India- Week 2 & 3

Sunset view of Udaipur

 My second and third week in India provided unexpected adventures.  I met some really interesting and cool people, had a chance to participate in fun and challenging activities, and visited some beautiful sights.  I now understand how to manuvour through the country.  From personal experience and speaking with other travelers, I have learned how the bus, train, autorickshaw (three wheeled vehicles everywhere throughout India), and hotel systems work. 

A streetside Indian dessert vendor in Varanasi.  Varanasi is known for its desserts.

 My first long train ride (14 hours) from Agra to Varanasi was rough.  I was definitely not prepared for the trip.  I bought a general ticket because the train was completely booked.  A general ticket places you in a train car where you most likely will not have a seat.  Armed with no blanket and clothes fit for Kenyan survival, I suffered.  I was placed in an entrance way next to the doors and the toilets.  The combination of odor and a constant cold breeze streaming through the poorly sealed doors made for a cold 14 hours.  I arrived in Varanasi ready to find a room and sleep!

Varanasi
The last time you heard from me I was deciding which amazing city to visit next.  Varanasi is where I ended up. Varanasi is the Hindu religious capital, an academic center in India, and one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.  The Hindus believe that the river bordering Varanasi (Ganga River) contains holy water.  It is believed that if a Hindu person's ashes are put into the river, that person will be relieved from the cycle of reincarnation.  Cleaning your clothes or body in the water is purifying and many people do so.

A common site in the streets of Varanasi.

Countless ghats, or holy platforms and staircases that lead to the Ganga, encompass the river bank.  This is the main attraction of Varanasi.  Hindu people take religious pilgrimages to this holy city for various spiritual purposes.  Each ghat has a different purpose.  For instance, one of the ghats is the location for body burnings (after one has already died) which are performed continuously throughout the day and evening.  The ashes of the body are then spread into the river.  This public body burning tradition is much different than private cremations in the states.

Varanasi was old and dirty with confusing alley ways that led to my disorientation on numerous occasions.  The city was definitely less modern and wealthy as the other cities I have visited.  Despite its rough edges, Varanasi possessed a spiritual vibe that made it quite unique.  Indians travel from all over the country to contribute and participate in the spiritual atmosphere of the city.

Traditional Hindu ceremony performed on a Ghat in Varanasi

Sunset view of Varanasi

 Because of its spiritual nature, Yoga is famous in Varanasi.  Therefore, I decided to take my first Yoga class.  Wow.. was my performance embarrassing.  I displayed absolutely no flexibility and often failed at performing the most basic breathing techniques.  How hard is breathing?  Despite my poor performance, it provided a strong base for further exploration in the future.

I took a sunset boat ride into the Ganga River which was quite peaceful.  That evening I boarded a long train for Jaipur.

Jaipur
My 18 hour train trip to Jaipur was much more pleasant with a sleeper bed and newly purchased sleeping bag.  Upon arriving, I immediately recognized distinct differences between Jaipur and Varanasi.  Jaipur is a modern, wealthy city due to its high business activity and jewelry enterprises.  It is very cheap for companies to send diamonds to Jaipur to be cleaned and shaped with dirt-cheap Indian labor and then ship the finished products to the western world to be sold at a substantial markup.

A palace build in the water in Jaipur

An elephant orphanage in Jaipur

 I visited a 1000 year old Hindu temple in the hills just outside of the city.  This was the most memorable part of my time in Jaipur.  I spent one day in bed recovering from a head cold which significantly diminished my energy.  The following day, after getting plenty of rest, I boarded a train for Jaiselmer.

Jaiselmer
Jaiselmer is a desert city in the western part of the country about 80km from Pakistan.  The cities main attraction is its hilltop fort.  You can stay in the fort but are encouraged to resist due to water shortages partly from excessive tourism.  The city was much smaller and more peaceful than any of the other places in India that I have visited so far.  

Jaiselmer Fort

 I met three French travelers and one Danish traveler on the train to Jaiselmer.  We ended up staying at the same hotel and they convinced me to go on a camel safari with them.  Jaiselmer safaris are famous but because I had recently been on a Kenyan safari, which cannot be duplicated, I did not plan on going on one.  My plans changed when my new friends pursuaded me to tag along on their safari.  Yearning for social contact, I quickly buckled and joined the group.

We left for the camel safari in the morning at 8:00am and arrived the next evening at 6:00pm.  We rode the camels for five hours on the first day and stopped to camp in the desert on sand dunes.  We ate dinner and our safari guide sang desert-man songs as we sat around a fire.  Sleeping out in the desert was very cold but provided a beautiful view of the sky.  The following day we road for 5 more hours.

What a natural!

The travelers I went on the safari with.

Our camel safari guide singing around the fire.

 Riding a camel is quite uncomfortable, expectually for men.  Beyond the obvious body parts that were sore, my legs and back also ached toward the end of the safari.  Calling our trip a safari is not very accurate considering we only saw a gazelle from the distance.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the experience and making new friends.

Where we slept

Udaipur
I have now spent a few days in Udaipur and plan on leaving this evening for Mumbai.  Udaipur has been the most beautiful city I have visited thus far (and also my favorite).  Udaipur is a modern city build around a lake that is surrounded by steep hills.  Yesterday I went to a place on top of one of the hills that provides a wonderful view of the city during sunset.  It was the most rewarding tourist activity I have partaken in during my time in India.  I also took a cooking class yesterday.  My performance was much better than yoga due to my experience cooking Italian food at home.  It was enjoyable and I now know how to cook basic Indian food.  I look forward to trying the new recipes when I return to the states. 

In cooking class with another student and the instructor on the far right.

 I have been able to relax and recharge here.  I am now ready to begin the second half of my trip. A sidenote....My ipod, my theraputic tool during times of exhaustian, boredom and frustration, has broken.  I will have to finish my trip the old fashioned way, without music.  Hopefully I will be able to persevere and survive without it. 

Until Next Time....