Cold Train To Agra

Delhi India, January 11, 2007
This story is from my recent Journey in India
I'm really not as tired as I look...well okay I am this tired. We drag ourselves out of our Delhi Guest house at 4am this morning to catch the 5:30 train to Agra; the home of one of the most famous structures in the world; the Taj Mahal. In fact it's so famous I consider skipping it all together. It just seems so cliche' to see it. We are giving ourselves one day to do the Taj and then move on. We booked a second class train for this five hour trip. The other choice was '3A.C.' (3rd Class Air Conditioned) but we are so cold here in Delhi that 'air conditioned' just seems wrong. Besides, how cold can it really be inside the train? VERY COLD! The windows are very leaky so when the train is moving, we get a constant rush of frigid air. It's about five degrees at best and it feels colder. There just isn't anywhere to go to get warm on this train. I am so glad I brought this hoodie to India. Without it I would be one frozen mackerel. My poor sweetie pie has never experience cold like this before. In Bangkok Thailand, where she lives, a cold day is when it drops to twenty degrees Celsius. But this is why we travel together; to see how we get along when the going gets rough. Aw's relatives asked her many times: 'Why are you going to India?' At this moment, I'm sure she's wondering the same question.

Honk Your Horn In Delhi

Just in case you haven't heard enough honking horns in Delhi, here's a video to make it clear to you. Imagine driving every day in traffic where horns are used every minute of every day. They never stop. There are no rules. You just find a way to survive it. I have such incredible respect for those of you who live in this city and keep your sanity.

Driving In Delhi

Delhi India, January 9, 2007
This is the insanity we call Delhi traffic. If it's a 4 lane road that means there are five or six cars all competing for the lanes. To get ahead, you aim for a hole and go for it. The scariest part is when you realize that Arun is constantly on his cell phone while he drives us through this madness that is Delhi traffic. (see movie) there are always honking horns all the time. It's how people communicate on the road, like Vietnam. You cannot drive a vehicle in Delhi if you don't honk your horn. It's not anger. It's how you communicate your intentions. You can see in this video the way cars just look for a hole and go for it. And right in the middle of it all, some guy decides to back up. It's incredible and it's the way of life every day.

Delhi Rickshaw Ride

Delhi India, January 7, 2007

This story is from my recent Journey in India.
Aw and I are six kilometers from the Tibetan Settlement where we're staying here in Delhi. A skinny man in a woolen cap indicates that he will give us a ride in his rickshaw. Aw gives me a dubious look. "Too far Stevie. Cannot." He doesn't speak any English but he is smiling and insists that we sit in his rig. "How much?" I ask. He indicates with his fingers 'fifteen rupees'. Oh my God, he's telling us he will take us on that fifteen minute ride for the equivalent of fifty cents Canadian. Aw is still doubtful. "Both?" she asks, pointing back and forth between herself and me. The man nods his head vigorously and indicates that we need to sit in his rickshaw. So off we go. It's chilly out today and as we ride we can feel the cold wind on us. I would never have thought Delhi would be this cold. It's around zero today and we don't have the proper clothes to really stay warm so we hunker down and hang on for the ride. As we pass this mother with her children we give them a wave and a smile and the children are happy to see us and wave back enthusiastically. What a sweet family.

Saying Good Bye To Ayako

Delhi India, January 10, 2007
Ayako is such a sweet woman. She's always cheerful; even when she's going through stomach sickness in Delhi. Today she must head home from her vacation. She flies from Delhi to Sri Lanka, to Bangkok and then to Tokyo. After that she takes a three hour train trip to her home town in Japan. I have seen you so many places in the World Ayako san and you are like a daughter to me. I wish you much happiness and adventure, until we meet again.

Why Did the Tourist Cross The Road

This is a story from my recent Journey In India
Delhi India, January 9, 2007
Aw and I go for a walk in Delhi. We come to an intersection. We need to get across the street. There are road signs but no one really follows them. It's every man (or cow) for himself. This is a movie of our adventure crossing the road. You can hear Aw coaching: "go-go-go-go-go...go..." all the way across. There are cars and auto rickshaws coming at us from every direction and our only hope for survival is to keep moving.

Red Fort Firing Squad

This is a story from my recent Journey in India
Delhi India, January 9, 2007

This is the 'Red Fort'. It was built by the same man who had the Taj Mahal built. As Ayako, Aw and I approach the fort, a smiling Hindu woman grabs hold of me and pins a small Indian flag on my shirt. "Welcome" she says. "We represent the schools of Delhi..." but before she can finish her spiel, I smile back and thank her for the greeting and walk own. She starts yelling: "we want donation..." but I just wave and keep walking. This is the way here in India. Everyone seems to have an agenda. Everything costs money. Even a smile. I am learning to command my own space and not be pushed around by the constant demands on me from so many people looking for a handout. The three of us laugh as we ignore the woman who still tries to get my attention. We pay 200 rupees each ($6 CAD) and approach the entrance only to find there is a soldier pointing a rifle at us. We feel like the guests of honor at a firing squad. We walk through a gauntlet of souvenir stalls with merchants calling to us: "come inside. Looking is free..." We pass through to an inner courtyard but we find it is virtually deserted. There are some buildings and an inner museum of photos and some paintings but not much else. Aw gives me a side way glance and says: "Warning. Fort is beek tourist trap."

Delhi Sikh Temple

This is a story from my recent Journey in India

Delhi India, January 9, 2007

Poor Ayako san. She spent yesterday in bed, sick as a dog from remnants of her food poisoning in Varanasi. But she was determined to join us for a day of sight-seeing. The temperature today is about five degrees so she's bundled up and trying to stay warm.
This is the Delhi Sikh Temple. It's the same design as the Golden Temple in Amritsar. it's just smaller. We pick up these head scarves at the entrance. Everyone must cover their head before entering the courtyard.The water in the reflecting pool has been shipped in from Amritsar as well. We see many Sikh men walk into the frigid water in a way similar to a baptism. I admire their stamina. This is a nice place to visit and I like the marble walkway and the design of the temple but I find myself wondering how I will feel when I see the original Temple in the Punjab. As we are leaving, one we put our our hands and have the sacred waters poured over them.

How To Stay Warm In Delhi

Delhi India, January 6,2007

This is a story from my recent Journey in India
It's great to have a place to stay here in the Tibetan Settlement. Lonely Planet says wongdhen house is one of the best for the price; 450 rupees ($13 CAD) per night. The only problem is that the temperature here in Delhi is around freezing at night and there are no heaters in this hotel. I'm from Canada so I figure that doesn't matter cause I'm used to the cold right? The difference is that where I'm from, it's only cold outside. If you're cold in my country, you just go inside and warm up. Here in Delhi if you're cold, you just try not to think about it. You don't really appreciate heat until you try living without it. We realize we have to just suck it up and deal with the situation, so Joan Marie, our Buddhist Nun friend, gives us a pomegranate as a welcome gift and we settle into our room. This guesthouse was probably built around 1900 and the plumbing is pretty basic but at least the water in the shower is hot. We have TV. We have a remote control, and we do have a few warm clothes. If it wasn't for the little sleeping bag I got at the last minute before leaving Canada (thanks mom) we would be having a much rougher night tonight. So we put on all our clothes and we huddle under the blankets. Aw sends me a conspiratorial glance and asks the question: "Stevie, how come you never check weather in Day-lee before come?"
Now let me tell you something in my defence, about the video you're about to see; I am very cold at this moment, and there is an Indian program on TV that has dance music on it with a very catchy rhythm. Think of this as an instructional video on how to stay warm in Delhi.

Our First Delhi Meal

Delhi India, January 6, 2007

This story is from our recent Journey in India
This has been a big day for Aw and me. Our driver and guide, Arun, has taken us to Raj Ghat, where Gandhi was cremated. Then we visited the famous tower; Qutub Minar. Now it's time for lunch. We tell Arun we want to eat where the locals eat, so he takes us to a rough looking little restaurant that serves Punjabi food. We are the only foreigners in this place and we get a lot of looks. But everyone is friendly and smiling as they look over to see these strange people in their midst. This one minute video is our first authentic Delhi meal since arriving in India. Aw asks Arun to give us some suggestions as to what we should eat. You can see a sink across from our table. We all take turns washing our hands before and after the meal. It is the custom to eat Indian food with your right hand. You never want to use your left hand to eat or shake another person's hand. We all really enjoy the food. We have chicken curry with rice and japatti bread. Aw is very bold and loves to try new things. And she's great with the language. The only word she keeps having trouble with is 'japatti', which she pronounces 'pah-jah-pee'. I don't like to correct her on it though. I think it's cute the way she says it. The green chutney sets off the flavors of the whole meal very well. We're so glad Arun brought us here.

Baha'i Lotus

Delhi India, January 8 2007

This Story is from my recent journey in India

As a Westerner, my visions of India includes the three main religions but I never thought I would find such an incredible representation from the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'is not only wanted to create a sanctuary for their followers. They also wanted to create a structure to honor India. The result is this magnificent Church in the shape of a lotus flower. The building is an open-air structure with many entrances all leading the the huge arrangement of white benches facing a central, slightly raised stage. We are asked not to take photos of the inner sanctuary. Aw and I sit on one of the lines of pews for a few minutes to get the feeling of this Temple. I have explored lots of Temples but there have only been a few that really gave me that special tingle. This is one of them. The lotus shape you see on the outside is the same inside, creating a series of high archways that remind me of a pyramid shape. I sit here on the stone bench and it's as if the my head is being drawn gently up by some invisible Electra-magnet. I have done a lot of meditation in my life and I am able to get into a receptive state of consciousness very quickly. This is the case now. I hear the sound that is like a powerful 'white noise' or a violin that is being played but where the sound is heard as a long sustained echo. The Bahia's have created in this chamber, an instrument that has a magical feeling to it. I could stay here all day. We sit for several minutes in the midst of hundreds of other people, quietly listening. Finally, we get up and walk around the perimeter of the structure and I am in a state of perfect calm, just enjoying this moment. We walk out to the sky-blue reflecting pool and watch as a group of students pull together for a photo in front of the Temple. Here is more information about the Temple I found after writing about my experience here.

Gandhi: Prayers In The Garden

Delhi, India, January 6, 2007
This is a story from my recent Journey in India.

This our first day exploring Delhi; in fact it's our first day exploring India. Our Buddhist Nun Friend, Joanmarie got us a Taxi driver to show us around. There are a lot of unscrupulous people here so when you find a driver you can trust, you've found gold. As you can see, Arun knows how to make us feel at home, with his 'Canada' jacket. When he arrives at our 'Guest house I say: "Arun, we don't know which way is up. Just show us around". He decides that a tour of Delhi should start with one of the most sacred landmarks in India. He takes us to an enormous park in the north of the city and one of the most sacred locations in this whole country; 'Raj Ghat'. This is the place where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated on January 31st, 1948 after he was assassinated while preparing to lead prayers in the Biria House Garden. Gandhi is a hero of mine and it's my first chance to get close the the Spirit of this man. We take the stairs to a walkway that looks down into the memorial site. Millions of people come here from all over the World, like Pilgrims, to pay respect to this man who changed India. We go back down to the entrance and take our shoes off to walk barefoot with the others. This Black Marble memorial is where Gandhi's cremation took place. A continuous line of people walk in a right-handed circle around the Eternal flame on the marble slab. Walking clock-wise is very important in to Hindu culture. It's considered bad etiquette to walk the other way. As we stand here at this sacred Site, I find myself wondering what Gandhi would think of this Monument. There must have been such a temptation to build something exotic to express the respect and love the Indian people feel for the Father of their Country. But I keep wondering what his reaction would be to us giving so much attention to a man who lived with such humility. After some quiet reflection, Arun takes us to a magnificent Temple I never would have expected to find in India.

Amazing Delhi Warzone

Delhi, India, January 5, 2007

This is a story from my recent trip to India

Delhi is the capital of India. This is where we start our trip. I was warned that we would be overwhelmed by the City but I don't really feel that way. Yes, there are many beggars, pushing at us and showing their mutilated body parts like strange puppet shows, to extract money. And urine and feces can be smelled in many parts of the city. And we have to stay constantly alert to thieves, Cons and Schemes. It's a War zone for sure. But then there are the most amazing people and sights all around too. As long as you remember there's a War on; everything is Okay. This is Stephanie. She was sitting on the plane next to us as we flew from Bangkok to Delhi. Stephanie's from Germany but has been traveling in India for several years. She gave us some great tips on how to start our explorations; markets to shop at and some good places to stay in Delhi. She is on her way back to Dharamsala; where the Dalai Lama is living. The woman smiling with the Fed-Ex package is Joanmarie. She's a Buddhist Nun and good friend of my Doll maker friend; Emily, from British Columbia Canada. Emily helped me contact her before leaving Canada and Joanmarie was gracious enough to get us connected in Delhi as we started our travels. She had her debit card stolen and just received her replacement this minute as I take this photo. She's been waiting a tense two weeks for it to arrive. Now with her help, we are getting sorted out so we can get on with the adventure of our first day in India.