India

The morning we arrived in India I could smell something unsettling in the air from the ship. India has its own smell every where you go. It’s not the smell of a septic tank, a garbage dump, or one of Matt Matts farts, but somehow a mutation of all 3. Our ship docked in the industrial area right up to new car lot and each car had a cover over it, which were completely caked in dust. Outside the ship on the road that ran along the edge of the dock were ship dock workers walking to their various jobs and the untouchables sweeping the street. India has a strict caste system which every Indian is born into, and it consist from top to bottom, Brahmin, soldiers, merchants, workers, and untouchables. The untouchables are bound to a life of begging or street sweeping. They have no more than a handful of straw in their hand as they sweep the dust off one part of the street right into another in an inefficient way for no more than a few rupees a day.
Andrew and I had grouped up with 2 guys, Derek (Georgia Tech), and John (OU) and 2 girls, Dylan (SMU), and Brittany (Texas) for our trip in India, and our plan was to go to Delhi for 2 nights, Agra for one, and back to Delhi before flying back to the ship in Chennai. We weren’t allowed off the ship until around noon because of all of the paper work that you have to do to enter and leave India. We had to have a copy of our passport, our visa, and two other documents with us at all time. We ate lunch on the ship with the fear that could possibly be the last solid meal that we would have for 5 days. Our flight to Delhi was at 5:30 so we left the ship around 2:00 in a taxi for our 45 minute ride to the airport. That first taxi ride in India was a thrilling experience. The only rule in India when it comes to driving is that the biggest thing wins, not even red lights mean a thing to anyone. There are lanes painted on the roads, but no one abides by them, it’s just where you can seem to squeeze your car, rickshaw, or motor bike between the traffic. Getting to the airport was easy enough, and we had no problem getting our flight tickets in the airport, so with some time to kill we went upstairs to sit at the restaurant. I ordered bottled water and some sort of fried ball filled with cheese, Andrew played it safe and ordered a pizza, which was surprisingly good. Our flight was through an India Airway called King Fisher which is weird because it is also the same name and logo of the only beer in India. The flight was 3 hours and they served an Indian meal on board which was actually good, and one of the better flights I’ve had so far on this trip.
When we reached the Delhi airport it was nighttime around 9:00 and we went out front to look for our driver who was supposed to be picking us up there. We walked out front where the taxi drivers were and there was a line about 200 feet long of drivers with signs containing all types of names. After looking up and down multiple times we realized that our driver wasn’t there, and that we needed to get another taxi to our hotel. At the taxi stand we attempted to get a taxi to our hotel but Brittany, who organized the trip, only had the name of the hotel and there were about 10 hotels with that name in Delhi. So we were lost and confused for some time, with her calling her father to try to get the address, and the other of us trying to weigh our options. Before long Dylan went off somewhere and came with news that she had found a tourist kiosk and they had found the hotel and a driver for us. We split up into two separate cabs with Andrew, John, and I in one and the rest in another.
Our cab ride to the hotel was about 30 minutes and each time the cab driver wanted to say something he put his hand on my thigh up front in shotgun which really creeped me out. We had lost the other cab somewhere along the way, and when we pulled up to the hotel something seemed askew. The hotel was 3 stories’ right between two other buildings in a run down area full of dirty shops and stands, and we had to drive down an ally to get to it. Personally this really didn’t bother Andrew or I, we just figured it would be part of the experience, but once the girls arrived I could tell it wasn’t going to work. Brittany was about in tears after their cab ride in which they got lost with a cab driver who spoke little to no English, and after they saw our hotel, it was just about the breaking point.
The next minutes were filled with people in our group talking to the taxi drivers about other hotels, talking with a tourist company down the street, and me talking to the hotel while trying to pull everyone together. Finally Raja, the owner of the company that we had booked the hotel room through, showed up at the hotel and I explained to him that we wanted something nicer which he was able to do, but for some reason no one else trusted him. We had already paid him for the hotel that night in advance so it made no sense to go with someone else, and it took a good amount of convincing to get every one on board with me. Eventually Raja, who was a 30 something Indian with spiked hair, an earring, and turns out a definite fruit cake, took us in his own car to the other hotel which was in the same area but definitely nicer. This hotel suited the girls and the other guys in our group so we decided to stay there.
As we were checking into the hotel we had to show the front desk our passport and our visa in order for them to let us stay there, but it turned out that Derek had left all of his papers in a plastic bag on the plane. The hotel let him know that without his passport or visa that he couldn’t stay there and there was no where in Delhi that would take him without a copy of his passport or visa. Derek is a guy that I think is an only child and has everything done for him, so losing his passport was not a challenge that he was up for. I had the idea to call the ship and get them to fax a copy to the hotel, so we called them, but their fax machines were down because of a problem with the satellite. By this time it was already 11:30 and we were tired so the rest of us left him up at the desk and went down stairs to order some food before the kitchen closed. After another 30 minutes I think the Indians at the desk were tired of dealing with Derek, so they took his passport number over the phone and let him stay the night. Even though this hotel was nicer than the first it wasn’t saying much, the sheets had stains on them and the bed was as hard as the floor, but we got through the night.
The next morning we woke up early and Raja took us to his tourist office and we set up our plans for the week. All in all he set up 2 more nicer hotels for us to stay at while we were in Delhi and a personal driver the entire time, which included a 4 hour drive to our hotel in Agra and to the Taj Mahal. After setting everything up we went to the new hotel that we would be staying at that night to check in and drop our bags off before a driving tour of Delhi. As we were checking in, we realized that Derek had never received his fax of his passport and visa, and of course they wouldn’t let him stay there without it. Thus came four hours of calling the ship and waiting for the fax. Finally at noon we decided that we would go to the US Embassy, drop Derek off, then go on our driving tour and meet him back at the hotel when he got his passport. After dropping Derek off we went on our tour with our driver Levine, which took all day. We went by different forts, tombs and buildings that afternoon, hitting all of the sights in Delhi. When we finished our tour we went to eat at a restaurant in town and I had some sort of spicy chicken dish accompanied with cheese naan. Afterwards we drove back to the hotel where Derek was waiting for us. He was able to use the fax machine in the embassy and had obtained a copy of his passport and visa, but he had to fly back to Chennai the following day because the ship said that it would take a while for him to get his other documents he had lost and that if he came back any later he might not get them in time and would have to stay behind in India.
The next day we packed up our things and went to the airport to bid Derek farewell and start our journey to Agra. All along the way of our 4 hour journey there was constant traffic along the road lined with shops selling everything from food to motorcycle helmets. At one point our driver pulled over on the side of the road and said he had to go inside to pay a tax. When he left our car I immediately pressed the button to lock the doors and within no more than 20 seconds our car was surrounded by beggars asking for money and displaying their pet monkeys on the car. The only thing to do in these situations is to look straight or into your lap because looking at them makes you too sad and if you give money to one your going to start a stampede of beggars. One of the girls in the car got out her camera and snapped a picture of a monkey and immediately the owner of the monkey was demanding money from her, and trying to open every single door of the car. Finally our driver Levine came back to the car and we were off on our way to Agra. Once we arrived in Agra we visited a tomb of one of the Mogul rulers and then we went straight to our hotel to check in before going to the Taj Mahal. We stayed at the Hilton which was far nicer from the places we had been staying in Delhi and just what we needed to relax and escape from the chaos of India.
After eating lunch at the hotel, we went on our way to the Taj Mahal with our English speaking guide. When I was told that we could have an English speaking guide take us to the Taj I thought that he would go with us into the complex and explain the different aspects of the architecture and the history, but all he did was tell us a brief history and show us where to buy the tickets. Our car dropped us off with our guide and we walked down a pathway about half a mile before getting to the gate of the Taj Mahal. All along the way were small children selling Taj Mahal key chains and snow globes. One kid would pick a person out and walk along with them almost the whole way to the Taj Mahal trying to sell these key chains. Even after telling the kids that I didn’t want one and there was no way I would ever by one they kept walking along trying to sell me these globes, not taking no for an answer. This seemed to be how it is with everyone we came across; if anything I give India an A for effort. Also along the way there were beggars sitting on the side of the path with all types of deformities that I won’t even go into. Apparently since they are born into a life of begging their parents deform them as children so that they will be better beggars.
Anyways once we arrived at the gate, we bought the tickets and had to wait in a 30 minute line, but once we were in it was worth it. Even though it was an overcast day, it was still a breathtaking sight. We snapped lots of pictures and walked around for about an hour before leaving to go on the rest of our tour.
Next the tour guide told us that he was going to take us to a place where we could see the different stones and marble that are on the Taj in different light which cause it to turn different colors (the Taj is golden at sunset and pink at sunrise). What he took us to was nothing more than a tourist trap, and I mean trap. The first door we walked into we were greeted by a fat man who told us we were his guest and he would like to get us coffee, tea or beer, but we all refused. They gave us a brief show of how they made the marble inlays in the table tops and plates. Then they took us into another room, where they sat us on a couch and displayed their marble work and through an impressive showing seemed to try to convince us that we were required to buy something. After strongly refusing to buy any of their $200 dollar table tops, they took us into another back room farther in the building which was filled with smaller items made of marble. They insisted on us looking at everything and tried to get us to buy it all, while the whole time we are surrounded by Indians. At this point I had had enough and asked for the exit, but they would not show it to us, only insisting that we hadn’t seen everything. Both girls and John finally bought some little marble something, but still they seemed offended that Andrew and I would not buy anything. Finally without asking for the exit again we rounded up the group and went back out the way we came. Outside we hopped back into our car and our guide said he had some more places to take us, but I told him if it was another shop we didn’t want to go and to drop us back off at the hotel.
That evening we ate a really good meal at the hotel and talked about our time so far. Our waiter was clearly Hindu and when I ordered the steak sandwich he looked at me like I was eating his ancestor, but I didn’t care one bit I was tired of Indian food.
The following morning we went to the Red Fort, which is the biggest fort in India and across the river from the Taj Mahal. After visiting the fort we ate lunch and drove back to Delhi. Once we arrived in Delhi it was late in the evening so we decided to eat dinner at our hotel and call it a day.
The next morning we caught our flight back to Delhi at 9:00 and arrived in Chennai around 12:00. Once back at Chennai we went to the mall close to the ship before getting back aboard. Even the mall in India was sketchy and dirty. We managed to find a pizza hut in the mall where we ate lunch which actually tasted just like pizza hut in the U.S. Andrew and I also found a store that sold DVD’s and some that were still in theatres. We ended up buying 50 movies for 1000 rupees which is 50 cents a piece. After buying the DVD’s and a couple of t-shirts we got a rickshaw back to the ship. I’ve never been so excited to see the ship in my life, it was even better that the day this voyage started. After boarding I took the longest shower ever, trying to scrub the India funk out of my hair and off my skin.