India on a Budget (1)

So, I have a small disclaimer I'd like to place on this particular post.  Although I wrote this entry back in January, it's taken me several months to get the 1000+pictures in order.  I also wanted to state that India is truly, an amazing country.  It has so much to offer through it's rich history, culture and people.  In my blog, I've stated how many difficulties I had with India.  However, after giving it some thought, I want to tell you that it is not my intention to steer anyone away from visiting this fascinating country.  Everyone should visit her at some point in their life.  I will say, to be aware of your travel limits; what you are willing to compromise on and what you are not willing to compromise on.  It has been many years since my last big backpacking adventure and I now realize that as I get older, there are certain comforts that I need, that I may not have needed then.  India helped me see into a world that has so many sensory wonders.  It also reminded me that I am still the traveler I know I have always been, but a different version of the traveler I thought I was. Enjoy!


(continued from my 'Nepal on a Budget' post)

We had heard horror stories of Jet Airways, but were still happy to be getting onto our plane to India, and the flight was fine.  We arrived in Delhi in one piece and made it to our hotel to meet up with our tour group unscathed.  In fact, a few girls from our group (that I became friendly with during my Yas Hotel stay in August) were already there and psyched to get started.  Kamaya and Natasha were bundled up (again . . . no heat), listening to some tunes on their computer and happy to see us.  And man, were we happy to see them.  After hugs and hellos, we settled into our room and walked across the hall to the common room for a yummy Indian dinner.  About halfway through the meal, Katrina showed up and we all sat there chatting, listening to music (while the local helpers looked on and giggled) and just enjoying each other’s company.  Our tour guide, Ricky (for short – I didn’t even try to pronounce his actual name) had us fill out some paperwork and gave us a run down of what to expect on our tour of India.  After the meeting, we hung out a little longer and went to bed.  The next day brought our first leg of the tour in Delhi, India to a start.

Unfortunately, there is really not a whole lot to say about Delhi.  The tour we booked through G Adventures (nice company, by the way) was a ‘basic’ tour, which meant that the tour leader (not tour guide, I later found out – hee hee) would take care of accommodations and travel to and from our destinations, but we were responsible for food, tours, excursions, etc.  Ricky (I would not even attempt to disgrace the proper way of saying his name) was our fearless leader and a lovely Indian man – hence our eventual nickname ‘Pretty Ricky’.  Ricky was good with setting up tours for us, hailing us taxis and suggesting good shopping areas (although two of his tour guide recommendations were a bust because of their insistent hounding of wanting to take us to their best spots to shop – so they could get 20% to 40% commission).  India has strict regulations on tour guides having to be government certified.  So, he was allowed to make suggestions, but not to actually walk with us as a guide.  Anyway, basically Delhi was a bust.  It has a historical few spots of interest, but all I really got out of it was the filth, poverty, crappy hotel and cars honking.  Needless to say, skip Delhi.

Our next stop on the crazy train through India was in Agra.  This day was special for two reasons.  The first being that it was the day my niece, Amelia, was born and the second was because we were going to see the Taj Mahal.  The hotel couldn’t have been that special in Agra, as only after 14 days I have totally forgotten it, which also probably means it was forgotten for a reason.  Anyhow, the Taj Mahal was something else.  When you go there, you have to walk through an alley or two unto you come to the other alley lined with dirty, unsanitary hawker stands.  Like Rickey said, we just kept walking.  At the entrance, we paid out 750 Indian Rupees (about $15) and walked through the ‘Non-Indian Ladies’ security entrance.  From there was a big beautiful main gate; kind of like how many cities around the world have big ‘city gates’ . . . like the Arc du Triomphe.  From here, you could see the Taj Mahal.  So, it is actually pretty hidden from the public, like it was built down below the city landscape to shield it from prying eyes (mainly unpaid eyes).  When you walk through the gates, you come upon a picturesque scene of the Taj Mahal, with a slight haze in the sky (that many refer to as smog – I’ll stick with haze for this particular scene set-up) and people snapping photos galore.  It is going to sound crazy, but it wasn’t as massive as it looks in pictures or movies.  Mind you, it is a huge, beautiful building dedicated in loving memory to a late Muslim man’s wife, but it wasn’t massive like I was expecting.  It was kind of like, when I saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris (ha, ha, insert snobbish snicker here); it was smaller and less grandiose than I was expecting.  Anyway, the Taj Mahal was still gorgeous, and solemn and just awesome.  I snapped a few pictures, and even managed to sneak a quick picture in of me holding up a ‘Happy Birthday Baby Matregrano’ in front of it as well.  We walked through the gardens, but our cloth booties on over our shoes (the foreigners were given shoe covers so we wouldn’t have to take off our shoes) and headed into the Taj Mahal.  To be honest, it is really a giant mausoleum for the deceased wife and child of a Muslim man. Over the years, things have been chipped away (precious and semi-precious stones) and pieces have gone missing, so it is a simple straightforward walk through a couple small hallways and then you are shuffled back out onto the huge, marble, wrap around terrace that surrounds the building.  We were crunched for time, so we walked back out through the gardens and found our waiting taxi driver.  The rest of our time in Agra was browsing through the markets along with a guide trying to get us to purchase Stars of India (semi-precious stones) at his friend’s jewelry shop.  Not a day went by that we weren’t either being begged for money, being talked into buying ‘good quality items at bargain prices’ or being convinced that ‘he can take us to good store that his friend owns with good prices’.  Yeah, if it sounds too good to be true . . . (you know the rest)

The next and third stop on the already tiring journey was Jaipur.  Jaipur was a little different from the other two Indian towns, because as we started to drive into he city, we noticed a few up-to-date buildings and a higher concentration of luxury vehicles.  This, by no means, meant we were not still surrounded by stray dogs, wondering cows, unsanitary street runoffs and questionable street food stands, but it did mean that something was up.  I finally asked Ricky what the deal was, and he said that Jaipur, was at one point, the richest city in India.  It was where the wealthy class lived and it is apparent that it still has some financial stability.  Even our hotel we stayed in was a charming spot called the Jaipur Inn (recommended).  The owner was adorable and he seemed especially excited to have us in his hotel over the Christmas holiday.  As far as the sites of Jaipur were concerned, we saw a few historical sites and went to a couple markets.  The markets are what stood out to me.  The bags and bags of colorful spices, teas, coffees and beans were amazing.  There were also women sitting on the ground with blankets spread out holding a beautiful array of vegetables.  Unfortunately it was also next to the cars and trucks zooming along on dust-covered roads, but it was beautiful nonetheless.  I managed to pick up some tea at a stand Ricky suggested (even though my tuck-tuck driver insisted it would be bad quality and too expensive because it was not from his friend’s shop) and enjoy myself at the hotel rooftop during the evenings. That reminds me that I forgot to talk about the lovely tuck-tucks . . . a tuck-tuck is a small rectangular frame on a three-wheel motorcycle.  The driver would sit up front, and you could fit 2 or 3 people in the back seat, although the locals seemed to be able to squeeze in 5 to 7 people at a time (they’re a wee-folk).  Anyway, back to Jaipur . . . the owner suggested in his introduction to us when we arrived, that if any of us would like to make a cake for the Christmas Eve party, he would be more than willing to purchase the ingredients needed along with any cooking supplies.  No one seemed to keen on the idea, so I volunteered.  My glorious mother was kind enough to quickly send over our family’s Carrot Cake recipe and that following day, I made a Carrot Cake.  It was fun going food shopping with the owner and having the kitchen staff watch over me as I put everything together.  I was a little concerned because the batter was not at the typical consistency, but I figured that the bigger sugar crystals they had, had something to do with it.  I through it in the oven, warning the overly-excited owner that it may not turn out, but that I followed the recipe . . . plus, when you combine freshly grated carrots, sugar, butter, flour and a few other ingredients together, how bad can it really be?  Well, much to my surprise the cake was amazing and the owner was thrilled.  He actually holds a program, where he will provide free room at his hotel in exchange for a person to run the rooftop kitchen and cook.  It is a very simple and meager kitchen, but it was exciting to see someone so enthusiastic about cultural cooking.  I believe he is even trying to put a cookbook together of recipes cooked in his kitchen.  Anyhow, the visit was very pleasant, the accommodations were clean and warm and besides the overly pushy tuck-tuck driver, I enjoyed Jaipur.

SKIP FORWARD TO MAY 4, 2012 . . .

I literally have no excuse for holding onto this blog for this long.  It may have been a blessing in disguise though, because I would have surely rambled on for many more paragraphs about my trip to India.  Maybe I stopped, or was not feeling it for a reason.  Maybe it was because I would have preferred to travel around India with some more creature comforts.  Whatever the reason, I HAVE to post this damn blog!

After we finished our sanitary time at Jaipur and headed over to the country town of Pushkar (thank goodness I saved my itinerary, because there was no way I was remembering were we went).  The ‘quaint’ dirt road town of Pushkar was yet another town that reminded me of why I was having difficulty really enjoying my time in India.  The reason being, that it was just super dirty (and cold).  There was a big lake in the middle of town that was surrounded by temples.  One morning, I went to a Yoga session, which was fantastic.  I really enjoyed myself and the yoga was at a beginner’s level, so I could complete all positions.  I also got an Ayurvedic massage, which was nice, although she used about 5 pounds of oil.  Other than that, a few of the girls completed a blessing ceremony with a high priest.

Our next destination, Udaipur, was much more populated, but very similar to the other Indian towns and cities.  A few of the points of interest that stuck out in my mind was the Lake Palace in Pichola Lake.  It was literally a small palace that took up an entire small island.  It was beautiful, and although no one could go out to see the facility, we could get some great pictures from the shoreline.  Another fun thing we did, was go out one night with our famed tour guide, Ricky for a taste of the town.  India practically survives on its food stalls and trucks.  They must eat several times a day, because the stands are always busy, and generally the food looked good.  But, one of the first things Ricky told us on our first night, was to NEVER eat anything from a food stall unless he checks it out.  Well, luckily we were in the town were Ricky grew up, so he knew a strip of food stalls very well.  A few of us went out and hit this strip, which was along the water way, and had a few goodies.  We ate rice, pasta, curried vegetables, and other fried delights.  We ended or food trek at a sandwich making dude at the end of the way.  They were delicious and even fun to talk to.  Thanks Udaipur!

Our next stop (on the way to Mumbai) was Ranakpur.  Here, we stayed at a beautiful wooded compound that was really enjoyed ourselves at.  As far as sightseeing was concerned, we saw a ‘Jain’ Temple.  Jains are a religion similar to Hinduism (I think) that are particularly strict.  They are also known for their kind generosity with one another.  Apparently, it is quite a wealthy religion, due mainly to the fact that they all take care of one another.  We also celebrated New Year’s in Ranakpur.  I felt horrible, so I ended up sleeping (with 20 wool blankets piled on top of me) until about 11pm.  I headed up to the pavilion, hoping not to get attacked by the random monkeys that swung on the trees all day (feisty bastards, but so damn cute) and joined the party.  They were blasting some Indian techno and dancing their hearts out.  It was a really nice lodge, in a serene location, and definitely a highlight of the trip.

Mumbai was where we headed down to next . . . civilization . . . ahhhh.  However, the accommodations were crap with no hot water (sorry – I love travelling but this was bad from the start).  The Indian gate was nice to see, visiting the Taj Hotel was awesome, in all its luxurious glory, and booking our next stop’s accommodations was the best part (oh, and finding that really good lunch spot).  After Mumbai, we flew to Goa, which is a southern coastal town.  After Nepal and India for several weeks, we decided to forego the GAP provided accommodations and book a room for two nights at the Goa Marriott Resort and Spa.  All I have to say is G** Damn was that hotel phenomenal!  I’m sorry, but it was much needed after what we stayed in.  It was on the beach, with a beautiful buffet, a fun taxi guy who took us to local seafood spots and complete relaxation.  Thank you Marriott!!!

After finishing out our time in India, we boarded the plane in Goa (with the help of an airport employee helping us with our incorrect tickets), switched planes in Delhi and landed in the sorely missed city of Abu Dhabi….

Overall, I am still glad I visited India, and thought I could pull-off the budget travelling through a 1^st/2^nd world country, but much to my chagrin, I realized that I am 10 to 15 years older with a comfort level that is much more demanding than it was that long ago.  The country is alive, vibrant and offers an enormous amount of organic beauty . . . the people are nice (when they weren’t  trying to sell you something), our tour guide and company we travelled with was very accommodating and it was quite the experience.  I was also with a great group of people who got along for the most part.  I have a few friends there from my company and we laughed a lot.  So, do I recommend India?  Absolutely.  How you go about travelling there depends totally on your flexibility, comfort needs and patience level.  If you go into with those thoughts in mind, and do your research, I think you’ll find some good (and bad) things that will impact your travelling soul.  Enjoy the pics!

Some beautiful and interesting pictures of the 
architecture and countryside

(I am not going to label a lot of the pictures for time sake)

Below are some 'interesting' pictures I took throughout the trip

The people of India are generous, fascinating and colorful.  It was so much fun capturing them on film.

(Check out the next blog for more pictures on the people, travelling in India and some of their views on 'safety' in India...  ;)