Visitors! The Real India Tourist Experience

As mentioned, I decided to go to the hospital partly because my friends were due to visit in a week. There were concerns about getting their Indian visas in time (unfortunately one of them didn't make it) and of course I felt responsible for them. For those who have been to India, you know what I mean. For those who haven't, India is a high-paced, overwhelming, and intimidating place for first-time visitors. And I love my friends dearly but they live comfortable lives and are accustomed to a high level of good customer service and painless travel. This would of course benefit me later, but it contributed to my unease about them traveling alone in India. So two days after getting discharged from the hospital, I was still exhausted and didn't have my strength back but I got on a plane to meet them at the Delhi airport as our flights were arriving within half an hour of each other.

This was no fun. I traveled on a budget airline and arrived at Terminal 1 while they arrived at the nice international Terminal 3. We decided to meet at the Costa Coffee right outside customs. In the back of my mind I knew there would be issues trying to get into the terminal, but like a true Indian I decided I would figure it out and take care of it once I got there. After getting to Terminal 3, I had to find the Costa Coffee. Done. Except I couldn't get into the building. In India, you need a ticket just to get inside the airport. So I walked the entire length of the airport about seven times, as different people told me different ways to get into the airport. I finally found a ticket counter that sold visitors' tickets to the airport. I got one, but was told I couldn't take bags in. Well I had a suitcase and backpack since I was going on a 10-day trip so that prevented me from going in. At this point I'm pretty frustrated because I had lost my cell phone on the way to the airport, and just have no idea how I'm going to get to my friends. I said I was just going to leave my bags outside and they said I couldn't do that either, adding to my frustration. I could see the Costa Coffee through the windows, and decide to ask the carts outside if they could call the Costa Coffee inside to tell my friends to come out. But they didn't have the number, I was foolishly hoping there would be some sort of intercom system. At the height of my frustration, I went to one of the airport staff milling around and shed a few tears to show them how desperate and frustrated I was. He agreed to let me walk up to the door (there's a barricade about 30 feet from the door that prevents people from even approaching). As we were walking up I see my friends through the window! I gesticulate wildly for them to come outside and we were reunited! It was so great to see them, and I was so relieved that the one-hour saga came to a happy end. Then we left for the hotel.

Upon arrival at the hotel we were told it was overbooked so we would be staying at a sister hotel. I asked if it's just as nice and he kind of demurred and said it's not all the same but I was too tired to notice. We got to the sister hotel and it was not nice. My friend pointed out we just got downgraded. Then I got more annoyed. They gave us some water bottles and we went to sleep because we had a train the next morning. In the morning we moved our stuff back to the original hotel. Before letting us leave for the train they wanted us to pay for the water. It was about a dollar. But I had it. I argued with hotel manager that I wasn't going to pay for the water unless he refunded us the difference in rates between the two hotels or upgraded us for the second night. After 10 minutes of being stubborn, they let us catch our train to Agra.

We decided to get a driver for the day in Agra. At first there was no guide in the car, after I insisted there be one all of a sudden we had a new driver and a guide for the same price. We started at Fatehpur Sikri as the sky was filled with smog and smoke and we wouldn't have good views of the Taj. The heavy cloud cover keeps all the pollution trapped overnight and it doesn't start to dissipate until the sun burns away the cloud cover. We had a nice guide who explained the old city and then we went to the Taj. It's pretty awesome. There were a ton of people and we made two laps around it just to get into various lines. But it was really beautiful. This was my second time visiting Agra. The first time was misery because of the heat and humidity. The second time was much, much better and I was able to enjoy the day. I actually had to borrow my friend's hoodie!

We had a long lunch, and got driven to various crafts stores. After driving around Agra Fort, our cab was stuck in gridlock traffic. Our driver had warned one of the other drivers to be more careful. About 15 minutes later, this driver rear-ended our car with some force. Our driver gets out and demands the other driver also get out of the car. I'm not really watching, my friend is, and I hear a SMACK. I turn around to see our driver slap the other driver again across the face. The other driving was rubbing his cheek and looked ashamed. I mean, if someone slapped me I'd be pissed! But this guy just looked embarrassed. The driver gets back in the car like nothing happened. My friends and I were pretty stunned and didn't really know how to react, so we just started laughing. I mean this guy just slaps this other guy across the face and it's all ok? It turned out to be one of the more-talked about points of our trip.

Well our driver continued to drive us to various stores until our train time. My friend bought a carpet and I got some jewelry. Then we got back on the train to head to Delhi. When reaching the hotel it turns out I got an upgraded room and we all got free internet. Because of this we paid for the water when checking out the next morning.

Fatehpur Sikri

The Taj Mahal

The fountains were off!

Then we spent the day in Delhi before our evening flight. I wanted to show them the "real India" so we ate at Karim's in Old Delhi and walked around Chandni Chowk. After about five minutes walking around in the craziness we'd had enough and decided to see Red Fort. Well we were completely lost so we kept walking. We were so lost that the locals milling around saw us, knew we didn't belong, and immediately pointed the direction out of the market. We finally reach a road where we hail an auto. At that point we had about an hour before we had to leave for the airport, and my friend had a "Delhi belly" moment so we decided to go back to the hotel. I'm happy because my friends visited and got to see the authentic frenetic India. Next up: the Maldives.

Trying Times and Front Row at Kolkata Fashion Week

I’ll be totally honest and admit that my first couple months of being here were tough, being separated from family and friends in a very foreign country in almost total isolation were very tough on me. These months tested how much I could take mentally, socially, and emotionally and there were times where I questioned whether it was all worth it. There were times when I thought it easier just to give up and go home to perfect San Diego weather with my family and eat all the beef, Mexican food, sushi, and chocolate chip cookies that I want. However in this last month I have reached a point in my journey where I am genuinely glad to be here, and to be living this very unique opportunity. The times where I thought I would break, I didn’t, and I am now a stronger, better person for it. I have more respect and awareness for myself and my capacities, as well as a new perspective on the human condition. If you aren’t pushed to your brink, then how will you know what you are capable of? How will you grow and cultivate yourself as a person? For too long I was comfortable with my life and being here has made me realize how much life there is to live. I am deeply grateful for the chance to be here and learn these timeless life lessons. I know I will come out a better person, and I will have memories and lessons to take away that I might have never learned.

On a lighter note, this new appreciation for my opportunity here has partially translated into more traveling! My friend invited me to go to Kolkata (Calcutta) for the weekend and I jumped at the chance. I was excited to see this famed city and yes, a part of me just wanted to get out of Navi Mumbai! Getting to the airport requires an auto ride, then one and a half hours on the train, then another auto ride, and making sure to get to the airport early enough to pass screening for entrance into the airport, check in, and security. So for my 8:15PM flight I left my house at 4:15PM. I usually get past security quickly because there are separate lines for men and women, and there are usually about 5 women and 100 men. After getting a chicken sandwich for dinner, I met a fellow Accenturite! (spelling?) He’s an SAP consultant based out of Bangalore but traveling to Mumbai for the client. His next staffing opportunities include a choice among Stockholm, Indianapolis, and Singapore. So unfair! Anyway, our flights were about five minutes apart so we spent some time talking about how great consultant and Accenture life is (I’m not joking).  I know that at certain times of the year, like after annual reviews, people can be a little disillusioned with Accenture. However I can tell you that after being a poor NGO worker for the past six months, Accenture is a heavenly dream. Health care! Dental care! Life insurance! 401k! Traveling! Hotels! Rental cars! And of course, really great people (still not joking). So to all those people who diss on the corporate life or complain about their jobs, I invite you to spend a week here with me living on my $7 a day and then tell me how much you want to quit.

Back to my story. I get to Kolkata, and the hotel we are staying at is on the famed Sudder St., pretty much the most poverty-stricken, dingy part of India I have been to so far. The hotel is nice, but the street’s characters were definitely a highlight of the trip. Every person was incredibly nice (except this one old lady) and as Indians, always eager to help. I crashed pretty hard after watching Family Guy (TV!) in the hotel room and was ready for a day of sightseeing. If you can believe it, Kolkata is more humid than Mumbai. I don’t know how you get more humid than 100% Mumbai humidity but you can. We saw the sights and then went back to the hotel to get ready to go to a fashion show. I did not have high expectations for this show. I half expected it to take place in a TGIF room with no catwalk and the models walking down the center of the restaurant. I had never been to a fashion show so I was excited but I wasn’t expecting Christian Siriano. Anyway we get there and the hotel is really nice. Not a bad start. We get shown to the ballroom where the shows will be taking place and it is really nice. A nice runway with full lighting and a really great DJ. Oh, and did I mention that we were front row? And this was Kolkata Fashion Week? Yea, we’re pretty  dope.  The dresses were beautiful, and after spying on all the models’ footwear I really, really miss wearing heels. I have not worn heels for six months and currently do not have any in my possession. I think once I get home I will only wear heels for at least a month. Oh and the models were gorgeous too. After the fashion show we are ushered to the after party in the hotel bar, which again is really nice.

Show 2 of the night.

The designer and her beautiful dresses from show 2.

The first day of Durja Puja started while we were here. Durja Puja is a six-day festival that celebrates Hindu Goddess, Durja. In West Bengal (where Kolkata is), it’s the biggest annual festival. It also includes the worship of Shiva, who is Durja’s husband (and if you remember from the previous post, Ganesha’s dad and mom!) There are more than 2000 pandals set up in Kolkata, and the city is covered with lights. Lots of tourists come to go “pandal-hopping” which often stops traffic. It’s referred to as the Rio Carnival of the Eastern Hemisphere. How lucky am I! Ganesh Chaturthi and Durja Puja!

Durja Puja pandal.

Sunday consisted of more sightseeing and relaxing. Both our flights were that night, to different cities, so we headed to the airport. All in all, a very nice weekend. From Sudder St. to Kolkata Fashion Week, I experienced the new and old, the privileged and unprivileged of Kolkata.

Kolkata is one of the few places in the world with hand-pulled rickshaws.

Expats and the Monsoon

Before coming to India I told myself I would make an effort to make friends with locals and limit the number of American friends I had. After leaving France I wish I had spent more time with French people and made some French friends. Part of an international experience is making international friends and speaking the language right? Well in India I have found it a little harder to make local friends. Firstly, men and women don’t usually hang out together so that eliminates half the population. Because of this, I’ve found that their attitude and interaction toward me tends to feel awkward and uncomfortable. I’m thinking that if single men only associate with women for romantic reasons, then that’s the way they are accustomed to interacting with women. Also, I’ve found that our interests and preferred topics of conversation don’t usually align so that is another obstacle to overcome. Anyway so that leaves women. But walking around India you will notice there are very few women just walking around outside. Add to this the same difficulty with topics of conversation and language and there is a real difficulty in meeting people.

After spending the day working with locals, I’ve decided that it won’t be so bad to have some expat friends here. It’s not France where I would spend class time and free time with Americans, here I can spend work time with locals and free time with Americans. So I’ve found a great group of women, all who are here because their husbands are here for work. This is the main difference between us but it’s been great talking with people who are going through the lifestyle changes I am. One of them is an American who has opened a shelter for street children (www.tenderhands.org). The best part may be that she also runs an American bakery, the proceeds from which benefit the shelter. This bakery is amazing, I have been missing American desserts the whole time I’ve been here and now I get to treat myself to the cupcakes, pies, and cookies I’ve been missing. I get a taste of home and supporting a good cause. Can’t get much better.

Otherwise the legendary monsoon has arrived. I was told the first couple days would be worse than the heat because it would be combined with the rain, making you feel like you’re in a steam room. But, knock on wood, it is now very cool. The cloud cover provides a buffer for the heat and there is a very refreshing cool breeze that comes with the rain. The only down side to the rain is that all the streets are muddy and going anywhere will mean you get soaked. Oh well, so far I am enjoying the relief from the heat. Hopefully I won’t be discouraged to do my regular grocery shopping. My coworker told me which shoes to buy for the monsoon. When we think of footwear for the rain we think of rain boots and galoshes so that our feet and clothes stay dry. He told me I should buy sandals made out of either rubber or plastic that have straps both around my foot and heel. The sandals are so that your feet will dry more quickly once you get out of the rain, and the rubber and plastic is so your shoes will also dry. Most shoes here are sandals, and most of these sandals only have on strap going across the top of your foot. However it is important to have these two sets of straps because when you walk on the streets, the water and mud levels will rise, and you risk getting your shoes stuck at each step because of the mud. Thus, the two straps will secure the shoes to your feet, and your feet, shoes, and pants will dry with the mud caked on them. I love the approach. In the States we avoid getting wet at all, with galoshes that sometimes go up to our knees or higher, and making sure we tuck our pants in. In India, you know you’re going to get wet, avoiding the water is almost impossible so face the problem head on and make preparations to make the aftermath easier. It’s great, I just need to get used to being muddy sometimes.

My awesome monsoon-proof shoes.

The view outside the entrance of where I work/live.

Elephanta Island and A Night at the Movies

If you’ve somehow missed my distress at the humidity and heat in Mumbai, let me take a chance here to reiterate that it is very humid and hot in Mumbai. Right now we are in the hottest weeks of the year until the monsoon will bring some relief to the heat in about two weeks. The heat has discouraged me from venturing outside too much, since no transportation has A/C and a fair amount of walking would be required. I would chide myself because I need to go out and experience everything that India has to offer while I have the chance. I did happen to venture out on Saturday because one of the interns from the organization I work for offered to show my flatmate and me around Mumbai. After getting to the train station and an hour on the old-school trains, we were at the Gateway of India at around noon. We took our pictures in front of the monument and the nearby Taj Mahal hotel while waiting for our tour guide. Waiting outside in the sun with no shade at noon in May in Mumbai was probably not the best idea. After some train delays our friend showed up and said we would be going to Elephanta Island. Elephanta Island is an island in the Mumbai Harbor, and it is famous for its cave temples that all have been carved out of rock. I was excited since visiting Elephanta was on my wanderlist and we had an early start to the day. After an hour on the boat we had to walk about a half mile from the dock to the main part of the island. No big deal, I had already spent a few hours in the sun at this point and a half mile wasn’t going to kill me. However, at the end of port, we had to climb up a long set of stairs that are lined the entire way by vendors selling tourist souvenirs. At the top we were rewarded with the entrance to the first and main Elephanta cave. We were taking pictures in front of the magnificent sculptures, and all my pictures show my drenched shirt from the great workout we got getting to the caves. Then I thought I saw something familiar. After staring for what seemed like minutes, I yelled out “Jao?” The figure turned around, and I was right! Here in cave #1 on Elephanta Island in the Mumbai Harbor, India was an old classmate of mine from AP Chem from our sophomore year in high school. We didn’t talk much, or at all, after that very demanding class so it had been 10 years since we saw each other. His friends and I were amazed at the odds, just incredible! I felt like I had witnessed lightning striking the same place twice. After a quick catch-up, I enjoyed the rest of the caves while realizing what a small world it was. Our tour guide, Zuhleka, had more in mind for our day in Mumbai but after getting back to the mainland we were absolutely exhausted and decided to call it a day. The picture at the top of the page is a panorama of the Mumbai skyline on the boat back to the mainland. Though I'm glad I saw the caves and appreciated the culture, that day reminded me why I’ve decided not going out in the heat and crush of people is sometimes a good idea when I’m bored at home.

True to form I have been staying inside and I am happy with my laziness. In the US I was very much of the mindset that I didn’t want life to pass me by and I needed to go out and experience life (maybe part of the reason why I ended up in India.) I’m very grateful when that attitude has overcome my inertia to have experiences instead of lazing about at home. But these past few weeks I have been reading, journaling, reliving the glory of The West Wing and just spending time reading what I want to read. When I start to itch to get outside, I tell myself that I will have the entire post-monsoon to do anything I like outside. But for now I am content with catching up on current events and reading the books that I just never had time for.

I do think I will make an exception to go to the movies. As a fan of the first Hangover movie I was anticipating the sequel. For the record, I am completely in the dark about what American movies have been released or not. I know Bridesmaids came out because Kristen Wiig was on The Daily Show and I have been following that. But apparently there was a weed movie with Natalie Portman and James Franco? Yea, I had no idea. Anyway, I practically had May 26 (or 26 May as we do it here) circled on my calendar as the Indian release date for The Hangover II. Thankfully, there is a large multiplex near my house and I made a plan to go and watch The Hangover II this weekend. With a 4PM showing I got there exactly at 4PM, still in time for the movie since I would just miss the previews. To my dismay, there were four lines that each had about 50-75 people. I forgot I’m in a very densely populated country and city on a Saturday at a place that offered much needed A/C. There was a smaller group of people in a line because there was no teller in that line. These people bought their tickets online and simply waved their phones at the teller in the next line and one-by-one they each got their movie tickets. I decided to try my luck with the same teller, except waving my money through the little circle in the glass that lets you talk to the cashier. When he saw my cash he asked me very nicely to get in the other line since this was just for Internet sales. But I had a good feeling about this guy, he just gave me the nice-guy vibe while he gently had to crush my hopes of getting a ticket anytime soon. He wasn’t one of those cashiers who’s just rude and lords his ticket-giving/money-taking power over you and decides you won’t make it to the movie anytime soon because he can. I put on my best sweet-girl face and asked very nicely that if he could just do me this favor since the movie started 10 minutes ago. The woman next to me, who appeared to just be standing there for no reason other than getting in people’s way, informed me that he wouldn’t do it since the line was just for Internet sales. He looked at the time, took my money and gave me a ticket, without so much as a huff. I expressed my gratitude and rushed off to an A/C, comedy paradise. It turns out there aren’t previews for Indian movies, which is fine I just missed the first 10 minutes of the movie. I enjoyed the movie, but my experience was markedly different from an American movie theater. Firstly, nudity was blurred so those essential plot moments of Ken Jeong nude and the jokes with the transvestite were completely undermined. Secondly, there was an intermission! The intermission was in the middle of a scene, in the middle of a dialog. I guess they just took the halfway mark and decided that would be intermission. It was during the intermission that I saw the previews that I thought I had avoided. An intermission doesn’t make sense for an hour and a half movie. But then I forgot Bollywood movies are more like three and a half hours, and it makes sense to have an intermission. Well it was more time for me to enjoy the plush seating and the A/C blast. While I would usually lament my lost opportunity to spend a day enjoying Indian culture, I’ve decided this comfortable taste of home is what I need when I spend everyday in the hubbub of Indian life.

Mommy monkey with cute baby monkey. Baby monkey hangs on to mommy while she traverses around.

In front of one of the cave carvings, they are truly incredible. Notice the sweat marks, yea that's hot.

Bring on the humidity, Mumbai!

After my first Indian railway experience and an overnight train from Delhi, I have arrived in Mumbai! My first impression: it is HUMID! Delhi has a relative humidity of 34% and Mumbai has a relative humidity of 80% and you can really feel the difference. Add that to 34 degree weather (about 85F) and you just sweat instantly. Just standing outside makes you sweat and sticky. It's gross. My employer is actually based in Navi Mumbai, which is a suburban train ride from Mumbai. I live at the employer's complex and it is pretty nice, which means I don't really have to go outside or have a commute. It takes me about 2 minutes to get to work as I live about 50ft from the office. I share a flat with another volunteer and we're definitely putting some effort into making it homey for the next year. We have done a little exploring and really lucked out with our neighborhood. In one direction we have a 3 story mall with a supermarket (!!!) and McDonalds. In another direction we have roads full of stores of the more traditional Indian fare where we can get good bargains on everything from fruits and vegetables to clothes.

I've also started my role with my employer and right now I'm just familiarizing myself with the organization, its history and its current projects. I have to say I'm impressed with how much the organization has accomplished at the local, state, and national levels. I can't wait to be a part of the change they are already causing.

I know that's not much for now, but I've been taking it easy trying to settle in and make my flat a home. I've also been eaten alive by mosquitoes in the three days I've been here so I'm trying to find a solution for that. Wish me luck!