Where is the time going....?

First, I apologize for the delay. It has been awhile. Second, I need to thank everyone for the positive feedback I keep getting from this blog. What started out as a simple tool to keep my friends and family back home in touch with my adventure has become a global conversation piece. Thanks to both my neighbors/friends and colleagues at Somaiya College for their kind words! Keep reading, and I will certainly keep finding things to write about!

Aside from that, this past week has been sort of a readjustment period. The travel is at a standstill for the time being. We returned back to college last week after the Diwali break and were met with an administrative change. Dr. Verma, whom I had been working with these past few months, was replaced by a new principal, Dr. Joshi. It was odd that I was part of a welcoming committee for a change! Thursday was a holiday which means more shopping time for Renu and I. Off to Phoenix Mall we went. It wouldn't be a complete week unless I spent more money! So, off to Hidesign! More stuff that will get stuck in customs. The last batch I sent home sat at JFK for a week!

Friday was another adventure. Renu, Savita and I headed to Thane, in north Mumbai, to visit the much talked about Chokhi Dhani. This simualted Rajasthani village offered plenty of sight-seeing opportunities. There were camel rides, bullock and cart rides, puppet shows, dancers, mehendi stations, shopping stalls, and of course, food. I had to get some new Mehendi (henna) since I am addicted and we, of course, had to pile into the cart for a bullock ride. I wish I had a picture of that. Poor cows, or bulls, or whatever they were! My favorite part was the astrologer. I will keep the reading a secret, but he did say that I am a "lucky" person. After these past few months, I would have to agree! Thanks for a great time, ladies! There are no two people I would rather be stuck in a cart with!

Saturday, my colleague Lovey, invited Renu and I to an elocution competition in Colaba. The competition was sponsored by the Mumbai YMCA. What an awesome event. The students were divided into three categories, 5th & 6th grade, 7th & 8th grade, and 9th & 10th grade. Each student was called up to present their piece in front of a prestigious panel of judges ranging from Bollywood stars to Reader's Digest authors. Each student was competing for the Sam T. Berkeley trophy. The students were amazing. Each presented his/her piece with outstanding vocals and facial expressions. I was told that this particular group of students represented some of the finest schools in Mumbai. I was able to talk to some of the students after the competition and these are kids that are going places, trust me! One young boy came up to me after the competition and asked, "ma'am, how can I improve?" I was speechless. I thought he was pretty fantastic to begin with!

On Sunday, Geeta (friend and neighbor) invited me to her grandson's naming ceremony. In the Hindu religion, newborn babies aren't named until 12 days after they are born. I am told the number of days may vary depending on family, region, etc. This ceremony is called Namakaran. It starts off with a puja to bless and protect the child. Then, the babies name is whispered into his/her right ear for the first time. This ceremony is considered, you guessed it, auspicious. The event was followed by a delicious south Indian lunch, complete with banana leaf and all. Thanks to Geeta and her family for including me. I have been truly fortunate to have been a part of so much ceremony in the past three months.
Aside from all this fun, I have been busy getting the Somaiya Drama Club up and running. It is our intention to put up three one-act plays just prior to my departure. This promises to be a great night of drama, or a complete disaster. The jury is still out on that! The students have done a wonderful job of memorizing their lines. Our bigger challenges include juggling three different casts, finding places and rehearsal times that work for everyone, and securing sponsorship to help offset the cost. I told my students that if this all goes bust, I am leaving the country early. They replied with, "ma'am, if you try to leave, we will come to the airport and drag you back!" Fair enough, we are all in this together!

Sadly, my time here is coming to a close and I am having a hard time wrapping my head around that! Of course, I want to see my family and friends back home, but I am going to have an impossibly hard time leaving a place I have become SO attached to. One of my colleagues said today, "you have really become part of the fabric here." So true. But, I am not ready to think about that right now. Meanwhile, I will take advantage of EVERY minute....until next time....oh, and GO BUCKS! BEAT MICHIGAN! I am sad to be missing that!

The Heart of the Hindu World-Varanasi

Just when I thought the final leg of the so-called Amazing Race was complete, there was a late addition and a new player. The final segment included a trip to Varanasi with Bree! No rest in India as there is just too much to see. Bree and I decided that this would need to be a quick trip, and quick it was, but we had to see this amazing city before we left India. Varanasi, previously named Benares, is considered to be the oldest city in the world. It is also the holiest place in India where many Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the Ganges River or to cremate their loved ones.

Bree and I arrived early Saturday afternoon. She had arranged for a friend of a friend from Delhi to pick us up and help us get settled. After leaving the airport, we took a tour of the city, and stopped for tea at the friend's home. We were, once again, treated with the outstanding hospitality this country continues to shower upon its guests. After tea, we found our hotel, the Puja Guest House located on the Lalita Ghat, near the Nepali temple. Varanasi sits on the western bank of the Ganges and is surrounded by many ghats, (about 80) or bathing areas. Beyond the ghats, the streets are a maze of very small alleys that are not well marked and can be completely confusing for any visitor. These alleys are bustling, full of people, livestock, small businesses, etc. and get crowded QUICKLY!

After getting settled in our room, we went to the roof top restaurant to relax and plan our course of action. From the roof, we had an excellent view of the river. To the right was the main ghat, Daasawamedh, and to our left was the main buring ghat, Manikarnika. As the sun was beginning to set, we headed off to the main ghat to see the much talked about "ganga aarti" ceremony that takes place both at sunset and sunrise. The puja is performed by seven priests (Brahma) who offer respect to the river. When we arrived, the ghat was packed with people taking part in this holy ceremony. Many people were floating lit candles and flowers into the river. The crowd was intense. Everyone was participating in the ceremony on some level. On the outskirts of the crowd was the most "colorful" group of people I have seen yet in India. It was truly a one of a kind people-watching experience.

After the ceremony, Bree and I headed up the steps and into the more public shopping/dining area. We spent some time walking around and then decided to find a restaurant that we had been told about. We hired a cycle rickshaw to take us around, as this is the most convenient method of transportation in Varanasi. Sadly, by the time we found the restaurant, it was closed. We asked our driver to take us back toward the hotel. We assumed he knew where he was going, but alas, he did not. After driving around for an hour, we were completely lost and it was LATE! After stopping to ask for directions many, many times, we finally ditched our driver and in a typically "Indian" moment, a young man offered to go completely out of his way to walk us back to the hotel. Now, Bree and I both know that this goes against every "girls out alone at night" rule, but what to do?? We were stuck. This was truly a leap of faith, and thankfully all turned out perfectly. He simply walked us to the hotel door, said "namaste" and walked off. We would have never found our way back without this person's help. Again, a true Indian hospitality moment.

The next morning, we headed back to the aforementioned restaurant for breakfast. The Bread of Life Bakery is owned by an American and offered true American pancakes with maple syrup. Most of you are saying, big deal, pancakes with syrup, right??? Trust me, big deal, and they were awesome! After breakfast, we decided to take a trip down the Ganges. Both walking and boating along the Ganges gives one a whole new perspective of India. People were bathing in the water, doing their laundry, offering blessings, herding animals for a drink/bath, and so much more! It was a lot to take in. The final leg of our boat trip brought us in front of Manikarnika, the burning ghat. This was truly a sight to behold. All around the ghat were stacks and stacks of wood. I can't even begin to describe the insanely high and vast piles. So many people were running to and fro and there were bodies shrouded in cloth and flowers waiting for cremation. Each body is dipped in the Ganges prior to cremation. It was intense to say the least. We were told that the ghat operates 24/7 for cremation purposes. Varanasi is considered an auspicious (there is that word again) place to die. According to our sources, expiring here offers "moksha," liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It is probably the one place on earth where one can witness the extremely personal acts of death and worship, all in a very public manner. To say that Varanasi is overwhelming and intense is a gross understatement.

After our boat ride, we met Bree's friend, and his nephew, once again for a final tour of the city and then off to the airport once more. On our way out of town, they insisted we stop for a quick tour of a few more temples on the outskirts of town. Bree and I finally made it to the airport, said our good-byes and headed back to our respective Indian cities. We both decided that seeing Varanasi puts India in a whole new perspecive. It was a true educational experience. And, of course, any time spent with Bree is an absolute adventure. It is a wonder the two of us get ANYTHING accomplished. Together, we are deadly. As always, a true pleasure Bree!! I can't wait until our next mission! No more monkey comments, please!

So, now I am back in Mumbai. I think I will stay put for a few weeks anyway. The next big adventure is the Fulbright conference that takes place at the end of this month in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Together once again, the Fulbrighters. I am sure we ALL have many tales to tell!

Excuse Me While I Kiss The Sky...

The third and final chapter of Andrea and Enddy's Amazing Race begins on a quite chilly Friday morning. As I mentioned in the last blog, we had organized a "team" of people to help us reach the village of Sandakphu (on the border of India and Nepal) where we could see both Mt. Everest and Kanchenjunga in the same shot. We left at 7am and made the journey to Maneybhanjang by car. Upon arrival, we paid the entrance fee into Singalila National Park. From there, we began our climb up, up, up.....the first stop (about 1.5 miles in) was an old monastery that was worthy of a stop. The one image that will always stay with me about Darjeeling and the surrounding area is all the Tibetan prayer flags that fly high in the mountains. Just outside of the monastery, we stopped at a small "home" and had tea with some monks who were watching cricket on the television. No, I am not making this up.
After we finished tea, we went outside to meet our guide and the two drivers that would help us out for the next two days. The Singalila Ridge is impossibly steep and a Land Rover (Defender) is pretty much the only thing that can make the journey up. I am not sure I would trust the average 4-wheel drive on this range. Since Andrea and I had chosen to go all the way to Sandakphu in only two days, it was imperative that we spend a lot of our time driving as well. There was too much ground to cover in a short time. We piled into the Defender and away we went. Throughout the day, we alternated between driving and trekking. We stopped at many small villages along the way weaving in and out of Nepal and India. Sometimes we were in Nepal (for lunch and our overnight stay) and sometimes we were in India. Heck, sometimes, I was in India and Andrea was in Nepal and vice versa (clever, aren't we?) We had our passports handy as we had many check points along the way.
Throughout the day, we say many beautiful sites, prayer flags flying high, temples, monasteries, yaks, mountain goats, but mostly small village after small village in both India and Nepal. Ironically enough, the Himalayan range was all around us, but the cloud cover was so heavy that you couldn't see anything. Those Himalayas are quite elusive, I am telling you. As night was approaching we had to hurry to reach Sandakphu. No one wants to be driving up this pass after the sun goes down. It was scary enough during the day. There were hairpin turns that the Defender couldn't make in one shot. We would have to stop, back up, turn a little more, stop again, etc. One false move and over the side it was. There were some truly heart-pounding moments. So scary. Thanks SO much to our very skilled driver.
At around 6pm, we reached Sandakphu (about 11,900 feet in altitude). Sandakphu is considered to be the highest point in West Bengal, and also, according to our sources, the only place in the world to see Mt. Everest in Nepal, Kanchenjunga in Sikkim, and Chomalhari in Bhutan at the same time. Sandakphu is right on the border of India and Nepal so there is a large Indian border patrol camp there. Our "cabin" happened to be in Nepal and the family we spent the night with was also Nepali. There were some other tourists there, mostly German, who were staying in another bunk across the way. There is no heat in any of the cabins so we spent the rest of the evening in the very tiny Nepali kitchen watching "mom" and sometimes "dad" cook amazing treats for us on the coal burning "stove." Their son was home from college which really helped out with the language barrier. We also had to try Thongba, or Tibetian beer. Yeast and barley are fermented in these small wooden mug-like things for months at a time. When it is ready, millet and warm water (and some other stuff, I guess??) are added to make this sort of beer, which, in my opinion, doesn't really taste like beer, more like some sort of cider/wine....anyway, it is slurped up through a bamboo straw and took the chill off!
After dinner, we went to our freezing "bedroom" to crash. It was cold. Darn cold. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is Andrea screaming, "you can see them, you can see them!!" as she was running out the door (it was 5am btw). I jumped up out of bed and I ran out after her. Sure enough, for the first time in days, the mighty mountains showed themselves. I was STUNNED. Few moments in my life have moved me to tears, this was one of them. It was amazing. Weary trekkers spilled out of cabins wrapped in blankets. We all scrambled to climb to the top of the Sandakphu Ridge to watch the sun come up, Mt. Everest to our left, Kanchenjunga to our right. It was amazing. From one spot, we could see Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Sikkim. We were so lucky to have seen the mountain range that morning. Many people come and wait for days at a time and never catch a glimpse of the mountains at all. I am telling you, for being so massive, they hide well.
After the sun rose and we had our fill of gazing, we headed down from the hilltop and sipped yak-milk tea while "mom" made us homemade Tibetan skillet bread and porridge. After breakfast, we began our trek back down to Maneybhanjang, and ultimately Darjeeling. During the climb down, the sky was clear and the Himalayas loomed over us all day and just as we reached the bottom, the clouds started to roll in, and slowly they disappeared once more.

Trains, The Taj, and Going Sky High...

Ok, so I am not sure where I left off last on this, my own version, of the Amazing Race. I believe I was headed to the train station in Jaipur. We indeed did arrive at the station at about 1am. Let me tell you, the train station is about the most depressing place in the world at that time. It was quite a shock. That is all I will say about that. We had reserved space in a sleeper car in the first class section of the train. Don't be fooled by how wonderful that sounds. It was a rough five hours to Agra. That is all I will say about that too.
We arrived in Agra quite early in the morning. Our goal was to find a shower and a place to store our luggage since we would be leaving later that evening to catch a plane in Delhi. We found a cheap hotel with a roof top view of the Taj Mahal and got settled for the day. We ordered breakfast and sat on the rooftop. The Taj Mahal is truly a site to behold. It has to be one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. I wish I could say the same about Agra, the city in which it is located. We hired a cab and spent the day seeing what there was to see in Agra. We visited the "baby" Taj which was built prior to the infamous Taj. We visited the Agra Fort, quite amazing, but frankly, I am done visiting forts forever. Of course, the majority of our day was spent visiting the Taj. As I mentioned, the place is incredible, and truly worthy of a visit. The attention to detail and intricate marble work is an architectural wonder. And what a love story, no?? Our plan was to take a train from Agra to Delhi at around 8pm. We changed that, in part because we had had enough of trains from the night before, and in part because we had quickly had enough of Agra. That is all I will say about that. We were able to refund our train tickets, add a few more rupees to the pot and hire a car to Delhi. Much better. So, Denise, Andrea and I headed to our next stop.
We arrived in Delhi at 9pm and Diwali was in full swing! The streets were packed and the "crackers" were exploding all night long. It was strange being back in Delhi. Andrea and I both commented on how different we felt being there this time around. Back in August, we were completely shell-shocked and now we were "old pros!" We had already booked a hotel near the airport since we would only be in Delhi until morning. We just needed to sleep! And that we did! Early the next morning, we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Bagdogra and ultimately make it to Darjeeling by evening. We were all VERY excited to hit the mountains and have a home base for longer than a day.
We arrived in Bagdogra around noon and quickly hired a car for the looooong climb up, up, up to Darjeeling. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was hoping for more than a one-lane, pot-hole filled, cliff-hugging trek upwards. There is only one road to Darjeeling and it is in dire need of repair. As we climbed, we passed many a tea plantation and small village after small village. The people in the villages spoke with a different accent than we were used to hearing and also started to look more Nepali in nature. It was also getting colder by the minute, I mean like hat and gloves cold. We weren't ready for that! It was also impossible, due to cloud cover, to see the Himalayas. Those Himalayas, for being so large, are quite elusive. I will explain more about that later! As we inched closer to Darjeeling, I started to thoroughly appreciate this part of India. The town, city really, appears to be pasted to the side of a mountain. We were high above the trees with our heads in the clouds for real!! It was absolutely unique in nature to anything I have seen in India thus far! After two, yes TWO flat tires, we finally made it the hill station of Darjeeling by nightfall. Thank goodness, because I wasn't trying to make that drive in the dark!
We found our hotel and got settled. Our first priority was food and warm clothes! As we ate, we were talking about what we wanted to accomplish during our stay in Darjeeling. Everyone wanted a home base for a few days, but we also wanted to trek around in the mountains. It would be a shame to be so close to two of the three highest peaks in the world and not see them in one shot! On morning one, we set out to find a tour group to make this happen. We also hired a car to check out all the sites of Darjeeling, most famous are the Buddhist gompas (monasteries) that dot the region. We also vistied the Tibetan Refugee center and drank a lot, I mean A LOT, of tea. It is Darjeeling after all! We also found a tour outfit to set us up with our trek. I had no idea what I was in for, but it would turn out to be the experience of a lifetime.....! Until next time, Enddy, Denise, and Andrea's Amazing Race continues....