The long awaited India post is finally here! Unfortunately, I am no longer on the subcontinent and have not been for a good week, but I promised a little recap of my adventures there, so here goes.
When we left Bangladesh, Maureen and I were ready for the 14 hour bus ride, but we were not prepared for the youth hostel it would lead us to. I chose the one that was right in the middle of town (much nicer location, I thought) without any other info about the place. Little did I know, it would be the actual sketchiest place I have ever stayed. This hostel, besides being pretty gross (since they gave us a worse room then we originally reserved for our first night there) was in the center of an electrical market, down a random alleyway and up three flights of stairs that I'm pretty sure were straight out of the shinning.
Needless to say, Kolkata welcomed us with open arms and terrifying sleep. Luckily the next morning we got to move to a much nicer room (that actually had space to move and didn't quite make me feel like I should burn my skin to get the dirt off). After getting ready we went straight to the Indian Museum, stopping to have breakfast at the only restaurant we ate at in Kolkata (because it was close, delicious and relatively clean). Had some awesome uttapams and later tasty dosas.
The museum (amongst many other things in this city) sent me straight back to the heart of darkness (colonialism reference?). They still had the old classification system for their animal collections and there wasn't really any art, which was our whole reason of going there. It may have been a total bust, except as we were leaving they had an impromptu cultural show (it was actually planned, but felt very random to us due to our perfect timing) complete with singing, dancing, fire and a lot of standing on each other acrobatics.
The only logical step after leaving the museum was attempting to crash the Oberoi (an expensive ass hotel chain that they have all over India), which was right next door. We got in successfully and after using the pristine bathroom, we were caught trying to sit by the pool and order tea. Yeah, we were not really guests but whatever.
The rest of that day is a blur to me, because it was kinda awful, until we stumbled upon a Cafe Coffee Day. This pretty much saved me at that point. I have never in my life been that excited to see a bad, Indian, chain coffee shop. Even without wifi it was a saving grace.
Day two in Kolkata was significantly better. It was actually really great! We saw the Cathedral and the Queen Victoria Memorial/Museum (more colonialism). We also, finally, got our art fix. Went to two really cool and super different galleries and in the evening stopped by the fine arts school for a smorgasbord of different student shows. During our chai break afterwards we sat outside amongst the artists of Kolkata and chatted about some pretty high-brow stuff. I don't know if you guys could deal with it...
Day three meant waking up at 4:30am to catch our flight to Delhi. Once we got there we settled into our (much nicer) hostel and went to the train station to head to the Taj Mahal. After realizing that it would be obscenely difficult to try and do everything ourselves via train travel we hired a car and driver and we were off!
The Taj never ceases to amaze me. This was my third time going and it is still incredible and breathtaking and all the rest. I'm super glad I got to take Maureen there, cuz what kind of friend would I be if I let someone come to India and not go to the Taj? (but really).
Day four was Maureen's last day and so we packed our stuff, met up with a fellow MoHo, Ajapa, who is studying at JNU in Delhi, and went to the red fort in old Delhi or "the real Delhi" as some call it. After getting rained out we went to the local mall for a complete 180 experience of India's largest northern city.
Day five, after we saw Maureen off we went wandering around Hauz Kass market and ruins. This is hands down my favorite (and only worthwhile) place in Delhi. It's super duper cool! Artsy and chill with really interesting shops and hip young people. Like the Greenwich Village of India. It gave me hope that perhaps Delhi isn't the awful sinkhole I thought it was (is that too harsh?).
That evening I said goodbye to Ajapa and caught a train to Chandigarh. When I got there Maninder, his friend, and brother picked me up. They whisked me off to their uncles place in Mohali. Maninder and I stayed up chatting till like 3am, catching up and such. It was really nice to see him after so long but was quite a shock after hanging with MoHo women up until then. I went from colonialism meaning something about white oppression and empire building to "when I hear colonialism it reminds me of a colon". Regardless of the vast change in company and conversation it was a blast!
Day six was an adventure in Chandigarh. We went to the lake and the mall and just generally made a ruckus. I rode a camel and a dragon boat and ate at Chilli's (in a mall that felt like being back in the states). We also went on a little walk and watched a random volleyball game in the park.
Day seven I was lectured by Maninder's uncle after they left to go back to school. It was quite awkward being there alone, so I retreated to my room the whole time (in order to avoid the inevitable uncomfortable interaction). However, he made a really great point that got me to re-evaluate my previous tactic. "How do you want to be remembered?" he said, "by being that girl who sat up in her room reading the whole time you were staying with us? Or by this conversation and interaction?" I definitely want to be remembered by the interactions I have with people and not my solitude. So, I shall continue to work on getting over my hesitations and personal discomforts to try and make an actual impact, wherever I am.
That night I took a train and ended up in Amritsar. The second I got off I felt like I was home. It was awesome just knowing the city I was in and being able to check my bullshit radar against actual knowledge. Like, hell no Chheharta gurdwara is not MPA, rickshaw driver who thinks I'm some dumb, white, American who has never been to India in my life!!
I got to Miri Piri Academy (the school that I went to in Amritsar for 6years) at about 9pm, got settled in, and went right to sleep.
The next day began my epic, whirlwind tour de Amritsar. With town leave everyday on the back of someone's motorbike (or occasionally a cab), awesome Amritsari food (kulcha, Bhrawan, chai, chat, kulfi, sweets, chana/puri, etc.) and some really enjoyable hang out time with people at the school (let's not forget Saturday Seva and the seven hour wait at the Golden Temple). It was such a spontaneous visit in that I didn't really have any plans so I just went along with whatever was happening. The entirety of my interactions were, "Hey Dharma, wanna go to town?" "Umm... Yes, of course!" Or "True Detective, anyone?"
A few other awesomely random sights on the trip were a herd of sheep (not just one, an entire herd, complete with Shepard) in the busy road amongst cars, bikes, motorbikes, and buses. They were just chilling there waiting at a red light. I had to do a double take before I realized how ridiculous it was.
In other side of the road news, a Barber shop has opened up outdoors somewhere on the sidewalk in Delhi. Mirrors awkwardly strung to a brick wall and barely enough room to walk by without going into the road. That's definitely where I would get my hair cut!
We were lucky enough to get invited to tea by everyone (and their mother) who we interacted with for the whole three weeks. Whether it was shoemakers, tourist agents, or drivers, the chai was plentiful.
All in all India was as lovely, gross, uplifting, and frustrating as ever and I cannot wait until the next time I get to go back!
When we left Bangladesh, Maureen and I were ready for the 14 hour bus ride, but we were not prepared for the youth hostel it would lead us to. I chose the one that was right in the middle of town (much nicer location, I thought) without any other info about the place. Little did I know, it would be the actual sketchiest place I have ever stayed. This hostel, besides being pretty gross (since they gave us a worse room then we originally reserved for our first night there) was in the center of an electrical market, down a random alleyway and up three flights of stairs that I'm pretty sure were straight out of the shinning.
Needless to say, Kolkata welcomed us with open arms and terrifying sleep. Luckily the next morning we got to move to a much nicer room (that actually had space to move and didn't quite make me feel like I should burn my skin to get the dirt off). After getting ready we went straight to the Indian Museum, stopping to have breakfast at the only restaurant we ate at in Kolkata (because it was close, delicious and relatively clean). Had some awesome uttapams and later tasty dosas.
The museum (amongst many other things in this city) sent me straight back to the heart of darkness (colonialism reference?). They still had the old classification system for their animal collections and there wasn't really any art, which was our whole reason of going there. It may have been a total bust, except as we were leaving they had an impromptu cultural show (it was actually planned, but felt very random to us due to our perfect timing) complete with singing, dancing, fire and a lot of standing on each other acrobatics.
The only logical step after leaving the museum was attempting to crash the Oberoi (an expensive ass hotel chain that they have all over India), which was right next door. We got in successfully and after using the pristine bathroom, we were caught trying to sit by the pool and order tea. Yeah, we were not really guests but whatever.
The rest of that day is a blur to me, because it was kinda awful, until we stumbled upon a Cafe Coffee Day. This pretty much saved me at that point. I have never in my life been that excited to see a bad, Indian, chain coffee shop. Even without wifi it was a saving grace.
Day two in Kolkata was significantly better. It was actually really great! We saw the Cathedral and the Queen Victoria Memorial/Museum (more colonialism). We also, finally, got our art fix. Went to two really cool and super different galleries and in the evening stopped by the fine arts school for a smorgasbord of different student shows. During our chai break afterwards we sat outside amongst the artists of Kolkata and chatted about some pretty high-brow stuff. I don't know if you guys could deal with it...
Day three meant waking up at 4:30am to catch our flight to Delhi. Once we got there we settled into our (much nicer) hostel and went to the train station to head to the Taj Mahal. After realizing that it would be obscenely difficult to try and do everything ourselves via train travel we hired a car and driver and we were off!
The Taj never ceases to amaze me. This was my third time going and it is still incredible and breathtaking and all the rest. I'm super glad I got to take Maureen there, cuz what kind of friend would I be if I let someone come to India and not go to the Taj? (but really).
Day four was Maureen's last day and so we packed our stuff, met up with a fellow MoHo, Ajapa, who is studying at JNU in Delhi, and went to the red fort in old Delhi or "the real Delhi" as some call it. After getting rained out we went to the local mall for a complete 180 experience of India's largest northern city.
Day five, after we saw Maureen off we went wandering around Hauz Kass market and ruins. This is hands down my favorite (and only worthwhile) place in Delhi. It's super duper cool! Artsy and chill with really interesting shops and hip young people. Like the Greenwich Village of India. It gave me hope that perhaps Delhi isn't the awful sinkhole I thought it was (is that too harsh?).
That evening I said goodbye to Ajapa and caught a train to Chandigarh. When I got there Maninder, his friend, and brother picked me up. They whisked me off to their uncles place in Mohali. Maninder and I stayed up chatting till like 3am, catching up and such. It was really nice to see him after so long but was quite a shock after hanging with MoHo women up until then. I went from colonialism meaning something about white oppression and empire building to "when I hear colonialism it reminds me of a colon". Regardless of the vast change in company and conversation it was a blast!
Day six was an adventure in Chandigarh. We went to the lake and the mall and just generally made a ruckus. I rode a camel and a dragon boat and ate at Chilli's (in a mall that felt like being back in the states). We also went on a little walk and watched a random volleyball game in the park.
Day seven I was lectured by Maninder's uncle after they left to go back to school. It was quite awkward being there alone, so I retreated to my room the whole time (in order to avoid the inevitable uncomfortable interaction). However, he made a really great point that got me to re-evaluate my previous tactic. "How do you want to be remembered?" he said, "by being that girl who sat up in her room reading the whole time you were staying with us? Or by this conversation and interaction?" I definitely want to be remembered by the interactions I have with people and not my solitude. So, I shall continue to work on getting over my hesitations and personal discomforts to try and make an actual impact, wherever I am.
That night I took a train and ended up in Amritsar. The second I got off I felt like I was home. It was awesome just knowing the city I was in and being able to check my bullshit radar against actual knowledge. Like, hell no Chheharta gurdwara is not MPA, rickshaw driver who thinks I'm some dumb, white, American who has never been to India in my life!!
I got to Miri Piri Academy (the school that I went to in Amritsar for 6years) at about 9pm, got settled in, and went right to sleep.
The next day began my epic, whirlwind tour de Amritsar. With town leave everyday on the back of someone's motorbike (or occasionally a cab), awesome Amritsari food (kulcha, Bhrawan, chai, chat, kulfi, sweets, chana/puri, etc.) and some really enjoyable hang out time with people at the school (let's not forget Saturday Seva and the seven hour wait at the Golden Temple). It was such a spontaneous visit in that I didn't really have any plans so I just went along with whatever was happening. The entirety of my interactions were, "Hey Dharma, wanna go to town?" "Umm... Yes, of course!" Or "True Detective, anyone?"
A few other awesomely random sights on the trip were a herd of sheep (not just one, an entire herd, complete with Shepard) in the busy road amongst cars, bikes, motorbikes, and buses. They were just chilling there waiting at a red light. I had to do a double take before I realized how ridiculous it was.
In other side of the road news, a Barber shop has opened up outdoors somewhere on the sidewalk in Delhi. Mirrors awkwardly strung to a brick wall and barely enough room to walk by without going into the road. That's definitely where I would get my hair cut!
We were lucky enough to get invited to tea by everyone (and their mother) who we interacted with for the whole three weeks. Whether it was shoemakers, tourist agents, or drivers, the chai was plentiful.
All in all India was as lovely, gross, uplifting, and frustrating as ever and I cannot wait until the next time I get to go back!
