Back in Chennai and My First Bollywood Experience!

12/15
Today we were to leave at noon, and of course I still woke up so early; I guess I’m still not completely used to the time difference here (after 2 and a half weeks). The breakfast here apparently sucks, so me and a few other girls went to that same hotel down the block we’ve been going to for all our meals. We had a breakfast buffet, which is always my favorite! It cost about $7, so absolutely worth it! (I just realized I’m always talking about how cheap everything on this trip is! Haha)
After a couple of hours of traveling from Pondicherry (where we watching Austin Powers, one of my favs for sure), we arrived back at the same Chennai hotel we stayed at before. Chennai is where the airport is, so it is easiest for us to come here for a night before heading to Mumbai tomorrow.
After a quick dinner at another hotel, we decided to see a newly released Indian Movie! The movie was called “The Dirty Picture,” and it was in Hindi without subtitles, so I had absolutely no idea what anyone was saying. Nonetheless we were given a brief overview what it was about before we saw it. The movie is based on the true story of Silk Smitha, who was a famous Indian actress in the ‘80s. She was know for very risqué parts, and was eventually type casted for roles like this. The movie was based on her life, lots of love interests, and dance numbers.
When the movie started, the other viewers in the theater started cheering, which I thought was great. It’s as if movies are so much more exciting here than they are in America; people almost treat it like it’s live theater. The movie was very dramatic, the music was very intense and entertaining, and the main character wasn’t the skinniest girl in the world, which I thought was awesome. We’re so used to seeing stick thin women in Hollywood, yet this woman definitely had some belly and she was still beautiful (very refreshing). Although I didn’t know word for word what was going on, I really enjoyed the movie and the music and dancing that went into it. It was my first Bollywood movie and I was definitely entertained.
After I finish updating my blog and uploading some pictures, I’ll call it a night, then we’re off to Mumbai tomorrow after I believe we’re seeing some temples in Chennai. I honestly never know what’s planned on this trip so I’m always surprised!

Auroville "Shopping Tour" and "The Mother" Being a Creep

12/14
Today I woke up early and was ready to go at 7am for our shopping tour. Little did we know this wasn’t exactly the kind of tour we expected. When we got there, it took forever to set up the bus that we were supposed to take (nothing ever happens on time in this country, which still to this point in the trip annoys me so much). Once the bus was arranged we went around the corner and watched a movie on Auroville again, which was so confusing to me and the rest of the group because we had no idea this shopping tour had anything to do with that. Turns out, the tour is taking us to a bunch of shops run by people of Auroville so that the money goes to them directly. The whole thing was very strange but we had to suck it up.
I bought a couple of little things like incense and candles, but we stopped at a lot of places. The most memorable place was a store that looked like a picture frame store, but when you walked in it was literally hundreds of pictures of “The Mother.” Trust me, if you saw what this woman looked like and you saw that many pictures of her starring at you, you’d be frightened like we were. It was such a random store; in addition to all those pictures, they had kitchen supplies (so strange).
Finally we finished the tour and looked for a place to eat. It literally took us over an hour to find a restaurant serving lunch. Every place we went into said they weren’t serving food today (so frustrating). We ended up at the same restaurant where we ate dinner the previous night, which was fine by me because the food was really good. I got gnocchi in a mushroom sauce and some pineapple sorbet for dessert, yum!
After a very long nap and some hanging around the hotel, we went to the SAME restaurant for dinner! (This is honestly the only decent place with food in the area) Jess, Arielle, and I all split our food, getting a bunch of pizza, pasta, and some stuffed mushrooms. It was all so delicious and we were very content. A bunch of other people got a buffet, so Mimi snuck us a piece of cake that the 3 of us engulfed like vultures, which was pretty funny! Becca also made a point to bring “The Mother” picture she bought along with us to the restaurant and decided to give life to this picture. We were all getting so creeped out by the picture, and we would keep turning it around to face other people when they weren’t paying attention (nobody could look this thing in the eye!)
After dinner we went to a local chocolatier where Jackie and I split a piece of flourless chocolate cake. It was very tasty, except for the fact that it was the end of the day so not totally fresh (but it’s India, I’ll take what I can get). Tomorrow we’re leaving Pondicherry at noon to head back to Chennai, where we will fly to Mumbai the following day (our last stop of the trip). I’m definitely itching to get home at this point in the trip because I miss home and I’m actually excited for cold weather ☺

Confusion Surrounding Auroville and Arrival in Pondicherry

12/13
This morning we left Mamallapuram and headed to Pondicherry, which is about 2 hours away by bus. When we arrived in the area, we stopped at Auroville, a commune-like place that is based on the idea of meditation, non-religion, and being one with your own body (or something like that). It was a VERY bizarre place that none of us really understood. It was started by Mirra Alfassa, aka “The Mother,” which everyone in and around Auroville treat like a Goddess. Her picture is everywhere in the area, and she is a pretty scary picture taker. The place was beautiful to walk around, but it was very strange and it felt like a weird colt to me. Definitely an interesting place (that left me extremely confused!).
After that we arrived at our hotel in Pondicherry, which is across from the beach. We’re in a pretty nice area, but it isn’t really the kind of beach you go to in your bathing suite and lounge around at. It’s a nice area to walk around though, and it is still very hot here!
For dinner we went to a pretty nice place where I splurged and got lobster for dinner! Of course it was the most expensive thing on the menu, but it was only about $11, so nothing wrong with that! It was very good but I definitely expected more food on my plate. At least I’m enjoying the food at this point on the trip. Tomorrow is pretty much a free day, but a few people and myself volunteered to get up early to do a shopping tour thing, so we figured why not. The trip is coming to an end and I definitely have more to purchase!

A Day of Relaxation and Shopping

12/12
Today was the first day of the whole trip we didn’t have to set our alarms, and naturally I still woke up around 8am. Oh well, I can’t really complain when the day was mostly going to consist of laying in the sun some more in lovely Mamallapuram.
After breakfast, Clara, Arielle, and I walked along the coast of the beach for about 2 hours, which was really nice and relaxing. The beach here is pretty empty, except for the annoying fishermen who always want us to come along for a boat ride. So it was nice just walking along the beach and enjoying the lovely breeze. We didn’t realize until a couple of hours later how strong the sun actually was at the time, and Clara and Arielle got some pretty hilarious tan lines.
For most of the remainder of the day I laid out by the pool trying to even out the weird tan I got from the day before. In the afternoon I got a neck and shoulder massage which I was pretty excited for because the beds in this country have really been screwing them up. It was a 30-minute massage for 450 rupees (which is about $9, definitely the cheapest massage you’ll ever find), and it wasn’t the best massage in the world, but it was probably worth the price.
I did a little shopping later in the day as well where I got a few nice things. I got 2 pairs of sandals from a shoemaker on the street that knew my size as soon as he saw my foot (which was great because they were European sizes and I’m totally clueless about that). I got a pair of strappy gladiator type sandals that he customized to fit my feet, which was pretty cool because I’ve never had that experience. I also finally got some hair products at one of these shops; my hair has been so dry on this trip and I haven’t known what to do about it, so this was seriously a saving grace! I also got some aloe because I got seriously burned today ☹
For dinner we went to an interesting restaurant. There were little fire pits on the table that we could grill our own skewers on, which included vegetables, chicken, shrimp, and more. The food was good, but it was annoying that we had to pay a set price for a buffet too when I definitely don’t eat that much food (we weren’t aloud to order off an a la carte menu because Devraj told them how many people we were, so that was pretty annoying). Oh well at least the food was good!
Tomorrow we’re heaving off to the next city, which is Pondicherry. I don’t know exactly what we’re doing there, but I know it’s supposed to be beautiful and relaxing and we’re doing Yoga apparently. I’ve never had a real yoga session before so I’m definitely looking forward to that!

Boat Ride from Hell, Temples, and Delicious Food (Finally!)

12/11
I was not at all a happy camper this morning. We woke up early to go on a fishing boat at 7am (of course it didn’t come until 7:30 because we’re in India and nothing is ever on time!). I was so hungry while waiting for the boat, so I ate a Luna Bar to hold me over until breakfast. When we got to the boat they put life jackets on which were so large and uncomfortable, and the boat didn’t have seats. It was like a hollowed out rowboat and we just sat on the sides of the floor of the boat. So basically I was soaking wet sitting on the floor of the boat, sideways, and totally sea sick (I guess from eating right before). I was definitely not enjoying myself and was being such a downer about it, but I was as content as could be when we were back on land.
Breakfast was great because they had hard-boiled eggs (first place to have eggs at breakfast for a while). Then we headed out to go to some temples in the area. It is so hot here in Mamallapuram that it is pretty hard to enjoy anything that is happening, but we all did our best. The first bunch of temples were carved from large single pieces of stones for different Hindu Gods. While there Clara and I got a coconut from a vendor and drank the milk straight from it (yummy!) We also didn’t realize until later in the day that so many of us were getting sunburned; I have a total farmers tan line from the T-shirt I was wearing (definitely need to work on getting rid of that). We also saw this thing called the Butter Ball, which is this giant boulder/rock thing that is balancing on a downward slope. It’s a pretty unreal thing, one that you definitely have to see for yourself to believe.
We finally came back and had free time for the rest of the day. A bunch of people went out to the pool and ordered lunch, and I got to work on my tan for a couple of hours. Again, I need to stress how hot it is where we are, so we were constantly jumping in and out of the pool. Because of this I guess my sunscreen wasn’t staying on and I got a little burned. As of now it’s not bothering me so it could’ve been worse.
For dinner we went to a Jamaican themed restaurant where they cooked some fish for us right over an open flame. I am usually not a fish eater, but I ate the whole piece! I really enjoy the food a lot better in South India so far because there is more seafood and it isn’t dowsed in sauce like it is in Rajasthan. Dinner was a success for me tonight and it definitely put me into a food coma. I’m calling it an early night this evening, and tomorrow we get the entire day off! For the first time on this trip I don’t have to set an alarm, so I’m giving myself the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I definitely need to take it easy on the sun as well tomorrow, but hopefully I can get rid of these embarrassing tan lines on my arms and chest.

PS don't mind my skirt in these pictures! I realize it looks horrible, but I had no skirts on this trip and was desperate for some!

San Thome Basilica and Mamallapuram

12/10
This morning was lovely because I got to wake up early and enjoy the wonderful luxury of wifi on my computer and iphone. Considering I haven’t had internet in a week I was more than happy to wake up and catch up on all my emails and such, but a week away from the cyber world left for a lot of reading and blog posting!
We started our day by seeing the San Thome Basillica, which is one of only 3 places in the world where saints are buried underneath the ground (The Vatican is one of the others). It was cool to finally see what a church looked like in India; I always like comparing the different churches wherever I go since they’re so common throughout the world. The architecture was what you would expect from a catholic church and it was interesting to see where Saint Thomas was believed to be buried in 72 AD.
After that we went to an artisan market where I got a bunch of stuff like necklaces and these really cool palm leaf carvings. The crafts were very reasonably priced here too, which was nice because haggling gets so exhausting!
Finally we arrived at our next hotel called the Sea Breeze in Mamallapuram, where we will be spending the next 2 days. This is like a little break in the trip that we definitely all need. After finding my room I was determined to find a bathing suite since I forgot to pack one, and lucky enough I found a 2 piece in a shop down the road from the hotel. I was so happy to find a bathing suite I would’ve taken anything, and the funniest part is that it is a kids XXL size (this was the biggest size they had… lets just say I could’ve used a bigger top!) I also bought some tunics at this place because all my clothes are way too heavy for the heat in this location. I hung around the pool for the rest of the day, which was extremely relaxing.
After taking a much needed nap, we all met for dinner by a bonfire. There was a lunar eclipse at the time too, which was awesome to see. For dinner we had some kind of fish, some chicken, shrimp and a few other side dishes. This was such a good meal, and the best part was that it wasn’t drenched in sauce like we’ve been having in Rajasthan. I’m looking forward to the food on the rest of the trip because tonight’s meal was delicious. Tomorrow we’re going out on a boat early in the morning which should be beautiful, seeing some temples, and of course lounging by the pool and beach some more. Hopefully I can soak up some rays for my return to the Tundra that I’m sure NY will be on my arrival next week!

Travels Down South

12/9
Today was an epic day of traveling to say the least. We’ve spent a lot of time on the bus throughout this trip, but today we took 2 planes to get to Chennai, which is our first destination in Southern India. Up until this point we’ve spent most of our time in the state of Rajestan, so it’ll be interesting to see the differences.
We started the morning by leisurely enjoying our breakfast in the hotel and leaving for the airport around 10:30 am. The airport in Jodhpur was only a couple of minutes away by bus so that was very convenient. From there we got on a plane and flew back to Delhi (this flight was about an hour long). When we arrived in Delhi we had a very short amount of time to quickly eat before our next flight. Connecting flights was so bizarre because we had to completely leave the terminal to get to another terminal, and we ended up completely re-checking into the airport (It was very strange). At this point we said goodbye to Hal who is leaving us at this point. We are all going to miss him because we had such a great time having him lead us. At this point John Huppertz is taking over, who is a professor at Union Graduate College and a friend of Hal’s. We all go to know John a little bit in our meetings at Union during the Fall Term. I finally had some “pizza hut” (which was a little spicy, its amazing how everything here has to have some spice to it), and I got an iced vanilla latte (I’ve been craving a coffee drink for so long so that really made me happy!). We finally got on the plane, which would take us to Chennai in two and a half hours (I kept making the joke that this reminded me of how Northeasterners always fly south to Florida because I couldn’t help but think they were such similar circumstances!). Finally we arrived on time and everyone’s luggage was in hand (which I’m always so worried about), and of course our bus was late. We ended up waiting at the baggage claim for an hour and a half. This was such a nightmare because we were all so hungry.
When the bus finally arrived and took us to the hotel it was a little after 10:30pm. We were so famished, so a bunch of us went to a Chinese place in the hotel next door after we checked into our rooms and got our bags. Collecting my luggage was pretty interesting; it took such a long time for the hotel to bring out bags to our rooms and I was getting really angry because I was so hungry. Finally they brought the bags up to our floor, but they were still left on those luggage carts and the bellboy was nowhere in sight. I couldn’t wait any longer so I just unloaded the cart myself and took my bags into my room, which was literally 10 feet away. The bellboy finally appeared and was getting angry I was doing this, but I refused to let him stop me (I was so determined to get food as soon as possible). Finally all my bags were in the room and the bellboy follows me into my room to check the room out. He then has the nerve to ASK me for a tip after he didn’t even help me with the bags! I explained to him (well tried to explain since he didn’t speak English well) that we were with a group and our leader would tip him, so that was a struggle. I couldn’t believe the man had the nerve to ask for money for doing absolutely nothing, especially in a country where people don’t usually receive tips. I was so furious at this point; I just needed to put some food in my system.
I was so excited to have decent Chinese food. I got some beef stir-fry thing and some chicken dumplings all of which were exactly what I wanted. I also ordered some eggs, but they never came out with my meal soI thought the forgot about it. I was content with my meal so I didn’t even bother asking for it. When we finally got the bill, of course the eggs that I never received were on it. When we asked the man about it, he said they were on their way! We explained that we were already done eating and we weren’t going to pay for food that didn’t even arrive with our meal and they gave us such a hard time about it. As we’re starting to pay, the waiter brings out the food and doesn’t understand that we’re not going to pay for it; it was seriously such an annoying situation. This is one of those instances where there’s a serious language barrier; it often feels like they’re trying to take advantage of us because we don’t know their language or their customs, but there was no way I was paying for food that didn’t even come during my meal. They finally got it right after we had to fight with them, but overall the food was delicious and exactly what I wanted. Tomorrow we’re going to do some exploring in Chennai and I believe we’re going to the beach in the afternoon, so excited!

12/8

still working on this post, but we did a lot of traveling today then got homemade Indian cooking. It was by far the best meal of the trip. This was also our last night with Hal so we gave him a present

Some Light Shopping and My Stomach Challenge

12/7
We woke up this morning at 5:45am to see the sunrise. It was so cold and dark out; I’m so glad I downloaded a flashlight application on my iphone! We climbed to the top of a sand dune (Emily fell going up it, the desert is the best place to be if you like seeing people fall!) and waited for the sun to come up. I played some John Mayer music on my phone for everyone, which set a lovely mood. Eventually the sun came up and the colors were beautiful. Funniest part of the morning; as soon as we woke up someone came over asking if we wanted a camel ride (it never ends!)
Once we left the tents we set off to the Jaiselmer Fort, aka the Golden Fort. Apparently a quarter of the cities population lives in this fort, which contains a great bazaar and palaces and temples. I just wanted to have a light day since I was tired from waking up from the sunrise, so me and a few other people just went shopping where I bought a couple of souvenirs. The bazaar had a lot of leather goods here, but it’s questionable what type of leather it all actually is. They don’t kill cows here, so the people in the shop will tell you it’s camel leather. When we went into one store though a merchant told us that it’s really usually goat leather, which is a lot cheaper and the stores are trying to rip you off (so who really knows what any of it is). In the fort we went to an Italian restaurant where I got some pineapple pizza. Of course it wasn’t the greatest pizza in the world but I was happy to be eating pizza (stomach ache not too far behind).
After that we headed to the next hotel called the Mahader Palace, which everyone has been excited about because there’s a pool and time to relax before dinner. Because of my packing fiasco I forgot to bring a bathing suite, but it was nice to just sit by a pool for an hour and get some sun. The pool was also really gross looking, so I wasn’t missing anything at all.
For dinner we went to another rooftop restaurant. Today was the first day I thought my stomach could handle a little challenge so I got some tandoori chicken (and just in case, some scrambled eggs on the side). I was so hungry (I guess because I wasn’t eating for those few days) that I ate both plates of food! It was nice to have some meat too since I hadn’t eaten any in a while. I also enjoyed a piece of Cadbury chocolate, so the meal was a success!
I’m going to call it a night early because I’m so exhausted from waking up so early and tomorrow is another long day of traveling. Being on that bus for so long is so draining; I can’t wait until we get a little break from it!

Desert Camp in Jaisalmer

12/6
Today we left our hotel in Jodhpur to drive to the tents at the Desert camp in Jaisalmer. There weren’t any major stops on this trip until the end but it was still an exhausting day of course!
We were told it would take us something like 6 hours to get to the tent. Everyone on the bus passed out as soon as we got on it. We’re pretty much halfway through this trip and everyone is pooped from all the traveling. Throughout the trip we stopped a number of times to go to the bathroom, and when I say that I mean we pulled over on the side of the road and peed by a bush. I’ve done this so many times on this trip its pretty funny now. I did it twice and some others three times today. The first time I didn’t even realize until it was too late that there were houses pretty close to where I was (my bad!).
We stopped at lunch at a place that was such a tourist trap. The food was so expensive, not even by India standards. I can’t complain though because they had scrambled eggs and that’s all I ever need to be happy with a meal! They also had Oreos and Pringles and stuff like that but I’m trying to be good and I didn’t get anything but gum.
We continued on the bus and got to where we need to be around 2:30pm. We are told at this point that it’s too hot to ride the camels, so they need us to kill some time. At this point we found a cute lake to hang out by for a little bit; a few people and myself just sat by the lake soaking up some sun, others rented a paddleboat to go out on the water, and some others went shopping. It was a nice mental break from everything we’d been doing. It finally got cool enough to go out into the dessert, and we paired up and got on our camels. I went on mine with Clara, which was great because the two of us are both into taking pictures and we have pretty much the same camera, so we looked awesome with our SLR’s together. The camel was pretty nice, and the dessert was really cool. It had more bushes than you would expect from a normal dessert, but it was what you would expect in terms of lots of tall sand dunes. People were trying to sell us stuff the whole ride, which was pretty annoying; we kept telling them we don’t want and we don’t have any money but that wasn’t good enough for them. We stopped for a little bit to watch the sun set which was nice. People were also having a lot of fun being on the sand dunes, and some people even fell down them, which was hilarious!
Eventually we got to the camp, which was different than I pictured. There’s about 30 two-people tents shaped like a U (how appropriate!) and a fire circle in the middle of them all. The tents are pretty cool: they have beds, and electricity, and a bathroom with running water! For dinner it was typical Indian food, but I’m honestly so sick of Indian food so I ate a Luna Bar. I feel bad because I feel like I should be eating the food of this country, but I can only take so much spice after so long! At dinner there was a band troop playing folk music and there were female dancers, which were really cool. I really enjoyed this since I’ve been studying Indian music, but it was tough for me to analyze because I didn’t study much about folk music. A girl on my trip was talking to the musicians and they told her that most of them are untouchables. This is the first talk of caste we’ve heard from any Indians on this trip and I was surprised that they were at such a low caste. They said they live day-by-day and travel with their music and all take care of each other. One of the dancers was a 9-year-old girl without parents and they all rotate taking care of her.
In the morning we’re going to wake up up and watch the sunset. Shouldn’t be too hard considering I’ve been waking up so early on this trip. Should be interesting how Jet-lagged I am when I get home from this trip!

12/5

still working on this entry, come back soon!
It involves Jodhpur, Merengar Fort, Palaces, and Feeling Sick!

Bagru Textiles, Home of the Minerva Fellows in India

12/4
I had an interesting start to my morning. I initially woke up feeling better, but the headache I’ve been having immediately returned. I keep getting headaches on the trip, which I’m guessing is from dehydration. At breakfast nothing looked too appealing to me so I just had some corn flakes type cereal and some milk. After eating about half the bowl I looked down and noticed a bug in my cereal! After being completely repulsed, Caroline said she thought it was a baby cockroach! After looking again that seemed to be accurate. Can you believe that?! Ugh I’m repulsed just thinking about it, but it’s India, can’t do anything about it!
So the main event for the day was to go to Bagru textiles, the place where the Minerva Fellows have been working. Jeremy started the project after graduating in ’10 and Emily is the new fellow for this year. Jeremy is officially done with the program, but wanted to see it completed, so he came back to keep it going. Bagru is a small village in Rajestan and Jeremy and Emily live with a host family there.
When we arrived at the village we got to see how the textiles are made and how these people live every day. They have different techniques for block printing, dying, washing and drying, etc. They took us around to all the different places where this stuff happens throughout the village, and we even got to make our own tank tops with block prints. I bought a couple of things here because it’s so nice having things when you know where they came from.
Finally we headed out to the hotel we’re currently at called Kishangarh and Roopangarh fort. This place is really interesting; it’s 400 years old and converted into a place for guests to stay. The bus didn’t fit on the road up to the hotel, so we had to get picked up by jeeps. This was such a frightening experience; I got stuck sitting in the very back which was completely open. I honestly thought I was going to fall out, but thankfully it was a short trip. We’re only staying here for another night until our next stop, which I’m told is a really fancy tent in the middle of the desert. This should be interesting!

The Amber Fort, Elephants, Shopping, and Yummy Food

12/3
Today was another one of those jam-packed days in and around Jaipur. We started bright and early at the Amber Fort, the site of the capital of Rajistan until it was moved to Jaipur in the 1700s. To get to the fort we had to ride an elephant! It was really nice doing that but you could tell the elephants were poorly treated, which was really sad. Hal told us before we got on that it shouldn’t cost us more than 100 rupees to ride the elephant (approx $2). When it got to the point that Jackie and I were supposed to pay our guy, I gave him the 100 rupees and he said it wasn’t enough. When we told him we wouldn’t give him any more he said he wouldn’t take us off the elephant unless we gave him more. I literally started yelling at the guy because he stopped the elephant and made it seem like he really wasn’t going to take us off. Jackie gave him another 100 and the guy still said it wasn’t enough, but at least at this point he was moving in the direction where we’re supposed to get off. Finally we jumped off as fast as we could. I was so annoyed because nobody else had that experience. Luckily 100 rupees isn’t a lot of money, but the guy totally ripped us off; it’s not about the money, but the guy was a total jerk!
The fort was really beautiful similar to the Agra fort we saw earlier. It was kind of like a palace built with walls around it. We also got to see a snake charmer which was a first up until this point. It was really cool to see that.
Next we had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant. I ordered fried rice, but of coarse I didn’t like it. I didn’t really have an appetite so I let other people eat it. My stomach still hasn’t been feeling 100% so I definitely don’t want to push myself to eat too much. I did have a lassi though and I think they’ve really been helping my digestion and giving me some protein to get throughout the day is helpful as well.
After that we went to a blue pottery factory where they made lots of ceramics. I got a couple of gifts there, which I’m very excited to give. They gave us a little demonstration of how the products are made, and they bragged that the Clintons have even been in their shop! I wish the stuff wasn’t so fragile otherwise I would’ve bought bigger things like vases. Then we went to a paper factory which was actually really interesting. They showed us the process of making paper and what kind of products they made with it, many of which get shipped to the US. They make some of the really pretty gift boxes and bags that we so often see, as well as stationary, photo albums, and more.
Last we went to a store called FabIndia, which is supposed to be a store with Indian clothing but meant to have a western feel. I didn’t get anything from this store but it was a really beautiful store. They had some really nice stuff that was similar to Anokhi in that I could see it all being sold for really expensive prices in the US.
At the end of the day Jess and I decided to go back to Anokhi for dinner because they had a really great organic café and we’ve been dying for some healthy delicious food. We took a rickshaw to get there, and on the way we were stopped by an Indian Wedding! It was like a whole parade going on with a band and elephants, camels, and tons of people. We had to walk through it to get to the café, which was hilarious because the two of us were wearing sweatpants while all these people were wearing extravagant outfits.
When we finally got there we had tomato, mozzarella, and basil salads, and homemade ravioli. I was seriously in heaven during this meal. It was the first meal I truly enjoyed on this trip. I also had fresh squeezed pineapple juice, which was honestly the best I’ve ever had. I’ve been trying to drink lots of juice because my blood sugar keeps dropping. Hopefully my appetite will return after the meal I got to finally enjoy ☺

Car Accident, Anokhi Textiles, and Scary Monkeys

Today was quite an interesting day in Jaipur, and definitely jam packed with a lot of interesting sights. On the way to our first stop, we actually got into a car accident! We were bound to see one considering the pandemonium that is the driving here, but we didn’t think we’d be a part of the first one we saw. Basically what happened was we were stuck behind a truck, and our driver honked at him to move over (because that’s what they do here), and when the truck did move there was another car stuck in the road with a flat tire that suddenly appeared. The driver tried slowing down but couldn’t fast enough so we hit a small car that was packed with a lot of people. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but it was actually really interested to see the people here react to a car accident. It was similar to home where everyone groups together and looks at the damage, but more people would stop to see what was going on, it was pretty insane. Devraj finally settled the whole thing by giving them 4000 rupees, which is about $80… can you believe that! They thought that amount would cover their damage, which included a blown out back windshield and a dented back bumper and trunk door. I guess that’s India for ya!
Our first stop was a place called Anokhi Farms, which was a big textile factory in India. We got to see how prints are made and manufactured into different items of clothing, bedding, and more. Everything was so beautiful and it all looked like stuff from stores like Anthropologie and Free People, which is so expensive at home. Most of the girls on the trip absolutely loved what we saw, so they told us where their main store was in Jaipur to go shopping later in the day. It was so amazing to see how these textiles were made. In America we rarely think about how our goods are actually made, so it made us all appreciate the clothes we love so much a little bit more.
After that we went to the Galtaji Temple, which is also known as the monkey temple. It was a beautiful Hindu temple built into mountains where people could bath and be blessed by a priest, which we all decided to do. He gave us these strings that he tied around our wrists that are supposed to bring you good luck and prosperity. The string is actually really cool and is like a nice souvenir I’ll get to bring back from the trip. The temple also had tons of monkeys which were a little scary, but exciting to see. We were told they’re very mischievous monkeys so everyone was nervous their stuff was going to be stolen. Hal’s (our Professor on the trip) shoes were actually being taken by some monkeys but Emily managed to track them down. The whole experience was frightening and enjoyable at the same time! After that we went to another Hindu temple in a small village on the way back. The area we were in was very rural and the temple had amazing views of it all.
Finally we had a chance to go to the Anokhi store. I was seriously in heaven in this store. We were warned that the store was going to be expensive, but it was so reasonably priced compared to the same stuff you can get at home. I bought a queen size quilt for my bed in addition to a few other things. The quilt cost the equivalent of about $60, and the same quilt would probably cost $300 at home. I am totally obsessed with this quilt, I can’t wait to bring it home! At this point I started feeling very lightheaded, so I got a little juice and ate a few bites of a luna bar. A got myself feeling a little better to go to a bazaar where Jackie, Jess, Elyse, and I were determined to find elephant pants. They’re these cool pants that kind of look like skirts when you where them. The bazaar was a bit overwhelming, but we had a mission, and we each bought 2 pairs of pants that we’re all excited to where!
We got back to the hotel after a great day, but I still wasn’t feeling 100% so I decided to skip dinner to lie down. I think I probably didn’t eat enough throughout the day, but I was nauseous so it was difficult for me to eat. I feel like I’ll be better tomorrow though after a good night of sleep! It sticks I missed dinner tonight, and I was supposed to see a Bollywood movie in the theaters, but it was more important for me to get better for the rest of the trip. Hopefully whatever is wrong with me passes soon, because I’m in India! I don’t want to miss out on anything else!

The Agra Fort, and Another Bus Ride from Hell

This morning we set off for the extremely long drive to Jaipur (If you knew how horrible the roads were here you would understand how awful these long bus rides are). Before heading on the road we went to the Agra Fort. This fort was where Shah Jahan was locked up for 7 years by his son Aurangzeb. He was eager to become the next ruler of the Mughal Empire, so he put his father in a place with a view of the Taj Mahal so he could see the place where his beloved wife was buried. This fort was way more than I expected from a fort. It had beautiful courtyards and was very spacious. On another note, there were so many cute monkeys here! But apparently monkeys here are vicious so I kept my distance of course!
After the fort we headed on the road and stopped forl at one of the most beautiful hotels in India. It took them an hour to prepare for lunch, so while we waited we got to lounge by the pool, which was really great. They had a spa there so I considered getting a massage, but Sully and Caroline beat me to it and there were only 2 masseuses. When they got back they said they were completely naked and were pretty much just being rubbed with oil the whole time (definitely glad I wasn’t able to get one!)
We spent about 6 hours on the bumpy bus until we arrived at the hotel in Jaipur. This hotel seems pretty decent and they have free wifi, yay! I got pizza at a place next door, which was nice because I definitely don’t like Indian food enough to eat it at every meal. Tomorrow we have a very busy day ahead of us, including going to a movie theater to see a Bollywood movie that just came out! That should be interesting considering it’s going to be in Hindi!

Holy Cow, I Saw the Taj Mahal!

I honestly feel so lucky to say that I’ve seen the Taj Mahal. It is more beautiful in person than it seems in all the pictures we see. For those who don’t know, the Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum that was built by one of the Mughal emperors Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal from 1632-1653. The two were both buried there in the white marble dome, but the Taj Mahal is actually a large complex also consisting of a gate, a mosque, gardens, and more. It is a demonstration of Mughal architecture, which combines Persian, Turkish, and Indian styles. I truly hope all of you can see it in your lifetime.
After the Taj Mahal we went to the mausoleum of Itmad-Ud-Daulah (means ‘pillar of the state), which is sometimes called the Baby Taj because it is of similar architecture. The man buried here with that title was Mirza Ghiyas Beg, who was the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal. It was not as majestic as the Taj Mahal, but there were quite a lot of similarities in structure, which was interesting to see.
We got back to the hotel and decided to do a little shopping at some of the shops around the area. Walking to these shops were so fascinating; I saw so many cows just hanging out on the side of the road, and some of them would even cross the street with us! COWS! We’ve seen so many cows all over this country, which blows my mind because they’re supposed to be sacred. Emily told me a lot of people here abandon cows once they stop producing milk, and because they’re holy people will always feed them. You really need to see it to believe it. I bought a couple of things at a marble store and a textiles store. I don’t want to say exactly because I don’t want to ruin any surprises!
For dinner we went to a rooftop restaurant with a view of the Taj Mahal. Although there is a lot of pollution in the air and the view wasn’t very clear, it was still a very beautiful sight. On the way to the restaurant we had to take a rickshaw, which is the Indian version of a Taxi. These things are quite an experience. I honestly felt like I was going to die on this thing, and they just weave in and out of traffic like it’s no big deal. The driving here is seriously unbelievable. We also spotted an Indian wedding at this point, so we got to see some fireworks; it looked more like a carnival than a wedding, it was pretty insane. Apparently this week is a very popular time to get married because the stars are lined up a certain way that brings good luck. Tomorrow we have another long trip to the next city, which is Jaipur. We have a lot planned there so this should be a really great couple of days.

We're Off to Agra!

This morning we left our hotel in Delhi and set out on a very long bus ride to Agra. I tried sleeping as much as I could on the bus but the roads are atrocious here. Literally the entire drive was like going over massive speed bumps, and on top of that the people are constantly driving like there is stop and go traffic. The funniest part about the terrible driving though was the horn honking. Not only did the driver honk the horn every 3 seconds, but the horn sounded like a little jingle. It was actually stuck in my head for parts of the trip. I saw some pretty interesting things on the road, like lots of cows, monkeys on polls, fruit stands, lots of garbage, and of course poverty. We stopped for lunch were I had Panir Butter Masala, which is some kind of Indian cheese in spices/sauce which was pretty good.
Our next stop on the way to Agra was Fatehpur Sikri, the ancient capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571-1585 during Akbar’s reign. There is a mosque and 3 palaces, one for each of his 3 favorite wives. Each wife was of a major religion of the time: Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. His Hindu wife was his favorite because she was the only wife that bore a son to take over the empire. Her palace was the biggest, and she had a summer side that faced the water, and a winter side that faced the sun. The place had lots of really interesting carving designs that represented many different religions because Akbar was responsible for incorporating people of different religious backgrounds into the empire. Unfortunately we got there a little later than planned so we couldn’t go inside the mosque, but the complex was so interesting from what we did see.
So we’re now staying at Hotel Kont in Agra for the next 2 nights. This hotel is a serious upgrade from the last hotel so I’m excited to get a better night sleep tonight. For dinner I got fried rice because I needed a break from the Indian food, but I managed to get a stomachache afterwards; perhaps Chinese food wasn’t the best choice. Oh well I’m trying things out!
Tomorrow we’re going to the Taj Mahal, enough said!

Jama Masjid and More Delhi

Last night I got absolutely no sleep. I spent majority of the night looking at the clock on my phone just waiting for the time to pass. I think it was a combination of still being jet lagged and being in a bed that was very unappealing to sleep in. They bed was super hard, but luckily I had my sheets to lie on. The room is full of ants and Jackie and I have each killed a beetle as well. Definitely not the most pleasant room on the planet, but its India! Hal says the hotels will be a lot better from here, so it’ll only get better from here. Breakfast was surprisingly good at the hotel. I had some fried eggs and toast with jelly. I’ve also been having a really sore throat so we managed to find a pharmacy down the road and I got some antibiotics for 70 rupees, which is less than $2. I was surprised how cheap it was, and luckily I recognized the medicine so I knew it would help.
The first place we went today was Jama Masjid in New Delhi. It is the largest and best-known Islamic Mosque in India. It was pretty similar to some of the mosques I remember seeing in Egypt in terms of architecture, but you could definitely tell it was of Indian design. It had the traditional Domes and Minarets that are typically seen in Indian architecture. I’m sure I’ll be seeing this throughout many more places, including the Taj Mahal, which we’ll be seeing in 2 days. Although the mosque was beautiful, the most interesting part of this experience was probably the interactions we had with the locals. We were being followed in groups and constantly had our picture being taken. I noticed early on that there really aren’t a lot of tourists in Delhi. When the Indians do see people that look as different as us, it must be something amazing to them.
After exploring the mosque, we went into a very busy street in the middle of Delhi that was PACKED. I can’t even emphasize the amount of people and vehicles were on this one road. It was pretty overwhelming, but very interesting to see. Seeing the different types of people I noticed how blended the areas are. On one corner you will see a homeless man and a dying dog, and the next you’ll see a shop with a security guard selling beautiful saris that are very expensive. There aren’t any clear-cut divisions of where the poor and rich are living. We had lunch here in a cafeteria-style place that Jeremy took us to. Jeremy Fritzhand ‘10 is a former Minerva fellow, is here with us on the trip, which is great because he speaks Hindi from living here and knows all the places we’ll be going. Emily LaCroix ’11 is the current Minerva Fellow in India and she’s with us as well. It’s been great having them with us because they’re able to answer so many of our questions.
After this we went to a Dilli Haat, which is a market geared towards tourists. I hate to admit it, but it was such a joy shopping here. I’m sure the prices were jacked a little higher than usual but it was very mellow here and a pleasant to shop in (I’m having such an American moment). I bought some bengals with peacock feathers on them and some other gifts for people. I’ve been told there are peacocks in India so I’m looking forward to seeing those because I absolutely love peacocks!
After the shopping and passing out on the bus, we went back to the hotel to rest and then to dinner. On the way to dinner I actually got knocked over by a dog! I know this sounds bizarre, and it totally was. A little kid was playing with a dog and the dog god scared or something and completely knocked into the side of my leg and I wiped out. It was so strange; I was more shocked it even happened than being concerned about being hurt (I was totally fine! I caught my fall with my hands thank goodness). For dinner I had Dal, which is some concoction with lentils and spices, and naan. I’m trying to avoid meat at all cost on this trip because I have a sensitive stomach and eating meat in Egypt past year seemed to set it off. I’m being super safe with food for the next 3 weeks! I’ve also been drinking Lassi, which are these yogurt drinks. They’re apparently really good for you and have tons of protein and probiotics. Since I left my probiotics home I’m going to drink these as much as possible, and they’re very tasty!
Tomorrow we’re spending most of the day on the bus driving to our next destination: Jaipur! I probably wont have much to write but hopefully I’ll have some great pictures to post. Since I’m using my brother’s camera instead of my own I was still getting used to it today, so hopefully I have better luck with it tomorrow.. Until then!

Today was Insanity, but I'm in India!!

11/26-27
Boy was today unpredictable! When I got the text from Jackie at 12:30 pm on November 26th, little did I know the next couple of hours were to go differently than planned. My flight was at 2:25pm TODAY, not TOMORROW!! For some reason I was under the impression that the flight was leaving on Sunday, but I was certainly wrong. Of all the days I sleep over Benjamin’s house in Westchester, and I have to rush to a flight leaving JFK, which was leaving in 2 hours from the time I got the text. I didn’t think I was going to make it.
When I walked into the front door, my parents were there telling me I had 10 minutes to get out of here. My dad already brought up the suitcase and gave me a malaria pill, and my mom was putting sheets and toiletries in the suitcase. The whole experience was such a blur, but I did manage to grab as much as I could in 10 minutes and be out the door on my way to the airport. My dad was very impressed, and if you know him, he doesn’t get impressed easily.
I pulled up to the terminal at 1:35, 50 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave, and it was running on time. I ran to the empty check-in area and they get me in quickly and take my luggage. I went through security and all the nonsense and finally made it to the gate where the flight was almost completely boarded, but the group was waiting for me and in shock that I made it on time. I was pretty shocked myself, not to mention completely out of breath from running like a crazy person. I guess you really don’t need to arrive 3 hours early for international flights!
The flight was just like any other 12+ hour long flight. It was very long and I really couldn’t sleep. I took a Benedril but it did nothing for me. I thought I was going to have a row to myself until a very large Indian woman in a Sari sat down and lets just say she made the flight less than pleasant. She was smelly, rude, kept knocking into me, and clearly didn’t understand that concept of personal space. The food totally sucked on the plane; honestly how good can Indian food possibly be on a place? I watched something like 5 different movies on the plane, including the Blind Side which I’ve always wanted to see, and also The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which always makes me cry.
Finally we landed, and I got my luggage which was a breathe of fresh air. I was so worried it wouldn’t make it on the plane since I got there so late. The airport was surprisingly nice. We met up with Hal (Professor of Economics at Union College) and Raj, who is going to be our tour guide for the trip.
I realized on the plane that I left behind the battery and charger to the SLR camera I brought for the trip. If you’re reading this you probably know I take pictures of anything and everything, so this was devastating news. Luckily on the way to the hotel I saw a number of camera stores. We got to the hotel called Hotel White House which seemed okay. When Jackie and I walked into the room it smelled horrible, so we asked to change rooms. Although the 2nd room didn’t smell quite as potent, there are lots of bugs, so I honestly don’t know what’s worse. Luckily my mom threw sheets in the suitcase for me.
So we’re now in Delhi and it’s definitely got the feel of a big city. Lots of traffic and people and the markets seem good. I had a chance to exchange some money and I managed to find a camera store that had the right battery for a reasonable price! I think that was super lucky. I would have been miserable if I didn’t have my camera at the Taj Mahal, which we’re going to on Tuesday. Tomorrow we’re going to the biggest mosque in India, so that should be exciting. Hope you enjoy my future entries, and let me know if you’d like me to see anything in particular, Namaste!