Homeward bound

March 9: My flight doesn't leave until 8pm but I came to the airport at 10 am with Gavin. His flight for Katmandu was leaving much earlier. I thought I'd rather have company I the taxi ride here and just hang out at the airport for the day. I'm very disappointed in Calcutta airport. Delhi was very big and modern. Calcutta is a tiny airport - more like Bamako. They won't let you go through check-in till it's close to the time of your flight - probably because there isn't enough space there. I had been hoping to look for Indian rum in the duty-free shop, but there is very little in the way of shops here. I also need to change money. They say it's after check-in. There is a nice ladies room and places that sell sandwiches and drinks so I should be fairly comfortable here for the day.

Kolkata

March 8: Calcutta definitely has an excitement about it.. We are in a very nice hotel (hotel lindsey) which is in the middle of a busy area. It feels kind of like Times Square. (Photo 1) We arrived at 8 pm and there were neon lights all around. We took showers and then met at the rooftop restaurant for dinner. It felt like being in a US restaurant. There was a big table near us with some Americans and Canadians who sang happy birthday to someone. Binu said to order the fish because its good in Calcutta. So I had Calypso fish and a mojito. It is difficult at times to order here. Neil asked for Jack Daniels and coke. The waiter said he didn't have it. Neil told him he could see it behind the bar. Binu had to show him the bottle. We also all had flaming brownies with chocolate ice cream. It was really a festive dinner.
This morning we went to a corner stand on the street (photo 2) with Binu and had a grilled cheese sandwich. It was very good. Apparently we were near the chicken wholesale market because there were baskets of chickens. (Photo 3) Some guys rode off on bicycles with chickens hanging from them. Then we walked to another stand for a chai served in a pottery cup. The cups are disposable so we kept them for souvenirs.
We visited two places today: Mother Teresa's home and the Victoria museum. You aren't permitted to take photos at Mother House except at the tomb. They have an area with big placards that tell her story. There are also some of her possessions (calendar with her notes on it, notebook, etc). We also saw her room - very simple with a bed, table and desk. In the room with her tomb, some people prayed at the foot of the tomb (photo 4). The Victoria Museum was okay - mostly things from British colonialism. One funny thing happened there. Gavin and I were sitting on the steps in front and a. Indian woman came and asked to take our picture. The whole family got in the photo. She said they were tourists from the north of India. Binu said they often have never been in contact with Europeans so they want to take a photo to show people back home.
This is my last full day in India. Tonight we will have a festive dinner. Tomorrow I will take the taxi to the airport and wait for my very long flight. My first flight doesn't leave till 8 pm but I will go early with Gavin. Maybe there will be wi-fi in the airport and I can upload my last 2 blog posts. The wi-fi in the hotel doesn't work even though they act like they don't believe us when we say that.

India transportation

Transportation is definitely unique. Here are the modes of transport I have used so far:
Bicycle rickshaw (photo1)
Touk-touk (photo 2)
Hired van (with driver's apprentice in photo (photo 3)
Yellow taxi: They always have interesting things on the dashboard like flowers or gods. (Photo 4 flowers and Ganesh. Photo 5 Shiva's wife + 2 others. Maybe one is Budda?
Row/sailboat (photos in a previous post)
Metro (no photo - similar to US)
Train (no photo - bathrooms very different from US). Yesterday (Thursday) was the last train ride. I was dreading it. I just felt like I'd had enough of trains and it's an all-day train to Kolkuta (Calcutta). Our assigned seats weren't together. I was sitting on my own in one cabine. Christine and Bridget were in the next one. I could leave my bag with them if I went to the bathroom. It turned that 2 Indian high school boys came to sit with me. They were cousins traveling with one boy's dad and the other's sister and little brother. We had a lovely time. I talked with them the entire trip. They had just finished exams and had been to Jaipur on vacation. They're from Kolkuta and are Bengali Hindus. They're very well-educated and taught me lots about India. At one point, Gavin came down by me to visit. The boys enjoyed talking to him. Then they took a walk down to the other car to meet Neil because they wanted to know everyone in our group. It was really a great train trip.

Transportation I have NOT used:
Truck with "Blow Horn" painted on the back. In India truck drivers actually want you to blow your horn when you pass them.
Hand rickshaw. These exist only in Calcutta now. Note that the driver is not wearing shoes.

Bodh Gaya

Bodh Gaya is very different from anywhere else we've been so far. The Buddha was born in India in an area that is now Nepal. In Bodh Gaya, he was sitting under a tree and was enlightened. Buddhism didn't really take off in India, so the majority of the pilgrims here are Thai, Japanese, etc. each country seems to have its own temple. We have seen a Bhutanese temple and a Japanese temple is across the street from our hotel (the Hotel Tokyo) The streets are full of Buddhist monks buying souvenirs. In the temple, the monks are getting their photo taken and praying. Today we went to the temple to spend some time. I found a shady spot on the grass to sit. It felt very calm. A dog came and lay down by me leaning up against my purse. I never touch the street animals, but this dog was so sweet I felt like I should pet him. I was worried he might not be accustomed to being petted so I was careful at first but he liked being petted and didn't even seem dirty. After a while his spot got sunny and he moved to a shady spot near a monk. The monk threw him some cookies.
On the streets here there is a greater variety of animals. In other cities we saw cows and dogs only. Here there are small pigs and goats also. Most of the time people pay very little attention to the animals. They occasionally feed them, but most animals seem to just eat garbage.

Varanasi

March 4, 2013: Varanasi seems much busier and more crowded than anywhere else. Last night we walked through town from the hotel to the river. The streets were crazy. I want to try to video that later. There are cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, cows, and dogs all rushing down the street. Actually, the cows aren't in any hurry, but they just walk through the traffic - which is so bad that last night when the others were stopping to get water and I was going straight into the hotel, Binu took my hand and walked me across the street first like a little kid. Horns are constantly blaring. It's a wonder they don't wear them out.
Last night we went to the river to see a ceremony to Shiva. We got in a boat. He took us down in front of some cremations. You aren't allowed to take photos. There were about three fires going. On the steps (The steps at the riverbank are called ghat) there were several bodies waiting to be cremated. They were covered with cloth and yellow flowers, so you don't actually see the body - just the shape. If you're cremated in Veranasi you go straight to Nirvana. Then the boat rowed back to where the ceremony was. It was similar to what we saw in Rishikesh. People put flowers in the water We did, too. Priests dressed in yellow sang and held torches. There were MANY people. The riverbank was full and so were the boats. Binu says many people left the Kumbh Mela and now went to Varanasi It's always crowded but now it's more so. We left early to avoid the crowds. It took all my concentration to walk down the side of the street with all the
There's also another religious group. They are Hindus but are also fanatics. They are all men and they go around naked and cover their bodies with ashes. People give them money and they wear expensive watches. Binu said to stay away from them and not take any photos of them because they are totally uncontrolled. They can grab your camera and smash it on the ground and the police will do nothing.
Speaking of the police, there are many of them posted in the streets, which is good since there are also so many people. Apparently, Varanansi is much more crowded than usual. The G Adventures group that went before us had rain all the time. They couldn't take the boats down the river or camp. So the travel agent tried to book them into a hotel in Varanasi early but they were all full. They had to stay at the silk merchant's home. We met him yesterday when we went to buy scarves. Even going there, the touk-touk driver could only take us halfway because the streets were blocked. You know it's bad when an Indian driver can't get there. Next we go to Bodgaya where the Buddha sat under a tree and was enlightened.

We stayed at the Hotel Pradeep

Floating and camping on the Ganges

March 2 and 3, 2013: From Allahabad we drove in a van for a couple hours. Then we came to the boats we would ride. There are 3 boats - two to carry three of us plus 2 rowers in each plus a kitchen boat to cook our food. We would just lie in the boat and talk, read, or sleep. It was lovely. Every once in a while we would stop on the bank of the river to pee. When it was time for meals, they would hook all 3 boats together and pass the food. It's amazing what delicious food those guys can cook on a boat.
We got to our campsite around dusk. First the guys put up the toilet tent - which is a good thing since there were no bushes there. The toilet tent is a little square tent. with a pocket where the TP is kept. They dig a hole in the sand inside it. Then the guys put up our little dome tents - just pop-up tents. Some of the others had many bugs in their tents. You can hear every word that anyone says in the other tents. Gavin was working on swatting all the bugs in his tent and said it was ironic that he was killing bugs with Gandhi's autobiography. We all laughed. It was very beautiful at the campsite. So quiet and calm. We were looking at stars early in the night. When the moon came out, it was very light. You didn't need a flashlight.
In the morning we had chai and breakfast and then set out again on the boats. The other boat always kept their canapé on but Neil, Gavin and I really liked the sun, so we decided to keep ours off till lunch. Also, I was trying not to drink too much water because I didn't want to keep asking the rowers to stop on the bank so I could pee. Big mistake. When we stopped for lunch my head was spinning. I knew I was likely to faint in about 30 seconds so I lay down in the boat. Binu had the guys put the cooler in front of me so I could elevate my feet. Then they had me drink some rehydration salts. I felt better after that but stayed lying down for the remaining hour on the boat. Neil carried my backpack to the van when we got off the boat. (The rowers carry the bags). Still, the boats and camping were fabulous experiences. I am really ready for a hotel and hot shower though.
When I type the blog on my phone, it only lets me put photos at the end. So, here are the photos:
1: the cooking boat
2: the boat with the other half of our group
3: bathroom tent
4: sleeping tents
5: me on the boat

Allahabad and the Kumbh Mela

March 1,2013: The train arrived in Allahabad at 5am. A van was waiting to take us to our tents. Christine and Bridget (friends from Norway) are sharing. but since Neil and I each paid for our own room, the rest of us have our own tents. (Gavin gets his own without paying for it since there's no one left to share with)The tents are huge- 3 rooms plus a private bathroom with Western toilet behind. We were able to wash and brush our teeth right away - so nice after the sleeper train. Then we had buffet breakfast at a little place under a canapé: fried Indian pancakes, Indian potato curry, corn flakes, and white bread toast. Also coffee or chai. The chai is really good here- lots of cardamom.
After breakfast, we took a walk by the river. Then we were driven into town to see the home of Nehru. It wasn't nearly as interesting as the Gandhi museum, but it had a bookstore and i bought Gandhi's autobiography. My Kindle isn't working so i need a book to read on the boat tomorrow. I was annoyed because it's always impossible tp get change here. The book cost 45 rupees. I gave the man a 100 rupee bill. He said he had no change. Gavin was behind me and talking to me. The man told me to pay for mine and Gavin's so it would be 90 rupees. At least I got a 10 rupee note in change. (Good for tips-which you need constantly) We had lunch at a restaurant in town.
The weather was very cool in the morning, but got quite hot in the afternoon. We rested in the tents in the afternoon.
At 4:00 we walked over to the Kumbh Mela festival by the river. We are constantly passing stray cows and bulls who just wander the streets. People just ignore them. Today, one put his head down and went after me with his horns. I think it's because my jacket was dangling from my arm. I scooted away quickly. I think it may have looked worse from far away because I knew he didn't touch me, but Neil said, "Did you not feel that? He came after you" Then the bull was digging his horns down kind of angry. We walked away. At the Kumbh Mela, there were many people but the biggest crowds have left. There were families sitting on the ground. People swam in the Ganges. We got some nice photos. Then we walked back to have dinner (Indian buffet) At dinner everyone was laughing that I got chased by a bull on my birthday. It seems it looked more dangerous to them than it felt to me. 

We stayed in Ritz India tents.   

Taj Mahal and Agra Fort

February 28, 2013: This morning we went very early to the Taj Mahal. It was still dark when we got there. We were first in line to go in. That's good because it gets very crowded as the day goes on. The story of the Taj is that the emperor Shah Jahan loved his third wife Mumtaz tremendously. He married his other three wives for strategic alliances. So when Mumtaz died, he built the Taj as a tomb for her. It really is very impressive. It's very beautiful and much bigger than I expected.
Later we went to the Agra Fort. It's a fortified palace where Shah Jahan and Empress Mumtaz lived. It's not so beautiful because all gold and jewels have been stripped from it, but the tour was actually more interesting than the Taj because of all the interesting stories.
Then Gavin, Neil and I got lunch at Pizza Hut.
We just kind of hung around the hotel in the afternoon, then went to a restaurant and had a delicious dinner and got the sleeper train to Allahabad.

Going to Agra

The train to Agra is a sleeper train. We had to be ready to take the car to the train station in Haridwar by 4am, so I got up at 3. In the station, I bought a little bottle of milk flavored with cardamom. We went into town in Rishikesh last night to stock up on cookies, etc to eat on the train. The train left at 6 and then we all settled down to sleep a little. Every so often a man comes through selling chai. He puts a tea bag in a 4 oz paper cup and fills it from a thermos with a very sweet mixture of milk and water. Only 10 rupees (20c) and delicious. Later many people came selling lunch. Christine and I ordered lunch from one man but then accidentally bought from another man before the first brought our order! So we ended up with way too much food.
We arrived in Agra at around 4 pm and took the car to our hotel. It's lovely - and has a Pizza Hut next to it. ;)
We will go to the Taj tomorrow (VERY EARLY) but today we went behind it and saw it at sunset. Then we went to a very nice restaurant that served MEAT and beer - two things that were unavailable in Rishikesh. No one seems to drink wine or coffee in India.
This hotel charges for WiFi but I will probably pay it and post this. Tomorrow evening we sleep in a sleeper train and the following two nights are in a tent so I will be incommunicado until at least Sunday.

Beatles' Ashram

Today we walked to the place where the Beatles studied transcendental meditation with the Maharishi. On the walk there, I took some photos of the cows in the street and a monkey eating a kit kat with her baby holding on to her. The ashram where the Beatles stayed is now closed. We paid the guard and he let us go in anyway. There are domed areas where the Beatles wrote their music. Lots of stuff is painted on the walls all over the place. It was very interesting. (Rishikesh in general looks like hippie heaven and there are lots of whites here dressed in Indian clothes and very serious about the rituals.).
Going to bed early tonight because we have to leave at 4:30 am tomorrow to get the train to Agra (site of the Taj Mahal). We'll spend one day in Agra. Then we take a sleeper train to Allahabad where we will be in a tent for two nights. So, unless there's Internet in my Agra hotel, this will be my last post for a few days.

Whitewater rafting on the Ganges

This morning we had breakfast at a little German cafe - coffee and banana porridge. Then we got in the jeep that took us to our whitewater rafting spot. The weather is lovely here in Rishikesh-sunny and in the 70's during the day. So the river was cool, but very nice. The water here is pristine - just down from the Himalayas. The river was pretty calm. There were only two spots of rapids and they were never very rough. We got very wet but there was never any danger of falling out of the raft. Gavin even jumped in the river and swam a little. The trip was about 40 minutes. Then we got out of the raft and walked up the hill to our hotel.
We are having fun looking at all the cows wandering the streets. They are just everywhere. Tonight when we were going down some stairs to a restaurant for dinner there was a cow on the steps! There are also street dogs. They enjoy lying around in the sun. People must feed them because they're not too skinny. There are also monkeys in the trees.

Rishikesh

We met our fourth person last night. His name is Neil and yesterday was his birthday. He's thirty. He's a very nice guy. I really like everyone in our group.
This morning we left the hotel at 5:30 to take the train to Rishikesh. The hotel here is really nice. We all have little balconies. We had lunch in the hotel and then had time to organize ourselves in our rooms. I fell fast asleep! They had to call me to wake me up at 4 so we could walk down into town. There are monkeys in the trees and cows everywhere. We saw a Hindu ceremony. It happens at sunset on the riverbank. Some boys who are training to be priests were chanting. There were many people on the steps - both Indians and whites. People bought little cones with flowers and an incense stick in them. They would put them in the river. Afterwards we went to dinner and came back to our hotel.

New friends

This morning I went to a huge Hindu temple. It's quite new and very beautiful. Then Jami joined me to go to the Gandi Museum and assassination site. It's an excellent museum.
My tour was supposed to meet at 2:00 so we did only a half-day touring. When I went to the lobby for the meeting, there were 2 others reading the G-Adventures announcement that the meeting would be at changed to 6. Gavin is British and just finished college. Christine is Norwegian and works for Save The Children. She has friend who will be joining us in Agra. That leaves one other guy. We know he's British but haven't met him yet. Since the meeting was postponed, we took the opportunity to go see Humayyan's tomb. It was impressive. We took the metro (very nice and modern, but quite crowded. Then we took a three-wheeled taxi. They are very funny little cars. They have only 3 wheels. When we got back to the hotel, Binu, our tour CEO was in the lobby. He said we will meet on the roof for a general meeting and then go out for dinner. We will leave Delhi at 5:30 tomorrow morning.

Long day of sight-seeing

Jamie arranged for me to have a driver and guide for today. They came at 9:00 this morning. We saw many things in Old Delhi. I saw a Jayne temple, Gandi's cremation site, the Qtab Minar, the Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk and the Lotus Temple. I'm still very jet-lagged and things are jumbling up in my brain.
In the evening, I went to Jami's school and saw a play put on by her students. Jami has a large band room. The school campus is very nice and I got to meet some of Jami's colleagues- very nice, friendly people.
I'm having problems with my camera. The battery ran out during the day. When I charged it, the camera wouldn't work anymore. I've decided I don't want to drive myself crazy about that right now. I may have ruined the battery, but the camera will probably be ok and I came here for the experience-not the photos.

First day in India

Coming here was definitely the longest flight I've ever taken. If you count the time I left my house till I arrived at Delhi airport, it was 24 hours - and with the time difference, one whole night never got slept.
Delhi is definitely quite overwhelming. I had paid for airport pickup so there was a man from G-Adventures there to take me to the hotel. Cars here drive through tiny spaces that no American would ever attempt.
Jami came over to my hotel when she finished the conferences at her school. There's a taxi strike today so Jami checked out a car from her school. I'm very impressed that she drives here. We walked to a restaurant and had some delicious Indian food.
Going to sleep now so I can enjoy Day 2 tomorrow.

The phone and other last minute stuff

I just called Verizon to find out about my phone.  I have an Iphone 4 and it will work in India.  I turned off my data, so I will only be able to use the internet when I am somewhere that has WiFi.  That way there will be no data charges.  Alexandra at Verizon turned on my international roaming.  Phone calls are $2 per minute.  Texts are 50 cents to send and 5 cents to receive (a bargain!).  She recommended that I keep my phone in airplane mode most of the time.  Then I can take photos, etc and check the time, but my phone will use less power.  It won't receive any calls or texts in airplane mode, but I can just turn airplane mode off every so often so I will know if anything has come in.

Also, Jami has made lots of plans for me in Delhi.  She is truly wonderful!  I will meet her on Thursday evening for dinner.  Then, Friday, Jami's local friend who is a travel agent is helping arrange a driver and guide for Friday all day, and for Saturday morning.  He will give me a fair and good deal with the driver and guide. Also, Friday evening, Jami's school has their high school play!  I am getting very excited about all the fun plans.  I think I may have to take Jami on a trip to Paris or something to pay back all she has done for me!

Ellen is picking me up at 6:30 tomorrow morning to take me to Dulles.  I have already done my online check-in with Emirates for my flights.

Info from G-Adventures

I called G-Adventures to ask some questions.  I thought I had booked one extra day in the hotel in Delhi because I would arrive a day ahead of time.  Then, as I looked at everything, I realized I get there two days ahead of time.  But it turned out that my airport pick-up is for the correct day and also I booked two nights extra in the hotel, so I am all set.  I'll have to tell Jami that I have more time in Delhi than I thought.  I think that's good, though.  It will give me more time to adjust to the time difference and to see Delhi.  Also, there are only five people in my group.  They are all quite a bit younger:  some born in the 70's and some in the 80's.  I think I'll keep up okay, though.  The girl I talked to had just come back from a trip to Turkey, so I asked her if she had stayed in a tent at all.  I'm worried about needing to use the bathroom during the night when I'm in the tent.  What if there are thousands of tents at the Kumbh Mela festival and I can't find my way back?  She said she hadn't been in a tent, but I should just talk to the CEO (our guide) about it and it will be fine.
Also, last Saturday, I had dinner with friends from Fez, Jeremie and his girlfriend, Andi, and Stefan and his wife, Agnes.  Stefan has been to India and said, "Oh, you're in for a treat.  You'll love India."  When I said I was flying on Emirates, both he and his wife said it is a fabulous airline.  Stefan is very tall and he said there's lots of leg room and it was the best experience flying coach he's ever had.  That's really a good thing since it's a 14 hour flight just to Dubai and another 3 hour flight from there to Delhi.  So, I feel much better about the two things I was worried about (tent and superlong flight).  Also, I'm so glad for my Fez trip last year.  This G-Adventures group will be similar to my Fez buddies.  The people I was with almost constantly were a 22 year-old, a 31 year-old and two 36 year-olds.  That's not too different from my India group.  I know I kept up with them - walking all over the city.  So, I have confidence that I will keep up with this group, too.

Getting close

I'm making progress slowly but surely. 

• My bags are bought.  Now I need to put things in them!
• The contacts have arrived. (I will wear them, but am thinking the whitewater rafting isn't going to happen.  Every time I check the weather in Rishikesh, it's COLD - in the 40's.  I can't see myself putting on a bathing suit and getting in the water. 
• I have all my shots and prescriptions.  I was supposed to get TDaP and Polio shots.  (My HepA, HepB and typhoid are up to date.)  When I went to Kaiser, the nurse gave me Polio and Typhoid!  It wasn't his fault.  The travel nurse typed it up wrong and he told me he was giving me a typhoid shot, but I didn't catch the error until after he had given me.  So, I am super-immunized against typhoid.  I also got the DTaP shot just to be sure.
• I start taking the mefloquine tomorrow - 2 weeks before I leave.  That will protect me from malaria, but not from India's two other mosquito-borne illnesses:  Dengue Fever and Chikungunya.  For those, I need to be sure to use mosquito-repellent with 30% Deet.I got it at REI, my new favorite store.  I'll be sure to use them, but I do wonder who many mosquitoes will be flying around in such cool temperatures.
• Speaking of medical stuff, the company I'm going with, GAdventures, requires that you have emergency medical insurance.  If you get sick or injured overseas, it covers the medical expenses and the cost to fly you to the airport nearest your home.  I got it when I went to Mali, too.  There was just an article about it in the Washington Post Travel section.  It said that it's very cheap because it's rarely used and people who do need to use it say it was fabulous - takes away any worry.  This time I took the company that GAdventures offers.  I thought that this way, if I should need it, my GAdventures group leader will know how to contact them, etc.  
• I forgot to mention in my last post that I have my visa for India.
• I've been corresponding with Jami and she is fantastically helpful.  Also, I can tell that she is very happy there and loves India.  That makes me feel good about the trip.  Anyway, she is giving me guidance about what kind of clothing to pack (lots of layers for weather that will be cold sometimes and warm others.)  We are planning to meet for dinner my first evening there.  Jami will also give me suggestions on what to see in Delhi the next morning, since my group doesn't meet up until 2 pm.
• I know what I need to bring for charging my computer and camera (guidance from Jami on plugs.)  I do need to talk to Verizon about my phone, but I am pretty much planning on not having a phone and using my IPhone only for email when there is wireless available.  That should be enough since I'll be with a group.
• So, here are the biggest issues I'm left with: (1) shoes to pack - ones that don't take up too much space, but are comfortable and look okay.  (2) clothes to pack - basically same issue as shoes and (3) figuring out whether I need to buy extra memory for my camera.

This week's progress

I've made some progress in my preparations.
1. I spoke to the travel nurse at Kaiser. She sent 2 prescriptions to the pharmacy: one for mefloquine (anti malarial) and one for an antibiotic for traveler's diarrhea. She also gave me an appointment for a TDaP shot. And I got a flu shot on Monday.
2. I went to the optometrist and got contacts. I think I will need them for the white water rafting.
3. I went shopping today with Wendy. I bought insect repellant, a sleep mask, a flashlight and a sleeping bag liner. I also looked at rolling duffel bags. I've chosen the one I want. I just wanted to take time to think about it a little. I'll go back to REI to get it.
4. I've contacted my friend Jami in Delhi. We will discuss when to see each other. I have NOT started working on what to pack.

India Itinerary

Here's the itinerary.  The trip starts on February 22 and ends March 9.