We survived Delhi, barely...

Istanbul was Constantinople

Out of India : 4 September 2004

We're nearly done with our time in India. We've seen and experienced a lot, both good and not so good. Sorry for no updates about it, but we had another computer outage problem, and Internet here is, well, not so good most of the time. Tulsi Ghat at dawn We returned to India from Nepal via the ancient city of Varanasi, the holiest city in the world for Hindu people, and probably the oldest still inhabited city on the planet. It was quite a change from the crowds and impersonality of Delhi. We spent our anniversary watching the ancient rituals that the pilgrims all perform on the "ghats," the steps that descend into the waters of the Ganges. We also met up with a group of local street kids that took a liking to us and hung out with us for the whole ceremony. They even gave us little floating candles to leave as blessings for our friends and family, so if any of you experienced unusual good karma lately, well, you're welcome! From Varanasi, we headed to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). It turns out that India is the most expensive country in the world for domestic air travel. I'm not being sarcastic, you can go look it up. Besides, they say you haven't traveled in India until you've taken the train. So we decided to take the train. It was a planned overnight train trip, about 14 hours, and we had beds and airconditioning. Well, that was before the train turned out to be 9 hours late. We sat around waiting for it on the platform, watching the cows, monkeys, dogs, cats, rats, cockroaches, oh, and humans. In the afternoon, the menagerie would simply pass in front of us. It's both platform and bedroom By midnight, they were sleeping at our feet. At least we weren't on the train that got an announcement of a late arrival of about 11:20pm... after midnight. The train finally did show up, and we had the 4 person compartment all to ourselves. The train was also cleaner and nicer than the one we took in China. It still had more roaches than one would normally care to have around, but we're much more used to them by now. We even got a little sleep before we finally arrived in Kolkata, where we found an overpriced hotel that wasn't too gross. Kolkata is an underrated city. Which shouldn't be too surprising, considering that it was the colonial capital for most of the British rule. The city itself is kind of like being in the ruins of a great imperial city, only one that's still fully inhabited. Most of the architecture is grand colonial style buildings, that are totally dirty and run down. There is definitely a hip and artistic vibe throughout the city, and West Bangal (the Indian state Kolkata is capital of) is known as the seat of intellectualism and art for the country. Basically, the whole city is not just a giant, stinking slum. On the other hand, we would definitely recommend easing into India in general, and Kolkata in particular. Arriving straight off a plane from Idaho, via Tokyo and Singapore (as a nice couple we met in the hotel lobby did) would be a bit of a shock to the system. Mother Theresa is Kolkata's most famous citizen, and we made sure to pay homage. We visited the hospital for the dying she founded in Kalighat, one of the most famous hospitals in the world. We also visited the nearby Hindu temple to Kali (thus the neighborhood's name), where we saw a goat slaughtered, and felt that our small donation was going more to the well dressed guys showing us around than the rice to feed the poor for which they solicited us. We certainly didn't get that feeling from the nuns in the Mother's house who didn't even ask for a donation at all. Mother Theresa's hospital We also met with Brother Jeff, one of the higher ups in the worldwide missionary group with which Anna (Andrea's mom) works, and had a lovely morning chatting with him in the peace of his little complex in the heart of poor Kolkata. We also went to see Mother Theresa's tomb, and had another interesting surprise. Turns out, once a year the priest from the nearby cathedral brings his flock here for mass, and we happened to hit that day. So we stayed for mass, and prayed at Mother's tomb for friends and family again. So, just in case the Hindus in Varanasi weren't enough, we now had the Catholics working for you all also. You're welcome again! We decided to bite the bullet and fly from Kokata to Mumbai (formerly Bombay). I don't know why the Indians are so fond of changing city names, but so it goes. Mumbai is a whole other world from the rest of India that we visited. It's much more modern European looking, with high-rises, beaches and waterfront boardwalks, and there's a definite distinction between the relatively clean and well off central city areas and the surrounding slums. That's a big change from the other cities, where the poor live on the central city streets, eating, bathing, and going to the bathroom right outside your hotel door. India is actually a much more expensive country to travel in than just about any we've been in yet. Not only do things just cost a lot more than you'd expect (like the air travel, the hotels and the food), but there are incredibly high taxes (here in Mumbai the can actually surpass 25% for some things), and there's the neverending stream of extra fees and petty cheats at all times. Somehow the taxi to the airport, which started out at 200 rupees gained another 20 rupees by the time we actually finished loading our luggage, and then he tried to get us for a "parking fee." Yeah right. So, we're heading out of India soon. No more "parking fees" for us! India has been an incredible experience, for sure. We're both glad that we were pretty well travelled before we got here, and there are things we missed that we'd love to come back and see.

Replies: 2 comments

Awesome update guys! We had a great time in Athens, not to compare or anything. Where are you off to next??? x's and o's Chris Posted by Chris @ 09/06/2004 11:34 PM PST

Hey guys! Right now Critter and I are relaxing in Florida after a hellish summer. We are trying to dodge hurricanes and spend as much time swimming and lying out by the pool inbetween the rain. Last weekend was Gary and Amiee's wedding... It was great to see both of them so happy together. Everyone had alot of fun (I will try to email you some pics). Your absence was felt by all (especially on the dance floor!). I hope you are continuing to do well. Happy Belated one year Anniversary! Posted by Katherine Stanfill @ 09/09/2004 10:12 PM PST