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.