Sunday, September 23, 2007
Hyderabad at last
Yesterday was Yom Kippor. I had a stomach sickness for two days before it, so after deliberation decided to fast with water (instead of with no water). Being in India on Yom Kippur, seeing people who are poorer than I can really comprehend, people who have no choice whether or not to drink clean water (tap water in India is contaminated, at least for drinking purposes), was quite a powerful experience. We fasted from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday; Friday we each left work early and went out to a restaurant; saturday we cooked dinner in our flat. Lily has been sick since we broke the fast and has been throwing up today. Wednesday and Thursday my stomach was hurting really badly, but I still managed to go to work since I felt fine other than that. I went to a doctor on Thursday night, it cost 150 Rupees ($3.75) to see the doctor at the emergency clinic at 11pm, and I got to see her immediately. She told me to drink liquids and gave me a prescription that I opted against taking.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Between trains
This morning we took 5 cabs down the mountain at 6:15am. The 17 of us took the train from Deridun to Delhi. Although it was a 7 hour ride, we were in second class AC (yes, air conditioning) and in sleeper berths. I thought they were very comfortable and am now feeling good about our Delhi-Hyderabad 21-hour ride, which begins 3 hours from now.
There are two Americans that lived above our hotel near Mussoorie. They hung out with us while we were at the hotel. On Friday they invited us up to their flat and through a party. It was a nice goodbye.
Tomorrow in Hyderabad...
Sleeper train photos
Porters carrying Shlayma's giant bag
There are two Americans that lived above our hotel near Mussoorie. They hung out with us while we were at the hotel. On Friday they invited us up to their flat and through a party. It was a nice goodbye.
Tomorrow in Hyderabad...
Sleeper train photos
Porters carrying Shlayma's giant bag
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Pictures from Delhi
Now that I have figured out how to put photos in my blog, here are some from the four days the 6 of us Southerners spent in limbo in Delhi. I went sightseeing with Leah and Lily and saw many interesting things.
We went to the Baha'i/Lotus temple:
It has 9 pools around it which act as a natural cooling system.
We also went to the Qutub Minar, which has a minaret (huge tower) and some wicked ruins:
We went on a tour of Old Delhi with Leah's Indian friend:
A few days earlier, Leah and I visited Humayun's Tomb, which was incredible:
Delhi is quite hot in August, and because the city is so polluted I constantly have dirt under my fingernails from scratching bites or rubbing sweaty dry skin. But I like Delhi.
We went to the Baha'i/Lotus temple:
It has 9 pools around it which act as a natural cooling system.
We also went to the Qutub Minar, which has a minaret (huge tower) and some wicked ruins:
We went on a tour of Old Delhi with Leah's Indian friend:
A few days earlier, Leah and I visited Humayun's Tomb, which was incredible:
Delhi is quite hot in August, and because the city is so polluted I constantly have dirt under my fingernails from scratching bites or rubbing sweaty dry skin. But I like Delhi.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Haridwar
We don't have Hindi classes on the weekend, so this weekend I took a trip to Haridwar, a holy city on the Ganges river.
Rachel, Lily and I took a cab down the mountain to Deridun, which took 1.5 hours and cost Rs600 ($15.00). From there we took a bus to Haridwar, which took 2 hours and cost Rs35 (About 85 cents).
We found a hotel on Upper Road
We went out to eat at a restaurant called Big Ben. We had an amazing dish called Kashmiri Dumaloo - yum! Also Big Ben had a basin-style toilet with footholds on the basin - so instead of sitting, or squatting (like the Indian style toilet) you step up onto the basin, and then squat.
We walked around the bara bazaar (big market) and eventually turned right and came out at the Ganges. The Ganges is a holy river that is 2,510 kilometers. People make pilgrimages to Haridvar, as well as Rishikesh (a nearby holy city known for its many white hippie tourists and frequented by Israeli's), and especially Varnassi. Each night at sundown, there is a Puja (ceremony) in Haridwar on the Ganges, so we attended.
The sheer number of people there was overwhelming.
They chanted prayers to the Ganges in Hindi, and at times thew up their hands in unison. Some washed themselves in the river, several drank the water (to cleanse themselves of sin). Many people bought leaf bowls with flowers in them, set them on fire, and sent them down the river as offerings to the Gods. The whole ceremony was quite incredible to watch. Although I didn't understand what was going on, I was very moved by observing people praying and chanting.
We had dinner with an Israeli girl we met, one of the few white people we saw in Haridwar. The next morning we went to a temple on top of a small mountain, which we had to take a cable car to get to. There were so many people going to the temple, and everyone crammed into metal line barricades (like they have a an amusement park). After we got into the line, we no longer feared being trampled, and enjoyed seeing the different alters and puja's inside.
We took a bus back to Deridun, and a bus up the mountain to Mussoorie, where we arrived just in time to see the festival in honor of Krishna's birthday. Kids were dressed in full makeup and jewelry on floats, and put on performances for the many spectators.
Their costumes were incredible and put any of my past Halloween costumes to shame. Some of the kids sat motionless, posed with a flute or balancing on stacked pots for several hours. It was very cool to watch.
Rachel, Lily and I took a cab down the mountain to Deridun, which took 1.5 hours and cost Rs600 ($15.00). From there we took a bus to Haridwar, which took 2 hours and cost Rs35 (About 85 cents).
We found a hotel on Upper Road
We went out to eat at a restaurant called Big Ben. We had an amazing dish called Kashmiri Dumaloo - yum! Also Big Ben had a basin-style toilet with footholds on the basin - so instead of sitting, or squatting (like the Indian style toilet) you step up onto the basin, and then squat.
We walked around the bara bazaar (big market) and eventually turned right and came out at the Ganges. The Ganges is a holy river that is 2,510 kilometers. People make pilgrimages to Haridvar, as well as Rishikesh (a nearby holy city known for its many white hippie tourists and frequented by Israeli's), and especially Varnassi. Each night at sundown, there is a Puja (ceremony) in Haridwar on the Ganges, so we attended.
The sheer number of people there was overwhelming.
They chanted prayers to the Ganges in Hindi, and at times thew up their hands in unison. Some washed themselves in the river, several drank the water (to cleanse themselves of sin). Many people bought leaf bowls with flowers in them, set them on fire, and sent them down the river as offerings to the Gods. The whole ceremony was quite incredible to watch. Although I didn't understand what was going on, I was very moved by observing people praying and chanting.
We had dinner with an Israeli girl we met, one of the few white people we saw in Haridwar. The next morning we went to a temple on top of a small mountain, which we had to take a cable car to get to. There were so many people going to the temple, and everyone crammed into metal line barricades (like they have a an amusement park). After we got into the line, we no longer feared being trampled, and enjoyed seeing the different alters and puja's inside.
We took a bus back to Deridun, and a bus up the mountain to Mussoorie, where we arrived just in time to see the festival in honor of Krishna's birthday. Kids were dressed in full makeup and jewelry on floats, and put on performances for the many spectators.
Their costumes were incredible and put any of my past Halloween costumes to shame. Some of the kids sat motionless, posed with a flute or balancing on stacked pots for several hours. It was very cool to watch.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Happy birthday Krishna
Yesterday was Krishna (the god)'s birthday. He was born maybe 5000 years ago at around midnight. Hindu people fast all day from when they wake up until midnight. They bring fruit and dessert offerings to the temples, and at midnight the offerings are passed out to everyone and there is a huge celebration.
My friend Leah and I walked to Mussoorie after Hindi class, which is about a 45 minute walk. We heard music and commotion from far away, and saw decorations as we got nearer. There were gold plastic streamers and colored lights along this long pathway leading to a large temple. People were walking up and down the walkway. We wanted to check it out but weren't sure if we should (after all, it was a religious ceremony and we didn't want to be inappropriate). So I went up to an elderly couple and asked if we could go in. "oh yes, too bad you weren't here before or we would have taken you. We've just come out," they said. Then they said: "We'll take you!" So they walked us down the glittering pathway and showed us where to leave our shoes (in the big pile of shoes outside the temple). Then we went in the temple and stood with other people who were praying towards an alter as other people rang large bells and a male voice chanted over a loud speaker. After about 20 minutes everyone threw orange flower petals into the alter, and a man at the alter threw water at the crowd. Then the couple took us back out, and we thanked them and said goodbye.
After eating in town, we began to walk back up to our hotel. We passed through Landour, and went into another temple. Everyone was sitting on blankets on the floor. Men were on the left and women on the right, though it was not strictly segregated. The women there wore amazing sparkly beautiful sari's and salwaar kumeez's, evidently dressed up for the holiday. There were women in yellow and orange robes on the right of the stage and men in white robes on the left; all were seated. The men played drums while the women sang and pne also played a keyboard. The temple again was beautifully decorated, and people everywhere made offerings to various alters around the room. The music and the energy was quite amazing.
On the way out several men talked to us about Hinduism and asked us a little about our religion. They gave us their card and said to visit more of their centers.
Back at the hotel, a group of us went to a local Puja (celebration) near our language school. We went in and got dots painted between our eyes and string bracelets on our wrists. We sat, women in from, men in back. I was given a metal instrument, kind of like a large long cymbal to play by the older women in front of me (she seemed happy to be rid of it). After a few minutes, the boys beckoned to us and we left; someone had told them we needed to leave because, as this was in a government building, no foreigners were allowed.
My friend Leah and I walked to Mussoorie after Hindi class, which is about a 45 minute walk. We heard music and commotion from far away, and saw decorations as we got nearer. There were gold plastic streamers and colored lights along this long pathway leading to a large temple. People were walking up and down the walkway. We wanted to check it out but weren't sure if we should (after all, it was a religious ceremony and we didn't want to be inappropriate). So I went up to an elderly couple and asked if we could go in. "oh yes, too bad you weren't here before or we would have taken you. We've just come out," they said. Then they said: "We'll take you!" So they walked us down the glittering pathway and showed us where to leave our shoes (in the big pile of shoes outside the temple). Then we went in the temple and stood with other people who were praying towards an alter as other people rang large bells and a male voice chanted over a loud speaker. After about 20 minutes everyone threw orange flower petals into the alter, and a man at the alter threw water at the crowd. Then the couple took us back out, and we thanked them and said goodbye.
After eating in town, we began to walk back up to our hotel. We passed through Landour, and went into another temple. Everyone was sitting on blankets on the floor. Men were on the left and women on the right, though it was not strictly segregated. The women there wore amazing sparkly beautiful sari's and salwaar kumeez's, evidently dressed up for the holiday. There were women in yellow and orange robes on the right of the stage and men in white robes on the left; all were seated. The men played drums while the women sang and pne also played a keyboard. The temple again was beautifully decorated, and people everywhere made offerings to various alters around the room. The music and the energy was quite amazing.
On the way out several men talked to us about Hinduism and asked us a little about our religion. They gave us their card and said to visit more of their centers.
Back at the hotel, a group of us went to a local Puja (celebration) near our language school. We went in and got dots painted between our eyes and string bracelets on our wrists. We sat, women in from, men in back. I was given a metal instrument, kind of like a large long cymbal to play by the older women in front of me (she seemed happy to be rid of it). After a few minutes, the boys beckoned to us and we left; someone had told them we needed to leave because, as this was in a government building, no foreigners were allowed.
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