This is India

Our journey through India continued a bit auspiciously as we arrived at the train station in Cochin to find out that the overnight sleeper train we had booked left for Goa the day before. Trains in India are the main source of transportation used by millions of people each day and have to be booked pretty far in advance. Luckily we found a supervisor with enough English and a can do attitude to help us secure 2 new tickets on another train leaving that evening. Of course the first tickets were non refundable and now we were in 3rd class, 6 people to a birth. That means 14 hrs, 3 bunks high on each side and not enough room to sit up. That’s when we met one of our bunk mates Nitin, a very nice young man from India on his way home to Delhi. We chatted it up for several hours in the early morning before the train finally arrived in Goa, and as travelers often do exchanged info and said goodbyes. Three or four days later we were surprised to receive a text message from our train buddy, offering so graciously to be our host when we arrived in Delhi. We thanked him and explained that we already had hotel arrangements and a driver scheduled to meet us at the airport. Nitin insisted that we stay the night in Delhi with he and his family (mother, father and younger sister), have a traditional home cooked meal and get a good night’s rest. The offer was too hard to resist so we changed our plans and were greeted at the airport by Nitin and his dad. We had the most wonderful evening, eating, laughing and talking about India and our travels. The next morning our driver Deepak, who we would be spending the next fifteen days with picked us up and our magical journey through the state of Rajasthan began. Each day started with “Good morning Carin ji, how are you, are you ok?” (Ji pronounced like the letter G is added to the end of a name to show respect .) Every time we were amazed, bewildered or sometimes disgusted by what we were seeing, smelling or tasting Deepak would say, “this is India”, when we narrowly avoided head on collisions which was often the case he would say, “don’t worry this is my job”, when we arrived at our destination and before leaving us to explore on our own he would say, “this is India use your mind”, and when we found a hotel in the guide book and asked if he had heard of it he would say, “very nice, cheap and the best, you decide.” Needless to say we really liked Deepak. Rajasthan has kingdoms, palaces perched on hill tops protected by incredible forts, royal families, Maharajahs, mosques and temples. You feel as though you’ve been dropped into an elaborate movie set and this couldn't be real.... people using camels and water buffalo for transportation, goats crossing the “highway” and we use that term loosely, followed by a goat herder dressed in a traditional longyi, men with colorful turbans, women in beautiful saris, the “Holy” cows wandering around the streets, eating everything, except grass, and leaving patties all over, 400 year old Haveli’s with the most elaborate facades, entire cities painted blue, pink and yellow with narrow winding streets bordered on both sides by endless shops and stands and roof top restaurants with incredible views that come alive at night when the sun begins to set. Traveling through the state of Rajasthan is like being in a fairy tale.

After saying good bye to Deepak Delhi became our hub for the next few days. We thought we would relax, take care of a few logistical things and see a few of the sights, Red Fort, Mosque and Presidents house before heading north to Rishikesh. Wow were we wrong. Delhi is a major city in the midst of a massive renovation for the 2010 Commonwealth games and under very tight security. The traffic under normal conditions is insane, but imagine now with a new subway line being added, it’s absolutely mind boggling. So we spent what seemed like the brunt of our time entangled in endless lines at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, travel agency and Train Station. Delhi under the best of circumstances can be quite challenging, but as always we did find time to relax, enjoy the shopping (Fabindia Carin’s new fav) and some delicious delectables.

Rishikish a destinations for Hindus and spiritual seekers, became very popular for tourists in the late 70’s after the Beatles spent some time in one of the Ashrams. Besides the Unique Lives and Experience ladies does anyone know the story behind the Beatles song "Dear Prudence"? It's a small city with the Ganges river running through where you can revitalize your soul with yoga and meditation and even a little white water rafting. We were fortunate to be in town for the Holi festival which takes place all over India. Needless to say it was quite an experience.

For Hindus Varanasi is the holiest city on earth and our last stop in India. This is a city where the most private matters are publicly displayed, were many come to die so that they can be cremated on the Ganges, stopping the cycle of reincarnation. It is a place that will remain etched in our memory.

This is India where;
- ‘No rules is the rule’ Deepak, driver extraordinaire
- Shah Jahan built one of the worlds most beautiful buildings for his 2nd wife who died giving birth to their 14th child, the Taj Mahal, a monument to love

- one person stops to help and seconds later there’s a crowd, listening, head bobbing and offering a little advice
- “ladies” and “gents” have separate ticket counters

- the whole family including babies and grandparents go to the theater to watch late night Bollywood movies eat samosas, talk, laugh and sing along to all the songs
- taxi and rickshaw driver will never admit that they just don’t know

- you can stand on the roof of a building admiring the view and have a man drinking tea come up and tell you about your beautiful Aura

- on any given night you will fall asleep to the sounds of chanting, horns blowing, motor scooters zooming by and dogs barking

- littering, spitting and public urination are common place
- you will be invited into someones home or shop to have a cup of masala chai tea
- not only does a sweet or salty Lassi taste great but also helps you to fall asleep

- everthing is a negotiation
- very small children beg for money and food

- when you least excpect it and really need it someone gives you a big hug
- groups of girls and women love to have their pictures taken
- walking or crossing the streets is always a challenge due to the cows, elephants, goats, pigs, monkeys, camels, dogs cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, carts, and PEOPLE

-no doesn't mean no it just means try harder

-1.2 Billion celebrate Holi by throwing paint powder all over each other

- on the Ganges cremations, bathing, washing clothes and religious ceremonies are all happening at the same time

- people look at what they do have and not what they don't

- the food is incredible!!!

This is India where religious belief is a daily celebration of faith and commitment.

We are throughly exhausted by our six facinating weeks in India, a country unlike any other.

Shoutouts...

-to the Anand family, our amazing hosts in Delhi. Thank you

-Hannah, your adventures in Capetown sound fantastic

-Jess, keep on juggling-job, school, dogs, finances both your and ours, friends and Rich. Did we forget anything?

-Jan, we continue to love hearing from you on the blog

-MGM see you in Egypt

- Mom and Joe, miss you a ton!

- Lee we know exactly what you were talking about

- to the rest of our faithful followers we miss you all very much