Alissa's Adventures in India

Hey everyone,

I am sitting here the night before Malaysia reflecting on my travels through India. It is strange having such a short time between these countries. It has just flown by. Now for India; the first day started with a yoga demonstration by a yoga teacher in India. The demonstrators were very flexible and I have no idea how they got into some of the positions they got into. After the brief demonstration, we got to try out some of the positions. While trying this out I felt very inflexible but it was fun and relaxing. We even did a meditation after. I know you would be proud mom. Once the demonstration was over, I had some lunch until my next trip of the day left, which was the city orientation. On the city orientation, we first stopped at the St. Thomas Cathedral. This cathedral was gorgeous and underneath it was the tomb of St. Thomas, which we also got to go look at. It was amazing how beautiful this building was amongst all the poverty in India. The next stop on this orientation was to our tour guide’s home. It was a quaint little home with a couple stories and we got to meet some of her family. It was amazing that this woman took an entire busload of tourists into her home. She was very nice and trusting. At her home we enjoyed snacks, learned how to wrap a sari, as well as draw designs on the floor with powder, which is the way they design their fabrics. It was all very interesting. The last stop on this city orientation was to a Hindu temple. We walked around it for a little while and saw many people praying. There was also a prayer tree within the temple, which had little cradles and prayers for children. It was very cool. As we walked back to the bus we had a little time to shop and then we were off to go back to the ship. Once we arrived at the ship, we had to rush to eat dinner and then meet in the union for the final trip of the day, the welcome reception. On arriving at the welcome reception, we were greeted by students from India who placed bindy marks on our foreheads as well as on our necks. Then we entered into the place and there were people doing henna on our hands, local snacks we could try, as well as clothing and crafts to buy. I got henna on my hand, which has now faded away. I also bought a skirt that I was able to wear during my stay in India. At the reception, I was able to talk to some students from India who all seem to be studying some form of engineering. It was interesting to talk to them about their country and their studies. The last thing that happened at the reception was a performance by a dancer who was demonstrating Indian dancing. It was very good. I have learned that in every country we have visited it seems as if everyone can dance very well. This was the end of my night in India and all I did was go back to the ship to pack for my 4-day trip around India.

The next morning began very early at 3:40. We had to meet in the Union and then catch our buses to the airport. On arriving at the airport, we had to do the typical airport stuff, such as going through security. Security though was a little different then it is in the States. Men and women are separated into different lines and then when women are scanned for metal items, they are put in a secluded, blocked area and then another woman does the scanning. It was very interesting to see the difference between how men and women are treated. After a little waiting, we finally caught our bus that took us to the plane. This was also something different about the airports here, but the same as it was in South Africa. Once we got on the plane we got situated in our seats and were ready for takeoff. The flight attendants offered us a cold hand towel to wash our hands. Once we were ready to take off music started to play on the plane. I found this strange because I had never heard radio-like music on an airplane. This music lasted until we were at our cruising altitude, and then started up again before our descent. Once our plane landed, we were in Delhi, which was not our final destination for the day. We then had to catch a connecting flight to Varanasi another city in India, which is known as the holiest city for Hindu people. On arrival in Varanasi, we immediately went to the hotel where we had lunch, which was very delicious. After lunch, we took a bus to Sarnath, which is where the Buddha preached his first sermon. We visited the stupa and ruins of the ancient monastery in Sarnath. We also visited the archeological museum that had artifacts from the ruins, which included Hindu and Buddhist items. Once we visited the museum, we continued our journey to a Buddhist temple, which had beautiful paintings of Buddha’s life. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Indian Art Emporium, which was a store that sold all sorts of crafts. They even had some men making beautiful silk tapestries the old-fashioned way. It seemed very difficult and time consuming, but the end result was worth it. Overall, at this shop I did not buy anything because it was all overpriced and I think the only reason we went there was so that our tour guide would get a commission. All of the shopping places that our guides took us to in India were always overpriced and not worth buying anything at. Once we were done shopping, we returned to the hotel for dinner and to sleep. The last thing I would like to tell you about for this day is about the hotel. It was a Radisson and was very gorgeous. I felt a little strange staying there though because Varanasi was very poor and all the buildings were very worn down, and then all of a sudden was our gorgeous, modern 9-story high hotel. Anyways this day was very long and filled with exciting new things.

The next day in India began almost as early as the day before, with a wake up call at 4:30. We quickly had some drinks and cookies before going to the River Ganges for an early morning boat ride. The bus dropped us off a few blocks away and then we walked through the busy streets to the River. We then got on the boat, were rowed around the banks of Varanasi, and saw many Hindus bathing in the river, washing clothes, and partaking in the rituals to release their souls from the cycle of rebirth. We also saw where bodies are cremated and there was even a fire going which was burning one of the dead bodies. It was a very disturbing site, and luckily, I couldn’t really see the body. Another interesting part about this boat ride was that there were other boats that were like floating markets and sold jewelry and all sorts of other souvenirs. After an hour or so on the river, we got off the boat and we walked back to the bus. This task sounds easy, but it was so hard. There were people everywhere trying to sell us stuff and begging for money. There were also cows roaming everywhere because they are seen as holy in India to the Hindus, so people do not eat them and just let them do as they please. After this crazy morning, we returned to the hotel for breakfast. We then walked around a little to shop and then returned to the hotel to check out and leave for the airport. We arrived at the airport and left for our hour flight back to Delhi. Once we arrived in Delhi, we first went to the World War I memorial, which was very pretty. There was pretty much an arch, a fountain, and it just kind of looked like a park. We then drove on to view the Parliament building, which kind of looked like the capital building in Washington D.C.. Delhi, on the whole reminded me of all the monuments that can be found in Washington D.C.. After the little tour of Delhi, our tour guide dropped whoever wanted to get off for shopping at some outdoor markets. I got off and was happy to find a few souvenirs. After an hour or so at the market, Alex, Chris, Casey, and I caught a rickshaw to the hotel. This was our first experience on a rickshaw and luckily, the driver was kind and took us with no problems. The only thing that occurred on this ride, was that it was Gold Day for Muslims, so we were stopped for about 15 or 20 minutes while a huge group of Muslims paraded down the streets. This was very interesting, but fortunately, it did not go on for hours. Once we arrived at the hotel, which was absolutely gorgeous, we grabbed our bags and room keys and headed up to the rooms to settle in before dinner. This hotel reminded me of one that you would find in Las Vegas, with tons of shops and restaurants. After about 20 minutes in our rooms, we went downstairs to a restaurant in the hotel named Chinatown. The food at this restaurant was typical Chinese food that we are used to, so I had some rice, vegetables, sweet and sour chicken, and sesame chicken. It was all absolutely amazing. From eating so much of the same food on the ship, it is nice to have a good break every once in a while. Anyways, after dinner a few of us decided to put on our Indian clothes that we had bought, and then go on a photo shoot around the hotel since it was so beautiful. The pictures are very funny and you all have to see them when I get back. Anyways this fun ended the night and I went to sleep.

The next morning once again began at the early hour of 4:15 because we had to quickly get to the train station to catch our train to Agra for the day. The train station was kind of disgusting. There were a bunch of rats and it was just very dirty there. Luckily, I wasn’t too awake to notice too much. Once we got onto the train, I took a nap for the two-hour ride to Agra. On arrival in Agra, we stopped at a hotel for a bathroom break, and then went to Fatehpur Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri is a deserted city, filled with beautiful sandstone palaces. We walked around this area for about an hour and then we returned to the buses to go back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch, we relaxed in the hotel lobby for an hour. During this time, I bought a cheesy t-shirt that says Welcome Semester at Sea on the back, and I also watched a puppet show that a man in the lobby was putting on. It was very interesting. Anyways, after our time at the hotel, we continued touring more of Agra. We first went to the Agra Fort, which was absolutely gorgeous. Most of the fort is made out of the same marble that the Taj Mahal is made out of. From the fort, we could even see the Taj in the distance. It was very exciting and it gave us a preview of what was to come. On leaving the fort, we then went to the amazing Taj Mahal. It took a while to go through security to enter, but once we entered, a few of us closed our eyes until the whole Taj would be in view and then we opened them. The Taj was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It seemed so unreal. I can’t imagine how someone constructed it. Supposedly the builder after he finished the Taj, he had plans of building a black Taj Mahal right across the river, but instead his son put him in jail so that he wouldn’t waste anymore money. We stayed at the Taj for about three hours, which was very nice even though it was extremely hot out. We were able to take tons of pictures. At the Taj, many Indians were asking to take pictures with us American girls. It seemed strange but I guess in all of these ports we have been asking to take pictures with all of the locals so I couldn’t refuse the pictures. At the Taj, we even were allowed inside. I didn’t know what to expect, but the only thing in there was the tomb of the builder and his wife, who it was made for. I never realized that the Taj was just basically a massive tomb. Overall, the day was amazing, and after we left the Taj, we went to Pizza Hut to have some dinner and returned to the train station for our trip back to Delhi. The train this time was about twenty minutes late so we had a good amount of time just standing around. It was a weird environment to be in. The military that night was doing a training program at the station so there were tons of military men and guns lined up everywhere. I had never seen so many military men in one place. I didn’t know if I should feel safe or scared that something was wrong. Anyways we finally were able to get on the train, and I once again slept through the two-hour ride. On arriving back at the hotel I packed my stuff up and then went to sleep.

The next morning started with a not as early wake-up call at 6:45. I quickly got ready to leave the hotel, had some breakfast and then headed to the bus to go to the airport. We waited at the airport for about an hour and then took the 2 ½-hour flight back to Chennai. The last thing I will note about the airplanes is that full meals are offered on every flight no matter what time of day it is. This was very cool because it showed that the airlines really cared about customer service. As you know, in the states we don’t even get a meal when we fly all the way across the country. Anyhow, when we got back to Chennai we went to the ship to eat some lunch, before doing a little more shopping in the area. To go shopping we had to catch a rickshaw, and this time we had a real adventure. We were able to get to Spencer’s Plaza with no problem, and our drivers waited while we shopped for an hour or two. While we shopped, one of the rickshaw workers followed us around to make sure that we wouldn’t leave without paying. After we were done at the mall, we went back to our rickshaws and thought we would be taken right back to the ship. Well we were in for an adventure, after about 5 minutes of driving, our driver pulled over and tried to convince us to allow him to take us to a little shop where he would be able to make some commission. We said no about a hundred times and were almost just going to walk away without paying. Finally after about 5 or 10 minutes of arguing a policeman came up to the driver and told him not to mess with us, so the driver finally agreed to just take us directly to the ship. After about another 10 minutes of driving we arrived at the gate area to the port and the rickshaw drivers dropped us off. Before we took the cars, we agreed on a price of 50 rupees a person, which is a little over $1. Once we arrived, they were trying to get us to pay $5 a person and we said no and just gave them what we had agreed on, plus 50 rupees more for each driver. We then had to walk for a little while through the port in order to get back on the ship. I was very excited to get back on the ship. It was strange that night; we went out on the seventh deck to watch people come back late, and once we got up there it was disgusting. The crew hadn’t washed the deck the whole time we were in India since we were trying to conserve water, and the air in India is very dirty and polluted. It was definitely weird seeing the deck almost completely black.

There is one last thing that I totally forgot to mention about my trip through India. The driving in India is the most insane thing you will ever see in your life. The lines on the street mean absolutely nothing. If there is a car in front of you that you want to go around you just go into the other direction lane and go around them. Even if a car is coming the other way shortly, you just hope that you make it around before the other car comes. Another thing about the driving is that the driver blows the horn almost constantly. It is so annoying. If you thought New York is bad you need to come and experience it in India. The driving in general was the strangest and scariest thing I have ever seen in my life and I would never want to drive there. Anyways it was nice to leave India, even though I had such an amazing time. Luckily, the only illness I contracted was a cold and I think it was mostly due to breathing in such dirty air. Sorry this entry has been so long. I hope you enjoyed reading it and Malaysia will probably be posted in a few days.

I love you all,
Alissa