The thick fog creating a spooky, dark feeling surrounded us as we walked down the long pathway to the temple they made marking the birth place of Buddha. Monks sat around the tree where Buddha had his enlightenment, prayer flags covering absolutely every branch, stringed along like a tent. The prayer flags are put up and as the wind blows them each prayer is answered. I thought this was such a romantic (maybe that's not the right word, but all i can come up with) way to pray.
We drove for another 4 hours to get to Chitwan national Park.
Elephants and camels casually stroll down the street in the little tourist town of Chitwan. We settle into our hotel room, Rachel Super sick sleeps in our room as the rest of us go for a bike ride to an elephant breeding center. The Bike ride was an experience in itself. We were on these ancient bikes and had to bike on rocky, bumpy roads which made our bums bruised and our arms vibrate like crazy. We got to see the first ever Elephant twins in the world, SO cute! We went out for a nice rooftop dinner and stuffed ourselves with yummy Nepali food. The Nepali food i have seen so far is a lot like Indian but with a lot more variety of meats.. I am still trying to figure out a truly traditional Nepali meal.
The next day we started on our 2 day trek in the Jungle. The highlight of the trek is to spot the Rhino! We were warned ahead of time that if a Rhino charges all you can do it run in Zig zags, because they cant turn fast or climb a tree... I was secretly hoping that i would experience being chased by a rhino. We walked for hours, saw lots of birds, deer, wild chicken, wild pigs and lots of exotic bugs but hadn't spotted a Rhino. I was getting bummed out but then the guide spotted one and we all rushed through the trees to get closer. As we neared we could here it snorting and grunting guarding the young rhino at her side. We were super quiet, i was so excited to be so close but also a little nervous of what she might do. All of a sudden the Rhino let out a Huge grunt and one of the guides told us to start moving away fast, up the hill. When the guide started saying RUN, 5 of us girls just Booked it through the trees, frantically sprinting not knowing where to go, believing that a huge rhino was coming after us, and we would soon be his meal. As a scream out FIND A TREE the guide comes running up behind us huffing and puffing between laughs. He found it so funny 5 white girls frantically running for their lives but no rhino was chasing them. Although we took his message of Run as desperate attempt to save our lives he just wanted us to get a ways back to give the Rhino space, not to Bolt it through the jungle. The 5 of us with our adrenaline still running on full speed were almost peeing ourselves laughing at the whole situation. Everyone teased us for dramatizing the whole situation but to us we thought we were actually being chased. It was Hilarious!!
In total we walked 14 km through the jungle that day and ended up at a little village with our own little rooms to bunk for the night. We all took half attempted showers, putting our dirty clothes right back on and were treated to a Thali (assortment) of Nepali Dishes. Everyone was zonked so they went to bed slowly one by one until it was just me and Anand by the fire listening to cheesy bollywood music. I went to bed on the hard plywood mattress getting ready for a nice hike back.
When we arrived back at our Hotel area, we got to clean off in the river while bathing with the elephants. I got to get up on their back and they would spray water with their trunks in my face and slowly roll over, dunking me in the water.
Perfect way to cool off after a long hike I'd say!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Heading to Nepal
My alarm clock went off at 3:30 this morning so i could catch our Jeep at 4:00 am and endure a long, bumpy journey to Nepal. We were all so tired but sleeping was nearly impossible, all of us crammed next to each other. Just as i started to nod off to sleep there would be a bump in the road that would send my head flying into the roof. I slept in 10 minute intervals for the first 2 hours of the ride then gave up. Ratha, the woman on my trip who came to India to fulfill her lifelong dream of bathing in the Ganges was going to do this today. Anand knew of a huge festival that was happening about 4 hours away and we stopped here for her to do this. The festival was huge but just in the middle of a little village town, thousands of people just get up and leave their homes for weeks to come to this one festival. The festival is due to the time of year that the people believe the stars are aligned in such way that it gives the most energy to the Holy rivers, thus the best time to come and wash away their sins and worship their gods. We pulled up and immediately a circle of people surrounded us, making it pretty uncomfortable and a bit scary because we didn't really know how people would react to us. As soon as we started walking they parted the circle and we walked through an isle of staring eyes into the main tent. We were shuffled into a back room where we were told to wait, all of us not sure exactly what the hell was going on. Some guys carrying guns and decked out in full army suits came and we were told they were or body guards... Apparently many of the people at the festival have never seen white people so they wanted us to have protection just in case they got too curious or rough? We were ushered to the river side as Ratha bathed in the water, and learned about a foundation that a guy had started and was promoting at the festival to help kids on the streets who are abandoned. We all decided it would be nice to give a small donation to this cause so in front of thousands of people sitting in this tent praying, we walked up to the front, where the man was praying and dropped money into his pile of flowers. He gave us oranges and grapes and banana's as his offering of thanks and told everyone of the donation we had just made and wanted us all to get up and say a speech. It was so bizarre! We just showed up to this festival and now we were hero's, famous, glamorous westerners coming to save the day! We each went up and told them our name, or nationality and why we loved India and the people clapped and cheered like we were rock stars. As our 5 minutes of fame came to an end we walked out of the tent, everyone was trying to touch us, get a handshake or wave from us, some even bowing to us! It was so out of this world we didnt know how to handle it.
As our jeep slowly took off trying not to hit all the people gawking at us we giddily reminisced about the whole experience. Anand was just as excited as we were, having never expected for that to happen. Our happiness was quickly shot down when we realized we still had a good 5 hours to go! We slowly made our way to the Nepal Boarder and dealt with our Visa's. I originally was going to cross the boarder alone without a group but am so thankful that i didn't because it was pretty intimidating and i wouldn't know where to go or who to trust. We arrived at our destination, Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha just as the sun was setting. Wish such a looooooong day of driving, it was so nice to have a hot steaming shower accompanied by a chilled glass of Everest Beer before passing out.
As our jeep slowly took off trying not to hit all the people gawking at us we giddily reminisced about the whole experience. Anand was just as excited as we were, having never expected for that to happen. Our happiness was quickly shot down when we realized we still had a good 5 hours to go! We slowly made our way to the Nepal Boarder and dealt with our Visa's. I originally was going to cross the boarder alone without a group but am so thankful that i didn't because it was pretty intimidating and i wouldn't know where to go or who to trust. We arrived at our destination, Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha just as the sun was setting. Wish such a looooooong day of driving, it was so nice to have a hot steaming shower accompanied by a chilled glass of Everest Beer before passing out.
Varanasi
Back to the clutter and noise of India, we arrive in Varanasi.
I hand wash some clothes and let sit in the sun, then wander the streets for a while with Rachel, sip some tea and indulge in some peanut brittle cookies. Its hot, perfectly hot; I cant imagine what its like in the Summer months. We walk down and explore the Ghats along the river. Each Ghat, or section along the river, has its own name and temple for a specific God or Goddess to worship. There are boys playing rugby, nearly hitting my head right off, kids playing and trying to sell us flowers and to smoke billowing out from the burning hearts. Its so strange how everyone is going about doing their daily prayers and playing sports while there are dead bodies being burning right in front of them. We walked up near one, and as a boy beat at the flame trying to burn everything, i see a leg. Its shocking, but its just so natural for them.. its just what you do. There are not girls allowed as the bodies are being burned because they believe that if you shed a tear than the dead will not be blessed by the gods for a tear symbolizes that they did not complete what they were meant to do on earth..
We board a boat and watch the sun set as we see the burning hearts from the water. On our way back we watch a ceremony that happens every single night where every single prayer from all the different regions of India are performed. We light about 100 candles that are placed inside bamboo bowls surrounded by flowers and drop each one into the Ganges. Every flower that we place in the water is a wish we get to make, there were so many flowers that i ended up making like 15 wishes!
We went out for dinner and drinks at a hip little place and Anand kept on disappearing than reappearing with different clothes on, asking for our opinion on what looked best on him. Finally all the girls walked across the street to where he kept walking out of the store with all the merchandise and we gave him a makeover.
When we got back to the Hotel some people went to bed but a few of us went up on the roof of the hotel and had some more drinks, still affected by the burning hearts we talked about different cultures and how they deal with death. Its cool to get an Indian's perspective on it.
Although it was a late night, i woke up at 5:30 to see the sun rise and get a better look at the Ghats and Burning while most of the group opted out of it. I had some of the best organic Granola of my life for breakfast and ended up almost buying her our completely of it for all my snacks. The rest of the day we went to the markets and i strolled around observing all the people. The City is full of Hippy's, smoking from their pipes and tripping out, having conversations with the air in front of them.
I am getting a really wide variety of India on this trip i feel. Its great to see how each place has its unique characteristics and people.
I hand wash some clothes and let sit in the sun, then wander the streets for a while with Rachel, sip some tea and indulge in some peanut brittle cookies. Its hot, perfectly hot; I cant imagine what its like in the Summer months. We walk down and explore the Ghats along the river. Each Ghat, or section along the river, has its own name and temple for a specific God or Goddess to worship. There are boys playing rugby, nearly hitting my head right off, kids playing and trying to sell us flowers and to smoke billowing out from the burning hearts. Its so strange how everyone is going about doing their daily prayers and playing sports while there are dead bodies being burning right in front of them. We walked up near one, and as a boy beat at the flame trying to burn everything, i see a leg. Its shocking, but its just so natural for them.. its just what you do. There are not girls allowed as the bodies are being burned because they believe that if you shed a tear than the dead will not be blessed by the gods for a tear symbolizes that they did not complete what they were meant to do on earth..
We board a boat and watch the sun set as we see the burning hearts from the water. On our way back we watch a ceremony that happens every single night where every single prayer from all the different regions of India are performed. We light about 100 candles that are placed inside bamboo bowls surrounded by flowers and drop each one into the Ganges. Every flower that we place in the water is a wish we get to make, there were so many flowers that i ended up making like 15 wishes!
We went out for dinner and drinks at a hip little place and Anand kept on disappearing than reappearing with different clothes on, asking for our opinion on what looked best on him. Finally all the girls walked across the street to where he kept walking out of the store with all the merchandise and we gave him a makeover.
When we got back to the Hotel some people went to bed but a few of us went up on the roof of the hotel and had some more drinks, still affected by the burning hearts we talked about different cultures and how they deal with death. Its cool to get an Indian's perspective on it.
Although it was a late night, i woke up at 5:30 to see the sun rise and get a better look at the Ghats and Burning while most of the group opted out of it. I had some of the best organic Granola of my life for breakfast and ended up almost buying her our completely of it for all my snacks. The rest of the day we went to the markets and i strolled around observing all the people. The City is full of Hippy's, smoking from their pipes and tripping out, having conversations with the air in front of them.
I am getting a really wide variety of India on this trip i feel. Its great to see how each place has its unique characteristics and people.
Major Catch up Blog
I really need to do some catching up with my Blog, and therefore i will probably leave out way too many details and funny little stories but i will do my best.
The sleeper train from Orchha to Allabad was great! We had 3 leveled bunk-beds, i was on the very top, and passed out when we got on around 10:30 pm and than awoke at our next destination at 6:30 am. It was nice to not loose a day of travel, to just get on and sleep and wake up in a new place! We took jeeps to where we would start our sailing journey on the Ganges River! I didn't really know what to expect of the sailing trip but when we pulled up next to the river and saw our sailing boats in the distance i knew it was going to be quite the experience.
There were 4 people to a boat, little foamies and blankets to lay down on that covered the floor and a ripped up and patched up old sail draping overhead. The Ganges river was not nearly as high as it would be in monsoon season so we trekked out with our bags in the sand, dipped our feet in the holy water and nestled into our boat for the next 2 days. It was surreal, floating peacefully down the Holy River Ganges, when it seemed just days ago i was in the hustle and bustle of Delhi, and Agra. It a a whole different world here, the only sound is of the boat being rowed softly and rhythmically. This is truly the life, one i wouldn't mind living for a couple more days. Anand told us old tales of the river as the sun peeked through the holes in the sail, the day spent reading, chitchatting, appreciating the scenery and secretly hoping to see a dead body float pass. I know that's really gross but you guys would be curious too! Apparently the only people who are not cremated but are sent floating down the river are pregnant ladies, people with Leprosy, A baby who is still on milk, a Saint, and someone who has been bitten by a snake, This is because each one of these people are considered to be holy. For one of the holiest and most sacred rivers in the world, you would think people would respect and take care of it more but there was a lot of garbage, some falling down in mass amounts down cliffs into the river. We had our very own personal cooks in their tiny little sailboats, we would all try to catch up to each other and connect the boats for each meal, passing the plates through each boat. The food was fantastic too, its amazing the food they can make with such little equipment! We pulled off to a sandy shore as the sun started to go down and as our boat boys scampered around setting up our tents we sat in the sand and watched the sun go down while drinking chai's! I will say it again, and you will probably hear (or read) me say it many more times but, this is the life! It felt too good to be true and i cant even put into words how much i enjoyed this part of the trip. As it turned completely pitch dark black, our fire not wanting to cooperate, we ate our supper, had some good laughs, and listened to the howling of wild Jackles in the distance. Although we had tents, i really really wanted to just sleep out with my sleeping bag under the stars because they were so bright and clear, it would have just made the whole day complete. However, after hearing that i may become Jackle dinner, i thought i would best to keep it safe and sleep in the tent, too bad...
I awoke before anyone else, and took a stroll along the river watching the sun come up. We ate a quick breakfast and headed back on the boats for another day of Sailing. I am so thankful that i was feeling better at this point of the trip because a girl on my trip got sick really bad and when your stuck on a boat with 4 other people its slightly inconvenient. This whole time not having toilets, but if you gotta go, you gotta go.. its almost better to go in the wilderness or behind a bush than go into one of the Indian toilets, the smell strong enough to make you pass out! Oh and Roger (the guy allergic to air) had the nerve to get angry at the cooks, who are working their ass off to feed us all, and on top of that Take care of his ridiculous food needs. He complained that the potatoes were not cooked properly and he would go the rest of the day starving because of it. He did this all in front of us and we were so mortified that we All just ripped into him putting him in his place, That felt extremely good. After lunch we docked up and watched the boys start their 15 hour walk back to where we started, pulling the boats behind, They work so freaking hard! We hopped on our jeeps and took a detour route through villages to get to our next location, VARANASI! I have heard some crazy stories of the people here, having an abundant supply of Marijuana and other drugs that make people so nuts on the streets. Its also the place of the "burning hearts", or in other words where the dead are cremated. I'm So surrounded by death, on the Ganges and at Varanasi it makes me feel so good to be alive! This is the greatest time of my life and i want to experience all these great foreign cultures.
The sleeper train from Orchha to Allabad was great! We had 3 leveled bunk-beds, i was on the very top, and passed out when we got on around 10:30 pm and than awoke at our next destination at 6:30 am. It was nice to not loose a day of travel, to just get on and sleep and wake up in a new place! We took jeeps to where we would start our sailing journey on the Ganges River! I didn't really know what to expect of the sailing trip but when we pulled up next to the river and saw our sailing boats in the distance i knew it was going to be quite the experience.
There were 4 people to a boat, little foamies and blankets to lay down on that covered the floor and a ripped up and patched up old sail draping overhead. The Ganges river was not nearly as high as it would be in monsoon season so we trekked out with our bags in the sand, dipped our feet in the holy water and nestled into our boat for the next 2 days. It was surreal, floating peacefully down the Holy River Ganges, when it seemed just days ago i was in the hustle and bustle of Delhi, and Agra. It a a whole different world here, the only sound is of the boat being rowed softly and rhythmically. This is truly the life, one i wouldn't mind living for a couple more days. Anand told us old tales of the river as the sun peeked through the holes in the sail, the day spent reading, chitchatting, appreciating the scenery and secretly hoping to see a dead body float pass. I know that's really gross but you guys would be curious too! Apparently the only people who are not cremated but are sent floating down the river are pregnant ladies, people with Leprosy, A baby who is still on milk, a Saint, and someone who has been bitten by a snake, This is because each one of these people are considered to be holy. For one of the holiest and most sacred rivers in the world, you would think people would respect and take care of it more but there was a lot of garbage, some falling down in mass amounts down cliffs into the river. We had our very own personal cooks in their tiny little sailboats, we would all try to catch up to each other and connect the boats for each meal, passing the plates through each boat. The food was fantastic too, its amazing the food they can make with such little equipment! We pulled off to a sandy shore as the sun started to go down and as our boat boys scampered around setting up our tents we sat in the sand and watched the sun go down while drinking chai's! I will say it again, and you will probably hear (or read) me say it many more times but, this is the life! It felt too good to be true and i cant even put into words how much i enjoyed this part of the trip. As it turned completely pitch dark black, our fire not wanting to cooperate, we ate our supper, had some good laughs, and listened to the howling of wild Jackles in the distance. Although we had tents, i really really wanted to just sleep out with my sleeping bag under the stars because they were so bright and clear, it would have just made the whole day complete. However, after hearing that i may become Jackle dinner, i thought i would best to keep it safe and sleep in the tent, too bad...
I awoke before anyone else, and took a stroll along the river watching the sun come up. We ate a quick breakfast and headed back on the boats for another day of Sailing. I am so thankful that i was feeling better at this point of the trip because a girl on my trip got sick really bad and when your stuck on a boat with 4 other people its slightly inconvenient. This whole time not having toilets, but if you gotta go, you gotta go.. its almost better to go in the wilderness or behind a bush than go into one of the Indian toilets, the smell strong enough to make you pass out! Oh and Roger (the guy allergic to air) had the nerve to get angry at the cooks, who are working their ass off to feed us all, and on top of that Take care of his ridiculous food needs. He complained that the potatoes were not cooked properly and he would go the rest of the day starving because of it. He did this all in front of us and we were so mortified that we All just ripped into him putting him in his place, That felt extremely good. After lunch we docked up and watched the boys start their 15 hour walk back to where we started, pulling the boats behind, They work so freaking hard! We hopped on our jeeps and took a detour route through villages to get to our next location, VARANASI! I have heard some crazy stories of the people here, having an abundant supply of Marijuana and other drugs that make people so nuts on the streets. Its also the place of the "burning hearts", or in other words where the dead are cremated. I'm So surrounded by death, on the Ganges and at Varanasi it makes me feel so good to be alive! This is the greatest time of my life and i want to experience all these great foreign cultures.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Orchha
What better way to start off the morning than a stroll in the local ancient temples?
It seemed like every corner I took there was a better picture, more stunning architecture and greater temples to explore. It was nice to just walk around hear some stories of the temples and take a load of pictures. There was a section of the temple where the ancient king of Orchha had all his 7 concubines rooms lines up next to eachother, 7 concubines for 7 days of the week. Each room had a secret passage that ran throughout the walls that the king could manouver his way through to each room... Really classy!
Later in the day we got to enjoy a river rafting tour down the river. Although the rapids were fairly tame we got pretty soaked on a few of them but it was after our raft war where we got drenched. The scenery all around us was breathtaking with temples all around us in the distance. There was a section of the river that was really calm and we all got to jump out and float for a bit. The water was clean and quite warm which was great for enjoying just laying back and letting the lifejacket do all the work. We were treated to some nice hot chai when we got off the boats and were able to sit and soak up a some of the heat.
The rest of the day i hung out with the 2 other young single girls, browsing through the markets, meeing shop vendors and sitting down for some drinks. It was actually quite funny, the girls found some sandals identical to the ones i bought in Jaipur for 100 rupees and they wanted to buy a pair. The girl here was asking for 500 rupees. I told him that i knew he was scamming them because i bought mine for 100 and kept on argueing with him, getting mad for trying to cheat them out so much money. He gave in after we started to walk away, seling them for 150 rupees and inviting us into his shop for Chai and giving us free kepchains telling me not to tell any of the other tourists about his scam.
I feel it like i should share a little about one of the older guys on my trip. From day one i think we all knew that this guy was gonna be a handful. Roger is here with his wife who is malasian Indian, but is really out of his comfort zone. Apparently he cant drink bottled water because there isnt the essential minerals that he needs to keep alive and well so he carries his own personal water purification with him. He complains about all this health issues claiming he has diabetes yet when we asked him which type he responded with " the type where you dont need to take that stuff", yes y stuff he meant insulin... He has such a weak stomach that he cant eat group up normal pepper so bugs each restraunt about this. When we were on the cramped train, not in an immediate rush he pushed his way infront of an old Holy man and sent him flying on the seats behind him, we yelled at him and he only turned around and kept walking.. He is quite the Character and we are started to put him in his place because he is just so inapropriate..
Anyways i am off to a cooking class and spending the night on a sleeper train which will be interesting. After that i will spend a night sailing on the holy Ganges river. Cant wait!
It seemed like every corner I took there was a better picture, more stunning architecture and greater temples to explore. It was nice to just walk around hear some stories of the temples and take a load of pictures. There was a section of the temple where the ancient king of Orchha had all his 7 concubines rooms lines up next to eachother, 7 concubines for 7 days of the week. Each room had a secret passage that ran throughout the walls that the king could manouver his way through to each room... Really classy!
Later in the day we got to enjoy a river rafting tour down the river. Although the rapids were fairly tame we got pretty soaked on a few of them but it was after our raft war where we got drenched. The scenery all around us was breathtaking with temples all around us in the distance. There was a section of the river that was really calm and we all got to jump out and float for a bit. The water was clean and quite warm which was great for enjoying just laying back and letting the lifejacket do all the work. We were treated to some nice hot chai when we got off the boats and were able to sit and soak up a some of the heat.
The rest of the day i hung out with the 2 other young single girls, browsing through the markets, meeing shop vendors and sitting down for some drinks. It was actually quite funny, the girls found some sandals identical to the ones i bought in Jaipur for 100 rupees and they wanted to buy a pair. The girl here was asking for 500 rupees. I told him that i knew he was scamming them because i bought mine for 100 and kept on argueing with him, getting mad for trying to cheat them out so much money. He gave in after we started to walk away, seling them for 150 rupees and inviting us into his shop for Chai and giving us free kepchains telling me not to tell any of the other tourists about his scam.
I feel it like i should share a little about one of the older guys on my trip. From day one i think we all knew that this guy was gonna be a handful. Roger is here with his wife who is malasian Indian, but is really out of his comfort zone. Apparently he cant drink bottled water because there isnt the essential minerals that he needs to keep alive and well so he carries his own personal water purification with him. He complains about all this health issues claiming he has diabetes yet when we asked him which type he responded with " the type where you dont need to take that stuff", yes y stuff he meant insulin... He has such a weak stomach that he cant eat group up normal pepper so bugs each restraunt about this. When we were on the cramped train, not in an immediate rush he pushed his way infront of an old Holy man and sent him flying on the seats behind him, we yelled at him and he only turned around and kept walking.. He is quite the Character and we are started to put him in his place because he is just so inapropriate..
Anyways i am off to a cooking class and spending the night on a sleeper train which will be interesting. After that i will spend a night sailing on the holy Ganges river. Cant wait!
Monday, February 15, 2010
I am Sitting in a tiny back room of a rickshack shop in Orcha, legs pulled up on the chair because there are mice literally scurrying around my feet! Before i tell you all about the beautiful town of Orcha let me fill you in on the last few jampacked days.
The day before i was to leave New Hope and the girls, I got extremely sick. The whole ghastro stomach sickness that im sure you would love for me to go into debdth about it but I will spare you the details. To summarize I was not sleeping, not eating and was quiet a frequent visiter to the bathroom. As a result I was super dehydrated and so Sunday the day I was to catch a taxi to Delhi to start my new Adventure a made a pit stop at the Doctors. The Doc told me I needed to stay and be hooked up to an I.V. for a while to treat my dehydration but because my taxi was picking me up I had no time. He gave me a quick shot of antibiotics and loaded me up with prescription antibiotics and I was on my way.
Saying goodbye to the Girls at new hope was sad, but i promised them all i would skype with them all the time when i got back home. I miss them all already. New hope was like my home for a while. I got used to the daily ins and outs of the home, the girls behavior, my morning ritual walk with Lucia and feeling comfortable with great people in a great atmosphere. Going off on my own is like starting fresh, which is a little scary. I love You guys!!
I got to my hotel in Delhi and awaited the arrival of my group that i will be travelling with for the next 15 days. I was so exhausted at this point that while everyone went on a tour around Delhi I just slept all day and all night. 5:30 am I pulled myself out of bed to catch our train to Agra where I got to meet and chat with my Roomy for the 5 hour long trip. Our next hotel was very similar to the first, basic and dirty. The sheets and towels were stained with God knows what, no hot water and halls that echoed so much we heard every conversation happening on our floor it seemed.
We ventured Agra, going to the Red fort and learning the history of the great kings and enjoying the stunning architecture. At last we made it to the Taj Mahal, oh yes what i have been waiting for! There was so much anticipation actually be seeing the Taj that i could hardly contain myself as we slowly walked through the archway, The taj just teasing me in the background. And then there it was... Right infront of me in all its glory. It was so surreal, The magnificance of it all was everything and more than I dreamed of. We scampered around trying to take the best pictures but it being Valentines day it was so crowded! My parents have a picture of my Dad sitting infront of the Taj, so cool and chill, i wanted to get a replica picture but there was just too many people. The picture ended up just making me look like an idiot sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. Ohwell, i tried!
We watched the sun set and walked back to our Hotel.
We all decided to go out for some drinks and a bite to eat. I was only able to drink tea and a bit of rice but it was a nice night out to get to know everyone better and have a couple of laughs.
9:00 am we leave for the train station again, only this time we get to sit with the locals, no comfortable single chair seating but all jam packed into benches. I loved it, all 4 hours of it! it was crowded and stuffy but we got to sit with the local Indians and i tried to make conversation with the little pathetic Hindi i know how to speak. We played with the kids, had the wind blow obnoxiously in our hair and have the Chai man yell out every half hour but it was so great to experience and made a ton of friends! :)
a one hour rickshaw drive and we arrive at our destination where i am now at, Orcha. We are staying 2 nights in these great little tents. The tents are airconditioned, have hot running water, a toilet and little compartmental rooms. Our view is of the river outfront, so peaceful and so quiet. Its so nice after spending the last 2 nights in those sketchy hotels.
Orcha is such a great little town. It is very religious and full of ancient temples. I can tell i am going to love it here already especially after spending most of my time near the loud obnoxious Delhi. I cant wait to see more tomorrow, going river rafting and exploring the temple ruins!
Until next time... Cheers!
The day before i was to leave New Hope and the girls, I got extremely sick. The whole ghastro stomach sickness that im sure you would love for me to go into debdth about it but I will spare you the details. To summarize I was not sleeping, not eating and was quiet a frequent visiter to the bathroom. As a result I was super dehydrated and so Sunday the day I was to catch a taxi to Delhi to start my new Adventure a made a pit stop at the Doctors. The Doc told me I needed to stay and be hooked up to an I.V. for a while to treat my dehydration but because my taxi was picking me up I had no time. He gave me a quick shot of antibiotics and loaded me up with prescription antibiotics and I was on my way.
Saying goodbye to the Girls at new hope was sad, but i promised them all i would skype with them all the time when i got back home. I miss them all already. New hope was like my home for a while. I got used to the daily ins and outs of the home, the girls behavior, my morning ritual walk with Lucia and feeling comfortable with great people in a great atmosphere. Going off on my own is like starting fresh, which is a little scary. I love You guys!!
I got to my hotel in Delhi and awaited the arrival of my group that i will be travelling with for the next 15 days. I was so exhausted at this point that while everyone went on a tour around Delhi I just slept all day and all night. 5:30 am I pulled myself out of bed to catch our train to Agra where I got to meet and chat with my Roomy for the 5 hour long trip. Our next hotel was very similar to the first, basic and dirty. The sheets and towels were stained with God knows what, no hot water and halls that echoed so much we heard every conversation happening on our floor it seemed.
We ventured Agra, going to the Red fort and learning the history of the great kings and enjoying the stunning architecture. At last we made it to the Taj Mahal, oh yes what i have been waiting for! There was so much anticipation actually be seeing the Taj that i could hardly contain myself as we slowly walked through the archway, The taj just teasing me in the background. And then there it was... Right infront of me in all its glory. It was so surreal, The magnificance of it all was everything and more than I dreamed of. We scampered around trying to take the best pictures but it being Valentines day it was so crowded! My parents have a picture of my Dad sitting infront of the Taj, so cool and chill, i wanted to get a replica picture but there was just too many people. The picture ended up just making me look like an idiot sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. Ohwell, i tried!
We watched the sun set and walked back to our Hotel.
We all decided to go out for some drinks and a bite to eat. I was only able to drink tea and a bit of rice but it was a nice night out to get to know everyone better and have a couple of laughs.
9:00 am we leave for the train station again, only this time we get to sit with the locals, no comfortable single chair seating but all jam packed into benches. I loved it, all 4 hours of it! it was crowded and stuffy but we got to sit with the local Indians and i tried to make conversation with the little pathetic Hindi i know how to speak. We played with the kids, had the wind blow obnoxiously in our hair and have the Chai man yell out every half hour but it was so great to experience and made a ton of friends! :)
a one hour rickshaw drive and we arrive at our destination where i am now at, Orcha. We are staying 2 nights in these great little tents. The tents are airconditioned, have hot running water, a toilet and little compartmental rooms. Our view is of the river outfront, so peaceful and so quiet. Its so nice after spending the last 2 nights in those sketchy hotels.
Orcha is such a great little town. It is very religious and full of ancient temples. I can tell i am going to love it here already especially after spending most of my time near the loud obnoxious Delhi. I cant wait to see more tomorrow, going river rafting and exploring the temple ruins!
Until next time... Cheers!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Although the driving in India is crazy and every time I get in a vehicle it seems there are near misses I never really felt like we would get in an accident. Like most things you hear about crashes on a daily bases but you never expect anything to happen to you. h
I went on a little excursion to Delhi to do some shopping at the markets with Lucia and Kylee, another volunteer. Our driver was making a left turn and was in a turning lane, however people don't really pay attention to the rules of the road nor to any Lanes on the road so its basically just a big clump of cars all driving in the same direction (sometimes) trying to budge themselves in front. So as we made this turn a motorcyclist beside us was going straight. The motorcyclist hit the side of our car, falling from his bike, our diver hitting the brakes as fast as he could, was too late and as we all flew forward in our seats (no seat belts here either) we felt our van go over a bump. As we came to a stop, the van was silent thinking we had just killed a man. We are going to Jail! Then the man crawled out from under the front of our van and saw immediately he was wearing a helmet, THANK GOD! Us three girls still sat shell shocked in the back as the driver of both vehicles yelled at each other, blaming the other for his mistake. The biker looked alright and we didn't know if the bump we ran over was him of his bike but the only damage i saw was to his knee as he lifted it up to expose his bloody gashes. Because we are in India, no information was exchanged and the driver just drove off..
I was jumpy the rest of the day but so thankful no one got seriously injured.
I went on a little excursion to Delhi to do some shopping at the markets with Lucia and Kylee, another volunteer. Our driver was making a left turn and was in a turning lane, however people don't really pay attention to the rules of the road nor to any Lanes on the road so its basically just a big clump of cars all driving in the same direction (sometimes) trying to budge themselves in front. So as we made this turn a motorcyclist beside us was going straight. The motorcyclist hit the side of our car, falling from his bike, our diver hitting the brakes as fast as he could, was too late and as we all flew forward in our seats (no seat belts here either) we felt our van go over a bump. As we came to a stop, the van was silent thinking we had just killed a man. We are going to Jail! Then the man crawled out from under the front of our van and saw immediately he was wearing a helmet, THANK GOD! Us three girls still sat shell shocked in the back as the driver of both vehicles yelled at each other, blaming the other for his mistake. The biker looked alright and we didn't know if the bump we ran over was him of his bike but the only damage i saw was to his knee as he lifted it up to expose his bloody gashes. Because we are in India, no information was exchanged and the driver just drove off..
I was jumpy the rest of the day but so thankful no one got seriously injured.
Wedding Crashers!
oh yes! That's right, we crashed an Indian Wedding! Lucia, Deesa and I have all been complaining about how badly we wanted to see a traditional Hindu marriage and with me leaving New hope soon (saturday) Time was running short so we took initiative to make this wish come true. Lucia and I went to a Garden nearby looking for some marriage decorations because there are many marriages happening now with the nice weather. We found a Garden Location and went in to ask if there was any weddings happening ASAP. The owner sat us down and to our surprise let us know there was a Wedding the very next night and he invited us with open arms to come and join in the celebration. He did not check with the Bride and groom, nor question our motives he was just so happy for us to come.
We left his office with high spirits, so excited for our little adventure that was to come.
The night of the Wedding we all did our hair, put on make-up and dressed in our nice Indian Suits. It felt so good to actually make myself look good in the 4 weeks I have been here. The drive to the Wedding we devised different stories to tell different people who asked why we were there at the wedding. A wedding planner there to see a wedding in different cultures, Journalists for Times magazine to write an article about arranged marriages, There on a trip with Make a Wish Foundation, Marni as a sick girl who's last dieing wish was to see a Hindu marriage in India.. and the list goes on.
As we walked under the red, lit up tent leading us into the Wedding area, we were immediately greeted by a jolly old man. He did not ask why 3 white girls were at the wedding, instead he led us to the big tent in the middle of the Garden. We later found out that the jolly old man was the brides Father. Under the tent we were introduced to the brides mother, her sister, aunts, uncles cousins, Everyone! They were so happy that we were there, even though they had no idea who we were. Photographers crowded around us taking pictures with the family, having us pose with different people. To my surprise, moments later I saw my face plastered on the TV screens that were set up all around the garden to show off pictures of the evening. It was hysterical! A few young girls even crowded around asking whether we were famous and asking for our email addresses. The father on the brides side apparently is a retired movie director, the mother a professional singer and the bride a traditional dancer; a family full or artists, well to do artists at that! Appetizers were passed out and we did not turn anything down as it all looked heavenly! We strolled around the Garden taking little treats here and there from the many food, beverage and candy stands. Eventually we were asked to come and see the bride in her dressing room before she came out. She was sitting in her chair covered head to toe with jewels, gold, and diamonds weighing 50 kg(actually!). Her face was powdered and her hands covered in dark Henna, her husbands name hidden in the designs that he would later have to find. We sat down and talked, complementing on how beautiful she looked and quite honestly asking her about her feelings before her marriage. It was an arranged marriage but she knows who her husband is because they had been friends for quite some time and she told us he is a very good man. In a Hindu traditional marriage, the bride is to act sad and cry at her wedding because she is mourning leaving her family. She explained this to us as she held back tears and her aunt walked in saying the family had been crying all week. Luckily the Bride was fortunate enough that the family was not hard core traditionalists and were not making her come live at the grooms house and never see her family again, Instead her and her husband had their own place and would live alone, able to see their won families whenever they want.
She had these huge golden, bracelets that hung from her wrists and told us to sit in front of her as she clanked the gold roughly together over our heads. If gold falls off, then you will be married. The most gold that falls off over the persons head the sooner the marriage. As Deesa and Lucia only had one tiny little corner fall off on them, I had almost all the gold she had on her wrists fall on me... Yikes!!
As the Groom made his way from the streets into the Garden her rode on a White horse, his family dancing and celebrating to the loud music all around him. We were not apart of the wedding party so we thought we would not be able to see this but The brides mother absolutely insisted that we were front and center along side the family. She said several times, "you are my daughters now!" We followed the crowd as the groom made his way slowly to the front to sit and await his bride. Yet again we were forced to be apart of this and danced with his family..
AS the bride was getting ready to make her entrance we set ourselves up in a good location to take some pictures of her walking over the beautifully lit bridge. Yet again, being adopted by the brides mother she did not approve and we had to walk with her and all the other girls from her family. It was actually embarrassing that we were that honorable of guests to take part in such a sacred moment. Her brides maids, if you would even call them that, help a gold scarf over the bride as she walked slowly across the bridge to her soon to be husband. You would not believe the music they played as she walked to her future husband... My humps by the Black Eyed Peas, Yes you read it correctly. The traditional trumpets and drums were being played but My Humps played over top of it. It was so Indianesque, their taste in music is about a century off. Anyways, We snuck away from the brides mother and sat down to watch as the bride and groom were hoisted up on friends and families shoulders and attempted to hook flowered garlands around each others necks. After all the fun with that was over they sat quietly alone together on stage with sad expressions on their faces. The groom would catch glimpses of his new bride and smile, I could tell that he felt very happy his parents had chose her. The rest of the night we ate at our hearts desire from the massive buffet of Amazing Indian Food and danced with the little girls.
What a night! I feel so lucky to be able to say i have experienced such a unique wedding. Although it was a little odd we were such honored guests it was fun to just go along with it and have fun. We were so giddy as we left the wedding early in the morning and went to sleep reminiscing on the night not caring that we had to wake up 4 hours later.
A night i will surely never forget
We left his office with high spirits, so excited for our little adventure that was to come.
The night of the Wedding we all did our hair, put on make-up and dressed in our nice Indian Suits. It felt so good to actually make myself look good in the 4 weeks I have been here. The drive to the Wedding we devised different stories to tell different people who asked why we were there at the wedding. A wedding planner there to see a wedding in different cultures, Journalists for Times magazine to write an article about arranged marriages, There on a trip with Make a Wish Foundation, Marni as a sick girl who's last dieing wish was to see a Hindu marriage in India.. and the list goes on.
As we walked under the red, lit up tent leading us into the Wedding area, we were immediately greeted by a jolly old man. He did not ask why 3 white girls were at the wedding, instead he led us to the big tent in the middle of the Garden. We later found out that the jolly old man was the brides Father. Under the tent we were introduced to the brides mother, her sister, aunts, uncles cousins, Everyone! They were so happy that we were there, even though they had no idea who we were. Photographers crowded around us taking pictures with the family, having us pose with different people. To my surprise, moments later I saw my face plastered on the TV screens that were set up all around the garden to show off pictures of the evening. It was hysterical! A few young girls even crowded around asking whether we were famous and asking for our email addresses. The father on the brides side apparently is a retired movie director, the mother a professional singer and the bride a traditional dancer; a family full or artists, well to do artists at that! Appetizers were passed out and we did not turn anything down as it all looked heavenly! We strolled around the Garden taking little treats here and there from the many food, beverage and candy stands. Eventually we were asked to come and see the bride in her dressing room before she came out. She was sitting in her chair covered head to toe with jewels, gold, and diamonds weighing 50 kg(actually!). Her face was powdered and her hands covered in dark Henna, her husbands name hidden in the designs that he would later have to find. We sat down and talked, complementing on how beautiful she looked and quite honestly asking her about her feelings before her marriage. It was an arranged marriage but she knows who her husband is because they had been friends for quite some time and she told us he is a very good man. In a Hindu traditional marriage, the bride is to act sad and cry at her wedding because she is mourning leaving her family. She explained this to us as she held back tears and her aunt walked in saying the family had been crying all week. Luckily the Bride was fortunate enough that the family was not hard core traditionalists and were not making her come live at the grooms house and never see her family again, Instead her and her husband had their own place and would live alone, able to see their won families whenever they want.
She had these huge golden, bracelets that hung from her wrists and told us to sit in front of her as she clanked the gold roughly together over our heads. If gold falls off, then you will be married. The most gold that falls off over the persons head the sooner the marriage. As Deesa and Lucia only had one tiny little corner fall off on them, I had almost all the gold she had on her wrists fall on me... Yikes!!
As the Groom made his way from the streets into the Garden her rode on a White horse, his family dancing and celebrating to the loud music all around him. We were not apart of the wedding party so we thought we would not be able to see this but The brides mother absolutely insisted that we were front and center along side the family. She said several times, "you are my daughters now!" We followed the crowd as the groom made his way slowly to the front to sit and await his bride. Yet again we were forced to be apart of this and danced with his family..
AS the bride was getting ready to make her entrance we set ourselves up in a good location to take some pictures of her walking over the beautifully lit bridge. Yet again, being adopted by the brides mother she did not approve and we had to walk with her and all the other girls from her family. It was actually embarrassing that we were that honorable of guests to take part in such a sacred moment. Her brides maids, if you would even call them that, help a gold scarf over the bride as she walked slowly across the bridge to her soon to be husband. You would not believe the music they played as she walked to her future husband... My humps by the Black Eyed Peas, Yes you read it correctly. The traditional trumpets and drums were being played but My Humps played over top of it. It was so Indianesque, their taste in music is about a century off. Anyways, We snuck away from the brides mother and sat down to watch as the bride and groom were hoisted up on friends and families shoulders and attempted to hook flowered garlands around each others necks. After all the fun with that was over they sat quietly alone together on stage with sad expressions on their faces. The groom would catch glimpses of his new bride and smile, I could tell that he felt very happy his parents had chose her. The rest of the night we ate at our hearts desire from the massive buffet of Amazing Indian Food and danced with the little girls.
What a night! I feel so lucky to be able to say i have experienced such a unique wedding. Although it was a little odd we were such honored guests it was fun to just go along with it and have fun. We were so giddy as we left the wedding early in the morning and went to sleep reminiscing on the night not caring that we had to wake up 4 hours later.
A night i will surely never forget
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Jaipur
Some of the Staff and I decided to take a little weekend trip away to Jaipur. Jaipur is about a 5 hour train ride south from Delhi. We Left around 4 am on Friday to arrive in the morning and enjoy a full weekend away.
I notice that the air is cleaner, i can see blue sky and it is more sunny and hot here. I know right away i am going to Love Jaipur!
We get to our hotel and are pleased that we have real showers and hot running water! YAY! Friday we just roamed the pink city, taking pictures to try to capture the essence of Jaipur's charm. The ancient city walls is what makes up the Pink city, lined with bright colored spice and fruit stands. We stop to eat fresh fruit for lunch, being stopped every now and than by gawkers "Hello, Hello, where you from!?" As we browse the crazy markets we were stopped by music, we looked over and it was a snake charmer, I was so excited to see something so Indian Esque! We stopped at the Wind Temple, a huge wall apart of the ancient city that is full of little windows. They believe the windows were for all the Maha Rajah's Concubines to see out into the activities below. Later that night we went to what i can only explain as an Indian Fair/Circus. We paid like 6 bucks to get in and there were puppet shows, Dancing, Hand turned Ferris wheels, Elephant, camel and horse rides, Boat rides, Giant slides from trees and most importantly the best traditional meal ever! we sat down on cushions and were given scoops of all sorts of different tasting Indian food with non-stop Chapatti (Indian Bread, kinda like a quesadilla) and Rice. It was a night to remember for sure! We tired ourselves out acting like children and went back to out Hotel listening to Bollywood songs the whole way back.
Saturday we planned to go to the Famous Amber Palace! Our rickshaw driver there was a pretty friendly guy and when he asked if we wanted to try driving his ricksahw we jumped on the opportunity! We were screaming and having lots of fun until the other people who were with us stopped us and informed us that by doing so we were basically telling the driver and everyone else around us that we are "easy" Ooops! As a female in India you just always have to be thinking about whats appropraite for the culture, just sitting in the front seat with another man can be taken the wrong way, Which is really quite sad. Although the rest of the ride up to Amber Palace was a little awkward when we made it to our stop we were blown away. It was so stunning, we all felt like we were straight out of Lord of the Rings! There were walls that went in all directions from the temple that looked like mini great walls of China. The Palace itself was Magnificent, and riding huge Indian Elephants up the ancient cobble stoned streets made it that much more special. I had to pinch myself, not believing that i am actually in India! No picture could capture this beauty!
We explored the inside of the temple, one room was filled with tiny little mirrors, each one individually placed into beautiful artwork, A whole room! Walking through the maze of hallways and rooms, two of the other girls and I got lost and wound up on the very top, no one else there to bug us as we soaked it all in. We slowly made our way down from the Palace and got a ride to another palace on the water. Although the Palace was amazing we were all more focused on the little boys who were trying to do magic tricks in front of us as their pimp bragged to us about how good they were. We were so disgusted, here is this Pimp exploiting these innocent boys as two cops walk by knowing exactly what is going on and just smiling and just loving this pimp. We all were getting so worked up about it that we decided to leave before we caused a scene.
Riding in rickshaws all day to get places we learned to pack some fruit so when the little boys and girls come up asking for money we can pass out food instead of money going to their Pimps..
That night we all went our separate ways and the girls my age and I went out for a drink. Thinking a glass of wine would be a nice way to end off a perfect day we find out that it is a Dry night, No alcohol is served in memory of Ghandi's Death. Darnit Ghandi!! We settled for mocktini's on our open rooftop restaurant. It was such a good night as we sat under the stars having a girls night, smoking from an Indian Hooka. (not drugs don't worry, Flavored tobacco out of a standing Indian style Pipe.)
As we made our way into the night to find a rickshaw back to the hotel we managed to flag one down who didnt speak an ounce of English. Two surprisingly nice guys tried to help us give our driver directions and after some difficulties it seemed like he knew where we were going. He was definately not the best driver we had experienced and at first we thought it was pretty funny because he was so goofy looking and drove pretty goofy aswell.. But as we nearly got hit several times and were actually screaming we realized he was Drunk as a Skunk! How Ironic that he is drunk on a Dry night... We stopped to get a new driver and get directions disoriented and adrenaline running from almost dyeing. We were well aware of our vulnerability; 3 girls alone at night, lost but we found the kindest guys who scolded the drunk driver, found us a new rickshaw and gave him perfect directions to our Hotel. We were so lucky to have found such nice men, for once not greasy, rude or vulgar.
Sunday, the day we leave was a day for relaxing! We did some quick shopping than made our way to a garden to eat our lunch and spend the day in the sun reading and hanging out. The garden we went to was the Kings (Maha Rhaja?) Wife's sleeping quarters, which she demanded to have if she was to marry him. Heck i would marry any guy who built me a palace like this one! Not only was her living quarters magnificant, but the surrounding garden and little Gazeebo type structures lining the garden were breathtaking. I spent hours reading and soaking up the sun (i am still so pale) taking breaks to glance up and imagine what this palace once looked like in its prime.
What a great way to end off the Perfect weekend. I had so many great experiences, and memories in such a short period of time. The people i travelled with to Jaiper were the best, we all got along so well and I really connected and made strong friendships with the girls.
A long train ride back home to a house full of girls with Chicken Pocks and Lice.. to top it off they have Exams stressing them out.. Its going to be one busy week.
Sorry to everyone i keep telling to skype with me, i never really know when i will have a chance to use the computer.
Love you all!
I notice that the air is cleaner, i can see blue sky and it is more sunny and hot here. I know right away i am going to Love Jaipur!
We get to our hotel and are pleased that we have real showers and hot running water! YAY! Friday we just roamed the pink city, taking pictures to try to capture the essence of Jaipur's charm. The ancient city walls is what makes up the Pink city, lined with bright colored spice and fruit stands. We stop to eat fresh fruit for lunch, being stopped every now and than by gawkers "Hello, Hello, where you from!?" As we browse the crazy markets we were stopped by music, we looked over and it was a snake charmer, I was so excited to see something so Indian Esque! We stopped at the Wind Temple, a huge wall apart of the ancient city that is full of little windows. They believe the windows were for all the Maha Rajah's Concubines to see out into the activities below. Later that night we went to what i can only explain as an Indian Fair/Circus. We paid like 6 bucks to get in and there were puppet shows, Dancing, Hand turned Ferris wheels, Elephant, camel and horse rides, Boat rides, Giant slides from trees and most importantly the best traditional meal ever! we sat down on cushions and were given scoops of all sorts of different tasting Indian food with non-stop Chapatti (Indian Bread, kinda like a quesadilla) and Rice. It was a night to remember for sure! We tired ourselves out acting like children and went back to out Hotel listening to Bollywood songs the whole way back.
Saturday we planned to go to the Famous Amber Palace! Our rickshaw driver there was a pretty friendly guy and when he asked if we wanted to try driving his ricksahw we jumped on the opportunity! We were screaming and having lots of fun until the other people who were with us stopped us and informed us that by doing so we were basically telling the driver and everyone else around us that we are "easy" Ooops! As a female in India you just always have to be thinking about whats appropraite for the culture, just sitting in the front seat with another man can be taken the wrong way, Which is really quite sad. Although the rest of the ride up to Amber Palace was a little awkward when we made it to our stop we were blown away. It was so stunning, we all felt like we were straight out of Lord of the Rings! There were walls that went in all directions from the temple that looked like mini great walls of China. The Palace itself was Magnificent, and riding huge Indian Elephants up the ancient cobble stoned streets made it that much more special. I had to pinch myself, not believing that i am actually in India! No picture could capture this beauty!
We explored the inside of the temple, one room was filled with tiny little mirrors, each one individually placed into beautiful artwork, A whole room! Walking through the maze of hallways and rooms, two of the other girls and I got lost and wound up on the very top, no one else there to bug us as we soaked it all in. We slowly made our way down from the Palace and got a ride to another palace on the water. Although the Palace was amazing we were all more focused on the little boys who were trying to do magic tricks in front of us as their pimp bragged to us about how good they were. We were so disgusted, here is this Pimp exploiting these innocent boys as two cops walk by knowing exactly what is going on and just smiling and just loving this pimp. We all were getting so worked up about it that we decided to leave before we caused a scene.
Riding in rickshaws all day to get places we learned to pack some fruit so when the little boys and girls come up asking for money we can pass out food instead of money going to their Pimps..
That night we all went our separate ways and the girls my age and I went out for a drink. Thinking a glass of wine would be a nice way to end off a perfect day we find out that it is a Dry night, No alcohol is served in memory of Ghandi's Death. Darnit Ghandi!! We settled for mocktini's on our open rooftop restaurant. It was such a good night as we sat under the stars having a girls night, smoking from an Indian Hooka. (not drugs don't worry, Flavored tobacco out of a standing Indian style Pipe.)
As we made our way into the night to find a rickshaw back to the hotel we managed to flag one down who didnt speak an ounce of English. Two surprisingly nice guys tried to help us give our driver directions and after some difficulties it seemed like he knew where we were going. He was definately not the best driver we had experienced and at first we thought it was pretty funny because he was so goofy looking and drove pretty goofy aswell.. But as we nearly got hit several times and were actually screaming we realized he was Drunk as a Skunk! How Ironic that he is drunk on a Dry night... We stopped to get a new driver and get directions disoriented and adrenaline running from almost dyeing. We were well aware of our vulnerability; 3 girls alone at night, lost but we found the kindest guys who scolded the drunk driver, found us a new rickshaw and gave him perfect directions to our Hotel. We were so lucky to have found such nice men, for once not greasy, rude or vulgar.
Sunday, the day we leave was a day for relaxing! We did some quick shopping than made our way to a garden to eat our lunch and spend the day in the sun reading and hanging out. The garden we went to was the Kings (Maha Rhaja?) Wife's sleeping quarters, which she demanded to have if she was to marry him. Heck i would marry any guy who built me a palace like this one! Not only was her living quarters magnificant, but the surrounding garden and little Gazeebo type structures lining the garden were breathtaking. I spent hours reading and soaking up the sun (i am still so pale) taking breaks to glance up and imagine what this palace once looked like in its prime.
What a great way to end off the Perfect weekend. I had so many great experiences, and memories in such a short period of time. The people i travelled with to Jaiper were the best, we all got along so well and I really connected and made strong friendships with the girls.
A long train ride back home to a house full of girls with Chicken Pocks and Lice.. to top it off they have Exams stressing them out.. Its going to be one busy week.
Sorry to everyone i keep telling to skype with me, i never really know when i will have a chance to use the computer.
Love you all!
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