Thursday, March 24, 2011

Turkey

Tomorrow I am heading to Turkey to meet a friend of mine from Seattle, for 16 glorious days of vacation. Yes, another vacation. More dreaded flying. My life is pretty ruff. So will have lots more to share in a few weeks, and probably a couple thousand more photos!!

Things I Heart about India

Oh where to start? There are soooo many things I loved. I am a huge fan of the Indian head nod from side to side that is used to convey "I don't know," "yes," "maybe," and any number of other meanings. I practised this while there, and have now got it down pat. I am an even huger fan of combining the Indian head nod while raising both my shoulders and saying "What to do?"

I especially love being asked "What is your good name?" It is so formal and delightful, and honestly this phrase isn't used enough in the rest of the world!

Two words- sweater vests. They were huge, and very in season when we were there. All different colours, some with glitter. Have never seen so many men on scooters wearing sweater vests. I almost bought my Dad one as a souvenir, but knew it was unlikely that he would ever wear it. He doesn't have mad fashion sense like those Indian men do.

The wide acceptance of really any religion. There are thousands of Hindu gods that are worshipped, Muslims, Christians and many other religions practiced in India.

The awesome T-shirt I got my brother that says "Pure Punjabi." Possibly the best souvenir ever!

And lastly, the people. We met so many lovely people. Everyone was super friendly, and surprisingly I didn't feel like everyone was trying to rip me off. India.......until we meet again- cause I know we will!!


Jaipur- The Pink City

From Agra we traveled to Jaipur, stopping on route to the deserted Moghal village of Fatehpur Sikri. This village was built in the later 1500's, but was only occupied for 14 years related to inadequate water supply. The complex is huge, entirely made out of red sandstone that is so ornately carved that on first inspection you believe it must be made out of wood. The complex houses both a mosque and a Hindu temple, as well as a huge courtyard where the Emperor's harem used to perform.

From here we drove another 5 hours to Jaipur, crossing into Rajasthan. Rajasthan is more brightly coloured, and also more Muslim. Unfortunately for me, Jaipur was the location where my "Delhi belly" kicked into full gear, and I spent the remainder of our trip sick- it took days before the antibiotics started to make a difference :(

In Jaipur we toured the Amber Fort- which is a massive fort that is situated in the hills, surrounded by a wall that is basically a smaller version of the Great Wall of China. The only fashionable way to get to the top of the fort was to do as all the other tourists do, and get in line for an elephant ride. I have never been on an elephant, and truth be told I'm not really a fan of getting on any animal that risks me breaking my neck. Why I thought this scenario was a good idea still baffles me, but I eagerly climbed onto that elephants back, and was equally as eager to get off!!! After what seemed like the longest elephant ride of my life we reached the top.  The Amber Fort is huge- you could spend hours here taking photos- we were on a more rigid timetable though as my "Delhi belly" really was calling the shots. Our guide gave us more historical information than I could absorb, so I just did the Indian head nod from side to side to convey my understanding. If there was a pop quiz I'm pretty sure I would've flunked!!




In Jaipur we got another round of shady massages- you'd have thought we'd have learnt our lesson!! Took photos of the Water Palace and the Wind Palace. It is a beautiful city that I would love to return to- all the buildings are a pink hue, and super photogenic!! After 2 short nights in Jaipur we were back on the road bound for Delhi.
The Water Palace
The Wind Palace Jaipur

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Agra- The Land of the Taj Mahal

The drive from Delhi to Agra was chaotic and congested. 2 lane roads became 4 and 5 lanes, and took us almost 5 hours. Every time we stopped alone the way we were accosted by beggars, children, hawkers, and men with monkeys- to be honest the monkey's scared the crap out of me (can you imagine getting bit by one of them?) So gross.

We got a great sleep our 1st night there, and woke up early to get in line to see the Taj. The complex doesn't open until sunrise, and we were there at the foggy time of year when often the Taj isn't visible in the morning due to the fog. We decided to take our chances and they paid off!! It was a chilly, but sunny morning, and I was actually surprised that there weren't as many people as I thought. The Taj is breathtaking, and amazing in that it was built almost 400 years ago, and still stands strong.
Our 1st view of the Taj
The light hitting the stone work on the Taj

Our tour guide/ photographer filled us in on the history of the Taj- which is too long to recount here (and isn't that what wikipedia is for anyways?) We sent about 2 hours there taking the obligatory tourist photos, people watching, and just wandering. We visited the emperor and empresses tombs- where signs are prominently displayed requesting tourists NOT to take photos, which mostly went ignored (however; not by us, as our tour guide might have had a stroke!!)

From the Taj we visited Agra Fort which only 20% is actually tourable- the rest is occupied by the Indian military and off limits. The complex is enormous, surrounded by well manicured lawns and gardens. The Moghal emperor Shah Jahan was put under house arrest here, and spent his dying days looking down the river at the Taj which he build in memory of his deceased wife. There are so many distant beautiful views of the Taj from Agra Fort!
View of the Taj from Agra Fort
Agra is known for its local cottage industries. The Indian government regulates all handicrafts in the area- with set prices. Many industries in the area were forced out due to pollution of the Taj. We toured local carpet makers and a place specializing in inlay ed stone furniture similar to the ornate stonework that decorates the outside of the Taj.

Our last night in Agra was spent across the Yanuma river in a garden looking at the Taj while the sun set. It was beautiful, minus the constant pestering of children requesting money so we could take their picture.
The Taj at sunset

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Delhi- The Ultimate Gong Show

Arriving in Delhi is like being thrown into a spin-cycle, where you're not sure which way is up. You are constantly distracted by the mayhem taking place around you. There are literally people everywhere, doing any number of entertaining things. More cars, rickshaws, scooters, cows, monkeys, buses are jammed into the roadways than seems possible. Anything you could possibly need is for sale at road side stands. The poverty is alarming, and shocking, but not really out of proportion with other countries I have traveled, just on a more populated scale. 

We arrived in Delhi at night, grabbed a cab and were on our way to our hotel- or so we thought. Our driver spoke just enough English to tell us that he didn't speak English, didn't know where our hotel was, and demanded the hotel's number- which of course we didn't have. By some stroke of luck, and with the help of our crappy Lonely Planet map of Delhi- we eventually made it to our hotel. After checking in we commandeered the closest tuk tuk driver, and headed towards Connaught Place the closest shopping area. Navigating local transportation is one of my favourite things about traveling! I love bickering about the price, and you get such a different feel for a city.

Safety was never an issue for us. I actually never felt unsafe the entire time we were in India. In India the average Indian man is 5'2" and maybe 100lbs soaking wet. Not super intimidating. Now granted if a group of 10 of em swarmed us we might have had a problem, but this never happened. We were also very fortunate to never have anything stolen. My travel luck has definitely improved from my earlier travel years!!!

The morning of our 2nd day in Delhi we met up with the tour that we had arranged to take is to Agra and Jaipur. Our tour guide, and driver took us to one of the main markets in Delhi. We walked to market, and drew a lot of attention, as it appeared that the vast majority of people in this market where men- men who liked blond hair. After having our photo take by multiple creepy dudes cell phones we toured Jamma Masjid the grand mosque of Delhi- which is the largest mosque in India. Oddly, we weren't asked to cover our hair, but women are forced to wear this ridiculous polka-dot get up. Amazing fashion, but whatever- I just do what I'm told!! After climbing one of the mosque minarets and taking smoggy Delhi skyline photos we jumped back into the car and headed to Agra. Our visit coincided with massive protests in Delhi- authorities were expecting 200, 000 people to be coming to the city, and our tour guide was anxious to get us out of the city before this started.
Market mayhem in Delhi
Delhi- Grand Mosque Fashion week :)
Views from the Grand Mosque
 We had a 5 day tour of Northern India booked, and after the tour we were dropped back off in Delhi for a last night before flying back to Riyadh aka Rehab :(

Goa India

In February, I went to India with my closest Saudi mate to help her ring in her 30th birthday in style. We flew from Riyadh to Mumbai, and then on to Goa. This was both of our 1st trips to India. India is an interesting country, because people either love it or hate it. We had been warned numerous times that "you have to just let India happen- there is no way of planning for it." Fortunately, I fall into the camp that loves India. I loved the chaos, it was like a constant shit show, where you literally didn't know what was going to happen next. In one word it was AMAZING.

That being said, Goa area really didn't feel like being in India. It was like a playground for British retirees. We had booked into a 3 star resort which was more than adequate, and quite cheap. We were the youngest ladies in the joint by give or take 20-30 years. I was actually concerned that my nursing skills might be called into practice, as this group was a medical emergency in the making. Luckily, being the only single ladies within a 3 mile radius, we received exceptional service from the pool boys, and restaurant crew. They were tripping over themselves to help us, and their eager attempts at Indian flirtation where extremely self-esteem boosting!!

We stayed 5 days in Goa, and I could have stayed a full 2 weeks. I had forgotten what it was like to take a vacation and do literally nothing!! We lounged at the pool in the afternoons. Got a sketchy massage by an Indian woman. Not as shady as our Sri Lankan massage, but still strange compared to western standards. Apparently having one's breasts massaged is considered normal- when they say 'full-body' massage they ain't kidding!!

We spent a day touring Anjuna Market- the largest market in the area. It was full of spices, clothes, and tons of Indian souvenirs. We spent a couple afternoons at the beach in Baga- fending of the million hawkers, that had us targeted as easy sales. I must admit, I am an easy target in India. Just give me puppy-dog eyes, and I'll probably buy whatever shit it is your selling- for about 5X the price it should be. We made a day trip to old Goa, and toured some of the old ruins, and Catholic churches in the area.
Anjuna Market

Anjuna Beach- with the holiest of Indian animals!!

Baga Beach at sunset
 The food was amazing in Goa- super cheap, and really flavourful. We found that when we got into Northern India the food became much pricier, and went down in quality. Oh, and the beer was cheap too :) After a lovely 5 days in Goa we boarded a plane, and headed for the real gong show of Delhi!!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Updates.....

Well my friends, it has been a while....and it seems a lot has happened since I last updated this thing. I spent almost 2 weeks in India at the end of Feb (which I will blog about later) and upon returning to Saudi, my grandmother passed away. Its a little difficult writing this, as she would follow my adventures on this blog. We were very close, and I have been feeling rather guilty, as I had meant to call her before venturing off to India, but got busy, and never made that call, and now I won't have the chance. I know its stupid, and not very productive to feel like this, and that she knew she was loved, but still I can't help it.

Anyways, 3 days after returning from India, I was on a plane heading back to Canada to see my family, and attend her funeral. I am so fortunate that work granted me leave- when I spoke to my nurse manager there was no question of me not going, and all she said was "tell me how much time you need." I'm so thankful to her for that, as I would have regretted not going home for this. Anyways, the funeral was wonderful, and heart wrenching at the same time. It felt very strange being at her house, and her not being there. In a lot of ways it doesn't really feel like she's gone. I never thought she wouldn't be there when I came back from Saudi. She was a wonderful woman, with a bunch of grand kids that adored her, and she will be very much missed, and in our thoughts often. Granny- I love you.
Granny and I before I left for Saudi