India. More Day 6.

So we left Agra and headed towards Jaipur. We first stop at a small city just west of Agra called Fatehpur Skiri, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. At this point I'm still enthralled with mosques, forts and temples, however within a few days I'll be templed out. 

Everything in this area is made of red sandstone.

We arrive in Jaipur and are at one of the Trident Hotels and I will now discuss the way the staff tries so hard to please. First of all is the Indian "head-waggle", by which I mean no disrespect. It's like in Greece where an up & down nod means no, and the side to side means yes. Opposite of us. Although here, some Indians do it "our way" so as not to confuse the tourists and others do it "their" way because, well, it's their way. This of course leads to all sorts of confusion and hilarity. (To me, anyhow)

As well as this, most of the staff will say anything to be agreeable. Example. One lady was feeling ill and just wanted clear broth and cold water.

Her: Do you have a clear broth? Maybe chicken?

Waiter: Yes, ma'am, we have.

Her: chicken broth?

Waiter: Yes, ma'am, mushroom soup.

Her: No, no, I want clear....no cream, no milk.

Waiter: yes ma'am, we have tomato soup.

Her: No. Clear...(gestures to her water) No milk...(and she gestures to the cream on the table)

Waiter: Oh! Yes ma'am. Room temperature?

Her: No. Hot please.

So he brings her a cup of hot water.

Later. 

Me: Is the name of this desert The Sam?

Guy: No, this is The Tahr.

Me: Oh, the highway sign said The Sam Desert, is that a different one?

Guy: Yes, yes, this is called The Sam if you like. But it is The Tahr.

Me: So it has two names?

Guy: No, it has a different name, not Sam or Tahr. 

Me: ok.

Later.

Waiter: yes ma'am, chai?

Me: No thank you, cappuccino?

Waiter: Ok madam...just some hot chai?

Waiter: With more sugar?

Me: no chai, just cappuccino please (as I point to Cappuchino on the menu.

Waiter: Yes, ok.

And brings me chai. 

You just gotta go along with it and drink your chai.

Anyhow, in the morning of our first day in Jaipur, which is called The Pink City, we visited the Amer Fort. It's high on a hill and we rode an elephant up. I was really, really undecided as to whether or not to do this. The whole elephant treatment issue is so controversial. I hate zoos and circuses aquariums and swimming with dolphins...all of it sickens me, the using of animals for our amusement. I didn't want to be a hypocrite and I know that elephants are one of the most mistreated animals in Asia so I did some intense research, including getting ahold of the company who put together this tour, as well as local animal rights groups (and oddly enough, there was one in Jaipur)

So these elephants are considered rescues, but they have worked for this company for quite a few years. They work 4 hours a day, carrying two tourists up the hill (it's about a 20 minute ride) They are not allowed to carry tourists down the hill, apparently it's too hard on their knees/legs.

After their 4 hours, they have an area to go where they are fed, watered and rest. Our fellow told us that they are well cared for because it's their (the owner/driver) livelihood and an angry, sick elephant isn't going to go over well with tourists. I checked out their feet and ankles, one website I read told some ways to check for an abused elephant. So, I was satisfied and "Remember" our driver said "in North America you use horses for work and to ride for pleasure and for tourists"  I though "touché, you are right."

So I went on an elephant, she was 40 yrs old and her name was Madonna. When the driver called her name, she curled her trunk up and touched his cheek.

 At the top.

And that was that. My first and only elephant ride. It was fun, but I still had a bit of guilt.

India Day 6

So, I'm not going to go into detail about the various forts and temples we've seen. I find that kind of thing to be not very interesting if you haven't actually been there and there's nothing super-fabulous about the place. Instead, here's some things that I find interesting.

The street signs in Delhi are in 4 languages; Hindi, English, Punjabi and Urdu.

"Eve Teasing" signs are everywhere, particularly since the recent spate of rapes. The government and various other woman's rights groups are trying to get the message across that all women are to be treated fairly. All women are "Eve"....you wouldn't want your mother, sister, aunt, wife, or daughter to be sexually harassed, so don't do it to any woman. There are special help-lines now, similar to a 911, that women can call, and specials phone booths with locking doors and direct phone lines to the police that a woman can lock themselves in if they feel threatened. There are pink tuk-tuks (the little local taxis) that are for women only. India is trying to rid itself of the stigma of such horrendous women's rights.

Can you read #11? A woman who enters the temple while she is menstruating defiles the temple.

The trucks here are fabulous! The guys who drive them are generally away from home for long periods of time, so they decorate their vehicles to be "cozy". I love that the men enjoy the vivid colours. It's right up my alley....the glitter and glitz. 

No one pays attention to stop signs or traffic lights, so you pass whenever you want to, but you honk the horn in a polite little staccato  as you pass...often on the wrong side of the highway. Our bus driver drove the wrong way on the highway rather frequently, as did other drivers. It's quite horrifying! And I don't mean that they drive on the left instead of the right (opposite to North America), I mean thatthey actually drive facing the oncoming traffic now and then, in order to get to where they want to go.

So, just so I keep my journal in order, I'll mention what we did on day 6, except I can't really remember what we did without my notes in front of me. (I'm on the bus) I know we left Agra and drove to Jaipur. We had spent two nights in Agra at a hotel from the Trident chain, and in Jaipur we also spent two nights at a Trident hotel, and let me tell you, these two hotels are unbelievable. Extremely over-the-top as far as luxury goes, although maybe they seem that way because you leave the incredible filth and squalor and poverty and go through the gates of grounds and it's an entirely different world. Greeted with a blessing, hot scented towels, rose water, mint tea and snacks. Probably more food and cleanliness in one literal minute than some of these people see in a day, or more. Example, one day we saw a woman running her hands through the streams of raw sewage (human as well as dog and cow) looking for coins or silver that people may have dropped in it. The sewage runs down the narrow streets in little trenches and the smell is enough to make you gag, and this lady was sifting through it with her bare hands.

Oh oh losing Internet....gotta run!

Cows.

So lets talk about cows. As I'm sure you all know, cows are sacred in India. Like really sacred. Beef is banned in all of India, which I actually didn't realize. I know that McDonald's has no beef, and most restaurants don't, but I didn't know that it's actually illegal. I figured tourist resorts would maybe have beef on their menu, but nope. Nowhere. Our guide is Hindu and firmly believes that no one should eat beef. As a matter of fact, a fellow in Delhi had some smuggled beef in his fridge last year, and not only was his house broken into, he was killed. Killed.  And that was just last year...and not in a small village. 

If a Hindu accidentally kills a cow, it is the worst thing that can ever happen to him. The. Worst. He will never get over it, and there are all sorts of ceremonies and whatnot that he must perform in order to help clear his soul. It is literally worse for them than killing another human being.

Why, you ask? "To the Hindu, the cow represents all other creatures. Hindus believe that all living creatures are sacred—mammals, fishes, birds. The cow is more, a symbol of the Earth. It always gives and feeds, representing life and the support of life."

So, whatever. It's a nice idea actually. But it's a bit extreme. The cows are everywhere. In every town, city and village. They do indeed stop traffic and make a nuisance of themselves. They're not overly healthy and they shit all over. Although, the dung is dried and used as fuel, so that's a plus. They're not aggressive, so that's a plus too. Everyone takes care of them, which isn't really a plus because there are starving people all over, yet cows are tended to and fed before many people are. I don't get that. 

The thing is, the cows eat garbage, drink heavily polluted water, don't really have a home and are filled with parasites. They can't possibly be enjoying their lives. We need a "Vets Without Borders" to come and castrate them and thus bring an end to the filth and the misery. 

Granted, some cows are healthy and fine, but too many are not. Here is some cow pictures to let you see what it's like.

Taj Mahal cow, hanging outside the monument.

Hanging out on a Ledge cow.

Contemplating Temple cow.

Cow with Pink Shoe Necklace.

Waiting for the Shop to Open cow.

Striding confidently down the street cow.

Going to market cow.

Wrong way down the road cow.

Pretending to be a pigeon cow.

Living in an upscale areas cow.

Going to a new home cow.

Gang of highway cows, planning a heist? Traffic stopped for a long time.

I jest, but it's a serious problem.

India- still day 5, but at the Taj Mahal.

Leaving Delhi to get to  Agra took forever, oh my god the traffic was eye-popping...the honking and noise and craziness, but oddly enough no road rage. I guess if you live in a city this congested, you learn to adjust and cope with it. There were some pretty unusual sights to see.

Children selling fresh roses are everywhere. Smart little girls, as soon as they see a camera they hide their faces, they will only let you take their picture if you buy a rose. Kind of hard to buy something when the bus windows don't open. (Yeah, yeah, I know I just finished saying I hate taking pictures from a bus window, but I didn't say I didn't do it, just that I hate it. Insert sheepish grin)

This is a  tobacco shop, note the huge grin on the face of the fellow on the right, they want their picture taken, and happily pose for free.

The buildings seem a tad wonky, perhaps that is why this one wasn't finished?

Not sure what this is, but I didn't want to get "scaned" so I stayed on the other side of the road.

Finally we arrived at the Taj Mahal. It was quite extraordinary to see, although it's not anywhere that I have always yearned to visit, so it wasn't overwhelming or emotional for me. I felt like I was trudging along, sort of  like this:

I was sort of surprised at how many monkeys were on the grounds. This fellow just looks exhausted.

It was crowded, but not as jam-packed as I had expected, funny thing though, you know how we like to take pictures of other foreign people  in the clothes of their culture? Well, I've never seen so many people who think that we are the exotic ones and want to have their picture taken with us! Even in Africa I didn't find this. If we sat for a rest, there were literally families and families who wanted us to hold their children, or sit by their wives and have our picture taken with them. It was very strange.

Sometimes it was really hard to get away. 

This little one wanted to show us her pretty shoes. She was too afraid to actually sit with us though.

After the Taj Mahal we had to go to a marble cutting/inlay/polishing demonstration and then of course they herd you into their shop to purchase. Their shop is, of course, the best and the cheapest in all of India. I'll say, the art of cutting the gemstones and doing the inlay into marble was pretty amazing, but they insisted that everything was totally handmade by the small group of men in the family business. So. There were well over 8,000 pieces in the store, from huge tables to small trinkets, but there is no earthy way that all these items are hand made. A normal plate-size item takes about a week. They obviously have a machine of some sort somewhere. I did not fall off the proverbial turnip truck. 

Anyhow, I'm just not interested in writing about the Taj Mahal, don't get me wrong, it was incredibly beautiful and the story behind it is a touching love story, but at the end of the day, it's still just another monument to me. I know some people practically make it a pilgrimage to see it, so to each their own.

On to better stories and pictures!

India Day 5...the rest of.

So the hawkers and touts at the India Palace were enough to drive a person insane. They are in your face constantly and simply will not take no for an answer. It tends to makes one be very rude, which I'm not normally, but I got good at it pretty quickly. 

We then drove by the Presidential Palace, people are not allowed to stop there, so we drove by twice in order to be able to "click the photo." I did not "click the photo" as I do not give a rat's ass as to where the president lives, plus I hate taking pictures out of bus windows. I'm not sure why, but I just

do. One of my many quirks.

Next stop was the Qutub Minar, and I did "click the photo" there, and you may "view the photo" here:

And here: (as a plane passes over...old and new)

It's the worlds tallest rubble masonry red sandstone minaret at 273 ft tall, 45 feet wide at the bottom, and about 8 feet at the top. It's incredibly intricate with each of the different levels being carved in different styles. Pretty impressive considering it was built in 1192. There were also other buildings there, old temples and whatnot and I won't bore you with a history lesson (mostly because I didn't pay really close attention, I was too busy sweltering in the heat and trying to keep the sweat from running into my eyes) but suffice it to say, they were very beautiful.

Then we got back on the bus and headed to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.

India Day 5

This morning we were out of the hotel by 8:30 and off to do a bit of sightseeing in Delhi. The weather is invariably warm and muggy and the smog is intense. I was thinking that something was wrong with with either my camera or my camera card because the pictures are all a little "faded", this morning scene is not  rays of sunshine as the sun rises to beautify another day....it's rays of smog. 

Anyhow, what do you do? Breath deep, hope for the best and carry on. 

We went to the Jama Masjid mosque this morning, the largest in India. Its marble and red sandstone and holds 25,000 people. It is to Muslims what Jerusalem is to Christians. We had to make sure we had no food or gum, and they supplied us with gowns to cover shoulders and legs, both men and women, and they were very strict about it. One fellow had super long legs and they were in quite a dither trying to find a gown long enough to hide his hideous, white. North American calves!

Below, prayer mats being laid out

In this picture, notice the women in long gowns, they are other tourists in the gowns they supplied, we had to have all our skin covered. The men were washing face, hands and feet in preparation of prayer. I highly enjoyed the experience as I doubt I'll ever get the chance to go into a Muslim mosque again.

Me outside the mosque overlooking part of Old Delhi.

Next we went to the Raj Ghat, which is Gandhi's cremation place. It was a nice garden and memorial, but what is most memorable are the bathrooms.....filthiest I have ever seen, and I've travelled to some pretty dicey places. It was also very smoggy. Poor Gandhi, he would be so disappointed. 

Then we moved onwards to the India Gate, the traffic here is unbelievable, and I mean really unbelievable. Bumper-to-bumper means literally that.

The do, however, have what I assume to be a high-tech hydro electric system. I say this because I've never quite seen a system like this, it includes monkeys running across and over they wires, screeching and pooping as they run. This is where we outsource?

Old Delhi was pretty amazing. The streets are a winding maze of confusion, and if one wandered off, chances are good one would never be seen again. 

Headed off to the India Gate next, a monument similar to others in almost every country, an eternal flame and a memorial to soldiers who died in war. It was huge and impressive, but not my kind of sightseeing. There were a lot of soldier there though, it's a place prone to protests.

I'll finish the rest of day 5 shortly....gotta run! The pool is calling.

Holy!

 I wanted to tell my story in an orderly manner, and while I've only written up to Day 4 and we're actually on Day Something Else Maybe Nine, I have to interrupt my train of thought to tell you this story. You have to read this to the end, please, even though parts of it refer to religion. And you have to know how the Hindu people respect all animals and will never hurt one deliberately, all life is sacred to them, and they feed and care for all of them...pigeons and birds always have seeds, cows have hay, dogs are fed and they all live harmoniously together. That's important to this story.

We are in Pushkar right now, which you may have seen on various travel shows as a very famous place known for the camel fair, where camel traders come from around India to buy and sell camels. It also has one of the holiest temples in all of India and you can go to the ghat there and partake in a blessing ceremony. 

A ghat is a holy place near a lake or river where a Brahmin (type of holy man) will bless you in a ceremony that includes also blessing your family and friends; past, present and yet unborn. It's a very serious ceremony, no shoes, no skirts for women, no bare arms or legs and certainly no cameras or cell phones. Husbands must sit to the right of their wives and everyone cups their hands as the Brahmin pours fresh rose petals which signify (and you are warned to not smell them under any circumstances, it's apparently very insulting)  then some rice, which signifies prosperity,then sugar which signifies a sweet life, then red powder which signifies family and future family, and finally turmeric which signifies the ones you love who have died.  As he adds each one, he prays and blesses you, and then he has us repeat a series of prayers in Hindi. At the conclusion of this, he puts a smear of the mixture on our foreheads and we then think of everyone we want to be blessed and then we are to go to the lake and toss our petal mixture into the water whilst wishing for good karma for all our loved ones.

Above picture is the ghat, steps leading down to the water.

Below picture is the temple, and also some of the pigeons in flight. Keep reading to understand the importance of the pigeons! 😳

So we walk down the steps to the water and I hear this sort of hollow "thunk" and a freaking pigeon falls from the sky and lands at my feet. He's flown straight into the pole beside me. He tries to lift his head and I see blood all over, and his wing is broken. What the hell kind of message is this?!  I'm standing there, kind of shocked and sad and a bit panicked, and a stray dog runs right over; grabs the bird and rips it in half and runs away! Imagine all this happening in a split second, at this holiest of holy ceremonies. And the Brahmin's robe opens up as he runs over and he's wearing a t-shirt that says "Venice Beach, California." Seriously, what the hell? All that's left at this point is a few feathers and I'm wondering if I hallucinated the whole thing. Then I thought I was going to burst into hysterical giggles, because I look at everyone else and they're standing there, mouths ajar and eyes wide and bugging out and some of them have grains of rice stuck to their forehead from the Brahmins blessing and it looks ridiculous and also sort of like maggots. It was probably one of the strangest experiences of my life. 

So that's India for you, always expect the unexpected. 

I will be back on track tomorrow since its a complete day off at this fantastic resort and speedy wifi. 

Until then....namaste! 

Day 4 continued in India.

To continue Day 4, after we visited Gandhi's place, we went to a Sikh temple, but before we could enter we had to remove our shoes and socks, and  cover our heads with a supplied blue and yellow scarf, both men and women. The temple itself seemed clean enough, but the small room where we had to leave our shoes wasn't the cleanest, and the short walk to the temple was, uh, revolting. It was only 50 or 60 steps, but they were not fun steps, New Delhi is not a clean city by any stretch of the imagination. The temple was beautiful, very ornate, lots of gold and other adornments. I felt a little odd walking through a Tempe while people were inside praying, but then I realized that it's no different than walking through any church in Europe while people are inside.

Now, attached to the temple is a huge establishment that is similar to a soup kitchen at home  except anyone can eat there...rich, middle class, poor, homeless and any faith is welcome. Obviously it is utilized mostly by the poor and homeless. They sit outside by the hundreds and wait their turn while the people inside have their meal. 

All the food is donated and all the labour is volunteer. It's an incredibly massive operation. The kitchen and eating area would never pass inspection in North American, but things are different here. Really different. Remind me to tell you about cows later. I know you know that cows are sacred here, but it's a whole different level than what I realized.

Anyhow, as we were watching the food prep I was asked if I wanted to help make some naan bread, and of course I wasn't going to miss this! The balls of bread were flung at me almost faster than I could roll them out, but its not a complicated procedure, and before long I was rolling with the best of them, sitting on the floor with bare feet, flour flying everywhere.

This is half the room of people eating.

The naan making area.

Food prep, shelling peas and dicing potatoes today.

Gargantuan containers of rice. The smaller ones are 5 gallon pails.

The reason it's all free is for two reasons, one is it creates work (not for pay, but "busy work" to keep people occupied) and two being it brings you good karma.

Oh honest to gods, I just can't seem to get anything written, but if I don't do it now I'll never rememeber the order of things, so excuse the disorder of my mind.

We then went for lunch where I had paneer sharmi and naan, then went and found a money changer and probably got totally ripped off, but when you need money, you need money. Headed back to the hotel to sit by the pool for a while and then try to repack my suitcase which has expanded greatly and I haven't bought a single thing yet. How does that happen? All I've done is switched my sneakers that I wore down here with my sandals. Jeez. Time to start tossing stuff and leaving things behind already? 

Anyhow, here's some photos to amuse you.

Ate here:

Ate this:

Sat around this:

Yearned for some of these:

Felt rich owning 18,000 of these: