Epic Trip Part 1
Nov. 18th, 2010 07:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soloprojectOk, so it's been a week since I came back from my epiiiiiiiiic trip to Delhi-Agra-Rajasthan and I feel like I have sufficiently recovered long enough to tell you guys all about.
BUT FIRST-- I just want to talk a little bit about India. Guys, this country is just incredible. I've never been to a country that's as intense as this. India is a country that's very black and white. It either is or it isn't and in this short trip, my traveling pal and friend Vilgaile and I met some cool people, saw some neat (and some scary) stuff and came home stinky and happy with 4 gigs of pictures.
Ice cream on the train!
Anyway, some fundamentals! For this trip, we:
- Almost missed the train! And running across town to get it, literally flinging ourselves onto the train while it was already pulling out of the station. Much whooping and screaming ensued and hysterical high-fiving, I promise.
- Mostly couchsurfed! And I do endorse this! It's perfectly alright and safe so long as you practice a usual sense of people judgment but for the most part, it really pays off.
- Almost broke. We started off poor. I had to drain my account before we left. We had to call our parents for some emergency cash. I had to grudgingly change the last of my emergency stash of USD which I had really hoped to hang on to for, you know, an actual emergency. Then our salary came two days late and we had to call the office to strongly motivate them because we literally had $5 left between the both of us, not enough to buy a bus ticket home.
About Vilgaile
I love this girl! She's actually my co-worker, the other intern aside from Bart but we've hung out a lot and gotten close. She's very classy, the kind of girl you'd love to hate but can't because she's so sweet and a bit crazy underneath and smart! She has a tendency to burst into song randomly and has her own crazy way of dancing--when she's not dancing salsa and Vilgaile (--pronounce it "VIL-GUY-LEH"-- don't ever call her V or Vil) is SALSA-OBSESSED. She's also a dream to travel with because she's always up for things and never complains and is very good with people (good for me because I'm friendly but first meetings are hard. I always need a wing man.)
I have to say kudos to her because the trip was tough for her at times because she's very tall and beautiful and blue-eyed and people can be very rude and try to take her picture with their mobile. Sometimes, Indians have never seen a European in the villages or there are some men who are just pervs and try to harrass you in this manner. And god knows what they do with these pictures!
Now for the trip! I'll try to summarize so that this won't be tooooo tl;dr.
DELHI
It was a close call after missing the train but once we settled in, it was SUCH a lovely train ride. It was long but so comfortable and the service was A+. Train travel is one of the most awesome things you can do in India. We arrived in the morning and immediately left our stuff in a cloak room and went to hit. The. City.
Everyone wants a picture with Vilgaile!
Delhi is so different from Mumbai! It's clean, roads are wide in the center, there's a shiny, functioning Metro subway...I like Mumbai more but Delhi was a bit of a shock! We hit all these awesome places: Lal Qila (Red Fort), Jama Masjid, Akshardam (gorgeous!!) and then went to meet the guy who was going to host us.
At Jama Masjid, huge Mulsim Mosque.
The main purpose of traveling on these dates was because we wanted to spend Diwali in Delhi and let me tell you, they know how to krunk it up for this holiday. There were a billion fire crackers, lights...crazy parties. The new friends we met through our CS friend were great and we tried to be home at a decent time...not that we wanted to poop on their party but we really were very tired.
At Diwali ceremony...the guy with the arms is our CS friend who invited us. (>3>;)/
Day 2 in Delhi, we went to a puja. This was actual Diwali day, Nov. 5 and another CS friend told us to come over to witness this blessing. Little did we know this guy was HOT and RICH and too cool and his whole family was on hand, welcomed us to their blessing ceremony and offerings to Lakshmi and then to their house for lunch where they had a LASAGNA WITH MEAT!!! After that he showed us his gorgeous flat (where seriously, I wished we'd accepted his offer to stay there instead of the other CS guy who lived much farther away) but more importantly, he had an espresso machine that practically an Autobot, it was that slick. We tried to visit Humanyun's Tomb but it was closed for security reasons, a.k.a. Obama's visit to Delhi. Instead, we headed to the Lotus Temple...very beautiful and peaceful.
Rouf, who hosted us on his couch in Delhi, doing his sparklers dance...not to be confused with his snake dance.
We went to a party that night which turned into like, 3 parties. But it was so much fun, the Delhi crowd is so GOOD. It was so crazy though, so much drunken disorder and dangerous handling of fireworks. We left the party at 1 and then ended up at some club and we were pretty tired so we went home and just slept until noon instead of looking at more sights and we had to take off because we planned on going to Agra from Delhi, a four hour trip. For this part, we met up with some friends from Mumbai (my roommate Gordan and Vilgaile's roommate Anelise, who had come up from Mumbai after we did. Gordan was supposed to come with us but in true Gordan style, he left home, realized he left his ticket, went back for it, missed the train altogether and then ended up paying a fortune for a plane ticket to Delhi. Sigh.)
Alibaba pants pose! Gangstajs! Or Taj MaHipsters?
We met up with another CS friend who had offered his couch in Delhi but we'd already accepted one but then offered to drive us to Agra as he himself had not seen the Taj Mahal! It was a good start to the roadtrip but it turned a little sour later on because he tried to drink some vodka while driving in order to seem "cool" and then later, extorted some cash from us for gas-- which was fair but he had originally insisted he wasn't doing it for money. I believe this was because the Agra CS guys we met up with and who took us to dinner and later to the Taj were "cool guys" and he was a little insecure. He also insisted on leaving around 8 am or so. We were there at the Taj Mahal before sunrise but Gordan and Anelise had to be back in Delhi by 2 and this guy stirred some drama and insisted he had to be back in Delhi by 12 to meet some friends. Gordan and Ane were hitching with him so they had no choice but to leave around 8AM back.
WE MADE IT!!! Dream come true.
Vilgaile and were heading to Jaipur after Agra so we had the whole day to explore the Taj and subsequently, the Agra Fort. I gotta hand it to Vilgaile though, she really had a tough time--most guys we've met have been complete gentlemen but later are so charmed by Vilgaile and fall in love with her a little and then they hound her in messages, texts, emails, you name it. (Don't worry about me, I don't often get this kind of attention from guys--plus I'm a little brown Asian, which many of them are totally uninterested in. Tall Europeans (especially blondes) seems to be India's favorite flavor.) If Vilgaile was naive and bewildered by this attention, she would be unbearable to hang out with but this girl has GAME and she knows how to play it, while staying calm and poised.
What can I say about the Taj? It is fucking MESMERIZING. I've been lucky enough in my life to confront incredible monuments, architechture, landscapes in my life but the Taj Mahal trumps it all. The building is a true symbol of devotion: it's spiritual, it's religious, and it's beautifully maintained. It practically vibrates with serenity and love. As a piece of artwork, it's stunning, the way it looks at different times of day, its symmetry...and it's also incredibly thought-provoking: the entire Quran is applied to the sides, there are trick surfaces everywhere that give off a 3D effect from far away just to live up to that "perfect symmetry" ideal and the marble is pristine. And of course, the story behind it is fascinating, even the gory ones, like the rumor that after it was built, they chopped off all the artisans hands so they could never recreate the Taj Mahal.
We got onto the bus for Jaipur around 4 PM and it was a comfortable ride that I slept through. Rajasthan will be another post because this state is INCREDIBLE. We visited what are now some of our favorite cities: Jaipir, Johdpur, Mt. Abu and Udaipur!!! I cannot wait to return to Rajasthan...one week was not enough for all these cities.
BUT FIRST-- I just want to talk a little bit about India. Guys, this country is just incredible. I've never been to a country that's as intense as this. India is a country that's very black and white. It either is or it isn't and in this short trip, my traveling pal and friend Vilgaile and I met some cool people, saw some neat (and some scary) stuff and came home stinky and happy with 4 gigs of pictures.
Ice cream on the train!
Anyway, some fundamentals! For this trip, we:
- Almost missed the train! And running across town to get it, literally flinging ourselves onto the train while it was already pulling out of the station. Much whooping and screaming ensued and hysterical high-fiving, I promise.
- Mostly couchsurfed! And I do endorse this! It's perfectly alright and safe so long as you practice a usual sense of people judgment but for the most part, it really pays off.
- Almost broke. We started off poor. I had to drain my account before we left. We had to call our parents for some emergency cash. I had to grudgingly change the last of my emergency stash of USD which I had really hoped to hang on to for, you know, an actual emergency. Then our salary came two days late and we had to call the office to strongly motivate them because we literally had $5 left between the both of us, not enough to buy a bus ticket home.
About Vilgaile
I love this girl! She's actually my co-worker, the other intern aside from Bart but we've hung out a lot and gotten close. She's very classy, the kind of girl you'd love to hate but can't because she's so sweet and a bit crazy underneath and smart! She has a tendency to burst into song randomly and has her own crazy way of dancing--when she's not dancing salsa and Vilgaile (--pronounce it "VIL-GUY-LEH"-- don't ever call her V or Vil) is SALSA-OBSESSED. She's also a dream to travel with because she's always up for things and never complains and is very good with people (good for me because I'm friendly but first meetings are hard. I always need a wing man.)
I have to say kudos to her because the trip was tough for her at times because she's very tall and beautiful and blue-eyed and people can be very rude and try to take her picture with their mobile. Sometimes, Indians have never seen a European in the villages or there are some men who are just pervs and try to harrass you in this manner. And god knows what they do with these pictures!
Now for the trip! I'll try to summarize so that this won't be tooooo tl;dr.
DELHI
It was a close call after missing the train but once we settled in, it was SUCH a lovely train ride. It was long but so comfortable and the service was A+. Train travel is one of the most awesome things you can do in India. We arrived in the morning and immediately left our stuff in a cloak room and went to hit. The. City.
Everyone wants a picture with Vilgaile!
Delhi is so different from Mumbai! It's clean, roads are wide in the center, there's a shiny, functioning Metro subway...I like Mumbai more but Delhi was a bit of a shock! We hit all these awesome places: Lal Qila (Red Fort), Jama Masjid, Akshardam (gorgeous!!) and then went to meet the guy who was going to host us.
At Jama Masjid, huge Mulsim Mosque.
The main purpose of traveling on these dates was because we wanted to spend Diwali in Delhi and let me tell you, they know how to krunk it up for this holiday. There were a billion fire crackers, lights...crazy parties. The new friends we met through our CS friend were great and we tried to be home at a decent time...not that we wanted to poop on their party but we really were very tired.
At Diwali ceremony...the guy with the arms is our CS friend who invited us. (>3>;)/
Day 2 in Delhi, we went to a puja. This was actual Diwali day, Nov. 5 and another CS friend told us to come over to witness this blessing. Little did we know this guy was HOT and RICH and too cool and his whole family was on hand, welcomed us to their blessing ceremony and offerings to Lakshmi and then to their house for lunch where they had a LASAGNA WITH MEAT!!! After that he showed us his gorgeous flat (where seriously, I wished we'd accepted his offer to stay there instead of the other CS guy who lived much farther away) but more importantly, he had an espresso machine that practically an Autobot, it was that slick. We tried to visit Humanyun's Tomb but it was closed for security reasons, a.k.a. Obama's visit to Delhi. Instead, we headed to the Lotus Temple...very beautiful and peaceful.
Rouf, who hosted us on his couch in Delhi, doing his sparklers dance...not to be confused with his snake dance.
We went to a party that night which turned into like, 3 parties. But it was so much fun, the Delhi crowd is so GOOD. It was so crazy though, so much drunken disorder and dangerous handling of fireworks. We left the party at 1 and then ended up at some club and we were pretty tired so we went home and just slept until noon instead of looking at more sights and we had to take off because we planned on going to Agra from Delhi, a four hour trip. For this part, we met up with some friends from Mumbai (my roommate Gordan and Vilgaile's roommate Anelise, who had come up from Mumbai after we did. Gordan was supposed to come with us but in true Gordan style, he left home, realized he left his ticket, went back for it, missed the train altogether and then ended up paying a fortune for a plane ticket to Delhi. Sigh.)
Alibaba pants pose! Gangstajs! Or Taj MaHipsters?
We met up with another CS friend who had offered his couch in Delhi but we'd already accepted one but then offered to drive us to Agra as he himself had not seen the Taj Mahal! It was a good start to the roadtrip but it turned a little sour later on because he tried to drink some vodka while driving in order to seem "cool" and then later, extorted some cash from us for gas-- which was fair but he had originally insisted he wasn't doing it for money. I believe this was because the Agra CS guys we met up with and who took us to dinner and later to the Taj were "cool guys" and he was a little insecure. He also insisted on leaving around 8 am or so. We were there at the Taj Mahal before sunrise but Gordan and Anelise had to be back in Delhi by 2 and this guy stirred some drama and insisted he had to be back in Delhi by 12 to meet some friends. Gordan and Ane were hitching with him so they had no choice but to leave around 8AM back.
WE MADE IT!!! Dream come true.
Vilgaile and were heading to Jaipur after Agra so we had the whole day to explore the Taj and subsequently, the Agra Fort. I gotta hand it to Vilgaile though, she really had a tough time--most guys we've met have been complete gentlemen but later are so charmed by Vilgaile and fall in love with her a little and then they hound her in messages, texts, emails, you name it. (Don't worry about me, I don't often get this kind of attention from guys--plus I'm a little brown Asian, which many of them are totally uninterested in. Tall Europeans (especially blondes) seems to be India's favorite flavor.) If Vilgaile was naive and bewildered by this attention, she would be unbearable to hang out with but this girl has GAME and she knows how to play it, while staying calm and poised.
What can I say about the Taj? It is fucking MESMERIZING. I've been lucky enough in my life to confront incredible monuments, architechture, landscapes in my life but the Taj Mahal trumps it all. The building is a true symbol of devotion: it's spiritual, it's religious, and it's beautifully maintained. It practically vibrates with serenity and love. As a piece of artwork, it's stunning, the way it looks at different times of day, its symmetry...and it's also incredibly thought-provoking: the entire Quran is applied to the sides, there are trick surfaces everywhere that give off a 3D effect from far away just to live up to that "perfect symmetry" ideal and the marble is pristine. And of course, the story behind it is fascinating, even the gory ones, like the rumor that after it was built, they chopped off all the artisans hands so they could never recreate the Taj Mahal.
We got onto the bus for Jaipur around 4 PM and it was a comfortable ride that I slept through. Rajasthan will be another post because this state is INCREDIBLE. We visited what are now some of our favorite cities: Jaipir, Johdpur, Mt. Abu and Udaipur!!! I cannot wait to return to Rajasthan...one week was not enough for all these cities.
