-- Sent from my Palm Pre
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Vids going up from India trip
Putting up some vids from the India trip at www.youtube.com/nosyfieldstone
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Leaving India: Bittersweet
We got a great night's sleep and had an excellent buffet breakfast at the ITC to brace us for the 200 km ride back to Delhi. The ride was as eventful as all rides in India including a major traffic jam. Everyone kept going further and further off the road to try to get around the jam and this in and of itself created a jam on top of a jam so to speak.
In the midst of the jam, Vinod stopped at his favorite sweets store to buy some special Agra candy for his wife and children. He explained to us that his birthday was the day before and his anniversary was the day after. Vinod had been away from his wife and children while shuttling us around Agra.
As we waited for Vinod on the side of the road, a mostly toothless fellow showed ip seemingly out of nowhere to try to sell us carved elephants and funny little wire doodads. We couldn't help but to laugh hysterically that this guy was on standby in an area where there would be no foreigners to come out and start soliciting. We decided to give him 10 rupees to just go away. He took the money but kept trying to sell the items. We finally gave in and bought the wire things for next to nothing.
After the jam cleared and further down the road, we stopped for a rest stop. It was at a hotel that was not doing much business. There was a gift shop out front that was out of business. After using the rest rooms we came out to the van and there was now a guy with a stand selling various souvenirs. We waved him off successfully but he than approached me and asked where I was from. I told him America and he pulled out a $5 bill and said he needed rupees. I then gave him 200 rupees and he gave me the five and we hit the road and noticed a camel sitting next to a field as we pulled out.
The ride to the Radisson Airport Hotel was further uneventful but a bittersweet melancholy set in as it resonated that this would the last time for a while that we would see the fascination of the Indian street scene.
We came to a very busy intersection, one of few in India that has a traffic signal. Cars and vehicles of all manner were stacked five and six wide waiting for the light to change. Suddenly, a girl of about 12 appeared st the window asking for money. We couldn't help but to roll down the window and give her just 10 rupees. She jumped for joy as she bounded through the heavy traffic that was now starting to move. We then saw her looking around somewhat concerned and we then saw a smaller girl blocked from her view within the surging traffic. This was a girl of about eight.
Troy continued to look back as we pulled away and said that the older girl had found the younger one and upon finding her had given her a hard smack.
Traffic was heavy all the way to the Radisson as Vinod pointed out to us the neighborhoods where rent is upwards of $10,000 per month juxtaposed next to teeming slums of people living in tents whose roofs appear to be nothing more than discarded clothing patched together.
In Agra, we had seen two guys wading chest deep in a heavily flowing creek that appeared to contain nothing more than sewage and water run off. Vinod told us they are sweepers, people of the lowest caste who are obliged to do the crappiest work that no human bring should be subjected to. Vinod informed us that they were likely simply cleaning out the creek.
As we pulled into the gates of the Radisson for our car to be searched for bombs, we realized that we were leaving behind a land of immense beauty and contradiction, of supreme wealth and unimaginable poverty and of a great history with a huge potential . Your heart can break for India when it sets in that its weaknesses are its strengths and vice a versa and that as the country becomes more westernized, life will improve for many and and get worse for many others. Ultimately though, modernization will likely take the soul of this country, a soul that seems as old as human life itself and which is expressed in the joy and spirit and beauty of the people.
In the midst of the jam, Vinod stopped at his favorite sweets store to buy some special Agra candy for his wife and children. He explained to us that his birthday was the day before and his anniversary was the day after. Vinod had been away from his wife and children while shuttling us around Agra.
As we waited for Vinod on the side of the road, a mostly toothless fellow showed ip seemingly out of nowhere to try to sell us carved elephants and funny little wire doodads. We couldn't help but to laugh hysterically that this guy was on standby in an area where there would be no foreigners to come out and start soliciting. We decided to give him 10 rupees to just go away. He took the money but kept trying to sell the items. We finally gave in and bought the wire things for next to nothing.
After the jam cleared and further down the road, we stopped for a rest stop. It was at a hotel that was not doing much business. There was a gift shop out front that was out of business. After using the rest rooms we came out to the van and there was now a guy with a stand selling various souvenirs. We waved him off successfully but he than approached me and asked where I was from. I told him America and he pulled out a $5 bill and said he needed rupees. I then gave him 200 rupees and he gave me the five and we hit the road and noticed a camel sitting next to a field as we pulled out.
The ride to the Radisson Airport Hotel was further uneventful but a bittersweet melancholy set in as it resonated that this would the last time for a while that we would see the fascination of the Indian street scene.
We came to a very busy intersection, one of few in India that has a traffic signal. Cars and vehicles of all manner were stacked five and six wide waiting for the light to change. Suddenly, a girl of about 12 appeared st the window asking for money. We couldn't help but to roll down the window and give her just 10 rupees. She jumped for joy as she bounded through the heavy traffic that was now starting to move. We then saw her looking around somewhat concerned and we then saw a smaller girl blocked from her view within the surging traffic. This was a girl of about eight.
Troy continued to look back as we pulled away and said that the older girl had found the younger one and upon finding her had given her a hard smack.
Traffic was heavy all the way to the Radisson as Vinod pointed out to us the neighborhoods where rent is upwards of $10,000 per month juxtaposed next to teeming slums of people living in tents whose roofs appear to be nothing more than discarded clothing patched together.
In Agra, we had seen two guys wading chest deep in a heavily flowing creek that appeared to contain nothing more than sewage and water run off. Vinod told us they are sweepers, people of the lowest caste who are obliged to do the crappiest work that no human bring should be subjected to. Vinod informed us that they were likely simply cleaning out the creek.
As we pulled into the gates of the Radisson for our car to be searched for bombs, we realized that we were leaving behind a land of immense beauty and contradiction, of supreme wealth and unimaginable poverty and of a great history with a huge potential . Your heart can break for India when it sets in that its weaknesses are its strengths and vice a versa and that as the country becomes more westernized, life will improve for many and and get worse for many others. Ultimately though, modernization will likely take the soul of this country, a soul that seems as old as human life itself and which is expressed in the joy and spirit and beauty of the people.
8-1-2011 A show and dinner in Agra
We walked into the theater and realized that it was very modern and well appointed. There were very few customers, maybe 25 in a place that probably seats 800 people. The seats were very comfortable and the interior design of the theater was ornate. Each seat had headphones and a bottle of water. The headphones allowed you to listen to the performance in one of ten languages.
The show started and it was a blend of film, acting and dancing. The film was on a large screen set at the rear of the stage. The film basically told the story and would introduce the live scenes and then enhance the scenes with further background action. The costumes were spectacular and the sound quality was awesome.
The performance was well acted in pantomime to a prerecorded dialogue and soundtrack. The headsets also sounded great. I would describe the performance as being akin to a Broadway musical. The dance routines were well done though Fariba and I both commented that we would have liked to see something more rooted in ethnic dances.
After the dance, Vinod took us to the Oberoi Amarvilas. This is where we had dinner reservations at the Esphehan Restaurant. The Amarvilas is owned by the same company that owns the Udaivilas in Udaipur. I highly recommend staying st one of their hotels if you ever get a chance. Their service and the hotel environment is the essence of luxury. The Agra location has an actual view of the Taj as it is the closest hotel to the Taj. On this occasion, we went first to the bar so Fariba could have a drink and Troy could have a beer. They also had a selection of Cuban cigars which Troy and I could not pass up. We selected the Partagas and took our seats outside with a view of the Taj, its silhouette in the darkness. We could see the ornate and perfectly lit pool area of the Amarvilas. The cigars were noticeably better than the ones we get in America. Maybe it was psychological because of the legendary status of Cuban cigars, but it does not matter.
We could hear in the near distance a party which we later surmised was two parties: the Muslims celebrating the end of the first day of Ramadan and the Hindus celebrating the day of Shiva. Soon, the last Islamic call to prayer of the night was heard and it was quiet the rest of the night. We wished that we had had the opportunity to visit the celebration.
After drinks we enjoyed a fabulous dinner accompanied by the sound of a fellow playing a dulcimer like instrument. The dinner included and Indian style roast leg of lamb that Troy had that melted in your mouth. I had a quail stuffed with minced chicken and Fariba had lamb with a spinach sauce. We had more than enough to eat and then went outside to find Vinod waiting to take us to the hotel.
The show started and it was a blend of film, acting and dancing. The film was on a large screen set at the rear of the stage. The film basically told the story and would introduce the live scenes and then enhance the scenes with further background action. The costumes were spectacular and the sound quality was awesome.
The performance was well acted in pantomime to a prerecorded dialogue and soundtrack. The headsets also sounded great. I would describe the performance as being akin to a Broadway musical. The dance routines were well done though Fariba and I both commented that we would have liked to see something more rooted in ethnic dances.
After the dance, Vinod took us to the Oberoi Amarvilas. This is where we had dinner reservations at the Esphehan Restaurant. The Amarvilas is owned by the same company that owns the Udaivilas in Udaipur. I highly recommend staying st one of their hotels if you ever get a chance. Their service and the hotel environment is the essence of luxury. The Agra location has an actual view of the Taj as it is the closest hotel to the Taj. On this occasion, we went first to the bar so Fariba could have a drink and Troy could have a beer. They also had a selection of Cuban cigars which Troy and I could not pass up. We selected the Partagas and took our seats outside with a view of the Taj, its silhouette in the darkness. We could see the ornate and perfectly lit pool area of the Amarvilas. The cigars were noticeably better than the ones we get in America. Maybe it was psychological because of the legendary status of Cuban cigars, but it does not matter.
We could hear in the near distance a party which we later surmised was two parties: the Muslims celebrating the end of the first day of Ramadan and the Hindus celebrating the day of Shiva. Soon, the last Islamic call to prayer of the night was heard and it was quiet the rest of the night. We wished that we had had the opportunity to visit the celebration.
After drinks we enjoyed a fabulous dinner accompanied by the sound of a fellow playing a dulcimer like instrument. The dinner included and Indian style roast leg of lamb that Troy had that melted in your mouth. I had a quail stuffed with minced chicken and Fariba had lamb with a spinach sauce. We had more than enough to eat and then went outside to find Vinod waiting to take us to the hotel.
8-1-2011 Marble inlay, a craft of Agra
Our guide suggested that we buy tickets to an Indian 'cultural show'. He had not steered us wrong this far and so we decided to do it. The show would not start until 6:30 so we would have time to lounge at the hotel.
We all went to the spa pool at the hotel. It was a very zen like environment and we were the only ones there. Fariba and Troy decided to hang out in the pool while I went to check out the spa itself. I decided to get an ayurvedic massage which is a specialty of India.
After the massage and some relaxation we left for the show. The buidling where the show is located is half auditorium. The other half of the building contains a fascinating facility selling marble inlay which is manufactured by hand and shipped from Agra around the world. There was a huge collection of incredibly ornate pieces.
The guy had a major canned sales pitch. First he would show us some of his most ornate pieces. Then he took is to a room where four men were sitting on the floor creating the inlay work in the traditional manner. I asked how many people worked at the actual plant and he said 2,200. That fact got my attention.
We then went into a room where he pointed to a table and said this table might cost $750 and this one might cost $1250, it depends on how ornate and detailed it is. I think he was simply trying to gauge what price range we were in or if we were possible buyers. He then poured coke onto the surface to show that it was not porous. He then went into a pitch about how any quoted priced included shipping to your front door. This would be important as the pieces were massive, including tabletops and shivas and elephants carved of marble and set with inlay of other stones and abalone.
We managed to escape the marble store without making a purchase. Next up was the show.
We all went to the spa pool at the hotel. It was a very zen like environment and we were the only ones there. Fariba and Troy decided to hang out in the pool while I went to check out the spa itself. I decided to get an ayurvedic massage which is a specialty of India.
After the massage and some relaxation we left for the show. The buidling where the show is located is half auditorium. The other half of the building contains a fascinating facility selling marble inlay which is manufactured by hand and shipped from Agra around the world. There was a huge collection of incredibly ornate pieces.
The guy had a major canned sales pitch. First he would show us some of his most ornate pieces. Then he took is to a room where four men were sitting on the floor creating the inlay work in the traditional manner. I asked how many people worked at the actual plant and he said 2,200. That fact got my attention.
We then went into a room where he pointed to a table and said this table might cost $750 and this one might cost $1250, it depends on how ornate and detailed it is. I think he was simply trying to gauge what price range we were in or if we were possible buyers. He then poured coke onto the surface to show that it was not porous. He then went into a pitch about how any quoted priced included shipping to your front door. This would be important as the pieces were massive, including tabletops and shivas and elephants carved of marble and set with inlay of other stones and abalone.
We managed to escape the marble store without making a purchase. Next up was the show.
8-1-2011 A little shopping in Agra
On the way back through Agra, our guide directed us to a jewelry store that has been in operation in Agra since the 1850's. The premises is quite secure with a gate through which vehicles pass and an armed guard with a long rifle sitting on the porch. Our guide PC should get a pretty good commission from these guys as it is hard not to purchase once you enter this store.
The first part of the store visit is the museum portion. These guys have a true museum with many interesting artifacts, including guest books signed by their many famous visitors such as Prince Charles and Farah, wife of the Shah of Iran during a time when he was at the height of his power. There are various historic jewelry pieces and other items such as rugs with semi precious stones inlaid and it is all quite impressive.
They then open a curtain and take you into another room to make their sales pitch. This room is very much like an American jewelry store. It is interesting that the lights in the room are off until the first customer enters. This is probably to save energy as electricity is very expensive in India.
Fariba is not big on jewelry but this is special and we found a couple of pieces that we liked. We haggled a deal and bought the rings. The guy finally agreed to the price we wanted because we were the 'first customers of the afternoon'--they always say something like that when they finally 'give in'. The rings were beautiful and unique.
It was now time to drive back for a view of Agra fort. It was here that after building the Taj Mahal for his widow, the king was overthrown by his own son and imprisoned for the rest of his life in a chamber that had a perfect view of the Taj Mahal. Extremely sad story. We decided to skip the actual tour of Agra Fort and instead chose to go back to the hotel and chill.
The first part of the store visit is the museum portion. These guys have a true museum with many interesting artifacts, including guest books signed by their many famous visitors such as Prince Charles and Farah, wife of the Shah of Iran during a time when he was at the height of his power. There are various historic jewelry pieces and other items such as rugs with semi precious stones inlaid and it is all quite impressive.
They then open a curtain and take you into another room to make their sales pitch. This room is very much like an American jewelry store. It is interesting that the lights in the room are off until the first customer enters. This is probably to save energy as electricity is very expensive in India.
Fariba is not big on jewelry but this is special and we found a couple of pieces that we liked. We haggled a deal and bought the rings. The guy finally agreed to the price we wanted because we were the 'first customers of the afternoon'--they always say something like that when they finally 'give in'. The rings were beautiful and unique.
It was now time to drive back for a view of Agra fort. It was here that after building the Taj Mahal for his widow, the king was overthrown by his own son and imprisoned for the rest of his life in a chamber that had a perfect view of the Taj Mahal. Extremely sad story. We decided to skip the actual tour of Agra Fort and instead chose to go back to the hotel and chill.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
8-1-2011 Fatehpur Sikri
After leaving the Taj, we went to the hotel for some breakfast. That was a good break. We had spent about 2.5 hours at the Taj which seemed like long enough.
After breakfast Vinod took us and PC to the Fatehpur Sikri which is about 26 km outside of Agra. The drive was as adventuresome as all drives in India, abounded by near misses and extraordinary sights. We saw many of the followers of Shiva outside of a temple. We saw large groups of women being hauled around in big metal wagons pulled by tractors.
We saw a group of women walking down the road in very colorful saris. Vinod slowed so that we could snap a photo out of the window. As I leaned out to take the photo, young children began to run at breakneck speed towards the van, smiling and cheering. Vinod pulled off and I snapped a photo that will probably win a pulitzer.
The children of India literally capture your heart and lock it away with a key. The innocence, the sweetness, the joy, the pure joy that they have is something that someone from America may not be used to in our 'me, me, me, give me more' society. These kids don't have Facebook or xbox or boats or cars or tv's or maybe even enough food or water and yet they are truly self-actualized in a way that is rare in our society for children or adults.
The Fatehpur Sikri is a sandstone structure built by the mughals on top of a rare hill in the flat plains surrounding Agra. It contains dwelling places and a mosque. There are four and five story buildings constructed pagoda style. There is a parchesi board life size upon which the king would have subjects attired for the various pieces and moved upon his command.
I forgot to mention that when we pulled up to th FS, our guide made a deal with the gate keeper so that our driver could drive us right to the front and let us out instead of us having to walk six hundred yards. Another benefit of having a guide.
After breakfast Vinod took us and PC to the Fatehpur Sikri which is about 26 km outside of Agra. The drive was as adventuresome as all drives in India, abounded by near misses and extraordinary sights. We saw many of the followers of Shiva outside of a temple. We saw large groups of women being hauled around in big metal wagons pulled by tractors.
We saw a group of women walking down the road in very colorful saris. Vinod slowed so that we could snap a photo out of the window. As I leaned out to take the photo, young children began to run at breakneck speed towards the van, smiling and cheering. Vinod pulled off and I snapped a photo that will probably win a pulitzer.
The children of India literally capture your heart and lock it away with a key. The innocence, the sweetness, the joy, the pure joy that they have is something that someone from America may not be used to in our 'me, me, me, give me more' society. These kids don't have Facebook or xbox or boats or cars or tv's or maybe even enough food or water and yet they are truly self-actualized in a way that is rare in our society for children or adults.
The Fatehpur Sikri is a sandstone structure built by the mughals on top of a rare hill in the flat plains surrounding Agra. It contains dwelling places and a mosque. There are four and five story buildings constructed pagoda style. There is a parchesi board life size upon which the king would have subjects attired for the various pieces and moved upon his command.
I forgot to mention that when we pulled up to th FS, our guide made a deal with the gate keeper so that our driver could drive us right to the front and let us out instead of us having to walk six hundred yards. Another benefit of having a guide.
8-1-2011 the Taj Mahal
we had a 5 a.m. wake up call. Vinod was waiting as appointed. As we hopped into the van another fellow joined us. I had forgotten that we had hired a guide for the day. His name was PC, short for Puran Chand Upadhyay.
. From the outset he seemed extremely knowledgable and spoke much better English than Vinod. We rode the short ride to the entrance of the Taj Mahal. The roads are designed to essentially reduce the amount of authorized traffic the closer in that you get.
We arrived at the ticket area. There were very few people who had gotten up as early as we did but we were figuring that it is once in a lifetime. PC got our tickets for us. It is 750 rupees for non-Indians and only 5 rupees for Indians. It makes sense as this national cultural treasure should be accessible to Indian people. 5 rupees is equal to 12.5 cents. After getting our tickets we sat in a vehicle for the short ride to the gate. The drivers were milling around, not paying attention. Fariba and I discussed between us that we hoped we made it there before sunrise.
PC very perceptibly must have heard us and he immediately went to the drivers and spoke to them in Hindi and one of the drivers came over and took us to the gate. There were about 10 other people waiting at the gate when we got there. About 5:50 a.m. they opened the gate and we went through security. We walked across a large expanse containing a wall and sandstone buildings that face the Taj Mahal.
We could catch glimpses of the Taj over the colonnaded wall. We then turned right along a walkway to see a glimpse of the edifice through one of the arched buildings that face it. We walked into the first building and now could clearly see the Taj through the arches. Here we took the first of many pictures, framing the Taj with the arches.
As we walked out of the building and on to the walkway towards the Taj, the sight was so awe inspiring that it sent chills through our spines. We were pretty giddy during all of this.
Meanwhile, PC was explaining the history. One of the early Mughal kings had married a Persian woman who bore him 14 children. She died during the birth of the last child at age 39. The king was devastated and decided to build the Taj Mahal as her crypt.
The Taj is constructed entirely of marble. It took 22 years and 20,000 men to build the structure. It is truly a wonder of the world. You may not know that the building is entirely symmetrical. Thus, what you see in the pictures is what you see from the front and back and from either side of the structure.
There is a marble platform about 100 yards from the Taj. It was another great spot for photos. We were literally the first people to walk to the building that morning. We went to the shoe storage and removed our shoes so that we could place our bare feet on to the white marble and walk up to and in to the building.
Once inside we were inside the dome, which is a double dome. Our guide, who is Hindu, would lightly yell the Islam phrase 'Ali akbar' or something like that so that we could hear how it would reverberate within the space. Again, another incredible moment. Then it was out the back for a view of the Yumani River. Across the river was a large spit of stand stretching out from and adjoining the forested area. We noticed people herding goats, washing clothes and working camels across the space. It was amazing to see the local life ongoing right behind one of the most spectacular structures in the world.
Flanking the Taj are two large sandstone buildings like mosques which would be intriguing structures in and of themselves.
We picked up our shoes and tipped the shoe wala and then went to sit on a. bench to simply look at the Taj and marvel. In the tree above us, parrots fed their chicks with at least three nests built into the crevices of the tree.
I forgot to mention there were also two monkeys walking around the perimeter of the Taj.
As we walked away from the Taj, we kept turning around to look at it again almost every step we took. Chills went through us again when we saw it for the last time and our guide said there are only two types of people in the world: those who have seen the Taj Mahal and those who want to!
Another interesting sight at the Taj were the many Hindi followers of Shiva. This was an auspicious day for them and many of them were wearing bright orange clothing with the men in shorts and barefoot. It was also the first day of Ramadan in the Muslim world so this made the day all the more special.
. From the outset he seemed extremely knowledgable and spoke much better English than Vinod. We rode the short ride to the entrance of the Taj Mahal. The roads are designed to essentially reduce the amount of authorized traffic the closer in that you get.
We arrived at the ticket area. There were very few people who had gotten up as early as we did but we were figuring that it is once in a lifetime. PC got our tickets for us. It is 750 rupees for non-Indians and only 5 rupees for Indians. It makes sense as this national cultural treasure should be accessible to Indian people. 5 rupees is equal to 12.5 cents. After getting our tickets we sat in a vehicle for the short ride to the gate. The drivers were milling around, not paying attention. Fariba and I discussed between us that we hoped we made it there before sunrise.
PC very perceptibly must have heard us and he immediately went to the drivers and spoke to them in Hindi and one of the drivers came over and took us to the gate. There were about 10 other people waiting at the gate when we got there. About 5:50 a.m. they opened the gate and we went through security. We walked across a large expanse containing a wall and sandstone buildings that face the Taj Mahal.
We could catch glimpses of the Taj over the colonnaded wall. We then turned right along a walkway to see a glimpse of the edifice through one of the arched buildings that face it. We walked into the first building and now could clearly see the Taj through the arches. Here we took the first of many pictures, framing the Taj with the arches.
As we walked out of the building and on to the walkway towards the Taj, the sight was so awe inspiring that it sent chills through our spines. We were pretty giddy during all of this.
Meanwhile, PC was explaining the history. One of the early Mughal kings had married a Persian woman who bore him 14 children. She died during the birth of the last child at age 39. The king was devastated and decided to build the Taj Mahal as her crypt.
The Taj is constructed entirely of marble. It took 22 years and 20,000 men to build the structure. It is truly a wonder of the world. You may not know that the building is entirely symmetrical. Thus, what you see in the pictures is what you see from the front and back and from either side of the structure.
There is a marble platform about 100 yards from the Taj. It was another great spot for photos. We were literally the first people to walk to the building that morning. We went to the shoe storage and removed our shoes so that we could place our bare feet on to the white marble and walk up to and in to the building.
Once inside we were inside the dome, which is a double dome. Our guide, who is Hindu, would lightly yell the Islam phrase 'Ali akbar' or something like that so that we could hear how it would reverberate within the space. Again, another incredible moment. Then it was out the back for a view of the Yumani River. Across the river was a large spit of stand stretching out from and adjoining the forested area. We noticed people herding goats, washing clothes and working camels across the space. It was amazing to see the local life ongoing right behind one of the most spectacular structures in the world.
Flanking the Taj are two large sandstone buildings like mosques which would be intriguing structures in and of themselves.
We picked up our shoes and tipped the shoe wala and then went to sit on a. bench to simply look at the Taj and marvel. In the tree above us, parrots fed their chicks with at least three nests built into the crevices of the tree.
I forgot to mention there were also two monkeys walking around the perimeter of the Taj.
As we walked away from the Taj, we kept turning around to look at it again almost every step we took. Chills went through us again when we saw it for the last time and our guide said there are only two types of people in the world: those who have seen the Taj Mahal and those who want to!
Another interesting sight at the Taj were the many Hindi followers of Shiva. This was an auspicious day for them and many of them were wearing bright orange clothing with the men in shorts and barefoot. It was also the first day of Ramadan in the Muslim world so this made the day all the more special.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
7-31-2011 On to Agra
We left the Gandhi Smriti and began the ride to Agra. The road is a four lane road akin to a four lane highway such as US 74 in design. That is where the similarity ends. The road contains the same assortment of vehicles and animals as are found on all of the roads in India. For vehicles that means trucks, buses, auto rickshaws, motorcycles, scooters and bicycles. For animals that means cows, water buffalo, pigs, goats. Dogs ,donkeys and monkeys. As such a drive on the Delhi to Agra highway, a mere 200 km, can take anywhere from 4 to 6.5 hours to navigate.
On the way down, Vinod stopped about halfway for us to get a clean bathroom break and some lunch. Before we got to the place, we went through a border crossing where Vinod had to pay a toll. While we sat in the car, two guys approached with monkeys on leashes. They wanted to collect so,e money from us using the monkeys. One of him threw his monkey up onto the window glass next to where I was sitting. I secretly began to shoot video of the monkey using my little Kodak zip digital recorder. I knew if the guy saw me he would try to get some money. I figured he had never seen a device like this and as such had no way to figure out what iwas doing. However, he began to motion that he wanted some money and began saying 'camera' and I said no, it is not a camera and we drove off.
The bathroom/lunch place was also a trip because it was like an Indian version of cracker barrel with a bunch of bs souvenirs for sale at excessive prices. And of course the guys were trying to hawk the stuff. Regardless, the food was good. I had some chicken masala that was not hot enough so I had them to provide me with some chili peppers which I ate along with the meal. Fariba and Troy had their favorite, tandoori chicken. It was all good and reasonably priced.
We returned to the road and drove onward toward Agra. Vinod took us off on a side road so that we could see a Hindu shrine that looked like something out of Disneyworld. It was one of those multiple armed princesses about 80 feet high and mounted on top of the temple bios ing. People had come from miles around to pay homage. Pretty wild.
Then it was on to Agra. However as we neared Agra,the the traffic backed up and it appeared our direction of travel was completely closed. People were turning around and coming back and then crossing at the median and continued in the same direction against traffic coming naturally in that direction. Vinod did the same and eventually our four traffic heading into Agra overwhelmed the traffic heading put of Agra and it became a total gridlock with the exception of the motorcycles and scooters which navigated any way they could.
Vinod found a side road and we turned in with the hope of bypassing the jam. Everybody else was doing the same thing. The side road jammed up also. Everybody was chill about the situation.
Eventually the traffic freed up a bit until we got to a railroad crossing where guards had fortunately stopped the traffic from getting gridlocked on the tracks in the way of the approaching train. After the train we headed on into Agra. I had not realized that Agra is a city of 2,000,000 people but it quickly became apparent that it is as we wound through the traffic to our hotel.
Our hotel in Agra was the ITC Mughal which is second only to the Oberoi Amarvilas as far as hotels in Agra. I got a great deal on the room by booking it several months in advance. It was a three person room and had a perfect bed for Troy.
We had dinner and went to bed in preparation for going to the Taj Mahal at 5:00a.m. The next morning. We got to watch the Indy NASCAR race live at midnight before going to bed. Pretty cool.
On the way down, Vinod stopped about halfway for us to get a clean bathroom break and some lunch. Before we got to the place, we went through a border crossing where Vinod had to pay a toll. While we sat in the car, two guys approached with monkeys on leashes. They wanted to collect so,e money from us using the monkeys. One of him threw his monkey up onto the window glass next to where I was sitting. I secretly began to shoot video of the monkey using my little Kodak zip digital recorder. I knew if the guy saw me he would try to get some money. I figured he had never seen a device like this and as such had no way to figure out what iwas doing. However, he began to motion that he wanted some money and began saying 'camera' and I said no, it is not a camera and we drove off.
The bathroom/lunch place was also a trip because it was like an Indian version of cracker barrel with a bunch of bs souvenirs for sale at excessive prices. And of course the guys were trying to hawk the stuff. Regardless, the food was good. I had some chicken masala that was not hot enough so I had them to provide me with some chili peppers which I ate along with the meal. Fariba and Troy had their favorite, tandoori chicken. It was all good and reasonably priced.
We returned to the road and drove onward toward Agra. Vinod took us off on a side road so that we could see a Hindu shrine that looked like something out of Disneyworld. It was one of those multiple armed princesses about 80 feet high and mounted on top of the temple bios ing. People had come from miles around to pay homage. Pretty wild.
Then it was on to Agra. However as we neared Agra,the the traffic backed up and it appeared our direction of travel was completely closed. People were turning around and coming back and then crossing at the median and continued in the same direction against traffic coming naturally in that direction. Vinod did the same and eventually our four traffic heading into Agra overwhelmed the traffic heading put of Agra and it became a total gridlock with the exception of the motorcycles and scooters which navigated any way they could.
Vinod found a side road and we turned in with the hope of bypassing the jam. Everybody else was doing the same thing. The side road jammed up also. Everybody was chill about the situation.
Eventually the traffic freed up a bit until we got to a railroad crossing where guards had fortunately stopped the traffic from getting gridlocked on the tracks in the way of the approaching train. After the train we headed on into Agra. I had not realized that Agra is a city of 2,000,000 people but it quickly became apparent that it is as we wound through the traffic to our hotel.
Our hotel in Agra was the ITC Mughal which is second only to the Oberoi Amarvilas as far as hotels in Agra. I got a great deal on the room by booking it several months in advance. It was a three person room and had a perfect bed for Troy.
We had dinner and went to bed in preparation for going to the Taj Mahal at 5:00a.m. The next morning. We got to watch the Indy NASCAR race live at midnight before going to bed. Pretty cool.
7-31-2011 Last hours in Delhi
For the last leg of our trip, we hired a car and driver for the duration. Our driver was Vinod and our car was the Innova van. Vinod picked us up at the Radisson at 9 a.m. as scheduled. He showed us the huge governmental plazas that comprised the New Delhi that had been built by the British. These buildings now house various elements of the Indian government.
We then went to the Gandhi Smriti. This was one of the most touching moments of the trip as this is where Gandhi spent his last days before his assassination. The property is in pristine condition, very clean and lovingly landscaped. There is a sandstone walkway upon which has been mounted clay footsteps representing the last steps of Gandhi before he met the bullets. The pathway winds along until the killing spot at which there is a a small memorial. There is also the room in which Gandhi would pray before speaking to thousands on this property. It was truly a beautiful experience to be in this place.
We then went to Humayan's tomb, the resting place of a great Mughal king. It is quite a facility, built from large pieces of sandstone in the early 1600's and said to be the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. After Humayan's tomb it was off to the Lotus Temple. This beautiful building was designed by a Persian architect and built as a Baha'i temple. Interestingly, it was the most well attended venue by the Indian people of any attraction we went to. The Baha'i welcome all religions and as such, it is a place where everyone feels comfortable. The great historic struggle of India is that of Hindu and Islam and the Baha'i temple helps to take the edge off of that struggle. The temple is of modern design and construction and is shaped like a lotus flower.
We then went to the Gandhi Smriti. This was one of the most touching moments of the trip as this is where Gandhi spent his last days before his assassination. The property is in pristine condition, very clean and lovingly landscaped. There is a sandstone walkway upon which has been mounted clay footsteps representing the last steps of Gandhi before he met the bullets. The pathway winds along until the killing spot at which there is a a small memorial. There is also the room in which Gandhi would pray before speaking to thousands on this property. It was truly a beautiful experience to be in this place.
We then went to Humayan's tomb, the resting place of a great Mughal king. It is quite a facility, built from large pieces of sandstone in the early 1600's and said to be the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. After Humayan's tomb it was off to the Lotus Temple. This beautiful building was designed by a Persian architect and built as a Baha'i temple. Interestingly, it was the most well attended venue by the Indian people of any attraction we went to. The Baha'i welcome all religions and as such, it is a place where everyone feels comfortable. The great historic struggle of India is that of Hindu and Islam and the Baha'i temple helps to take the edge off of that struggle. The temple is of modern design and construction and is shaped like a lotus flower.
7-30-2011 A change of perception in Old Delhi
I woke up in the wee hours on Saturday to the sound of a howling pack of dogs. This thought ran through my mind: on Saturday morning, I would tell Fariba and Troy that I had an upset stomach and would have to stay In the room. Yeah, I have to admit that is how freaked out I had been from walking the streets of Delhi the night before. However, my perception was soon to change.
Troy and I got up about 8:30 and went for a daylight walk around Connaught Circle. It was not busy a all. Very little traffic. Very few homeless lying about. We gathered that perhaps at some time during the night they return to their slum or shantytown. It began to make sense that they would hang out at Connaught at night rather than in the squalor of their home.
We saw that we had taken a wrong turn the night before. It turns out that the more 'upscale' part of Connaught had been to our left. This was the inner circle of Connaught. There were a number of stores with recognizable international brands as well as some upscale restaurants and offices. However, don't get me wrong, there was still a lot of dirt and general disorder. But the place looked a helluva lot better during the day than at night.
I was starting to feel better about our venture into Old Delhi. Troy and I went to check out the subway (the Metro) as it was our plan to ride the metro from Rajiv Chowk (the subway stop in the center of the circle) to Chandri Chowk, the metro stop in the heart of Old Delhi. We noticed that the entrance was heavily fortified with and armed soldier behind sandbags. As we got further down there was another army man with his rifle resting on top of the sandbags with the muzzle pointing towards the incoming patrons. There is then a security checkpoint where you are scanned and patted and your bag is scanned.
The security actually makes you feel more comfortable. Unfortunately, for India, terrorism is a much more real issue than it is in America. There are random bombings in crowded areas. I have not been able to ascertain who is responsible but it appears that there are various factions, not to mention the Pakistanis. Nevertheless in this country of one billion people, the number of terrorist assaults is infinitesimally low and is not a concern.
The metro was clean and air conditioned. Troy and I bought the tokens for our later trip to Chandri Chowk. The trip was 25 cents each way!
We went back to the hotel and told Fariba that things were looking much better in daylight. After breakfast, we headed out to catch the metro to Old Delhi. The metro is extremely clean, cool and well organized. We got on board for the three stop ride to Old Delhi. There were extremely few westerners. My guess is they are intimidated by the idea of riding a subway in a third world country. However, the subway is highly recommended by me.
Once disembarking at Chandri Chowk, we emerged to the scene of the chaos of Old Delhi that is somehow organized on it's own bizarre plain of understanding.
I had this plan in my mind that we would walk Old Delhi and visit the various bazaars for which it is world famous, see the red fort and the Jami Masjid, a mosque capable of holding 25000 worshipers. We quickly realized that there were hundreds of bicycle rickshaw drivers waiting to take people into Old Delhi. There were very few western tourists and almost all of them were European.
We started out turning down the pleas of the rickshaw drivers but one persistent man got our attention when he said hwe would take us to at the spice market for 100 rupees. We finally said yes and boarded the rickshaw. Our driver bit off a lot to haul three large Americans through Old Delhi. It turned out to be a great choice to hire this guy.
He peddled us through the extremely crowded streets into the heart of the spice market which turned out to be at least half of a km from the metro station. Amidst hundreds of spice stores, he happened to take us to one in particular. Of course, we were aware that this was clearly a prearranged deal. The store was very user friendly and clearly marketed towards westerners. The spices (thousands of choices) were prepackaged in sealed bags. This contrasted with the surrounding stores where huge quantities of spices were being sold by the pound. Nevertheless, we made a selection of spices and negotiated a deal. I am especially happy that we got cardamom and ginger to make chai masala, tea with milk and spices.
Our driver was awaiting. It became apparent that he would be with us for the day. We went for a walk down the spice street and he waited for us at the first store. It is amazing to smell the aromas and see the product and the interaction of the people. We got back with our driver and he took us through comparable sections of town where there would be lengthy clusters of stores selling basically the same thing, whether it be spices, saris or jewelry. At each location, our driver would take us to his designated store and we would get to hear the sales pitches. We went to a jewelry store and a sari store.
We weaved through the alleys and streets seeing so many interesting things. Fariba bought a large beaded necklace, a Hindu mala. They were out of the one she wanted and they had a guy climb up into a hole in the ceiling to get another one from the inventory.
At the sari store, the guys offered us beer and water. We succumbed to the water idea and they knew they had us. We ended up buying several items. I even got a ceremonial Indian shirt that I will probably never wear.
The driver took us to the Jami Masjid but it was temporarily closed to non-Muslims for lunchtime prayer. We decided to go eat lunch. I asked for Karim's which I had found in one of my tour books and the driver kmew where it was an took us. It was a Muslim run operation. From reading the history on the menu, w learned that the ancestor of the proprietor had been the chef for the last of the Mughal dynasty. Thereafter the restaurant was later started around 1913 and had been in continuous operation since that time. And it was easy to understand why.
The restaurant was actually spread between four or five buildings with a busy alley in the middle. There were two seating areas on the right of the alley and the cooking area and another seating area on the left,.
The cooking area was a site to behold. In the center of the cooking area in the back was a tandoori specifically set up for cooking the bread. A tandoori is a round clay oven built into the ground and which is heated by charcoal. The man cooking the bread sat above the tandoori opening. Next to him were two men who were among the bread dough from scratch and then flattening it into patties and tossing the patties to the bread poker. He would then do a final prep on the patty and then reach into the oven and stick it to the side of the oven. He would use long metal prongs to remove the cooked bread and quickly sling it too the first guy who would then get it to the waiter for table delivery.
Other guys were tending very large metal pots set at an angle over charcoal fueled heaters. They were making the various stews on these.
The restaurant was clean despite being an open air facility on an alley in Delhi. I ordered a lamb stew which combined with the fresh garlic naan was phenomenal. I had to sort through various small bones but the lamb and gravy had a flavor that was unsurpassable. Fariba and Troy had the tandoori chicken which was a whole chicken each and which was simply amazing. We got out of the place for a total of about $20. If you go to Delhi, you must go to Karim's and it is worth a trip to Delhi just to go to Karim's.
After Karim's we went to the Jami Masjid. Upon admittance we gave up our shoes to the shoe wallah, the shoe tender. We entered the mosque and found a cool place to sit down. The only problem was that there was a worker who would shoo everyone who was sitting by tapping a stick on the ground. These workers at the mosque don't speak, they simply make guttural noises. We soon figured from his obnoxious stick tapping that we we were not to sit on this particular area.
Troy went to the top of the minaret for a view of Old Delhi. Fariba and I befriended some Indian kids who appeared to be just hanging out at the mosque. We shot some video and showed them how they look on video. They were fascinated.
When leaving the mosque, I gave the shoe wallah ten rupees as a tip (25 cents). He registered his disgust with my tip by letting out a painful sounding howl but i just kept moving. He wasn't really watching our shoes in that there was no system for identifying shoes with their owner. Regardless, the vibe at the mosque was a bit negative, perhaps indicative of the gap between the western world and Islam.
We then rode through a section where there were numerous shops selling different auto parts. Interestingly many of the store owners each had their own goat. The goats were almost the size of cows and lounged obliviously amidst all the action.
We drove back to the Chandni Chowk station. We asked the rickshaw driver how much (he now had driven us for over four hours through the grueling streets) and he said 'whatqever you think'. Good ploy. I gave him 1000 rupees (about $25) and he seemed happy. I could tell he wanted a bit more so I gave him 100 more rupees and he seemed extremely happy.
As we had come into the station area on the rickshaw, we noticed that a huge pile of garbage from the morning (about one-fourth acre) had been whittled down to something manageable. Troy commented that people had been sifting through the garbage since we had first arrived and that they had divided it up so as to take it to the various recyclers. What was left was left for the cows and the pigs.
As we we entered the station, several small children began to beg us for money. It became almost like a game as we waited to buy our metro tokens with the station attendant attempting to wave them away. I eventually gave them all some coins that I had in my pocket.
This time when we got underground there was a huge crowd and we all pushed onto th crowded subway car. And then we realized that we were on the women's only car. Whoops! Women can ride on any car but they also have one that is women only so that they don't have to put up with harassment from the men.
Upon arriving at Rajiv Chowk (center of Connaught Circle) we emerged to see a number of children who were begging for money. Fariba had bought an orange soda that was halfway done and she gave it to one of the kids. We bought a couple of bottles of water and Troy took it to the kids. He said they had already divied up the soda and mixed it with some water to make it last longer.
We headed on to our room and cleaned up a bit and just laid around for a while. I ventured out to find Berco's, a chinese restaurant I had found on the Internet. I walked all the way around Connaught and realized that it had suddenly become the hang out for early 20's aged Indian men and women trying to act cool. Many of the women wore blue jeans. There was a lot of shopping going on and the folks asking for money were far outnumbered.
I got a menu from Berco's and we made our choices and I walked back to Berco's and placed the order and it was later delivered to our room. It was great tasting though perhaps a bit too heavy on the sauce.
We had leftovers and I took it to the street and set it next to a woman who had a couple of children. She quickly grabbed the food and took her children to an isolated location so they could eat the food without harrassment.
We had grown in one day to love Delhi, with all of it's faults and sadness, like we have grown to love all of India, good and bad.
Troy and I got up about 8:30 and went for a daylight walk around Connaught Circle. It was not busy a all. Very little traffic. Very few homeless lying about. We gathered that perhaps at some time during the night they return to their slum or shantytown. It began to make sense that they would hang out at Connaught at night rather than in the squalor of their home.
We saw that we had taken a wrong turn the night before. It turns out that the more 'upscale' part of Connaught had been to our left. This was the inner circle of Connaught. There were a number of stores with recognizable international brands as well as some upscale restaurants and offices. However, don't get me wrong, there was still a lot of dirt and general disorder. But the place looked a helluva lot better during the day than at night.
I was starting to feel better about our venture into Old Delhi. Troy and I went to check out the subway (the Metro) as it was our plan to ride the metro from Rajiv Chowk (the subway stop in the center of the circle) to Chandri Chowk, the metro stop in the heart of Old Delhi. We noticed that the entrance was heavily fortified with and armed soldier behind sandbags. As we got further down there was another army man with his rifle resting on top of the sandbags with the muzzle pointing towards the incoming patrons. There is then a security checkpoint where you are scanned and patted and your bag is scanned.
The security actually makes you feel more comfortable. Unfortunately, for India, terrorism is a much more real issue than it is in America. There are random bombings in crowded areas. I have not been able to ascertain who is responsible but it appears that there are various factions, not to mention the Pakistanis. Nevertheless in this country of one billion people, the number of terrorist assaults is infinitesimally low and is not a concern.
The metro was clean and air conditioned. Troy and I bought the tokens for our later trip to Chandri Chowk. The trip was 25 cents each way!
We went back to the hotel and told Fariba that things were looking much better in daylight. After breakfast, we headed out to catch the metro to Old Delhi. The metro is extremely clean, cool and well organized. We got on board for the three stop ride to Old Delhi. There were extremely few westerners. My guess is they are intimidated by the idea of riding a subway in a third world country. However, the subway is highly recommended by me.
Once disembarking at Chandri Chowk, we emerged to the scene of the chaos of Old Delhi that is somehow organized on it's own bizarre plain of understanding.
I had this plan in my mind that we would walk Old Delhi and visit the various bazaars for which it is world famous, see the red fort and the Jami Masjid, a mosque capable of holding 25000 worshipers. We quickly realized that there were hundreds of bicycle rickshaw drivers waiting to take people into Old Delhi. There were very few western tourists and almost all of them were European.
We started out turning down the pleas of the rickshaw drivers but one persistent man got our attention when he said hwe would take us to at the spice market for 100 rupees. We finally said yes and boarded the rickshaw. Our driver bit off a lot to haul three large Americans through Old Delhi. It turned out to be a great choice to hire this guy.
He peddled us through the extremely crowded streets into the heart of the spice market which turned out to be at least half of a km from the metro station. Amidst hundreds of spice stores, he happened to take us to one in particular. Of course, we were aware that this was clearly a prearranged deal. The store was very user friendly and clearly marketed towards westerners. The spices (thousands of choices) were prepackaged in sealed bags. This contrasted with the surrounding stores where huge quantities of spices were being sold by the pound. Nevertheless, we made a selection of spices and negotiated a deal. I am especially happy that we got cardamom and ginger to make chai masala, tea with milk and spices.
Our driver was awaiting. It became apparent that he would be with us for the day. We went for a walk down the spice street and he waited for us at the first store. It is amazing to smell the aromas and see the product and the interaction of the people. We got back with our driver and he took us through comparable sections of town where there would be lengthy clusters of stores selling basically the same thing, whether it be spices, saris or jewelry. At each location, our driver would take us to his designated store and we would get to hear the sales pitches. We went to a jewelry store and a sari store.
We weaved through the alleys and streets seeing so many interesting things. Fariba bought a large beaded necklace, a Hindu mala. They were out of the one she wanted and they had a guy climb up into a hole in the ceiling to get another one from the inventory.
At the sari store, the guys offered us beer and water. We succumbed to the water idea and they knew they had us. We ended up buying several items. I even got a ceremonial Indian shirt that I will probably never wear.
The driver took us to the Jami Masjid but it was temporarily closed to non-Muslims for lunchtime prayer. We decided to go eat lunch. I asked for Karim's which I had found in one of my tour books and the driver kmew where it was an took us. It was a Muslim run operation. From reading the history on the menu, w learned that the ancestor of the proprietor had been the chef for the last of the Mughal dynasty. Thereafter the restaurant was later started around 1913 and had been in continuous operation since that time. And it was easy to understand why.
The restaurant was actually spread between four or five buildings with a busy alley in the middle. There were two seating areas on the right of the alley and the cooking area and another seating area on the left,.
The cooking area was a site to behold. In the center of the cooking area in the back was a tandoori specifically set up for cooking the bread. A tandoori is a round clay oven built into the ground and which is heated by charcoal. The man cooking the bread sat above the tandoori opening. Next to him were two men who were among the bread dough from scratch and then flattening it into patties and tossing the patties to the bread poker. He would then do a final prep on the patty and then reach into the oven and stick it to the side of the oven. He would use long metal prongs to remove the cooked bread and quickly sling it too the first guy who would then get it to the waiter for table delivery.
Other guys were tending very large metal pots set at an angle over charcoal fueled heaters. They were making the various stews on these.
The restaurant was clean despite being an open air facility on an alley in Delhi. I ordered a lamb stew which combined with the fresh garlic naan was phenomenal. I had to sort through various small bones but the lamb and gravy had a flavor that was unsurpassable. Fariba and Troy had the tandoori chicken which was a whole chicken each and which was simply amazing. We got out of the place for a total of about $20. If you go to Delhi, you must go to Karim's and it is worth a trip to Delhi just to go to Karim's.
After Karim's we went to the Jami Masjid. Upon admittance we gave up our shoes to the shoe wallah, the shoe tender. We entered the mosque and found a cool place to sit down. The only problem was that there was a worker who would shoo everyone who was sitting by tapping a stick on the ground. These workers at the mosque don't speak, they simply make guttural noises. We soon figured from his obnoxious stick tapping that we we were not to sit on this particular area.
Troy went to the top of the minaret for a view of Old Delhi. Fariba and I befriended some Indian kids who appeared to be just hanging out at the mosque. We shot some video and showed them how they look on video. They were fascinated.
When leaving the mosque, I gave the shoe wallah ten rupees as a tip (25 cents). He registered his disgust with my tip by letting out a painful sounding howl but i just kept moving. He wasn't really watching our shoes in that there was no system for identifying shoes with their owner. Regardless, the vibe at the mosque was a bit negative, perhaps indicative of the gap between the western world and Islam.
We then rode through a section where there were numerous shops selling different auto parts. Interestingly many of the store owners each had their own goat. The goats were almost the size of cows and lounged obliviously amidst all the action.
We drove back to the Chandni Chowk station. We asked the rickshaw driver how much (he now had driven us for over four hours through the grueling streets) and he said 'whatqever you think'. Good ploy. I gave him 1000 rupees (about $25) and he seemed happy. I could tell he wanted a bit more so I gave him 100 more rupees and he seemed extremely happy.
As we had come into the station area on the rickshaw, we noticed that a huge pile of garbage from the morning (about one-fourth acre) had been whittled down to something manageable. Troy commented that people had been sifting through the garbage since we had first arrived and that they had divided it up so as to take it to the various recyclers. What was left was left for the cows and the pigs.
As we we entered the station, several small children began to beg us for money. It became almost like a game as we waited to buy our metro tokens with the station attendant attempting to wave them away. I eventually gave them all some coins that I had in my pocket.
This time when we got underground there was a huge crowd and we all pushed onto th crowded subway car. And then we realized that we were on the women's only car. Whoops! Women can ride on any car but they also have one that is women only so that they don't have to put up with harassment from the men.
Upon arriving at Rajiv Chowk (center of Connaught Circle) we emerged to see a number of children who were begging for money. Fariba had bought an orange soda that was halfway done and she gave it to one of the kids. We bought a couple of bottles of water and Troy took it to the kids. He said they had already divied up the soda and mixed it with some water to make it last longer.
We headed on to our room and cleaned up a bit and just laid around for a while. I ventured out to find Berco's, a chinese restaurant I had found on the Internet. I walked all the way around Connaught and realized that it had suddenly become the hang out for early 20's aged Indian men and women trying to act cool. Many of the women wore blue jeans. There was a lot of shopping going on and the folks asking for money were far outnumbered.
I got a menu from Berco's and we made our choices and I walked back to Berco's and placed the order and it was later delivered to our room. It was great tasting though perhaps a bit too heavy on the sauce.
We had leftovers and I took it to the street and set it next to a woman who had a couple of children. She quickly grabbed the food and took her children to an isolated location so they could eat the food without harrassment.
We had grown in one day to love Delhi, with all of it's faults and sadness, like we have grown to love all of India, good and bad.
7-29-2011 Continuation of Arrival in Delhi
After we crossed the street (quite a big deal in and of itself), we went to our right. We quickly found that the night scene in this part of Delhi was somewhat beyond our comprehension. We thought we had become quite familiar with the energetic flow of street life in Indian. However, Troy had warned that India after dark can be a little more challenging for the westerner. In particular, considering the vast number of people in the country, with 16,000,000 at minimum in Delhi alone, you have to figure that even at normal percentages there are going to be a large number of people with mental issues and people who are simply starving.
The people who have a place to go at night go there. The ones who don't have a place to go stay out around the streets. As such, these 'street people' become that much more noticeable and influential on the vibe of the street.
We learned this when we waded further into the mix early on that Friday night. There was the woman, laughing while her two year old crawls around naked on the filthy ground while another toddler huddled nearby. There were the polio victims strewn around the sidewalk areas. There were the dogs running and scrapping with each other. There were the men, stalking us as we walked along but backing down quickly when we let him know in no uncertain terms that we had nothing for him.
There were not any cows. Perhaps they cannot survive in that environment. The absence of cows adds to the strangeness of the vibe. One of the surprises of the trip was how quickly we got used to the cows roaming seemingly everywhere, often lounging in the middle of a busy highway. The cows were invariably healthy and well cared for and always carried the serene look of an animal that is said to be sacred.
But there were no cows in the Connaught Circle area of Delhi. We saw a large well lit building that appeared to contain a number of stalls with small businesses. We decided to check it out and saw that the stalls were filled with tailors. Upon closer inspection we realized that the tailors in every stall were manufacturing one singular product: custom blue jeans. Blue jeans are a big deal for the young 'hip' kids over here. There were probably at least 50 separate stalls of guys making blue jeans.
We hesitated to leave the relative safety of the blue Jean stalls for the street but we decided to do so anyway. We took a left and went into a broad plaza filled with people. Some were selling things and others seemed to simply be living in destitution, hoping for some food or a handout. We are also approached by young men trying to direct us to various places to sell us something we don't need. We come upon a bazaar and purchase a tassel. But it is apparent that this overall scene is one we need to make our way out of.
As we head back to the hotel, we decided to take one more foray down another street. On this street we were approached every few feet by guys selling sunglasses or what looked like some sort of packaged clothing item.
We decided to earnestly make it back to our hotel and have some drinks and dinner. We had a couple of intersections to cross. This was a challenge as there was construction everywhere and not safety barricades or directions as to where to go.
Before getting to the intersection, we saw a polio victim, probably 49 years old, his body covered only by a loin cloth. His lower body was in a squatting position, with a spine that was arched in an indescribable position and his face planted squarely in the concrete. He looked dead.
Troy had warned us about the sad visage of the polio victims. Though polio is close to being eradicated in India, there are still many polio victims, most over the age of 15 and many are apparently outcast. They are not provided with wheelchairs or given any method of getting around. As such, you often see them essentially walking on their hands, also using their hands to pick up their shriveled legs and drag them one at a time behind them. We saw a woman with her lower body on a cart with wheels dragging herself along the ground with her hands. She had two small children. We could only imagine that she was raped or perhaps married and dumped as soon as she had children.
Meanwhile, we made our way across the first intersection no problem. At the second intersection, the traffic was flowing while the pedestrians tried to make their way in between the various cars, auto rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles and scooters that were flowing through. On the other side lay an obstacle course through the construction site poorly lit with bricks scattered about, holes everywhere and various objects sticking up from the ground. Fariba was trying to get across as quickly as she could and I was urging her on because there were street people actually grabbing my arms as I crossed the intersection, trying to get my attention to give them some money.
Thankfully, we made it across! We began to hoof it around the circle to our hotel. We stopped at a tailor shop to try to haggle a suit for Troy. We weren't able to make a deal.
We quickly entered our hotel, going through the metal detector and getting lightly frisked by the guard. Fariba and Troy had a well deserved drink, at the bar while i enjoyed a sweet lassi. We sat and recounted the intensity ofthe Delhi streets. We had been out on the street only an hour. We all came to the conclusion that this initial Delhi experience would be a difficult time for anyone from a western country, particularly from America. Nevertheless, we tried to keep an open mind as the dusty streets an alleys of Old Delhi were our planned destination for Saturday.
The people who have a place to go at night go there. The ones who don't have a place to go stay out around the streets. As such, these 'street people' become that much more noticeable and influential on the vibe of the street.
We learned this when we waded further into the mix early on that Friday night. There was the woman, laughing while her two year old crawls around naked on the filthy ground while another toddler huddled nearby. There were the polio victims strewn around the sidewalk areas. There were the dogs running and scrapping with each other. There were the men, stalking us as we walked along but backing down quickly when we let him know in no uncertain terms that we had nothing for him.
There were not any cows. Perhaps they cannot survive in that environment. The absence of cows adds to the strangeness of the vibe. One of the surprises of the trip was how quickly we got used to the cows roaming seemingly everywhere, often lounging in the middle of a busy highway. The cows were invariably healthy and well cared for and always carried the serene look of an animal that is said to be sacred.
But there were no cows in the Connaught Circle area of Delhi. We saw a large well lit building that appeared to contain a number of stalls with small businesses. We decided to check it out and saw that the stalls were filled with tailors. Upon closer inspection we realized that the tailors in every stall were manufacturing one singular product: custom blue jeans. Blue jeans are a big deal for the young 'hip' kids over here. There were probably at least 50 separate stalls of guys making blue jeans.
We hesitated to leave the relative safety of the blue Jean stalls for the street but we decided to do so anyway. We took a left and went into a broad plaza filled with people. Some were selling things and others seemed to simply be living in destitution, hoping for some food or a handout. We are also approached by young men trying to direct us to various places to sell us something we don't need. We come upon a bazaar and purchase a tassel. But it is apparent that this overall scene is one we need to make our way out of.
As we head back to the hotel, we decided to take one more foray down another street. On this street we were approached every few feet by guys selling sunglasses or what looked like some sort of packaged clothing item.
We decided to earnestly make it back to our hotel and have some drinks and dinner. We had a couple of intersections to cross. This was a challenge as there was construction everywhere and not safety barricades or directions as to where to go.
Before getting to the intersection, we saw a polio victim, probably 49 years old, his body covered only by a loin cloth. His lower body was in a squatting position, with a spine that was arched in an indescribable position and his face planted squarely in the concrete. He looked dead.
Troy had warned us about the sad visage of the polio victims. Though polio is close to being eradicated in India, there are still many polio victims, most over the age of 15 and many are apparently outcast. They are not provided with wheelchairs or given any method of getting around. As such, you often see them essentially walking on their hands, also using their hands to pick up their shriveled legs and drag them one at a time behind them. We saw a woman with her lower body on a cart with wheels dragging herself along the ground with her hands. She had two small children. We could only imagine that she was raped or perhaps married and dumped as soon as she had children.
Meanwhile, we made our way across the first intersection no problem. At the second intersection, the traffic was flowing while the pedestrians tried to make their way in between the various cars, auto rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles and scooters that were flowing through. On the other side lay an obstacle course through the construction site poorly lit with bricks scattered about, holes everywhere and various objects sticking up from the ground. Fariba was trying to get across as quickly as she could and I was urging her on because there were street people actually grabbing my arms as I crossed the intersection, trying to get my attention to give them some money.
Thankfully, we made it across! We began to hoof it around the circle to our hotel. We stopped at a tailor shop to try to haggle a suit for Troy. We weren't able to make a deal.
We quickly entered our hotel, going through the metal detector and getting lightly frisked by the guard. Fariba and Troy had a well deserved drink, at the bar while i enjoyed a sweet lassi. We sat and recounted the intensity ofthe Delhi streets. We had been out on the street only an hour. We all came to the conclusion that this initial Delhi experience would be a difficult time for anyone from a western country, particularly from America. Nevertheless, we tried to keep an open mind as the dusty streets an alleys of Old Delhi were our planned destination for Saturday.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Riding the New Delhi freight train 7-29-2011
We got to Delhi and got our luggage. I got some cash from the airport ATM and it was all in 5000 and 1000 rupees bills. These were too big for our use. However, there is a scarcity of smaller bills in India and so I was not able to get change.
Our driver was awaiting as we left the baggage claim. We loaded up into the car for the ride into Delhi. The first thing we noticed was that some mosquitos had gotten trapped in the car. These were the first Mosquitos we had seen for the entire trip. It may have Been a Sign of bad things to come.
Our first night of the trip had been spent at the Radisson Blu at the airport in Delhi. It had been a great restspot with a superior room, a beautiful pool and a relaxing spa. We had not seen any of the real Delhi that night having simply shuttled the 2.5 km between the hotel and the airport.
But on this trip to Delhi, we would see the real Delhi. For sure. The drive into the city was pleasant enough, passing military installations and upscale hotels such as the Taj, ITC and others. The roads were clean and traffic was better organized. There were more cars and fewer motorcycles and other more odd forms of conveyance. There were no cows or pigs milling around in this area and it was almost like entering a large American city.
Nevertheless, we saw the signs of thhe poverty that courses through this beautiful country. There were men living in the medium who were trying to sell worthless items. There was a huge cloud of smog hanging over the town. As got close to our hotel at Connaught Place we saw that it was vibrant mass of people and colors. From a short distance, it looked like a typical American shopping center. Later, a closer look revealed the scroungy world of Delhi at night.
Connaught Place was built by the Brits in the 1930's as a model modern shopping and business center. It consists of two or three story buildings arranged in three concentric circles or rings. In the center of the rings, there was originally a park but it is now parking and an underground shopping area as well as access to Delhi's relatively new metro system.
When I had read about Connaught in my travel books, it was portrayed as an area where there was still shopping coupled with restaurants and some nightlife. As such, I chose the Radisson Connaught Place as our hotel for our two nights in Delhi. The other plus of Connaught Place is that it is central to historic Old Delhi and the planned city of New Delhi that was built from 1911 until 1931 by the British as the government center for their colonial government which was ironically unseated a short time later.
It was with this vision in mind that we rode into the Delhi from the airport. As we approached Connaught Place around 6:45 p.m. On July 29, it appeared to be a beehive of activity. There were some brightly lit stores and a multitude of people. We excitedly arrived at the hotel only to find that the car park area in front of the hotel was a construction site. Fortunately it was dry or it would have been a muddy mess. No problem. The bellman got our bags and we went to check in.
It was an extremely hot night and the sky had a devilish haze. I felt a need for an oxygen pack as soon as I got out of the van. We entered the hotel and went upstairs to check in. The check in was smooth and we walked along the hallway to our room. Fariba noticed that the carpet in the hallway was dirty. This was a tip as to the condition of the neighborhood. Our room was small, but very clean and functional. The hotel staff was nice, but could not touch the service we had received in Udaipur. It began to resonate that we had somehow gotten a bit spoiled by our luxury hotel experience in Udaipur. Once we hit the streets, it became apparent that Udaipur and Delhi were two completely different cities.
We began to walk the marble walkways of Connaught Place. There was a tailor shop and a shop selling sugars. There was a stand where a guy was making a product kind of like chewing tobacco called paan.
But we noticed that the marble walking surface was extremely dirty and had places on the wall where it appeared some bodily fluids had been released. We noticed that the 20 foot strip between the rounded building and the street was nothing but a construction site. It looked like all construction sites in India: as if it had been ongoing for years and as if it would never be finished.
We got to a busy intersection where we essentially negotiated dangerous open trenches and protruding metal objects in order to get to the corner to cross the road. Once we got to the corner, we observed to our left a massive pile of garbage 50 feet x 50 feet and 10 feet high. The stench was truly unbearable in a way to where you would not inhale until you were well past it.
We crossed the street in the direction of where the action appeared to be. We later learned that we had taken a wrong turn. It was not apparent at first as we came upon Uttams, a sari store that has been in business since the 1930's. This store had a security guard out front and dogs lying all around in the dirty marble. The glass front and doors of the store were as nice as you would see I'm an upscale mall in the US. The store was air conditioned and clean. There was an array of saris and we shopped and Fariba made a purchase.
As we left the store, I saw a country woman squatting in a ditch that looked like a foxhole and that was filled with debris. It took a moment for me to realize that she was urinating in the ditch. She had on the colorful sari of a woman from a farm or a construction worker. We then went to cross a busy street amidst the many dogs and women and small children asking for money. Upon arriving at the other side we observed squalor and destitution that we had not witnessed before. Troy reminded us that he did not recommend venturing out at night in India, though he liked to do it simply as a young person observing crazy things in the world.
To be continued. . .
Our driver was awaiting as we left the baggage claim. We loaded up into the car for the ride into Delhi. The first thing we noticed was that some mosquitos had gotten trapped in the car. These were the first Mosquitos we had seen for the entire trip. It may have Been a Sign of bad things to come.
Our first night of the trip had been spent at the Radisson Blu at the airport in Delhi. It had been a great restspot with a superior room, a beautiful pool and a relaxing spa. We had not seen any of the real Delhi that night having simply shuttled the 2.5 km between the hotel and the airport.
But on this trip to Delhi, we would see the real Delhi. For sure. The drive into the city was pleasant enough, passing military installations and upscale hotels such as the Taj, ITC and others. The roads were clean and traffic was better organized. There were more cars and fewer motorcycles and other more odd forms of conveyance. There were no cows or pigs milling around in this area and it was almost like entering a large American city.
Nevertheless, we saw the signs of thhe poverty that courses through this beautiful country. There were men living in the medium who were trying to sell worthless items. There was a huge cloud of smog hanging over the town. As got close to our hotel at Connaught Place we saw that it was vibrant mass of people and colors. From a short distance, it looked like a typical American shopping center. Later, a closer look revealed the scroungy world of Delhi at night.
Connaught Place was built by the Brits in the 1930's as a model modern shopping and business center. It consists of two or three story buildings arranged in three concentric circles or rings. In the center of the rings, there was originally a park but it is now parking and an underground shopping area as well as access to Delhi's relatively new metro system.
When I had read about Connaught in my travel books, it was portrayed as an area where there was still shopping coupled with restaurants and some nightlife. As such, I chose the Radisson Connaught Place as our hotel for our two nights in Delhi. The other plus of Connaught Place is that it is central to historic Old Delhi and the planned city of New Delhi that was built from 1911 until 1931 by the British as the government center for their colonial government which was ironically unseated a short time later.
It was with this vision in mind that we rode into the Delhi from the airport. As we approached Connaught Place around 6:45 p.m. On July 29, it appeared to be a beehive of activity. There were some brightly lit stores and a multitude of people. We excitedly arrived at the hotel only to find that the car park area in front of the hotel was a construction site. Fortunately it was dry or it would have been a muddy mess. No problem. The bellman got our bags and we went to check in.
It was an extremely hot night and the sky had a devilish haze. I felt a need for an oxygen pack as soon as I got out of the van. We entered the hotel and went upstairs to check in. The check in was smooth and we walked along the hallway to our room. Fariba noticed that the carpet in the hallway was dirty. This was a tip as to the condition of the neighborhood. Our room was small, but very clean and functional. The hotel staff was nice, but could not touch the service we had received in Udaipur. It began to resonate that we had somehow gotten a bit spoiled by our luxury hotel experience in Udaipur. Once we hit the streets, it became apparent that Udaipur and Delhi were two completely different cities.
We began to walk the marble walkways of Connaught Place. There was a tailor shop and a shop selling sugars. There was a stand where a guy was making a product kind of like chewing tobacco called paan.
But we noticed that the marble walking surface was extremely dirty and had places on the wall where it appeared some bodily fluids had been released. We noticed that the 20 foot strip between the rounded building and the street was nothing but a construction site. It looked like all construction sites in India: as if it had been ongoing for years and as if it would never be finished.
We got to a busy intersection where we essentially negotiated dangerous open trenches and protruding metal objects in order to get to the corner to cross the road. Once we got to the corner, we observed to our left a massive pile of garbage 50 feet x 50 feet and 10 feet high. The stench was truly unbearable in a way to where you would not inhale until you were well past it.
We crossed the street in the direction of where the action appeared to be. We later learned that we had taken a wrong turn. It was not apparent at first as we came upon Uttams, a sari store that has been in business since the 1930's. This store had a security guard out front and dogs lying all around in the dirty marble. The glass front and doors of the store were as nice as you would see I'm an upscale mall in the US. The store was air conditioned and clean. There was an array of saris and we shopped and Fariba made a purchase.
As we left the store, I saw a country woman squatting in a ditch that looked like a foxhole and that was filled with debris. It took a moment for me to realize that she was urinating in the ditch. She had on the colorful sari of a woman from a farm or a construction worker. We then went to cross a busy street amidst the many dogs and women and small children asking for money. Upon arriving at the other side we observed squalor and destitution that we had not witnessed before. Troy reminded us that he did not recommend venturing out at night in India, though he liked to do it simply as a young person observing crazy things in the world.
To be continued. . .
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