India for blog
Impressions of India
When I first decided I wanted to go to India, no one was really interested. I found a private company in India, Legends and Palaces, and worked with Mr Singh to develop an itinerary, and pick out hotels. Once I got a package put together, I got Jon, Mike and Jana on board, and India was a go. To say I had a bit trepidation is an understatement. First I was apprehensive about using a total stranger to plan things and send large amounts of money to. Second, I was worried about our health, in particular, stomach issues as everyone complains about Delhi belly and I have a pretty good record of getting and trips to the local Dr. I was nervous about packing, we are restricted on weight because of domestic flights. We had to pack for both cold and hot climates with limited laundry availability. Next I was worried about all the peices falling together, would the people be in place to meet us, would our driver be OK, would hotels be nice, would our private guides be informative. Is as worried about if I would like the food, could we find toilets while traveling. Added to this, I also always worry when I have made plans that include people besides Jon and me, will they be happy etc.....
Well, I try to remember that every minute spent worrying, is a minute of joy missed. At the end, I never needed to worry about thing. Mr Singh had all of our trip organized like clock work. Our driver Ram, was terrific. Each guide we had had a different personality nod perspective, so we continued to learn throughout our trip. As long as it was not too spicy, Jon and I both loved the food. We only ate scant amounts of chicken, and really enjoyed eating mainly vegetarian. We fell in love with King Fisher " strong" beer and "Old Monk" rum. Every hotel we stayed at was amazing and different. We stayed at one chain hotel, a fort, an old hunting lodge, a converted stable, a desert tent camp, a palace, an estate, a houseboat and even a Haveli they based the movie, " The Best MRigold Hotel" on. Every day, every location was different. We listened to different languages and dialects. We heard honking horns, barking dogs mooing cows. We saw pigs, deer, tigers, water buffalo, bison, wild camels, wild elephants, jungle cats, jackals, alligators, crocodiles, cows, goats, sheep, dogs, peacocks, monkeys, Eagles the list goes on and on. We travelled by plane, car, Van, train, boat, camel, elephant, jeep, truck houseboat and rickshaws. We learned about religions, particularly Muslim and Hindu. We experienced nature from the Ganges River, to the Thar desert to the backwaters and spice farms of Kerala. We went from plains, to mountains, desert, ocean and jungle. As noisy as the cities were, the country side and desert were quiet except for the sounds of birds. Our visits to small villages were amazing. In Jarfar we invited into a home for tea, in Chandeleo we met a boy getting married the next day to a girl he had never met. Everywhere happy smiling children all wanting their picture taken, and adults with cell phones wanting to take selfies with us.
There were some difficult parts for me. There are beautiful stray dogs everywhere, as well as dogs run over on the roads. It was hard to walk by beggars and hawkers and ignore them as though they did not even exist. At times language was difficult, but also funny like when we called for a doctor, and moments later they showed up with an adapter at our door.
Incredible India ! It has swept me away !! It has exceeded all of my expectations ten fold, and it may be one place I come back to....
Tues. Jan 23 2018 Claridges Hotel New Delhi India
We made it !! We will be traveling for about a month with Mike and Jana in India. This trip was a hard sell for me to get Jon to come, but I finally wore him down and here we are ! I started planning this trip over a year ago. Once I had the general itinerary done, I found a local agency to make our reservations. We have planned all private drivers, guides and a variety of types of lodging for this trip. I was really nervous since I relied on an unknown person to make all our booking arrangements, but so far I needed not fear. We left Oralndo yesterday, flew to Newark, then a 14 hour very long flight here. We breezed through the airport, and our escort was waiting for us, driver ready, and we here we are. First impressions. The people could not be more friendly and helpful. Everyone is smiling, even at the airport. The traffic which was not too bad at 10:00 PM was still bad by US standards, and yes, everyone honks their horn and zig zag in and out. We were forewarned that the night traffic will be nothing compared to daytime. Today we are being met by our guide and driver and we are off to do Delhi.
Wed. Jan 24 7:00 PM Delhi
It was a full day of touring. Jan. 26 is the National republic day celebration so there is already allot of preparation taking place. We started off viewing the Indian Gate which is a war memorial to the one million Britsh and Indian soldiers who died in the Great War. Next was the Jama Masjid, the Friday Mosque that was built by Shah Jehan who also built the Taj Mahal. The mosque was built in 1656 and can hold 20,000 people. Next we were off to Chandani Chowk, a huge shopping boulevard in old town where we walked around all the markets. Quite the experiences between the visual colors, scents of all of the spices and the honking horns and traffic. We also travelled by rickshaw several times. There were people everywhere and the alleys were so narrow, two motorbikes could barely pass each other. We then visited the Jama Masjid built by Shah Jehan, the mogul prince who also built the Taj Mahal. We then visited Humayuns tomb. We wrapped up by visiting Qutab Minar which is a memorial to the Moslem conquest of India in the 12 th century.
As I feared, I am not doing well with Indian food. I have tried twice while here, and both times did not go well. Mike Jana and Jon are out for dinner and trying to get my stomach settled down. Tomorrow AM we fly to Varanasi.
Impressions of India
When I first decided I wanted to go to India, no one was really interested. I found a private company in India, Legends and Palaces, and worked with Mr Singh to develop an itinerary, and pick out hotels. Once I got a package put together, I got Jon, Mike and Jana on board, and India was a go. To say I had a bit trepidation is an understatement. First I was apprehensive about using a total stranger to plan things and send large amounts of money to. Second, I was worried about our health, in particular, stomach issues as everyone complains about Delhi belly and I have a pretty good record of getting and trips to the local Dr. I was nervous about packing, we are restricted on weight because of domestic flights. We had to pack for both cold and hot climates with limited laundry availability. Next I was worried about all the peices falling together, would the people be in place to meet us, would our driver be OK, would hotels be nice, would our private guides be informative. Is as worried about if I would like the food, could we find toilets while traveling. Added to this, I also always worry when I have made plans that include people besides Jon and me, will they be happy etc.....
Well, I try to remember that every minute spent worrying, is a minute of joy missed. At the end, I never needed to worry about thing. Mr Singh had all of our trip organized like clock work. Our driver Ram, was terrific. Each guide we had had a different personality nod perspective, so we continued to learn throughout our trip. As long as it was not too spicy, Jon and I both loved the food. We only ate scant amounts of chicken, and really enjoyed eating mainly vegetarian. We fell in love with King Fisher " strong" beer and "Old Monk" rum. Every hotel we stayed at was amazing and different. We stayed at one chain hotel, a fort, an old hunting lodge, a converted stable, a desert tent camp, a palace, an estate, a houseboat and even a Haveli they based the movie, " The Best MRigold Hotel" on. Every day, every location was different. We listened to different languages and dialects. We heard honking horns, barking dogs mooing cows. We saw pigs, deer, tigers, water buffalo, bison, wild camels, wild elephants, jungle cats, jackals, alligators, crocodiles, cows, goats, sheep, dogs, peacocks, monkeys, Eagles the list goes on and on. We travelled by plane, car, Van, train, boat, camel, elephant, jeep, truck houseboat and rickshaws. We learned about religions, particularly Muslim and Hindu. We experienced nature from the Ganges River, to the Thar desert to the backwaters and spice farms of Kerala. We went from plains, to mountains, desert, ocean and jungle. As noisy as the cities were, the country side and desert were quiet except for the sounds of birds. Our visits to small villages were amazing. In Jarfar we invited into a home for tea, in Chandeleo we met a boy getting married the next day to a girl he had never met. Everywhere happy smiling children all wanting their picture taken, and adults with cell phones wanting to take selfies with us.
There were some difficult parts for me. There are beautiful stray dogs everywhere, as well as dogs run over on the roads. It was hard to walk by beggars and hawkers and ignore them as though they did not even exist. At times language was difficult, but also funny like when we called for a doctor, and moments later they showed up with an adapter at our door.
Incredible India ! It has swept me away !! It has exceeded all of my expectations ten fold, and it may be one place I come back to....
Tues. Jan 23 2018 Claridges Hotel New Delhi India
We made it !! We will be traveling for about a month with Mike and Jana in India. This trip was a hard sell for me to get Jon to come, but I finally wore him down and here we are ! I started planning this trip over a year ago. Once I had the general itinerary done, I found a local agency to make our reservations. We have planned all private drivers, guides and a variety of types of lodging for this trip. I was really nervous since I relied on an unknown person to make all our booking arrangements, but so far I needed not fear. We left Oralndo yesterday, flew to Newark, then a 14 hour very long flight here. We breezed through the airport, and our escort was waiting for us, driver ready, and we here we are. First impressions. The people could not be more friendly and helpful. Everyone is smiling, even at the airport. The traffic which was not too bad at 10:00 PM was still bad by US standards, and yes, everyone honks their horn and zig zag in and out. We were forewarned that the night traffic will be nothing compared to daytime. Today we are being met by our guide and driver and we are off to do Delhi.
Wed. Jan 24 7:00 PM Delhi
It was a full day of touring. Jan. 26 is the National republic day celebration so there is already allot of preparation taking place. We started off viewing the Indian Gate which is a war memorial to the one million Britsh and Indian soldiers who died in the Great War. Next was the Jama Masjid, the Friday Mosque that was built by Shah Jehan who also built the Taj Mahal. The mosque was built in 1656 and can hold 20,000 people. Next we were off to Chandani Chowk, a huge shopping boulevard in old town where we walked around all the markets. Quite the experiences between the visual colors, scents of all of the spices and the honking horns and traffic. We also travelled by rickshaw several times. There were people everywhere and the alleys were so narrow, two motorbikes could barely pass each other. We then visited the Jama Masjid built by Shah Jehan, the mogul prince who also built the Taj Mahal. We then visited Humayuns tomb. We wrapped up by visiting Qutab Minar which is a memorial to the Moslem conquest of India in the 12 th century.
As I feared, I am not doing well with Indian food. I have tried twice while here, and both times did not go well. Mike Jana and Jon are out for dinner and trying to get my stomach settled down. Tomorrow AM we fly to Varanasi.
Our first morning - getting to start touring !
Indian Gate
Stairs leading up to Jama Masjid, the Friday Mosque
Jana and I all dressed up in our proper gowns/covers to visit the mosque
Jama Masjid, the Friday Mosque
Jon and me
Inside of the Jama Masjid, the Friday Mosque
I peered over the wall the wall of the mosque, and it was total chaos
Walking the small alleys off of Chandani Chowk - a major shopping boulevard
Lots of food stalls
Looking into a little shrine
I love all of the colors around, and in this guys food display
Another beautiful entry way
This pup found a cool place to rest
Ravi our guide for Delhi, and Jana
Jon adn I on the rickshaw
The main shopping street
This looked delish
This is one way to get the food stirred
Nuts and dried fruits for sale
The peacock is the national bird of India - there is a two year jail sentence for killing one
This guy was serving up some wonderful smelling marsala chai
Natures provides a beautiful color palette
What a face
This guy was rolling beetle nut cigarettes - they are very addictive
Building that Humayuns's tomb is is
This mosque was located at the site of Qutab Minar which is a memorial to the Moslem conquest of India in the 12 th century
Qutar Minar
The carving on the pillars was exquisite and no two pillars were alike
Jon playing peek a boo
Thurs. 1-25-18 Ramada JV Hotel - Varanasi
Uneventful flight to Varanasi. We checked into our hotel around 2:00, then headed out with our guide Agit. Our first stop was Saranth. Buddha preached his first sermon here. The area is pilgrimage for many Buddists. We saw groups of Thai monks, Tibet monks and Korean Buddists nuns chanting. There were people meditating. It was incredibly peaceful and spiritual. We then headed to the Gange River which is considered the most spiritual River in the world. We had to be dropped off a distance away then make our way in by foot. It really was overwhelming. The streets were packed with honking motor bikes, dogs, cows and people. It really is hard to imagine. We got to the river and went on a boat ride. Hindus believe that if you die or are crmeated in Varanasi, you will be freed from the cycle of reincarnation. On the banks were priests conducting services for a huge mass of people. The water was loaded with wooden boats all carrying tourists from around the world. We watched the ceremonies from our boat, then travelled to see the ghat where cremation takes place 24 hours around the clock. You could see the huge fires on the shoreline surrounded by family of the deceased. There were bodies wrapped, and laid on the stairs waiting to be cremated. I did not know how I would feel about seeing the cremations, but it really was peaceful. We got home and my belly which started acting up on Mon. Felt worse, so the hotel arranged for a Dr. to come see me. The funny part was we called down to the desk for a doctor. About ten minutes later there was a knock on our door, and it was a staff member with an adapter ! The Dr did come about ten minutes later. He gave me a shot and several medications. His total fill was 2400 rupees, which is only about 40.00 USD. We are off early tomorrow AM to head back to the river for sunrise. Jon and I both had very low expectations for this trip. All I can say it has easily surpassed all of our expectations so far.
Uneventful flight to Varanasi. We checked into our hotel around 2:00, then headed out with our guide Agit. Our first stop was Saranth. Buddha preached his first sermon here. The area is pilgrimage for many Buddists. We saw groups of Thai monks, Tibet monks and Korean Buddists nuns chanting. There were people meditating. It was incredibly peaceful and spiritual. We then headed to the Gange River which is considered the most spiritual River in the world. We had to be dropped off a distance away then make our way in by foot. It really was overwhelming. The streets were packed with honking motor bikes, dogs, cows and people. It really is hard to imagine. We got to the river and went on a boat ride. Hindus believe that if you die or are crmeated in Varanasi, you will be freed from the cycle of reincarnation. On the banks were priests conducting services for a huge mass of people. The water was loaded with wooden boats all carrying tourists from around the world. We watched the ceremonies from our boat, then travelled to see the ghat where cremation takes place 24 hours around the clock. You could see the huge fires on the shoreline surrounded by family of the deceased. There were bodies wrapped, and laid on the stairs waiting to be cremated. I did not know how I would feel about seeing the cremations, but it really was peaceful. We got home and my belly which started acting up on Mon. Felt worse, so the hotel arranged for a Dr. to come see me. The funny part was we called down to the desk for a doctor. About ten minutes later there was a knock on our door, and it was a staff member with an adapter ! The Dr did come about ten minutes later. He gave me a shot and several medications. His total fill was 2400 rupees, which is only about 40.00 USD. We are off early tomorrow AM to head back to the river for sunrise. Jon and I both had very low expectations for this trip. All I can say it has easily surpassed all of our expectations so far.
Every one was really was happy to see us !
MILK MAN
Jon getting beaded when we arrived at our hotel
Tibetan monks
Thai monks
Korean ....
Prayer flags and candles
Agit our guide, Mike, Jon and jana
Perfect tree for reading under
My new friends from Tibet
Repainting the signs
Heading down to the Ganges river was total chaos, motor bikes, people, cows, dogs -
Bridal shop
There were beggars, but they were never aggressive, they just sit by the roadside.....
Cows everywhere !
It was cold when we were in Varanasi, lots of people were huddled around little fires by the side of the street
Shrine
Lots of dogs - but these pups were provided with rags to sleep on
Approaching the river
This guy was a self proclaimed guru
Looking out at the Ganges
Heading out on our evening tour
Me, Jon, Jana and Mike
The two of us, we are on the Ganges river !!
Our boat captain, I loved the oar locks were just tied rags.
Fires from the onshore cremations
Back on land the evening ceremonies are taking place
Heading home the night, and this is a real bull in a china shop !!
Fri. 1-26-18. Varanasi
We were up and off at 6:30 AM for another boat ride on the Ganges river. The area was much more quiet in the morning. There were people in the river bathing. The streets still had lots of people bundled up sleeping by the side of the road. It is very foggy in the morning, so the river felt very mystical......... The creamations were still taking place. We walked on a narrow cobblestone alley following the river bank. We passed four groups of men carrying a body down to the river for cremation. The town was abuzz with people waving the Indian flag in honor of National Day. Next we went to the wrestling school known as Akhara. Kushti is an ancient form of wrestling practiced in India, and the wrestlers are known as Pehlwans.
We arrived just when they had a flag ceremony and then sang their national anthem. They then began wrestling in a pit that was mixed sand, yogurt, and some specific spices that are known for their antiseptic qualities. We then went back to the hotel for a late AM breakfast around 10:30. Next we drove to the University campus which was beautiful. The university has about 35,000 students. I had noticed a lot of men wearing large gem stones on different fingers. Agit was wearing one. I asked him about it. He explained that it was gemstone therapy based on astrology. So, we all went to Agits astrologer who did our readings. He was so accurate, it was eerie. My recommended stone is an Amethyst. I now have an Amethyst ring that according to my chart I must put on 3/31/18 between 7:00 and 8:00 PM during the lunar eclipse. The ring needs to be put on the middle finger of my left hand. He told Jon to wear an emerald in gold on his pinkie, we will see about that one. After our visit, later in the day we were telling several other people about the astrologer and we learned that he is quite a well known astrologer with a large following. The truth be told it was a fascinating experience. We spent a lot of time discussing religious philosophy with Agit who is Hindu, and it was really interesting. We all agreed that we are being deeply affected by our journey thus far.
We were up and off at 6:30 AM for another boat ride on the Ganges river. The area was much more quiet in the morning. There were people in the river bathing. The streets still had lots of people bundled up sleeping by the side of the road. It is very foggy in the morning, so the river felt very mystical......... The creamations were still taking place. We walked on a narrow cobblestone alley following the river bank. We passed four groups of men carrying a body down to the river for cremation. The town was abuzz with people waving the Indian flag in honor of National Day. Next we went to the wrestling school known as Akhara. Kushti is an ancient form of wrestling practiced in India, and the wrestlers are known as Pehlwans.
We arrived just when they had a flag ceremony and then sang their national anthem. They then began wrestling in a pit that was mixed sand, yogurt, and some specific spices that are known for their antiseptic qualities. We then went back to the hotel for a late AM breakfast around 10:30. Next we drove to the University campus which was beautiful. The university has about 35,000 students. I had noticed a lot of men wearing large gem stones on different fingers. Agit was wearing one. I asked him about it. He explained that it was gemstone therapy based on astrology. So, we all went to Agits astrologer who did our readings. He was so accurate, it was eerie. My recommended stone is an Amethyst. I now have an Amethyst ring that according to my chart I must put on 3/31/18 between 7:00 and 8:00 PM during the lunar eclipse. The ring needs to be put on the middle finger of my left hand. He told Jon to wear an emerald in gold on his pinkie, we will see about that one. After our visit, later in the day we were telling several other people about the astrologer and we learned that he is quite a well known astrologer with a large following. The truth be told it was a fascinating experience. We spent a lot of time discussing religious philosophy with Agit who is Hindu, and it was really interesting. We all agreed that we are being deeply affected by our journey thus far.
We were up early and heading back to the Ganges. these cows were huddled together keeping warm
It was a really morning...
There are two people sleeping in this picture with dogs huddled in between them.
The guru was still at his post at the River
Family having breakfast at the river edge
Sending prayer candles out
Lots of people come to bathe in the river - it was freezing !
The man !
Another secure oar lock !
Morning river trip - Mike, Jana, me and Jon
Seagulls everywhere
Laundry time
Still bathing
The cremations take place 24 hours round the clock, they were still very active even in the early AM
Local water taxi
Wood supply for creamtions
Our captain for our AM trip
Jana got her blessing - the red dot....
These pups were keeping warm form the embers of a previous cremation
A scale to used to weight the wood to be purchased for a cremation
The narrow alleys behind the cremation location were amazing...
Woman in alley, cremation wood stacked up on left
Looking through door way to up shrine
Interesting statues up on the walls as we walked
Shrouds for purchase to cover the bodies in for cremation
AM reading
We saw four processions of deceased being carried to the cremations site
|
Wood being transported
|
India was celebrating National Day, there were lots of flags being waved
Making floral garlands
Agit showing us little clay teacups that are used for one cup of tea, then discarded
Little girl enjoying her morning chai
When we arrived at the Wrestling school, they were in the process of having a ceremony for National Day
Getting ready to wrestle
And the wrestling begins
This man was enjoying the wrestling
Part of the work out was swinging these really heavy cement weights around
These guys had just finished a match
Typical school boys heading to school
Entrance to the University
The campus was beautiful !
Flags for National Day !
Me and the astrologer - it is a great story !
All dressed up and nowhere to go !