Three Days

3 days. That was all the time we had to spend in India, after going through the chaotic process to get an Indian visa through the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal we ended up with a 15 day period in which we could spend up to 72 hours traveling through India. As ridiculous and costly as this route was much of what we saw in the 72 hours was a journey in and of itself, most of it focusing around New Delhi and Agra (where the Taj Mahal lies).

Talking to other tourists throughout our journeys in Nepal we soon learned that Delhi was not the tourist friendly haven we had experienced throughout many regions in Nepal. We heard horror stories ranging from people not getting picked up from the airport and wandering around in the middle of the night to people staying in flea/cockroach infested hotels lining much of the touristy portion of New Delhi called the Pahar Ganj. After reading pages of Lonely Planets India we were well equipped to take on the many "tourist tricks" that are often used by taxi drivers and the like. A few of these include "Your hotel has burned down/is full let me take you to another hotel" or "Is this your first time in India? Yes. Ohhh well let me charge you 100x the normal value!" And so I learned to say no this is not my first time in India, even though it was and tell them no we still want to go to our "burnt down hotel" because we know it still exists.

After serious effort we finally decided on a low costly costly hotel with reputable reviews that was also situated in the Pahar Ganj area. Upon arrival we expected everything that could possibly go wrong would go wrong. However, much to our disbelief we were picked up straight away by our hotel, and therefore were not hasseled to be taken to another hotel, and best yet were not infested by fleas or cockroaches!

One way of describing India would be "extreme". In our case it was a more extreme Nepal with more people, more trash, more traffic, a larger dividing line between the rich and the poor, etc.

The second day we woke up earlier to catch a train, which we had to book at least a week in advance, as everyone and there mother seem to take the train to different destinations across India. Everyone had an assigned seat on the train and to my surprise the Taj Express was very low on tourists. Fans line the ceiling of the train and serve as a means of air conditioning in the summer (it can get up to 45 celcius plus in the summer!). Once the train starts vendors filter through the aisles promoting their products "samosas, tomato soup, pakoda" it was like a song repeating throughout the 3 hour train ride. On the second to last stop people filtered into our train from every direction which seemed like mass chaos to us, we often didn't know what was going on and it was very strange to all the sudden go from about 50 people in our car to possibly 150 people squished in like sardines.

When we finally arrived in Agra we took a rickshaw to our hotel and shortly there after were surprised to see a marching band go through the city followed by a parade of people. Apparently the marching band and parade of people were part of a political campaign supporting a politician for an upcoming election. I feel like our political campaigns would be so much more interesting if we had a different marching band associated with everyone in the US too! We were then escorted up to lunch where we had an astonishing panaramic view of the Taj Mahal. It was surreal, almost like a puzzle that had been carefully put together.

The next day we walked about a kilometer to catch a bus to see the Taj Mahal. It was unbelievable as expected. Tourists surrounded it from every angle and people lined the benches taking pictures looking as if they were holding the top of the Taj themselves. Taking 25 years to create it is no wonder the Taj Mahal is one of the 7 wonders of the world.

That night we caught a bus back to New Delhi where we were to catch our plane in the morning to go to Thailand for a week. One thing I know for sure I will not miss from both Nepal and India are the honking cars filling every street. Our bus had the most obnoxious horn making it near to impossible to sleep because every time you were about to sleep this loud pitched beep would ring through your head and wake you up out of near bliss. It seemed that the driver especially liked to honk his horn as when I was watching his driving he seemed to often beep at nothing in particular.

The next day we arrived at the airport to find it is just as difficult to leave the country as it is to get in. Our hotel told us we needed to arrive 3 hours in advance however they didn't tell us this until we were leaving (2.5 hours in advance) so we got there and realized the reason you need to get there so early is because their passport services must take at least 2 hours for one person to get their passport stamped to leave!

Anyways we finally left the country and are now in Thailand which is so different from both Nepal and India and that story will have to wait for another day.

The Inner Workings of Nepal

 After thirty six hours we finally arrive to our destination. Looking over the vast valley where Kathmandu sits I can make out houses that slowly grow larger and start to make up a large town surrounded by lush hills and further back by white capped Himalayan mountains. The scenery seems surreal and completely different from anything I had imagined previously. Houses seem to have a mix of Indian and Middle Eastern influences as they are each dipicted by a different color and all have flat roofs where families often grow plants or hang laundry to dry in the sun.

Once we acquire our baggage we go out to meet Anya's contact in Nepal who has offered to take us to a hostel in Kathmandu. As we drive along the streets of the bustling city I notice the trash linned streets, unfortunately for the people of Nepal there is no organized trash maintenance and therefore trash is often littered on the side of the streets. However, amidst all this trash I soon notice that cleanliness is of high importance for the people of Nepal, and will often be seen sweeping around the outside of their shops. Additionally, it is culturally required that one removes their shoes before entering a home as not to dirty up the living areas.

As we continue along the crowded roads of Kathmandu I can feel myself starting to grip the seat and get tense as our car seems to be doding other cars, motorbikes, people, animals, anything that may enter the street. Among all this chaos, however, there seems to be a bit of orderliness as I never witness a crash and people seem highly confident in crossing the street.

Once we arrive to our destination we are immediately shown our room and offered dude chia (milk tea) as is customary in Nepal. Our family is very interested in us, and as the next few days unfold make it their mission to know as much as they can about us and the country we come from. Although we seem normal within the homestay household, on the streets we are often stared at regularly, but when I say stare they don't look away when you look at them they just keep on staring like you are some sort of insect they have never come across before. We are often laughed at by the younger generation and it probably doesn't help that Anya and I coincidentaly have matching blue down jackets which makes us look even more ridiculous.

Kathmandu is filled with culture, in the few days that we were there I must have seen fifty temples and stupas. The worlds first or second (I'm not sure which) largest stupa lies outside Kathmandu in the heart of Bouda and is stunning. Surrounded by a circle of prayer wheels the stupa lies in the middle of the square teaming with prayer flags on each four sides and is lit by butter candles at night to illiminate its beauty. After only a few days in the city we are off to the tea growing regions of Nepal called Ilam. This is where Anya will do the majority of her field work for her thesis assessing the sustainability of tea tourism in Nepal.

The flight there is astonishing, Nepal is interesting as the Himalayas lie in the Northern portion of Nepal and the plains lie in the Southern portion. Therefore, the entire plane ride is spent with eyes glued to the windows looking at the Himalayas, and most of all trying to spot Mount Everest which lies among this chain of massive mountains.

Once we reach Badropour it is somewhat of an oasis in comparison to Kathmandu. The landscape is spotted with farms and the streets are now only scattered with tik tiks (people being moved around by bicycles) and motorbikes. The air is fresh here as in comparison to the often polluted air of Kathmandu. Everywhere you venture there are cows, goats, chickens, and babos (babies). Babos are everywhere! It is as if each family group had one babo within the last one or two years, and Nepali babies are the cutest things ever.

The next day we go up to Ilam, specifically a tea estate near a town called Fikkal. The tea growing regions lie in the hills of the country which is surrounded by lush asian vegetation and tea of course. I have never consumed so much tea in a day, sometimes I must drink 5 to 10 cups of it. Especially when we venture to the farmers houses and are offered tea at each house in which we stop. The farmers houses seem very unique in comparison to other houses in the city. They are often amidst a large span of tea plants and are often overlooking the valley that sits below their mountain. I can imagine it is very beautiful during the summer when it is not so foggy.

During our time here we have had the chance to stay with a few of the farmers and experience their way of life. More then often, however, they seem to feel like hosting us as in a hotel. We are often placed at our own table for dinner to eat alone. The food in the homestays is all so fresh and scrumptious, it often is comprised of dahl bhat and two or three vegetable sides ranging from potatoes to cauliflower. I never realized how many different types of dahl bhat could be made, my favorite so far is a creamy dahl that tastes slightly like potatoes. Although I am starting to get sick of eating dahl all the time and am therefore looking forward to returning to Kathmandu where they have delicacies such as sandwiches, middle eastern food, and dessert.

Within the next few weeks we will be going back to Kathmandu and then will be off to Chitwan and Pokhara before we enter India. Until then!