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Scott has been my partner-in-crime for traveling. You will find complementary info on his blog, youtube channel, and especially, photo album.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Nepal

Travel Woes – Departure from Delhi was hectic and in question for a time. All in all, we left on the same flights for around the same price. So just big headaches and no dramas. We booked our tickets online, were issued record locators, billed over a month ago… and then denied boarding passes?! Apparently, international flights on Jet Airways have to be booked manually. Even though by all accounts, we were booked! They even had our meal preferences! To make matters worse, their credit card machine was broken, so I made a mad dash to another terminal to grab cash for 1 way tickets. Upon arrival, the onsite ticketing office would not let us buy the return flights in anything but US dollars, not even in Nepalese rupees because he didn’t have time to do the paperwork!!

Pokhara – A serene lakeside town was the perfect respite. We even sprung for some nicer accommodations on the water: it was a Nepalese style hut, but a duplex – first floor was a sitting area with fireplace and a bathroom and upstairs was the bedroom. A starting/stopping point for trekkers, this charming town was well equipped to the point of touristy. I could spend a lot of time here.

Before dawn, we taxied and hiked up to Sarangkot lookout to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas, but our efforts were thwarted by the fog. Even so, we hung around for a while, until it was well into day and time to leave. The trail twisted down the backside of the hill, but we could pick out a peak over the top. We scampered back up, and seemingly growing from the fog layer above the foothills, got to see the Annapurna Range! (The best time to go is September/October when the weather is clear all day.)

Zapped from the previous day, we relaxed around the lake, took a walk, and ended up in a soccer game with a bunch of locals.

Kathmandu – Upon arrival, we went to the airline’s main office to pay for the return tickets which were mercifully still reserved on business class. (Don’t get excited, they were the last tickets available, and we paid full price.) We laid our bags in the Thamel area and headed out.

Bhaktapur – Before Nepal was unified to create the current country, the Malla kingdom was divided among his 3 sons, to produce 3 kingdoms: Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, and Patan. Still a functioning city, we roamed the narrow alleys that connect the 4 main squares, inspecting traditional art and architecture. Did you know that the pagoda design originated in Nepal?

The Holi festival was starting the next week: everyone celebrates by throwing water balloons at each other! The children were starting early, and we managed to dodge all but 1 balloon attack. A magic balloon hit Scott in the shoulder and then splashed me. Well played.

Pashupatinath – A Hindu pilgrimage area, this is Nepal’s most important Hindu temple. The holy Bagmati River trickles through it and hosts ritual cremations and daily activities. The Shiva-devoted village seemed like a smaller version of Varanasi. Areas seemed overrun with monkeys and were creepy.

Again, we witnessed funeral processions. These ceremonies were a lot more emotional and human compared to Varanasi, where it seemed like a well-oiled business. It was depressing, and I left quickly.

Bodhnath Stupa – A Buddhist pilgrimage destination, draped in prayer flags, that has a square built around it. Walking clockwise around the circular stupa and spinning each of the 108 prayer wheels is a form of meditation, saying mantra at each wheel. There are additional prayer wheels, shrines, and meditation rooms inside. One such room had 2 giant prayer wheels larger than people.

I liked seeing all the Buddhist pilgrims in their maroon robes and sandals. One guy even had on New Balance sneaks that were color coordinated... very cool.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Agra (Taj Mahal)

We arrived back in the Old Delhi train station at 5 in the morning… and the place was jumping! Luckily, and despite that, we had Kishore and Sowmya graciously and aggressively helping purchase tickets for the next train out: the query and ticket purchase windows were spread apart, sometimes on opposite ends of the station, sparsely staffed attendants were not helpful, and queues were not respected. The Agra station and city were more manageable, and the tourist hawks are getting palpable as we learn market rates.

We set out for Agra Fort, built by the ruler Akbar when Agra was the capital of the Mughal empire. I lined up my shots for when Lulu arrives:

We then visited Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, affectionately called the 'Baby Taj.' Another mausoleum, it was built first and was a transitional piece – the first to use white marble. The grounds were a nice sanctuary from the hustle of the street.

We then caught more Taj views and relaxation from the botanical gardens across the Yamuna River. Another holy river, it joins the Ganges downstream. The intersection at Allahabad hosts the annual Magh Mela and the Kumbha Mela (4 times/12 years) pilgrimages.

In the mood for some comfort food, we dined at Pizza Hut. This would not otherwise be noteworthy if it were not for the energetic and entertaining staff who were performing Bollywood dances.

We woke early to beat the lines. While some monuments can be underwhelming, the Taj exceeded all of my expectations: it was grandiose, pictorial, and imbued the pride of a nation. The mausoleum shows off the love of a departed wife and skill of over 20,000 artisans.

I was most impressed with the inlay work; some of the stones lit up when you held a light to them.

The Taj is booked ended and emphasized by 2 red sandstone mausoleums built for other wives. Overshadowed by the Taj, they are impressive on their own.

Jim Corbett National Park

Relying on the punctuality of an Indian airline is not usually a good idea, but, just in time, we were rewarded and made our overnight train from Delhi to Ramnagar in a mad dash (but the train was delayed anyhow;) Jim Corbett has an interesting story as well - a hunter turned conservationist who had to bag some man-eating lions after he hung it up.

We arrived for a heavy breakfast of paratas (fried bread) and chai and set out on safari shortly after. We were thrilled to find scores of deer and monkeys. By the end of the trip, we were secretly hoping that a tiger would jump out and eat one. We did not see any tigers but saw a leopard family walking through the bush. We also got to play with a domesticated elephant which was fun. I fed her some crackers - the snout was slimy and firm - eww!

The best part of the trip was getting to know our new friends. We bonded over savory meals, campfires, drinks, hikes, and activities (a small rappelling and zip-line course near the camp). We exchanged unfiltered views on politics and religion and just hung out while enjoying the long weekend.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Varanasi


Friday night we went out to a "hot" lounge in Hyderabad, owned by a Tollywood star. (Tollywood is a name for the Hyderabad movie industry that speaks Telugu, state language of Andhra Pradesh. On that note, each state and region has a separate language, and Hindu is the national language, sort of.) There were 20 people there, and we were 7 of them. Night life is just not part of the culture. The highlight of the night was when they wouldn't let Travis in the bar with his flip-flops, and he swapped shoes with our driver.

Scott and I left early Saturday morning to the usual delay (that's foreshadowing). We arranged a cab from the airport to the Hotel Haifa. The 12 km ride took about 90 minutes. The weather was pleasant and everyone was out; the streets were narrow and traffic was tight.

The Ganges River flows down the eastern side of the city. In Hindu cultures, this city is holy, as it was believed to be founded by the god Shiva, and is source of water and life, years before irrigation. People make pilgrimage to Varanasi. Some also come here to die and be cremated, in anticipation of skipping reincarnation and heading directly to Nirvana (heaven).

Thoughts - Foreigners perception of India as a scary place is encouraged here by the unfamiliar mystics, sometimes naked and covered in ash, antiquated religious beliefs, dense population, in-your-face poverty, and general uncleanliness.

However, Varanasi also embodies all the amazing aspects of the country. Spirituality permeates aspects of everyday life and coexists with the secular bustle of commerce. Fascinating mythology influences the traditions and architecture. Urbanity and rurality are intertwined, as are the rich and the poor. And while overcrowded, everything seems to work and people get along.

The city is India in a crucible. The old and new gently tug it in opposite directions.

Touring - We walked along the shore of the Ganges down the various ghats (stairs). The different ghats lead down to the river and are used for swimming, bathing, washing, boating, and cremating.

At dusk, from a rooftop vantage point, we learned about the funeral processions (more on that later). We then meandered over to watch the puja (offering) ceremony, a joyous event.

Sunday - We woke early to take a boat and watch the sunrise on the river. The wind was blowing, and the water was choppy. It then began to rain. Hard. Since we were 0 for 5 on flights leaving on time, we made the tough decision to head to the airport and book an early connection. We were able to cancel our connection flight 10 minutes before take-off for 90% of the fare. Hmm. Sahara airlines served Subway subs as the plane snack, on top of the traditional airplane set-up.


PLEASE STOP READING IF FUNERALS MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE.

There are no photos, and I left out details.


Thoughts - At first, I was surprisingly calm and fascinated by this process, perhaps because of my detachment from the ceremony, the matter-of-fact manner that the process was described to us, the expectation for the moment, and the commonality and acceptance of the whole thing. Cremations are carried out all day. By the time that we stopped learning and realized what I was watching, I had to leave promptly.

Description - Most people first ask about the smell, and there was none because of the types of wood they use (mango, banyan, sandalwood). Operators had this process down to a science and an industry, down to the exact amount of wood to use, as measured by a giant scale, and how long it would take. The fire is drawn from the eternal fire of Shiva.

There is no crying at the event, as it may hinder your passage to Nirvana. There are no women present, however, women are also cremated... unless you were a preganant woman... under 10 years old, an animal, a leper, or snake bit (the cobra is an attribute of Shiva). These were deemed impure and reincarnation was necessary: the bodies are tied to a stone and sunk into the Ganges. The lepers/sick are disposed of differently.

Families must obtain government certification to guarantee that the deceased does not fall into these groups. If cleared, the bodies are covered in an organic paste (in addition to honey, I forget what's in it), dipped in the Ganges, and then wrapped in a cloth: white for men, orange for older women, and gold for younger women.

The area is broken into graded levels and each hosts a different caste. The rich are cremated with their jewelry on, and the poor collect the jewelry in the morning.

There are hospices close by the site, and people beg to be able to house these people and give them a proper funeral. Quite a depressing thought.

I found this process interesting and thought some of you might as well! Sorry to gross you out!

Monday, February 5, 2007

Mumbai (Bombay)


Friday night - after a rousing game of badminton after work, our flight was delayed 4 hours - I'm noticing a pattern with these intra country flights... Instead of hitting the big city for the night, we went out in Hyderabad to an Irish pub with 70's music and Indian food. Eclecticism creeps in, and works, at random times around here.

gk IN bombay - We ran into a co-worker upon arrival in Mumbai, and she and her driver facilitated our passage to the Google guest house by arranging for the taxi to follow (to not take a roundabout way) and then overtaking the effort after the cabbies tried to scam us with fixed rates instead of the meter. Beware of cabs with 2 drivers!

Saturday - awoke to the sounds of waves lapping up against the coast just below the guest house. The first view of the city was gorgeous. Approaching the ledge and looking down, the second view illustrated the proximate dichotomy of the have's and have not's - shanty towns shaped from recovered materials were built up from the coast line. About 60% of Mumbai's 16 million people still live in poverty while the property prices keep soaring.

We took a cab to down our same coast to Chowpatty Beach and then got cruisy for a while in the Colaba area of town. We ended up at the Gates of India and the opulent Taj Hotel. We then made our way to through the University of Mumbai and the adjoining cricket green and over to the Indian stock exchange.

Before heading home to rest for our night out, we stopped by the Kenneth Eliyahoo synagogue to share Sabbath tea with the hazzan (canter) and caretaker. They explained how the Indian Jewish community is about 6,000 strong, mostly located in Mumbai and Kochi, and arrived from the diaspora. We looked at pictures of Jewish infrastructure in India. They were very hospitable, but we had to leave before evening services. They even looked the other way while I snapped a pic from outside the sanctuary to share with you. My amateur photography don't do the stained glass windows justice!






Since Mumbai was as close as we would get to American nightlife, we dined at Indigo which was apparently good enough for Brangelina on their visit here, probably to adopt;) We then made it to a local hangout called Leopold's, an open-air packed cafe house that served cheap food and drink and was the jumping off point for clubbing. Many of the bars/clubs are in hotels, and our primary option was closed for good, according to the concierge. Our second option was sultry and dark, in a bad way, so we settled at a loungy spot called Karma.

Sunday
- We were pretty zapped from the previous 2 late nights and vowed to take it easy. We walked around our neighborhood, past the Nehru Science Center and Dhobi Ghats, on our way to the Horse Races. It was a scene, and the shaded seating was comfortable. The Hindi word for "quinnela" was not in our translation book.

We went back to the Guest house to chill and catch the sunset. Prasad, the house mgr, prepared a terrific home cooked meal which would have made us barely catch our flight... if it wasn't delayed 2 hours. I made it back to watch the Super Bowl. Bear, down.