Days 53 – 58: India

Hello, my dearest readers. I have just returned from Mauritius, and have six days at sea until we reach South Africa. Mauritius was grand; its beauty is stunning. But I’m behind on my tales, so I’ll get right to it.

Day 1 – Chennai and Mamallapuram

Nick and I were taking an SAS trip to Mamallapuram, which left at 12:30. Though we could not get off the boat until about 11:00, we wanted to explore Chennai, albeit briefly. We had hoped to walk around and find a place to eat. However, unbeknownst to us at the time, the port was quite far from the city. While walking we ran into our neighbor Kelly, and she also had a 12:30 trip. She decided to join us on our brief endeavor, but after walking for a bit we realized we were going to have to take a cab if we wanted to get anywhere.

So we hopped into an auto rickshaw (henceforth simply referred to as “autos”) and asked the driver to take us to a restaurant. We stressed the fact that we were on a very limited schedule and that we wanted to go somewhere close and quick. He said he understood and took us into town.

The ride was absolutely crazy seeing all the traffic, the people, and shops. Not to mention all of the smog. It was just a completely novel experience. Nick, Kelly and I were totally absorbed on the sights we were seeing, but suddenly realized that 30 minutes had passed. We reiterated that we were in a rush, and the driver assured us that we were close. But five minutes later we were still driving, and we collectively decided we needed to get off of this auto. We had been warned that drivers have deals with particular places and we assumed that to be the case. So we hopped off and just walked around for a bit before grabbing another auto to get back to the ship.

Now, whenever we go into port SAS gives us “green sheets” which have useful information, including the address at which the ship is located. When we showed our driver that address, he confirmed that he knew where he was taking us. But thirty minutes later (it’s now about 12:20), he dropped us off at the main entrance to the terminal. And the terminal is huge, over two kilometers long. So we ran the entrance trying desperately trying to find out where we needed to go. One of the guards informed us that we needed to get to Gate 7, so we scrambled and got another auto to take us there. We got to Gate 7 at about 12:35, so we were all nervous that we missed our trips. Luckily, there is a customs stop to get out of the port terminal, and our bus was being waved out just as we arrived. So Nick and I were able to hop on at the last possible second. As for our friend Kelly, her bus had, unfortunately, already taken off. But a kind professor allowed her to attend her trip instead, free of charge. So, somehow, it all worked out.

Now Nick and I were famished, because we had not eaten breakfast and now missed lunch. Luckily, our trip stopped for lunch before reaching Mamallampuram. The lunch was stellar. We were served about ten dishes and given tasters of each, which is probably my favorite way to discover new food. We also ate with our hands, which I thought was fun. I much prefer eating with utensils, but I enjoyed how rude and forbidden it felt. I was eating so sloppily, it was hysterical.

A short ride from the restaurant was Mamallapuram. It is an ancient port city and popular beach resort, for good reason. Though I only caught a glimpse, the beach was magnificent. There were three main sights to see in Mamallampuram: the Shore Temple, the Five Rathas, and Arjuna’s Penance. The Shore Temple is supposedly the coolest sight to see, but it was being renovated during our visit, so it did not look nearly as spectacular as usual.

The Five Rathas was my favorite. Originally a giant stone cliff, five large structures and some smaller pieces were all carved out. And the attention to detail was immaculate. Our guide informed us that all the historical attractions are 1,200 years old. It is so hard for me to comprehend how work this beautiful was done so long ago.

Finally was Arjuna’s Penance, in which carvings on the wall depict fables from the Panchatantra, a collection of Sanskrit animal fables. There were also monkeys roaming around, which was cool. And it was at Arjuna’s Penance that I met a gregarious teenager, whose name I unfortunately can no longer remember. He was a local stone mason and was quite friendly. I enjoyed his company thoroughly, and he shared some insight about the scenes depicted in the Penance.

While I really enjoyed Mamallapuram, the whole thing felt rushed. I do not know why we waited until 12:30 to leave, especially considering that it took nearly two hours by bus to get there. We really ought to have left first thing. As it was, we returned an hour late. That actually was no bother to me, because I had nothing else going on. But one kid on our trip had a flight to catch, and he nearly missed it due to our tardiness.

After our trip, Nick and I met up with Jake and a few others for dinner. Nick knew of a place which sounded good, so we got a cab together. The cab ride was absolutely miserable. It was piping hot and jam-packed. Though we thought the car had three rows of seats, the very back row, where Jake and one other dude sat, was just the gas tank. Then three of us were in the middle row, with one guy sitting shotgun. We ended up driving with the doors open. There really aren’t many rules in India.

But what really made the ride hellacious was the fact that the driver did not know where he was going. We gave him an address, he said he knew it, but then he was lost. He tried to just drop us off at a random spot, but we refused to get out. He eventually asked for directions from a local and got us where we needed to go, but the whole thing took over an hour.

Dinner was all worth it, though. I got Aloo Gobi for my main dish, which is a curry dish with cauliflower, potatoes, carrots and peas. It was tastylicious. I also got two orders of naan, a mango milkshake, and some ice cream. It was like a big orgasm. In my mouth. Those restaurant owners must love gluttonous Americans.

Across the street from the restaurant was a movie theater. We couldn’t help but laugh at the posters. Though I legitimately thought one looked pretty badass, the other three were just laughable. I obviously documented via photograph.

But after enjoying a funny at the expense of the posters, Nick and I just headed back. It was only about 9:00, but we had to be in the Union at 3:30 am the following morning for our trip to the Taj Mahal and Jaipur. So we just packed up and got some shuteye before the cruel, cruel sound of the alarm.


Day 2 – Delhi

At 3:00 am my alarm went off. So that sucked. In a dazed state I brushed my teeth, packed up my remaining toiletries, and met in the Union. We left at 4:00 am for the airport, where we flew to Delhi. I brought along Mandela’s biography, and as engrossed as I was in what I was reading, I only got through a page or so before conking out.

Upon reaching Delhi, we embarked on a city tour. The tour was, in my opinion, very disorganized. For example, regarding our first stop, my notes say “visited cool historical site, see video for name.” We would just be dropped off somewhere, our tour guide took a couple minutes to explain it, and then we were given a maximum of 20 minutes to explore. And that was if we were lucky. For many sites, we often just drove past them.

Unfortunately, my pictures and videos from India are on Nick’s external hard drive, as my hard drive space has filled. And I’m too lazy to borrow it to search through my videos and find the name of the “cool historical site” (Editor’s Note: I researched on Wikitravel, it’s called the Qutub Complex). It was a cool area, though, and if memory serves me correctly, it was formerly a Hindu shrine that was conquered by Muslims and converted into a mosque. But there was much more on the grounds than just the house of worship. The site is huge, and covered with monumental buildings and shrines. Just as was the case with Mamallapuram, I stood in awe looking at the intricacies of the stone carvings, let alone the sheer size. It must have taken so much time and so much manpower to complete.

After a delicious buffet lunch, we continued our city tour. We passed numerous sites that Taj, our tour guide, pointed out for a brief photo shoot. It was a very stereotypical tour bus experience, with the tour guide in front saying “on your left, you’ll see X, and coming up on your right is Y.” I wish we had cut all that out of the tour and, with the time saved, been given time to walk around Old Delhi, as opposed to just driving through. But, alas, I don’t make the itinerary.

Once we were bussed through Old Delhi, we went to Humayun’s Tomb. Humayun was the second Mogul Emperor. The tomb was an incredibly impressive structure, topped with the same gorgeous dome and minaret combo as the Taj Mahal. After checking out the grounds, I asked to join some locals in a game of cricket. They happily let me join and I took an at bat. I got a hit, though it was obvious the pitcher was taking it easy on me. The group left soon thereafter, so unfortunately I couldn’t play long.

Our final stop was Ghandi’s Memorial. We got there at sunset, which was absolutely gorgeous. The pictures (when I can finally post them will) speak for themselves. While at the Memorial, a few locals asked to take a photo with me. As soon as I agreed, more and more just started filing next to me to get a picture. I’m certain that it’s just a product of being American(/white), but it was just really odd to experience. It was like a brief taste of celebrity. Everyone wanted my picture and to shake my hand.

Back at the hotel, we grabbed some dinner. Like lunch, it was a buffet. Only this time, it was probably one of the greatest meals I have eaten in my entire life. Everything was amazing. It is illegal to eat cow in India, but they had water buffalo filet, and it was incredible. They also had flavorful roast leg of lamb and tender bbq chicken. And that was the western section. They also had numerous Indian dishes, and plenty of fresh naan. To top it off, there was a sundae bar for desert. Despite the fact that I’m currently full, my mouth is watering thinking about this meal.

After dinner, people talked about hanging by the pool. So I put on the hotel robe and slippers, and headed down. Unfortunately, the pool closed early. So a few guys and I headed down to the spa, where I spent a bit of time in the sauna and hot tub. But the heat brought out my fatigue, and I went to bed shortly thereafter.

Day 3 – Agra (Taj Mahal!!)

I awoke to a 4:00 am wakeup call at the hotel. We didn’t need to leave until 5:15, and I had requested our wakeup call be shifted back to 4:30. But the request was apparently ignored, because the phone rang at 4:00 am sharp. So I woke up grumpy and tired. And, as usual for SAS trips, had to wait around for a while before leaving.

One reason we had to wait so long was because of Nick’s roommate. Which, in hindsight, is a hilarious story. Particularly because we still caught our train. Anyway, Nick’s roommate came back fairly late and fairly drunk. So when the morning came, he had trouble getting out of bed. Nick tried his best to wake him, but he just was not waking up. Nick would shake him and say, “dude, we gotta go!” His roommate would respond by nodding his head, saying, “I’m awake,” and then immediately falling back asleep. Eventually the trip leaders needed to wake up the roommate, who stood up, said “OK let’s go,” and walked out of the room. But he hadn’t packed and we were checking out. So he had to go back and pack.

But, because of the absurd cushion planned into our transportation time, we made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare. The station was absolutely nuts. The place smelled like piss, people were milling every which way, and tons of people were sleeping on the concrete floor. While we were waiting, I watched people towing all sorts of things around the station, from newspapers to packages to crates full of random pieces of wood.

Anyhow, we caught our 6:00 am train from Delhi to Agra. I grabbed a window seat intending to view the Indian landscape, but quickly fell asleep. An all-to-ambitious plan, I suppose.

After the train ride, we stopped in an insanely luxurious hotel for breakfast. Though we did not spend the night there, kids on other SAS trips did. So despite my complaints, I’ve gotta hand that to SAS trips. They are oh so cushy. You stay in some great hotels and eat delicious food.

After breakfast was the main attraction of the trip. We went to see the Taj Mahal! I’m not quite sure why I wanted to see the Taj so badly, but, for whatever reason, I did. I suppose it’s because I’ve seen it in so many photos and I’ve always been struck by its beauty. Anyhow, it was simply stunning in person. Numerous studies have shown that the human brain finds symmetry beautiful. Perhaps that’s one reason the Taj is so gorgeous: it is perfectly symmetrical. That, in itself, is an incredible feat, seeing as it was built in 1632. In addition to symmetry, it is maintained in pristine condition. As Nick concisely said, “it just looks immaculate, as if it had been built yesterday.”

Before we were given independent time for photos and the like, Taj our tour guide explained the history of the Taj Mahal. It was built by the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Now that’s all well and good, but when Taj explained Mumtaz Mahal’s dying wishes, I started to think she didn’t deserve such an impressive, expensive monument built by tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of slaves. Her first dying wish was that her husband take care of their 14 children. That’s fair. Her second was that her husband never remarry. Eh, a little selfish but I’ll let it slide. And her third and final wish was that her husband build her an enormous monument to commemorate her death. The bitch is starting to get demanding.

After the history lesson, I just had a wonderful time exploring the beautiful grounds, taking funny pictures, and, of course, dancing. I believe I have mentioned this in my blog, but I have tried to get videos dancing in many of the cool places I’ve visited. I think it goes without saying that the Taj Mahal qualifies as a “cool place.” So I took one video dancing right in front of the Taj, and then another further way, as to give some perspective on my location. To dance in what I deemed to be the best spot, I marched over to this walkway between two large fountains. All was well for about fifteen seconds, and then I accidentally stepped into one of the fountains. Hahaha, whoops. Unfortunately, the girl filming me dancing cut the video just before that moment of hilarity, so it is not captured on video.

On the way back to the bus, a bunch of kids were trying to sell us souvenirs. I didn’t see anything too impressive, so I politely said no thanks. As we were hopping on trolleys to take us back to the bus (our tours, for whatever reason, assume we despise walking), one kid chased down the moving trolley and hopped on. I loved his tenacity, so I made a pledge to myself to buy something for 100 Rupees (a bit over $2 USD) when we got off the trolley. Unfortunately, he only had “snow globes” of the Taj (a mini Taj Mahal in a glass case filled with water and glitter. When shaken, the glitter falls like confetti before sinking back to the bottom). Despite the fact that I had no interest in a snow globe, I bought one because I admired his persistence. He then asked if I wanted to buy a set of key chains with mini snow globes attached, but I told him I was not interested. So he gave me one “as a gift.” A definite cool dude, I’m glad to say I got a picture with him.

After the Taj we went to the Agra Fort. Out of respect for his wife’s dying wish, Shah Jahan looked out for his children. That decision came back to bite him in the ass when his third son, Aurangzeb, murdered his two older brothers, as well as his younger one for good measure. Then he overthrew his father and imprisoned Shah Jahan until his death. Aurangzeb did honor his father’s dying wish, however, to bury his father next to his wife in the Taj Mahal. What a great son.

So the history of the Agra Fort was pretty cool, but I found the structure itself to be a bit underwhelming. I had heard on wikitravel that the Fort is as impressive as the Taj Mahal, and that is just a blatant lie. I mean it was cool, but anyone who thinks that the Argra Fort and the Taj are equally impressive is out of their mind. So I was a bit unimpressed visiting the Fort, because I had had such high expectations but was ultimately let down. I suppose I let my expectations get the better of me. Bummer.

After the Fort, we went to an expensive marble factory. I suppose it was cool to see the process of making marble and the work was indeed quite impressive (yet far out of my price range). But it was a really annoying to know that the time could have been spent at the Taj or at the Agra Fort, instead of sitting in some expensive shop.

Afterward, we went to a restaurant in town for lunch. The spread was again impressive, and again a buffet. All this eating can’t be good for my figure. It’ll go straight to my thighs.

After lunch we had a five hour bus ride to Jaipur, though it was broken in half by a visit to Fatehpur Sikri, more commonly known as the Abandoned City, which is on the way. I was so sleep deprived that I conked out immediately, and I didn’t wake up until we reached the ol’ Abandoned City. Which was pretty cool. Like most sites, it’s most impressive if you’re aware of the historical significance. In short, Fatehpur Sikri was previously a flourishing city. In fact, it was home to the king. But there was a war, and the king left to go fight in it. When he returned, the city was completely abandoned. Hence the name. Historians hypothesize that everyone left due to a draught.

Anyhow, pretty much all that remains is the king’s palace, likely because it was one of few buildings constructed of stone. It was a huge complex with wonderful attention to detail. In addition, the palace is elevated, leaving a gorgeous view of the landscape and city below.

The most notable details about the stop, though, were interactions with people. When I got off the bus, I had taken some suckers from the hotel to give to children. The second I gave some to the first kid, I was just swarmed. It was insane. I came with probably 50 suckers, and was out in less than a minute (granted, I didn’t keep a one sucker per child rule).

The other interaction that sticks in my mind happened while we were touring the palace. Below an area where we were touring was what appeared to be a swimming pool. Well it used to be. Now it was filled with garbage and bright green water. Near the pool was a young man ferociously waving both hands at us. He wanted to jump off of a twenty foot ledge into the rancid water. The price? A mere 100 Rupees. I’m happy to report that everyone on the trip yelled to him not to jump. If people had offered him money to jump I would have matched their offer for him not to jump. But one horrible girl on the trip, who can be easily described as “the girl who thinks she’s really hot but is not hot at all,” vocally complained about the group’s decision. “Oh come on!” She whined. “I wanted some entertainment!” Apparently she finds it entertaining that some people need to jump into rancid water just to be able to eat.

After leaving the Abandoned City, we had to finish the ride to Jaipur. Before I fell asleep, I finished Mandela’s autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom. It is a brilliant read; the story is as engrossing as it is inspirational. Please, dear readers, do yourselves a favor and take the time to read it. As in, stop reading this and go read that.

Once I finished the book, a slept another hour or so on the bus before arriving in Jaipur. At the hotel we got dinner, yet again a buffet. I love buffets.

After dinner, a few friends on the trip and I went to a club located on the third floor of the hotel. It was actually quite fun. I didn’t drink because the beer was way overpriced, but I hit up the dance floor with enthusiasm. It was quite an experience, because Indian culture has no homophobia with regards to male friendships. Male friends frequently hold hands as they walk around in public. And it was no different on the dance floor. I was getting approached by men. They would hit my arm and then dance with me. It was great. But, unfortunately, I barely lasted an hour at the club, because I was just wiped out. I was soon in bed and sound asleep.


Day 4 – Jaipur

We got to sleep in today. Well, relatively. Our wakeup call was at 6:00 am. Our first stop was the Amber Fort. Which I absolutely loved. In my mind, it’s a tossup between the Amber Fort and the Taj Mahal for the award of India’s top attraction. For starters, you get to ride elephants at the Amber Fort. But you can only do this in the morning, because the elephants are limited to four rides per day. Hence our 6:00 am wake up.

Once we rode up to the top of the Fort, there was this awesome beat coming from some drums and horns. So naturally, before continuing on with the tour, I danced.

As we continued to explore the Fort, I was just blown away by the architecture, as well as the view. For starters, the Fort is surrounded by mountains. And said mountains are topped with the walls of the Jaigarh Fort, a view eerily similar to the one I saw when I approached THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. In addition to the gorgeous mountains and Jaigarh Fort, the city itself is a sight to see. And considering the Fort’s elevation, it is a spectacular view. Finally, the Fort itself is a pretty pastel color and, as previously mentioned, beautifully constructed. Well I think I’ve exhausted my supply of adjectives for “good looking,” so I’ll just let the pictures do the rest of my talking for me.

The grounds of the fort were enormous. So I could have spent the whole day there. As it was, we probably spent nearly two hours there after our elephant ride, so I wasn’t complaining when we left. But I was complaining once I realized where Taj rushed us off to.

We went to a very upscale jewelry store, where Taj and his travel company (and probably SAS, too), make a healthy commission. And we sat in the showroom for well over an hour. This was incredibly frustrating. We had already been to the marble factory, and now this. And in the afternoon we were scheduled to go to a rug factory. I just couldn’t believe that we paid so much to go on an India trip through SAS, and then, despite our limited time to see many things, we spent over three hours in showrooms. Outrageous.

But after the jewelry store, we went to yet another delicious buffet lunch. Because people were so vocal about their displeasure in seeing yet another expensive showroom, the option was given to either check out or continue with the tour. Nick and I decided to stay, mainly because we were tired. But I also was excited to see the observatory, and was actually interested in the process of rug making.

The observatory, which we went to see first, did not meet my expectations. For whatever reason, I thought it was going to be a sweet lookout over the entire city. Because observatories are usually elevated, I guess? Or maybe because the word is kinda similar to observation deck. I dunno. Either way, in reality it all had to do with astrology. There were numerous sundials, telling both time of day, and even the astrological signs of babies born that day. In hindsight, I should have been interested in the science behind the sundials. But at the time I was tired and really just wanted to chill out view the city. Which is what I had expected to be doing.

The observatory is a short walk away from the City Palace museum, which was our next destination. This was yet another destination which, in my mind, should have been skipped. It had a few cool aspects, but, with only one day in Jaipur, was nothing close to a must-see.

Our last activity of the day was the rug factory. I actually really enjoyed this visit. We learned about the process of both printing for textiles and rug making. Rug making is a fascinating process. One first spends months sewing the rug. Then the back of the rug is seared with some sort of small flamethrower (larger than the pastry/sushi ones but smaller than the weapon), which tightens the whole thing. Finally, the rug is cut, by hand, as short as possible. This brings out the color.

The quality of these rugs was amazing. And it was so much cheaper than in the US. Still, it was very expensive. The smallest rugs, probably 2 x 3 feet, were $150. Most people didn’t want to buy things, but, since our tour guide makes commission on our purchases, he had us stay there a while.

So I was just standing aimlessly when a salesman tried to get me to buy stuff. But I wouldn’t have any of it. We ended up chatting for a while, though, and he was a really cool guy. When he learned I was from America, he said he has four girlfriends in America. So I asked about the girls in India, and he bragged that he has a girl in each city. I told him I was very impressed, and inquired about the keys to his success. “One word,” he said, “style.” I laughed and told him he was indeed very stylish, and then said “I’m surprised you haven’t picked up her yet” motioning to my friend Kerry, who was watching our conversation. He looked at her and said “no, she’s not my type,” before laughing and giving me a high five. ZING!

Once we finally left the rug place, we were bussed back to the hotel. I asked our tour guide to tell me a place I could find some beer, and he directed me to a nearby liquor store. I finally found some cheap beer: 24 oz Kingfishers for about $1.25. I got five so I could share. I walked back to the hotel exhausted, and took a much-needed nap. But I failed at setting my alarm, and went down to dinner an hour after most. Luckily Nick was still eating, along with Earl, who is another one of Tolan’s roommates, and Ben, a cool dude I’d befriended on the trip. They patiently waited on me to finish dinner, and we planned to go up to the pool to drink the beers I’d bought.

Unfortunately, the pool was closed. I don’t know what’s up with foreign hotels closing pools so early; they are great places to hang out at night. Regardless, we needed to find a new location to drink the beers. We couldn’t do it in the bar, because they serve there. And we didn’t want to do it in the hotel room. So we walked up some stairs and realized that the path to the roof was both unguarded and unlocked. So we drank up there, right next to the RAMADA sign. It was pretty sweet, and the view was awesome.

While we were on the roof, we saw this festival going on across the street. Ben decided to go the bed, but Earl, Nick and I decided to check it out. After a short walk, we entered the sea of people. We quickly realized we were probably the only white people there. We were approached by a few locals, who explained that it was a local religious festival. We then asked if we weren’t supposed to be there, but they assured us that we were welcome.

So we set straight out for the main attraction: the Ferris wheel. We saw this from the hotel roof, and the thing just flew in circles. While waiting in line, I saw a guy with a cool shirt which said “shame on you, girls, I’m still a bachelor.” When I complimented him for his style, he surprised me by offering the shirt off his back. I refused, obviously, but decided he had earned himself a mention in the ol’ blog.

After a short wait, we got on the ride. It was, by far, the most exciting Ferris wheel I have ever ridden. And, to top it off, while we were riding fireworks went off. It was great.

After riding, we were approached by local kids. When they saw my camera, they asked if I would take their picture. I did, and I just got mobbed. They absolutely loved seeing themselves on my little LCD screen. It really made me appreciate just how much I have. One little kid always pushed himself to the front and made a “tough guy” face. Though I thought he was spunky, I fear that he might grow up to be a bad dude. I’ll explain what I mean in the reactions section.

Once we’d gotten our fill of the festival, we all headed back to the hotel. Earl offered to buy a round at the bar, so we went up there for a beer. The conversation was interesting, we talked about Semester at Sea, travel, life, politics. Always nice to have a good conversation. But after and hour or so, I was exhausted from the day, despite my nap. So I excused myself and went to bed.

Day 5 – Cochin

We had a 5:00 am wakeup to catch our flight. We were first flying to Mumbai and then on to Cochin. So I packed and grabbed a small breakfast before getting on the bus. While waiting to leave, some asshole on our trip was telling a story. While laughing, he said that the previous night he had paid 10 Rupees to see two kids fight. And, as he said, they were “beating the shit out of each other.” It took every ounce of restraint in my body to refrain from getting up and punching him. But it didn’t stop there, he referred to locals as speaking “Derka derka” and said India should be called “Derkaderkastan.” Then he started complaining about one of our trip leaders, moaning that she was hassling him for not having a partner on the elephant ride. “It’s not my fault we have an odd number of people,” he whined. But it is your fault you have no friends. Douche bag.

The flights back were a bit delayed. We were supposed to get back around 1:00; instead we got to the ship around 2:30. I slept for the majority of both flights, but the brief look I had at Mumbai was crazy. The city, clearly a booming metropolis, was packed with buildings and skyscrapers. The few areas that were undeveloped were slums, and they were overrun with people and slum shacks. Thousands of slum houses were next to the airport. Literally. The houses ran right up to the fence at the edge of the airport grounds, and this fence was only 10 yards from the runway.

Anyhow, like I said, it was around 2:30 when we got back the ship. And I was famished, because I hadn’t eaten since my light breakfast at 6 in the morning. So I ate a big ol’ lunch on the ship’s top deck, which has food for sale. That was yummy. Then I cleaned up and relaxed for a while before Nick and I decided to once again hit the road. We left the ship around 4:00 and we were soon mobbed by auto drivers, as well as cab drivers. One taxi driver offered us a ride anywhere for $1 USD, so we jumped on that. He asked where we wanted to go, and I said we wanted to go anywhere we could play cricket.

So our driver took us to a local park where people were playing cricket and soccer. He offered to wait around, which made us wary that he may try to rip us off. But when we inquired what the rate would be, he said we could pay him whatever we thought was fair. So Nick and I agreed to have him stay.

We walked into the park, but were a bit apprehensive about asking to join a game because the people were good. But our cab driver went up and asked if we could have an at bat, so they stopped the game to let us have a turn. Which they seemed very happy to do; my guess is they don’t have much contact with Americans. Anyhow, it was immediately clear that we would not be able to join in on their game, because they were far too good. But we each got a turn batting, which was cool. I told the pitcher to not take it easy on me, and he promptly retired me. It is real tough to read how those balls bounce.

After cricket, we went to play soccer with a few kids who were kicking the ball around. Again, they were quite friendly and agreed to let us join. We juggled for a while, but didn’t have enough for a game. So Nick and I eventually took off in search of greener pastures.

It turned out those greener pastures were found at an all-dirt park. While driving up, we saw a group of kids playing cricket. They waived to us enthusiastically. So we went up and asked if we could play with them. They were ecstatic to have us. And because they were kids, we could hang with them. We had the strength, they had the skill. Anyway, we played with them for about an hour and half. At first, Nick and I joined a game in progress on separate teams. Then, the kids challenged us to a game. It was such a blast.

My favorite kid was this dude named Rajeev. When I post the pictures, he’s the one wearing the hat. He was so darn cool. He taught me how to do a local Indian handshake, and I taught him how to “pound and explode.” He loved it, so we continued to do that. It was real cute how animated he made his face when he would pound, then he’d yell “boooooom!” as he exploded. But looking back, I wish we’d kept practicing the local handshake, because I forget it now.

But after playing with them for a while, they eventually had to go home. They asked us if we had any coins, and I asked how much it cost to get ice cream in Cochin. They said 10 Rupees, and as I reached for my wallet, Nick pulled out 100 Rupees and said “buy all the ice cream you want!” You should have seen their faces, my reader friends. They were jubilant. As they biked away, they all yelled “boooooom!” as they pounded and exploded in our direction.

Then we had Satheer, our taxi driver, take us back to the ship. He turned out to be a great guy. We’d assumed he was going to try to rip us off by hanging around, but, in reality, he just wanted help us out. With him, our initial distrust was misplaced. I’ll discuss the implications of being encouraged to keep our guard up in the reactions section. When we arrived, we paid him $10, snapped a photo with him, and got his address. I plan to send him that photo (he doesn’t have email).

Back on the boat, I unpacked from the Taj Mahal/Jaipur trip and showered. Then, exhausted, Nick and I watched an episode of In Treatment before passing out around 9:00.


Day 6 – Cochin and Kumbalanghi Village

I awoke after a nice, long sleep feeling refreshed. Nick and I were doing a trip to the visit the Kumbalanghi Village, which is about 30 minutes from Cochin. Though the trip description said we’d get their via “traditional country canoes,” the canoes were motorized and we sat in plastic chairs. The water was incredibly serene, though. It was odd to be in an area inhabited by people, yet was completely silent.

After the traditional canoe ride, we were shown demonstrations of daily life in the village. It was all obviously staged and thus seemed artificial, but it was still pretty cool to see. We got to see (from the SAS trip description) veeshu vala (fishing with conical nets), padal (fish trapping with coconut tree leaves), crab-catching, clam-meat cooking, and coir-making (coir is a rope made from coconut fiber). We also viewed a pottery-making demonstration, which was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. The pottery wheel was not motorized or powered by pedals; rather the pottery maker rapidly spun the wheel with a stick. He then proceeded to make a perfect pot in less than a minute. It was unreal.

Just before lunch, we were treated to a very impressive performance of Kolkali, a local dance performed by male dancers. It was almost war-like, as each dancer had a wooden baton in each hand and the music was created by chanting and hitting batons with other dancers. As the dance went on, the pace became more and more rapid. The dancers were clearly all experts, as injuries would result otherwise.

We next enjoyed a traditional lunch, which was a buffet of local foods. My favorite, bar none, was the pineapple curry. It was a great mix of sweet and savory.

After lunch, we left the village and began the second part of the tour, the “highlights of Cochin.” The first stop was supposedly a bathroom break, but it was also a fairly expensive store. And once we started to stay for a while, I began to wonder if it was worth it to stay for the city highlights. So I asked our tour guide about the remaining itinerary, and he said we’d be going to see some Chinese fishing nets and the local Church. Now Perry, a lifelong learner and awesome dude, had strongly suggested we see the synagogue which is located in (no joke) Jewtown. Perry had already seen both the fishing nets and the church, and he said that the synagogue was undoubtedly the better choice. So Nick and I checked out and headed for Jewtown.

We started by visiting the Cochin Synagogue. It was actually real cool. After the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, Jews fled to many different corners of the globe. Some of which fled to India, where they were well-received. The synagogue has been in operation since the 1600s (I don’t have the exact date because they did not allow photographs), and it’s a beautiful facility. Unfortunately, the community is slowly dying out. Many Cochin Jews emigrated to Israel shortly after its founding, and the numbers have continued to slowly drop. With this is mind, I decided to donate 10 Rupees on top of the entrance fee. I figure I’ll get it back when I do birthright.

After seeing the temple, Nick and I spent about an hour shopping in Jewtown. I got a couple sweet shirts, and I got my mother an earring and necklace set that is just her style. I love that once you’re out of money you no longer need to haggle. When I bought the necklace and earring set, I only had 240 Rupees remaining. I asked the guy how much for the set (packaged together) and he said 500. I told him I had 200. “Impossible, 450,” he told me. I then showed him the contents of my wallet and explained, “we don’t really need to haggle. I have 240 left and I need the 40 for a taxi back to the boat.” So he thought for a second, and then said “OK, 200.” Being out of cash just saves so much time.

Shopping complete, Nick and I headed back to the boat, boarding with 30 minutes to spare. But back on the boat, I went up to the top deck to view the scenery with one thought on my mind, “I gotta go back to India.”


Reactions to Indian Culture

I have felt this way after every country we’ve visited, but India in particular has just reinforced the fact that I AM SO LUCKY. Literally every problem in my life is trivial. I never need to worry about where my next meal is coming from, where I am going to sleep, finding clean water, or getting some privacy to use the bathroom. In India, you are confronted with extreme poverty left and right. Nearly all the people look malnourished. Millions of people live in shacks made from sheet metal and tarps, converting any space they can find into a place called home. Many people are noticeably diseased, some missing fingers and/or limbs. And a very high percentage of people seemed to be malformed, likely from drugs or malnourishment in the womb. If the biggest concern in my life is my ineptitude with women, my life is pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Feeding into the point of how difficult it is to live in India, life there is cheap. So cheap. And it’s because there are so many goddamn people. I mentioned the slum shacks in which people live, they are just everywhere. If there is plot of unused land, someone will build a home there. It doesn’t matter if it’s covered in trash or mere yards for an airport. If there’s land, somebody needs it. But the perfect metaphor for just how cheap life is in India has to be the ambulance sirens. They are, bar none, the quietest sirens I have ever heard. Nick described them perfectly. “They seem to say,” he noted, “excuse me, do you think you could please get out of the way if it isn’t too much trouble?”

And with life being so cheap (read: no one looking out for you), it’s so easy to fall through the cracks. That’s what I was referring to with the kid who I feared might grow into a jerk. As of now, he’s a spunky little dude who’s trying to look cool by acting tough. But if no one is around to ever straighten him up, I could easily see him slowly transforming into a real tough guy. And in a place like India, I get the impression that tough guys do some really bad things.

With people everywhere, the society is just chaotic. The road has few rules, and even fewer are followed. Many cab drivers did not know where things were; on multiple occasions we were taken to the wrong place, despite showing the driver an address. Animals, such as monkeys, cows, and dogs, roam the streets and sidewalks freely. It was really surreal.

With so much suffering going on, you really want to help. But helping is nearly impossible. If you give money to someone, you will instantly be mobbed. You’ll be approached a mother holding baby who is visibly poor shape, and she’ll beg, “sir, help my baby!” But you can’t, because more often than not the baby is not even theirs; women drug/mutilate babies and then share them as a begging instrument. Knowing the cruel world of begging and the dangers of an impoverished country like India, you must keep your guard up.

But by keeping your guard up, which must be done out of necessity, you are automatically distrustful of people and miss out on human interaction. When you assume they are trying to rip you off and are potentially dangerous, genuine interaction becomes less and less likely. In my case, I was really wary of having our cab driver Satheer wait around on us. I thought he might be trying to rip us off. On the contrary, he turned out to be a flat-out awesome guy. One of my favorite people that I met in India.

Now before I close out this post, I’ll offer a bit of advice to future American/SAS travelers. First, prepare for the public attention. You’ll get it worldwide, but especially in India. The people flat-out love Americans. They’ll want to take pictures and to shake your hand. And if they speak English, they love nothing more than conversing. If they don’t speak English, they’ll simply exclaim “Obama good!” If you think about it, the warm reception makes sense. America and India have strong political and economic ties. Historically, we have never done anything wrong to them. In fact, America and India even shared a common oppressor in the British. So with that in mind, just prepare to get mobbed.

Secondly, don’t do Semester at Sea overnight trips. It is still a great idea to do guided travel to get through India (like I said, the place is chaotic). But you can independently pay a tour guide, which will save you a lot of money, and give you more control over the itinerary. And you won’t need to sit in expensive showrooms for such a long time.

Alrighty, that just about sums up India. Prepare for some rapid-fire updates from days at sea in the near future. Love and miss you all much, dear readers. Hope all is well in the States. Yay Health Care!!