Canadian Derps take on Northern India

Keoladeo National Park

Tree Fort dinner in Khajuraho

Kama Sutra Carvings

Taj Mahal!

View of Varanasi from the Ganges

Jaisalmer Fort

Rooftop restaurant in Jaisalmer

Camel safari in the Thar Desert

Lake view in Jaisalmer

View of Lake Picholo in Udaipur

Cat and I at the wedding!

Okay, so it’s been…oh, almost 7 weeks since my last blog post – I kind of got preoccupied with life in North India but am once again procrastinating from studying for my finals! So, in the interest of brevity I’m going to divide this post into chronological chunks and talk about the highlights of my time in Northern India.

End of Mysore

The Final week in Mysore was spent cramming for our exams that would complete the first module of the semester and compromise 50% of our final marks. It was a bit stressful, but went well overall. We finished our exams on Feb. 17^th with natural chemistry and celebrated by going out for dinner at Park Lane Hotel. I ordered a corn and spinach bake in an effort to inject some veggies into my system; worst mistake, must stick to my oily curries! We returned to ODP and spent the rest of the evening drinking cheap India whisky and stargazing on the roof and discussing our trip and life and all that. We had our final yoga class, got molded into some more impossible poses then bid farewell to the crazy yoga instructor. Most of us kept our yoga mats and attempted to carry them with us to the North, but trying to squeeze through the narrow compartments on the train with two backpacks and a yoga mat strapped horizontally to the bag was just a bad idea (we had to shove each other just to get through the doorway).

Our last meal at ODP was a really nice goodbye lunch; they prepared an amazing buffet meal, set the tables really nicely (using old bedsheets J) and even had BEER! They had a few chicken dishes which were delicious; I have since decided to take a stab (ha..ha) at being a vegetarian. So far, so good.! Could really go for some bacon though… Anyways, we had a great meal followed by a few thank you/goodbye speeches, then we were off again!

Hyerderabad – Varanasi – Jaipur

After taking the bus to Bangalore and another overnight train, we arrived early on the 19^th in Hyderabad. We had breakfast in the hotel, explored the Daal Bazaar, Chamanar mosque and other parts of the city. Heather and I didn’t take long to find the nearest mall and were thoroughly entertained when a dance show started on the first level and we got to watch from above as a group of dancers performed a routine to ‘Jai Ho.’ We searched high and low…(again, no pun intended), for a restaurant recommended in lonely planet and known to provide hookahs, but to no avail. We settled for a super fancy restaurant for our dinner date and went all out on dinner and drinks instead. I think we spent maybe $10 each on that meal.

The next day (Feb. 20), we explored Golkonda fort, which was soo cool! It was in ruins for the most part but we were allowed to roam around freely and got an amazing view over the city. Unfortunately, cities in India are encased in a constant smog bubble that makes it impossible to have a clear view of anything. I met a guy called Durveesh from Dubai who gave me his phone number and told me to come visit him in Dubai. Escaping that one was a little awkward, but I passed his number along to Erin in case her search for an Indian husband doesn’t work out! After that, we went to the Hyderabad race tracks and watched some horse races; nothing beat the sight of Zack cheering his face off for number 5, then after looking back at his betting card and realizing he’d put money on number 7. For dinner, we all went to an even nicer restaurant than the previous night; it was called the Waterfront and had a dock overlooking the lake and all the fountains; for that evening I didn’t see any sign of India being a developing country.

The next day we left by train for Varanasi. This was the 28 hour train ride from hell that brought us 3,000 km from Southern India up to the North. It was okay the first day, but the second day was boiling hot, and even the wind felt like it was coming from a furnace. It was such a relief to reach Varanasi and definitely worth the travel once we got there!

Varanasi

Varanasi is the oldest city known to have been constantly inhabited by humans, dating back thousands of years and it symbolizes the religious centre of India, so it was a significant stop on our journey through India. After checking in at our hotel and showering, we headed out for dinner at another lonely planet restaurant. We decided to take bicycle rickshaws which were very different from the little yellow auto rickshaws we had gotten accustomed to in Mysore. The next day (Feb. 23), we wandered by foot around the back alley roads and markets of Varanasi. We met the ‘shit’ man there, who took on a whole new marketing tactic. He comes up to us and goes, “Would you like to see my shitty shop? I have all kinds of shit. Yes, I know you saw some shitty shops…and they gave you a good price? Okay, well I give you shit price! Come see my shit!” I was astonished at first but then we all just burst out laughing and the man walked off. We realized he’d just been ‘shitting’ us but it was nice to meet someone with a sense of humour and reminded me to not take things too seriously. It’s only life, after all.

That evening, we took a boat ride down the Ganges, which was phenomenal! The Ganges is a sacred river to Indians and is a pilgrimage destination as well as a cremation site, and the water from the Ganges is holy water considered to have curative properties. We got to watch from the boat as the nightly Aarthi ceremony was performed (using many lights and candles) to celebrate Mother Ganga. It was amazing to see this ritual which had been taking place for so long; our guide told us his mother had been attending the ceremony daily for 70 years!

The next morning we dragged our sorry asses out of bed at 5 am and went for another boat ride on the Ganges to watch the sun rise and then we visited the Golden Temple (dedicated to Shiva). After breakfast in the hotel, we visited a few temples including a Jain temple. We also visited the Sarnath, which is where Lord Buddha recited his first sermon. After lunch we went to another temple near Hyderabad University, which was the most impressive in size and architecture. That evening and the next day, I spent some time relaxing in the hotel and hand washing laundry before our overnight train to Jaipur (Feb. 25).

Jaipur and host family

On February 26^th in the morning, we arrived in Jaipur and went to Kanodia College which was where our lecture hall was being rented for the month. Jaipur is cleaner than any other city we’d visited and I was shocked to see well-paved and WIDE roads, which middle dividers and lanes, and way more cars than I was used to seeing. We were greeted by the co-ordinators and the host families. I was paired with Catherine for our homestay which was lucky because we get along great and have a lot in common. Our host family is the Dubes and consists of an older couple (the husband is a retired history professor), and they share a house with their daughter-in-law (Sarubi) and her two young children. The boy (Chinmay) is 10 and the girl (Divyanesh; aka Chotti which means the youngest) is 2 years old. Sarubi’s husband and the Dubes’ son is called Abishek and has been working for the past 6 months in Ahmedabad.

Staying with them has been amazing and although it took a day or two to get used to things, they were extremely welcoming. It was also such a nice surprise to have young kids in the house; they really liven up the atmosphere and were a lot of fun to play with. Chinmay’s English was almost perfect and Chotti was like a sponge, repeating anything we would say, in English or even in French. Cat and I became really close with Sarubi, who is about 35 but looks way younger; she really took us under her wing and taught us so much during our stay here.

The Dubes are a Brahmin family and seem to be upper-middle-class. They have a car and live in a gated community in a 3 storey white house. The house is not very big but has air conditioning and is really nicely furnished and decorated. They have several helpers who do cooking, cleaning, dishes, sweeping and laundry. The room Cat and I share is on the upper floor and has its own door which is also nice; inside is a closet, two beds, a desk, a small bathroom and a small patio overlooking the street. The food is delicious and they have been really good about not force-feeding us too too much. For breakfast we get toast with papaya, banana, porridge and chai tea…we couldn’t have asked for better accommodations!

Our first week of classes was not overly eventful, but there were a few highlights. Because we’re living with a family, we take a rickshaw to school and home every day which is pretty fun. One driver has latched onto our routine and parks at the end of our street every morning, so we’ve become a regular customer for him. The first week, the co-coordinators got wi-fi set up for us in our the lecture hall and lounge, which was great for all of us and especially for all the people in our group who were not having luck with their internet sticks. On one of the first nights, our English literature prof recommended a free dance show at the local theatre, and we were SO pleasantly surprised to discover is was a group of male American dancers doing contemporary dance and hip hop to popular songs. So there we were, ten white Canadian girls sitting in the front row cheering and whistling and taking pictures of these guys dancing on stage..excellent!

We found a small market/shopping area about 1 km away from the college and it became a daily tradition to walk there during our lunch break for fruit, ice cream or any other necessities! A couple times I forfeited my ice cream to a street kid instead of giving him or her money; it’s hard to know what to do about all the poverty we see around us, but when the children are clearly hungry it’s easy enough to give them leftover lunch food or snacks. I quickly learned not to give them any unopened fruit or packaged food though because they won’t eat it but will try to sell it. The first time I went to rip open a bag of chips for a little boy he started yelling and tried to stop me from opening it.

Jaisalmer – Jodhpur – Udaipur

On the Friday after our first week of classes (March 2), we took an overnight train the Jaisalmer, where we began a week of travel to major cities in Rajasthan. Jaisalmer is a desert town with a lot of tourists due to its huge fort which is still inhabited by 2,000 people and has many narrow cobblestone paths lined with shops, cafes, restaurants, jewellery boutiques and hostels. We spent most of our time on March 3 and 4^th exploring the fort and for some people, doing some major shopping. Pashmina scarves, silver rings and handmade blankets were the most common purchases. I steeled myself against almost all temptation…almost. I couldn’t resist a wooden elephant carving about the size of my head. His name’s Babar and he’s going to live on my shelf at home. We found another really nice rooftop restaurant the first night and I went with a smaller group for dinner and drinks there. We watched the sun set over the fort and surrounding desert and definitely all agreed that life was pretty much perfect at that moment.

The next day we took a short bus ride out into the desert where we went on a camel safari!!! That was a pretty cool experience and I realized just how awesome camels are... they have really interesting faces! Except when the safari ended and we all climbed off, I made the mistake of standing downwind and I got a bit peed on by one of the camels. That night we stayed at a desert camp in Swiss tents. There was a huge campfire followed by some cultural dances where we all wound up joining in at the end and it almost felt like being at camp. But, sleeping in the desert in Swiss tents was nowhere near as glamorous as I’d expected (maybe Sex and the City 2 was not a good indication of desert realities)? I woke up with a sand dune in my belly button as well as everywhere else. It was an exfoliating experience.

The next day (March 5) we returned to Jaisalmer and promptly went to our favourite German Bakery from some legit coffee and baked goods. After double fisting croissants and cakes, Cat, Abby and I went to the small manmade lake in Jaisalmer and rented a pedal boat. After dicking around there for a bit, we found a small temple by the lake and relaxed there for a bit to escape the heat.

The next day was spent mostly on the bus to Jodhpur. Devon, after bragging to everyone about her stomach of steel, finally bit the dust and joined the sick club (sorry Devon! :P). Jodhpur also has a huge fort (they are common in the North due to a history of invasion by the Mughals and others). We spent a few hours exploring Mehrangarh fort (1459 A.D.), and got an audio tour which was really helpful. We then returned to the hotel where I called it a day at about 8pm. Overall, we saw basically none of Jodhpur except the fort and a really nice view of the “blue city” (known for its blue painted buildings), so I wish we’d had an extra day but nevermind.

Early on the 7^th we departed for Udaipur, which again took the better part of the day. Udaipur was sweet. We found a really nice rooftop restaurant (of course) overlooking Lake Picholo (which I lost money on a bet that it was natural and not manmade…I haven’t found many natural lakes in India). That was the first night of Holi, which is a big festival in India where people throw brightly coloured dyes at each other and have giant bonfires and basically live it up. We got to watch fireworks and saw some bonfires on our way back to the hotel. The next day we were under hotel arrest until late afternoon to avoid the Holi festivities; it’s often unsafe for tourists and we were told that the dyes used have strong and often really harmful chemicals in them. That was a bit of a downer but I guess safety first.

Our last day in Udaipur we went to Udaipur Palace and got another audio tour, as well as a boat ride in Lake Picholo, where we really got a taste of safety in India when they made us where bright orange PFDs. Fun fact: there is a really fancy hotel in the middle of the lake where one of the James Bond (Octapussy) movies was filmed. We once again sniffed out the best coffee shop in Udaipur and hit the jackpot because they also had REAL chocolate cake. In India it’s really hard to find things other than Indian sweets (which are really just cavity catalysts). There’s a shortage on good coffee, chocolate, cookies, cakes, pies…all that important stuff. That night (March 9^th), we took our final night train back to Jaipur and returned home to our host families. Good to be home, and our host family told Cat and I they missed us.

Jaipur Highlights

After sleeping a few more hours, Cat and I met up with the rest of the group and we visited Amber Fort in Jaipur; the older one was really impressive and had elephants which would carry tourists up to the front entrance from the lower ground level. We visited the newer fort as well, got ice cream and then got stuck in Jaipur traffic for over an hour heading back home.

That night (March 10), Cat and I were lucky enough to accompany the Dubes to a wedding (an arranged marriage). It was our host father’s niece’s husband’s sister’s daughter’s wedding (good luck working that one out). The previous week, Sarubi had taken Cat and I Saree shopping so we were both decked out in proper Indian sarees. Cat opted for a royal blue heavy silk saree and I went for a thinner material with multicoloured patterns and silver embroidery. I felt like a bird of paradise, but it was amazing! The wedding was really elaborate and was held on a large terrace with lots of white lighting, tons of food, and everyone decked to the nines. I made a slight oversight on the jewelery though and wasn’t wearing a necklace or any bangles (just simple earrings). An older friend of our host mother came up to me and asked me where my gold was, where were my bangles and what were these black things on my wrists (my black hair ties). Oops. She decided to bejewel me and proceeded to remove her bangles and attempt to ram them onto my hands. That didn’t work so well and she abandoned her attempt at my knuckles but the lesson was learned; don’t go to an Indian wedding without at least a pound of jewellery on your person!

Then, there was the food. The terrace was arranged with booth-like structures around the perimeter and each offering a different type of food. Sarubi took us around to each section and got us to try just about everything. We got these thin papery balls that were cracked open and stuffed with some kind of potato mix then dipped in water. Choking those back was quite the feat, but some of the other food was amazing! We got to see some of the wedding proceedings but left before more of the official stuff because that would go on until 2 or 3 in the morning. That night, I was sicker than ever before! I must have got some kind of food poisoning at the wedding, but it knocked me right on my ass and sent me scrambling for my unused packets of gastrolyte and immodium. Spent a couple days in bed then was back to normal, though I’m a little more cautious with the food now. I also learned that meshy fabric bags are NOT condusive to holding puke, just for future reference – always go for the plastic!

That week, I went with Sarubi to the park just around the corner. It’s really just a small field with a playground at one end, open space in the middle and a small walking track around the perimeter. The kids love it there and going to the park with them became a bit of a ritual after that. I also started going for walks there as there aren’t many places to just walk around on my own nearby. Heather and I also went to get haircuts. We found a women’s hair salon that wasn’t much different than a first choice back home, but the hair dressers were SO aggressive! After vigorously washing and towel drying and combing out my hair, the women held up her comb full of my ripped out hair and looked at me solemnly, saying “Hair fall.” Yeah, no shit. Anyways, she got the job done well enough and it cost about $10.

On March 14^th we had a little surprise birthday party for one of our profs, Cynthia. After class we had a table set up with drinks and cake and samosas. I wore my saree to school that day (Sarubi had to help me wrap/tie/pin it on properly), but everyone loved it! We had a couple more days of class, then on Friday after classes, Abby, Julie and I went to the McDonald’s in Gaurav Tower and got McFlurrys. Cat and I watched an amazing Sharu Khan Bollywood movie that night and packed for Khajuraho.

Khajuraho weekend

On March 17^th, we boarded the bus for Agra and spent St. Patty’s day bumping along ‘roads’ blocked by massive potholes, other vehicles and construction equipment. The trip took a grueling 17 hours and by the end of it we were all drinking whisky and blasting the Chieftains, realizing that was about as much of a party as we were going to get that day. Still, it wasn’t that bad. We arrived after midnight, checked our drunken selves in and slept in Sunday morning.

We had an amazing buffet breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to visit the Western Group of temples, which are a world heritage site and are known for their elaborate Kama Sutra-inspired carvings. We got an audio tour of the temples, which were really impressive and indeed showcased some pretty shocking/explicit stuff. After that, we stopped at a Lonely Planet-recommended café, then headed back to the hotel (about a km walk down the main road) to escape the sun.

That afternoon we mostly hung out at the hotel, having discovered a SWIMMING POOL out back! That was such a great surprise and a first in India. It was so much fun just to hang out outside, Agra is a smaller town without the noise and pollution of the city, so it was much more quiet and peaceful. We had a happy hour by the pool then went to an Italian restaurant for some pizza. An incredible day.

The next morning we had the same buffet breakfast and swam in the pool for a bit before heading out to see a group of Jain temples. We met a 17-year-old boy called Babu, who guided us through the old village section of the city, which was much more rustic and housed most of the locals. I was shocked when he showed us a small line in the road, like a speed bump, and informed us that it was the dividing line between a higher and lower caste; we had been told that caste segregation didn’t occur anymore but it’s certainly not always the case, especially in more rural areas.

We had lunch at Raj Café, then visited a few shops, where we had chai with some shopkeepers. It was interesting to meet one younger man who had travelled all over Europe and most of Asia, had spent time studying in Spain and France and still always returned home to run his business. He told us that India was where he belonged and it was his duty to remain in his home and to be near his family.

That night for dinner, we ate in a tree fort. It was an extension of an actual restaurant but there was a little bridge leading to a giant tree which had a platform perched in the middle with a table and chairs. Of course, halfway through dinner the power went out; so, we ate dinner in the dark in a tree fort and it was totally awesome. The next day, we braved the same 17-hour journey back to Jaipur and to our host families.

Agra weekend

After 3 days of classes and another bout of sickness, a bunch of us went to Crystal Mall on the opening night of Hunger Games. We bought tickets and popcorn for $4 and were just about the only people in the theatre, but the movie was really good (even though I only read half the book last summer).

On the 24^th, we headed for Agra (the city home to the Taj Mahal); this bus ride was much more bearable and we made a stop at a fort near Agra for a guided tour. We got to Agra late in the afternoon and proceeded to the nearest rooftop restaurant for dinner. The next morning we left the hotel at 6 am to get to the Taj Mahal early. It was really cool to see in real life and definitely lived up to its reputation! The pathway leading up to the palace seemed shorter in real life but it was so beautiful. I was surprised to see a flowery pattern accenting the archways of the palace; it looked just like my bedspread at home and was so pretty!

The next morning we left Agra and stopped on our way back at Keoladeo National Park and bird sanctuary. We rented bikes and got a guided tour of the park, where we saw jackals, antelope, ferrets, as well as the tallest bird on Earth (140 cm high with a wingspan of 3 meters). It was a crane and our tour guide played a bird call from his cell phone which prompted a bunch of them to take off. After a couple hours of biking around we had lunch at a tourist stop along the highway (which meant mediocre food for astronomical prices) and returned to Jaipur once again for our last few days of classes.

I’ll leave it at that for now as this is way too long already. It’s now April 1^st and we’ve got only 8 days left until the semester is over! More to come in later days…