Before I left for my two-week trek across India, a friend gingerly said to me, “Whitney, be careful. India makes China look efficient, organized, and peaceful.” I scoffed at her suggestion, thinking it is not possible to top the crazy Chinese traffic, the jam-packed streets, and the many inefficiencies. I humbly admit today that I stand corrected. China seems like a place of tranquility compared to the chaos that is India. (For my Columbia friends, think of it as eating dinner at Sophia’s versus eating dinner at the McDonald’s playplace). Seriously, when I returned to Kunming I thought the streets were paved in gold. : )
To describe India in one word, I would choose overwhelming. People everywhere; shacks selling textiles and trinkets line the road; gypsy tents camp haphazardly around each corner. Bikes, cars, rickshaws, camel carts, begging children, cows, and goats all fight for position in the constant traffic jam that paralyzes every city street. Cars honk without ceasing, while hawkers pull your arm pleading for you to come into their store. Trash litters the street, making the embankment feel like a makeshift landfill. And bright colors – red, orange, pink, yellow, turquoise, blue, lime green – are splashed all over the women’s saris.
Perhaps my description is too abrupt, painting too harsh of a picture of India. A true description of India is not complete without also giving credit to the amazing architecture, beautiful scenery, and rich culture of the country. In southern India, we visited the tropical state of Kerala. The region is known for its stunning beaches, backwater canals that connect over 900 kilometers of fresh water sources to the Arabian Sea, and its spice and tea plantations. (see pictures below). Kerala was the home to Portuguese colonists, who built a strong foundation of Catholicism in the region. In fact, 19% of Kerala is Chr-stian, compared to the rest of India, which is only 2% Chr-stian (a scary statistic given the fact that it is the second most populous country in the world). Kerala also has the highest literacy rate in all of India at 91% (India’s national literacy rate is only 65%).
After visiting Kerala, we traveled to the north of India, which is appropriately known for the Taj Mahal. Wow – the Taj is amazing. Completed in 1653, the Taj Mahal is a masoleum built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Griefstricken by the loss of his third wife, the emperor built the Taj as a tribute to her. Many people suggest it is a perfect example of the Mughal architecture of the time. The sheer size of the Taj Mahal is amazing. It is massive in size and in splendor. It literally took my breath away when I first saw it. Once again, WOW.
We also visited the Red Fort in Dehli, which was home to the royal family of the Mughal emperor, before being used as an actual fort by the British. And the Amber Fort in Jaipur was absolutely incredible. This palace sits magnificently at the top of a hill, automatically evoking a sense of awe and respect. It is made of white and red sandstone; the architecture is so ornate, with jewels, mirrors, and mosaics. The rooms inside the fort are connected by a series of passages and stairwells. It would make for an AWESOME game of hide and seek! Seriously.
So you see, India truly is overwhelming in every sense. Overwhelming beauty mixed with overwhelming poverty.
Here are some snapshots from the trip:
Singapore
Our trip officially began in Singapore. We had a lay over here and got to enjoy a day of sunshine at the equator. Glorious! The Raffles Hotel dates back to 1887 and is named after Singapore's founder, Sir Stamford Raffles. The bar here invented the famous tropical drink, the Singapore Sling. Below, savoring our very own Singapore Slings. Yummy!
Singapore National Botanical Garden & Orchid Garden. Tropical flowers and plants are so lush and vibrant. Throughout the whole tour, I thought of everyone who attended the Water Garden Tour. You all would have loved this! Singapore's flowers may be beautiful, but no flowers will ever be as special to me as those in Lafayette County. Thank you!
Southern India
First Indian meal, vegetable biryani. The vegetable/yogurt mixture on the left is supposed to be added to the rice dish. Then you add the sauce depending on how spicy you want it. The catch is this: YOU USE YOUR HANDS TO EAT IN INDIA! I'm sorry, it was too much for me. I have grown leaps and bounds as far as my tolerance goes since coming to China. The first night in India, I had bugs on my pillow; for the duration of our trip, I took about 4 consecutive ice cold showers; I dealt with it - such is life in a developing country. But I CANNOT eat with my hands. I'm sorry. I won't do it. I'm the girl who hates to pick-up pizza, who would prefer to eat a brownie with a fork. Using my hands to stir the rice, vegetables, and sauce together, then picking the rice up and shoving it in my mouth is unthinkable. In fact, I would rather go hungry. I do believe it is important to try new things. So this once, I used my hands to eat and hated every second; I felt like a child on my first birthday, only I was shoving rice all over my face instead of cake. Ewww. Perhaps I'm being dramatic, but it REALLY bothered me. Luckily, I was only forced to use my hands this once. The rest of the time I requested a fork or we had an extra spoon with us. Thankfully.
In Kerala, we went on an overnight houseboat cruise on the famous backwaters. Our houseboat looked like this one. We spent the day and night drifting through the canals and the large freshwater lakes, admiring the villages along the banks, watching the fishermen, and enjoying the natural beauty.
A man rowing down the canal. He is probably going to a nearby village to buy something and will then return to his home on the other side of the water.
The best part of the houseboat cruise was waking up early the next morning to see the sunrise. Watching the sun peak over the palm trees and experiencing the reflections off the water was breathtaking.
Picturesque Sunrise.
Risking my life for Johnny Depp!
As usual, my arms were bogged down with luggage (I overpacked, surprised?!) as we boarded the long distance bus. The bus is a bare frame with seats. There are no windows and no doors, so you can freely jump out as you please. You think I'm joking, I'm not, haha. Well as soon as we got on the bus, the driver punched the gas pedal. I was still holding my luggage and with the sudden movement, my bags fell. Along with my suitcase that skidded across the floor towards the "door" (aka the opening on the side of the bus), my People Magazine also fell to the ground. I saw the pages start to flap in the wind as it began to blow towards the door and into oblivion. It was like I was in a movie screaming, "Noooooo! Not my People Magazine that came all the way from America!" Without hesitation, I lunged after it (having completely disregarded my suitcases, haha). I caught the edge of the magazine with my fingertips. I snatched it quickly and raised it in the air in triumph! Johnny was saved! And he still looks good, even though he was a bit crumpled : ) .... don't worry, I corralled my suitcases also.
Above & Below: The Arabian Sea and beach off of Kerala. The water was warm and beautiful. Our resort was right on the beach (gotta love Indian prices - we paid ~$15 USD for our room). We spent the day in hammocks and laying out on the beach. Perfect.
Playing in the Arabian Sea!
Cute Indian Boys
Trying on my stunna shades - haha
Munnar, Kerala is known for its tea and spice plantations. The rolling hills here are covered with tea plants.
At a tea plantation, picking tea. It's hard work!
Northern India
Delhi, Agra, Jaipur
Delhi stands for dirty. The parts of the city we saw (granted we didn't see all of it) were filthy. This is just a pile of trash along the side of the road.
More trash.
Red Fort in Delhi
The largest mosque in India
A man playing music to summon his LIVE snake from the basket. Scary!
The Taj Mahal... let the photo shoot begin!
Nicknamed "The Baby Taj," the mausoleum above is made of marble and has intricate geometrical designs made of semi-precious stones. The patterns are stunning and so beautiful and unique.
The ceiling at the Baby Taj.
An Indian barbershop on the side of the road. Can't you just see Mouse Mieser out there giving a buzz cut?!
Bengals. Bengals. Bengals. So many to choose from!! There are shops that literally just have thousands of them. It's outrageous and awesome.
A sari shop. Aren't the colors gorgeous? They're so bright and vivid. Way more fun then my favorite Gap black tee...
Gypsy tent along the road in Jaipur. A local told us that they move every couple of months, selling homemade crafts wherever they go.
Floating Palace
Riding an elephant up to the Amber Fort!
The Amber Fort. We rode the elephant up the hill and the through the palace gates. Literally felt like we were on Aladdin when he burst through the palace entrance on his elephant; we sang "Prince Ali" to get the full effect of the moment.
The Hawa Mahal. Women weren't allowed to show their face in public. So in order to see what was happening in the town, they would peer out these windows down onto the city street.
....as you can see, India is definitely overwhelming.
