Tag Archives: India

New Delhi, India

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Another quick flight to New Delhi, India.

We’re just killing time waiting for friends to meet us in a couple of days.

I had forgotten about all the trees and beautiful parks in New Delhi – so refreshing.  Our hotel was full of Westerners (our first noticeable exposure of this since we left home) and Indians.

New Delhi is the federal capital of India and quite metropolitan.  29,500,000 million people live there.  India is now has more inhabitants than any other country – beating China in 2023.

Last time we checked things out on our own.  This time we hired a local guide to show us around.  The temples/mosques built 500 plus years ago are stunning – a mixture of stone and marble with intricate carvings and honeycomb windows.

We have generally used Delhi in the past to make connections to somewhere else. This time we saw some of its history and chaos. Most of the meaningful historic sites were built during the Mughal or British occupation.

Bill had to cover his legs in the Mosque

*click on photos to enlarge and click on blue words to see videos

The architecture and attention to detail is unparalleled.  The juxtaposition in a modern city really is jaw dropping.  Out of nowhere stands these structures that have withstood crippling growth and hundreds of years of wear and tear.

We also ventured into Delhi – the old part of town has its own version of utter chaos.  Kinda like Dhaka and Kolkata but unique by its offerings.  It’s wedding central.  Indian weddings last days and are elaborate.  People come from far and wide to buy garments, costumes, decorations and the whole shebang here in these narrow streets.

The fumes from the adjacent spice market brought on uncontrollable coughing.  As we ventured in deeper we had to cover our faces to keep from choking to death. You can hear others in this video.  It felt like a dry form of waterboarding!  Are the shopkeepers immune or dying a slow death?

I felt troubled watching our peddle driven rickshaw driver, no bigger than me.  He either pulled or peddle three adults through the bumpy, overcrowded streets.  Often times having to pull us backwards so the the puzzle pieces of chaos would fit.  He’s in white with a blue collar in some of my pictures.  I snapped away as we tried to maneuver – capturing everyday life.

It was a great detour.  The food was spicy and oh so delicious.  Throughout India we told the restaurant staff to “bring it on” letting them choose our meals.  It’s not for the faint of heart (palate).

Colorful Kolkata (Calcutta), India

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A quick flight from Dhaka, Bangladesh and we were in Kolkata (Calcutta), India.  Bangladesh is known as Bengal and Kolkata is known as West Bengal.

Kolkata is the 7th most populated city in India and home to the Mother House aka the Missionaries of Charity’s Motherhouse where Mother Theresa selflessly tended the sick and destitute – her final resting place.  It’s still active carrying on Mother Theresa’s legacy in caring for others.

It’s a stop along the way to our intended destination so we only stayed two nights.

The hotel window overlooked gorgeous fields of crops all in various stages of grown (beyond which the dump burned day and night).  It was such a contrast to the concrete, smoggy city it felt as if we were looking at a painted backdrop.  The taxi driver toured the fields so we could admire the greenery at street level.  He referred to corn stalks as popcorn trees.

Kolkata is the only city in India that has the old classic Ambassador Motors yellow taxi cabs.  They feel solid as tanks.  The cabbies take off in second or third gear rattling our innards while the non- stop horn blowing rattled our brains.

We revisited the places we went 11 years ago to see if we had any brain cells left by recreating the paths we walked to see what had changed. Surprisingly, nothing had changed but the inclusion of cell phones.  Tap on this and that to see video of the Mullick Ghat flower market.

What’s up with this pink bird?
Is this real or dyed?
Check out his barber supplies

From Bill:  l had a message from his doctor to get an X-ray.  Paige decided that meant now. She called the desk.  The desk called the hotel doctor who drove an hour to see me.  The doctor read the records and wrote a prescription for an X-ray. The doctor drove us downtown to the clinic.  An X-ray was had and read in 20 minutes.  The cost for the X-ray was $7.00 – the cost for the house call and ride was $50.00.

The X-ray was clear and we exchanged a one hundred dollar bill for rupees because the doctor is planning a trip to Hong Kong and wanted a solid currency.

Onward…

Incredible India

It started in Chennai – in the south east.  Bill and I explored northern India 4 years ago and wanted to see the South.  Preston and Chloe (eldest son and daughter-in-law) decided to join us.

UNESCO World Heritage sites are always on the radar. On the Coromandel Coast in the Bay of Bengal, Tamil Nadu – the Monuments at Mahabalipuram were a great place to start.  The rock carvings were founded by the Pallava kings in the 7th and 8th centuries.  The terrain consists of larger than life sized boulders right next to the coastline.

Our original plan was to take the train to travel across the country – opting for overnight sleepers when possible. We got to the station at 10 pm for a midnight train. It was already delayed by two hours. We suspected that as the clock approached 2 am it would be further delayed – most trains were. Everyone was very tired. Sleeping on the floor is obviously okay, but when Bill saw the sign that read “please do not defecate on the station floor” we decided to return to the hotel, get some sleep and fly. 

Onward to Kochi in Kerala.  An overnight 2 bedroom houseboat trip through the backwaters in Alleppey. We kicked back on the huge lounge at the front of the boat , drank beers and cruised at a snails pace – watching life on the water.  Fishing, bathing, washing clothes/dishes, taxi boats and children bobbing in the water are part of life on the banks of the waterway. We stopped at a tiny fish market and picked out humongous  jumbo prawns for dinner.  Freshly cooked lunch, dinner and breakfast fit for an army was served to just the four of us.

We strolled along the coastline in Kochi and got a lesson on the workings of the famous  Chinese fishing nets.  It wasn’t fishing season but the Portuguese contraptions make for good stories. Yes, Chinese fishing nets.  Nets from China – the idea from the Portuguese. China won on the name game.

Goa – oh Goa.  You are so clean.  India is known for it’s garage. It’s everywhere!  For some inexplicable reason the beach in Goa is CLEAN! We stayed at Utorda Beach area and did I tell you it was clean?  We strolled the white sandy beach, splashed in the warm clean water and relished the peace.  

Goa is home to a series of UNESCO churches built by the Portuguese in the early 1500’s.  They are stunning and attract lots of visitors.  The Christian population in Goa is around 25%.  High for a country that is mostly Hindu.

We witnessed a Hindu ceremony at the Shanta Durga Temple.  Not sure what it all meant but it was special none the less.

A seaside dinner was off the charts.  Water front dining with nothing but candle light. The menu – a bucket of fresh fish delivered to your table.

Mumbai – large, crowded, dirty and has crazy traffic which all comes to a screeching halt at 2 in the afternoon when the 6 hour traffic jam starts.

We packed a lot into a couple of days. Highlights were the Haji Ali Dargah Mosque, on an inlet and quite the landmark, constructed in 1431. Mani Bhavan – Gandhi’s headquarters for approx.17 years, from 1917 to 1934. My personal fav- Ghobi Ghat, an open air laundromat without machinery, washing the clothes/bedding from Mumbai’s hotels and hospitals. It’s fascinating. Gateway to India, erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Elephanta Caves, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a series of caves dedicated to Shiva dating back to 550 AD. Lunch at Leopolds (read the book Shantaram) (it still has dozens of bullet holes from the 2008 terrorist attack) and lastly shoulder to shoulder bazaar shopping at Linking Road.

Phew…  It was a remarkable trip and wonderful to be able to share it with the kids.

 

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