Indian Adventures

“If everyone could go to India once in their life, the world would be completely different and you’d come back a better person,” the Director of Instructor Staffing at NOLS said this at a meeting during mountaineer updates. 

India was never on my list of places to go. I thought of India being exotic with tigers and cool buildings like in Aladdin, until I spoke with my mother. She said, “Ew why?! India is so dirty and you’ll get ripped off.” Very Christian of her, I first thought, then I tried to think of all the Indians I did know and sure enough seemed to have some existence of fraud.  

I tried to contact friends that have been here before but 2 of 3 were very weird about giving me any advice. They would tell me, “India is not a vacation destination, choose a different place to vacation.” Or “You’re just going to get robbed.” This sort of thing would creep me out but it was already a done deal and I was not religious or superstitious. It’s just a different part of the world that I was privileged to discover with an open mind.

The idea of going to India seemed more appealing when I saw pictures of unique architecture, mosaic tiles, and then remembered all religious beliefs that were taboo for me to learn or even know about - like yoga, Buddha, and Sikhism. I also thought about those fine silks and spices that Columbus once tried to discover. I would be the one to find these fine silks and spices, do some yoga, and treat my palette to some spicy authentic Indian food.

We decided on flights last minute and when I say last minute, it truly was last minute. We purchased flight tickets on a Monday for a flight out on Wednesday. On Monday night I discovered there was a Visa needed to travel into India even for a quick tourist visit. We rushed online around 10pm and applied for a tourist Visa then woke up with an email approving our Visas! Yippee, we’re going to India tomorrow.

Looking back India was a fascinating, interesting and exciting cultural experience. I view the world slightly different after going and experiencing India. For one, when I have cell phone problems I can no longer say it’s a First World problem, I’ve seen the poorest of the poor in remote India not have cell phone issues. More than that, it was the food, the chaos, smells, scenery, architecture, history, religions, and people.

We flew into New Delhi, while the airport was amazing, it was completely crazy filled with tons of horns of taxis and rickshaws, people shouting and didn't mind signs or lines on the roads. We managed to find a JW Marriott car to provide us with American customer service, bottled water and air conditioning while listening to Barry Manilow. The hotel was gorgeous for about $70 USD we were treated with top-notch service. We hired a car with a tour guide and driver the next day that took us around [Old] Delhi and some parts of New Delhi. Things got real awkward when we later ended up at a random boutique shop with high-pressure Persian rug sales. I really hate awkward things and tend to be very forward and direct by not wasting anyone’s time, as we were walking out mean things were yelled at us but we laughed on the way to the hotel on how strange that was. Back at the hotel we decided to hop a plane to Dharmsala located in Himachal Pradesh where the Dalai Lama lives. It is also the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan government in exile) located in the foothills of the Himalayas. It’s known as a “Little Tibet” as it houses Tibetan refugees. There are quite the number of temples, monasteries and schools including yoga teacher training.

I found where all the white women were at when we attended a Buddhist meditation one morning, Beastie Boys would be proud.  While in Dharmashala (btw I will probably never spell the city correctly nor consistently) it was monsoon season and it definitely poured rain. It created little streams in the road washing down the tons of trash dumped on the roads. It was really surprising how much garbage was found everywhere. The smells of the streets were completely horrendous. While exploring a town in Upper McLeodGanj I threw up on the street because I couldn’t hold my breath any longer and had to gasp a huge polluted breath that eventually emptied my stomach. The cute little monkeys surrounded the garbage bins in between the cows. It was interesting to always hear that cows are sacred in India then to see someone throw their trash by a cow and see the cow eat it. No wonder they don’t eat cows. It was more disturbing to be a National Park that was not protected from pollution, poverty, and more trash scattered throughout the waterfalls.

Speaking of eating meat, if you plan on going, plan on being vegetarian. Preserving meat didn’t seem to concern anyone and the sight of walking by a butcher with all his meat covered in bugs was just a tad disturbing. The sanitary conditions was eye-opening, however, we ended up having an amazing experience attending and staying a week at a B.K.S Iyengar Yoga retreat. Iyengar yoga is a form of Hatha Yoga that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture (asana) and breath control (pranayama). The development of strength, mobility and stability is gained through the asanas. It was a theory that was based on your base, which is your feet and toes. Brining awareness to parts of your body including your little toe that will align your body naturally. A big part of the deal was using various props and a great number of them. We would hold poses for 10 minutes at a time and continue to do bridge poses over and over 50 times in a row. It felt like torture but the results of feeling amazing couldn’t be beat. We stayed in the “suite” that was a rustic loft where to ceiling right above the toilet leaked and housed huge softball sized spiders. The toilet seat was made for people to stand on so it was in the shape of a huge shell and wasn’t quite screwed on tight and was always wet from the rain. I eventually created a solution by attaching an umbrella above, it’s a good thing I always pack p-cord.

After our time in Dharmashala we headed to Agra, India to visit the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632. While it was a beautiful place with astounding architecture, I have never felt so violated. With tiny children pick pocketing me, feeling up my shirt and following so closely, it was really hard to enjoy the greatness of this art. We were fully warned by our guide to not bring anything or keep anything on us which we were glad we did. 

Despite the awkward sales encounters, litter, leaky ceilings, shady people, and smells, it really is a superstitious population and amazing place. People (not just India) tend to be intrigued with superstition; prayer wheels, chants, flags, and religion. It was fascinating how chaotic they live their lives with these and driving and have no sense of organization or order. I read that it can be quite the culture shock with the amount of space is given and hotels don’t knock on your door and will just walk in. This wasn’t so much an issue but maybe I was a bit prepared for what we consider rude. I was also fortunate to come back to New Delhi and check back into the JW Marriott to be upgraded in a suite before our 17-hour flight back to Newark, NJ then SFO. 

I can’t even describe the extent of my experience and what I saw. Everyone needs to go, you need to experience the culture to be humbled. You will have a different take on the world and come back a different person with a bigger lens. I for one am down for binge eating parantha, listening to Punjabi music, and watching Indian movies all day.

Thanks for reading

–Namaste (form of a respectful Hindu greeting and goodbyes)