Chennai, Delhi, Agra and Jaipur - India

India

I spent 5 days in India and it was exhausting. About 80 of us went to Agra, Jaipur and Delhi. Some things we heard before disembarking the ship were that all the clothing we wear will be thrown away, it smells and it’s a life-changing place. I feel like sometimes people get a little too deep with there thoughts… I am not going to lie, when I woke up on the ship and we were in port our room did smell a little stale, I think I’ll live. Our port city was Chennai, officially registered with 9 million residents but the “real” number, street children unaccounted for, is 13 million. There are 9 million people in Atlanta, Georgia; Chennai is ¼ the size of Atlanta. There are so many people in India it’s ridiculous. There is poverty all over the world, in every country, but in India it’s in your face. There is no way to travel throughout without seeing the poorest people you will ever see. Indian still uses a caste system with the wealthy at the top and impoverished at the bottom. There is a group of people who don’t even get an official caste section, the untouchables. To be untouchable in India means you’re impure, you have been thrown out of your caste. You must marry within your caste and it is arranged. Most of India practices Hinduism, but there are many religions practiced.

Day 1

We got off the ship around 10am when customs cleared us. When I was waiting at the bus my friend Mary came out of a building saying “well that was awesome!” I asked her what she was talking about and she said she went inside to go to the bathroom and came face to face with a hole in the floor, the bathroom, awesome. We all got on the bus and headed to the Chennai airport. I was sitting in a window seat and a couple of Indian men came up to the window and asked if they could take my picture. I smiled for them thinking this was going to happen once, I later find out there is a slight obsession with westerners and they love photographs of or with them. My flight phobia was starting to kick in and I was imagining an airplane made out of cardboard. What I saw on the way to the airport was enough to scare me back to the ship. People can’t walk on the sidewalks because every 2 feet a person is lying down in a blanket sleeping, or passed out, who knows. I saw a group of children who were covered in dirt playing in a dumpster that was overflowing all over the street. I have never seen so much trash in my life; it was everywhere. Slumdog Millionaire was coming to life right in front of my eyes. We drove past miles of slums and I saw houses made out of things I would never even think could make a wall. Dogs outnumbered people if that’s possible and they did not look healthy at all. There were goats with children and cows taking over the road. The ride to the airport was about 45 minutes and I had already seen all I wanted to see.

We got to the airport, checked in and headed to our gate. There were separate lines for men and women, which was funny, and the security did not make me feel secure. All of my apprehensiveness went away when I saw the snack cart that sold Kit Kats. I don’t know what it is about foreign Kit Kats but they blow the American ones out of the water. I usually don’t eat candy that much, these make me melt, no will power. I was happy and ready to fly. I got a window seat, YES, and the flight to Delhi was 2 hours. On the plane I told everyone I had a friend in Delhi and I became a local celebrity in a matter of minutes. Caitlin (not my roommate) is a friend from Long Island; she has worked with the Clinton Foundation about a year and a half, the organization deals with AIDS/HIV. We were messaging back and forth and she said she could get us into a sick Delhi club and get some VIP service since there were so many of us, chya! Like I have said before, college kids love the thought of VIP. I had 23423423 people give me their Blackberry PIN #’s so they could keep in contact with me throughout the night.

The flight was good; they greeted us with cold towels and had amazing food, America take note. There was rice, beans, fried dough and some other mystery substances, but it was all really good if you mash it all together. There was a green bean, or so I thought, sitting on top of the rice and I took it all in one bite. My friends, this was not a green bean, I felt like I bit into the core of the earth. Volcanic explosions had filled my mouth and I was near death. I think ketchup is spicy, so yea, that is all. After 2 hours we had landed in Delhi, from the air I saw miles upon miles of shacks; I really can’t express in words the amount of poverty I had seen in half a day. The bus drivers who were taking us to our hotel greeted us with leis, Hawaii? I had mine on for about 5 minutes until I realized there were worms in the flowers. Caitlin and I took ours off and just let everyone figure out on their own that they were worm infested, muhaha. Our hotel was ballin, there was a rooftop restaurant where we all immediately bought cold beers, college. The weather was absolutely perfect and the view was amazing. Caitlin met us at our hotel and she spoke to the receptionist in Hindi. I am not kidding, the man would barely speak to me when I was asking him questions, the second Caitlin busted out Hindi and he realized we knew someone in India, he was all chummy, you missed your chance buddy. Caitlin drove her motorbike, SO COOL, but we hired a driver and car for the night. We went to dinner and the food was amazing. It was a large silver plate and the waiters come around with little dishes and glopped piles of random foods onto your massive silver platter. I didn’t have to worry about what I was eating because India is a vegetarian nation, weeee! You ate with your hands and I went to town on it. It was delicious! I wouldn’t stop taking pictures and was so happy to be aliv; I think the waiter noticed because he asked me if we wanted to see the kitchen, YES PLEASE! We went back into the kitchen and the chef made me go to the stove, hold the spatula thing, and pose for a picture. I am telling you, they love westerners. I also got a bindi drawn on my head and hit a gong, all of this for $4.

After dinner we went to a couple different bars that Caitlin recommended. One of them had a live band and I am not kidding when I say they were playing Hotel California. I dabbled with the local rum, Captain Morgan. The last bar we went to was her favorite dive bar; it was on the top level of a hotel. This man near us was on his cell phone and it was the COOLEST cell phone I had ever seen. When he put it down I asked if I could see it, it was shaped like a clam. I asked him where he got it he said the UK and it was $2,000, his girlfriend got it for him… Alberto? Hahaha The hotel owner sat down with us also and we were having really good conversation. They asked what we thought of India so far, I said we had just gotten there that night and so far it was awesome. He asked where were we going and after I told him he said our thoughts might change. I told him I knew about the poverty and that every country has it, it is just a bit more in your face in India. He agreed and said he wanted us to bring back good words of India when we leave, he paid for our bar tab, done.

I told all the SASers to go to “F-Bar,” a really cool club that we would get to eventually. When we arrived the hotel had a sign that said “Welcome Semester At Sea!” How did they know? We really take over countries. The club was awesome and I met some ridiculous fashion designer, who was wearing an extremely appalling jacket. It was 1000 Rupees to get in, $20. If you were a couple they said you could get in for 500 Rupee for both. Caitlin (roommate) and I told the man we were a couple and asked for the 500 Rupee deal, we got in for free. They don’t accept homosexuality in India and I guess that was just too much for him to take; our money was no good, but free entry is! We left the club at 4am and our driver was waiting for us outside. When we got back to our hotel the grand total for 3 people for the whole night, from 8pm – 4am was $5 each. I gave him $10 because honestly, that is just ridiculous.

Day 2

We had to be on the bus at 7am, brutal. After one hour of sleep we headed out for a tour of Delhi. We went to mosques and monuments and saw all of Delhi. I tried to buy a water bottle at one of the places but it wasn’t sealed. They take old bottles refill it and try to sell them, gross. You can’t drink the water in India, and especially out of a used bottle. It was like the canal street of water, Aquafina was Aquatina. Nice try guy.

Every time the bus would stop beggars would surround us. They were selling the most insane items. Bangle bracelets, elephants, bindis, kama sutra books and anything else you could never want. You have to ignore them because the second you make eye contact they think that you have bought the item. “Hello! Ma’am! Kama Sutra! 500 Rupee!!”..No response “Ma’am. Hello! Okay, no problem, 100 Rupee!” But…I didn’t say anything? You just bargained with yourself. There “Hello!” sounds like “Hallo!” It’s great. At one monument there was a little boy and girl that started to perform the second we got off the bus, they were filthy and so skinny; it was terrible. The little girl would do back bends while the boy would swing a rope that was attached to his hat like a helicopter. Then they would hook onto each other and roll around like a ball, they literally did it for 15 minutes. They got money from some of us, I would love to give to everyone but you are asked for money at every step you take. It’s really painful to watch and after they begged for a couple minutes a police officer chased them away with a stick. When we would get back on the bus the men selling things would crowd the stairwell with their arms reaching into the bus. They would stand there until the door physically pushed them out as we were leaving, this happened at every single stop. It got really exhausting after 5 days.

We left for Agra after the tour, it was about a 5-hour drive and we stopped for lunch along the way. At the restaurant there was a little girl dressed as a princess and she would dance for money as her father played some sort of Indian instrument. I bought her a chocolate bar and took a picture with her. She was beautiful and it’s really hard to digest that her father had to use her as a circus act to feed them. There was also a man with a monkey outside and I asked him if I could take a picture with the monkey. The monkey climbed on top of my head and was violent. After the picture I went to give the man money, because it costs money to breath in India, and my 100 rupees wasn’t good enough. “500 rupees! You had the monkey on the head pose!” Oh, the monkey on the head pose… How could I not realize? So silly of me, here’s your 500 rupee, aka $10. Worth it.

We got to Agra pretty late in the night. A couple of us headed to the mall to get dinner, McDonalds. We got there and apparently everyone else on our trip had the same idea. Cows are sacred in India so there was no beef; the McDonalds gods have spoken. I had a #1, a “Veggie Delight Burger and fries,” I love India. I was so exhausted and in a food coma, I went back to the hotel and passed out. On the way back there was a boy making a gesture to me that he was hungry, I had a McDonald’s pizza, weird I know, in my hand so I went over to give it to him. He told me no, he only wanted Rupees. Beggars can’t be choosers.

Day 3

Taj Mahal! We had to be in the lobby by 7am and there were horse and carriages waiting for us outside. They took us to the Taj Mahal and I could not have been more excited, it’s one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world! My Taj ticket said “Non-Indian,” how do they know? I could be. After you walk inside you have to walk a bit to get through the entranceway that faces the Taj head on. When I turned the corner it didn’t seem real. It’s like a mystical building far off the in the distance and I couldn’t believe I was really there. I was convinced they had fog machines or something; it seemed fake. All of the pictures I took with me in them look like I cropped myself there, I saw it, I swear. To actually walk around the tomb, that’s what it is, you have to take your shoes off. As I was walking and taking pictures Indian men would come up and tell you a really good angle to take a picture at, and they really were great shots! The second after the flash goes off they say “money?” Of course, how could I think you were just being a nice human being, no you do not get a rupee for telling me to stand here. This is not your Taj, and it is not your camera, what am I paying you for? I sat at the Taj Mahal for hours; it was so peaceful.

After the Taj Mahal we went to a fort and royal palace. The tour guide was killing me. He literally told us where every grain of sand came from that formed the brick that made the wall. It’s hot, I care, but I don’t care that much. There were little school children on a field trip at the fort and they were adorable. They wanted to get in a million pictures with us. After the pictures one little girl turned to me and goes, “money?” You have got to be kidding me.

We got on the bus for another 5-hour drive to Jaipur. I slept most of the way, when we got there it was late but the hotel had a welcome reception for us. An adorable little boy was dressed up and dancing for us, he pulled me off my chair and we did some twirls together. Its festival season in India and the one that was occurring on that day was Holly. They take bright colored powder and throw it at each other to mark the changing of the seasons. My Citizens for Humanity jeans were not engaging in that, ah yes, the prissy Long Island girl comes out again. I watched, and everyone who did it severely regretted it when they realized it does not come off. I got a good feel for it, from behind the window.

Day 4

We got up early again today to do some tourist things. The first stop was a fort on top of a mountain. I bought a Turban, for Alberto, but I wore it for the day. Used gifts, how tacky... Haha! The turban was only appropriate for my elephant ride up the mountain. I love elephants; they are my most favorite animals ever. They’re so wrinkly and big; I love it. I’ll never forget the day I went to Sagamore Hill on a field trip to see Teddy Roosevelt’s house, he has a garbage can made from an elephant’s foot, not okay.

As we were on elephants, 20 feet off the ground, men are still trying to sell us their stupid trinkets.  They through turbans up on my lap and I said “no” a million times. Finally I said, “I am already wearing one, why do I need two?” The response was something like, “I give you good deal,” obviously I need 35 turbans, I through it back down to him. When we got to the top I took a picture touching the elephant’s trunk and the man who drove them, do you drive elephants? Anyway, he told me I had to pay 50 rupees for that picture, yea right. This is not your elephant or your camera so once again, you will not be getting my money just because you were alive to see me do this. We toured the fort and I got some henna on my hands then we headed back down.

We drove around Jaipur a bit more and saw palaces and mosques. We stopped at textile place that makes those crazy rugs. Oriental rugs? The ones that go under dining room tables. The store sold a million different kinds of fabrics; I bought 7 scarves and called it a day.

At the palace we saw the world’s largest silver jug and a snake charmer. We then went to a local market where I bought lots and lots of stuff. The shop owners always ask where we are from and when we say USA they say “Oh! King of the world!” In one shop I said I was from New York and the man said, “New York is very busy.” My response: Have you seen India?

We got back to the hotel and I had only one thing on my mind, Pizza Hut. We took a rickshaw to Pizza Hut and ordered an obscene amount of food. It was absolutely amazing; I hadn’t tasted pizza in forever. After devouring 3 pizzas we rolled back to the street and took a rickshaw to the hotel. The rickshaw rides are crazy, there are no driving laws and you can drive on the opposite side of the road if you want to. There are cows, cars, rickshaws, horses, scooters, camels, elephants and buses all over the road. I thought Mexico was bad…

At the hotel we watched Bollywood music videos for a bit. They are the funniest, corniest things ever. The men are always more feminine than the women and the dance moves are hysterical. And goodnight.

Day 5

Breakfast at 4:30am, bus at 5am. We headed to the Jaipur airport and on the way I found out our flight is not direct. Not only do we make a stop, we make two. What should really take 2 hours, takes 5. We went all over the country and ended back at Chennai. On the last flight from Bombay to Chennai the flight was pretty empty. There were two completely open rows. I saw a guy go take one to lay down and as he turns around to tell his friend to take the other I get up and walk towards him saying, “Oh no, that’s mine.” Caitlin turns to the friend and says, “Jaclyn has no problem telling people what she wants.” Hahaha Hey, you got to take life by the reigns. I slept the whole way, whether I lost a potential friend or not, it was worth it!

I got back to the boat completely drained. Even though I speak of all the beggars and hagglers I really do enjoy India, it has so much to see and do. The people are nice and I have never seen so much color all over the place. I could see myself coming back here. I heard people saying I.n.d.i.a stands for “I’d Never Do It Again.” It definitely is different from anything else I have ever experienced but who wants the same thing everyday?

It was an overwhelming experience; it honestly made me want to see more. I have never seen so many children in my life. Children without shoes, or even pants; I saw young girls carrying their baby brothers begging for money, and a woman holding a dead baby doing the same. Although I saw all these things I also saw so much energy. The will people had to survive, to work for maybe only 50 Rupees a day was incredible. If that energy was channeled to something positive I think India could develop into a great place.

Two pairs of sandals, 7 scarves, 1 ring, 1 shirt, 2 sets of earrings, 12 elephants and one bracelet later, I left India.

My 22nd birthday is in tomorrow, ew. Twenty-fun (21) was a great year and twenty-poo (22) will hopefully be just as good. Thailand in 3 days, I am so so so excited for Thailand.

That was a long one. Hope you enjoyed.


Take care brush your hair,
Jacleeeeeeen