the sunrise tomorrow morning, but if not, we'll trek out to see all of the monasteries and other sights around the city.
And yes, it is colder up here. The rain may be making it a bit worse, but we're actually wearing our hiking shoes for the first time in India! Pants and long sleeves... feels strange.
Hoping everyone is well and had a lovely Thanksgiving!
- Trish -
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Words Cannot Describe...
20+ days in India
I have failed in my effort to update our blog on a weekly basis. I have been far too consumed by this country - but am happy to report I have reached a state of acceptance/enjoyment of its many 'charms'. There are certainly some things I would never be able to get accustomed to, such as the lack of garbage collection, mass poverty, streets being used as toilets by all animals - from dogs to humans and almost everything in between, and the men - so many men - sitting roadside, drinking chai or just, sitting. From my perspective, there are many things the governent could do, relatively easily, to get this country moving in a positive direction developmentally, and cleaned up, literally. A quick example: pay a minimum wage to the people on the streets to help clean the garbage. I should think this beats begging on a scale of 'things I'd like to do with my day'. But who am I to judge?
There are also the cultural differences, and those beliefs, rituals and allowances that are guided by religion. I am well aware of looking at India in general through the eyes of a Westerner, but it's rather difficult not to when the potential for progress is so blatant.
We've been to some incredible cities, seen awesome sights, and have met wonderful, smiling people, eager to offer assistance, or simply to welcome us to India. At times I am a bit disheartened at those people who want to shake my hand or simply stand near me. There is an overwhelming sense these individuals feel we are better than they are - we were simply born into more fortunate circumstances. This really hasn't happened often, but it also seems I might be the only person who feels this way, as others, including Marc, haven't had this particular emotional experience. I sometimes find it almost painful to walk or drive down the street. In most cases though, I think the people are just curious. It isn't uncommon for us to be surrounded by a group of locals, from children to grown men, simply watching (usually staring).
What have I done since I last wrote?
The camel trek and night sleeping under the desert sky was fabulous. A few of us discovered the pains of being chafed from the camel - OUCH! My camel, Tota, was led by a young boy, perhaps 10 years of age. I definitely had the most decorated and pampered camel. He wore flowers and a necklace! When we were done riding, my little guy pet his camel and fed him so lovingly. The males of our group raced back the next morning... and guess who won? Marc - My very own camel rider.
We rode a local bus to the next city on our tour, Jodhpur (yes, like the pants), an experience which led us to pay for an upgrade for our next bus trip. The highlights include the following:
We did get private A/C vehicles once however - and experienced what felt like the scariest roller coaster ride EVER for hours on end! Picture this: Two lane, unlit winding road full of trucks, cars, autorickshaws & motorcycles, none of us in seatbelts, with two of us sitting sideways in the back passing into oncoming traffic who are often forced onto their shoulder to get around us! It was a ride of pure excitement (and terror by some!)
Marc suffered one very ill day at the hands of Indian food. I had a cold for the past few days. Many of us have been sick on this trip - from throat infections to the need to use a bucket and the toilet at the same time...
On to yummier topics: We've eaten at McDonalds - the coolest menu as there is no beef or pork. Chicken Maharaja Mac, anyone?
After a scare, visits to no less than eight ATMs and one call (six tries) to TD bank ("Everything should be fine... But it's not!!"), we can get $ in India. Whew!
Agra: A few days ago we visited the Taj Mahal at sunset. Magnificent. We took far too many pictures... Editing, please!
We are in Varanasi for a few days. This is one of the oldest living cities in the world, and one of the holiest in India. This is where pilgrims come to bathe in the Ganges, which is believed to wash away all sins, but is in fact disgustingly polluted. People also come here to die - as it releases one from the cycle of reincarnation and sends an individual directly to heaven.
Last night we celebrated Sophie's 23rd birthday (one of the girls on our tour, from Nottingham, England) on a rooftop terrace. Our tour leader, Manu, surprised her with a big birthday cake. In India, unlike at home, the cake is presented prior to the meal, but eaten afterwards. At a restaurant in Jaipur, a little girl at the table beside us was celebrating her birthday, and they ate the cake before their meal. The coolest part was when she walked over to our table with a big piece of the yummiest chocolate cake for us to share!! Returning to last night... We sat at a long table facing a grass garden, which we all thought a little strange until Manu explained we would each perform for Sophie. Marc and I decided to do a little Rumba... with no music. Still a success - or so we're told! It was great fun. We stayed up late on the rooftop of our hotel, drinking in celebration... and dousing Sophie in Indian powder paint in multiple colours (she can't get it all off today). At 5 am we went for a boat ride on the Ganges... and six of our group actually jumped in. Dangerous!
Some final thoughts:
Mutton is goat (not sheep).
Chip Flavours:
I'll write sooner next time to avoid a five pager!
- Trish
I have failed in my effort to update our blog on a weekly basis. I have been far too consumed by this country - but am happy to report I have reached a state of acceptance/enjoyment of its many 'charms'. There are certainly some things I would never be able to get accustomed to, such as the lack of garbage collection, mass poverty, streets being used as toilets by all animals - from dogs to humans and almost everything in between, and the men - so many men - sitting roadside, drinking chai or just, sitting. From my perspective, there are many things the governent could do, relatively easily, to get this country moving in a positive direction developmentally, and cleaned up, literally. A quick example: pay a minimum wage to the people on the streets to help clean the garbage. I should think this beats begging on a scale of 'things I'd like to do with my day'. But who am I to judge?
There are also the cultural differences, and those beliefs, rituals and allowances that are guided by religion. I am well aware of looking at India in general through the eyes of a Westerner, but it's rather difficult not to when the potential for progress is so blatant.
We've been to some incredible cities, seen awesome sights, and have met wonderful, smiling people, eager to offer assistance, or simply to welcome us to India. At times I am a bit disheartened at those people who want to shake my hand or simply stand near me. There is an overwhelming sense these individuals feel we are better than they are - we were simply born into more fortunate circumstances. This really hasn't happened often, but it also seems I might be the only person who feels this way, as others, including Marc, haven't had this particular emotional experience. I sometimes find it almost painful to walk or drive down the street. In most cases though, I think the people are just curious. It isn't uncommon for us to be surrounded by a group of locals, from children to grown men, simply watching (usually staring).
What have I done since I last wrote?
The camel trek and night sleeping under the desert sky was fabulous. A few of us discovered the pains of being chafed from the camel - OUCH! My camel, Tota, was led by a young boy, perhaps 10 years of age. I definitely had the most decorated and pampered camel. He wore flowers and a necklace! When we were done riding, my little guy pet his camel and fed him so lovingly. The males of our group raced back the next morning... and guess who won? Marc - My very own camel rider.
We rode a local bus to the next city on our tour, Jodhpur (yes, like the pants), an experience which led us to pay for an upgrade for our next bus trip. The highlights include the following:
- About 45 degrees Celsius on the bus - everyone dripping in sweat (the Westerners, at least). The breeze from the window helped, when we were moving fast enough
- The bus had about 4x its capacity on board... we had seats, there were people standing & sitting in the aisle, there are 'sleeper' glass-walled cabins above our heads, some w/probably 10 people crammed in, plus, we must have had a full roof, given the number of people that streamed by when the bus unloaded at our final destination.
- Marc was in an aisle seat. I thought he'd have more leg room. A stinky elderly man in what looked, to Westerners, like a dirty pajama and turban, joined him, on his seat, while another guy sat on his armrest. Sophie, behind us, had a woman literally on her lap at one point, than a man with a glittering toy donkey sharing her seat later in the trip.
- A fight broke out in the aisle, with plenty of shouting, pushing and punches thrown, moving from the front of the bus to the rear. Out of the way, everyone!
- In disbelief, Emily, two rows behind us in a window seat, proudly holds up a half-clothed infant child, handed to her by its mother for protection during the fight
- Someone above us was chewing the tobacco sold in little packets everywhere here. Apparently this requires a lot of spitting - and some common sense & consideration. This person lacked the latter two, so multiple times we all ended up with red tobacco juice across our faces, tops and headrests. My window had one lovely view.
We did get private A/C vehicles once however - and experienced what felt like the scariest roller coaster ride EVER for hours on end! Picture this: Two lane, unlit winding road full of trucks, cars, autorickshaws & motorcycles, none of us in seatbelts, with two of us sitting sideways in the back passing into oncoming traffic who are often forced onto their shoulder to get around us! It was a ride of pure excitement (and terror by some!)
Marc suffered one very ill day at the hands of Indian food. I had a cold for the past few days. Many of us have been sick on this trip - from throat infections to the need to use a bucket and the toilet at the same time...
On to yummier topics: We've eaten at McDonalds - the coolest menu as there is no beef or pork. Chicken Maharaja Mac, anyone?
After a scare, visits to no less than eight ATMs and one call (six tries) to TD bank ("Everything should be fine... But it's not!!"), we can get $ in India. Whew!
Agra: A few days ago we visited the Taj Mahal at sunset. Magnificent. We took far too many pictures... Editing, please!
We are in Varanasi for a few days. This is one of the oldest living cities in the world, and one of the holiest in India. This is where pilgrims come to bathe in the Ganges, which is believed to wash away all sins, but is in fact disgustingly polluted. People also come here to die - as it releases one from the cycle of reincarnation and sends an individual directly to heaven.
Last night we celebrated Sophie's 23rd birthday (one of the girls on our tour, from Nottingham, England) on a rooftop terrace. Our tour leader, Manu, surprised her with a big birthday cake. In India, unlike at home, the cake is presented prior to the meal, but eaten afterwards. At a restaurant in Jaipur, a little girl at the table beside us was celebrating her birthday, and they ate the cake before their meal. The coolest part was when she walked over to our table with a big piece of the yummiest chocolate cake for us to share!! Returning to last night... We sat at a long table facing a grass garden, which we all thought a little strange until Manu explained we would each perform for Sophie. Marc and I decided to do a little Rumba... with no music. Still a success - or so we're told! It was great fun. We stayed up late on the rooftop of our hotel, drinking in celebration... and dousing Sophie in Indian powder paint in multiple colours (she can't get it all off today). At 5 am we went for a boat ride on the Ganges... and six of our group actually jumped in. Dangerous!
Some final thoughts:
Mutton is goat (not sheep).
Chip Flavours:
- Lays Magic Masala (tasty, a bit spicy)
- Lays Mint Mischief (not worth trying despite the intrigue)
- Lays Spanish Tomato Tango (spicy ketchup flavour)
- Lays American Style Cream & Onion (just like home)
I'll write sooner next time to avoid a five pager!
- Trish
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
I'm in India!
I've just seen the Taj Mahal so I figured now would be a good time to add a post to our blog! It's an amazing sight and my pictures will definitely not do it justice.
I've been in India now for over two weeks and I thought I would post another "things you may notice" message.
So here are things you may notice if you come to India:
1- Cows are everywhere - mostly in the streets blocking cars, etc. You really have to keep your head down to avoid getting the "sticky feet syndrome". There are also lots of goats, dogs, camels and monkeys. If you're lucky, you'll spot an elephant.
2- The food is incredible. Although I haven't had a dish yet that is as spicy as I expected it to be - and that's even when you ask them to make it spicy.
3- Cottage cheese (Paneer) is in almost every dish. Vegetarian food is very popular here since most people are not allowed to eat meat. Every single thing you buy has a symbol on it to say if it's Veg or Non-Veg.
4- We didn't get "Delhi Belly". I got "Udaipur Belly".
5- It smells absolutely awful in some places. It smells great in other places.
6- Another unusual but common sight in the streets is men peeing. They'll do it anywhere. It explains a bit of point #5.
7- Cows eat cardboard and basically most of the garbage that is everywhere in the streets. Speaking of which, there is no garbage disposal or pickup services.
8- Indian religion is a huge limiting factor in the development of the country.
9- People just sit around apparently doing nothing all day.
10- Men hold hands here as a sign of brotherhood. You see fewer women in the streets as many must remain in their homes.
11- The drivers here are suicidal! I thought China was bad but boy was I wrong. The speed limit for trucks on Highways is only 40km/h but cars can go up to 80km/h. So you can imagine how popular passing is. Now imagine a 2 lane highway with cars and motorcycles passing all the time - even when the oncoming traffic is dangerously close. It's terrifying! The drivers also honk at everything and anything. I guess they can't be bothered to look at their mirrors. All the big trucks have "Honk Please" and "Stop" written on their hatches.
That's it for now! In the next few days we'll be taking a train to Varanasi and another to Kolkata. Then we're going up into the mountains (Darjeeling) and South India. If things change, I'll post another one of these. If not, you'll hear about Thailand!
I've been in India now for over two weeks and I thought I would post another "things you may notice" message.
So here are things you may notice if you come to India:
1- Cows are everywhere - mostly in the streets blocking cars, etc. You really have to keep your head down to avoid getting the "sticky feet syndrome". There are also lots of goats, dogs, camels and monkeys. If you're lucky, you'll spot an elephant.
2- The food is incredible. Although I haven't had a dish yet that is as spicy as I expected it to be - and that's even when you ask them to make it spicy.
3- Cottage cheese (Paneer) is in almost every dish. Vegetarian food is very popular here since most people are not allowed to eat meat. Every single thing you buy has a symbol on it to say if it's Veg or Non-Veg.
4- We didn't get "Delhi Belly". I got "Udaipur Belly".
5- It smells absolutely awful in some places. It smells great in other places.
6- Another unusual but common sight in the streets is men peeing. They'll do it anywhere. It explains a bit of point #5.
7- Cows eat cardboard and basically most of the garbage that is everywhere in the streets. Speaking of which, there is no garbage disposal or pickup services.
8- Indian religion is a huge limiting factor in the development of the country.
9- People just sit around apparently doing nothing all day.
10- Men hold hands here as a sign of brotherhood. You see fewer women in the streets as many must remain in their homes.
11- The drivers here are suicidal! I thought China was bad but boy was I wrong. The speed limit for trucks on Highways is only 40km/h but cars can go up to 80km/h. So you can imagine how popular passing is. Now imagine a 2 lane highway with cars and motorcycles passing all the time - even when the oncoming traffic is dangerously close. It's terrifying! The drivers also honk at everything and anything. I guess they can't be bothered to look at their mirrors. All the big trucks have "Honk Please" and "Stop" written on their hatches.
That's it for now! In the next few days we'll be taking a train to Varanasi and another to Kolkata. Then we're going up into the mountains (Darjeeling) and South India. If things change, I'll post another one of these. If not, you'll hear about Thailand!
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