Posts Tagged ‘india’

Posted on March 18, 2010

One Last Namaste

By Monika Terfloth – Part 10 of 10 of the Mother in-law in Nepal and India series.

Hello Everyone,

One last time to write, one last chapter before I head for home. The thought of home is more appealing as that day draws nearer and we are rich with memories. We have managed a traditional thanksgiving dinner here in Tlell and Rex’s flat with a two burner hotplate and a toaster oven with the cooking squeezed between the scheduled power outages.

So, some thoughts before I go. Scattered bits that have been returning to mind over and again.

Despite the hectic traffic in Delhi, we were impressed with the lack of air pollution. Most of the busses and tuk-tuks (3-wheeled taxis) have converted to compressed natural gas for fuel. “CNG”is proudly painted on the sides of the vehicles that have been converted. The street gutters, however are clogged with garbage. Litter is simply thrown to the ground, and we are encouraged to do the same. “This is India” says Savron. Though everyone is impeccably groomed, they seem to ignore the ground and the fact that they must constantly step around squashed this or that, avoid a pee puddle, walk over mounds of gathered litter that never seem to be picked up, or to have those same bits blown back onto a freshly swept doorways. The organic waste is quickly consumed by the street animals, especially the pitiful dogs. What the dogs don’t eat, breaks down eventually, but what is inevitably left are heaps of plastic; bags, bottles, flip flops, wrappers, etc. Some homeless collect and bundle the better quality plastic and I presumed got a pittance for it somewhere. However, after Randy and I wandered into a destitute side street just off one of the bazaar areas of Delhi, it was apparent that some plastic is actually gathered for shelter.

On this side-street, beneath the raised patio of a small shopping area, larger pieces of plastic were used as walls and floors and blankets. It seemed a hundred people were gathered under the 4ft. high concrete patio, attempting to cook, sleep, tend to children, etc. Dogs wandered in and out, children cried, smudge fires burned. Everything seemed to be colored a muddy brownish-grey; the ground, the ragged clothing, the skin even. A hundred pairs of eyes stood out from the muddy backdrop as we passed. If I believed in hell, this would have been a small glimpse of it. These were some of the desperately poor. We had encountered many beggars on the streets and from a distance had seen many shanty-towns on the outskirts of villages, often as we drove by with Savron, protected from a more intimate look.

In any town or city,the streets and the side streets especially, are lined with tiny shops, some no bigger than the doorway itself, selling packets of mints, shampoo and chewing tobacco. Many are topped with worn hand-painted signs advertising such things as the Hanky Franky Restaurant, Cake Bank, Fanta Box, Hospital, Lux Cozi Panties, and Age-defying Shampoo (Randy bought some of that, we’re sharing!). The vendors often live inside the tiny shops, having a simple bed of rope woven between wooden side rails. This bed is pulled out onto the street during the day and often aged men are resting there. Life truly happens on the street. If one has a chair and a pair of scissors, a barbershop appears on the sidewalk, a bicycle powers a sharpening stone, a few tools becomes a mechanic shop, a leather repair, or a tailor, a bicycle and a piece of rope becomes a delivery vehicle. At times it seemed rather like a surreal movie.

We were up in the early hours of the morning for the flight back to Kathmandu from Delhi. Savron drove us through a quiet and darkened city. We saw, in the now idle tuk- tuks and pushcarts, each vendor still fully clothed and asleep on or inside the cart. Long brown arms and legs were slung, dangling over the side of the small carts, not blanket or pillow in sight. Everyone presumably trying to get a few moments rest off the ground after a full day’s work hustling for a few rupees. As we travelled along, homeless dark figures slept in virtually every doorway.

One last haunting image that I am certain will never leave me is the one of ‘the desert girl’. Our driver, guides and guide books had cautioned against giving to beggars. Sometimes we ignored their warnings and sometimes we heeded them. After a particularly bizarre afternoon (that’s another story) we hired a camel-cart and driver for an evening ride to the desert on the outskirts of Pushkar. It was blissfully quiet with a light breeze and the sand so golden it was near orange. Tony the camel padded softly through the sand bringing up a puff of dust as he planted each large foot. A small pond came into view at the base of a arc of large sand dunes. The driver stopped nearby and we hopped off the cart. Then on the breeze came faint strains of music…Frere Jacques?? Here??

Over the sand dune, in black silhouette against the golden evening sun, came a boy playing a small stringed instrument. Today, having been hounded by aggressive vendors and followed at length and having been bamboozled by an inept guide, we were feeling a rather jaded. Surely the camel driver had taken us here deliberately. Perhaps not. “Things are not always as they appear” Randy said again, as he said nearly every day. Then following the boy and his music came a group of smaller children, barefoot and dressed in tattered rags, all running toward us calling “rupee”, “chapati”. The camel driver urged us back onto the cart and shortly Tony the camel was loping through the desert sand. The children continued to call out, with the older boy running along and reaching the side of the cart first. I handed him the coins from my pocket then I heard Randy urging “give it to the girl, give it to the girl”. The smallest children had been left far behind, but keeping pace at the back of the cart was a small girl I had not seen. She clutched a baby on her hip as she ran. She was perhaps four years old. She ran steadily after the cart, breathlessly saying “please mam, please mam” as I struggled for my wallet. Her eyes riveted on mine as she continued to run begging for a few rupees. Finally we were able to pass a note to her and once in her hand she stopped running immediately, completely out of breath. As we continued to looking backward toward the sun, we could see her tiny dark silhouette becoming smaller against the golden sand as Tony drew us steadily further away. In my dreams I am emptying my wallet, the bills fluttering toward her against the backdrop of the Rajasthani desert.

There is so much more to tell, but I will save some of the stories for the times when we will see you in person. In a few short days we will be home, and we look forward to seeing everyone again.

Goodnight.

Posted on March 18, 2010

Holy Water!

By Monika Terfloth – Part 9 of 10 of the Mother in-law in Nepal and India series.

Hello Everyone, today we are again in Delhi.

We left Agra a few days ago to begin the drive through the Rajasthan countryside with our trusty driver Sovran at the wheel. "The monsoon have not been good this year" he says pointing at the dry landscape. "Many of the fields will not be planted". The last of the millet crop is being taken off, and only a few dried squash vines remain. Water is scarce. Men herd sheep and goats further to graze and women work in the fields gleaning the last of a meager crop.

Toiling in the heat, saris fluttering in the wind, the women are like tall and slender field flowers in saris of saffron, violet, rose, lavender, marigold and lime. The brilliant colors make the women easy to see even at a distance. They stoop again and again with such grace as though the breezes had bent them down. As the day’s heat builds they gather together in the shade of an acacia tree. The acacia is still green and is a valuable source of shade, feed for the animals and for firewood. The lower branches are cut and left on the ground as feed. Later the dry branches are bundled and carried home by the women for the cooking fire. Piled high on their heads as they walk along the roadsides. Women are gathering dung patties too. The patties are collected from the fields and roadsides and laid out to dry. Since cows wander freely everywhere there seems to be an abundance of patties. Once dry, the patties are stacked in a beehive shape about four feet high. The final patties are put on when fresh and plastered smooth to make an outer layer which also dries and sheds moisture to keep the inner patties dry. Some of the dung heaps have very decorative designs carved into this outer layer. When needed, a hole is cut in the side of the crust and the patties are taken, a few at a time, as fuel for the fire.

We have been doing our best to try to conserve water here as well and had packed our water bottles from home and so far had been able to use them, refilling with tap water and disinfecting with chlorine or iodine tablets and having the expected, but not horrible, resulting taste. However since arriving in Agra, we have tried adding iced tea mix to cover the taste of what we likened to used laundry water (not the rinse cycle either). Finally, despite our best intentions, we resorted to pre-filled water bottles. What a pleasure to taste pure clean water again. As Islam diplomatically pointed out on our first day here, visitors to India are not only known for our ’sensitive stomachs’ but also for our ’sensitive palates’ and our ’sensitive skin’.

Water is truly the master. We have come to realize this with such clarity, here in a part of the world where simple, clean water is a luxury. A few days of drinking iced-tea, iodine-flavoured laundry water was all it took.

Good night for now.

Posted on December 5, 2009

Holy Cow!

By Monika Terfloth – Part 8 of 10 of the Mother in-law in Nepal and India series.

Hello All!

Seriously, I don’t know where to begin. So much of what I have seen defies description! We landed in New Delhi a day later than expected, so we will have a brief stay in Delhi before we return to Kathmandu. We were met at the airport by our driver Savran (from Savion Travel), a tall, very thin, middle-aged man. A man so very quiet and of few words, but so very capable. We quickly came to trust him implicitly! He chauffeured us through the Delhi rush-hour in the late afternoon traffic, thick with vehicles of every description… small three-wheeled tuk-tuks in bright yellow and green all packed with people, busses jammed with extra people hanging off the side and loaded on top, motor scooters with entire families aboard (six is the record so far), and into the mix add cows, donkeys, camels, ambulances, bicycles, pushcarts, and any other thing you can think of and that is still not enough…all this packed together on the roadway. Those of you who have been here will truly know how it is. Motor cycle helmets seem to be optional for passengers, though most drivers do wear them. Not an unusual sight at 90km/hr to see a gorgeous young woman wearing a pink sari, perched side-saddle on the back of a motorcycle, legs crossed, wearing heels while relaxing, laughing and chatting in the driver’s ear.

“Drivers talk with their horns” Savron says. Yes indeed they do, in fact the trucks have painted notices on the rear ‘Blow Horn’, ‘Horn Please’. A special kind of honk to pass, another to say ‘move along’, another to say thank you, get out of the way, you’re going too fast/slow, I need to turn, where is your mother, follow me I am going right by there…. The racket is incredible! We drove through the evening and until after dark to reach the city of Agra, a drive which took about 6 hours. Not a break in the action while all the while alongside the roadway people still cooked, sold their wares, took baths, nursed children, slept, herded their animals etc. etc.  Positively dizzying.

The city of Agra is the site of the Taj Mahal. A love-story is behind it’s construction and it is a truly beautiful monument to a woman much-loved. I will spare you the details as the description would be endless. I didn’t think it mattered whether I saw the Taj or not, but now that I have, it has become a very special memory. Our guide for the day, Islam, has a great sense of humor and is a very kind man. After I diagnosed his plantar fasciitis (sp)  he also became my loyal friend and has decided to buy himself some decent shoes. One of my fondest memories of the day is when he stopped at a vegetable vendor’s wagon to buy fresh water chestnuts for us. After also purchasing a bottle of water, he carefully rinsed them to be sure that they would be tolerated by our ’sensitive stomachs’. Bright green and heart shaped, the outer casing is cracked open to reveal a creamy, white, crunchy heart in the centre. They were delicious and thirst quenching. It was 40 degrees, everyone dripping with sweat and no one bothers about it. Mop your brow, air your armpits, lay down against a wall, whatever it takes.

We drove through the side streets of Agra and again each moment filled the senses. Stunning images of poverty, contentment, ritual, history and startling contrasts at every turn… but more on that later.

Good night.

Posted on September 28, 2009

India bound: a quick itinerary

Our quick itinerary overview:

• Arrive in New Delhi, afternoon  excursion to Akshardham Temple.
• Delhi – Mathura – Agra (205 kms/5.5 hrs + sightseeing). Morning drive to the religious town of Mathura. Arrive to visit the temples of Mathura and Vrindavan including the Banke Bihari Temple, Iskcon Temple, Krishna Janmabhoomi ( birth place of Lord Sri Krishna), Raghunath Temple etc. Later drive to Agra visiting Sikandra enroute.
• Agra, sunrise visit to Taj Mahal . Afternoon half day city tour including visit to Agra Fort and Itimad Ud Daullah.
• Agra – Jaipur (240 kms/5.5 hrs) Later drive to Jaipur en-route visit to Fatehpur Sikri (deserted Mughal City) and Bharatpur Bird sanctuary.
• Jaipur, morning – excursion to Amer Fort, ascend Fort on Elephants back. Afternoon tour of city visiting City Palace, Jantar Mantar (observatory), Palace of Winds, Birla Temple etc. Evening proceed for Chokhi Dhani village – A resort exhibiting village culture.
• Jaipur – Pushkar (133 kms/2.5 hrs). Morning drive to Pushkar . Afternoon sightseeing of Pushkar Lake, Brahma Temple, savitri temple etc.
• Pushkar – Mandawa (250 kms/6 hrs). Morning drive to the Beautiful region of Shekhawati.
• Mandawa – Delhi ( 240 kms/6.5 hrs). Morning some more sightseeing of the Havelis of Mandawa. Visit Hanuman Prasad Haveli, Goenka Double Haveli,  etc.
• Delhi. Day tour of Delhi visiting Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk, Jamia Mosque, Gandhi Samadhi) and New Delhi (India Gate, President House, Humayun Tomb, Qutab Minar Lotus Temple).

Posted on September 12, 2009

A tourist again in Nepal

Although we have had brief 2-3 day get-aways during our placement, we still have yet to take our long well-deserved annual leave from our work life here in Nepal. Come September 15th when Tlell’s parents arrive, it will be vacation-mode time – ball cap, tacky-tourist golf shirt, an over-sized SLR camera glued to my face and all!

(just draw a big tourist bulls-eye on my back)

Too bad “work” gets in the way

Just having 10 months under my belt, you can say that I’m technically not a tourist but I still feel like I am in a way. For me, there is still so much that I want to see and do here in Nepal. Of course when you’re in work-mode, you’re “working” 5 days-a-week and in a different state of mind. I have a feeling that during our last few months here, I will be very busy trying to pack last-minute activities in.

(or heck, I’ll just come back).

Playing tour guide

When the in-laws come, I’m really looking forward to showing them our world and seeing things for the first time from their eyes. I even love giving the Vancouver-Rex tour back home. Along with that warm-fuzzy feeling, it also reminds me about the things I love about a place and why I live there.

I’m also looking forward to seeing the real Nepal and what this country is known for (the majestic mountain scenery, the cultural landscape, etc.). One of my colleagues Mark, who recently left mentioned to me that after he had done a trek around Nepal, he finally “understood” what everyone was raving about. Can’t wait.

The Brief Itinerary

Our month long vacation will start here in Kathmandu, showing the in-laws our stomping grounds and such (Thamel, Lazimpath). Once acclimatized, our road trip to Pokhara begins that includes a brief stop in Bandipur. A 4-5 day trek will be one of the highlights. After that, fly back to KTM and prepare for our 9-day tour of India (Rajasthan). The last remaining days in Nepal will most likely be Around-the Kathmandu valley activities related such as Bhaktapur, Bodhnath and the Buddhist monasteries, maybe Pashupatinath (we could be Hindu’d out by then) but definitely Patan Durbar Square.