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When I left India I was dirty, tired, and (probably for the first time in my life) speechless. It took me over a month to digest everything I saw and experienced... not to mention their spicy curries. That being said, this entry is going to be a highlight reel of sorts, but I'll save my scariest, saddest, funniest, grossest, and weirdest stories for separate posts.
I. Hippie Paradise: A few Days in Dharamsala (aka MacLeodganj)
While Avery was back in the States sorting out her passport/visa stuff, Seth and I fled from the Delhi heat and booked it up north to Dharamsala. This city/town/village is set in the foothills of the Himalayas and acts as a capital for the Tibetan government-in-exile and homebase for the Dalai Lama.
The Abridged Version:
-We visited (and loved) all of the major tourist attractions: the Dalai Lama's temple complex, the Tibetan Refugee museum, etc.
-We freed ourselves from our bad karma by spinning the Mani Prayer Wheels. (Side note: I decided that over the past year I must have been a terrible person. Spinning the wheels did NOTHING for my karma; the proof is in the motorcycle accident, Varanasi train ride, and hellish overnight bus trips. I'll get more into my string of bad luck later).
-We got suckered into buying over-priced prayer beads. But they're from Dharamsala, I keep telling myself.
-We helped Tibetan refugees improve their English as they told us their exile stories.
-We meditated and got in touch with our Buddhist sides. Om.
-I drank 2 pots of tea per day.
-We met the Dalai Lama.
Okay, the last one is a lie... he was in NYC when we were in Dharamsala. Go figure.
II. A Night at the Golden Temple
On our way back to Delhi, Sennai dropped us off in Amritsar to see the Golden Temple. This is one of the most holy and significant temples in the Sikh religion with thousands of pilgrims visiting the temple daily.
Long Story Short:
-We ate in the communal kitchen with hundreds of other pilgrims. The kitchen is run by volunteers and feeds every person that comes into the temple. The food was pretty debatable, but I had a piece of bread and called it a day. Seth, on the other hand, devoured every last bit of the gray, goopy curry.
-We got to see the priests putting the scriptures to bed. According to Sennai, this is a rare occurance and a very cool thing to see. I would have to agree.
-The temple is incredible. We went at night and the reflection of the temple in it's surrounding lake was beautiful. Sennai also agreed that the reflection was pretty and tried to take artistic shots of the temple and the lake. The pictures are terrible, at best, but the man tried. (Seth will be posting Sennai's shots in the near future).
-Before this whole pilgrimage to Amritsar, Sennai dropped us off at the India-Pakistani border for the changing of the guard ceremony. It was hot, muggy, and Yom Kippur (and Seth was observing the holiday). Although Seth was feeling faint, we still had a good time. The area was PACKED with Indian tourists chanting, singing, and dancing and the guards were completely synchronized. I have a video of the event, but it won't let me upload.III. Sunrise Seranades at the Taj/Brett Joins the Group
So for some reason we always get talked into taking sunrise tours/trips/excursions. Why do we willingly wake up at 4 to do this sort of thing? Pictures look better in the early hours. It's less crowded than at noon. Sunrise is peaceful. Who knows? But the Taj at 6am could not be cooler. Oh, and Brett flew in from China to travel with us through December.
Quickly:
-The Taj is way more impressive in person. I know this is obvious, but I wasn't too keen on seeing it in the beginning. I assumed that this was an Eiffel Tower/Statue of Liberty type thing that I could see a picture of and be perfectly saisfied. No way.
-We had an awesome tour guide who not only dressed like he was a cast member of Saturday Night Fever, but also told us little bits and pieces of lesser known Taj trivia.
-We met a 60-somthing year old Taiwanese man who seranaded us as the sun came up. He proceeded to tell us how Taiwan wants to be the 51st American state; after he chanted Tai-wan-five-one! he would do a little jig and awkwardly laugh. Laslty, he told me that next year he's taking his girfriend to the Taj at sunrise (because it's so romantic) and he will sing to her and if he can't help himself, he will touch her. Inappropriate? I think so, but the man was hilarious.
IV. Sucking it up and Hiking the Himalayas/Avery Returns
Some how I was talked into signing up for a 3-day trek through the Indian and Nepali (Nepalese?) Himalayas. As you know, I don't typically engage in any sort of outdoorsy activities, but the boys pitched the idea, argued that it was a once in a lifetime thing, and convinced me that seeing Mount Everest would be worth every rupee. To physically prepare I combed through Darjeeling's markets and bought a big, itchy sweater, a knit hat, and some baggy socks. (I looked gross, obviously). To mentally prepare I begged the boys not to hike too far in front of me.
In Short:
-We hired a guide, named Buddha, to lead us on our trek.
-The actual hiking was really fun and not too exhausting. I kept up with the boys the whole time.
-The Himalayas are unbelievably gorgeous (I have 384204 pictures on my semi-broken camera) and the people in Nepal could not have been more inviting.
-We were supposed to see Everest on our second day of trekking, but a serious rainstorm crushed that dream. I am still pretty bitter.
-The rain was so heavy that the threat of landslides and hypothermia kept all of the hikers from climbing. That means we stayed in a Nepali guesthouse for 24 hours playing cards, drinking tea and some weird mustard beer, and trying to keep warm. They don't have heaters up in the mountains.
-Me and the boys had to share one queen-sized bed and use 12 comforters to keep from freezing during the night.
-On the third day we got to see the third highest Himalayan peak, Mount Kangchengjunga.
V. Operation Get Me Out of India
Overall, my feelings on India are completely polarized. On one hand, the diversity, holy sights, and culture are unbelievable and unlike anything I have ever seen before. On the other hand, the dirt, poverty, and constant chaos are absolutely jarring. I think I am oversimplifying it by saying I was culture shocked.
Our original itinerary had us gallivanting all over India for about five weeks; however, after three and a half the vote was unanimous: we were over India. I was a bit disheartened, mostly because I was SO excited for the Indian portion of my trip. All summer I learned about the entire country, read India-related books (of the travel and fiction variety), and had a few lengthy discussions with my Hindu Lit professor about his time in India; despite my research, I could not have been more unprepared. At this point Avery decided to part ways and the boys and I changed flights around and decided to take an island vacation from our vacation. Sun, beaches, bars, what could be better?
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I hope this post will tide you over for a few days, but here's what's coming next:
-Taking a 24 hour train (stuffed with diseased and dying people) to Varanasi. (Yes, I will be backtracking to India, but this experience deserves its own post).-Being a beach bum in Ko Chang (Thailand)
-My motorbike accident (also in Ko Chang)
-Going on a safari and exploring the rainforests in Sri Lanka
-Why I absolutely LOVE Vietnam and never want to leave
Oh, and it's official: i'll be home at 4:30pm on December 6th. Let the countdown begin!
xoxo
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