India

INDIA Five Nights, Six Days
India, probably the country that impacted the emotions more than any other. Larry has coined a term we have used to compare cities/places…”cultural substance” and India has a lot. Diverse religions, historical depth, absolute poverty and an agrarian lifestyle all describe India. Shanty town villages in the shadow of city skyscrapers. India is an experience like no other with many layers of history, culture, religion, lifestyles and peoples. There is an active caste system supported by Hindu practice, even though the government has passed laws against caste driven prejudice. The Moghuls, Arabs and British have all at different times through history, conquered and contributed to the tapestry that is India.
The Indian people are curious about Westerners, wanting to photograph us, and would ask for our picture, as we tried to capture them in them in their brightly colored saris going to and from in their daily life. Although there is a great deal of poverty and miserable living conditions, the poor seem resolved to endure it.
Traveling in the city, one sees segments of the population dressed and living in the Western standard…business suits, cell phones, laptops…and a glance across the street, one sees cows (sacred in India) walking unattended, young children shirtless and shoeless looking for opportunities to relieve tourists of their rupees. In the city and villages you can see monkeys, elephants, camels, dogs, goats, pigs, water buffalo and people all co-existing side by side.
Due to the diversity of the 1.1 billion people, there is no such thing as a “typical” Indian. India has 18 official languages, fortunately for us, one of them was English, although only 5% of the population speaks English. An estimated 850 languages are in daily use. People are everywhere. The country has a frenetic pace. It is exhausting and a constant challenge to mind and body.
Highlights
The ship took port first in Chennai, known until 1996 as Madras. This is where we disembarked and began our Indian adventure. The city was hot and congested. The city population is 7 million. It was Easter Sunday. We visited a Hindu Temple and the Basilica of San Thome, built atop the tomb of the apostle St. Thomas. In the mid afternoon, we boarded our flight for Delhi. The 2.5 hour flight was uneventful and we arrived at the hotel in Delhi eager for a good night’s sleep.
Delhi has a population of 14 million. It is the capitol of India and has a 5,000 year old history. The sights are endless. We visited the Red Fort, built 1638; Jama Masjid, largest Mosque in India; Raj Ghat, sight of Gandhi’s cremation and now a memorial park; Humayan’s tomb, the precursor to the Taj Mahal. Then we went on a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi. It was amazing. The streets of Old Delhi are too narrow for cars and transportation is by bicycle, motor scooter, rickshaw or on foot. The narrow streets are packed with people and shopkeepers selling all manner of goods. The smells, 1,000 year old dust, and sights are indescribable. Ask us to see our video when we get home.
After Delhi, we took a tour bus ride for 5 hours through the countryside to our next stop, Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. In the country side we saw fields of grain, women in colorful saris carrying huge bundles on top of their heads, camels pulling carts, turbaned goat herders guiding their flock with long sticks, and flat, dusty, dry land sprouting several tall chimneys that spewed the smoke of primitive brick factories. All along our route we saw small villages with open air markets, open sewers, water pumped by hand from the village well, and dogs and cows wandering unattended.
Agra is the most popular tourist destination in India. Agra was the capitol of Akbar the Great, ruler in the mid 1500’s. We visited the Agra fort, the tomb of Akbar and of course, the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Both the emperor and his wife are buried at the Taj Mahal. The Taj does not disappoint. We enjoyed every bit of time looking at the monument, although, we enjoyed it more from the outside then the inside.
Our next stop was Jaipur. Jaipur was a 4 hour bus ride from Agra. In Jaipur we stayed at Jai Mahal Palace, a hotel converted from the former residence of the Prime Minister. It was a beautiful and restful location separated from the hustle bustle noise and swarms of people that is India. In the evening we could hear the “call to prayer” from the local mosque. While in Jaipur, we visited the Amber Fort, built 1592. Our approach to the fort was by elephant. Our guide told us all important visitors to the fort had arrived by elephant. It was a fun experience and the elephants are beautifully painted, even the toenails! Jaipur is called the “pink city” due to the paint color of the historic buildings.
After Jaipur, we flew to Mumbai, formerly Bombay, and caught up with the ship for our sail away to Dubai. We had a quick sightseeing day in Mumbai, now the biggest city in India with a population of 18 million people. Mumbai is the home of Bollywood, the Indian equivalent of Hollywood. Bollywood produces over 800 movies a year, twice as many as Hollywood. We visited the open air laundry, and Gandhi’s residence and the birthplace of India’s independence movement.
We returned to the ship glad that we made the decision to explore India beyond what the ship tour desk offered. We were relieved to have completed our journey intact although four of the nine of us traveling together did experience a little “Delhi belly”. In the final analysis, we feel blessed and so lucky to live in America.