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Drie


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1 Trip
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Adventures in Hindustan

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a very trying day

Mysore, India


Yesterday was a very eventful, mostly trying day. We left late in the morning from our very expensive Ginger hotel, moved to our much cheaper-but as it turns out, much poorer- hotel Darsham Palace. Afterward we walked on (constantly berated by rickshaw drivers)) to the marajaha's palace. Rebuilt after a fire by an English architect in 1912, the palace a giant and beautiful example of what we think of as Indian architecture. It was extremely cosmopolitan; our hired guide told about the metal poles from Scotland, the tile floors from England, the marble floor from Italy, and carved wood doors from local sandalwood and constructed by local artists. The whole experience would have been far more pleasant if they had allowed us to keep our shoes, but alas we were required to check them in before entering the building, and believe me it was not daily mopped.
On the way out we had a near disaster as Dad returned from retrieving our cameras and discovered his wallet missing from his back pocket! Assuming the worst, that he had been pickpocketed in the jostling line (I'll talk more about Indian ques in a bit) and had left ALL his credit cards in there. We were all kicking ourselves and standing around hoping to spot the culprit when we spotted a family of upper caste Indians opening the wallet. Dad grabbed the thing and the mother told us her young girl beside her had picked it up off the ground. Nothing was missing! It seems he had dropped it, and instead of being disgusted with Indian pickpockets we were delighted by their generosity. The family refused any money reward.
That afternoon we took a local bus up Chaumundi hill at the top of which lay an ancient Hindu temple to Parvati. As we walked in we were befriended by an elderly man who without introduction handed us red and yellow powders to pour in respect over the golden feet at the temple center. He cut through the vast lines of people waiting from section to another, explaining what it all meant. Most visitors had a little offering 'package': a coconut for cracking in offering, a banana for the monkeys, and flowers. We were taught the three most important gods: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the protector, and Shiva the destroyer. It seems that all other gods are either incarnations or offspring of these gods (excluding the female goddesses which as far as we understand are all incarnations of just one goddess either Durga or Parvati).
The man then took us a to a much less crowded , and older, temple to Shiva where he told us the story of Shiva and Parvati's intelligent son Ganesha and how that son got his elephant head. There is another story of how Ganesha proved himself smarter than his brother. The parents asked the two brothers to race around the world and whoever returned first would be pronounced wisest. Gourimesh the youngest took off. Ganesh however, bowed to his parents walked around them in the a circle. Then he declared, "the world is here." We were quite enjoying the tour and the very sweet (if touchy) guide when as the tour ended. He had given no clue of the cost and now, in addition to all the many offerings we had been 'requested' to give in offering, were asked to give öur choice" of money to him. We had no idea and gave 500 rupie, which he was not happy with and continued to ask for more including claiming we had to pay more than a hundren rupies each for the red and yellow powder. We refused more than 100 on this last and finally walked away.
At last as evening came we returned to where the bus was coming. It did not return for a long time as more and more of the people showed up to wait. When the bus finally came chaos broke loose as people ran at the doors. We followed suite. The bus doors did not open and however and we realized too late there was in fact an established line with bars and everything. We went back to the end, knowing we would not fit on to the bus.
Then a a whole group of people, instead of coming to end with us, crowded in front of the line. The bus tried to swing past them, but failed. Suddenly, people began breaking the line and running at the door again. People who had stood dutifully at the front of the line were now blocked behind the bars and rushing people from the back. Desperate and confused we joined the mob and managed to force our way, holding onto each others arms. I, the last one, was nearly pushed back off by angry hands, but man-handled my way in.
As the doors closed behind the squeezed in bodies, we looked out to the teenage girls who had helped us earlier on. One girl saw me and waved rather forlornly.
The whole affair made me feel absolutely horrible. It's this same kind of mob fear behavior that have caused a man to drown another in his attempt to stay of the surface, to riots, and even to mob linchings. Even worse, such behavior cannot even be stopped except by individuals choosing to do the right thing. The government had even built metal bars for a line and it failed in the face of anarchic group think.
When we finally got back to the city, thoroughly crowded out we stopped the completely lit palace and headed back to Parklane restaurant. Here, though rather westernized, you can get a fantabulous meal for around $20 for 4 people. We returned to the hotel, showered, and settled in. Alas, this was not the end of the day for me. I realized as I settled in that I was getting a cold! Arrggg. After fitful half-waking dreams of crowds walking in and honking in our room I got up to find barrettes to get my hair out of my face. In frustration, I pulled out two barrettes stuck together and gripped one in my teeth. A chip of my tooth crumbled off!
I now have a very throat cold, a chipped tooth and a family that it endlessly planning the next leg of the journey.


permalink written by  Drie on December 31, 2007 from Mysore, India
from the travel blog: Adventures in Hindustan
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many MANY travels

Delhi, India


Time moves at a different rate when you enter a truly foreign country. Or perhaps its just constant moving about. That is, its warped between making you feel like you've been here for forever and just stepped off the airplane. And we have done a lot of stepping off planes in the last 24 hours. We got up around 7:00 to get to Heathrow airport in order to fly the 7-1/2 hours to Delhi. There were no less than 5 crying babies in our section of the plane. I'm sure some of you know and truly trying that was for me. Once in Delhi we waited in line (at 4:30AM Indian time), constantly harassed by taxi drivers, for the free bus to the domestic flight terminal. When a 2nd one came (the first was too full and left without us) and hour later we squeezed on with our gigantic packs and headed off into the smoke-filled night.
After a long wait through security we took a second 2 hour flight to Bangalore. From there, we got a quick taxi ride to the public bus stop and got on the big bus to Mysore. After another 3 hours of jouncing we arrived in the much smaller city, smashed into a tiny rickshaw to arrive at our fancy (in Indian terms) hotel. I had a reality check when stopped at a rest area along the way and found a hole in a tiled floor a funny faucet with water coming out. That was the bathroom. I must have looked shocked as a did quick 180 because a little girl coming the other way giggled loudly at me.
People here are either very nice, or somewhat deceptive and trying to sell you something or a strange combination of both. Even driving through a city like Bangalore is difficult to describe with any accuracy. Its such a strange combination of chaotic activity, rapid development, and dilapidating infrastructure. We passed men driving bullock carts just after I read the same giant poster sign of Tiger Woods I see in the US. Horns beeping creates a constant symphony of angry drivers as they pass down the pavement which is not so much road but a river of trucks, buses, rickshaws, bicycles and human beings float from lane to lane and across intersections.
I can sleep absolutely anywhere so am really just out to take a shower. My less lucky family, however, is exhausted.
Fun story I learned: A British-Indian and his wife told us that in India its illegal to have television advertisements for alcohol. Kingfisher, the largest local supplier of beer- and a huge company that sells things across the board including an airline and bottled water- gets around this sticky problem by selling its water products as if they were beer. Can you see the commercial? Students, out in a bar laughing and having a blast drinking their refreshing Kingfisher 'water.'




permalink written by  Drie on December 28, 2007 from Delhi, India
from the travel blog: Adventures in Hindustan
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rubbish, and wine and mince meat pie, oh my

London, United Kingdom


So it is now our third day here in London. What I enjoy doing is reveling in the many subtle differences between this country and our own. On the way from Heathrow we had a Polish driver who claimed that the few Americans he met were far friendlier than Londoners. Luckily, in our experience this was far from true. We found all our contacts with the British to be friendly and cordial.
In fact, a family friend's friend invited us over to dinner with them all. We had a meal which I have imagined as a true Italian meal. We had no less than 5 courses, 3 types of wine (and many more bottles), with at least half hour period of leisure between each one. We also got introduced to mince mea pie and a little British tradition of crackers which are not food but little party wrappers that you pull apart with a loud crack. Inside are little presents, jokes, and paper hats.
Going back to the beginning: we arrived around 10 AM London time after a fairly pleasant flight (or as pleasant 9 hours in cramped seat can be) through the night. The city greeted us with weather the Scottish like to call 'dreak.' It rained all Christmas day. We fought to stay awake in intervening hours, going to evensong in the Westminster Abbey (built in 1060!), and then walking down the equivalent of Capital hill, Whitehall, until we reached Big Ben and Eye of London along the Thames. On the walk home I felt I was going to fall asleep walking in rain and cold! I guess going 24 hours with 3 hours of sleep doesnt work for me.
Since then, we have gone to see the changing of the Guard at Buckingham-Pretty much a nonevent except for the absolutely huge and gorgeous horses the policemen ride about ot keep order in the crowds. Today, we saw the Victoria and Albert museum, a giant collection of 3d art objects with more than 12 miles of corridors filled! Also today we went to the London Museum which is, as they say, the greatest collection stolen treasure in the world, containing among other amazing treasures the Rossetta Stones and the original sculptures of the Parthenon. Tomorrow morning we leave already heading for our true destination: Hindustan.
My favorite things from London: they call it 'rubbish' instead of trash, they say 'mind the gap' on the subway, they drive smart cars, all the major intersections have signs on the ground saying 'look left' or 'look right' so us silly tourists from the other side of the road don't step into traffic, people's general friendliness, and of course the accents.
My dislikes from London: the constant frigid grey weather, everything costs money and twice as much in the US (including cup of water .90 p), constant crowds everywhere worse than NY, the tubes close randomly on boxing day leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere.


permalink written by  Drie on December 27, 2007 from London, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Adventures in Hindustan
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ohhh traveling

Denver, United States


So today is the big day (yes, christmas eve, but I mean my semester abroad.) It felt strange getting up this morning know it would be at least 4 monthes before I'd wake up in the US again.
I will be leaving today from Denver with my Mum and Dad in tow heading to Heathrow. We'll be meeting my sister (who lives in Delaware) there. The funniest thing is that none of us will have our cell phone and I swear we spent 45 minutes on the phone yesterday trying to figure out how we were gonna meet up in the airport without them!
We will then be spending a very jolly or simply very expensive three days in the great city of London. If I haven't already shared this story with you, the buses AND the tube shutdown christmas day. Thus, we will spend 45 pounds ($90) for a 14 mi ride from the airport! For my family that kinda money dropped on ground transport is about as rare as us dropping money on the super bowl.
I have a spiffy new backpackers backpack for checking (28 Ib), my laptop (8 Ib), and my daybag (6 Ib.). All in all less than one of the bags I bring home from college weigh. Pray I didn't forget something vital.
Well, that's all. Hopefully, my blogs will be a bit more interesting once my travels actually begin.
Cheerio and Happy Christmas Eve


permalink written by  Drie on December 24, 2007 from Denver, United States
from the travel blog: Adventures in Hindustan
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