Indian Summer

I just left the office for the last time here in Bangalore. It was actually really sad. I didn't want to have to say goodbye to my new friends. Even though I will still be working with them everyday, I won't see them everyday, and that's what makes me so sad. My flight leaves in a few hours so I am just tying up loose ends and getting everything packed. I have had a wonderful time here in India and I am very sad to be leaving. There definitely are comforts of home that I miss, but once I am home I will miss so many things about India. The last two months have gone by so quickly and I almost wish I had more time here. I would love to come back and hope to have the opportunity to do so soon. I'm not sure that Alyssa and Heidi would agree, but if you ever have the opportunity to come to India, definitely take it!

The Pink City

On Sunday we spent the day in Jaipur, which is also called the Pink City. All of the buildings are pink. I'm not sure why, but they are. We went to another fort called Amber Fort. It is also called the Pink Palace because it is pink as well. The fort sits up on a hill so you can either walk up the hill or ride an elephant. Considering the heat of the day and the fact that riding an elephant is really great, we opted for the elephant. It was great. My feet got spit on several times, but the ride was well worth the soggy socks. At the entrance to the fort there were vendors all over. They were worse there than anywhere else we had been. They were really aggressive and of course very dishonest. Once we finally got into the fort I felt like we had been through a car wash. It was nice to be in such a beautiful place without all of those men calling you Madam and yelling at you. The fort wasn't quite as extravagant as the Agra Fort, but it was still beautiful. We decided to go shopping after the fort, but our driver took us to a quick detour at an observatory. It was pretty lame and we weren't really sure what we were supposed to do there so we didn't stay long. Walking out of the observatory we came across some snake charmers. As much as I don't like snakes that was definitely a highlight of the trip. While we were watching them some government men walked behind us and the charmers stopped playing their flutes. We weren't sure if snake charmers are not allowed, but they started up again as soon as the government men walked by. Melissa actually touched one of the snakes, but I stayed as far back as possible. We went shopping for the rest of the day and experienced much of the same aggressiveness that we found at Amber Fort. They've just got a different style in Jaipur. Melissa and I flew back to Bangalore that night. I was grateful to get back to pleasant weather, but I didn't want to leave Alyssa and Heidi. It's a good thing I'll be home in 2 days.

The Taj

On Saturday we woke up really early and went to the Taj Mahal to see it at sunrise. Our driver dropped us off at a walkway at the back of the Taj. We had to walk a bit through the mosquito-infested walkway and we were sure we would come out with Malaria. When we finally came to the clearing where we could see the Taj and it was amazing. We were at the back so there weren't any people around and just a river that really wasn't much of river was the only thing that separated us from the Taj. It was just enormous and so beautiful. We took a lot of pictures and an Indian man assisted us in the picture taking. He encouraged us to get closer to the river so we could see the reflection of the Taj in the water. We were reluctant because of the mosquitoes, but we did go up to the water and it was beautiful. The sky was pretty overcast so we didn't ever end up seeing the sunrise, but it was worth to get up that early and see the Taj in such a peaceful environment. When we were walking back to the car we ran into a band of kids who took a liking to Alyssa. They followed her and we called her the Pied Piper. We got up so early to see the Taj at sunlight that we decided to go back to the Holiday Inn and take a nap. After a refreshing nap we went to Agra Fort. It was a big castle-like structure with two moats. The moats were dry, but our guide told us when the fort was actually in use the moats were filled with really dangerous animals like alligators and snakes. I could only imagine it. After the fort we picked up my coworker Melissa who had flown in that morning, and went to the Taj Mahal again. This time we actually went in the front entrance. The weather was pretty miserable. It was so hot I really can't even describe it, but seeing the Taj made it all worth it. We we walked through the entrance and saw it a ways away, it was amazing. It's just so big and almost breathtaking. We took several pictures and then went through the inside. The inside is almost a disappointment because there really is nothing to see. You just walk through a few rooms, one with a tomb, and that's it. We walked back outside and could barely see because the reflection of the sun on the white marble was blinding. The architecture of the whole place is amazing. There are optical illusions all over the outside and the four tours on the four corners of the platform actually lean out just a bit so if there is an earthquake or some other natural disaster they won't fall in and damage the dome. There were a ton a people there which only added to the miserable heat, but seeing it was something I will never forget. Walking back out to the street we saw a parrot in the tree and a camel pulling a cart in the street. It's all so normal to them, but incredible to me. We got back on the road to travel to Jaipur. I think it was only about 220 klm away, but it took what seemed like an eternity to drive there. In India they turn on their brights when they see a car instead of the other way around, so I had to keep my eyes closed for the six hour drive because the lights were hurting my head. I also became indigenous on the drive to Jaipur. The natives just go to the bathroom where ever they are. We actually saw two women get out of a car where were stopped for a minute, squat and urinate. I needed to use the restroom, but there was no chance of finding a real one, so I went in the bushes on the side of the road. I felt like a real Indian. It was great. We finally made it to our hotel in Jaipur after what seemed like an eternity. It was called Umaid Bhawan and it was a fantastic hotel. It was 100% Indian and I loved it. I would have liked to stay more than one night. It was lavishly decorated in Indian decor and every stitch of the walls were covered in paintings of carpets. It was wonderful.

Indian Cinema

After seeing New Delhi we drove to a city called Agra. It took pretty much the entire day for us to get there. Agra is part of what they call the Golden Triangle with New Delhi and Jaipur. It was a very long drive even though the distance wasn't very far just because the roads are so awful. Our driver, Nagender, kept raising his fist and yelling something at all of the crazy drivers. We wish we would have known what he was saying. When we got to Agra we went to Akbar's Tomb. Once again, it was an amazing building built just for dead people. We saw some strange animals on the lawn that we weren't sure what they were, but they were really neat. The tomb was just a long hallway down to a large room with a very tall ceiling and one tomb in the center. It was kind of eerie and reminded me of something European. Outside the tomb I ran into some children who wanted me to take their picture so they could see it on my digital camera. I took a picture of them and then asked if I could take a picture with them. All of a sudden children came from everywhere. They were all adorable and one woman even handed me her baby whom she obviously did not want to be left out of the photo. Also, on the way out a man stopped Alyssa and I and wanted us to stand in a photo with his two sons. It's strange being a celebrity just because you are white. We went to our hotel, the Holiday Inn, which was very nice. My spare bed was still a wooden plank, but it did fold all the way down. We decided to try out an Indian film. We went to a mall and bought tickets for "Partner," which had been recommended to us by a lady at the hotel. The whole movie experience was hilarious. The movie was exactly "Hitch" but in Hindi and with musical numbers. The main character wore Tweety and Goofy t-shirts and there was an intermission. Also, the movie patrons were out of control. They stood up and laughed and clapped. It was all well worth the $4 ticket price.

The Land of Salt Crystals

I was able to take two days off of work and fly up to New Delhi to meet two of my friends from Salt Lake, Alyssa and Heidi, who came over for a visit. I left Bangalore after work on Wednesday night and flew up to New Delhi. It was supposed to only be a 2 and a half hour flight, but it turned into much longer than that so I didn't end up getting to the hotel in Delhi until pretty late. But I got to see Alyssa and Heidi after a long two months and that was great. We ordered an extra bed for me and the hotel guy showed up with a wooden board on wheels folded in half. He unfolded it and the center where the fold was did not fold all the way down so it was like a little tent. I wasn't sure if that was it, but I wasn't looking forward to the next two nights of sleeping. Luckily he did bring in a mattress which fixed things a bit. On Friday morning we got up and our Delhi driver took us to the President's Palace which I think is called Rashtrapati Bhawan. It was big with a lot of different government buildings around it. We also went to the India Gate which is near the President's Palace. It is a big arch that has several names of people who died fighting for India's independence engraved on it. Oh, I forgot to mention that Delhi was hot. It was hotter than I have ever felt before, and ever want to feel again. Bangalore has been quite pleasant, but Delhi was not. Walking outside we were immediately drenched in sweat and our clothes grew 7 sizes larger because of it. After the gate we went to Humayun's Tomb. It was beautiful and it's crazy to think something like that was built just for dead people. Inside the tomb a guy started telling me about it without me asking him to. I listened and then when he was done I walked away to find Heidi and Lys. He followed me asking for money for his services. I just kept walking. I probably could have spared a few Rupees, but I didn't ask for his services and he didn't take his shoes off inside the tomb. At the tomb there was a whole separate tomb for the barber and the jeweler. I thought that was pretty funny. They obviously took their hair and accessories very seriously. Next we went to Qutb Minar which is a very tall and very old tower made out of sandstone. It had beautiful engravings all over it and it was surrounded by ruins. It was beautiful, but once again, very hot. We also went to the Bahai Temple which is also called the Lotus temple. It didn't really look like a temple, but it was neat. The greatest part about it was that it was definitely the quietest bit of India I have ever been in. There is supposed to be no noise in the temple and it really was silent. It was wonderful. We had to take our shoes off of course and I'm sure we looked ridiculous - three white woman walking briskly to the shoe drop off because the ground was so hot. It didn't seem to bother too many other people. Next we went shopping. We started out in an underground market which turned out not to be for us so we went up on the street and walked through some shops there. We ate at Pizza Hut and then headed back to where the car was going to pick us up. We stopped to buy some necklaces from some little boys and were quickly surrounded by other vendors wanting to offer their services. One man wanted to put something in our ears to clean them out. He had a little notebook of testimonials from other customers. I was still not convinced. When we got back to the hotel it was disturbing to find salt crystals in my eyebrows and along my hairline. I've never been much of a sweater, but after Delhi, I'm not sure I can say that anymore. Besides the heat, Delhi was great. It was different from Bangalore in that everything seemed a lot older. Bangalore has grown so much over the past few years that everything is under construction or recently has been under construction so it seems newer. I was in the north for four more days so stay tuned for those posts.