So it's been 2 plus weeks since I have written home. So much has happened since my last email in Thailand it feels more like 2 months have passed. We've been in India for a little over 2 weeks now (since Feb 4th I think) and we have been all over this country. We flew into Delhi from Bangkok. Delhi is India's capital city but we only spent one day here and stayed at the YMCA. As soon as we got out of the airport in Delhi the culture shock hit me so hard I nearly fell over. Everything about this country is completely different from ours… the food, culture, etiquette, bathrooms, lifestyles, etc. I was first taken aback by the large mass of people outside the airport, seemingly just waiting around (it was early morning). Hundreds of taxis, buses, tok toks, cars, and motorcycles buzzing around a parking lot the size of Price Gym with absolutely no traffic rules. They were all honking their horns and playing an unfriendly game of bumper cars. Mastering the art of honking at every person, or vehicle, which comes within 15 feet of you is a must for driving in India. The people here probably need to replace their horns before they need to get oil changes. I didn't really get to see much else of Delhi because I used this day to catch up on sleep and journaling.
From Delhi we went by train to Mussoorie, which is located at the foothills of the Himalayas. Here, we traveled an hour up a mountain to the Woodstock School. The School was founded my Christian missionaries so their children would have a place to go to school. It is a boarding school and now only 5% of its students are Christian. At Woodstock we got to meet many students, including the journalism class who actually wrote an article about us in their school paper. At Woodstock there are no heaters so the students were hats, gloves, and coats in class. And the worst part about all of this is that they don't have heat in their dorms either! It was freezing up there, plus this is India's coldest winter in 45 years. Also while there, we did a presentation to a fifth grade class who was studying biomes. My group chose Coral Reefs as our topic. We even did a game (go figure my group doing something competitive) to illustrate the effects of global warming on the reef. We also had many underwater pictures from our previous dives and snorkels in Hawaii and Thailand. The kids really enjoyed our presentations, especially our game. To me, this was the most rewarding thing we've gotten to do all trip.
After Mussoorie we went by train to Jaipur, also known as the Pink City. It is called the Pink City because when King Henry VI (Maybe?) was visiting India, the people of the city wanted to show their welcoming nature and decided to paint all the city buildings and walls pink to symbolize hospitality. We were able to do many things in Japiur including going to an observatory and the City Palace.
After Jaipur we went to Bharatpur. Bharatpur is home to India's largest bird sanctuary, in Keolado National Park. At this bird sanctuary there are around 300 different species of birds. However, because this area hasn't had sufficient seasonal rain in the form of monsoons for 10 years many of these species have gone elsewhere when they migrate from the north. We saw mammals here as well including jackals, jungle cats, bluebulls, wild boar, and sour deer. We had a guide who took us through the whole park on bicycle (a very old and rickety bicycle) but we had a great time.
From Bharatpur we traveled by bus to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal! We got to the Taj just before sunrise. We all snapped a million pictures from all different angles and reflecting pools while the sun began to shed its light on the marble masterpiece. The Taj was an amazing site and something I can't really put into words-but it was definitely one of those powerful spiritual experiences. The entire thing is made of white marble. You have to wear these bootie things over your shoes when you walked up to the Taj. Also, around the Taj Complex, only electric vehicles are allowed because the smog is beginning to turn the marble yellow.
After Agra we went to Ranthambhore National Park. Here we went on a Tiger Safari but no luck on seeing any tigers. Many monkeys, jackals, antelopes, etc though. We got to ride on top of this open air safari bus that seats like 20 people. It was about 40 degrees though so we bundled up and they even gave us blankets.
We left Rhanthambhore and headed via overnight sleeper train down to Mumbai, previously known as Bombay. Here in Mumbai we stayed at a Hiram alum's sea side bungalow. Mahendra "Max" Chinai, class of 1949. He is a very caring man putting all 18 of us up in his house known as Daria Mahal. It is very well known here around Mumbai area, as is Max. While in Mumbai we visited a fish market and even went out on a traditional fishing vessel, no fishing though which was a bummer. We also did a lot of shopping while in Mumbai and Max arranged for us to be driven around in taxis (we were pretty much living the high life here) :) One of the days we got to go to a traditional Indian wedding. Max rents out the use of his house and gardens for weddings all the time. We got to witness all the unique traditions of an Indian wedding; they are so different from American weddings; a lot more dancing and games than at an American wedding. It was such an interesting and cultural experience. The women's sarees were all vibrant and colorful and beautifully decorated with gold thread and beads. There is no such thing as a dull saree. The traditions of Indian weddings are much different; however, the amount of good food is the same. The wedding guests were very friendly and welcoming to us.
Tomorrow we leave for the Maldives, tiny islands off the west coast of India. More to come from here!
Take Care,
Megan
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