Delhi revisted

One of my favorite aspects of our trip to India was our driver. He was so incredibly sweet and one of the only people that didn't expect things from us.

He tried his hardest to speak English, even though he struggled. Whenever we had a new guide we would tell them how great the driver was and offer compliments to tell him, which were unfortunately brushed off. He attempted to narrate things and I'll never forget seeing men carrying a corpse covered in marigolds while others followed behind. He simply said, 'that's death'.

Somewhere in my notebook I have written that the driver was paid 3,200 rupees ($70 USD) a month. He told us that after being curious how much I paid for my custom tunics. It certainly is very humbling.

I could only offer so many 'dhanyavaad' (thank yous). We showed him our appreciation for everything with a large tip. I was honestly sad we had to part ways.

There were several other things I didn't write about before:

- 'Use Dipper at Night' (flash your lights when overtaking) and 'Blow Horn' on the back of nearly every truck along the roads. They were all very colorful and interestingly decorated.

- The Hanuman (monkey) temple. We had seen this temple throughout our stay in coming and going, but we had yet to visit. Right before we left for Nepal we were able to go on what happened to be one of the most holy days in the Hindu faith - Vijaya Dashami, which is the culmination of the 9 nights 'Navratri'. The city was surprisingly very calm and quiet - no honking or crazy traffic.

- At the temple I received a Kalava / nada chhadi bracelet, for Dasara Navaratri, to remove bad fate and evil. I continue to wear it even today.

- Everywhere we read about how awful the Indira Gandhi Airport is, however we were very shocked, because it wasn't awful at all. There were a variety of food options, books in English, air conditioning, and they are even well organized with a separate Hajj terminal.

- It never occurred to me that safety measures weren't in effect more - from scaffolding and buildings that appeared very unstable to babies without car seats. I kept thinking about how many people most likely die from preventable accidents. Unfortunately with so many motorbikes and not so many helmets that has to be a fairly regular occurrence. The thought of reincarnation must give Hindus a sense of peace.

And a funny side note... I was walking down the street after we moved into our new apartment and were getting settled back in Munich.

The kitchen guy was installing everything, but he needed me to go pick something up, so I was walking past my favorite Indian restaurant. Out comes one of the men that works there and he said, 'I thought I saw you walking past'. It was so sweet of him to pop out and say hi. He wanted to know where I had gone for the past few months. I was excited to tell him I had actually visited India. It was definitely one of those it's great to be welcomed back moments.

New Delhi + Old Delhi: Day 2

Our second day in India was spent touring both New Delhi and Old Delhi.

We were promptly picked up by our guide, Lalit, and our driver. Lalit thanked us for coming to New Delhi, because it's really not much of a tourist city.

The first stop we made was to visit the Parliament House / Rajpath, which reminded me of a mix of Paris, Washington DC, and India. I'm sure it was due to the regal architecture, sprawling mall area, and the red sandstone.

We stood outside of Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's house) and suddenly realized the school children that were surrounding us were more interested in us than the President's house. Clearly Lalit was right about the city not seeing many tourists.

Other important monuments in the area are the India gate and Humayun's Tomb, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Mughal architecture of Humayun's Tomb is what the Taj Mahal was modeled after. Supposedly, when the Taj Mahal was planned to be built 2,199 architects were asked for plans. Upon seeing Humayun's Tomb, Shah Jahan decided he wanted to model the Taj after it, which was built in honor of his wife that had passed away. Humayun's Tomb, interestingly enough, was commissioned by Humayun's wife.

As we walked around the grounds of Humayun's Tomb Lalit called the stray dogs lions. They were basking in the sun and scampering around. Being someone that really loves dogs it's always interesting to me to see how people treat them around the world.

The light in India is beautiful and it's certainly a culture that loves color.

We quickly learned the school children weren't the only one that were interested in us. Lalit had no hesitations in asking us all kinds of questions - how we met, what we did for work... and then I asked if he was married. His response took me by surprise, but also summed up a bit of the Indian culture.

He responded that he and a young woman, who lives in Auckland, met and they fell in love, but due to arranged marriages he wasn't able to marry her. Without skipping a beat he said, 'perhaps in a next life'.

There are so many aspects of the culture in India that I find fascinating. The Hindu faith, the arranged marriages, caste systems, the transfer of jobs and the telecom boom, and why exactly is there so much poverty. What's interesting to note is that divorce in arranged marriage is substantially lower than average.

After seeing New Delhi it was time for Old Delhi including the Raj Ghat (cremation / memorial site for Mahatma Gandhi) and the largest mosque in India - the Jama Masjid.

The best way to tour Old Delhi is by taking a ricksaw/rishka. Our driver was a frail looking older man, who frankly I hated to have drive us around in the sweltering heat. I found myself wondering if his old bike would hold our weight. Our guide told us to put our feet on a ledge and that was our seat belt. I was a bit nervous to enter traffic on the busy main roads, but I had to remind myself they are accustomed to this. He plowed through the crowds and dodged motorcycles, tuktuks, cars, and everything else as he took us through the various streets.

The ride was exhilarating. We wove through the Old Chandni Chowk market passing the themed areas: silver, wedding, paper, and sari/saree. It was certainly sensory overload. There were so many things to see and once again the people were also watching us. Funny how we are all curious about one another.

As we approached the Jama Masjid there were plenty of hawkers who wanted us to purchase so many things. Some of them were rather odd... a kama sutra book, a huge leather bull whip, bindi stickers for my forehead, and many books about the city. Everyone seems to be some kind of salesman with something for you to purchase.

We made our way up the sandstone steps and left our shoes before entering the mosque. It's customary to give the man that watches over your shoes a small donation. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw young man from America making a scene. He was actually yelling at the man and saying that he would not give him a donation, because he wasn't told this beforehand. The whole situation seemed rather ridiculous to me, because we're talking pocket change, which sadly probably means a lot more to the Indian man.

I was surprised that I didn't need to wear a head scarf, yet even despite being very conservative dressed I was given a silk gown. We tried to find a bit of shade so we could hear more of the history of the area without standing in the intense heat and burning our feet on the warm pavement. The Islamic architecture was very beautiful.

After making our way back to our driver we thanked the rishka driver and I told him that we were sorry we weighed so much, but the food here is just too good to resist.

Lalit made reservations for us for lunch. Despite serving Indian food it was clear this was a restaurant that catered to tourists and Western tastes. He declined our invitation to join us, which we weren't sure if that was looked down upon or if he simply had other guides he'd rather join.

After lunch we visited the Laxminarayan Hindu temple, which was more interesting because we heard Lalit discuss his own faith. It's nice when someone welcomes you to look at their beliefs, how they practice, and to learn what it's about. This temple was built in 1622 and unfortunately cameras weren't permitted..

We stopped to take off our shoes and walked across the cold marble floor, stopping to touch the steps as we walked in.

Next we greeted Ganeesha (the elephant God) so that our prayers would be heard by the other Gods.

We again noticed the swastikas that we've seen throughout India. It's such a heavy symbol coming from Germany, although I know it's roots go back much further. In the Indian culture it represents wealth and prosperity. Unfortunately we were not able to take photos at the temple, but the various idols and colors were really striking. We left with our own red tilaka 'third eye'.

I loved one fresco image of a man and a dog. Lalit told us the story, which was about the Final Journey of Yudhisthira, who was a brave man on his journey to paradise. Along the way he crossed paths with a dog that was said to be thin and ugly. They were companions for the journey. Finally, at the gates Yudhisthira was told his mangey friend was not allowed to enter. The man decided if the dog could not enter nor could he after all that they had been through together. Just then the dog transformed into the god Dharma. That was Yudhisthira's final test and a bit of philosophy from ancient India.

We passed through an underground walkway where several people were trying to avoid the heat. A disabled man pulled himself over to us asking for money. It's shocking and disturbing to see people not having the resources for wheelchairs or other medical devices that would greatly increase their quality of life. Unfortunately this wouldn't be the last time we saw people living like this.

After visiting the Hindu temple we went to the Sikh Temple, which was less colorful, but equally as lively. I can't say I knew much about the Sikh faith before we visited, however I recognized the men instantly. One of their five pillars requires never cutting their hair (kesh), thus they wear it wrapped up on their heads and enclosed in a turban.

While walking to the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib area a little guy approached Lalit and asked if he could join us for tea. We didn't quite know what was going on, because we didn't speak his language. Lalit told him he could join us for a meal and he declined, which I found puzzling. I quickly understood why.

We left our shoes with the shoe minder and received a head scarf before we entered the gurdwara. The area is quite enormous and houses the temple, an art gallery, a school, a kitchen, and the holy pond that is said to be blessed by one of their Gurus and cures aliments like cholera.

One of the most inspiring things that I saw was the enormous Langar (kitchen area), which is where this small boy knew we were going. In the Sikh faith they believe in equality, regardless of race, religion, caste, creed, age, gender or social status. Not only that, they believe in providing selfless service to mankind, so Sewadar (volunteers) offer their services to the community without asking for anything in return. It is very inspiring, especially when you see the scale at which they are working.

The dining area of the Langar is set up reflecting the equality - everyone sits on the floor next to one another and eats the same meal. Meals are served twice a day and amazingly 50,000 people or more are served each day. You don't even want to see the dishes. I wish I could have taken a photo of the metal plates stacked so high, but I didn't want to disturb the diners.

They definitely left me with Cherdi Kalaa (ever-rising high spirits), just knowing someone is working towards helping others.

We were understandably very tired at the end of our day. Thankfully we could settle in with room service. Things are very inexpensive in India. The most expensive item on the menu at our hotel was boneless chicken pakora for 300 rupees or roughly $6USD. We had also purchased 6 - 1 liter bottles of water and a bag of chips at a shop for only $2 USD.

The hotel also offered a day trip to the Taj Mahal for only 12€ a person. After we went to the Taj Mahal I cannot imagine going on a day trip, but the next day we were headed to Jaipur and it was one long haul.

New Delhi: Day 1

Our arrival into New Delhi was nice, but boy was it hot - already at the break of dawn. We were met with the heat, honking horns, and a bit of chaos. A definite welcome to India.

Reality check #1: Be prepared to sweat more than you thought humanly possible.

We didn't have to negotiate our way around the tuks, because we hired a driver for our stay before we left Munich. A guide and driver promptly met us and gave us marigold leis and bottles of water. That was a much easier way to soothe our jet lag.

Before I left I was constantly told the same words of wisdom about India, 'You either love it or you hate it', and 'Make sure you check your water bottle to make sure it is sealed and hasn't been refilled'.

On our way to our hotel we quickly saw things are very different. We saw what is supposed to become their subway system in anticipation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which are to be hosted in New Delhi. Throughout the next days we would constantly hear about it on the news, from our guides, and around the city. Everyone was excited and also a bit curious how things would come together.

Reality check # 2: Forgo any prior knowledge of what is safe and don't tell your Mom about it until you get home.

We were instantly struck at how odd it was driving into town, namely because the highways weren't highways like I know them. Instead any type of transportation was permitted, including animals, bicycles, and pedestrians. Safety was entirely different - often the cars would not have seat belts, seeing 4 or more people on a motorbike was considered the norm - and no one had a helmet on. Car seats for children and babies are nonexistent and they would often be riding on their parent's lap as they drove or sandwiched in and taking a nap to the gentle hum of the motor.

When we arrived at our hotel, in our jet lagged haze, it was culture shock to say the least. Our driver pulled up to our hotel and for a few minutes we actually didn't realize this would be our home away from home, off and on, over the next several weeks.

The hotel reeked of furniture polish when we initially arrived and then we were lead up to our room, which was a wonderful little oasis. We had a large shower area, wireless internet, and the ultimate luxury - air conditioning (we don't even have this in Germany!).

Everyone was very attentive to our every whim and everyone expected a tip as well. This is something else we had been warned about, however weren't entirely prepared for. You see when you convert money they don't often give you small bills, so it's easy to dole out very generous tips. Lesson learned - get small bills pronto!

We got acclimated to the noises and would peer out our window to the dusty street below. There was a small and colorful Hindu temple directly outside with a many visitors ringing a bell throughout the day. We heard the constant honking and from time to time cows mooing or dogs barking.

After resting up we decided to venture out. We had a 'park' in front of our hotel, although walking past was enough. We were armed with directions from the hotel and wandered into the middle of our neighborhood - Karol Bagh. As soon as we walked out the door the heat was absolutely stifling. I tried my best to not breathe in the humid air that was suddenly acrid as we passed open urinals on the street.

We left with a mission - to see the area, take some photos to send our parents, and to buy several bottles of water. The amount of attention we would receive was also a big surprise for us.

It didn't take long before we appreciated another luxury - trash service. The streets were littered with random detritus and I was happy to have worn closed toe shoes. In some areas animals of choice (usually dogs, cows, or pigs) would be scavenging for anything edible. We were faced with the reality that life here is incredibly hard for most.

Our first day in India was intense. We were jet-lagged, tired of sweating, annoyed at getting heckled, and feeling immense guilt for having more than the average person.

Reality check #3: Be grateful for everything... education, family, food... - EVERYTHING.

Munich to India

I'm not entirely certain how to go about writing the past 4 months... but I will start at the beginning.

We opted away from traveling anywhere that is theoretically accessible for a long weekend, or as a short trip, in favor of further destinations. We could have easily spent 4 months in one country, but our curiosity got the best of us and we wanted to see as much as possible.

There were plenty of things that we had to consider, as well as what to pack, and if we had the proper vaccinations and visas.

We then booked most everything in advance. Since we traveled with the Star Alliance around the world ticket, we were able to easily change dates for free and destinations for a small fee.

This does take some flexibility out of things, but it also provided us with a schedule. After researching the places we would visit we also booked most of our hotels ahead, which ensured us of having nice places to stay and an address to arrive at in each city.

In the end the planning ahead saved us an incredible amount of time and money while providing some extra luxury. After staying in over 35 hotels in the past year we definitely know what we like and what we don't... more about that later.

Since we are largely familiar with the US and Europe we opted to head East, beginning with our first stop in India. The weather during this time of year in Asia is also a key factor. We didn't want to spend our trip in monsoon season or in sweltering temperatures. We figured we would chase the nice weather around the globe and once it cooled off in Japan we'd be heading South of the equator to New Zealand. Mother Nature always has a few tricks up her sleeve, but considering we were spared natural disasters we fared pretty well.

In the days before we left I wrote my preconceived notions of what things would be like in each place, just for comparison when we returned. I was curious how my expectations and ideas would change after visiting. We printed out our confirmations and tickets, laid out everything we'd be taking on our living room floor, checked and double checked, and before we knew it, it was time to leave. Stefan and I constantly looked at each other and stated time and time again, 'This is really happening.'

After our annual visit to Oktoberfest and saying goodbye to friends, family, and co-workers. It was wonderful to have a farewell celebration at the Käfer tent. The very next morning we were on our way.

The meals on the flight were cutely themed - for Oktoberfest and India. Stefan cherished his last Bavarian feast, while I enjoyed the vegetarian Indian option.

We arrived very early the next day (September 23rd) in New Delhi, India and just like that our adventure began.