February 28 to March 2, 2001 |
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After a hard goodbye and a convenient flight, I punctually landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Passing the customs was no problem, but getting my luggage was quite nerve-racking (I had to wait like 40 minutes! I nearly gave up any hope to see my suitcase ever again!). After receiving my luggage I went to the exit - lots of people were waiting there, picking up their relatives or whatever; it was loud; it was chaotic; it was crowded; and it was strange… and then suddenly I saw Apurva from Aiesec and another guy (whose name I forgot as I'm not used to all those Indian names yet
So, what have I done so far?
Experience, experience, experience - I guess India is one big experience!
Today Insi asked me if I like India, I just said that I like it here but I couldn't explain why. So, I thought about the "why" - I haven't come to a conclusion yet - I just have a good feeling about India. I like the chaos that's omnipresent, I like the life on the streets, I like the friendliness of the people I've met so far, … and I like the weather: sunny and warm! Greetings to cold Austria *gg*!
So, I guess that's all for now. All the best to all of you - keep in touch!
Namaste!
March 3 - 9, 2001 |
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My first week at work is over. I've to admit that my colleagues are extraordinary nice - I was really relieved when I got to know them. It seems that I matched to the right company
On Sunday, March 4, I shifted to my new apartment that is located at Kailash Hills. Actually, a very quiet and nice neighborhood … but my landlord is a bit odd, especially because he is insisting on a curfew. I have to be at home at 11 p.m. the latest, otherwise I get locked out and therefore have to sleep on the streets. Moreover, no guests (especially any boys) are allowed. Sometimes I'm feeling like a 12-year-old girl who has to obey the rules of her parents.
I'm living there with another trainee - her name is Gosia, she is from Warsaw, Poland. I really like her very much; we talk a lot and laugh a lot. I'm really glad that I have such a nice roommate. Our apartment is very cheap and it's quite spacious, too. There are 2 big, very hard beds in the room, one kitchen, and a bath. The kitchen is not very good equipped - just a small gas oven and a sink. Our fridge is outside our apartment - we have to share it with other people. The bathroom is quite okay, besides the fact that the shower is not working properly, and that we don't have any hot water. However, I can live with that… more or less.
The craziest thing however, is the way to reach our room. First we have to enter the house from the back (a narrow, dirty street), then we have to climb up some really steep fire-stairs, then we have to pass the apartment of 5 girls (they are very sweet and talkative) and finally we reach our room. It's really a hard way till we get to our room - especially at night when it's quite dark - then it's really dangerous (especially those stairs!).
This week I once went out with Martin (trainee from Sweden), his colleague from work, and Gosia. First, we went to "Sagar" - a quite popular place for South Indian food; afterwards we drove to India Gate (one of Delhi's famous sights), had some ice cream, and at 10:45 p.m. we got back.
I also met once with two colleagues of my office after work - we had some Indian Vodka and something to eat (but don't ask me what it was ;-) - it tasted very good, though very spicy). Anyway, this Indian Vodka was really hard stuff - I nearly got drunk…
Tomorrow (March 10) the festival of Holi will be played all around India (especially in the North). This is one of the most exuberant Hindu Festivals, with people marking the end of the winter by throwing colored water and powder (gulal) at one another. This is one festival that can get a little bit out of hand, as men can get quick intoxicated and rowdy. That's why Gosia and I are attending a private Holi party. I'm really curious what it's all about. Today already, I saw some people with lots of color in their faces, hairs, and on their clothes. It looked really crazy. - However, I was warned to be careful, as all those colors may cause skin allergies, and that it's hard remove the color from skin, hair, clothes… we'll see!
For the meanwhile, I wish you all a HAPPY HOLI!
If you are interested in the story behind the Holi Festival, click here.
Weekend March 10 – 11, 2001 |
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My second weekend in Delhi was full of activities. Saturday was dominated by the Holi-Festival, the festival of colors and on Sunday, sightseeing in Delhi was on the program.
Saturday, March 10
Gosia and I were invited to a Holi-Party at Sonali's place. Before we went there, we observed the colorful going-ons on the streets. People really went crazy down there – throwing water and color bombs at each other. Some really terrific fights were going on ;-)
At around 11 a.m., we got picked up by Sonali's aunt and then drove to the farm where the party was supposed to take place. The premises there were really great – a big lawn, lots of flowers, a nice house in the middle, a big buffet, … and lots of people. First we got colored all over ;-) and then we enjoyed the great food, the good ice cream, and the cold drinks. Sitting and lying in the grass, watching the colorful crowd (of a hundred people), enjoying the sun, the clean air, and nature. I was feeling like in paradise.
After a few relaxing and colorful hours we went back home – back to dirty Delhi…
At 7:30 p.m. I was supposed to be picked up by a colleague from office as we were invited to the wedding of a colleague's brother. The emphasis is on "was supposed"… as Indian punctuality is not the same as European punctuality. 7:30 p.m. IST (Indian Standard Time) can mean everything… once I read in a book that IST rather means "Indian STRECHABLE Time" than Indian Standard Time *g* … how true! So 7:30 turned out to be 8:40… I'll never understand this not-being-on-time; maybe because I was brought up differently. From early childhood I was taught always to be on time – so for me, 7:30 means 7:30. Anyway, in the end I got picked up and we drove to this wedding. I guess I've never seen anything similar before. The place where this wedding took place was so huge, really huge, believe me! So many people were there, loud music played, the trees were decorated with bulbs, clowns entertained the crowd, a small playing ground for the younger guests was available, a big buffet waited for all the hungry mouths, the ceremony was transmitted to huge video-walls … unbelievable!
After having our dinner there and strolling around, we went to the new married couple and congratulated them… Afterwards we went home again – and I was enriched with one more experience
Sunday, March 11
On Sunday Gosia and I decided to do some sightseeing in Old, Central and New Delhi.
We started at around 8 a.m., taking an auto to Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque). Before reaching Jama Masjid we had to pass a really dirty street – it was kind of squirmy there: from beggars to chicken trapped in a really small cages, to places where fish was slaughtered and meat was processed – you could find everything there. It really stank there… believe me, I was glad when we reached Jama Masjid. The great mosque of Old Delhi is both the largest in India and the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan. It has three great gateways, four angle towers and two minarets standing 40 m high and constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble.
Before entering the mosque, you have to remove your shoes and pay 100 Rs (!) when carrying a camera with you – better pretend not having one! When you want to climb up the minaret you have to pay 10 Rs, but women have to be accompanied by the father, husband, or brother. Ok, my father is in Austria, my brother too, and I have no husband – so what to do? Gosia and I decided to find us a new brother – James from New Zealand was the chosen one. The view from up there was really great – you could see Old Delhi, the Red Fort, … and much more if there would not have been so much smog.
Afterwards we took a walk to Red Fort, approximately 10 minutes away from the Jama Masjid. Visitors may be saddened by the neglected state of the once imposing fort – colored marble-inlay is missing, gardens are bare, graffiti and rubbish are eyesores. Even from a distance the walls of the fort towered massively above the flat banks of the river Yamuna on which it was built. Despite the modern development of roads and shops and the never ending traffic that dominating impression is immensely powerful. In front of the fort is a massive Maidan (open space).
Of course, we also wanted to visit this great Fort but unfortunately entrance fees were so high that we decided against (entrance fee for Indians 5 Rs, for Foreigners 235 Rs).
Following we strolled along Chandni Chowk, with short visits to Diagambar Jain Temple, Sikh Temple Sisganj Gurudwara, and Fatehpuri Masjid. Chandni Chowk, the main bazaar of Old Delhi, is a bustling jumble of shops, labyrinthine alleys running off a main thoroughfare with craftsmen's workshops, hotels, mosques, and temples. Again, nearly everything can be found here. I really liked the atmosphere at Chandni Chowk, the street full of life, and the different smells ;-) However, those bicycle rickshaw drivers nearly drove me crazy – everyone offered us a ride. I was already thinking about putting on a sign saying, "No thanks, I don't need a rickshaw ride".
After an hour or so we reached the end of Chandni Chowk, there we hired a bicycle rickshaw (finally!) and drove down to Connaught Place. Connaught Place and its outer ring, Connaught Circus, comprise two-storeyed arcaded buildings, arranged radially – when being there, you feel like being in a different city/country, everything is clean and spacious.
Before walking down to Janpath Street, Gosia and I had our well-deserved lunch at Pizza Hut (Western food – yippee!). After doing some shopping at the market at Janpath Street, we took an auto to India Gate. India Gate is a war-memorial; it commemorates more than 70,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War 1. 13,516 names of British and Indian soldiers killed on the Northwest Frontier and in the Afghan War of 1919 are engraved on the arch and foundations.
Then we went to Purana Quila (Old Fort). It is said that Purana Quila houses an attractive and quiet park. However, I cannot confirm this as we didn't go into the Old Fort as entry fees again were exorbitant high (5 Rs for Indians and 5 US$ for Foreigners!). Disappointed and a bit pissed off we drove to Lodi Gardens – the beautiful gardens, with mellow stone tombs of the 15th- and 16th-century Lodi rulers, are popular for gentle strolls as much as for jogging. In the middle of the garden is Bara Gumbad (Big Dome), a mosque built in 1494. This garden is like a small quiet oasis in the middle of lively Delhi, an oasis that provides fresh air! Paradise in the middle of the city.
After that we actually wanted to visit Safdarjang's Tomb, but entrance fees were again so high (what a surprise! 5 Rs for Indians and 5 US$ for Foreigners) so that we skipped this sight, too. It was already around 6:30 p.m., so we decided to go home.
What a straining day! Although we visited some really nice places, saw a lot of new things and got to know lively Chandni Chowk, I was and still am very disappointed about the high entrance fees. It's like discrimination – admittedly, foreigners tend to be richer than Indians but I'm earning just Indian income so all those entry fees are very expensive for me and debiting for my small budget.
March 12 - 18, 2001 |
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No major events happened this week. I guess something like everyday-life has started. Therefore I'm going to write down some moments/situations that seem worth mentioning to me.
First of all, I gave up going by auto rickshaw, as this mean of transportation is far too expensive for me. Gosia and I started taking the bus on Saturday - unfortunately, we had very bad luck on our first ride or better: Gosia had. Here in India when travelling by bus, you have to get in from the back door, there pay your ticket and then you have to fight against the crowd that is standing in the aisle to get to the front, in order to get out of the bus. For me, it was nearly no problem to get through the crowded bus (as I'm very good in forcing my way
Going home from work I still take an auto, as busses are usually more crowded in the evening than in the morning … and one "bus adventure" per day is certainly enough ;-) On April 1, the government is planning to remove 11,500 from the existing 12,000 busses – that means that all private busses will disappear from Delhi's streets. I'm really wondering how public transportation will be after April 1 - I guess chaos pure.
Oh yeah, going by bus costs 4 Rs while taking an auto is approximately 35 Rs (I started with 50 Rs … it seems that my bargaining ability has improved rapidly *g*). When going by auto especially those beggars on the street are driving me crazy. When we have to stop at a traffic light usually all the beggars and vendors (they are selling mostly useless crap) come to the rickshaw I'm sitting in. They are trying to get some rupees or food from me, or are trying to sell their stuff. Once a child even kissed my feet - this was so awful, unpleasant. I felt, on the one hand, so sorry for this child but on the other hand, in my opinion giving money doesn't make any sense. Giving food does but I'm not carrying food with me all the time. Somehow I'm feeling always bad in the presence of beggars. However, sometimes I'm really wondering how they are able to locate me in this everyday traffic chaos - it seems like they are able to "smell" white people.
What else can I tell you? Oh yes, I went to a trainee party on Saturday - I got to know all the trainees that are currently staying in town. It was a really colorful, in the sense of cultures and countries, crowd - I met trainees from USA, UK, Spain, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Bangladesh, Canada, and … It was really nice being together with white people again. Actually, I have to admit that I haven't seen so many Western faces since I'm here in Delhi. We sat together till the early morning hours…
Since Thursday we have a new roommate. She is Indian and called Amrita. Actually she is very nice but some of her habits are driving me really crazy: this includes an one-hour-cooking-session starting at 7 o'clock in the morning (at that time I normally was still asleep but that's nearly impossible now), her habit of forgetting to turn off the lights when she goes to bed, and her nightly clothes-washing-sessions (starting at 10:30 or 11 p.m.). Unfortunately, she doesn't speak English very well – that makes it very difficult to explain my problems to her … However, somehow someday we will reach an arrangement. At least, I hope so.
Anyway, Gosia and I are planning to shift at the beginning of May as this curfew-regulation and the spatial regulation to the trainee house is bothering us. However, when we told our landlord about our plans he suddenly was prepared to give up the 11 p.m. regulation. Good for us but nevertheless we are planning to shift.
Coming Sunday I will go to Agra - visiting the world-famous Taj Mahal. I'm really curious about it, although it's said that the entrance fee is going to be around 900 or 1000 Rs (for Indians approximately 15 Rs). We'll see!
Till then - keep in touch!
All the best!
March 19 - 23, 2001 |
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Again, no major events happened to me. Life is going its way…
Maybe of interest is that I started Yoga on Tuesday. There's a Yoga teacher coming three times a week to the trainee house showing us various breathing and relaxing techniques and a whole bunch of positions - like headstand, shoulderstand, plough, fish, spinal twist, etc. Usually we start with our "Om" sessions, followed by some breathing exercises. The main part of our Yoga lessons consists of practicing more or less difficult postures. The whole Yoga lesson is so relaxing although it sometimes can get really hard (like yesterday, we did so many exercises concerning our stomach muscles). Afterwards I always feel like new-borne. I have the feeling that I've done something really good for my body, my mind and my soul. I definitely will continue my Yoga lessons. The first reason is that I'm doing some physical exercise, and the second reason is, I really like Yoga. I'm absolutely sure that I will continue it when I'm back in Austria.
Doing some physical exercises here in Delhi is nearly impossible, as it is so hot and the air so polluted. Swimming would be an alternative but unfortunately there are no swimming pools around.
This week I also got to know Amrita (you know, my new roommate) a bit better. I learned that she is 27 (although she makes the impression of being like 19 or 20). She told us that she is going to be married soon… but not to a man she loves. It's an arranged marriage! Okay, I've read about it in several books that it's quite common in India but actually I never could believe it. Imagine Amrita has seen her future husband once for 5 minutes. I can't believe that a marriage can last for a long time if the couple doesn't know each other before for a couple of time… but probably I just don't understand it because I have a different cultural background - a background where arranged marriages are not very common, or better hardly exist.
I for myself, I could never marry a man who I don't know let alone not love… I really don't get the point of arranged marriages. Is it just because of the money a family has or doesn't have? Or of the caste the family belongs to? It's difficult to understand… at least, for me.
I'm still taking the bus to go to work although on Monday we (actually Gosia was the victim again) had a very bad experience. We both were standing, better pressed, in the middle of the crowded bus when suddenly a man started - I don't know how to express this disgusting situation - "rubbing" … "hitting" on Gosia. You know what I mean? He was masturbating at her… that's so sick. If I would have been Gosia I would have hit this creature, I must say, so hard in its balls that they would not be of any use to it anymore. Gosia however, tried to flee… and finally she was lucky as another man got between her and this man.
Really, this was so ugly - you can't imagine. Unfortunately, I got to know in the meanwhile that this is not so unusual, as men are not really satisfied with their sex-life. One reason might be the very conservative attitude towards sex, the opposite sex and all the things that are related with "physical contact". Poor India. I mean we are living in the 21st century… sex is one of the most natural things in the world. Or do I believe this just because I was brought up in the Western world? I don't know. Different cultures different attitudes. I have to accept this… do I? Maybe that's part of my learning process here - be flexible and open-minded, you know. However I cannot always accept all the things that I'm experiencing here. Some things I will never accept or understand…
Anyway, that's all for now. Take care and always keep your eyes open.
Weekend March 24 - 25, 2001 |
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Saturday, March 24:
On Saturday, I had to work till 2 p.m. Afterwards I met with Gosia at "Dilli Haat", a market for Indian clothes and handicraft, but also a great place to sample food from all over India. First, Gosia had lunch (I had already lunch at the office) and then we strolled around, looking for Indian clothes. And what nice clothes they have there! So many different patterns and materials… I definitely have to buy some Indian suits there, some day (at the latest, when I get my first salary *g*). Then we went to Sarojini Market - this market is actually quite near my working place. If Amrita had not told us we probably would have never found out that there is such a great market - lots of shops, selling nearly everything; from food to clothes, from dishes to cameras. But bargaining is a must! I bought myself a blouse – my first one in India
At around 6:15 p.m. we took an auto and drove home. There we got ourselves ready for cinema and packed our things for our trip to Agra tomorrow. On 7:45 p.m., Gosia and I met with Manu, Martin and Rohit - together we went to the cinema and watched "Crouching Tigger, Hidden Dragon". That's the Taiwanese movie that was nominated for 10 Oscars and finally won 4 Oscars. However, I don't know why it was nominated and won respectively so many Oscars… this movie was a bit weird. Whatever, I don't want to criticize this film. Afterwards, we had ice coffee and ice cream. At around 1 a.m. we reached the trainee house - we had to stay there overnight as we couldn't get into our house anymore (we have the 11 p.m. curfew, remember?).
Sunday, March 25:
We had to get up at 5 a.m. - believe me, it was so hard to get up, after such a short night. However, I was so excited about our trip to Agra therefore it wasn't that hard. At around 5:30 a.m., we left the house and went to the Hazrat Nizzamudin Railway Station where our train, the Taj Express, was supposed to leave at 7:15 a.m. And he did! Unbelievable! I always thought that Indian trains are never on time, but that was obviously, in this case, not true.
The ride was quite convenient - we had our seats and nice persons sitting next to us. The train wasn't even crowded, although we went in 2nd class seater.
When we left Delhi, I saw some really convulsing scenes… for India they may be quite normal, but I saw such poverty for the first time in my life (I can't remember that it wasn't that bad in Mexico neither in the Philippines). People were sitting next to the rails, shitting while watching the trains passing by. It's unbelievable how some people have to live - or rather have to exist, as this cannot be called living. Their barracks stand in the middle of the city's garbage and dirt – it was stinky, it was disgusting. I guess we all have to be very glad that we don't have to live a vegetating life like this.
At 9:50 a.m., we punctually arrived in Agra and got immediately surrounded by rickshaw and taxi drivers, who wanted to bring us for expensive money to the Taj Mahal. One offer was extremely low - 10 Rs per person to the Taj Mahal. Although I was sure that this offer couldn't be true, Gosia and I and 2 Israeli guys took this taxi. And what a big surprise *haha*, in the middle of the ride, the driver offered us a 1-day-sightseeing-trip through Agra for 250 Rs (!). Really crazy! Of course, we refused this offer therefore the driver got a bit upset and said that we have to pay more than 10 Rs per person to the Taj if we are not making this sightseeing trip. Yeah, for sure… we gave him 10 Rs each and went away. Crazy drivers, they always want to cheat.
Following, we went to the ticket booth of the Taj Mahal - 960 Rs (!) for foreigners! I knew that it's going to be that high but the 2 Israeli guys were quite shocked as no Travel Guide tell about this exorbitant high entry fees for foreigners (this was introduced very recently that's why no travel book covers this information). Gosia only had to pay 20 Rs (Indian entry fee) as she is registered in India because she is staying more than 6 months in the country. However, when I saw the Taj Mahal I instantly knew that it's even worth the 960 Rs (although this discrimination is not fair).
For me the Taj Mahal, although many people claim the opposite, was breath-taking and of stunning beauty. A long watercourse in which the Taj is reflected divides paths leading from the gate to the Taj; the Taj Mahal itself stands on a raised marble platform. Purely decorative white minarets grace each corner of the platform - as the Taj Mahal is not a mosque, nobody is called to prayer for them. Twin red sandstone buildings frame the Taj; the western one is a mosque, the identical eastern one is purely for symmetry. (It can't be used as a mosque because it faces the wrong direction.)
Although the Taj is amazingly graceful from almost any angle, it's the close-up detail that is really astounding. Semiprecious stones are inlaid into the marble in beautiful patterns using a process known as pietra dura. The precision and care, which went into the Taj Mahal's design, is just as impressive whether you view it from across the river or from arm's length.
We spent like 1.5 hours at the Taj Mahal - walking around it, making pictures, got photographed (there was a group of young men, they took nearly 20 pictures of Gosia and me. One of them really got onto my nerves - he was following me around the whole Taj, saying things like "you're so nice", "you're so cute"… I didn't want to be rude but after a certain time I had to as I wanted to get rid of him), sitting in the shadow admiring this most extravagant monument ever built for love.
The farewell from the Taj was really hard, as I'm not sure if I ever will see it again. Afterwards we had lunch at the rooftop of Shankara Vegis Restaurant - of course, like all the other restaurants, with the best view of the Taj. It's amazing how the surroundings of the Taj look like: dirty, poor, dusty – I mean, so many people are visiting the Taj year after year and it seems that nobody cares about the city itself. However, I guess that's simply India.
Then we took a rickshaw that was supposed to bring us to the Agra Fort for 15 Rs. But the driver offered us to bring us to Agra Fort for free if we visit a certain silver jewelry shop, thereupon I asked him how much commission he gets for bringing us to this shop: he replied, 20 Rs. After a short discussion we agreed. So we visited this shop for 5 minutes, which was on the way to Agra Fort, enjoyed the cool temperature and the nice jewelry, and finally went away without buying anything. So, the rickshaw driver earned 20 Rs (actually 5 Rs) and we saved 15 Rs.
As we arrived at Agra Fort I got the shock of the day, they really wanted to have another 10 USD (or 450 Rs) entrance fee for the Agra Fort. Although I was sure that the 960 Rs I paid at the Taj Mahal were also the entrance for all the other Agra sights. I refused to pay the 450 Rs, so I waited at the entrance while Gosia went in (she again had to pay just 20 Rs). After a short time, a guy who tear of the tickets came to me – I think he was the chief-ticket-tearer – and started communicating with me. He asked why I'm standing here and not going in. I explained to him my anger about these exorbitant high entrance fees, about the fact that I'm really pissed off, about the fact that many travelers skip all the sights because of the high charges… actually, this guy was quite nice so I offered him a deal. What deal I don't want to say as I don't want to spread this idea… however, I guess you know what I'm talking about… anyway, finally I got in. I even met Gosia instantly in this big complex of Agra Fort. Together we walked around more than one and a half hours, enjoying this great Fort.
Afterwards we decided to skip the remaining sights, so we went to this market called Kinari Bazaar. A quite lively market where you can also find the Jama Masjid. We strolled through the narrow streets of the market, visited some shops, and experienced the real India, as I called it. We saw monkeys, pigs, boars running down the streets, a whole bunch of children that greeted us, uncountable vendors who wanted to sell us their stuff,… Sometimes I felt like an attraction - it seems that not many white people find their ways into these streets. But it was quite funny though.
Finally it got 5:30 p.m. and we had to go back to the Agra Cantt Railway Station. On the platform we met the 2 Israeli guys again, and 2 German trainees - the world is really small ;-) With 30 minutes delay, we departed from Agra… and after around 3 hours or so we reached home. An exciting day reached its end.
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