Everyday is an adventure in India. Yeah, ok that's such a cliche thing to say, especially when traveling, but it quite nicely sums up our experience while traveling in India particularly. There's not a whole lot of clarity (and by that I mean practically none) here in terms of directions or systems (i.e. transport, regulations, etc). We've had to almost completely rely on luck and the minimal help we get from others to navigate through this country. Usually the morning of the day we're planning on leaving a place to travel to another destination, we find that we have a few knots in our stomachs because of stress and the unknown. So, we show up to the bus station (we've been traveling mostly by bus in the South) and even in the early morning there are hoards of people all around us. There are women hunched over with their mini brooms in hand sweeping trash that collected the day before away, there are men sqwatting down sorting through hundreds of fresh, crisp newspapers and loading the tied stacks on to their motorbikes between the handlebars, there are people sitting on the ground selling produce, trinkets and/or snacks, there are people huddled around the numerous chai stalls cupping the small paper cups in their hands while the steam rises to their faces... there are people every where. Once we block out the distractions around us, we scan the area to see if there are any boards or signs that can tell us which bus to look for, what platform it comes in on and what time it's supposed to arrive (this is never accurtate). When we realize this information doesn't exist, we ask the men in khaki-coloured shirts and pants (they work for the regional bus system). Sometimes we're not understood and have to pretend that the answer we're given is satisfactory, but usually we're given some information. But, this information is not enough to go by so we have to walk around and ask a few more men in a khaki uniforms the same questions. Most of the time, we have to ask 3-5 men before we feel comfortable compiling the information we've been given by each of them and formulating our "answer". Even still, we always ask the bus driver or ticket handler where the bus is going before we board. Once we're on the bus and going a sense of accomplishment comes over us and we feel so proud that we figured it out.

Auto rickshaw driver: "May I ask personal question, Sir?
Anil: "Ok."
Auto rickshaw driver: "Where you from?"
Anil: "Canada. Toronto."
Auto rickshaw driver: "Oh, you look Indian."

I've finally got an Internet connection that's, well I don't think reliable is the right word, but "faster" (not it either) so I've taken the opportunity to upload some pictures to my facebook profile. Even if you're not a facebook user, you can view the album here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2099766&id=48304259&l=31f59378a2

Some of them would probably benefit an explanation (namely the one of me dressed in a muumuu), but that's going to have to wait. I've spent all my energy waiting around for the pictures to upload.

Staying in Ooty has been lovely. We spent a bit more and are staying at an old English-style bed and breakfast on one of the hill sides of the city. The views of the surrounding hills and valleys are amazing and we can only hear the occasional horn from below, but mostly we hear the cawing crows and the buzz of nature around us. It's strange to be in such a place because we were getting quite used to the hussle and bustle of the cities and their over abundance of people. On day one I found myself feeling a little antsy about taking a break here for a few days, but I realize we needed it and will be better for it when we hit the road again tomorrow. Ooty's at an elevation of approx. 2200 metres so it's quite cool here at night and during the day. There were tea plantations as far as the eye could see as we drove up and up and up the hills to Ooty. The distance from Mysore to Ooty is about 150km, yet it took us the better part of the day to get from there to here. In Mysore, we weren't allowed to put our backpacks in the under carriage of the bus despite the fact that there were many other people shoving their parcels in. So I asked the bus driver as he was filling the under carriage "Is there any room for our bags below?". I was expecting him to just say no and carry on stuffing it, but he looked at me and in a sturdy voice said "One forty five." I looked at Anil to make sure that I hadn't missed anything and he was equally as puzzled by the driver's response so I turned back around and asked again, "No, is there room for our baggage below the bus?" "One, four, five" was the man's resonse (as if saying the numbers individually it was making it clearer for me). So, pretending to be satisfied with that response, we proceeded to stuff one backpack under the seat and the other at our feet. There's a lot of that kind of communication here. It's quite funny in hindsight, but frustrating at the moment it's happening. On the way, we drove through Mudumalai National Park which was beautifully lush and rich and we saw some spotted dear and a bunch of wild elephants. There are also tigers and other animals in the park, but we weren't so lucky to see them.

 

Tomorrow we fly from Delhi to Mumbai. Our flight leaves around 9am and we arrive in Mumbai about two hours later. Anil's cousin Gaurav will be picking us up at the airport. Our train to Goa leaves tomorrow evening so we'll arrive in Goa on Sunday morning. I don't really know how it's gonna work on the overnight train, but we'll be lucky to have Anil's family around to show us how it's done. We're both really looking forward to being with his family. I have only met his uncle once and he was very kind. I'm told that his cousins Gaurav and Tanvi are also very nice and that I will get along with them. We're definitely missing out on social interactions here and are crossing our fingers that we will meet other travelers and English-speakers along the way. We did meet two Americans at breakfast at the hotel the other day which was nice and we also bumped into a frazzled British couple at the Red Fort. They (admittedly like us) felt very overwhelmed by everything Delhi... like they were drowning in the chaos. They were only going to be in India for two weeks though and when we told them we were traveling for three months they looked so sorry for us. Admittedly, we felt pretty sorry for us too on Wednesday after returning from our day trip from hell with the devil named Khan (he will be reincarnated as a hyena I'm sure). Anyhow, we're trying to stay otimistic and we can only hope that we've started with the worst and that it will only get better (or at least not deteriorate dear god) from here on in. Ps. I've been able to update so often because I brought my iPod Touch and the hotel has wi-fi... I might not be so lucky the rest of the journey.

Sierra was right when he said that Delhi is an acquired taste. We're still trying to acquire a taste for it after 3 days here. Niraj was also right about hating it for the first few days... it takes that long to find nice people here. More importantly, it takes a while to build up a thick skin to protect yourself against the crap that people are constantly trying to pull on you. Yesterday we travelled to Agra (the city where the Taj Mahal is located). We were picked up by the driver (Khan) we arranged the day before at 5:30am. He seemed like a decent guy, but within 5 minutes in the car with him, we got a bit of a bad vibe. He said he had to make a quick stop on the way which ended up being in a small alleyway. We were afraid that he was going to switch drivers, but that didn't happen... he just got back in the car and gave us no explanation about what had just happened. We were headed out of the city when all of a sudden we were stuck in a traffic jam. Khan did all the weaving in between trucks and other cars he could, bit then realized that we weren't moving anywhere. He got out of the car and did some investigating into what the cause of the jam was and then we noticed that there were lots of motor bikes that were turning around and heading back against traffic. Khan appealed to all the other cars behind us to also turn back which ended up working well. Once we were turned around, the next thing we knew we were headed the opposite direction on the other side of the highway (going against oncoming traffic). We didn't get very far before we encountered a traffic jam on the other side of the highway. In the end we had to bipass that section of highway by taking another highway. Everything was a smooth sailing until Khan pulled over into a hotel in the middle of nowhere and said it was time for breakfast. He said it was Indian hospitality to make sure were were happy and well-fed. Neither of us were really that hungry, but we went in anyway. It turned out that this hotel was a tourist Mecca and was probably only surviving because of the fact that Delhi drivers take tourists there constantly. We weren't born yesterday... obviously Khan took us there to get his commission. After a long, but thank goodness A/Ced, 5.5 hours later we arrived in Agra. Khan had mentioned somewhere along the way that there was a guided tour of the Taj. As we approached, Anil said to him that we did not want a driver to which Khan said "don't worry, the guide is completely complimentary... it's not necessary to pay for anything." To which I said "really? Because we weren't told anything about a guide." His explanationwas that we got the wrong info from the agency we booked it through. Suuuuure... Anyhow, we told ourselves that we wouldn't give him any money. We had such a hard time paying attention to what the guide was saying anyway because it was so hot out and the sun was beating down on us. The Taj itself was astounding. To think of all the years of work and the incredible craftsmanship it took to design and build is mind-blowing. All of the buildings and grounds are completely symmetrical and the marble is the best quality and the precious stones are from all over the world. So, after the tour was over we met up with our driver again and just when we got in the car he says he'd like to take us to a small shop where the decendants of the craftsmen that built the Taj are still making and selling their marble marvels. We said that we weren't interested, but he insisted that we go see and that we wouldn't be forced to buy anything. Suuuure... So we went of course because when an Indian is intent on selling you something it is nearly impossible to say no. As we walked into the shop there were boys designing the marble art. Then we were taken into a second room where we could buy the marble and once we said we really weren't interested and headed to the door, we were told to exit a different way than how we entered. The way we were told to exit was through a third room that housed some smaller and less pricey marble goods. At this point we were getting frustrated so we asked to leave. Not without seeing a THIRD room though! The third and last room was full of textiles and jewellry. Again we said we were not interested and left. So when it came time to dop off the tour guide, we gave him a tip of Rs. 100. He was pretty insulted I think, but the whole experience of seeing the Taj was spoiled by him and the driver and their schemes so what does he expect? We're slowly learning how to not be easy bait. More to come about our Delhi tour today...

We've arrived safe and sound in Delhi. Our flight was uneventful (a good thing) apart from a seemingly unbalanced man who also happened to have bad BO that was sitting across the aisle from us, but it was long and I was getting quite restless towards the end of it. We got picked up at the airport by the hotel's driver so we didn't have to worry about how we'd get to the hotel or how badly we'd get ripped off. If there is one thing that I've learned already it's that there is the potential of getting scammed around every corner no matter what you're doing. We got to the hotel around midnight and were pleasantly surprised by how nice the room was. I slept pretty well considering. This morning we woke around 8, showered (there is hot water until around 9am) and then went to the rooftop terrace for our continental breakfast. Then we asked the front desk about local clothing shops and were handed off to a man that we didn't realize until later was the hotel's travel "hussler". All we asked for was a map and then the next thing we knew we were walking towards his travel agency. He threw us some costs for day trips to Agra and guided tours of the city, but we were weary and decided we would do some independent research before we comit to anything. Back at the hotel we made some calls and then were off to the Delhi tourism office to book our trip to Agra tomorrow. Afterwards we went for lunch at a veg food court and had dosas that were $1.50 CAD each! Now were back at the hotel chilling in the AC and reading up about what else to do in Delhi. This city is crazy hectic and is definitely a sensory I overload... we have to tackle it one step at a time. Each time we leave the hotel it's like getting back up on the horse and overcomig what we know is inevitable - lots of people, noise, pollution and of course stares and offers.

We're pretty on top of the administrative/logistical part of planning for our trip to India. Plane tickets... check, visas... check, vaccinations... check, meds... check, mental preparation for the extreme heat, getting gawked at and scammed... check (ok, probably not). As for the traveling itself, we're kinda planning not to plan. We have ideas of what parts we want to visit and things we want to do, but we haven't actually booked much. We want to have some flexibility because our travel itinerary will likely be affected by the monsoons and heat. Plus, as our Lonely Planet says "Expect the unexpected -- India rewards those who go with the flow."

Our itinerary so far is:
May 31 - departure
June 1 - arrive in Delhi
June 1 to 5 - acclimatize, buy clothes, tour Delhi, Agra, etc. We'll most likely be staying with Auntie Lala (Anil's paternal Aunt)
June 6 a.m. - internal flight to Mumbai. We'll be greeted at the airport by Anil's cousin (Mother's side) Gaurav
June 6 p.m. - travel by train with Gaurav and Tanvi (bother and sister) down the West coast to Goa.
June 7 to ? - Goa

From Goa our plan is to travel the South. We'll spend the month of June touring the South, move up through central India and visit parts of the East coast the month of July and travel the North the month of August.