Well we're back!! As of last Thursday morning actually. It's hard to believe it's been almost a week. Not sure many people will read this last post, but hopefully Praerna Kartha does because I promised her I would write when I got back! I think I went through a state of withdrawal on my last day before I had even left. I couldn't imagine being back in the US after such a long and amazing trip. For a second I thought "could we move here?" I mean, of course I hadn't run this by G and I have no idea what we would do there, but I just wasn't ready to leave! I had forgotten what life in the US was like. I'm pretty positive I could live in on the beach and run a yoga studio or something, but alas, my family would miss me too much.
As you can tell, my trip to India was absolutely unforgettable. Of course it won't be my last, but there is nothing like a first trip to a new land. I miss G's family already, we had so much fun and they were so amazing and welcoming. It's amazing how close his bonds are with these family members when they live so far apart. And I miss Father Joe too, I still can't get over how awesome it was to spend time with him in Kochi. I hope to be back and to drag my brother next time to see Father Joe! We might need to bring a cordless air conditioner for him to walk around with, but I think he'll survive :)
The rest of our time after the wedding went very quickly but we fit in a lot and had no shortage of fun. On Saturday we did some sight-seeing and saw some sweet sights. First we went to Humayun's tomb. Humayun was another member of the Monghul empire. I think I almost liked Humayan's tomb better then the Taj, but don't tell anyone. It was a mix of marble and sandstone and it was just a beautiful contrast. The grounds were also pristine and beautiful and had various other tombs and small mosques on it. After there we went to India Gate (an enormous marble gate that was a gift to the British for a visit by the Queen I think), drove past Parliament and the President's house, and had some kebabs. Our last stop was Qutub Minar which I thought was just a measly tower but happened to be the most ornate and beautiful tower I've ever seen. The grounds there were, full of ruins and other tombs. You could almost imagine it as it was in the 1500's.
Sunday was Holi, the festival of colors!!! Oh I forgot to mention, G will be posting pics of all this stuff since he's lacking on the blogging :) Apparently our celebrating was tame compared to what some others do, but I thought it was awesome! You just wear clothes you don't care about ruining, drink, and throw colors everywhere! It mostly in a powder form, but you can also dissolve it in water and use that for water guns. Insanely fun time. Other than that, we did some shopping in the markets and got some great souvenirs, and saw a LOT of Delhi just by driving. From one side of the city to the other to get from place to place. In sum, I am still reeling from our trip, I am sincerely grateful to Gautam for showing me his home country and sharing his family with me, and I can't wait to go back!!
Thanks so much to everyone who read and commented, we really appreciate it!!
Love,
Katie and G
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Wedding and Such!
Yes, I know, it's been a week since we posted and I feel really bad! I thought being back in Delhi we would have more time but it's been quite the opposite. Mainly because of wedding preparations, there has just been so much running around to do. But obviously we have sprinkled in lots of fun throughout, and truthfully the running around is pretty fun too because we get to see ALL different parts of Delhi.
I think we left off in Kovalum. My last blog post was written from the deck of the infinity pool at the hotel we were staying at (The Leela). The hotel was AWESOME! Still on the beach like Poovar, but different in that Kovalum was more of a resort and vacation-type area so the contrast between the two was nice. G and I splurged a little which made our stay there that much more enjoyable. The day we got in we went to Hawa Beach to a restaurant that Father Joe recommended because one of his good friends, Geemon, works there. Geemon is originally from Kochi which is how they know each other...his family lives near the monastery. Geemon did not disappoint. Nor did his restaurant, Swiss Cafe, for that matter. We loved lunch so much that we went back for dinner. Except as we left for lunch, Geemon let us put in a special order for jumbo prawns (seriously almost as big as lobsters) that were caught that day!! Can't even describe now awesome they were. Also on Hawa Beach we put to use our bargaining skills (G is pretty good) and played in the water. The rest of our time in Kovalum was spent at the hotel enjoying the pool and just chilling. I did yoga both mornings there because the yoga studio at the ayurveda was completely open and overlooked the ocean. Most amazing spot I've ever done yoga!
Switching gears back to Delhi...as for the wedding, the mendhi (during the day the women get their henna painted on, and at night there's a party) was yesterday and then the wedding was this morning. The mendhi was at Ranju Bua's and the wedding was at Kusum Bua's so they both had all the comforts of home which is awesome. This morning, Adrienne went to the salon in the morning to get her hair and make-up done and then some of us met her and got our sarees draped...this is not an easy task if you're not a frequent saree wearer (9 yards of fabric has to be wrapped around you) so the assistance is much appreciated! The ceremony was awesome. I've only ever been to one other Indian wedding and we were too far away from the pulpit to hear anything. Also, the rituals are cited in sanskrit, which I don't understand, but the pundit (priest/minister) today did a really great job of explaining the important parts in English. The messages were symbolic and related to the combining of two separate matters (water, fire, etc) to make one matter. We'll give some more color on the ceremony later, and pics are to come tomorrow morning, but we are running on so little sleep right now that I don't think I can't sort through the pics as of now! Anyway, glad to be back on the board, hope everyone is well :)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Kochi and Father Joe
Well, a LOT has happened since the last time I posted. I always hope for more free time, but i guess it's not a bad thing that our hours are full and exciting! So I was incorrect...I initially said Father Joe had been in India for 12 years and as G mentioned, it has been 15! Before he moved there, he specified that he would be willing to stay maybe for 2 years but probably not any longer. I think India surprised him and you can just see how much he loves it and how much India loves him.
Father Joe is an integral part of the Van Leeuwen family. He married my parents in 1974, and he's about to marry my cousin Craig in June, 37 years later. Amazing. Although he has lived in India for so long, we still see him very often.(almost yearly) and always has the best stories to tell about India. So seeing his life here first hand and witnessing the service he has provided to so many people for so many years and those whose lives he has touched is inspiring. People love and know him because he loves them. And as G mentioned, he knows everyone. He showed us an awesome time in Kochi. The night we arrived, he showed us all around the monastery which is so cool, very beautiful and picturesque, albeit simple. The simplicity was the best part about it. It just reminds you that all this stuff we have isn't always necessary, and just helps you take a step back. This is a picture of the three of us at an awesome restaurant he took us to at the Harbor Hotel in Fort Kochi the first night.
We ate outside in the garden, the only lighting was lights hanging from trees, and there was a traditional Indian band playing across the pool. It was a three-piece band, all members seated on the ground, two types of drummers and someone playing a harmonium (?), an accordion type instrument. After a good night's sleep, I went to mass in the morning in the new chapel (below). Father Joe worked for so many years to get this chapel built, his name is on the plaque outside, and rightfully so, he and everyone in the parish are so proud of it.
The next day (Monday) was full of sight-seeing all around Kochi, and Father Joe had more energy than G and I combined. We were exhausted at the end of the day! But in a very fulfilling way. The next day (Tuesday) was left open so after a leisurely breakfast, we decided to go to Cherai Beach, where another Passionist parish is located that also has a new, beautiful chapel. The monastery there has an awesome goat named Mary who is like a dog. She deserves a shout-out.
Cherai Beach is a small fishing village with gorgeous beaches and warm ocean water on the Arabian Sea. After playing in the waves, Father Francis took us to an oceanside restaurant for a late lunch with the freshest seafood around. Not the first or last time we have had unbelievably delicious and freshly caught seafood. After a late dinner, we retired for the night and packed, as we were headed to Poovar the following morning. Here is where we stayed in Poovar.
www.poovarislandresort.com
Full of nature and beauty. We stayed in a floating cottage and sat outside listening to the waves crash at night. More about Poovar and Kovalum (where we arrived today) next post!
Father Joe is an integral part of the Van Leeuwen family. He married my parents in 1974, and he's about to marry my cousin Craig in June, 37 years later. Amazing. Although he has lived in India for so long, we still see him very often.(almost yearly) and always has the best stories to tell about India. So seeing his life here first hand and witnessing the service he has provided to so many people for so many years and those whose lives he has touched is inspiring. People love and know him because he loves them. And as G mentioned, he knows everyone. He showed us an awesome time in Kochi. The night we arrived, he showed us all around the monastery which is so cool, very beautiful and picturesque, albeit simple. The simplicity was the best part about it. It just reminds you that all this stuff we have isn't always necessary, and just helps you take a step back. This is a picture of the three of us at an awesome restaurant he took us to at the Harbor Hotel in Fort Kochi the first night.
We ate outside in the garden, the only lighting was lights hanging from trees, and there was a traditional Indian band playing across the pool. It was a three-piece band, all members seated on the ground, two types of drummers and someone playing a harmonium (?), an accordion type instrument. After a good night's sleep, I went to mass in the morning in the new chapel (below). Father Joe worked for so many years to get this chapel built, his name is on the plaque outside, and rightfully so, he and everyone in the parish are so proud of it.
The next day (Monday) was full of sight-seeing all around Kochi, and Father Joe had more energy than G and I combined. We were exhausted at the end of the day! But in a very fulfilling way. The next day (Tuesday) was left open so after a leisurely breakfast, we decided to go to Cherai Beach, where another Passionist parish is located that also has a new, beautiful chapel. The monastery there has an awesome goat named Mary who is like a dog. She deserves a shout-out.
Cherai Beach is a small fishing village with gorgeous beaches and warm ocean water on the Arabian Sea. After playing in the waves, Father Francis took us to an oceanside restaurant for a late lunch with the freshest seafood around. Not the first or last time we have had unbelievably delicious and freshly caught seafood. After a late dinner, we retired for the night and packed, as we were headed to Poovar the following morning. Here is where we stayed in Poovar.
www.poovarislandresort.com
Full of nature and beauty. We stayed in a floating cottage and sat outside listening to the waves crash at night. More about Poovar and Kovalum (where we arrived today) next post!
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Land of Coconuts
Greetings from Kochi, the city formally known as Cochin. As our flight was landing, all you could see for miles & miles were rows & rows of Palm Trees. Later we were informed that they were Coconut Trees. I'm not sure what the exact difference is?
Turns out there was a dignatory or minister arriving at the same time, and there was a huge arrival party waiting at the airport, complete with a band. They were playing drums and blowing horns constantly, it was very festive. (see horns below - the are so thin but made a huge sound)
Were greeted by Father Joe - and after giving me a hug, the first thing he said (jokingly) was "Do you like the band I arranged for you!" I thanked him for arranging the band & picking us up and then we jumped in the car and drove back to the Monastery.
On arrival he gave us the grand tour, including the absolutely beautiful Chapel that he was in charge of building. I plan on taking some nice (artsy) pictures during morning mass on Ash Wednesday. Katie went to mass on the first morning at 6:45AM, but that was just a little too early for me on Day 1.
The grounds of the monastery have a ton of coconut trees, banana trees and a huge mango tree. The coconut tree used to produce so many coconuts that they had extra to sell. Now the number of people here has grown large enough, that they are consumed on site. The banana tree has clumps of mini bananas, that are so delicious and sweet. I wanted to eat 10 of them for breakfast, but limited myself to 2. The mango tree has dozens of mangoes on it, but they arent ripe yet.
Father Joe has been an AWESOME host. He has taken us around town and given us a glimpse into how the locals live. We have taken auto rickshaws (aka autos, 3 wheelers, tuck tucks) around everywhere. We even hoped on a city bus for a bit and took commuter ferry across the bay.
And it's amazing wherever we go, everyone knows him. From young people to old people. From restaurant and hotel owners, to waiters, cab drivers, shop keepers, vendors and fisherman. A man on a motorcycle stopped driving, pulled over, and took off his helmet to say hi to him and shake his hand. It's absolutely incredible. There are about 1.5 million people in Kochi, and it has only taken him 15 years to know all of them! And they genuinely care about him and were all very eager to meet us.
We've seen a nice mix of sites and local life. We've also had some pretty nice meals. All the dishes here are made with coconut. I had this great lentil pumpkin coconut for dinner the 1st night. I think it might be my new favorite food. I'm going to have to try and replicate it when I get home. We also tried banana pie, cinnamon ice cream and coconut ice cream. Seriously, I think I'm going to for coconut in my omelet tomorrow morning. It's everywhere!
Editorial Note: The pictures provided in this post are courtesy of Google Images. We haven't really had time to upload any pictures, but still wanted to provide some visuals. I'll make sure to get some of our pictures up here soon.
Turns out there was a dignatory or minister arriving at the same time, and there was a huge arrival party waiting at the airport, complete with a band. They were playing drums and blowing horns constantly, it was very festive. (see horns below - the are so thin but made a huge sound)
Were greeted by Father Joe - and after giving me a hug, the first thing he said (jokingly) was "Do you like the band I arranged for you!" I thanked him for arranging the band & picking us up and then we jumped in the car and drove back to the Monastery.
On arrival he gave us the grand tour, including the absolutely beautiful Chapel that he was in charge of building. I plan on taking some nice (artsy) pictures during morning mass on Ash Wednesday. Katie went to mass on the first morning at 6:45AM, but that was just a little too early for me on Day 1.
The grounds of the monastery have a ton of coconut trees, banana trees and a huge mango tree. The coconut tree used to produce so many coconuts that they had extra to sell. Now the number of people here has grown large enough, that they are consumed on site. The banana tree has clumps of mini bananas, that are so delicious and sweet. I wanted to eat 10 of them for breakfast, but limited myself to 2. The mango tree has dozens of mangoes on it, but they arent ripe yet.
Father Joe has been an AWESOME host. He has taken us around town and given us a glimpse into how the locals live. We have taken auto rickshaws (aka autos, 3 wheelers, tuck tucks) around everywhere. We even hoped on a city bus for a bit and took commuter ferry across the bay.
And it's amazing wherever we go, everyone knows him. From young people to old people. From restaurant and hotel owners, to waiters, cab drivers, shop keepers, vendors and fisherman. A man on a motorcycle stopped driving, pulled over, and took off his helmet to say hi to him and shake his hand. It's absolutely incredible. There are about 1.5 million people in Kochi, and it has only taken him 15 years to know all of them! And they genuinely care about him and were all very eager to meet us.
We've seen a nice mix of sites and local life. We've also had some pretty nice meals. All the dishes here are made with coconut. I had this great lentil pumpkin coconut for dinner the 1st night. I think it might be my new favorite food. I'm going to have to try and replicate it when I get home. We also tried banana pie, cinnamon ice cream and coconut ice cream. Seriously, I think I'm going to for coconut in my omelet tomorrow morning. It's everywhere!
Editorial Note: The pictures provided in this post are courtesy of Google Images. We haven't really had time to upload any pictures, but still wanted to provide some visuals. I'll make sure to get some of our pictures up here soon.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
First Day in Delhi, now in Kerala!
We have settled in and I finally have some time to blog! As G mentioned, we only had a day in Delhi and none of it involved having time in front of a computer! After landing and being greeted by G's cousin, Praerna, her husband, Arjun, and Praerna's mom (G's aunt) Ranju Bua, we headed home, had a "snack" (the amazing Indian cuisine feast begins!) and some tea (tea is something that happens about 5-6 times a day the experience of which I love), and retired to bed at 5am. We woke at 1:30pm and walked down the street to G's other aunt's house (Kusum Bua) for lunch. The 3 block walk was exciting to say the least! Although this is sort of a gated neighborhood, on one vacant lot we saw 4 cows grazing, and on another vacant lot was a mother boar and her "boarlet"? litter. That was a site and it was clear she did not want us to get too close at all. G's grandma, Daddima, lives with Kusum Bua so after two years of hearing about his wonderful grandmother, I was finally able to meet her. She has as much grace and wisdom as I would have imagined. I must say that all of G's family is absolutely wonderful, hospitable, welcoming, and serves the most amazing food! This trip certainly wouldn't be the same without the comforts of his family.
After lunch we went shopping for Adrienne's wedding saree (which I think we found!) and a saree for me as well. Saree shopping is an awesome experience. You sit down at long tables with chairs, describe the what color and material you are looking for, and then the shopkeepers just start bringing beautiful nine-yard long swaths of fabric. It can be overwhelming, but I was able to identify a beautiful purple saree for the wedding. We dropped it off at the tailor to be made into a saree (they have to cut off part of the fabric to make the blouse that you wear under the material you drape around you). After that it was time to head back for dinner. Yet more amazing food. G says he somehow loses weight when he comes to India, but I don't see how that's possible! Before heading back, we stopped to get some money. I hadn't yet gotten any rupees and felt weird about not having any cash. We went to the ATM, and although I was able to select "English", I had to specify the amount in rupees I wanted to withdraw. In my haste of trying to convert dollars to rupees to tell the ATM how much money I wanted, I ending up withdrawing the equivalent of $16 USD. India is inexpensive, but I don't think that's going to last me 3 weeks! Gotta get that conversion going in my head a little faster. I blame it on the jetlag. Anyway, we have reached Kerala and are at the monastery with Father Joe. It's only been half a day, but the experience so far has been breathtaking. I want to write more when I have more time to do it justice. It is somewhat indescribable being here with my great uncle and seeing the life he has been living for 12 years. G is gathering his thoughts and will blog in the next couple days. Also, pictures are to come. Thanks for reading!
After lunch we went shopping for Adrienne's wedding saree (which I think we found!) and a saree for me as well. Saree shopping is an awesome experience. You sit down at long tables with chairs, describe the what color and material you are looking for, and then the shopkeepers just start bringing beautiful nine-yard long swaths of fabric. It can be overwhelming, but I was able to identify a beautiful purple saree for the wedding. We dropped it off at the tailor to be made into a saree (they have to cut off part of the fabric to make the blouse that you wear under the material you drape around you). After that it was time to head back for dinner. Yet more amazing food. G says he somehow loses weight when he comes to India, but I don't see how that's possible! Before heading back, we stopped to get some money. I hadn't yet gotten any rupees and felt weird about not having any cash. We went to the ATM, and although I was able to select "English", I had to specify the amount in rupees I wanted to withdraw. In my haste of trying to convert dollars to rupees to tell the ATM how much money I wanted, I ending up withdrawing the equivalent of $16 USD. India is inexpensive, but I don't think that's going to last me 3 weeks! Gotta get that conversion going in my head a little faster. I blame it on the jetlag. Anyway, we have reached Kerala and are at the monastery with Father Joe. It's only been half a day, but the experience so far has been breathtaking. I want to write more when I have more time to do it justice. It is somewhat indescribable being here with my great uncle and seeing the life he has been living for 12 years. G is gathering his thoughts and will blog in the next couple days. Also, pictures are to come. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
First Post! - Pre Departure
Welcome to the India Trip Blog! The countdown has begun, and we are soon to mobilize. Packing has been a challenge (still in progress actually). Tough to pack enough for 3 weeks without looking too ridiculous whilst saving room for purchases. We'll see how this progresses until I decide to go to bed thinking I'm done and wake up having no idea what I actually packed. Truthfully, I'm too excited to really care what I packed. We fly out Thursday at 7pm and arrive in Delhi at 1am on Saturday morning. Thankfully G's family is picking us up from the airport at that hour, as we will no doubt be exhausted from layovers in Newark and Frankfurt. Activities commence on Saturday after we wake up from a "nap" to go shopping in Delhi for Adrienne's wedding attire!! Can't wait for the SubContintental Adventures to begin! I'll be in touch from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean/Africa/Arabian Sea!
Ready to Start
Otay. It's time to start the blog back up!!!
I first started this blog circa the summer of 2007, when I went on trip to India with my friends Mike & Meredith. I thought it would be a cool idea. The following is an excerpt from my very first post; where I try to explain why we had a blog:
Then. One Day. I met a beautiful, awesome, smart girl. Isn't that the way every good story starts? I'll spare you the details ... fast forward 2 years ... and we are on the eve of our trip to India. We (you can see us to the right ----->) decided it would fun to fire up the old blog.
We now live in a post Facebook world. We have Twitter, Foursquare, LoL, OMG, WTF. Every Tom, Dick and Harrold has a blog. We live in the age of informationoverload.
It is our hope that our friends and family will be able to read about our adventures, as they happen, as if they were coming on this incredible journey with us. We hope to educate and inform you. And anyone else who is thinking of visiting similar destinations, partaking in some of these adventures in the future, you will have the benefit of our experience.
We have an amazing trip planned. Starting with a visit to see Katie's (great) uncle. He lives in the Southern state of Kerala. He's lived in the port city of Cochin for over a decade, where he serves the community as a Catholic Priest. About 20% of the population of Kerala is Christian -shocking I know. For reference, it's about 57.7% Hindu, and 22.4% Islam. Roughly.
We will be staying with him at the monastery! I'm pretty pumped up about that! After kicking it with Father Joe for a few days, we'll head over to the beach for some rest, relaxation & rays for a few more days
We return to Delhi, to be greeted by my brother ... And a few days after that I will have a new sister!
Ok. Thanks for listening to me ramble. :)
I need to get to the airport. Stat. Talk to you from the subcontinent!
Now I'm ready to start
I first started this blog circa the summer of 2007, when I went on trip to India with my friends Mike & Meredith. I thought it would be a cool idea. The following is an excerpt from my very first post; where I try to explain why we had a blog:
- Have an online & interactive travel diary of our trip to the subcontinent (India)
- Allow our friends and family, many of whom know each other, to read about our adventures. Even if you don’t know the others (Mike, Meredith or Gautam), we like to think you might enjoy each of our different perspectives.
- Be part of the information REVOLUTION. Our stories, reviews, opinions and thoughts will live on — online — for many years to come. Hopefully someone somewhere sometime in this shrinking world of ours will find them useful as they head out on their own travels.
Then. One Day. I met a beautiful, awesome, smart girl. Isn't that the way every good story starts? I'll spare you the details ... fast forward 2 years ... and we are on the eve of our trip to India. We (you can see us to the right ----->) decided it would fun to fire up the old blog.
We now live in a post Facebook world. We have Twitter, Foursquare, LoL, OMG, WTF. Every Tom, Dick and Harrold has a blog. We live in the age of information
It is our hope that our friends and family will be able to read about our adventures, as they happen, as if they were coming on this incredible journey with us. We hope to educate and inform you. And anyone else who is thinking of visiting similar destinations, partaking in some of these adventures in the future, you will have the benefit of our experience.
We have an amazing trip planned. Starting with a visit to see Katie's (great) uncle. He lives in the Southern state of Kerala. He's lived in the port city of Cochin for over a decade, where he serves the community as a Catholic Priest. About 20% of the population of Kerala is Christian -shocking I know. For reference, it's about 57.7% Hindu, and 22.4% Islam. Roughly.
We will be staying with him at the monastery! I'm pretty pumped up about that! After kicking it with Father Joe for a few days, we'll head over to the beach for some rest, relaxation & rays for a few more days
We return to Delhi, to be greeted by my brother ... And a few days after that I will have a new sister!
Ok. Thanks for listening to me ramble. :)
I need to get to the airport. Stat. Talk to you from the subcontinent!
Now I'm ready to start
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Old Stuff...
We're clearing out the right side for some pictures of Katie & I....so I'm throwing the old pics/animations/ramblings from the side in this post.
The Chowdhry Brothers. Remixed.
2007 quote Board
The Cideria in San Sebastian, Spain
The Chowdhry Brothers. Remixed.
2007 quote Board
- "My inner fat kid is rearing its ugly head." - Mike
- "I think I'm going to clip my toe nails." - G
- "I'm so decorated right now. Just like a Christmas Tree." - Mere
- "Do you think they sell hotdogs?" Mere at the vegitarian temple
- "Meredith fell out of bed" - Praerna on the first morning in India
- "Just let it happen" - G's advice on the Indian way of doing things
The Cideria in San Sebastian, Spain
Thursday, June 10, 2010
PA/AK Shadi (December 2009 / January 2010)
Hey Kids - Here are the pictures from my trip to India in December & January. Sorry for the delay, its better late than never. Good thing we got a snow day here in the District today! :)
The impromptu/combined bachelor/bachelorette party that we had the day before the 3 day wedding.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gchowdhry/01FBar#
The first night was the "engagement ceremony" ... while they were already engaged, they still did the traditional ceremony. It was combined with a cocktail night, not just an hour.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gchowdhry/02SaganCocktail#
The 2nd day was when all the women got henna on their hands, and it was followed by dinner and dancing (and scotch) with traditional folk songs, in the evening.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gchowdhry/03MendhiSangeeth#
The wedding. Redic.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gchowdhry/04Shadi#
The impromptu/combined bachelor/bachelorette party that we had the day before the 3 day wedding.
http://picasaweb.google.com/
The first night was the "engagement ceremony" ... while they were already engaged, they still did the traditional ceremony. It was combined with a cocktail night, not just an hour.
http://picasaweb.google.com/
The 2nd day was when all the women got henna on their hands, and it was followed by dinner and dancing (and scotch) with traditional folk songs, in the evening.
http://picasaweb.google.com/
The wedding. Redic.
http://picasaweb.google.com/
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Recap... (December 2008 / January 2009)
Hi! I've finally uploaded my pictures from India. I'm sorry I wasnt able to update the blog. We were traveling alot and on the becah so it was hard to find a computer. Back in Delhi I fell ill for a while.
Here's a quick synopsis, and hopefully the pictures will tell the rest of the story!
Our first destination was the state of Kerala. Kerala is a socialist (coomunist) state, that boasts a whopping 90% literacy rate. And with a 40% Christian population, it was a good place to spend Christmas. The first stop (via a small unexpected detour in Mumbia) was the capaital Trivandrum. The real name is Thiruvananthapuram, but I'll stick witht the anglicisation.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1690743/
After a couple days on the beach we traveled in land to a lake. We spent Christmas day on a House Boat, where the lake met the ocean. They call it the backwaters.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1691055/
We traveled by houseboat and then by car to the port city of Cochin. Cochin is at the very bottom tip of the subcontinent and is a popular trading route.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1691094/
Then back to Delhi. For the party. By these pictures, you may have mistaken it for my 25th birthday party, not my aunt and uncles 25th Wedding Anniversary.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1691114/
While in Delhi, I pretty much layed low and tried to recover (from illness and the party) We did make it a point to check out one site, The Hamyans Tomb. Which is literally in the backyard of my grandmothers old house. We used to hop the fence when we were younger and play in the ruins. They've since restored it. The tomb was the predacessor to the Taj Mahal. We almost hoped the fence again for old times sake...
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1691122/
Here's a quick synopsis, and hopefully the pictures will tell the rest of the story!
Our first destination was the state of Kerala. Kerala is a socialist (coomunist) state, that boasts a whopping 90% literacy rate. And with a 40% Christian population, it was a good place to spend Christmas. The first stop (via a small unexpected detour in Mumbia) was the capaital Trivandrum. The real name is Thiruvananthapuram, but I'll stick witht the anglicisation.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1690743/
After a couple days on the beach we traveled in land to a lake. We spent Christmas day on a House Boat, where the lake met the ocean. They call it the backwaters.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1691055/
We traveled by houseboat and then by car to the port city of Cochin. Cochin is at the very bottom tip of the subcontinent and is a popular trading route.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1691094/
Then back to Delhi. For the party. By these pictures, you may have mistaken it for my 25th birthday party, not my aunt and uncles 25th Wedding Anniversary.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1691114/
While in Delhi, I pretty much layed low and tried to recover (from illness and the party) We did make it a point to check out one site, The Hamyans Tomb. Which is literally in the backyard of my grandmothers old house. We used to hop the fence when we were younger and play in the ruins. They've since restored it. The tomb was the predacessor to the Taj Mahal. We almost hoped the fence again for old times sake...
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1691122/
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Travels Woes
I think I ended my last post by saying that my flight to London was an hour late. And it was, unfortunately my layover was only for an hour and a half. I had to sprint through the airport to get to my flight. And of course, my bags didn't make it. Luckily they were delivered to my aunts house, about 16 hours later. In time for my next flight to Trivandrum. We showed up at the airport, maybe a little late, but flights in India never leave on time. When we went to check in they said. No. There were no seats left on the plane. After a little shock, awe and dsibelief we were escorted to the office of the airline manager on duty.
My brother and cousin (Raj) proceeded to yell in a combination of Hinid and English. My brother simply told him we were getting on that flight. It was sh*t show, but really amusing. It was like there were intense negotiations going on. They kept pulling up different options on the computer and pointing to the giant map of India behind them. The would pick up thier phone, office phones and walkie-talkies and offer our deal to their supervisors, who counter with something else. Random people kept coming in and out of the office with different messages. By this time our departure time our departure time had passed, but the plane did not leave yet..
Finally, they negotiation three seats on the plane. So Vinay, Tori and Barb went on that. (Oh we were all meeting Vinay's g/f Adrienne there, so that might have had something to do with his tone. But in India you almost have to yell at anyone to get anything done. And yeah, I forogot to Introduce her in the lat post. Adrinne rocks. )
Raj went with them to calm down Barb and Tori and I was tasked with getting us on the plan B flight that got us into a nearby town at 1:30am. I walked up to the desk and the first thing the dude does is try and pacify me. I'm not even worked up or anything, but we chat a little. He makes me speak Hindi, even though he obviously speaks English. I use a mix and get by. And I didnt really want to get into a town 3 to 4 hour away (depending on the road or lack of their of) And successfully negotiation our 4 remaining seats on the next flight to Mumbai, two hotel rooms there for the night, dinner voucher, and seats on te 5:30 am flight to Trivandrum. Not too shabby. The hotel in Mumbai was right on the beach, nothing spectatcular, but maybe thats a good thing. When I asked what beer they had, they responded with "Mild" or "Strong" Obviosuly I got the Strong.
The beach here is ridiculously awesome. The resort is pretty small, so there are about 50 or so of us on the beach. And the rest of the beach is full of fishing boats and fisherman. The Seafood is pretty much caught that day. It's awesome. And spicey.
...
...
My brother and cousin (Raj) proceeded to yell in a combination of Hinid and English. My brother simply told him we were getting on that flight. It was sh*t show, but really amusing. It was like there were intense negotiations going on. They kept pulling up different options on the computer and pointing to the giant map of India behind them. The would pick up thier phone, office phones and walkie-talkies and offer our deal to their supervisors, who counter with something else. Random people kept coming in and out of the office with different messages. By this time our departure time our departure time had passed, but the plane did not leave yet..
Finally, they negotiation three seats on the plane. So Vinay, Tori and Barb went on that. (Oh we were all meeting Vinay's g/f Adrienne there, so that might have had something to do with his tone. But in India you almost have to yell at anyone to get anything done. And yeah, I forogot to Introduce her in the lat post. Adrinne rocks. )
Raj went with them to calm down Barb and Tori and I was tasked with getting us on the plan B flight that got us into a nearby town at 1:30am. I walked up to the desk and the first thing the dude does is try and pacify me. I'm not even worked up or anything, but we chat a little. He makes me speak Hindi, even though he obviously speaks English. I use a mix and get by. And I didnt really want to get into a town 3 to 4 hour away (depending on the road or lack of their of) And successfully negotiation our 4 remaining seats on the next flight to Mumbai, two hotel rooms there for the night, dinner voucher, and seats on te 5:30 am flight to Trivandrum. Not too shabby. The hotel in Mumbai was right on the beach, nothing spectatcular, but maybe thats a good thing. When I asked what beer they had, they responded with "Mild" or "Strong" Obviosuly I got the Strong.
The beach here is ridiculously awesome. The resort is pretty small, so there are about 50 or so of us on the beach. And the rest of the beach is full of fishing boats and fisherman. The Seafood is pretty much caught that day. It's awesome. And spicey.
...
...
Monday, December 22, 2008
Family Ties
I just wanted to take a moment to introduce all the characters in the next few chapters of the subcontinental adventures.
The main reason I'm venturing back so soon is to celebrete my aunt and uncles 25th wedding anniversary. My aunt and uncle are like my second set of parents. I have always stayed with them in India. If my parent buy a house in India, I would still have to stay with my aunt and uncle ...
This is more or less turning into a family reunion. And, they throw the sickest paties. This celebration is going to be bigger, badder, and more extravagent than their wedding. Plus we wont have to sit through multiple days and hours upon hours of ceremony.
This will be the first time I'll be in India with my mom since 1992. I was 13 the last time we traveled to India together. For those of you who didnt knoow me back then, I was a pretty darn good kid. I was well behaved. Now that I'm 29, I probably act more like a 13 year old.
The last time I was in India with my brother was 2001/2002 when he was filming Personality. We took at 21 hour train ride from Delhi to Bombay to set up what has now become Dakoit Films...out of this one bedroom cockroach infested apartment.
Also joining us on this trip is my cousin Raj. Raj is very close to our immediate family. He lived with us in Jersey when he and my mom worked in the same hospital in Philly. I was suppose to be the ring bairer in Raj and Barb's wedding ... but I flaked out. It is one of my three regrets in life.
Their kids will be joining us too. Gabe (18), Isaiah(16), and Tori(13). Gabe's been to DC a bunch of times this past summer. We went site seeing, tubing, and to a few concerts. He just finished his first semester at the University of Delware. Isaiah is mini-me. Except he isnt so mini anymore. He came to India with me 4 years ago, and the customs offficials thought I was his dad. Scary. I dont know who thought it was good idea for me to take care of a 12 year old. Scary. And Tori...Tori is the youngest, and is daddy's little girl. Nuff said. And the only little girl that I know that likes to eat sushi.
My mom is already in Delhi enjoying retired life. My brother and the rest of the gang are in the air as we speak(as I type) They left out of NYC at 6PM on Friday. I'm suppose to leave at 10 out of DC, looks like the flight is about 50 minutes late. They have an 111 hour layover in Finland (Helenski?) So even though I leave later, I'll beat them there. I arrive at 1am on Sunday morning. They arrive at 6am. We have to be at my other uncles 78th birthday party at noon on Sunday. That is going to be rough...
Then on Monday niggt, we head SOUTH. We will be on the BEACH for Xmas. Spending a couple days at a nice little resort on the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea, where they have yoga and meditation clases. Then a couple days on a house boat. And then a couple days in he back waters (I have no idea what that means, I guess we'll find out!) The regions we will be visitng are Karela. Key words: Trivandrum, Kerala, Cochin, Backwaters.
The main reason I'm venturing back so soon is to celebrete my aunt and uncles 25th wedding anniversary. My aunt and uncle are like my second set of parents. I have always stayed with them in India. If my parent buy a house in India, I would still have to stay with my aunt and uncle ...
This is more or less turning into a family reunion. And, they throw the sickest paties. This celebration is going to be bigger, badder, and more extravagent than their wedding. Plus we wont have to sit through multiple days and hours upon hours of ceremony.
This will be the first time I'll be in India with my mom since 1992. I was 13 the last time we traveled to India together. For those of you who didnt knoow me back then, I was a pretty darn good kid. I was well behaved. Now that I'm 29, I probably act more like a 13 year old.
The last time I was in India with my brother was 2001/2002 when he was filming Personality. We took at 21 hour train ride from Delhi to Bombay to set up what has now become Dakoit Films...out of this one bedroom cockroach infested apartment.
Also joining us on this trip is my cousin Raj. Raj is very close to our immediate family. He lived with us in Jersey when he and my mom worked in the same hospital in Philly. I was suppose to be the ring bairer in Raj and Barb's wedding ... but I flaked out. It is one of my three regrets in life.
Their kids will be joining us too. Gabe (18), Isaiah(16), and Tori(13). Gabe's been to DC a bunch of times this past summer. We went site seeing, tubing, and to a few concerts. He just finished his first semester at the University of Delware. Isaiah is mini-me. Except he isnt so mini anymore. He came to India with me 4 years ago, and the customs offficials thought I was his dad. Scary. I dont know who thought it was good idea for me to take care of a 12 year old. Scary. And Tori...Tori is the youngest, and is daddy's little girl. Nuff said. And the only little girl that I know that likes to eat sushi.
My mom is already in Delhi enjoying retired life. My brother and the rest of the gang are in the air as we speak(as I type) They left out of NYC at 6PM on Friday. I'm suppose to leave at 10 out of DC, looks like the flight is about 50 minutes late. They have an 111 hour layover in Finland (Helenski?) So even though I leave later, I'll beat them there. I arrive at 1am on Sunday morning. They arrive at 6am. We have to be at my other uncles 78th birthday party at noon on Sunday. That is going to be rough...
Then on Monday niggt, we head SOUTH. We will be on the BEACH for Xmas. Spending a couple days at a nice little resort on the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea, where they have yoga and meditation clases. Then a couple days on a house boat. And then a couple days in he back waters (I have no idea what that means, I guess we'll find out!) The regions we will be visitng are Karela. Key words: Trivandrum, Kerala, Cochin, Backwaters.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Back
I'm back!
It was quite a journey to get home. Things went the smoothest in the Delhi airport, surprisingly. There were a couple people on our Delhi-Paris flight who looked as though they had just spent several months in an ashram. One guy was wearing what looked like an orange toga and his head was totally bald except for one tiny tuft of hair coming out from the back, and he had an accordian as his carry-on. Another guy sat in the waiting area back straight, legs Indian style, both soles of his barefeet facing up. The flight was fine and we arrived in Paris at 6 am their time. We hung out for a couple hours and then my dear friend Brenna came all the way from Rouen to meet us! We met in the terminal and sat at the airport Bistro for 3.5 hours talking and just basking in each other's presence. The next flight was pretty smooth as well. We broke out the Travel Scrabble but I kept dropping the teeny little letter tiles. The person in front of me had her seat reclined, which made it pretty impossible for me to reach the floor. I smooshed my face against the back of her seat and fumbled around, feeling for those stinky little plastic pieces. Mike beat me by 8, because I couldn't find a place to put my last remaining "J". I think by the time we landed in Philadelphia we had already been travelling for 30 hours. Of course, neither of us brought our US cell phones with us, and neither of us had any US coins, which are necessary to make a call to a cell phone from a pay phone, and we still had to call Charlie to pick us up. Long story short, it was an absolute debacle to get some coins - we had to try the newstand in the Arrivals Hall and two vending machines. But we reached him, and he was wonderful enough to pick us up, and entertained us with stories the whole way home. (Celebrate 10,000 is blowing up!!)
The weekend was spent recooperating. First thing we did was eat some delicious Maple Glen Pizza and second thing was sleep. The next day we both went on runs, did laundry, took long showers. It was absolutely delightful to be able to enjoy being outside! The weather was perfect, 75 and sunny, and we sat outside without sweating! I hung out with my friends and roommates, and have been back to work two days now.
It's amazing to me how seamlessly I jumped right back in. Was I really across the planet one week ago? Did that actually happen? I'm still decorated (like a Christmas tree): the red string and kara on my wrist, payal on my ankle, and rings on my toes. My co-workers said, "Okay.. what's jingling?" Except for cereal, I've eaten the majority of my meals with my fingers (I miss roomali roti). I made chai for myself (thanks in part to Mike's recipe, see below). And I'm reading Shantaram, which makes me a little sentimental, and also makes me want to write my own travel book. (What do you think, blog fans? Could Gautam & Company get published?) My head is still spinning... I'll save the rest for another post.
Safe travels to you, G, as you journey back. And thank you, thank you, thank you to the families.
It was quite a journey to get home. Things went the smoothest in the Delhi airport, surprisingly. There were a couple people on our Delhi-Paris flight who looked as though they had just spent several months in an ashram. One guy was wearing what looked like an orange toga and his head was totally bald except for one tiny tuft of hair coming out from the back, and he had an accordian as his carry-on. Another guy sat in the waiting area back straight, legs Indian style, both soles of his barefeet facing up. The flight was fine and we arrived in Paris at 6 am their time. We hung out for a couple hours and then my dear friend Brenna came all the way from Rouen to meet us! We met in the terminal and sat at the airport Bistro for 3.5 hours talking and just basking in each other's presence. The next flight was pretty smooth as well. We broke out the Travel Scrabble but I kept dropping the teeny little letter tiles. The person in front of me had her seat reclined, which made it pretty impossible for me to reach the floor. I smooshed my face against the back of her seat and fumbled around, feeling for those stinky little plastic pieces. Mike beat me by 8, because I couldn't find a place to put my last remaining "J". I think by the time we landed in Philadelphia we had already been travelling for 30 hours. Of course, neither of us brought our US cell phones with us, and neither of us had any US coins, which are necessary to make a call to a cell phone from a pay phone, and we still had to call Charlie to pick us up. Long story short, it was an absolute debacle to get some coins - we had to try the newstand in the Arrivals Hall and two vending machines. But we reached him, and he was wonderful enough to pick us up, and entertained us with stories the whole way home. (Celebrate 10,000 is blowing up!!)
The weekend was spent recooperating. First thing we did was eat some delicious Maple Glen Pizza and second thing was sleep. The next day we both went on runs, did laundry, took long showers. It was absolutely delightful to be able to enjoy being outside! The weather was perfect, 75 and sunny, and we sat outside without sweating! I hung out with my friends and roommates, and have been back to work two days now.
It's amazing to me how seamlessly I jumped right back in. Was I really across the planet one week ago? Did that actually happen? I'm still decorated (like a Christmas tree): the red string and kara on my wrist, payal on my ankle, and rings on my toes. My co-workers said, "Okay.. what's jingling?" Except for cereal, I've eaten the majority of my meals with my fingers (I miss roomali roti). I made chai for myself (thanks in part to Mike's recipe, see below). And I'm reading Shantaram, which makes me a little sentimental, and also makes me want to write my own travel book. (What do you think, blog fans? Could Gautam & Company get published?) My head is still spinning... I'll save the rest for another post.
Safe travels to you, G, as you journey back. And thank you, thank you, thank you to the families.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Chillin like Villian in Delhi
After jet/train-setting around the subcontinent for a fortnight its nice just to relax with the family.
Running errands with my aunts, going to the movies with my grandmother, driving range with my uncle, clubs with my cousin, tequilla shots at 3am, pedicure, etc. I'm having a vacation on my vacation. It's great. I really don't want to leave.
The movies with dadima was really nice. We made it a point to get her out of the house and have some activity. I was happy that I was able to follow the entire film. Granted it was basically a kids movie, but it was a Hindi film none the less. We had dinner and went out for coffee afterwards too. At dinner there was this lounge type singer ... my favourite where his renditions of Dancing on The Ceiling by Lionel Richie and Eye of The Tiger.
I never had a pedicure before. Everyone raves about them, so I figured what the hell. It lived up to its hype. This dude went to town on my feet. It felt like I was Pinocchio and he was carving my feet out of wood.
We went back to TC and rocked out. More Rage, System of The Down, Pearl Jam, etc. They didnt play either of my requests, even though we have inside connections. What's My Age Again by Blink 182 nor She F*cking Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd. For some reason I wanted to here those songs and thought they would be good sing alongs. No dice. But they did play some other Blink for me.
G and P
Running errands with my aunts, going to the movies with my grandmother, driving range with my uncle, clubs with my cousin, tequilla shots at 3am, pedicure, etc. I'm having a vacation on my vacation. It's great. I really don't want to leave.
The movies with dadima was really nice. We made it a point to get her out of the house and have some activity. I was happy that I was able to follow the entire film. Granted it was basically a kids movie, but it was a Hindi film none the less. We had dinner and went out for coffee afterwards too. At dinner there was this lounge type singer ... my favourite where his renditions of Dancing on The Ceiling by Lionel Richie and Eye of The Tiger.
I never had a pedicure before. Everyone raves about them, so I figured what the hell. It lived up to its hype. This dude went to town on my feet. It felt like I was Pinocchio and he was carving my feet out of wood.
We went back to TC and rocked out. More Rage, System of The Down, Pearl Jam, etc. They didnt play either of my requests, even though we have inside connections. What's My Age Again by Blink 182 nor She F*cking Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd. For some reason I wanted to here those songs and thought they would be good sing alongs. No dice. But they did play some other Blink for me.
G and PFriday, June 22, 2007
Royal with cheese
Since they are on the metric system in India, I was really expecting to see some kind of "Royal with cheese" in place of a quarter-pounder like I did in Spain, Russia and France when I walked into a McDonalds (eighth-kilogrammer anyone?). What I didn't think about was that cows are sacred so they don't eat beef. In every other McDs in the world, a Big Mac may be a Big Mac, but here they have no beef so they've replaced it with a Chicken Maharaja Mac. I figured I'd step up and try one. Not bad. The special sauce is the same as in the us and it also tastes like they use the same preservatives.
Check me out destroying a Chicken Maharaja Mac.
MMMMmmmmm
Check me out destroying a Chicken Maharaja Mac.
MMMMmmmmmThursday, June 21, 2007
Punjabi By Nature
Once upon a time I was in New York, ironically enough with The Mashners, celebrating the New Year. A pretty girl approached me and asked me "Are You Indian?" I quickly replied with "No. I'm Punjabi." "Me Too!" Too easy.
Punjab is a part of India. With its own distinct food, language, culture, dance & music. It is my ancestrial homeland (or as Vinay would say, upna punjab) Last week I returned to Punjab ... well it was more like my homecoming. I'd never been there before.
It was a whirwlind trip. We left Delhi at 5am on Monday and started on our way back at 4am on Tuesday. Our maindestinations where the India/Pakistan border and the Golden Temple (both described below in other posts)
But I couldn't go visit the towns where my grandparents are from because they now resides inside of Pakistan. Unfortunately the political climate of the time doesn't easily allow me to visit. The thing is I dont think there is/was any time that the political climate made it easy to visit. From the moment of Independence, there has been constant tension between the two countries. Thousands of families were forced from there homes at that time, 3 wars between 47-80, nuclear arms race in the 90s, terrorism in the 00's. I wonder if I'll ever get to visit...
yet back state side (and canada-side) you always see Indian/Pakistani restaurants and grocery stores. It's just weird that people need to be half a world away to realize their similarities while focusing on their differences when they are neighbors. That's my public service announcement for the day and I'll stop rambling.
Punjab is a part of India. With its own distinct food, language, culture, dance & music. It is my ancestrial homeland (or as Vinay would say, upna punjab) Last week I returned to Punjab ... well it was more like my homecoming. I'd never been there before.
It was a whirwlind trip. We left Delhi at 5am on Monday and started on our way back at 4am on Tuesday. Our maindestinations where the India/Pakistan border and the Golden Temple (both described below in other posts)
But I couldn't go visit the towns where my grandparents are from because they now resides inside of Pakistan. Unfortunately the political climate of the time doesn't easily allow me to visit. The thing is I dont think there is/was any time that the political climate made it easy to visit. From the moment of Independence, there has been constant tension between the two countries. Thousands of families were forced from there homes at that time, 3 wars between 47-80, nuclear arms race in the 90s, terrorism in the 00's. I wonder if I'll ever get to visit...
yet back state side (and canada-side) you always see Indian/Pakistani restaurants and grocery stores. It's just weird that people need to be half a world away to realize their similarities while focusing on their differences when they are neighbors. That's my public service announcement for the day and I'll stop rambling.
Integration
Being "such a good blender-inner" (in Amritser)
Passing for a quasi-local (in Mumbai)
Chilling w/ The Mahatma (in Bombay)
Regulating (in Delhi and Everywhere)Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Adjustments, Pomp, and Circumstance
Of course, now that Mike and I are leaving tomorrow my body finally feels 100% adjusted. Digestively I've never felt better, I've gotten used to the heat, I'm on a pretty regular sleeping schedule, my mind has gotten itself around to really taking in everything that's around me, and I'm picking up Hindi faster and faster (Get up, sit down, 10, 20, 50, how much, tissue). I feel like I could settle in for a long haul. I'm feeling happy and sad to leave, of course. I'm looking forward to: a big greasy cheesesteak, a ham and mustard sandwich, ice cubes, orderly traffic, a pedicure, and a good workout. I'm not looking forward to: well, everything else; work, responsibility, reality. I'll write a few posts once I'm back in the states, so you can all read about the reverse culture shock that I know is going to hit me hard.
Yesterday we took a 6ish hour train ride to Amritsar and then a car ride to the town of Attari, on the border of India and Pakistan. We came here specifically to see the changing of the guards ceremony. We waited with the crowd for a bit and when someone blew a whistle there was, of course, chaos and a mad disorderly rush to climb up the stairs to the bleachers. We got our seats and baked in the scorching sun for about 30 minutes and people kept pouring in and packing the stands. There was an MC, dressed in jeans and a button down, who seemed to run the show, I'm not sure who he was. One soldier blew a trumpet, one soldier said something into the microphone which sounded to me like "Go" except he held out the "o" for about a full minute to which the audience applauded. Then soldiers chose people from the audience to run carrying the India flag up the the gated border and back. Then there was some call and response cheering of the crowd. My impression was that once the crowd on the Pakistan side got loud, our job was to out-cheer them. So we did this call and response about 15 seperate times. At one point a spontaneous all-male dance party broke out on the road below, men and boys with their arms in the air, twisting imaginary light bulbs. I guess we won the cheer-off, because G told us that the MC said, "The victory ceremony is over". Hindustan!
That night just after dusk we arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is absolutely worth any trek that one needs to take in order to see it. This is the holiest Sikh site in the world. We took our shoes off at the gate, Mike and G got bandanas for their heads and I wore Praerna's dupatta on mine. To walk through the marble gate you first step through small pools of water. From the entrance way, all through the inside, Sikhs were bowing and touching their heads to the ground in prayer. The marble gate goes in a rectangular shape all around the periphery of a glistening pool of holy water, in the center of which is this sparkling island of the Golden Temple. We walked around the marble, watching the people young and old praying, sitting by the water, admiring the site. On the left side families were getting undressed so they could immerse in the water. We went inside the temple, covered in gold, marble, and beautiful mosaics, one Sikh sitting in the center in front of a massive holy book, and 3 Sikhs to his right, one playing the tablas, one the accordion, and one chanting prayers. This music never stops. It filled the night, along with the play of the light of the temple off the water, the whispers of voices, and the soft sounds of anklet bells. The sky was totally dark, except for a sliver of a crescent moon next to one, solitary bright star. I never would have imagined a night like that, so far from everything familiar to me. A dream I'll never forget.
Yesterday we took a 6ish hour train ride to Amritsar and then a car ride to the town of Attari, on the border of India and Pakistan. We came here specifically to see the changing of the guards ceremony. We waited with the crowd for a bit and when someone blew a whistle there was, of course, chaos and a mad disorderly rush to climb up the stairs to the bleachers. We got our seats and baked in the scorching sun for about 30 minutes and people kept pouring in and packing the stands. There was an MC, dressed in jeans and a button down, who seemed to run the show, I'm not sure who he was. One soldier blew a trumpet, one soldier said something into the microphone which sounded to me like "Go" except he held out the "o" for about a full minute to which the audience applauded. Then soldiers chose people from the audience to run carrying the India flag up the the gated border and back. Then there was some call and response cheering of the crowd. My impression was that once the crowd on the Pakistan side got loud, our job was to out-cheer them. So we did this call and response about 15 seperate times. At one point a spontaneous all-male dance party broke out on the road below, men and boys with their arms in the air, twisting imaginary light bulbs. I guess we won the cheer-off, because G told us that the MC said, "The victory ceremony is over". Hindustan!
That night just after dusk we arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is absolutely worth any trek that one needs to take in order to see it. This is the holiest Sikh site in the world. We took our shoes off at the gate, Mike and G got bandanas for their heads and I wore Praerna's dupatta on mine. To walk through the marble gate you first step through small pools of water. From the entrance way, all through the inside, Sikhs were bowing and touching their heads to the ground in prayer. The marble gate goes in a rectangular shape all around the periphery of a glistening pool of holy water, in the center of which is this sparkling island of the Golden Temple. We walked around the marble, watching the people young and old praying, sitting by the water, admiring the site. On the left side families were getting undressed so they could immerse in the water. We went inside the temple, covered in gold, marble, and beautiful mosaics, one Sikh sitting in the center in front of a massive holy book, and 3 Sikhs to his right, one playing the tablas, one the accordion, and one chanting prayers. This music never stops. It filled the night, along with the play of the light of the temple off the water, the whispers of voices, and the soft sounds of anklet bells. The sky was totally dark, except for a sliver of a crescent moon next to one, solitary bright star. I never would have imagined a night like that, so far from everything familiar to me. A dream I'll never forget.
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