Alright, time for part #2 in the posts-about-India series. I’m assuming you’ve already read my thoughts on what it was like to just be in India; now I’ll talk about what we actually did when we were there!

We got our first taste of India on the plane ride to Delhi. A large group of Indian men across the aisle from us got thoroughly wasted during the 3-hour flight, got rowdy, and even started taking random pictures of passengers in the plane. One guy was so drunk that he couldn’t fill in his arrival card; I ended up having to help him. In India, it doesn’t matter if you’re bothering other people – do as you please.

I’d already arranged an airport pickup, so we got out of customs and straight into a private car with no problems. The driver got lost on the way to the hotel, but after driving through a few crowded alleyways, we finally got there. The hotel itself was a bit disappointing. I think it was clean by local standards, but to our eyes, things looked pretty bad. To top it off, the hotel initially put us in a double room (i.e. one double bed instead of two single beds). I complained, and the manager finally gave in and switched our room. It was the reality of being in India, and I wasn’t altogether surprised; Abdulla was miserable.

India Gate

With the help of a hotel attendant, we set out in search of an ATM, a money changer, and dinner. We ended up finding all three, though Abdulla got thoroughly ripped off by the money changer, and dinner didn’t sit well with us (we had a minor case of “Delhi Belly”: food poisoning). That evening’s walk around town was also our first real glimpse of an Indian city: the rubble and trash, and the sleeping men and dogs tucked into corners. If you’ve read my first post, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The next morning we checked out ASAP, and headed to the first hotel/starting point of our two-week Delhi to Kathmandu tour. This hotel was decidedly nicer and cleaner, much to our relief. We met up with our group after lunch, and then set off for a quick tour around Delhi. We took the metro to India Gate, then rickshaws to Connaught Place. Most of us ate dinner together at Connaught Place, and then found our own ways back to the hotel.

Our hotel in Jaipur

By about 5am the next morning, we were all up and out the door. The first of many early starts on this tour :-/. We caught a 6am train to Jaipur, home of Bollywood, and arrived just before lunch. Our new hotel was pretty luxurious: swimming pool, comfortable rooms, ornately decorated buildings, and good food. It was a real sharp contrast to the true Jaipur sitting right outside the hotel gates. Out of all the cities we visited in India, Jaipur stands out in my mind as the dirtiest. This might have also been influenced by the market just around the corner from the hotel: it was especially filthy, with livestock both dead and alive, and smells to match.

After a tasty hotel lunch, we came back to reality by walking out of the hotel gates and all around town. We visited City Palace, belonging to the Maharaja (king) of Jaipur, and then took rickshaws out to MI road for dinner. Although the group initially got split (a long story involving a rickshaw and some bad bargaining), we all eventually found each other at a nice restaurant. After dinner, some people took rickshaws back to the hotel, while I and some others opted to walk back and see the city. I’m happy I did; that evening I saw my first street wedding party, replete with trumpeters and fireworks. Later that evening, we all hung out by the pool, chatted, and drank. After our first full (and long) day together, the group was starting to coalesce.

Kristal, Janie, Ryan, Karen, Megan, and Elana

On that note, I’ll pause and give a brief overview of the other thirteen people on our tour. Abdulla ultimately ended up befriending the “younger” (18-25) set of travelers: Gabby from Sydney, Jane from Wales, and Emma, Lucy, and Jamie from England. Oddly enough, I ended up bonding more with the “older” (26 – 42) set: Elana and Chris from southern CA, Karen, Kristal, and Ryan from Toronto, Megan from Tucson, and Janie from England. These two groups only really formed after about a week; we all still got along really well throughout the trip, but as in any bigger group, clumps tend to form – this was just the natural separation.

Of course I’ve forgotten one of the most important people: Varun, our tour guide, from Delhi. Unsurprisingly, he was invaluable when it came to translating, communicating, and keeping us organized – thank goodness for that.

Varun had us up bright and early for our first full day in Jaipur. We drove out to the Amber Palace, just outside of Jaipur, for a tour of another gorgeous, endless, excessive Indian fort/palace. On our way back, we got a glimpse of the Floating Palace (which completely covers a small island in a nearby lake) and ate lunch. We had the afternoon to ourselves (the girls and I went shopping), and later met up to go see a Bollywood movie. We took rickshaws out to Raj Mandir, the famous Bollywood movie house, and saw “Love U… Mr. Kalakaar”. It was actually a bit disappointing – not nearly as much Bollywood dancing as we were expecting! It tried too hard to be a Hollywood movie. It was also so simple that, even in Hindi with no subtitles, we were all easily able to follow the cliché rich-girl-poor-guy-embittered-father storyline.

At the Taj Mahal

We left Jaipur early the next day on another 6am train, this time headed for Agra (home of the Taj Mahal). That afternoon we visited Agra Fort, another gigantic fort/palace complex, and then Taj Mahal just before sunset. Gorgeous! We all had a fantastic time wandering the grounds and just being in its presence. The inside of the Taj is actually sparer than you might think. Everything is elegant and marble-white, but the carvings and inlay work don’t really compare to what we’d seen in the many other forts/palaces. You can tell it’s meant to be a tomb; there’s a solemnity to it. It was actually a refreshing change.

That night we all went out for a nice dinner overlooking a street near our hotel. I started getting to know Megan, Elana, Kristal, and Ryan a bit better, while Abdulla spent time with Gabby and Emma. We all got to witness yet another street wedding party, which was really neat to see from above. Afterward, I went back to the room and slept (too many early mornings!) while Abdulla and the others went out for drinks.

Our train the next morning was mercifully later, not until 9am, which gave us a bit more sleeping time. We made the short trip to Jhansi, followed by a 30 minute rickshaw ride out to the small town of Orchha. Orchha is definitely a tourist town; it’s composed entirely of Hindu and Buddhist temples, luxury resorts, and “Lonely Planet Recommended” restaurants. I put that in quotes, because every place has a sign claiming that they’re “Lonely Planet Recommended”… That afternoon we didn’t have any planned activities; given that it was 47C (116F) and we had a swimming pool out back, we spent the hours splashing about and desperately throwing on sunscreen.

Temples at Orchha

That evening we went out for a quick walk around the city, followed by a visit to a Hindu temple. We actually got to witness a service; we even went up and got sprinkled with a bit of holy water (which we did not drink… the locals did though)! The shrines were interesting… elaborate little rooms, with giant dolls representing various gods. It’s about as far from Judaism as you can get. After the service, we went out for dinner at a “Lonely Planet Recommended” restaurant. I ate something that set off my stomach… I suspect it was the rice… but by the next morning, I was on the toilet with my second round of “Delhi Belly”. I attempted to go out for a temple tour the next morning, but had to bail after my third desperate trip to a bathroom. I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting around the lobby, and using the toilet, and the surfing the web. I’d hoped that the food poisoning would just pass, as it had the first time, but things continued to get worse: I started having a headache on top of everything else. I took a Homeopathic remedy and some Immodium, in a desperate attempt to fix things before our overnight train that evening; we were about to start a 13-hour ride to Varanasi, and the train toilets aren’t exactly ideal. Luckily the Immodium did the trick and clogged me up just in time. I managed to survive the train ride with only two trips to the toilet! And although the train was packed, and I was wedged into the middle of a 3-high bunk surrounded by coughing old men and mothers with small children, I got 8 hours of sleep! I’ve never been more thankful to have my silk sleep liner, earplugs, and a night mask.

The next morning I felt noticeably better. I was still clogged up from the Immodium, but the headache had passed. We got off the train and into our hotel in Varanasi just in time for lunch. The “old” set went out for lunch at a nice Indian restaurant nearby, while the “young” set went in search of McDonalds. We had some time to rest during the afternoon, before our evening trip out to the Ganges.

Sunset cruise on the Ganges

Seeing the Ganges doesn’t quite hit you in the same way as the Taj Mahal. The experience sets in more gradually, as you walk along the Ghats and actually see some of the things going on around you. The water is filthy – its supposedly some of the dirtiest water in the world, with hundreds of raw sewage outlets pouring right into it – but its considered holy water; locals are bathing in it right and left. The west (Varanasi) bank of the river is packed with the Ghats, people, and cremation pyres, while the east side is an empty, flat sand plane; it makes for an interesting contrast. That evening we took a sunset boat ride out on the Ganges, accompanied by a sitar player and a drummer . From the water, we were able to see the cremation pyres burning along the shore. It’s considered good luck to be cremated by the Ganges, and to have your ashes then scattered into the river. The more famous floating cremation pyres are apparently reserved for the wealthier dead – we didn’t see any during our time there. After the sun set, we also got to witness a huge, nightly ceremony along the shore. A handful of dancers move in unison, each one on their own giant stage along the shore, as thousands of people stand around and sing. The river is also littered with locals and tourists, eager to get a view of the show. The whole event felt a bit other-worldly.

Not to be deprived of the Ganges experience the next day, we were all up early once again and back on the river for a sunrise boat ride. This time, however, things weren’t quite as exciting; the sunrise itself was muddled by the thick smog cloud hanging over the country, and the shores were (relatively speaking) quiet. By 6am we were back on land, with no other plans for the rest of the day. We all got breakfast near the Ghats, and then split into our usual groups: the “young” set went back to the hotel, while the “old” set wandered about Varanasi. At first, nothing was open; after all, it was still only about 8am. We walked back out to the Ganges, and happened to come across the site where the cremations actually take place. The whole process was captivating, and it happened right before our eyes. The dead are wrapped in white muslin, and then draped with colorful fabrics. They’re then carried down to the Ganges on stretchers, and dipped into the water (for good luck). Afterward, they’re carried back up to the cremation pyres, which sit along the shore. The fabrics are removed, and the white wrapped body is placed delicately on the pyre. The wood has been laid such that the head and knees sit slightly elevated, while the seat and feet are slightly lowered. Next, some light kindling is laid on top of the body, followed by a series of spices and incense. Finally, the bottom of the pyre is lit, and the whole stack starts to smoke. At this point, the smoke got so bad that we had to walk away; but presumably, the smoke soon turns to fire, and the whole thing burns.

Cremation pyres

Still in awe of what we’d just seen, we drifted back into town in search of various necessities we needed. Janie wanted to find a post office, and several of us were keen to go shopping, so we all walked around town. Eventually Chris, Kristal, Ryan, and Janie went back to the hotel, while Karen, Megan, and I continued walking until almost 4pm! In that time we walked almost the entire length of the northern Ghats, accidentally walked through a poor Muslim neighborhood, and bought tons of stuff. According to Megan’s pedometer, we walked 11 miles that day. Crazy! We came back to the hotel, and rested for the few hours we had left before dinner.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Abdulla had been getting steadily sicker. He’d started to feel ill the day before, but things had intensified. After dinner that night, as I was getting ready for bed, he asked me to find the 24-hour emergency medical consultation number that comes with our travel insurance; he went downstairs and made the call as I fell asleep. About an hour later, Janie came into our room and woke me up. She and Varun were about to take Abdulla to the hospital, but they needed to find his wallet first. We scrambled through his bags and found it. She assured me that they would watch out for him at the hospital, and I collapsed back into bed.

The three of them were out at the hospital the entire night. Abdulla was put on an IV saline solution, and started feeling better. It seems to have been extreme dehydration, set on by food poisoning. He came back the next day feeling a lot better, but still a bit sick. They gave him a series of medications (antibiotics, etc), which he took. For the time being, at least, it seemed like the medical issues were resolving themselves.

With that behind us, the group set off the next morning for the Nepali border. We had a private bus, which struggled with us through the 15-hour, traffic-laden journey north. Meanwhile, the effects of the Immodium on my gut were starting to wear off, and the diarrhea resumed. There were a few unpleasant bathroom breaks along the road, but I managed to make it through without too much trouble.

Once we reached the border, things got complicated. We were supposed to have locals take our luggage across the border in rickshaws, while we sorted out our Indian immigration. Unfortunately, Jamie started harassing the locals from the bus window; despite our best efforts to get him to shut up, he wouldn’t. He ended up pissing them off so badly that we had to drive away, to avoid them damaging our bags. We crossed the border by bus, while Varun took our passports to the Indian immigration office to get things sorted out (apparently you don’t have to be present to get your passport stamped… that’s India I guess). Once we had our passports back, we all bought our Nepali entry visas and set out for Bhairahawa, Nepal.

I know this seems like an unceremonious place to stop, but I’ll save the rest for the post about Nepal – coming soon, I promise. I’ve already covered my various India tidbits in the first post, so I’ll close here by saying that the story of this two-week tour isn’t even nearly over. To be continued…!