Thursday, July 10, 2008

• Chalo, Chalo, India Chalo!

  
  Technically, my ethnicity is Chinese, but my friends have deemed me an honorary Indian. I grew up in Little India, New Jersey. By elementary school, I was already very familiar with the pungent smell of curry that spices the air of Indian homes. I loved that aroma, because it usually meant that I was over at a friend's house and would get to enjoy a delicious home-cooked Indian meal. In high school, I celebrated Navratri with my classmates and learned how to dance the garba-raas. During college, I roomed with an Aishwarya Rai-lookalike, watched Bollywood films, and actually performed with the college bhangra team.
  
  As an honorary desi, I clearly relish all things Indian. So when one of my best friends Sonali asked me to be her bridesmaid ... and then revealed that her wedding was going to take place in Kolkata (Calcutta), I was ecstatic! Finally, after growing up in Little India and being an India-phile for most of my life, I was going to visit the real India!

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  :: DELHI - The Capital of India ::

  Not long after landing in Delhi, I realized that Sonia Ghandi and Dr. Singh weren't the true big honchos in charge. Clearly, the two groups really running the show were:
  1. COWS - these sacred beasts roam anywhere they wish (smack in the middle of major roads seems to be a popular choice), leave their dung everywhere, and still get taken care of and worshipped by all the Hindus
  2. the TATA family - their company produces everything in India: salt, soap, tea, cars, buses, steel, cell-phone service, cable TV, hotels, electronics, energy, and more.

  

  :: JAIPUR - The Pink City ::

  Normally, Jaipur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. But due to terrorist activity and political unrest in the area, Jaipur was completely devoid of tourists during our visit.. except for me and Derek, the lone two tourists in the entire city! We don't actively try to seek out danger. But we did our research on the situations, kept abreast of the news, and determined that there was no predictable added risk of going.

  

  I'm delighted we decided to visit, because Jaipur turned out to be one of my favorite cities. The locals were incredibly friendly! We were even invited to a home-cooked meal by a local family (which we sadly had to turn down due to illness). And these adorable girls below taught me a Rajasthani folk dance called Gumer that they were rehearsing outdoors.

  

  :: AGRA - site of the Taj Mahal ::

  The mausoleum itself is one of the most beautiful and glorious structures I've ever seen. But it was really the love story behind it enhanced its wonder and splendor. Emperor Shah Jahan built the monument to honor the memory of his beloved third wife, whom he had affectionately nicknamed "Mumtaj Mahal," meaning "beloved ornament of the palace."

  Like all Muslim rulers, Shah Jahan had multiple wives. But he was so taken with Mumtaj that he showed little interest in exercising his polygamous rights, as evidenced by the fact that he dutifully sired one child each with his other two wives while he and Mumtaj had 13 children during their 19 years together. She was the unquestioned love of his life. Sadly, bearing all those children for him caused her to die an early death. Too bad they didn't have the option to outsource her pregnancies back then.

  

  :: BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK - Tiger Reserve ::

  Although the tiger population has been disappearing throughout India due to poaching, the tigers in Bandhavgarh are thriving. The park used to be the private game reserve for the Maharajas so the wildlife there has been well preserved. In fact, Bandhavgarh has one of the highest densities of tigers in India.

  During our safaris, we spotted lots of deer, birds, monkeys, tiger tracks, and tiger claw markings on trees. The highlight, of course, were the exciting tiger sightings! We actually got only 20 or so feet away from an adult female tiger. It's the closest I've ever been to such a dangerous beast in the wild.. and let's hope it stays that way!

  

  :: KHAJURAHO - Temples featuring Erotic Sculpture ::

  It took quite some effort not to giggle out loud as our guide pointed out the most erotic carvings of intercourse, group orgies, the 69 position, the monkey position, beastiality, different breast sizes, and so forth. Not because the subject was funny. But because our Indian guide was explaining everything with his jovial Indian accent and comical head bob. It sort of reminded me of this comical but informative condom video.

  

  :: VARANASI - The Holy City ::

  Varanasi is one of the most sacred pilgrimage destinations for both Hindus and Buddhists. Hindus believe that bathing in the holy Ganges river washes away your sins and that dying in Varanasi allows you to escape the cycle of reincarnation. It was mesmerizing and fascinating to witness the evening ceremonies, morning washing rituals, and cremations along the ghats.

  Despite the "holy" qualities of the river, Derek and I were careful to only witness the activities and not participate by taking a dip. Why not? Because the Ganges river is also one of the most polluted, lacks proper sewage treatment, and is especially infested with disease in Varanasi where the sick go to die. So even though dying in Varanasi supposedly releases you from the cruel cycle of rebirth, we weren't interested in finding out whether or not it was true!

  

  :: KOLKATA - The "Shanghai" of India ::

  While Delhi reminded us of Beijing (political capital; old with significant historical sites; rapid development and modernization in recent years), Kolkata definitely reminded us of Shanghai (a port city and commercial center; strong British/European influence; cosmopolitan culture).

  Kolkata was our final destination in India, but we didn't get to do much sightseeing. Instead, we attended the most extraordinary Bengali wedding. It was an intense 4-day celebration with multiple ceremonies, musical festivities, and parties. It will likely be the most spectacular, lavish, extravagant, and beautiful wedding I will have ever witnessed in my entire life! (Much more on the wedding in a later post.)

  

  :: BEST INDIAN FOOD EVER ::

  I love all sorts of food, but I especially loooove Indian food. So, of course, one of the things I was looking forward to most was the authentic Indian cuisine! Derek and I had some of the BEST Indian food of our lives. And that's saying a lot considering that we've eaten at countless restaurants and holes-in-the-wall in: Iselin and Edison, NJ; Boston and Cambridge, MA; Curry Lane, Curry Hill, East 58th Street, and Jackson Heights, NY; Brick Lane in London; even Tokyo, Japan.

  Highlights include:

  • Indian mangos! (only in season in May and June)
  • Lamb kebab & murg makhani (butter chicken) at "Have More" restaurant in New Delhi (highly recommended!!)
  • Banana lassi at Lassiwala in Jaipur
  • Tandoori chicken at the Agra train station
  • Aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower), Malai kofta in Varanasi, & soo many other various vegetarian dishes we don't remember the names of
  • ALL the delicious food during the 4-day wedding in Kolkata (It was just one buffet after another featuring the most ammaazzing Indian food I have ever tasted!)

  

  :: COLORFUL INDIAN GARB ::

  One of my favorite aspects of India is how colorful the people are. Not just in character, but also with their wardrobe. The women of India wear a spectacular array of bright, bold colors in every imaginable hue of the rainbow. I wish I could have dressed up in a colorful Indian outfit every single day!

  Lots of thanks to:

  • Lin - for letting me borrow her blue & pink lehenga and telling me about the saree shop in Jaipur
  • Milan - for gifting me the most stunning orange salwar kameez many years ago
  • Sonali - for choosing bright orange as the color of our bridesmaid saree!!

  

  And to continue in the tradition of my epic travel posts, I'd like to leave you with some

  :: USEFUL HINDI VOCABULARY ::

  •  Chalo - "Let's Go!"
  • Namaste - common spoken greeting
  • Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai - "What's beneathe your blouse?"
  • Tera Bappa Kon - "Who's your daddy"

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  Photos mostly taken by yours truly with a Canon SD800 point and shoot
  Layouts all designed by yours truly with Adobe Indesign CS2

  I hope you enjoyed this epic post as much as I enjoyed crafting it and sharing it with you!

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